Pacific Progressive

Call Vector Control and Tell Them No Private Pest Control Companies

 The Orange County Vector Control District (OCVCD) helps to control little critters who carry diseases.  (These animals are called "disease vectors" because they move the disease around, hence the name.)  If you have a problem with a dead bird and there is West Nile Virus in the area, you call Vector Control.  Same thing for a neighbor who won't take care of their pool which is now a mosquito farm - call Vector Control and they will work with the neighbor so you don't have to.

A plan is being considered to privatize rat control services. Currently, if you see rats around, Vector Control will come out and give you (for free!) traps and bait and show you how to properly use them. They will also help you find the openings the rodents are using to get into your house and show you how to close them off.

These services are paid by an assessment of about $6.98 per year per residence in the County.  Taxpayers are able to get a lot for their $6.98.

Now, some members of the Vector Control board want to let private extermination companies (Terminix, Orkin, Truly Nolen are some common names) provide the rat control services. The plan is to send the companies out on calls to homes to provide the rat control services to the home owners.  Then, the pest control company can then sell the homeowner services to control pests on the inside of the home.

Smell a rat?  Does turning Vector Control into a marketing company for private pest control companies sound like a bad deal to you?  Call and write your representative on the Vector Control District. Each of the 34 incorporated cities has a representative. If you live in the unincorporated areas, your rep is Supervisor John Moorlach.

The representatives for each area are listed.  If you have a relationship with them, please use that to tell them "No to Private Pest Control Companies."  You can also call, fax and write them at the Vector Control Board.  Sending faxes works very well because it creates a paper trail of who objects and carries more weight than an email.

Orange County Vector Control District (OCVCD), 13001 Garden Grove Blvd, Garden Grove, CA 92843

Phone 714-971-2421 949-654-2421  Fax 714-971-3940

Aliso Viejo - Mayor Phillip B. Tsunoda 

Rethinking School Lunches with Renegade Lunch Lady Chef Ann Cooper - March 13

How can we make school lunches better for our kids?  Should school lunches be driven by the marketing needs of the food industry or by the budget concerns of school districts or by what's best for our kids?  

Chef Ann Cooper is a celebrated author, chef, educator, and enduring advocate for better food for all children. Ann, a relentless voice of reform, wants to see nutritious meals replace the highly processed meals currently served in our nation’s schools. Her educational seminars, like the Slow Food Time for Lunch Campaign, focus on the links between food, family, farming and children’s health. Come learn what you can do to change the way our children eat… one lunch at a time.

Chef Ann’s Bio: A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Ann has been a chef for more than 30 years. Over the years, Ann’s career shifted from primarily cooking to cooking, writing, and public speaking – all advocacy work for a healthier food system. She is the author of four books (e.g., Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children (2006)) and founder of the non-profit Food Family Farming Foundation (F3), which focuses on solutions to the school food crisis. F3's pivotal project is The Lunch Box - a web portal that provides free and accessible tools, recipes and community connections to support school food reform. Chef Ann currently resides in Oakland, CA. For more information about Chef Ann, go to http://www.chefann.com/

Join Chef Ann Cooper at the Environmental Nature Center, 1601 E 16th St, Newport Beach, CA from 9 - 10:30 AM on Saturday, March 13, 2010.

Let's Can Campbell! - Jan 23-24

It's time to can John Campbell - he does nothing for his district.  He won't meet with constituents. When his constituents do get thru to his office staff, they are berated by office staff for bothering to call the Congressman.  So far, the only two groups Campbell has worked to benefit are car dealers (he rents land to dealerships) and the birthers (Orly Taitz's son was an intern in his office and she is a donor.)

Beth Krom wants to take that seat from him so she can go to Washington and work for the CA 48 district.  

Let's Can Campbell! takes place Saturday and Sunday, January 23-24, 2010 in cities in the district.  Beth will be meeting with constituents to hear their concerns and canned food will be collected to help out fellow  Orange County residents.  The schedule is here.

