Tag: Orange County Community

Orange Coast College Launches Career Mentorship Program

College students will have the opportunity to learn about and prepare for future career paths through Orange Coast College’s new career mentor program. The community college, located in Costa Mesa, announced last month it is partnering with Mentor Collective—an organization that connects students with one-on-one mentors—to bring this program to its students for free. Director…


Irvine Unified Candidates Debate Board Policy, Parent Rights at Forum

The three candidates running for the Irvine Unified School Board displayed three very different approaches to board policy and parent rights in a forum hosted by the Irvine Unified Council Parent Teacher Association Oct. 12. Business owner Marlene Bronson, Irvine Unified parent Katie McEwen, and education and health advocate Debra Kamm are vying for the…


Costa Mesa Officials Seek $3.5 Million to Redevelop Former Mental Hospital Into Housing

Costa Mesa city councilors voted unanimously Oct. 4 for a request for proposals of $3.5 million in state funds, which will be spent in planning for the redevelopment of a former mental hospital into residential and commercial properties. Located just south of Harbor Boulevard and Adams Avenue, the 100-acre property was formerly the city’s Fairview…


Newport-Mesa Unified School Board Candidates Face Off at Forum

Motivated by a desire to improve academics, school safety, and parental rights, candidates vying for a seat on the Newport-Mesa Unified School Board faced off in a forum hosted by the Harbor Council Parent-Teacher Association Oct. 10. This year, four seats on the board are up for grabs: Trustee Area 2, which covers Costa Mesa’s…


Volunteer Day in Newport Beach Coming Oct. 15

Volunteers can now sign up for a wide variety of community improvement projects in Newport Beach Oct. 15, during the first-ever “Love Newport Beach Day.” “It’s a great way to be more engaged with your community, to renew relationships with your neighbors, and contribute to the renewal of Newport Beach,” Mayor Kevin Muldoon said in…


OC Supervisor Runs for Re-election to Reduce Homelessness, Strengthen Social Services

Orange County Supervisor Doug Chaffee is running for re-election Nov. 8 for the District 4 seat, which includes Fullerton, La Habra, Brea, Placentia, and portions of Anaheim and Buena Park. Chaffee, who was elected Supervisor in 2019, is running against Sunny Park, the mayor of Buena Park. All four of Chaffee’s supervisorial colleagues have endorsed…


Irvine Celebrates 21st Annual Global Village Festival  

Cultures around the world were celebrated Oct. 8 as thousands of visitors gathered alongside local elected officials, civic groups, and sponsors at Irvine’s 21st Global Village Festival. Over 170 booths occupied Irvine’s Great Park where the festival highlighted local artists, restaurants and entertainers through global cuisine, music and dance performances, art exhibitions, and more. “We…


Orange State of the City Awards Recognizes Key Community Figures

ORANGE, Calif.–The Orange Chamber of Commerce held its annual State of the City Awards Oct. 7 honoring outstanding members of the community. Taking place at Chapman University’s Musco Center for the Arts, Orange Mayor Mark Murphy, along with Chairman of the Orange Chamber of Commerce Al Ricci, recognized the city’s 2021 “Person of the Year,”…


Protests Erupt in Southern California Over ‘Transing’ Children

As thousands of doctors gathered at the Anaheim Convention Center in Orange County, Calif., over the weekend, mounting tensions erupted outside between transgender rights groups and protesters opposed to the “transing” of children. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) held its convention Oct. 7–11 in Anaheim, while parental rights groups and a handful of dissenting AAP…


Bite-Sized History of Costa Mesa: From Farming Village to ‘City of the Arts’

Costa Mesa—a vibrant city of 69 years with a population of 111,000 in 2021, according to census data—grew from a small Spanish settlement into the hub of arts and culture in Orange County. The region’s first inhabitants were a Native American tribe called the Yukup who settled along the banks of the Santa Ana River,…