February 3, 2021

Orange County

OC Register: Orange County has cut its coronavirus case rate in half since mid-January

Orange County has continued to rappel down the pandemic’s new year peak as three critical metrics used to track the speed and spread of COVID-19 fell for a third straight week, according to California Department of Public Health data released Tuesday, Feb. 2.

 

OC Register: Tito Ortiz gets to keep his ‘mayor pro tem’ title, as no-confidence vote falls flat

Huntington Beach officials still express concern over former MMA fighter's strident anti-mask stance, but on Monday they expressed little appetite for formal reprimand.

 

Daily Pilot: Huntington Beach loses housing case with state of California

The Huntington Beach City Council voted 5-2 against appealing the judge’s ruling in a closed session Monday night, City Atty. Michael Gates announced. Mayor Pro Tem Tito Ortiz and Councilman Erik Peterson were the dissenting votes.

 

Voice of OC: Lake Forest ponders whether to stay in County public power cooperative

Facing a March 17 deadline on whether to remain involved with a South County regional public power cooperative led by the City of Irvine, Lake Forest City Council members have decided to hold a special public meeting next Friday to get more public input.

 

Voice of OC: Santa Ana residents object to plans to remove Santa Anita handball court

Handball courts have become a flashpoint of public debate in recent months, between those who see the spaces as enabling illicit activity and those who see them as a tool to keep young people out of trouble.

 

Voice of OC: Divided Santa Ana Council to decide by early march if grocery workers deserve hazard pay

A split City Council on Tuesday directed staff to draft an emergency ordinance requiring large grocery stores to pay their workers an extra $4 per hour, on top of their existing hourly pay, for four months.

 

Labor

OC Register: Trader Joe’s double COVID-19 ‘thank you’ wage to extra $4 per hour

Trader Joe’s is raising its workers’ pay by an additional $2 an hour — for a total of $4 — during the coronavirus pandemic as Los Angeles weighs an ordinance that would mandate an extra $5 an hour for many workers at large grocery stores and pharmacies.

 

Daily Pilot: Will the grocery worker ‘hero pay’ battle close more supermarkets? What you need to know

Ralphs now plans to close the location after Long Beach approved a hazard wage. And the industry has warned that more stores will close if such pay rules expand. That has outraged some officials.

 

Publication Date: February 3, 2021