Saturday January 23, 2010

Dana Point 11AM - Noon at Heritage Park, 34400 Golden Lantern

San Juan Capistrano Noon - 1 PM at Descanso Park, 32506 Paseo Adelanto

Laguna Niguel 1 - 2 PM at Hidden Hills Park, 27802 Springwood

Aliso Viejo 2 - 3 PM at Home of Heather Pritchard, 10 Santa Clara St

Laguna Hills 3 - 4 PM at Home of Taylor and Stephen Davis, 26602 Dapple Grey Dr.

Laguna Woods 4 - 5 PM at Clubhouse 6, 5365 Algarrobo

Sunday January 24, 2010

Laguna Beach 11 AM - Noon at Home of Audrey Prosser and Debra Quam, 230 Beverly St

Newport Beach Noon - 1 PM at Home of Susan Kopicki, 511 El Modena 

Lake Forest 1 - 2 PM at Serran Creek Community Park, 25101 Serrano Rd

Tustin 2 - 3 PM at Camino Real Park, 13602 Parkcenter Lane

Irvine 3 - 4 PM at OC Plaza, 2575 McCabe Way

Santa Ana 4 - 5 PM at Orange County Catholic Worker - Isaiah House, 316 South Cyress Ave

Find out more about the event in your city at [email protected]    949-870-9154

Facebook http://snurl.com/bethkrom or Friend in Beth Krom

Twitter @krom4congress

Imported Water Supply Shutdown - Jan 25-31

San Juan Capistrano is urging residents and businesses to conserve water by ceasing landscape watering and car washing while its imported water supplier shuts down its plant for a week this month.  The shutdown also impacts other cities in south Orange County.

The Diemer Filtration Plant, the Yorba Linda-based water treatment plant that serves South County, is expected to perform necessary maintenance and upgrades from Jan. 25 through Jan. 31. The facility, owned and operated by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), provides much of all of South County's potable water needs through two regional water pipelines.

The City's groundwater recovery plant, which began operation in December 2004, will help offset impacts of the waterline shutdown that will leave much of south Orange County with little or no imported water. However, the shutdown affects the City's major supply line for all potable (drinkable) water entering the City, and San Juan Capistrano needs to conserve in order to maintain supplies in its reservoirs for drinking, sanitary uses and firefighting.

Stopping the Sale of the Fairgrounds - Who is Against the Sale

Who is has signed on against the sale of the Orange County Fairgrounds?

Assemblyman Jose Solorio

Assemblyman Jim Silva

Assemblyman Van Tran

Buena Park - 12/22 agenda

Costa Mesa - Mayor Allan Mansoor, Mayor Pro Tem Wendy Leece, Councilmember Katrina Foley, Councilmember Eric Bever, Councilman Gary Monahan

County of Orange - Supervisor Pat Bates, Supervisor Janet Nguyen, Supervisor John Moorlach, Supervisor Bill Campbell, Supervisor Chris Norby

Cypress - 12/15 agenda

Fountain Valley - Mayor Larry Crandall, Mayor Pro Tem Cheryl Brothers, Councilmember Guy Carozzon, Councilmember John Colllins, Councilmember Steve Nagel

Fullerton - Mayor Don Bankhead, Mayor Pro Tem Pam Keller, Councilmember F. Richard Jones, Councilmember Shawn Nelson, Councilmember Sharon Quirk-Silva

Huntington Beach - 12/21 agenda

La Habra - 12/21 agenda

Laguna Hills - 1/8 agenda

Laguna Niguel - 12/15 agenda

Lake Forest - 12/15 agenda

Newport Beach - Mayor Keith Curry, Mayor Pro Tem Michael Henn, Councilmember Steven Rosansky, Councilmember Don Webb, Councilmember Leslie Daigle, Councilmember Edward Selich, Councilmember Nancy Gardner

