January 13, 2021

Orange County

Voice of OC: Santa Ana officials consider mandating hazard pay for local grocery, pharmacy workers

Mayor Vince Sarmiento said the pandemic has “forced us all to realize who is really valuable … Janitors in hospitals. People who are stocking shelves at grocery stores at their own peril.”

 

Voice of OC: Vaccine PR effort for OC moves forward

The single-sentence motion approved by supervisors directs county staff “to enter into a contract with Idea Hall for the County of Orange’s COVID-19 response and vaccine public health communications.” Like much of the county’s coronavirus spending, the ultimate details will be filled in by county bureaucrats, in private, over the next few days.

 

Voice of OC: Irvine City Council approves new public participation measures after months-long debate

Similar issues have cropped up in other cities across Orange County, resulting in a wide disparity of public access as the county Board of Supervisors and some other agencies choose to still offer in-person meetings, while others went the opposite direction and restricted commenters entirely to online submissions.

 

Daily Pilot: In wake of Twitter ban on Trump, Huntington Beach city attorney finds his own account has been cleaned

Days after social media giant Twitter deleted tweets from President Donald Trump and suspended his @realDonaldTrump account following the riot at the U.S. Capitol, one Orange County elected official awoke on Monday to find his own page had been deleted.

 

Daily Pilot: Irvine settles lawsuit that accused former Irvine mayor of violating a resident’s 1st Amendment rights

Irvine resident Lamar West claimed that Shea violated his rights by blocking his ability to engage in open discussion during a critical period of debate in the country regarding police brutality and racism. The city settled for nearly $40,000. Irvine also spent more than $80,000 in legal fees.

 

Nation

BBC: Trump impeached for “inciting” US Capitol riot

Mr. Trump, a Republican, will now face a trial in the Senate, where if convicted he could face being barred from ever holding office again.

 

Associated Press: NTSB says electric vehicle battery fires pose risks to 1st responders

There are also gaps in industry safety standards and research on high-voltage lithium-ion battery fires, especially in high-speed, severe crashes, the National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday.

 

Publication Date: January 13, 2021