June 29, 2021 Media Brief

Orange County

Voice of OC: OC Supervisor term limit extension push imperiled by new state law

Sacramento lawmakers dealt a blow Monday night to a controversial effort by three Orange County supervisors’ to extend their own term limits – with the Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom banning any new local ballot measures during the governor’s upcoming recall election.

 

Voice of OC: Huntington Beach to appoint new council member reviving a debate tackled by other cities

City council members unanimously decided at the June 10 meeting to pick from a pool of applicants, interview them and appoint a candidate to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of Councilmember Tito Ortiz. This is typically what most cities do.

 

OC Register: Irvine Co. seeks brand-name chain to reopen 2 closed hotels

The two business hotels were closed by Irvine Co. in the spring of 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic throttled tourism, most notably business travel. At the time, the company said it was undertaking a detailed review of the future for the two properties.

 

OC Register: Orange County beaches score high on summer water quality

Orange County was also well represented on the non-profit’s Honor Roll, topping the list with 10 of the of 35 California beaches earning perfect year-round water quality marks for the period covering April 2020 through March 2021.

 

Labor

Daily Pilot: Laguna Beach school district employees to receive 4% raise

The 4% pay raise, which is for all non-temporary employees, will go into effect Thursday when the new fiscal year begins. The raise includes all district administration, including Supt. Jason Viloria.

 

Coronavirus

OC Register: Harvard and MIT make face masks that can detect coronavirus

Researchers say they have created wearable biosensors that can detect the presence of the virus in a person’s breath. These button-activated masks give COVID results within 90 minutes in a simple-to-read format similar to an at-home pregnancy test.

 

Nation

Bloomberg: U.S. housing prices jump the most in more than 30 years

Nationally, the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller index of property values climbed 14.6% from a year earlier, according to a statement Tuesday, the biggest gain in data going back to 1988. That came after a 13.2% increase in March and was the 11th straight month that price gains accelerated.

 

Publication Date: June 29, 2021