Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Category Archives: Orange County

OC Supervisor Do to discuss the County’s efforts to deal with the homeless at the next Com-Link meeting

Posted on by Posted in Andrew Do, Civic Affairs, homeless, Neighborhood Associations, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Notice regarding Communication Linkage Forum (Com-Link) General Meeting – Thursday, May 25, 2017

Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do, who represents the First District (which includes Santa Ana) will be speaking at the next meeting of the Communication Linkage Forum (Com-Link) about the County’s effort to address homelessness in our city and in the County.

The Com-Link meeting is set for Thursday, May 25, 2017 at 7:00 pm at the Santa Ana Police Department in the Community Room – 60 Civic Center Plaza (on Boyd Way from W. Civic Center Drive), Santa Ana. Parking will be validated. Continue reading→

Suspects escaped from a police pursuit after burglarizing a home in unincorporated Santa Ana

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Apparently the bad guys have figured out how to escape during police pursuits. A group of burglars, all dressed in black, struck at a home at the  9700 block of Rangeview Drive, in wealthy unincorporated Santa Ana, at 8:45 p.m., on Saturday night, May 20, then sped off in a white pick-up truck that was pursued by an O.C. Sheriff patrol vehicle, according to the O.C. Register.

The police pursuit topped 100 mph at times, winding through Southern California freeways including the 91, the 105 and the 110. The suspect vehicle wove in and out of traffic very nearly hitting other vehicles at times.  Continue reading→

Assistant O.C. District Attorney honored for helping to prevent kids from joining gangs

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Gangs, OCDA, Orange County Leave a comment

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Date: May 15, 2017

Case # 15CF0617

ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY TRACY MILLER RECOGNIZED AS “CHAMPION OF CHILDREN” FOR PREVENTING YOUTH FROM JOINING GANGS

SANTA ANA, Calif. – Assistant District Attorney Tracy Miller of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) was honored as a “Champion of Children” in Orange County for her extensive work with Orange County Gang Reduction Intervention Partnership (OC GRIP). The award was presented at The Raise Foundation’s 6th Annual Spring Soirée Garden Gala in Irvine on May 12, 2017. Continue reading→

New appointee to the O.C. Veterans Advisory Council is from Santa Ana

Posted on by Posted in Andrew Do, Military, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

A vacancy on the Orange County Veterans Advisory Committee has been filled by Marine Corp Veteran Mario Munoz, appointed by Supervisor Andrew Do. Munoz will represent the First District of Orange County on the committee.

Mario Munoz is a post-9/11 Veteran and Orange County native that served in both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He attended Santa Ana High School, Santa Ana College, and California State Dominguez Hills for Ecology and Environmental Science. Continue reading→

Enter to win two bikes and Fitbits during the OCTA’s Bike Month

Posted on by Posted in Bicycles, Health and Medical, OCTA, Orange County, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Celebrate Bike Month With OCTA

Improve your health, help the environment and cut the costs of driving by hopping on a bicycle to celebrate Bike Month with the Orange County Transportation Authority.

National Bike Month encourages cyclists of all ages to go outside to ride their bikes to school, work or around town. Pledge to ride your bike anytime during May on OCTA.net/BikeMonth to be entered to win one of two bikes and Fitbits. Cyclists can also record their rides on OCTA’s Strava club for a chance to win. Continue reading→

$40 million fraudulent medical billing and kickback operation shut down

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26 DOCTORS, PHARMACISTS, AND BUSINESS OWNERS CHARGED IN $40 MILLION KICKBACK SCHEME

*13,000 patients affected in statewide workers’ comp fraud

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones and Orange County District Attorney (OCDA) Tony Rackauckas announced a shutdown of a $40 million fraudulent medical billing and kickback operation with the filing of charges against more than two dozen doctors, pharmacists, and business owners.

