October 15, 2021 Media Brief
Orange County
Voice of OC: Congress considers decommissioning offshore oil rigs in wake of OC spill
Pointing to the recent OC oil spill as a sign of a “ticking time bomb” from old drilling infrastructure, Congressional Democrats on Thursday called for speeding up an end to offshore drilling by making oil companies put aside enough money to decommission their rigs and pipelines.
Voice of OC: How safe is OC coast after oil spill? Fisheries still closed
Disaster response officials and Orange County public health leaders are saying beaches are safe to go swimming at after two weeks of oil spill cleanup, but not all the experts are convinced. It comes as cities along the coast had been doing their own testing to determine local water safety, lacking a centralized testing system.
OC Register: Oil wells in Bolsa Chica reserve could jeopardize wetlands
The 1,400-acre Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach is home to 23 species that are endangered, threatened or of special concern. It’s treasured by birdwatchers for the nearly 300 feathered resident and migratory species, many of which lay their eggs there.
Voice of OC: Chino Hills State Park is slated to expand by 1,530 acres
Chino Hills State Park — a 14,000-acre urban wilderness park at the juncture of Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties — is set to grow by roughly 1,530 acres, more than 10% of the park’s acreage.
OC Register: Ex-La Habra police chief Alan Hostetter wants to be his own lawyer at Capitol riot trial
A former Orange County police chief turned yoga instructor and conservative protester who is facing criminal charges related to the Jan 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol now wants to represent himself during his federal trial.
OC Register: Real estate news: 178 apartments coming to Irvine Business Complex
The five-story complex on 2.2 acres at 2055 Main St. will include a rooftop deck with a pool and spa, entertainment pavilion, lounge areas, barbeques, and a game area.
Labor
OC Register: Flight attendants fight back against unruly passengers — in self-defense classes
A hijacker wielding a knife, a drunk demanding another drink, a man refusing to put on a mask — flight attendants are getting trained on how to handle such scenarios in these times of increasingly aggressive passengers.
Labor 411: More than 10,000 Deere & Co. workers reject .20 cent wage increase, go on strike
Thirty-five years have passed since the last major Deere strike, but workers were emboldened to demand more this year after working long hours throughout the pandemic and because companies are facing worker shortages.
California
KTLA: UC faculty group recommends nixing alternative SAT exam
The UC Board of Regents, in a move that reverberated nationally, unanimously voted last year to drop the use of the SAT and ACT for admissions decisions through 2024 because the tests exacerbated disparities based on race and income.
Publication Date: October 15, 2021