Orange - Mayor Carolyn Cavecche, Mayor Pro Tem Tita Smith, Councilmember Mark Murphy, Councilmember Denis Bilodeau, Councilmember Joh Dumitru

San Clemente - 12/15 agenda

Santa Ana - Mayor Miguel Pulido, Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez, Councilmember Michele Martinez, Councilmember Carlos Bustamante, Councilmember David Benavides, Councilmember Sal Tinajero, Councilmember Vincent Sarmiento

Newport Beach Passed Resolution Asking Gov To Stop the Fairgrounds Sale

On Tuesday, December 8, 2009, the Newport Beach City Council passed a resolution asking Governor Schwarzenegger to stop the sale of the Orange County Fairgrounds.  The Orange County Supervisors, Costa Mesa and the City of Orange have also passed resolutions asking for the sale process to stop.

$2 Rides to Medical Appointments for South County Seniors

South County Senior Services' senior non-emergency medical transportation program has available funding to transport seniors to and from their non-emergency medical appointments. 

Eligible trips include non-emergency medical appointments such as physical therapy, dialysis, chemotherapy, radiation, dentistry, x-rays, prescription pickup and regular physicians' checkups. The program is available to qualified participants for a fee of $2 per one-way trip.

To use the service, participants must be at least 60 years of age, ineligible for Orange County Transportation Authority's ACCESS Services and reside within the South Orange County designated service area. This includes the cities of Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Irvine, Laguna Woods, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills, Laguna Beach, Lake Forest, Foothill Ranch, Mission Viejo, Ladera Ranch, Newport Beach, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano and Capistrano Beach.

Individuals who are currently utilizing OCTA ACCESS, and are in a frail medical condition, which creates a hardship, may be granted a waiver and be allowed to use the SNEMT Program.

Participants can take trips to medical facilities within the designated service area. The program will also serve Kaiser Anaheim (Lakeview), UCI Medical Center in Orange, St. Joseph's Hospital of Orange and the Long Beach Veterans Hospital. Rides are available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Program participants are required to register before using the service and are urged to contact the program coordinator as soon as possible to obtain the necessary enrollment forms.

"The senior non-emergency medical transportation program is essential to provide seniors the ability to retain their independence while aging in their homes," said Chief Operating Officer Dan Palumbo.

Contact South County Senior Services at 949-855-8033.

Health Care Rallies Nov 12 - Newport Beach and Yorba Linda

MoveOn is sponsoring health care rallies this week.  

Gather at Rep. John Campbell's (CA 48) office, 610 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA at 11:30 AM on Thursday, November 12, 2009.  Later the same day, at 6 PM, gather in front of the Nixon Library, 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd, Yorba Linda, CA to send a message to Rep. Gary Miller (CA 42)  

Bring your signs and cameras!

Orange County Sanitation District to Address Cost Recovery and Potential Chemical Shortages

The Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) treats the wastewater from the cities of La Habra, Brea, Fullerton, Anaheim, La Palma, Buena Park, Los Alamitos, Stanton, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Westminster, Garden Grove, Cypress, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Orange, Villa Park, Tustin Placentia, Yorba Linda and Irvine.  OCSD is the agency responsible for maintaing the outfall pipes offshore. and is the third largest wastewater agency west of the Mississippi River.

OCSD is working on an update to the strategic plan to address the potential shortage of chemicals and getting better cost recovery from other agencies.  Both of these issues are key to the successful future operation of the District.

A reliable supply of quality chemicals is a requirement of operating a wastewater treatment facility.  Chemicals are used to mitigate odors, enhance settling of solids, reduce bacteria formation, and disinfect then dechlorinate the effluent prior to discharge.  

OCTA Looking to Eliminate Routes - Give OCTA Feedback on These Proposals

OCTA is looking to restructure bus service to fit the available budget. Staff has prepared several proposals for bus service reductions and have taken the presentations to public meetings to get input.  OCTA has also bought ads and put comment cards on buses to get feedback on proposals.  

