By Board Supervisor Katrina Foley
Summer is here! I love welcoming back our beautiful, sunny Southern California weather. My office continues to push full steam ahead. Learn about our work with updates.
First, I’m excited to share that the County plans to open a One-Stop in Laguna Niguel in partnership with OC Workforce Solutions, OC Community Services, Ready Set OC, America’s Job Center of California, and the Veterans Employment Program.
Before the holiday weekend, I hosted the One-Stop grand opening with our Laguna Niguel Chamber of Commerce and doors officially opening to the public on Wednesday, July 5, at 28202 Cabot Road, Suite 140, Laguna Niguel, 92677.
South County residents can meet with staff and receive workforce development services including career planning, job coaching, supportive services and more. Meet our staff who specialize in serving adults, dislocated workers, youth, veterans, older adults, and other vulnerable populations.
As someone who spends a lot of time traveling between the County building in Santa Ana and community events and meetings in South County, I understand the challenge of driving to our County Administration building to access services. I’ve also heard from many residents, including members of my Veterans Advisory Committee, about the need for a county presence closer to South County cities. Looking to the future, I plan on opening a Fifth District satellite office to increase constituent access to our office. Stay tuned for details.
Next, as you know, a section of the rail corridor along the slope beneath Casa Romantica closed due to debris falling onto the tracks. After this latest landslide, I requested our team at the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) build a barrier, such as a soldier pile wall, next to the tracks to protect the railroad from falling debris and safely resume service. I’m grateful to OCTA staff for following through with my direction with this emergency resolution and for the OCTA’s board’s unanimous support in approving the action at the Board meeting on June 12.
Afterward, OCTA received $3 million in state funding for the construction of a temporary barrier wall that will protect the LOSSAN rail corridor from the landslide beneath Casa Romantica. The California Transportation Commission awarded this funding to pay approximately half of the construction costs.
On Friday, June 23, Metrolink approved an emergency contract with geotechnical firm Condon-Johnson & Associates, Inc. to begin construction of the wall. We received an update at the latest OCTA Board meeting that the work will start this week, beginning with heavy equipment arriving at the site as early as Friday, June 30.
Our rail corridor is critical to Orange County’s coastal economy, transportation ecosystem, national security, and way of life.
I love meeting residents. Join me for a Coffee and Conversations with Katrina at H.H. Cotton’s in San Clemente on July 12 at 10 a.m. All members of the public are welcome to chat with me and an OCTA representative to answer your questions. I hope to see you there.
Finally, if you can’t make it to the Coffee and Conversation, please consider joining me for my next Wellness Wednesdays Guided Walks at the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park on July 26 at 9 a.m.
With 24,075 acres of county parks and open space to explore, our County parks connect more than 2.6 million annual visitors to outdoor amenities including trails, lakes, pickleball, tennis, skate parks, volleyball, and basketball courts, and playgrounds. The summertime proves the perfect opportunity to explore Orange County.
Stay updated for our community events and updates for County projects by subscribing to my newsletter at d5.ocgov.com/newsletter.
Elected in 2022, Katrina Foley represents the Fifth Supervisorial District on the Orange County Board of Supervisors. She was previously elected to serve the Second District from 2021-2022.
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