Tanya Moreland King, 37, and her husband Christopher King, 38, both of Beverly Hills, own medical billing and medical management companies Monarch Medical Group, Inc, King Medical Management, Inc. and One Source Laboratories, Inc. The defendants are accused of masterminding a complex insurance fraud scheme of recruiting doctors and pharmacists to prescribe unnecessary treatment for workers’ compensation insurance patients. Continue reading→

The OCTA seeks volunteers for two Citizens Advisory Committees

Posted on by Posted in OCTA, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana, Transportation Leave a comment

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Joel Zlotnik (714) 560-5713, Eric Carpenter (714) 560-5697

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 30, 2017

OCTA Seeks Volunteers for Two Citizens Advisory Committees

Applications for the Citizens Advisory and Special Need Advisory committees are accepted through April 10

ORANGE – The Orange County Transportation Authority is looking for community leaders to serve on two important citizens’ advisory committees that provide public input on a broad range of transportation-related issues.

OCTA is currently looking to fill openings on the Citizens Advisory Committee, a 34-member group that provides input on a range of transportation projects, studies and outreach activities, and on the Special Needs Advisory Committee, which serves as a liaison between customers with special needs, care providers and service agencies.

Eligibility to apply for the committees includes: Continue reading→

Pimp from Bakersfield facing charges of pimping over 20 women in Orange County

Posted on by Posted in Costa Mesa, Crime, OCDA, Orange County, Santa Ana Leave a comment

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE

March 29, 2017

Case # 17CF0535, 16NF2060

FELON FACING ADDITIONAL CHARGES FOR PANDERING OVER 20 WOMEN WHILE INCARCERATED ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND PIMPING CHARGES

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A felon is facing additional charges for human trafficking, pimping, pandering, and assault. Deunta Patterson, 26, Bakersfield, was arraigned yesterday, March 28, 2017, with 22 felony counts of pandering by promise, threat, or violence to become a prostitute, four felony counts each of pimping and pandering a minor over 16 years old by procuring, two felony counts each of human trafficking, human trafficking of a minor, and attempted pimping, and one felony count each of pimping a minor, pandering, and assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury. Patterson also faces sentencing enhancements for human trafficking of a minor by force and/or fear and a prior strike conviction for residential burglary in 2013 in Kern County. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of life in state prison. Patterson is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on April 26, 2017, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-57, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana. Continue reading→

Free O.C. Small Business Property Tax Workshop set for 4/7 in Santa Ana

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AUDITOR-CONTROLLER MANAGEMENT SELECTED AS FEATURED SPEAKERS FOR SMALL BUSINESS PROPERTY TAX WORKSHOP

California Community Colleges Event will educate attendees on Business Property Tax

March 28, 2017 – The County of Orange Auditor-Controller’s office is proud to announce that Toni Smart, Director of Internal Audit, and Frank Davies, Property Tax Manager, have been selected as featured keynote speakers for the California Community Colleges Small Business Property Tax Workshop, to be held Friday, April 7, 2017 at 11:30 AM.

The event will focus on how small businesses can navigate the complex world of business taxes. At the seminar, speakers will focus on the tax assessment process, tax rates and collection, and where all the hard-earned taxpayer dollars go. Continue reading→

Fake O.C. modeling agent gets over 12 years in prison for child porn and molestation

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ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE

Case # 15HF1113

Date: March 24, 2017

MAN POSING AS MODELING AGENT SENTENCED TO 12 YEARS AND EIGHT MONTHS IN PRISON FOR SEXUALLY ASSAULTING MINOR GIRLS AND POSSESSING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – A man who posed as a modeling agent and professional photographer was sentenced today to 12 years and eight months in state prison for sexually assaulting minor girls and possessing child pornography. Christopher Andrew Brown, 44, Bell Canyon, pleaded guilty on Dec. 22, 2016, to five felony counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object of a minor, five felony counts of oral copulation of a minor, one felony count of possession and control of child pornography, one felony count of using a minor for distribution of obscene material, and one felony count of lewd acts on a child. In addition to prison, Brown was sentenced to mandatory lifetime sex offender registration.

