July 27, 2021 Media Brief
Orange County
Voice of OC: Rhonda Bolton is the first Black woman to serve on the Huntington Beach City Council
The decision to select Bolton as Tito Ortiz’s successor ends almost two months of debate in Huntington Beach on how the council should go about filling the spot on the dais — a debate that has played out over the years in cities throughout Orange County — most recently in Costa Mesa, Orange and Cypress.
Voice of OC: Sheriff deputies to get body cams next month
“The goal is to have those cameras running any time any of our staff – any of our deputies, our [sheriff’s special officers], our investigators – have any type of public contact or public interaction,” said Undersheriff Jeff Hallock, the department’s second-in-command, in a Monday interview.
Voice of OC: Irvine City Council to discuss major Great Park revamp after year of little progress
The Great Park was originally billed as the Central Park of the West Coast. A Voice of OC investigation last year found homeowners were being charged millions of dollars in special Mello-Roos taxes to fund construction of a park without a clear final vision or price, with most of the park land going toward sports fields and private leases.
Voice of OC: Proposed rail project along eroding south OC coastline comes under a microscope
The project is currently in its preliminary design phase, with public meetings and permitting processes all still to come. If the project is permitted, construction would begin in early 2025, officials say.
Voice of OC: Health care workers and state employees will have to prove COVID vaccine status
It’s a stark change in state policy that heavily relied on the honor system so people could drop their masks — state employees and health care workers could simply “self attest” to being vaccinated and not have to show proof.
Labor
OC Register: Blizzard employees plan walkout at Irvine campus after discrimination lawsuit
Employees at Activision Blizzard are calling for a walkout on Wednesday to protest the company’s responses to a recent sexual discrimination lawsuit and demanding more equitable treatment for underrepresented staff.
California
Associated Press: Five killed, including sheriff’s deputy, in shootings at California home
A California sheriff’s deputy and four other people were killed in a weekend shooting in a San Joaquin Valley home, authorities said Monday. The dead also include the suspected shooter and three people in the home who were apparently victims of the gunman
LA Times: Dramatic video shows Dixie fire, now 14th largest in state history, engulf forest camera
As of Tuesday morning, the fire had burned 208,206 acres, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. Over the weekend, it merged with the 4,300-acre Fly fire.
Publication Date: July 24, 2021
