- New Round of Small Business Grants Rolls Out in Irvine
The City of Irvine received more than $722,000 from the County of Orange to help small businesses affected by COVID-19, city officials announced Jan. 19. However, at least one councilmember said that even though the money will be helpful, it’s not enough. “The grant money is critical to our small businesses, especially our retail and restaurants, which have been deeply […]
- Local Hospitals Postpone Elective Surgeries During COVID-19 Surge
Some Orange County hospitals have suspended elective surgeries as they struggle to keep pace with an ongoing pandemic that continues to push the boundaries of health care capacity. Local health officials made the call to postpone nonessential procedures following a state health order that sought to more effectively prioritize patient care. The California Department of […]
- University of California—Irvine Medical Center Erects Mobile Field Hospitals
ORANGE, Calif.—The University of California—Irvine (UCI) Medical Center opened a network of field hospital rooms Dec. 29 in the center’s parking lot due to Orange County’s spike in COVID-19 cases. The field units, which are made up of tent-like materials, are licensed to treat up to 40 patients outside the main hospital. There were 22 […]
- California Is Like an Ocean With Strong Republican Undercurrents: Analyst
Commentary This election cycle showed an inevitable resurgence of conservative thinking in California, as well as an increasing “viciousness” in politics, says polling analyst and news agency head Craig Keshishan. He talked with The Epoch Times’ “California Insider” about how, historically, Republicans and Democrats have shared California in a dynamic way that made the state […]
- St. Joseph Hospital Workers Receive Orange County’s First COVID-19 Vaccinations
Hospital workers at St. Joseph Hospital in the City of Orange on Dec. 16 became the first recipients in Orange County, California, to be given vaccine shots for COVID-19. Five health care workers from the hospital were administered the vaccine during a late morning press conference hosted by the Orange County Health Care Agency and […]
- Chapman Professor Retires Following Capitol Controversy
ORANGE (CNS)—A Chapman University law professor who has drawn criticism for assisting President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the presidential election result and speaking at a rally for Trump before last week’s insurrection at the Capitol agreed today to a settlement with the university to retire. John Eastman did not immediately respond to the news […]
- Orange County Reports 4,204 New Cases of COVID-19, 43 More Deaths
SANTA ANA (CNS)—Orange County reported 4,204 new cases of COVID-19 and 43 additional deaths Jan. 9, bringing to county’s totals to 185,481 cases and 2,041 fatalities. The number of patients hospitalized with the coronavirus decreased from a record 2,259 Jan. 8 to 2,221, with intensive care unit patients climbing from 514 to a record high […]
- Orange County Supervisor Doug Chaffee Talks Hopes for the New Year
As many others do, Orange County Supervisor Doug Chaffee longs for a better world in 2021—sort of like the one he was living in before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. “I’m dreaming that our resort areas get open and recover, and the tourism that comes with it,” Chaffee told The Epoch Times during an end-of-year […]
- Orange County Reports Record 4,606 New COVID-19 Cases
SANTA ANA, Calif. (CNS)—Orange County reported a single-day record 4,606 new cases of COVID-19 and 15 additional deaths Dec. 20, bringing the county’s totals to 124,428 cases and 1,775 fatalities. The county’s record-setting trend of COVID-19 hospitalizations continued, with 1,682—a jump from 1,601 on Dec. 19—and 375 COVID-19 patients in intensive care units (ICU), up […]
- Lawsuit Alleges Inhumane Conditions at Orange County Homeless Shelters
Alleged appalling living conditions and persistent abuse at three Orange County, California, emergency homeless shelters have sparked a lawsuit. Eight plaintiffs allege relentless sexual harassment, invasive body searches, unchecked groping, and lewd propositions from staff members and residents. The lawsuit, filed on Dec. 10 in Orange County’s Superior Court by the American Civil Liberties Union […]
- Orange County Sheriff’s Department Names New Undersheriff
Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes has a new right-hand man. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department said Jan. 13 that it named veteran officer Jeff Hallock as its new undersheriff. Orange County Undersheriff Jeff Hallock.(Courtesy of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department) “Undersheriff Hallock is a consummate leader who serves with integrity and approaches any assignment he […]
- Santa Ana School Bus Driver Charged With Assaulting Two Girls
SANTA ANA (CNS)—Felony charges were filed today against a 39-year-old school bus driver in Santa Ana who’s accused of sexually assaulting two young girls over a period of several years, starting when they were seven and eight years old. Nery Rodriguez Gonzalez of Upland is facing two counts each of continuous sexual abuse of a […]
- Fairview Developmental Center Opens Unit for COVID-19 Patients With Dementia
Fairview Developmental Center in Costa Mesa, California, began accepting COVID-19 patients with dementia Dec. 28, as Orange County officials attempted to lighten the strain on local hospitals overbooked as the result of the surging pandemic. The center has created a special ward for the patients, with 50 beds housed in a separate building from its […]
- Los Alamitos Horse Track Owner Threatens to Halt Operations After Licensing Vote
All bets are off at the Los Alamitos Race Course, where a contentious licensing debate prompted the track’s owner to threaten its closure. The embattled quarter horse racetrack in Cypress, California—where at least 29 horses have died from racing or training injuries this year—had sought a yearlong license from the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB). […]
- Orange County Sheriff Makes Changes to the Department
Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes is making some major changes to his department, including restructuring executive positions within his staff and implementing new COVID-19 restrictions to reduce potential exposure for deputies and the public. The restructuring of the department was discussed and approved at the county Board of Supervisors meeting Dec. 8 in Santa Ana, […]
- More Orange County Entertainment Centers Tapped to Host Vaccine Super Sites
SANTA ANA (CNS)—Orange County supervisors have reached a deal to host a second super site for vaccines at Knott’s Berry Farm, shortly after confirming Disneyland would be used as its first super site. Officials are also working on setting up a vaccination site at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, said Supervisor Doug Chaffee. […]
- Bar Owner Faces One Year in Jail For Defying COVID-19 Rules
A bar owner and manager’s criminal citation for allegedly defying the state-mandated curfew calls into question the limits of voluntary compliance enforcement. Although the Orange County Sheriff’s Department has said it won’t enforce state-level COVID-19 related orders, some cities are ticketing offenders. Costa Mesa is among the cities issuing fines to non-compliant residents and businesses. […]
- The Safest and Most Dangerous Cities in Orange County
Irvine is the safest city in Orange County, California, according to a recently-released study. The same report names Santa Ana as the county’s most dangerous city. The study, conducted by financial website MoneyGeek, reached its findings by analyzing FBI crime statistics, and ranked cities based on the cost of crime per resident. Not all U.S. […]
- Orange County Jail Inmate Dies From COVID-19 Complications
An Orange County, California, man suspected of murder has become the first person to die from COVID-19 while in county custody. Eddie Lee Anderson, 68, died Dec. 18, about a week after testing positive for COVID-19. The Theo Lacy Facility inmate was transferred to a hospital Dec. 13 for treatment. Anderson was arrested in 2019 […]
- At-Home COVID-19 Saliva Testing Expands Despite Doubts on Accuracy
All residents in Orange County, California, now have access to order free, at-home COVID-19 saliva tests after a preliminary start in Anaheim and Santa Ana last month. The program expansion comes despite questions about the accuracy of the tests, as reported by The Epoch Times. “If properly administered, the test can be useful, if the […]
