December 1, 2021 Media Brief
Orange County
Voice of OC: OC cities look to motels to help house homeless people
Aging and rundown motels in cities like Stanton are being bought and transformed into housing for homeless people in Orange County — stemming from a pool of state money — in an effort to get more people off the streets.
Voice of OC: Whistleblowers say a Santa Ana sheet metal factory is unsafe, polluting water
Pollution levels in stormwater discharged by the Kingspan Light + Air factory in Santa Ana’s Delhi Neighborhood have gone beyond permitted amounts every year since 2018, according to documents the company filed with regulators in May.
OC Register: Pandemic made housing’s rich only richer
Despite much chatter about a supposed exodus of residents from big, expensive housing markets in the pandemic era, metro areas ranked in the top 20% of all selling prices had a median two-year price gain of 34% — better than a 26% median gain for the rest of the nation.
OC Register: $600,000 donation brings help for homeless at Huntington Beach High
Even at a school where the dominant images seem to be of affluence and privilege, Huntington Beach High, homelessness is a real problem. The school includes some of the nation’s wealthier ZIP codes but some of Huntington Beach High’s 3,000 students suffer from housing insecurity.
OC Register: Mater Dei to commission independent probe of its sports programs
School president Walter Jenkins’ announcement follows an Orange County Register report on the school’s handling of an alleged hazing incident involving football players
Labor
Daily Pilot: O.C. could see holiday trash pile up as Republic Services employees authorize strike
Teamsters members at facilities in Huntington Beach and Anaheim agreed in a Nov. 23 vote to authorize a strike, alleging too-long hours, harassment, and the hiring of subcontractors.
California
OC Register: 1st US case of COVID omicron variant confirmed in California
A person in California who had been vaccinated against COVID-19 became the first in the U.S. to have an identified case of the omicron variant, the White House announced Wednesday as scientists continue to study the risks posed by the new virus strain.
OC Register: Why California is moving forward with firing vaccine-resistant health care workers
When California’s deadline kicked in at the end of September, some of California’s biggest health care providers, including Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health, suspended workers, largely without pay, who hadn’t complied with the vaccine mandate. But most gave their workers weeks to comply before firing them.
Nation
OC Register: Michigan school shooting: Gun purchased by father on Black Friday
The 15-year-old boy arrested after the shooting that killed four students Tuesday at Oxford High School in Michigan remains in juvenile custody as the prosecutor decides whether he will be charged as an adult.
Publication Date: December 1, 2021
