The Annual OC Tet Festival is a wonderful event that celebrates new beginnings, good fortune, and prosperity.

Families can stop by Mile Square Park this weekend to enjoy traditional Vietnamese food, carnival rides, a firecracker display, lion dances, and live performances as they ring in the New Lunar Year.

 Freedom Hall Lawn at Mile Square Park

 16801 Euclid St, Fountain Valley, CA 92708 

 February 4 | 5pm-10pm

 February 5 | 10am-10pm

 February 6 | 10am-9pm

 For more information, call our office at 714-834-3110

Click here for the EventBrite Information.

Home to former Army, Navy, and Marine bases, Orange County is California’s largest county without a veteran’s cemetery. 

During the January 11th OC Board of Supervisors Meeting, my colleagues and I unanimously voted to support Assembly Bill 1595.

AB 1595 will allow the California Department of Veterans Affairs to acquire, study, design, develop, construct, and equip a state-owned and state-operated Southern California Veterans Cemetery in Anaheim Hills so that we may honor the men and women who served our country so valiantly and who deserve the right to be buried in Orange County.

For more information on AB 1595: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB1595 

Are you a veteran and looking for a job?

The OC Veterans’ Employment-Related Assistance Program provides free training, career services, supportive services, and job placement for recently separated or near-term separation military members.

For more information: https://www.oconestop.com/veterans-services 

Calling all Veterans and military families!

Next week, the OC Workforce & Economic Development Division is hosting an in-person hiring event for veterans and military families focusing on Clinical Research Career Pathways.

Attendees will:

• Learn about current job opportunities and career paths in clinical research
• Hear from veterans firsthand about their experience in the clinical research field
• Connect to different veteran service providers in the community
• Have the opportunity to ask questions related to what employers are looking for, the first steps toward applying, and how to best navigate the hiring process.

Event Details:

 February 8

 6:00 - 7:30 pm

 Tierney Center for Veteran Services

 1231 Warner Avenue, Tustin

 bit.ly/ocvmfccareerpathway

Are you looking for a job or in need of a career change?

The OC Workforce & Economic Development Division offers job seekers the unique opportunity to explore many career options using virtual reality headsets. 

For more information: https://www.oconestop.com/mobile-unit

Have you been laid off or let go from your employer?

Join the OC Workforce & Economic Development Division for a FREE WEBINAR that covers all benefits afforded to you once the layoff occurs.

 Every other Wednesday

 10 am - 12 pm

 Register at: bit.ly/ocworkforce

 714-480-6500

 For more information: ocworkforcesolutions.com

COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots are widely available throughout Orange County for adults and children ages 5 and over. Individuals are encouraged to access their pediatrician's office, a local pharmacy, healthcare providers, or one of OC Health Care Agency’s vaccine clinics. 

And if you or someone you know needs help getting a ride to a vaccine clinic, call the OCCOVID19 hotline at 714-834-2000 Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm. 

Orange County Public Libraries are pausing in-person programming until further notice.

You can still enjoy virtual programs and 24/7 resources at ocpl.org/virtualprograms.

A change is coming to Orange County! 

New recycling standards are rolling out as part of SB 1383, a law requiring residents and businesses to separate food and yard waste from the main trash bin. 

Residents will receive specific instructions from their waste hauler regarding any changes to existing bins. Changes are occurring on varying schedules so keep an eye out for notices with your hauler billing, by mail, and online, such as your hauler website or city page.

For more details: www.oclandfills.com/residential-organics-recycling.  

The Huntington Beach Channel and Talbert Channel Repair Project has begun. 

The project consists of installing new steel sheet piles adjacent to the existing steel sheet piles that line the sides of both flood control channels to reinforce decaying portions of the existing wall system. This will form an extremely durable steel “wall” that will strengthen the flood control channels and enhance flood protection for the surrounding community. 

To view the overall project location and check out other project details: www.OCPublicWorks.com/HBT

Traveling back home through John Wayne Airport?

The CDC recommends a COVID-19 test within 3-5 days of arrival from outside the US for travelers.

Free COVID-19 test kits are available in Terminals A and C in the John Wayne Airport.

Test kits can also be ordered in Orange County from the OC Health Care Agency at www.ochealthinfo.com/covidtest.

Orange County’s Office on Aging has partnered with GetSetUp to provide hundreds of live online classes to keep our seniors mentally, physically, and socially active. Classes are free, interactive, easy to join, and they’re offered day and night.

For more information, sign up for a free online introductory session:

  January 26 at 1pm

 https://bit.ly/OC-GSUevent  

2021 was a tumultuous year. But we got a lot done in Orange County despite all the challenges we faced. In 2021 I also had the honor of being Chair of three major Boards – the Orange County Board of Supervisors, CalOptima, and OCTA.

Among the many things we accomplished last year, here are a few highlights:

• At the OC Board of Supervisors, we opened the first Be Well OC campus in January 2021, Orange County’s first mental health facility. We also addressed the growing number of individuals with behavioral health needs in our Corrections system and looked at how the Sheriff’s Department responded to mental health calls during the height of the pandemic. And as a result, we established two new behavioral units. As part of the testing and vaccine ad-hoc committees, we also expanded distribution and ramped up food banks in local communities. And after years of a long battle, we finally broke ground on the first-ever county Veteran’s cemetery.
• At CalOptima, staff developed a Health Equity framework and established a multi-department workgroup to support the effort. Staff also launched vaccination and resource events where more than 464,000 CalOptima members received a COVID-19 vaccine. CalOptima also continued to expand pilot programs for members experiencing homelessness, such as Clinical Field Teams and shelter-based health services and approved up to $45 million in provider incentives to assist in coordinating enhanced care for Orange County residents under the State’s CalAIM program.
• At OCTA, we continued to move projects forward such as the I-405 Improvements Project, which is now more than 70% complete, and the OC Streetcar, which is approximately 60% complete. The OC Streetcar will be Orange County’s first modern electric streetcar, running 4.1 miles from Santa Ana to Garden Grove. We also expanded the College Pass Program to include Cypress College and Irvine Valley College to allow more enrolled students to travel on any OC Bus free of charge.

Thank you to my colleagues, stakeholders, community leaders, and county staff for all your support. The initiatives and policies that I have been credited for advancing, could only be done because of the support from my colleagues. Something that I don’t take for granted. I look forward to continuing the great work we started last year.