TimesOC: Orange County stalled in ‘orange’ pandemic reopening tier but making progress
Good morning and welcome to the TimesOC newsletter.
It’s Wednesday, May 5. I’m Carol Cormaci, bringing you the latest roundup of Orange County news and events.
While our neighbors to the north in Los Angeles County learned yesterday it had moved into the least restrictive, yellow tier of California’s pandemic reopening system, Orange County is not quite there yet.
According to numbers issued Tuesday afternoon by the Orange County Health Care Agency, the daily case count per 100,000 students has dropped to 2.4, but that’s not enough to move into the yellow tier, so we are still in the slightly more restrictive orange tier.
Counties that reach the yellow tier have brighter economic prospects, as more businesses and venues — among them gyms, movie theaters, stadiums, museums and amusement parks — are allowed to operate at a higher capacity than previously.
Orange County’s COVID-19 numbers to meet the California road map to reopenings are improving to be sure. Earlier this week, our COVID-19 hospitalizations dropped out of the triple-digit territory for the first time in several months.
Andrew Noymer, a UC Irvine professor of population health and disease prevention, told City News Service the news that there were just 95 people battling the illness in the hospital Sunday was “amazing,” particularly for the encouragement such news might give the rest of the population. “There’s nothing epidemiologically different between 95 and 105, but lower is better, and there is a psychology to all of this. Even to an epidemiologist we’re still susceptible to the psychology of it all, so I’m pleased.”
In related news, on Sunday, Orange County resumed offering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine against COVID-19, several weeks after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended placing a temporary hold on it due to a rare incidence of blood clots in people who had received the one-dose vaccine. The county now offers three FDA-authorized vaccines: Pfizer, Moderna and J&J.
NEWS
— Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem Tito Ortiz filed for unemployment against the city in February, public records show, despite not having his hours cut during the coronavirus pandemic. On his filing Ortiz listed Feb. 9, 2021 as his last day of work and wrote “still working part-time or on-call — related to the coronavirus (COVID-19)” as his reason for separation. “That’s a shocker to us,” Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr said Tuesday. “I mean, that doesn’t make any sense. I’m hoping that Mr. Ortiz would give an explanation ... A lot of us have a lot of questions.”
— Timed to coincide with the National Day of Prayer, the Huntington Beach Interfaith Council has planned a virtual prayer breakfast tomorrow (bring your own morning meal to your computer and watch). “A number of hate crimes and events have risen dramatically in recent years, so an Interfaith Council is needed now more than ever,” said Rabbi Stephen Einstein, one of the council’s founding members, who will speak Thursday. The event is free and will be livestreamed at 9 a.m. at ghbic.org.
— Three men died early Tuesday in a hit-and-run crash in Anaheim. The driver of a Mercedes that smashed into a Kia carrying the three victims was later found by police in a hospital being treated for injuries she sustained during the incident.
— Officials at Cypress College announced Friday they had placed on leave an adjunct professor after she challenged a student’s assertion that police are heroes in a recorded Zoom class that went viral afterward.
— Although the project still has to go before the California Coastal Commission for its consideration, the $1.4-billion ocean water desalination plant proposed for Huntington Beach by Poseidon eked out the approval Friday of the Santa Ana Regional Water Board. The vote was 4-3.
— A fundraiser for O.C. Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer was marred when police were called to break up a fight between protesters and a couple of Spitzer supporters outside the venue in Costa Mesa.
— Officials in Orange County cities, along with other municipalities up and down the state, have been grappling with how they might zone for the number of houses that are needed to meet California’s needs in coming decades. To that end, some have relaxed earlier standards on accessory dwelling units, commonly known as “granny flats.” Last week, the Newport Beach City Council decided to waive permitting fees on all such dwellings through 2022.
SPORTS
— Angels right-hander Shohei Ohtani was scratched from Monday night’s scheduled start against the Tampa Bay Rays because of a sore right elbow after being hit by a pitch in Sunday’s game in Seattle. Left-hander José Quintana took Ohtani’s place and took a beating in a 7-3 loss.
— Newport Beach has long been the site of annual “Irrelevant Week,” celebrating the last pick in the NFL draft. On Saturday, the latest “Mr. Irrelevant” was revealed when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced the 259th and final pick of the draft: Houston linebacker Grant Stuard. It probably took the sting off Stuard to learn he’s going to the home of this year’s Super Bowl champions.
— The CIF Southern Section announced Monday that it has received permission from county health departments to hold track and field divisional championships at four different sites instead of one primary site, columnist Eric Sondheimer reports. Estancia High School in Costa Mesa will host the Jan. 12 Division 3 events.
—The Costa Mesa High School recently won at the Universal Cheerleaders Assn. High School Nationals in the category of varsity coed nontumble, the program’s third national title.
LIFE & LEISURE
— An intrepid corps of volunteers comprised of model train enthusiasts is raising funds to replace a tiny train trestle in Costa Mesa’s Fairview Park and have turned to the public with a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for the work. It’s remarkable that the existing trestle, constructed of interior-grade wood, has lasted out in the elements for three decades. But time has clearly come for it to be replaced.
— If you love nothing more than spending time in the blue Pacific, you might want to know more about the sharks off California’s coast and just how close they come to the shoreline. In a subscriber exclusive, Los Angeles Times reporter Joe Mozingo interviews drone videographer Carlos Gauna to bring readers a breathtaking piece that also feature stunning photos by Al Seib, “Drones show California’s great white sharks are closer — and more common — than you think.”
— “Welcome back, Disneyland,” writes L.A. Times game critic Todd Martens, who offers up his assessment of the storied rides he experienced on Friday, when the park reopened after a 13-month closure forced by the pandemic.
— Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, here’s an easy recipe for “Grilled Steak with Chunky Guacamole Salad,” served with flour or corn tortillas.
OPINION
— The Daily Pilot’s mailbag over the weekend was filled with letters from readers who are taking a stance against the proposed Poseidon desalination plant in Huntington Beach.
— Grammar expert June Casagrande in her “A Word, Please” column writes on an editor’s pet peeves.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.