June 7, 2021 Media Brief
Orange County
Voice of OC: Santa Ana Council approves police cost increases, Viet community liaison in first round budget vote
A Vietnamese community liaison, more legal defense funding for undocumented residents, a memorial to lives lost to Coronavirus, affordable broadband access, and more after school youth and safety programs are all on the way for Santa Ana.
OC Register: Should Irvine shift to district voting? Lawsuit threat may force the issue
Irvine is one of Orange County’s few large- to mid-sized cities that hasn’t made the switch from at-large elections to district-based voting. But has that left the city’s non-White residents unable to put the candidates that best represent them on the City Council?
Voice of OC: Veterans abandon potential cemetery site ahead of contentious Irvine City Council vote
After state officials released a long awaited study announcing the costs of building a veterans cemetery at two potential sites in Irvine, some veterans groups are calling on the city to renounce their hold on the project altogether.
Voice of OC: Huntington Beach using $20K in COVID funds to help businesses impacted by “Adrian’s Kickback”
“We can use this $20,000 to really just sort of help them and really make a commitment to say we stand with you guys. We understand that this was a big impact to you and we want to help you,” said Mayor Kim Carr at Tuesday’s public City Council meeting.
County of Orange: County Clerk-Recorder earns national achievement award for innovative Honda Center marriage services
The “Hitched at Honda Center” program allowed the department to reimagine the marriage services process. Through thoughtful planning, training, and management, staff worked from inside ticket booths at Honda Center in Anaheim, California that had all the resources needed to be fully functional despite operating from a remote location.
OC Register: OC home prices jump $117,750 in one year
Low mortgage rates fueled demand just as a wave of young adults enter key home buying years. Plus, vaccinations helped lower coronavirus risks and trimmed the pandemic’s broad economic challenges.
Labor
Labor 411: Workers’ leverage is increasing, pay going up as employers are desperate to attract workers
Workers in retail, hospitality and other service industries bore the brunt of last year’s mass layoffs. But unlike low-wage workers in past recessions, whose earnings power eroded, many of those who held on to their jobs saw their wages rise even during the worst months of the pandemic.
California
Daily Pilot: O.C. resident among 15 statewide to win $50,000 in ‘Vax for the Win’ program
An unidentified Orange County resident was among the first 15 winners chosen Friday to receive $50,000 each in the state’s $116.5 million COVID-19 vaccination incentive program, “Vax for the Win,” according to City News Service.
Publication Date: June 7, 2021
