News

Orange County's 5th District includes some of the most desirable real estate in the planet including Aliso Viejo, Costa Mesa, Dana Point, a large portion of Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Newport Beach, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, as well as our own communities: Ladera Ranch and Rancho Mission Viejo!

5th District Supervisor Katrina Foley presides over these fabulous locations and will be the keynote speaker at this year's event to provide updates on what is happening and key projects.

It is sure to be a lively lunch event and we hope you will join us!

Join a FREE Galactic Celebration - Santa Margarita Water District's 60th Anniversary!

SMWD's legendary Water Festival returns as a free family-friendly event to explore the intrigues of drinking water, recycled water, and wastewater. For over 30 years, the month of May has transformed into California’s Water Awareness Month, guiding the community in the ways of water wisdom and unveiling the secrets of water system infrastructure.

Date: Saturday, May 4th, 2024

Time: 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Location: SMWD Headquarters, 26111 Antonio Parkway, Rancho Santa Margarita

Young Padawans can enjoy a variety of activities, including face painting, reptile encounters, pipe building races, and more! Take a leisurely stroll through the WaterWorks Garden and engage in conversations with garden Jedi masters amidst stunning California-friendly plants.

Indulge in delectable treats such as Mountain Mike's Pizza (featuring Millennium Falcon Mozzarella and Podracer Pepperoni) and groove to the tunes of a DJ.

Don't miss out on this unforgettable celebration! Mark your calendars for May 4, 2024, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

For more information, visit: https://www.smwd.com/222/Water-Festival

SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA (April 4, 2024) – Stater Bros. Markets and PepsiCo associates gathered to commemorate PepsiCo’s 9th annual “Rolling Remembrance,” a 14,000+ mile long relay that honors military heroes who lost their lives while serving the United States. This cross-country relay embarks from Seattle, transporting an American flag first flown on a UH-60M Blackhawk helicopter in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. PepsiCo’s extensive network of veteran drivers will pass off the flag to each other at different relay points. The relay will conclude at PepsiCo headquarters in Purchase, N.Y., right before Memorial Day, on May 23.

During the stop at Stater Bros. Markets’ headquarters on Thursday, March 28, Stater Bros. Charities and PepsiCo presented a $50,000 donation to the Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation, an organization that provides college scholarships and educational counseling to children who have lost a parent in the line of duty. Since 2017, this partnership has donated the equivalent of 56 years of college for Fallen Patriots scholars.

“We are very grateful for our continued partnership with PepsiCo and Children of Fallen Patriots. Supporting the education of the children of the heroes that lost their lives serving our country is just one way we can honor their memory,” stated Nancy Negrette, Chairman and President of Stater Bros. Charities. Funds will assist families of service members from all branches of the armed forces who have died as a result of combat casualties, military training accidents, service-related illnesses, suicide, as well as other duty-related deaths as ruled by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Meet Abbie Wittwer, a Children of Fallen Patriots scholarship recipient. 

Abbie is the daughter of Lieutenant Commander Frank Wittwer, who passed away in 2006. Abbie says her dad “loved being a pilot and serving his country, but he also loved being a dad, and he was great at both.”

Abbie says, “The scholarships I have received from Fallen Patriots let me pursue my degree full-time, without worrying about going into debt. I would not have been the student I was, or the person I am, without the support of Fallen Patriots.” Abbie graduated from the University of North Georgia in 2022, completely debt-free thanks to Children of Fallen Patriots.

There are approximately 25,000 children who have lost a parent in the line of duty over the past 35 years. The vision of Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation is to ensure that every such child receives all necessary college funding. To donate and learn more, visit Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation.

Good job Stater Bros.!

Irvine, Calif. - March 11, 2024

The Foothill Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency (F/ETCA) continues to strengthen its economic position in the bond market with Fitch Ratings upgrading the Agency’s bonds to A- for Senior Lien and BBB+ for Junior Lien, with a positive outlook. F/ETCA operates the 133, 241 and 261 Toll Roads in Orange County, Calif.

Following are the F/ETCA’s current bond ratings:

• Fitch: A- and BBB+ respectively, with outlook positive
• Moody’s: Baa1 with outlook stable
• S&P: A and A- respectively, with outlook stable

In addition, Fitch Ratings has affirmed San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency (SJHTCA) Senior Lien bonds at BBB+ and Junior Lien bonds at BBB and revised the rating outlook to positive.

“The rating upgrade reflects an improved credit profile driven by the combination of the agency's prudent debt management strategies through bond buybacks alongside traffic and revenue performance that has exceeded Fitch's case expectations,” stated in a recent release by Fitch’s Credit Rating. “Management demonstrated its commitment to paying down debt when opportunities arise at bond call dates as well as opportunistically through open-market bond buybacks, which will support debt service reductions over the long term.”

“Fitch’s decision to upgrade the F/ETCA credit rating underscores the Agencies’ financial strength and well-positioned fiscal policies that provide The Toll Roads with stability and strong operational performance,” said F/ETCA Chair and San Juan Capistrano City Council Member John Taylor. “It is important that the Agencies continue to pursue opportunities that further reduce operating costs and enhance revenues, along with board-approved policies for managing and reducing debt.”

