July 11, 2017

Orange County

Voice of OC: OC supervisors seek more power over ethics commission, by changing what voters approved

The changes under discussion would modify the term of office for commissioners to either align with the term of their appointing supervisor, or grant each supervisor the power to choose how long their appointee serves.

 

Voice of OC: Ethics commissioner falsely claimed in application he’s on board of directors of a national association.

Questions about Agarwal’s representation of his board of director status were first raised in a Voice of OC story June 27, a few hours before supervisors unanimously appointed Agarwal to the ethics commission at the request of Supervisor Shawn Nelson.

 

LA Times: Todd Spitzer will challenge Tony Rackauckas for Orange County district attorney post

Rackauckas, who has been district attorney for nearly 20 years, has also been dogged by allegations of cover-ups and corruption from his former chief of investigations and two investigators currently working in the office. All three recently filed claims against the district attorney’s office.

 

OC Register: Orange County property taxes to rise 2 percent this year

Orange County property owners will get a 2 percent increase in their tax bills this year, the biggest hike in four years thanks to higher inflation rates. And rising real estate values also will boost revenue for such entities as schools and local governments this year.

 

OC Register: Heat wave won’t let up in Orange County this week, homeless struck hard

As a heat wave continued to beat down on Orange County, Peter Glenane and his teen boys pulled a wagon Monday along the Santa Ana River to distribute water bottles to the homeless.

OC Register: Homeless and lawless? A stretch of the Santa Ana River is often unpoliced

Officials from the Anaheim Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff point to jurisdictional disputes, lack of money and a fear of lawsuits as some of the reasons why a cluster of tents and makeshift dwellings that house several dozen people near the western bank of the Santa Ana River aren’t getting full-time patrols or routine criminal investigations.

 

California

LA Times: Here is what the gas tax repeal initiative title will say. Proponents say it is misleading and will sue

The office of Democratic Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra approved language that describes the repeal thusly: "Eliminates recently enacted road repair and transportation funding by repealing revenues dedicated for those purposes."

Publication Date: July 7, 2017