On Monday, the Santa Ana Veterans Village project broke ground! This an important project in addressing the needs of our homeless veterans.

The Santa Ana Veterans Village will house 75 veterans, who bravely served this Country, and recuperative services. Many entities both public and private collaborated to bring this project to fruition including the County of Orange, the City of Santa Ana, Jamboree Housing Corporation, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The Santa Ana Veterans Village is part of Orange County’s commitment to construct 2,700 units of new permanent supportive housing in the effort to combat homelessness. Military veterans are estimated to make up 12 percent of the county’s homeless population, based on the county’s 2017 Point In Time homeless census. Orange County continues to make great strides in addressing homelessness, including allocating $189 million this past year to homeless-related programs and housing.

Read more on the project in the OC Register article. 

This Saturday, Orange County Chairman Andrew Do is hosting a Mental Health Provider Forum at Mile Square Park to get input from doctors, hospitals, nonprofits, and other stakeholders on mental health delivery system. The event is free and open to the public. If you or someone you know would like to take part in crafting the Orange County mental health system or has input regarding mental health policy, this meeting is for you. For more information, please contact (714) 834-3110 or email first.district@ocgov.com. We hope to see you there!

Chairman Andrew Do arranged a visit for Orange County’s top law enforcement officials to meet with local businesses and media in Little Saigon in order to discuss how we can work together to make the community safer.

The group toured important locations in the Vietnamese community including local newspapers offices, the Asian Garden Mall in the heart of Little Saigon, and the Vietnam War Memorial at Sid Goldstein Park. One of the local businesses the group visited was a recent victim of a smash and grab robbery, a serious area of concern. Officials will take what they learned on the tour into consideration while creating policies to protect our communities.

Thank you Sheriff Don Barnes, District Attorney Todd Spitzer, Assemblyman Tyler Diep, Westminster Mayor Tri Ta, and County Officials for working to enhance public safety in Little Saigon!

Dia de Los Reyes Magos is an important celebration for many residents across Orange County, as they remember the three wise men who visited baby Jesus. The community organization 32 por Mexico’s 15th annual Dia de Los Reyes Magos Celebration was a special one this year, featuring the longest Rosca bread in the state measuring at 64 feet! Over 500 toys were given out in celebration of the epiphany, Three Wise King’s Day. The baby Jesus in the nativity scene was even a real baby!

Thank you Mike Gonzales, President of Los 32 Por Mexico, for putting this event on for the community, and thank you Santa Ana Councilwoman Cecilia Iglesias for sponsoring this celebration.

Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen

Congratulations to our Orange County Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen on his swearing-in ceremony! Like myself, Hugh was a refugee from Vietnam who was sponsored, through the generosity of families, to come to America. As our Clerk-Recorder for the past 6 years, Hugh has increased the efficiency and effectiveness of the Department receiving national recognition, all while maintaining the lowest recording fees in the state. If you ever need a passport, marriage license, birth certificate or any other documentation, head on over to one of our Clerk-Recorder offices in Santa Ana, Laguna Hills, Westminster, or Fullerton (soon to be Anaheim).

Sheriff Don Barnes

Congratulations to our new Sheriff Don Barnes! I have worked with Sheriff Barnes for a number of years, most recently as he served as the Orange County Sheriff's Department Undersheriff. Sheriff Barnes worked his way up through the department, and I know his experience and leadership will be incredibly valuable in keeping our community safe. I look forward to continuing to work with him to protect and serve the people of Orange County.

Assessor Claude Parrish

Congratulations to our Orange County Assessor Claude Parrish on his swearing-in ceremony! I was honored to serve as the Master of Ceremonies as Claude serves the taxpayers of Orange County for another term. Claude has been an advocate for streamlining government and under his leadership; the Assessor department has saved $1.5 million! Looking forward to continuing working with him to serve the residents of Orange County.

District Attorney Todd Spitzer

Congratulations to Orange County’s new District Attorney, Todd Spitzer! As a former Deputy District Attorney, I know the important role this office plays in the safety of our community. As Sacramento continues to experiment with criminal justice, I know District Attorney Spitzer’s passion for public safety will help tackle the tough issues we face today. Looking forward to working together to enhance the safety of Orange County.

The County of Orange is seeking around 1,000 volunteers to sign up to help with the 2019 Point In Time count, taking place Wednesday, January 23, and Thursday, January 24.

The Point In Time is a biennial effort by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, counting people experiencing homelessness in a given point in time during the last 10 days in January. The data resulting from the 2019 Point In Time count will provide information to help the County and its partners better understand and address homelessness.

Volunteers are primarily needed to serve as field surveyors, who will canvass predesignated areas across Orange County and conduct surveys of homeless individuals. Volunteers are also needed to serve as team captains, host leads, host team members, photographers and videographers, and A/V and tech support. Volunteer opportunities are available in morning shifts and evening shifts on both January 23 and 24. Volunteers are projected to mostly complete the count on January 23, with volunteers following up on January 24 to cover any areas that might have been missed. (See descriptions of volunteer opportunities and links to register here.)

In-person training for volunteers will be offered on Saturday, January 12; Wednesday, January 16; and Thursday, January 17 in Fullerton, Tustin and Mission Viejo. The two-hour, in-person training is required for all team captain volunteers and is optional for all other volunteers. (See a full list of training options and an RSVP form here.)

Each team of field surveyors will be led by a team captain, who will have specific training and most likely experience in outreach or providing services to homeless individuals. Volunteers will receive information leading up to the Point In Time count covering details such as what to wear, how to conduct the app-based survey, and how to ensure safety.

For additional information about the 2019 Point In Time count, visit www.EveryoneCountsOC.org.