January 27, 2022 Media Brief
Orange County
OC Register: What is ‘stealth omicron,’ and how worried should we be about another COVID-19 mutation?
Many are exhausted to hear anything related to a new variant or even subvariant of COVID-19, which has already killed hundreds of thousands of Americans, sickened many others and caused two years of disruption.
KABC: Lawsuit looming against Kaiser after mother of 3 is refused COVID-19 vaccine and dies
An active mother of three from Mission Viejo with multiple sclerosis, but who was managing the disease fine, died from COVID-19 because her health care provider denied her a vaccine.
Voice of OC: Two OC schools grapple with racism and battles over sexual orientation
Two South Orange County schools are dealing with the fallout over two separate controversies – one stemming from racist remarks against a student and another from a student clash over sexual orientation.
Voice of OC: Placentia-Yorba Linda school board may switch to online meetings following mask revolt
The Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District Board members haven’t been able to conduct their two regularly scheduled meetings this month because people kept refusing to mask up in the meeting chambers.
OC Register: Orange County School Board asks court to intervene in dispute about voting maps
Argument between conservative education group and state-mandated committee to oversee redistricting raises question of politics. Meeting minutes show board members have discussed how new districts might affect elections.
Fullerton Observer: City staffing levels decline
Veronica Rodarte, a Senior Labor Relations Representative with the Orange County Employees Association, attributes the diminishing levels of City Staff to insufficient salaries, which are just not competitive enough to attract needed employees.
Daily Pilot: Poseidon Water announces application for coastal development permit completed
Officials at Poseidon Water reported Monday the company has received notification from the California Coastal Commission that the application for a coastal development permit for its controversial $1.4-billion water desalination plant will be up for consideration in March.
California
OC Register: California optimism up 4 straight months
California consumers’ view of current conditions: Improved, with index at 155.5 for the month — the highest since February 2020. It’s also up from 141.1 a month earlier and above 75.6 a year earlier. This measure averaged 141 in 2015-19.
Labor
OC Register: What’s in the California paid sick leave deal for workers and businesses?
The agreement comes amid the continued omicron surge and the resulting labor shortage across the state’s workforce, including health care, schools and public transit.
Publication Date: January 27, 2022