“In line with the Boards of Directors’ Strategic Plan, since 2019, the Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) have executed bond refundings and strategic early bond paydowns that have reduced debt service by nearly $1.4 billion, thereby further enhancing the Agencies’ strong financial position,” said TCA CFO Howard Mallen.

The F/ETCA and San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency (SJHTCA), which comprise TCA, are two joint powers authorities created to plan, finance, construct and operate Orange County’s 51-mile toll road network – the 73, 133, 241 and 261 Toll Roads.

The Toll Roads have been providing a choice for drivers for over 25 years and the tolls collected are used to repay the debt incurred to construct the system and fund ongoing operations and improvements.

The Toll Roads system, which represents 20% of Orange County’s highways, is the largest toll road network in California.

Every year the County of Orange prepares a report on the status of the Community Facilities Districts that were used to finance the infrastructure in Ladera Ranch and Rancho Mission Viejo that are assessed to residents through property taxes. 

See the report below:

Local Accountability Report FYE 2023.pdf

Early paydown of bond debt to save Agency approximately $54 million

Irvine, Calif. - January 25, 2024

As part of the Transportation Corridor Agencies’ (TCA) Strategic Plan, the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency (F/ETCA) has executed an early paydown of $60 million in senior lien bond debt.

The early paydown of bond principal – bonds that were issued in 2013 and had a maturity date of 2042 – saves the Agency approximately $54 million in interest payments. The F/ETCA paid off the bonds with cash reserves when the bonds were callable after January 15, 2024.

“This early paydown of bond debt is another example of the commitment both Agencies have to fiscal stewardship, as well as fulfilling the plan of action laid out in our Strategic Plan aimed at overall debt reduction,” said F/ETCA Board Chair and San Juan Capistrano City Council Member John Taylor.

The Agencies plan by 2030 to pay down another $920 million of bonds early, saving an additional $806 million in interest. This future debt reduction, when combined with the current reductions of $1.389 billion, will collectively reduce debt by $3.1 billion.

“Strong fiscal management is core to the Agencies’ past and future success,” shared Ryan Chamberlain, TCA Chief Executive Officer. “Protecting the ability to fund operations and capital improvement projects, while positioning the Agencies to take advantage of debt reduction and early paydown opportunities, aligns with the fiscal management objectives outlined in the Boards’ Strategic Plan.”

The San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency (SJHTCA) and F/ETCA are two joint powers authorities created to plan, finance, construct and operate the 420 lane miles that comprise the 73, 133, 241 and 261 Toll Roads.

The Toll Roads have been providing a choice for drivers for more than 30 years and the tolls collected are used to repay the debt incurred to construct the system and fund on-going operations and improvements.

The Toll Roads system, which represents 20% of Orange County’s highways, is the largest toll road network in California. 

This is great news for users of the Toll Roads and shows a substantial amount of financial savvy on the part of management.

Supervisor Foley Supports OC District Attorney and Law Enforcement to Support Prosecution and Accountability for Increased Burglaries

ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA — Monday, May 22nd, Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley and the Board of Supervisors voted to approve the purchase of new technology to support local law enforcement’s public safety and criminal apprehension efforts.  

The Board approved the purchase of a cellular site simulator for the OC Sheriff’s Department (OCSD), improving OCSD’s ability to locate missing children, at-risk individuals, and fugitives. The Board also approved the purchase of a 35-foot fire boatfor the OCSD Harbor Patrol to conduct law enforcement patrols, fight fires, and serve as emergency first responders. 

“We cannot sit back and tolerate the sharp rise of well-organized burglaries and robberies in our homes and businesses.” said Supervisor Foley “These recent law enforcement efforts demonstrate that Orange County will continue to lead with new strategies and technologies to keep our neighborhoods safe. I remain committed to working with the District Attorney, local law enforcement, and our state and federal partners to find the most effective way possible to hold criminals accountable.” 

Today’s votes come on the heels of Supervisor Foley joining the Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer and local law enforcement last week to announce new efforts to combat residential, commercial, and smash and grab burglaries across Orange County, at least 20 of which were linked to transnational criminal efforts.  

During the press conference, District Attorney Spitzer announced 140 charged in Orange County – at least 20 linked to Chilean transnational crime ring. He also announced that for the first time, 7 of those charged received hate crime sentencing enhancements for deliberately burglarized Asian American homes. Click here to read the District Attorney’s announcement for more information about the charges.  

In her remarks (33:54) Supervisor Foley discussed her personal experience and stories she has heard in the community in the last year. The circumstances of these cases remain largely confidential as cases are ongoing.  

