ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA — Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley commented on yesterday’s Board of Supervisors meeting where the Board approved major infrastructure projects in the Fifth District, including an $88 million expansion project at the Prima Deshecha Landfill and renovation projects at Aliso Viejo Library and Dana Point Library. The board also secured more than $7 million in grant awards to support healthy newborns, $5 million for lead poisoning prevention, and over $30 million to provide housing and supportive services to individuals experiencing homelessness and serious behavioral health conditions.
Supervisor Foley released the following statements highlighting the votes by the Board of Supervisors from the September 26, 2023 meeting:
Grant Funding for County of Orange:
Behavioral Health Bridge Housing Grant: Secured $31,658,038 to help more than 5,000 people every year with Bridge Housing. These bridge housing beds will also include housing navigation services and voluntary supportive services for individuals experiencing homelessness and serious behavioral health conditions.
“Homelessness, behavioral health, and housing often seem intractable; however, Orange County continues to enhance our system of care,” said Supervisor Foley. “This year I worked with state leaders to modernize our behavioral health care system and provide stable housing to individuals experiencing homelessness. Orange County will build on that work and our first-rate continuum of care by providing more than 5,000 residents a safe bed at night with wrap around supportive services through our bridge housing programming.”
Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program: Secured $5,503,830 for the Health Care Agency's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. The program conducts outreach and education activities and provides case management services including identification of the cause and linkage to physicians for children identified as having elevated blood lead levels. Research shows these efforts support decreased childhood exposure to lead.
"Last month, I hosted an Investigative Hearing on Climate Resiliency with my colleague Supervisor Sarmiento, where we explored the devastating effects of lead exposure on our vulnerable communities,” said Supervisor Foley. “The County continues to prioritize resolving this environmental justice issue by providing case management services to children impacted by lead exposure.”
Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Grant Award: Secured $2,843,290 to support programs within our Health Care Agency that boost health outcomes for newborns and medically high-risk children.
“There is no better return on investment than supporting the health outcomes of newborns, children, and new mothers,” said Supervisor Foley. “This funding will reduce infant mortality and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), help ensure all children are healthy and thrive, especially medically high-risk newborns, and children with special health care needs.”
Aliso Viejo and Dana Point Library Improvements: Approved Aliso Viejo and Dana Point Libraries improvements, including providing better Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) access, audio-visual and other technology upgrades, and aesthetic renovations.
“Aliso Viejo and Dana Point’s Libraries are finally receiving long overdue upgrades,” said Supervisor Foley. “While these projects are a step in the right direction, we still have work to do to provide modern and necessary facility upgrades to our library system. We must prepare our county libraries for this century by modernizing them with proper audio-visual technology, solar panels, electric vehicle charging stations, and water bottle filling stations.”
Bringing Children and Youth Services to South County: Approved lease for office space in Laguna Hills for Orange County’s Health Care Agency to provide children and youth behavioral health programs.
“Our Children and Youth Services team served nearly 450 children throughout South County over the past year. The new lease in Laguna Hills will allow our Health Care Agency to centralize services, expand their youth services capacity, and reflects the latest effort to bring critical behavioral health services to every corner of Orange County,” said Supervisor Foley.
$88 Million Landfill Excavation Project: Approved a mass excavation and liner project at the Prima Deshecha landfill, which will expand landfill capacity and meet the waste disposal needs of south Orange County through 2102. Prima Deshecha is the only active landfill servicing south Orange County and is currently only able to accept solid waste through 2050. The project excavates seven million cubic yards of dirt and rock, constructs a protective liner that will preserve the health of our watershed, and installs landfill gas collection and facility drainage control systems.
“This project will protect our water shed by building a liner that extends capacity at Prima Deshecha,” said Supervisor Foley. “This investment will serve many future generations.”
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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 (OCFA), OCFA Legislation & Public Affairs Committee Chair, Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), Transportation Corridor Agency (TCA), TCA Joint Environmental Committee, Coastal Greenbelt Authority, Newport Bay and South Orange County Watershed Executive Committees, Ocean Institute, San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) Community Engagement Panel, Spent Fuel Solutions Coalition Co-Chair, Law Library Board of Trustees, Orange County Housing Finance Trust Chair, Local Agency Formation Commission (alt), Orange County Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council, and OC Public Libraries Advisory Board.
