Orange County Health Care Agency

Todd Spitzer Postpones Violence Forum in Wake of Chris Dorner and Ali Syed Murders

I began the second-to-the-last update on the Feb. 19 freeway shooting rampage by mentioning Orange County Supervisor Todd Spitzer had hijacked an afternoon press conference by law enforcement. As a Los Angeles television station was cutting away from the live coverage because of this unwelcome intru ... More >>

No-Host Bar Unlikely at All-Day DUI Summit

County Supervisor Todd Spitzer has brought together a variety of experts and advocates for an "Orange County DUI Summit" from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at Concordia University in Irvine.Ah, for the Don Draper days when they'd serve cocktails at these deals.

KCRW's Cottage Food Act Panel Discussion: What We Learned

Have you ever thought of making a business out your homemade muffins, granola, or bitters? California's Homemade Food Act took effect January 1, which allows cottage food producers a legal pathway to sell certain foods produced in a home kitchen. Until this law passed, it was illegal to sell your br ... More >>

Dave Reviews OC Yelp Reviews, Part 9

Happy New Year! Won't you make a resolution this year to suck less in your Yelp reviews?Luckily for Yelpers, Christmas and New Year's Day fell on Tuesdays this year; the blithering goons who infest that corner of the Internet had two whole weeks to abuse good sense and the English language.Now that ... More >>

I Don't Swim in Your Toilet But Dirty Runoff Keeps Ocean Best Avoided This Weekend

No yellow tape closing beaches has gone up (yet?), but the Orange County Health Care Agency is advising divers, surfers and swimmers to stay out of coastal waters.That's because recent rains flushed contaminants via creeks, rivers and storm drains into the ocean, where unhealthy bacteria levels have ... More >>

OC Health Care Agency's Veil of Vomit

Why are they still covering up an April outbreak of E. coli at a local restaurant?

A Closer Look At OC's Anti-Vaccination Cluster

South County parents are opting out of the CDC schedule altogether

Dr. Robert Sears Takes on Both Sides of the Great Vaccination Divide

The author of 'The Vaccine Book' presents his own alternatives to the CDC-recommended schedules kenneth m. ruggiano

The OC Restaurant Where Customers Got Sick With E.Coli in April--And That OC Health Care Officials Don't Want You to Know About

Some time in April, nine customers at a restaurant in Orange County got sick with E. coli that was in their lettuce. The lettuce came from Amazing Coachella, Inc., and eaters in Canada also fell ill, with the OC restaurant being the only culprit. The restaurant closed for a couple of days, then open ... More >>

Armory Emergency Shelters Opening in Fullerton and Santa Ana

​With the brrrrr factor up overnight, the County of Orange has kick started the Armory Emergency Shelter Program that provides up to 400 beds for homeless families and individuals. Not to mention a nutritious meal, warm shower, safe place to sleep, warm clothes and various support services. The Na ... More >>

Are OC's Cops Minding the Community?

The death of Kelly Thomas has put a spotlight on how cops treat the mentally ill

State Funds Classes To Teach Law Enforcement How To Interact With Mentally Ill, Majority Of Officials In OC Haven't Taken It

​​As the Kelly Thomas beating death in Fullerton has put interactions between law enforcement and the mentally ill under a microscope, we wondered just how well-prepared OC's cops were to deal with such situations. Turns out that California's Mental Health Services Act funds a two-day train ... More >>

Health Officials Crack Down on Vietnamese Yoghurt, Pull Them From OC Shelves

Dave Lieberman​Where'd it go? All of a sudden, da ua, the Vietnamese yoghurt made by culturing condensed milk, has disappeared from OC shelves. Our network of spies in Little Saigon said there was a letter sent out from the Orange County Health Care Agency informing bakeries, cafés and markets th ... More >>

Winner, Winner, Don't Eat Dinner: The Worst Restaurant in the Anaheim Resort

​Last November, we celebrated the closure of the Baker's Square restaurant in Garden Grove's International West district, the very worst example of a chain that struggles to achieve mediocrity. It was, in retrospect, pretty bad--limp produce, low-quality meat, and service that met every criterion ... More >>

