Category: Orange County

UCI Medical Workers Commemorate National Gun Violence Awareness Day

ORANGE, Calif.—Days after a shooter took the lives of two physicians at a hospital in Oklahoma, doctors and hospital staff wearing orange T-shirts gathered outside the University of California–Irvine (UCI) Medical Center on June 3 to commemorate National Gun Violence Awareness Day. “Today, we want to remember those that have been hurt or killed by…


Saddleback Megachurch Pastor Rick Warren to Retire, Announces Successor

Pastor Rick Warren announced on June 2 that Pastor Andy Wood will take over leadership of Saddleback Church, a Lake Forest, California, congregation with more than 30,000 weekly attendees. Warren, 68, who founded the evangelical Baptist church with his wife Kay in 1980, announced plans to retire and search for a successor last year. Wood,…


Fiscal Literacy Should be Required for Elected Officials

Commentary Having served in public office for a quarter century, I marvel at the fiscal illiteracy of many elected officials. Now that I have a little time to reflect, I’m amazed at how a flim-flam-type salesman can come in and offer an idea where the only real winner is the salesman. Orange County and its…


San Clemente to Fight Human Trafficking Through Stronger Oversight of At-Risk Businesses

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif.—Hotels and personal service businesses like massage parlors and nail salons have become a hotbed for human trafficking in San Clemente, California, prompting city officials to push for stronger oversight of such establishments. “In terms of quality of life and the safety and security of our residents, we don’t want those establishments here,”…


OCPA Fined $2 Million After Putting California in Jeopardy

Commentary Orange County Power Authority recently launched into business amid promises that it would provide an adequate supply of electric power to its customers in southern California. Now it turns out that OCPA’s claim was premature, putting the region’s electric reliability in jeopardy. OCPA’s tenuous preparedness is only undermined by recent infighting within the agency’s…


Brea Looking for Architect for Arovista Park Renovation

BREA, Calif.—The City of Brea is selecting an architect for a project to modernize the city’s 35-year-old Arovista Park to make it more accessible for the elderly and people with disabilities while encouraging an active lifestyle in the community. As the 14-acre park continues to wear and tear after its last renovation in the 1990s,…


No Arrests in Mater Dei Threat at the Moment: Police

SANTA ANA, Calif.—A former Mater Dei High School employee who allegedly sent a threat to the Catholic school that forced its closure will likely not face criminal charges, according to the Santa Ana Police Department. Mater Dei reopened its doors Thursday as students inch closer to their final exams before the summer holiday—two days after the…


Orange County Eighth Grader Reaches Fourth Round of National Spelling Bee

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif.—A middle school student from Orange County, California, advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee after advancing through three rounds of spelling—but stopped in the fourth round on June 1. Jason Khan, an eighth-grader attending McAuliffe Middle School in Los Alamitos, misspelled lepper, a horse skilled in jumping. However, he…


OC Power Authority CEO Accuses Board Members of Corruption

The head of the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) has accused Huntington Beach City Councilors Mike Posey and Dan Kalmick of corruption and open meeting law violations. Brian Probolsky, CEO of Orange County Power Authority (OCPA), which oversees the program, alleges that “Posey and Kalmick conspired to create a common plan and scheme to insert…


Mater Dei High School to Close Through Friday After Threat

SANTA ANA, Calif.—A threat to Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana Tuesday forced the Diocese of Orange to shut down the campus through Friday as Santa Ana police investigate. School officials sent a message to parents about the threat Tuesday afternoon. “Today, we learned of a credible threat to the Mater Dei campus and…