• In November of 2022, on the evening of the election, the home of Supervisor Foley’s in-laws was burglarized along with the homes on the street in their neighborhood in University Hills at UC Irvine while they were watching election results at a different location.  
• A home robbery in San Juan Capistrano while a teenage girl was home downstairs. No injuries were reported. 
• A home robbery in Laguna Niguel in the middle of the day while the resident was home.  
• A home robbery in broad daylight, where a woman was taking a shower at the time of the break-in and was forced to sit on her couch with a towel on while her home was ransacked.   
• A burglary in Dana Point where multiple individuals burglarized a home, which was reported as a potential string of burglaries up to Yorba Linda and all the way to Santa Monica and Santa Clarita. 
• 2 different vehicles drove into the Neiman Marcus store at Fashion Island at 2 different points of entry, where they stole $100,000 in handbags. The Newport Beach Police Department reported that 2 of the 4 suspects were arrested in a high-speed chase that went into Los Angeles County. 
• A vehicle smashed into the same Neiman Marcus store at Fashion Island in Newport Beach and burglarized the store. The Newport Beach Police Department reported 4 arrests were made, all from Los Angeles County. 

The California Chamber of Commerce has named the following as job killer bills for 2023. Please note SB 525, which would increase minimum wage to $25 - the highest in the nation.

Labor and Employment

AB 524 (Wicks; D-Oakland) Expansion of Litigation Under FEHA. Exposes employers to costly litigation under the Fair Employment and Housing Act by asserting that any adverse employment action was in relation to the employee’s family caregiver status, which is broadly defined to include any employee who contributes to the care of any person of their choosing, and creates a de facto accommodation requirement that will burden small businesses.

AB 1156 (Bonta; D-Alameda) Expands Costly Presumption of Injury. Significantly increases workers’ compensation costs for public and private hospitals by presuming certain diseases and injuries are caused by the workplace and establishes an extremely concerning precedent for expanding presumptions into the private sector.

SB 525 (Durazo; D-Los Angeles) Costly Minimum Wage Increase. Imposes significant cost on health care facilities and any employer who works with health care facilities by mandating increase in minimum wage to $25.

SB 365 (Wiener: D-San Francisco) Undermines Arbitration. Discriminates against use of arbitration agreements by requiring trial courts to continue trial proceedings during any appeal regarding the denial of a motion to compel, undermining arbitration and divesting courts of their inherent right to stay proceedings.

SB 399 (Wahab; D-Hayward) Bans Employer Speech. Chills employer speech regarding religious and political matters, including unionization. Is likely unconstitutional under the First Amendment and preempted by the National Labor Relations Act.

SB 616 (Gonzalez; D-Long Beach) Costly Sick Leave Expansion on All Employers. Imposes new costs and leave requirements on employers of all sizes, by more than doubling existing sick leave mandate, which is in addition to all other enacted leave mandates that small employers throughout the state are already struggling with to implement and comply.

SB 627 (Smallwood-Cuevas) Onerous Return to Work Mandate. Imposes an onerous and stringent process to hire employees based on seniority alone for nearly every industry, including hospitals, retail, restaurants, movie theaters, and franchisees, which will delay hiring and eliminates contracts for at-will employment.

SB 723 (Durazo; D-Los Angeles) Onerous Return to Work Mandate. Imposes an onerous and stringent process for specific employers to return employees to the workforce for specified industries, including hotels and restaurants that have been disproportionally impacted by this pandemic, and removes guardrails on existing law by making mandate permanent and significantly broadening the applicability of the law.

SB 809 (Smallwood-Cuevas; D-Los Angeles) Prohibits Consideration of Conviction History in Employment. Prohibits nearly every employer from considering conviction history of an applicant or existing employee in employment decisions and imposes cumbersome process on employers that are legally not allowed to hire individuals with certain convictions.

Taxation

AB 259 (Lee; D-San Jose) / ACA 3 (Lee; D-San Jose) Wealth Tax. Seeks to impose a massive tax increase upon all forms of personal property or wealth, whether tangible or intangible, despite California already having the highest income tax in the country. This tax increase will drive high-income earners out of the State as well as the revenue they contribute to the General Fund.

Housing

AB 68 (Ward; D-San Diego) Quashes Housing. Worsens California’s existing housing crisis by preventing local governments from permitting new housing units in most of their jurisdictions.

Climate/Energy

SB 12 (Stern; D-Canoga Park) Arbitrary Greenhouse Gas Target. Arbitrarily changes the State’s GHG reduction goal from 40% of 1990 levels by 2030 to 55%. By the State’s own estimate this proposal will force 17 million gas-powered cars off the road in the next 10 years.

SBX1 2 (Skinner; D-Oakland) Windfall Profits Tax. Sets an arbitrary cap on the amount of profits that a refiner operating in the state of California can earn over a quarterly basis. This measure would further diminish supply, discourages operational efficiencies, and would limit the amount of capital a refiner could reinvest into their infrastructure to support California’s long-term climate goals. Signed. Chapter 1, Statutes of 2023–24 First Extraordinary Session.

Take Pilates under the stars with Jody Salamirad and Core Town Pilates. 

Includes Pilates, some lite bites and cocktails!

Be a part of this epic event by registering at coretownpilates.com/events.