ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA — Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley commented on the meeting of the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, February 28, 2023.
Agenda Item S41E: Supervisor Katrina Foley and Chairman Donald P. Wagner moved to adopt the resolution to “Support Armenian Human Rights and End the Blockade of the Lachin Corridor” and received unanimous support.
“We cannot tolerate the ongoing human rights abuses in Armenia and the Artsakh region with the corridor blockade that prevents access to food, water, medicine and so much more to Armenians living in the area. Thank you to the many leaders of our Armenian Community who brought this to our attention. We must continue to speak up and stand with our Armenian-American community here in Orange County,” said Supervisor Foley.
For context, the blockade is tantamount to preventing all the residents of Costa Mesa from leaving the city or receiving supplies into the city.
Agenda Item 25: The Board of Supervisors approved the renewal of a contract with the Laguna Playhouse to support mental health efforts for Orange County youth through theater productions that highlight mental health topics and the Life Stories program to connect with transitional age youth and young adults.
“By working with local groups in our community like the Laguna Playhouse, we creatively utilize our county resources to connect transitional age youth and young adults to mental health resources. I am happy to support innovative partnerships where the arts play a critical role in addressing the mental health and behavioral health needs of young people in Orange County,” said Supervisor Foley.
Agenda Item 32: The Board of Supervisors issued and approved changes in policy and process for the 2023 Supportive Housing Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) which will allow the Orange County Housing Authority (OCHA) to improve efficiency in administrating federal dollars for production of affordable and supportive housing. These changes bolster the County’s efforts to expedite production of supportive housing. The 2023 NOFA includes up to $67.1 million in available funding and up to 210 Housing Choice, Mainstream and/or Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Project-Based Vouchers.
Supervisor Foley called on the Director of OC Housing and Community Development to reevaluate Board policy at a future meeting to ensure the County prioritizes higher utilization of Project Based Vouchers, which are an emerging tool for affordability and financing for supportive housing development.
“I support any approach to make our government dollars work more effectively, equitably, and efficiently. With each dollar invested by the County, there has been $5.50 invested by other public and private entities. The changes we enacted today will streamline supportive and affordable housing production and help our county achieve our Housing Development Goals,” said Supervisor Foley.
The 2023 NOFA is the latest action of significant increasing investment since 2018 by the Board of Supervisors to fund more supportive housing. Since the adoption of the 2018 Housing Funding Strategy, the County has invested approximately $155 million, resulting in 36 projects representing more than 1,200 units of supportive housing and 1,000 units of affordable housing at various stages of completion, construction and financing throughout the County.
Agenda Item 40: The Board of Supervisors voted to approve the Orange County Health Care Agency’s (HCA) grant application for the Naloxone Distribution Project and obtain more units of Naloxone to address the fentanyl crisis.
“The fentanyl crisis in Orange County is seeping into every community and neighborhood, impacting our youth and their families the hardest. We must continue to develop a rapid response system so we can save young lives, as we also attempt to curtail this threat to our public health through law enforcement efforts to hold fentanyl dealers accountable,” said Supervisor Foley.
Today’s action reflects Supervisor Foley’s continued support for Senator Umberg’s SB 44: Alexandra’s Law, which requires individuals convicted of fentanyl-related offenses to receive a written advisory or admonishment notifying them if an individual dies as a result of their distribution of narcotics that they can be charged with voluntary manslaughter or murder.
###
Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2022 to represent the newly established District 5, which includes the cities of 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 the unincorporated areas of Coto de Caza, Emerald Bay, Ladera Ranch, Las Flores, Rancho Mission Viejo, Stonecliffe and Wagon Wheel. This is her second term on the Board of Supervisors, where she previously served District 2.
Supervisor Foley’s Board appointments include the Orange County Fire Authority, Coastal Greenbelt Authority, Law Library Board of Trustees, Newport Bay and South Orange County Watershed Executive Committees, OC Public Libraries Advisory Board, Orange County Housing Finance Trust, Orange County Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council, Orange County Transportation Authority, and the Transportation Corridor Agency.