If you use one of these buses, please tell OCTA what will happen if the bus is no longer available to you. These routes are targeted for possible elimination.  When you buy a bus pass, drop off a comment card or a letter.  Attend the public meeting on October 26 at 9 AM at OCTA headquarters in Orange. Fill out a comment card and drop it in the mail. But, please, for your sake, let OCTA know if these bus service cuts will impact you.  If your school is impacted, have your teachers, professors, principals and deans call.  If your business is impacted, have the managers and human resources department call OCTA to let them know this is a problem.

The routes listed for elimination are given below, along with the major landmarks along the route.  If implemented, the routes will be eliminated starting in March 2010.

Route 20 - La Habra to Yorba Linda via Imperial Highway - Yorba Linda Middle School, Yorba Linda Community Center, Downtown Yorba Linda, Brea Gateway Center, Brea Promenade, Brea Mall, Imperial Middle School, La Habra Marketplace

Route 21 - Fullerton to Huntington Beach via Valley View St/Bolsa Chica Rd - Buena Park High School, John F. Kennedy High School, Centerpointe, Cypress High School, Cypress College, Hilton D. Bell Intermediate School, Marina High School, Boeing, Huntington Beach Industrial Area, Sunset Beach

Fire Departments Have Open Houses This Weekend

National Fire Prevention Week is during October 5 thru October 10.  Visit a firehouse near you during this weekend during an Open House. These events are always a favorite with the kids because they get to meet firefighters, see the firetrucks close up, and learn what an important job firefighting is.  The firefighters also teach families and business owners how to protect themselves and their loved ones in the case of emergency.

All events are on Saturday, October 10, 2009 unless noted.

Aliso Viejo OCFA Station #57, 57 Journey from 9 AM to 2 PM.

Anaheim from 10 AM to 2 PM at:

Euclid Fire Station #6 - 1330 S Euclid

Stadium Fire Station #7 - 2222 E Ball Rd

Weir Canyon Fire Station - 8270 E Monte Vista

Twila Reid Fire Station - 3078 W Orange

Brea from 10 AM - 2 PM at Fire Station #2, park in downtown parking structure and walk across Brea Blvd using the signal at Ash St

Buena Park OCFA Station #61, 8081 Western Ave from 9 AM - 2 PM

Costa Mesa  from 10 AM to 2 PM at:

Station #1 - 2803 Royal Palm Drive

Station #2 - 800 Baker St

Station #3 - 1865 Park St

Station #4 - 2300 Placentia Ave

Station #5 - 2450 Vanguard Way

Station #6 - 3350 Sakioka Dr

Cypress OCFA Station #17 - 4991 Cerritos Ave from 9 AM - 2 PM

Dana Point OCFA Fire Station #30 - 23831 Stonehill Dr from 9 AM - 2 PM

Do You Ride the OCTA Night OWL? Your Bus Could be Eliminated

OCTA is facing a very tough budget situation because transit funds from the State have been cut, leaving OCTA without a large chunk of money needed to fund the actual day to day operation of buses. OCTA staff is studying how to make cuts in the bus system and has held a series of public meetings, bought ads, and put service change info on buses.  OCTA really needs to hear from more riders about what the specific service needs are so the cuts cause the least harm.

The Night OWL service is targeted for complete elimination because, it is argued, ridership is very low and the money spent on Night OWL service would be better spent on service at other times of the day.  What many people don't realize is that Night OWL riders have fewer choices for transportation than riders at other times of the day.  For these folks, it's the Night OWL or nothing in many cases.

The four Night OWL routes targeted to be eliminated are the 43 La Habra to Costa Mesa via Whittier Blvd/Harbor Blvd, 50 Long Beach to Orange via Katella Ave, 57 Brea to Newport Beach via State College Blvd/Bristol St, and 60 Long Beach to Tustin via Westminster Ave/17th St.  The service reductions would start in March 2010.