OC Lifespan Report: San Juan Capistrano Residents Expected to Live Longest, Buena Park Residents to Die Earliest

​Forget the palm readers. If you really want to predict how long you'll live, check your ZIP code. The latest lifespan report from the Orange County Health Care Agency shows that county residents born in 2008 can expect to live 81.5 years, nearly six months longer than the state average and four y ... More >>

Rabid Bat Prompts Health Warning

​Orange County public health officials are warning residents to steer clear of bats, be aware that an untreated bite from a rabid bat is nearly always fatal and contact the county Health Care Agency if you come in contact with one of Master Bruce Wayne's cousins.This comes after a rabid bat was fo ... More >>

James Foxall of OC Foodie Fest (and Taco Dawg), Part Two

Photo: Meg StrouseJames Foxall and Virginia Strickland, organizers of the OC Foodie Fest​The success of last weekend's Long Beach Street Food Fest bodes well for OC Foodie Fest, a gathering of fifty food trucks (the final list of which was just published on their website) at the Honda Center on Sa ... More >>

Seal Beach, Saying Enough is Enough, Wants BP/ARCO to Remove Contaminated Soil

David Falconer/National Archives​After three decades of trying to end contamination from a gasoline station leak in Seal Beach, the City Council has voted to direct BP/ARCO to dig out the tainted soil.The company was asked 25 years ago to do something about the contamination at PCH and Fifth Stree ... More >>

New Inspection Placards Appearing in OC

Orange County Health Care Agency​After the OC Register's exposé of the sanitation in OC's restaurants in 2008, the County Board of Supervisors empaneled a grand jury to examine how to improve food safety in OC eateries.The grand jury did its research and decided that the best way to avoid these " ... More >>

See If Your Fave Beach Was One of '08's Cleanest (or Dirtiest)

Based on the just released 2008 Annual Ocean and Bay Water Quality Report, Orange Countians can get a sense of the cleanest beaches, the dirtiest strands and the worst sewage spillers. Well, at least those were the ones in 2008.There is plenty of good news in Orange County Health Care Agency's year ... More >>

How New Developments in Laguna Beach Will (and Won't) Deal With the Pollution in Aliso Creek

At the Miss Hermosa y Protegida Pageant, the Curves Can Be Fake, But the Messages Are Very Real

Blowing Smoke

Did a landfill explosion cause the Santiago Canyon Fire? Umm . . .

Smoke one for poverty

This is something interesting I just learned from the Orange County Health Care Agency web site: "(1)The California Healthcare for Indigents Program (CHIP) is funded through surtax on cigarettes and tobacco products. CHIP provides funding to hospitals, physicians, and community clinics based on unc ... More >>

From the He's-Obviously- Not-a-Friend-of- Cheney File

Courtesy of the state Dept. of Toxic Substances Control... Orange County Polluter Sentenced to 16 Months in State Prison Westminster - The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) announced today that an Orange County Superior Court sentenced Steven Craig Booth, of Anaheim, to 16 m ... More >>

Dial M for Mold!

Black fungus triumphs over tenants at Costa Mesa apartment complex

Roll Over And PlayOh, You Already Are

Ex-volunteers claim no-kill shelter routinely slaughters pets

OC's Scariest People 2004

Ouch!

Why are county health officials in West Nile Denial?

Out of His Skull

What do you get when you combine paranoia, ego and almost limitless power?
Answer: DA Tony Rackauckas

Toxic Politics

District Attorney Tony Rackauckas weighed his own political future against the safety of Orange County's drinking water and decided to save his own skin

The Force Is With Him

In a department once noted for its cruelty toward the homeless, Santa Ana cop Randy Beckx produced a revolution

Ratting Out the Mouse

Is Disneyland a haven for rodents?

No Queers Here

Here and there, Vietnamese say theyre not crazy about gays

Cry Baby Beach

Looking for the most polluted water in OC? Look for a baby beach

Letters

The Talking Drug