At the time of the crime, Brown traveled as a freelance photographer and told victims he was a modeling agent. The defendant previously worked as a children’s gymnastics coach. Continue reading→

O.C. man used social media to contact minors and commit lewd acts on them

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Garden Grove, Orange County 1 Comment

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE

Case # 14WF2704

Date: March 20, 2017

MAN SENTENCED TO 12 YEARS IN PRISON FOR USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO CONTACT MINORS TO COMMIT LEWD ACTS

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was sentenced to 12 years in state prison today for contacting underage victims through social media with the intent of committing lewd acts. Michael Theodore Mordaunt, 47, Cypress, pleaded guilty on Feb. 9, 2017, to 19 felony counts of contacting a child with the intent to commit a specified crime,five felony counts of lewd acts upon a child age 14 or 15,two felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14, three felony counts of meeting a minor with the intent to engage in lewd conduct, one felony count of possession and control of child pornography, and a sentencing enhancement allegation for substantial sexual conduct with a child. In addition to prison, Mordaunt was also sentenced to mandatory lifetime sex offender registration.

At the time of the crime, Mordaunt was working in the Information Technology Department of the Boeing Company in Seal Beach. Continue reading→

There are currently 591 registered sex offenders living in Santa Ana

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Registered Sex Offenders in Santa Ana

Per the Megan’s Law website, there are currently 591 Registered Sex Offenders residing in the city of Santa Ana. There are approximately 3,500 registered Sex Offenders in all of Orange County – so why are so many in Santa Ana?

It may have to do with the large homeless community in Santa Ana. Of those 591 in Santa Ana, there are 197 Registered Sex Offenders who are transients meaning they have no permanent address or cannot be located. This is a sharp increase from the 2016 data provided by SAPD’s Sex Registrant Unit which stated there were 68 Homeless Sex Offenders in Santa Ana. Continue reading→

Orange County Property Tax Auction set for March 15

Posted on by Posted in Orange County, Real Estate, Santa Ana, Taxes Leave a comment

Treasurer-Tax Collector: Property Tax Auction March 15

Orange County Treasurer Shari L. Freidenrich announced that the next tax auction is scheduled for Wednesday, March 15, 2017, at 1 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room located at 333 W. Santa Ana Boulevard, Building 10, in Santa Ana.

“We currently have 11 improved parcels and three unimproved parcels to auction, and we expect to actually auction off between five and 10 parcels,” stated Treasurer Freidenrich. The Treasurer will only auction off those properties that have not paid all delinquent taxes and penalties in full by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14, or those properties that are otherwise ineligible for sale. Continue reading→

Sheriff Hutchens clarifies the OC Sheriff Department’s role in immigration enforcement

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Federal Government, immigration, Orange County, Public Safety, Santa Ana 2 Comments

Sheriff Hutchens Clarifies OCSD’s Role in Immigration Enforcement

SANTA ANA, Calif. (Feb. 25, 2017) – As immigration policy has taken front and center over the past few weeks, debate continues and questions from the public proliferate. As your Sheriff, I do not determine immigration policy, and I will leave discussion on the merits of proposals to the Congress and the President. However, I want to clarify the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s role in the enforcement of immigration law.

Enforcing immigration law is a federal government responsibility. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department does not play a role in the enforcement of these laws, and it is not part of our primary mission. As we patrol our communities, deputies are focused on criminal violations of state and local law. We enforce these laws equally, without bias, and without regard for one’s immigration status. In carrying out our duties, we do not ask the immigration status of suspects, witnesses, or those who call to report crimes. To reiterate: The Sheriff’s Department will provide for your safety and respond to your call for service without concern for your immigration status. Continue reading→

OC Sheriff Hutchens responds to complaints about Theo Lacy Jail

Posted on by Posted in Crime, immigration, Orange County, Public Safety, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens Responds to Homeland Security Report

Yesterday, a report was released concerning the Theo Lacy Jail. Several things in the report were not accurate and did a disservice to the hard working individuals who operate our custody facilities. Unfortunately, some media outlets choose to cover the report in a sensational manner that painted a misleading “Shawshank-like” picture of Orange County jail facilities.

The report was based on an inspection done by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General in November 2016. Some legitimate issues were identified in the report and were quickly addressed. Many of the other issues raised were inaccurate and can be refuted. In an effort to provide the public with transparency and a more accurate account of our operations, I have itemized the concerns raised in the report and provided our response (see below). Continue reading→