Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken is facing accusations of making racist and homophobic comments, as reported by Anaheim News: City Council, the Resort District and Police. The allegations come from her chief of staff, though Mayor Aitken has stated that her track record disputes these claims. In response to the situation, Councilwoman Natalie Meeks has called for an investigation into the matter. The city has yet to release the letter detailing these accusations, which were first reported by the Los Angeles Times.
In other city news, Anaheim officials are launching a new program designed to allow tenants to report illegal rent hikes. This initiative aims to enforce the state’s rent control law, coming years after residents initially began calling on the city to take action on enforcing the California rent control regulations.
Beyond Anaheim, several developments are affecting Orange County residents. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department has overspent its budget by nearly $30 million. Department officials attribute this overspending to the sheriff being purposely lowballed in budget allocations, an effort they say is intended to keep costs down.
The ongoing debate concerning how to best curb the growing number of e-bike deaths and injuries persists across the region. While some cities are implementing crackdowns on unsafe riding practices, a handful of others are offering safety classes for users of these increasingly popular vehicles. Buena Park officials, for instance, are reconsidering their e-bike sidewalk ban for individuals under 18 years old, highlighting the varying approaches to e-bike regulation adopted by different cities.
Automated license plate readers are also a point of discussion. Fullerton has become the latest focal point in the Flock camera debate, as residents have expressed a range of privacy and civil liberty concerns regarding these devices. Simultaneously, San Juan Capistrano officials are exploring the use of car-mounted license plate reader cameras to enforce parking restrictions within their downtown area.
In mental health services, the controversial Mind OC program continues to shrink its footprint. Garden Grove officials have opted to replace its Be Well mental health services with another provider. This marks a further reduction for Mind OC after Orange County Supervisors cut off funding for the program a couple of years ago. Meanwhile, scores of dogs and cats, including specific animals like Truckstop the dog and Kenny the cat, are awaiting homes at the pound run by OC Animal Care.
Additionally, Newport Beach is heading into an election that city officials believe could be illegal. A judge has ordered the city to place three ballot measures before voters this November, but the election is not being overseen by the OC Registrar of Voters. Looking ahead to potential weather events, OC Fire Authority officials are seeking a federal grant to bolster their search and rescue teams in anticipation of El Niño’s expected high tides and heavy rain. The state-owned Fairview Development Center in Costa Mesa is on track for redevelopment into housing and open space, following years of discussion about its potential use for housing homeless individuals. Lastly, Irvine officials are working to inform residents if their homes are located near hazardous materials, a measure prompted by a chemical tank emergency in Garden Grove earlier this year that forced 50,000 residents to evacuate.
