(Santa Ana, CA) – September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and to raise awareness of this important issue, the OC Health Care Agency (HCA) will be lighting up the exterior of the County of Orange Administrative Offices as well as other iconic locations throughout Orange County in teal and purple during the week of September 19.

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Santa Ana, CA (September 12, 2022) – The County of Orange Board of Supervisors will hold its first Board of Supervisors meeting in the County Administration North (CAN) | Hall of Administration building, the newest addition to the Civic Center complex, on Tuesday, September 13, 2022 at 9:30 am.

WHAT:             Board of Supervisors Meeting

WHEN:            September 13, 2022 at 9:30 am

WHERE:           Board Hearing Room, County Administration North (CAN)

400 W. Civic Center Drive
Santa Ana, CA 92701

Attendees are encouraged to park in P4 - https://ocpublicworks.com/parking

County Administration North (CAN) is a six-story, 250,000-square foot midrise which opened in July 2022. CAN features a state-of-the-art Board Hearing Room with a 300-seat capacity for the Board of Supervisors designed to increase public participation and openness. It also houses offices for the Board of Supervisors, Clerk of the Board, County Executive Offices, County Counsel, OC Health Care Agency, and OC Public Works custodial staff.

A new public plaza connects CAN to its virtual twin, County Administration South (CAS), which opened in 2019 featuring a County Service Center for the public to connect directly with 13 County departments.

The County formally opened its new Civic Center complex in July 2022, the cornerstone of a 20-year master plan to modernize the County’s real estate assets in Santa Ana, create healthier work environments for employees and reshape the County’s connections with the public. The Civic Center covers 17 acres, 16 County-owned buildings, 4,600 employees and more than 1.6 million square feet of space.

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(Santa Ana, CA) – The OC Health Care Agency (HCA) has begun administering Novavax vaccines at HCA-managed vaccination sites, beginning this week. Flu vaccines are also now being offered. Though COVID-19 cases are currently declining in Orange County, the HCA encourages individuals who are not yet vaccinated against COVID-19 and influenza (flu) to get vaccinated.

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(Santa Ana, CA) – The OC Health Care Agency (HCA) has begun offering bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccines this week. This follows Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for these vaccines’ use and updated booster recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice as well as the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup.

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Report shows a six percent increase in hate activity from 2020 in Orange County.

SANTA ANA, Calif. (September 6, 2022) — On September 15, 2022, the public is invited to participate in the virtual release of the 2021 Orange County (OC) Hate Crimes Report, where the Orange County Human Relations Commission (Commission) will present Orange County hate activity trends for 2021. The County produces and publishes this report annually to increase awareness, strengthen hate crime prevention programming, and promote a bias-free community. The Report will be available online upon release on the OC Human Relations Commission website at http://occommunityservices.org/ochrc.

The 2021 OC Hate Crimes Report reflects a six percent increase in total hate crimes and incidents from 2020 in Orange County. Of the 398 hate crimes and incidents reported, 60% of cases were motivated by the person’s race, ethnicity, and/or national origin.

“As a community, it is important we continue to stand up to prejudice, so everyone can feel safe and secure,” said Chairman Doug Chaffee, Fourth District Supervisor of the OC Board of Supervisors. “The continued rise in hate activity across the nation shows we can do more to create an all-inclusive environment, which is why my fellow Board members and I strongly support expanding the County’s anti-hate efforts.”

In December 2021, the OC Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to approve a $1 million proposal submitted by the Commission to expand anti-hate efforts, which received a unanimous vote from the OC Board of Supervisors. These efforts focus on expanding language accessibility and ways to report bias-motivated hate; creating a comprehensive service provider network to improve and expand support services for victims of hate; and launching a multicultural, multilingual, and diverse education/awareness campaign for all of Orange County.

2021 OC Hate Crimes Report Release Information:

Date: Thursday, September 15, 2022

Time:  10-11:30 a.m.

Location:  Webinar via Zoom

Panel Speakers: Chief Michael Kent, Irvine Police Department; Senior Deputy District Attorney Brett Brian, OC District Attorney; Community Programs Director Amy Arambulo, 211OC

Registration: https://conta.cc/3yMHyl2; Registration closes Tuesday, September 13.

For registration assistance, please contact Ginrich Moua at ginrich@ochumanrelations.org.

The County of Orange would like to thank the OC Human Relations Commission which is comprised of volunteer members of the public appointed by the OC Board of Supervisors to seek out the causes of tension and conflict; discrimination and intolerance based on race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, age, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, or marital status; and attempt to eliminate those causes.

The County of Orange would also like to thank the OC Human Relations Council, which is contracted by the County to support the Commission and work closely with law enforcement, nonprofit organizations, diverse faith leaders, and community members to respond to and track hate crimes and incidents on behalf of the County.

To learn more about services provided by the County through the OC Human Relations Commission, please visit occommunityservices.org/ochrc.

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