October 19, 2021 Media Brief
Orange County
Voice of OC: OC members of Congress question why taxpayers float unprofitable oil rigs
Orange County’s congressional delegation showed up in force Monday at an oversight hearing convened in Irvine over the recent oil spill, calling for an end to taxpayer subsidies for offshore drilling and drawing protests from Republican Party leaders who accused them of exploiting the leak to score political points.
Voice of OC: Coastal cities join increasing calls for offshore oil drilling bans
The spill miles off the coast of Huntington Beach earlier this month has sparked a debate over the future of offshore oil drilling with some lawmakers calling for bans on new offshore drilling.
Voice of OC: Placentia-Yorba Linda school board may ban critical race theory after state mandates ethnic studies
Some districts have faced a heated and contentious debate with educators, parents and students showing up to meetings and defending the classes, while other community members have gone to adamantly oppose the courses.
OC Register: Vaccine mandate prompts school walkouts throughout OC, state
Though the walkout drew loud crowds in pockets of the county, everything from polling to vaccine data (county statistics show 67% of people ages 12 to 17, the youngest age group currently eligible, have at least one shot) suggests the protesters represent a minority view.
OC Register: These are 12 Day of the Dead events happening live this year in Southern California
Day of the Dead, which falls on Nov. 1 and 2, is not about mourning those who have died but about celebrating their lives with a combination of Aztec rituals and Catholic beliefs with the altar, which is made up of offerings in memory of the dead, as the focal point of the tradition.
City News Service: Gas prices across Southern California are the highest in 9 years
Even higher gas prices are expected in the weeks ahead because OPEC is holding back oil production and there’s strong global oil demand, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, which provides real-time gas price information from more than 150,000 stations.
Labor
KTLA: Amazon to hire for 150,000 jobs — 23,000 in California — with average hourly pay of $18, sign-on bonus
In California, the 23,000 new positions are on top of 25,000 previously announced full- and part-time operations jobs in the state.
Nation
Bloomberg: Almost 20% of U.S. households lost entire savings during pandemic
For many Americans, coronavirus lockdowns — with nowhere to go and nothing to do — were a time to save. But for almost 20% of U.S. households, the pandemic wiped out their entire financial cushion, a poll released Tuesday finds.
Publication Date: October 19, 2021