What You Need to Do

You need to talk with OCTA to tell them what will work for you. Staff is trying to figure this out and plans are not set yet.  If your workplace is effected, have your manager or HR department contact OCTA to tell them about the problems losing the Night OWL will cause.  You can drop off a comment card or letter when you buy a bus pass at OCTA, attend the public hearing on Monday, October 26, 2009 at OCTA Headquarters at 9 AM, or send a letter to Wendy Knowles, Clerk of the Board, OCTA, 555 S Main St, PO Box 14184, Orange, CA 92863-1584.  If you let OCTA know what you need, they can try to help you.  Now is the time for input.

Info About Proposed March 2010 Service Reductions

43 La Habra to Costa Mesa via Whittier Blvd/Harbor Blvd

La Habra - Whittier Christian High School, La Habra Square, La Habra High School, Washington Middle School, Sonora High School

Fullerton - St. Jude Hospital, North Court, Fullerton College, Fullerton Union High School, Fullerton Transportation Center, Metro Center of Fullerton, Orangefair Mall

Anaheim - Anaheim Cultural Arts Center, Anaheim Library, Anaheim Resort Area, Anaheim Convention Center, Disneyland, Anaheim High School

Melissa Fox & Beth Krom - Oct 8 - Meet & Greet

Mark your calendars and head to Lake Forest on Thursday, October 8, to join Beth Krom and Melissa Fox at a meet and greet at Melissa's home.  Beth is running to replace John Campbell in Congress.  Melissa is running for the seat of termed out Chuck Devore in the 70th AD.

Both of these strong, smart women want to bring balance back to their districts and will work to help their constituents.  Both are wives and mothers who are also businesswomen.  Both understand the need for strong  schools, a vital business community, and a forward looking strategy.  

Join Beth Krom and Melissa Fox at 22035  Arrowhead Lane, Lake Forest, CA.

Help send Beth Krom to Congress: http://www.actblue.com/page/bethkrom

Help send Melissa Fox to Sacramento:  http://www.actblue.com/page/melissafox

Health Care Reform and The List Project - Sept 27

Duck Club Democrats will talk about health care reform and The List Project at the Sunday, September 27 meeting.  

Club members Paul Gilbert and Patty Santry have done extensive research and will provide an analysis of H.R. 3200, the House of Representatives bill already approved by three House Committees. They will also present a review of the bill in the Senate, concentrating on what is known about the Finance Committee bill as presented by Max Baucus, updated by recent news reports on any changes in that bill.

Issues that will be addressed are: reforms of medical insurance and medical practices, increased coverage of persons now without health insurance, ways money will be saved by the legislation, and increased doctors and nurses obtained through grants and loans authorized by the bill.

The List Project will be presented by Russell Vergara, Director, Health Policy & Development of the Coalition of Orange County Community Clinics.  The List Project collects the names of Orange County residents who have either passed away or suffered irreparable damage due to lack of access to health care.

Duck Club Democrats meet at 1 PM, at the Duck Club at Irvine Ranch Water District, 5 Riparian View, Irvine, CA.  The Duck Club is at the very end of the road past the IRWD water facilities.  

Newport Beach Welcomes Beth Krom

Beth Krom, Congressional candidate in the California's 48th District, will be welcomed into the home of Janet and Walkie Ray in Newport Beach on Friday, September 25, 2009, from 6 to 8 PM.  Show your support for Beth as she continues on her journey to our nation's capital.  

Beth is a smart businesswoman and leader and will bring those sharp perceptions to Washington when she is our representative.  Beth is currently on the Irvine City Council and served as Mayor for two terms.  During that time, Irvine began a program to increase the reserves of the city of Irvine. As a result, reserves tripled - $30 million is in regular reserves and more than $70 million is an Asset Management Fund.  The $100 million in reserves gives Irvine a signficant buffer in these current economic storms.

Join Beth and her Newport Beach supporters as they work to send Beth Krom to Congress!