Results tagged “orangecounty”

A little dispute is happening in Orange County near the L.A. County border. Residents are starting to get sick of the over-and-over-again mentality of once again widening a freeway (two lanes this year, another two in ten years). The problem is along the 405 Freeway between Irvine and the L.A. County border where 300,000 people commute daily.

A fire that broke out shortly before 11:30 a.m. has burned about 10 acres off Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano area. It's expected to grow, say fire officials, because of various downed power lines due to the tractor crash and the fires direction, which is uphill. No structures appear to be threatened, reports the OC Register.

Fortunately, the former head of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tustin pleaded guilty in court today and could face four years in prison, says KPCC. Although Clifford Lewis Polston worked for the club for 30 years, between 2001 and 2007 he used $33,000 of the organization's money to pay off his credit cards, vacation rentals, plane tickets and parking. Not only that, he gave his wife a fictitious consulting job for $72,800. And if that was not enough... When the board of directors grew suspicious after an audit, he resigned, but not before changing the sick time payout policy in his favor. He then tried to sue them for $76,000 in accrued sick time.

One year ago this Thursday, the Freeway Complex fire broke out. The 30,305-acre fire destroyed 314 homes. Two years ago this past Sunday, the Santiago Fire ignited, eventually burning through 28,517 acres and destroying 14 homes.

Irvine's effort to turn the former 4,700-acre El Toro Marine Corps Air Station into the 21st Century's famed park just got a major boost. $65.5 million in construction projects were approved yesterday, paving the way for facilities to open in 2010 and 11.

After Orange County Assemblyman Mike Duvall resigned amid controversy over a video where he bragged about sex with a woman, allegedly a lobbyist, the state's Fair Political Practices Commission gave him 30 days to disclose any gifts he had received.

Former Assemblyman Mike Duvall (R-Yorba Linda) is off the hook in at least two investigations after a video revealed to the public showed him bragging about sex with women, one of whom was allegedly a lobbyist. Last week the Assembly's Ethics committee dropped an inquiry into the allegations because they lacked authority over the matter once Duvall, who is married, resigned from office.

One of L.A.'s best traffic-beating ideas will soon hit Orange County. A non-stop FlyAway bus between the Irvine Station and Los Angeles International Airport was approved today by the city's Airport Commission. The three-year license agreement between Irvine and LAX means the fourth FlyAway route could start soon.

              

If a vegan restaurant can open in Orange County and not only survive, but expand within the same city (Irvine), then it must be doing something right. And that's why the Veggie Grill, which opens in Hollywood today at 11 a.m. at the Sunset Plaza, is welcomed with praise.

When it comes to making a man's member larger, there are pharmaceuticals, herbal supplements, and pumps that have this very unique market cornered. But rather than employ one of these methods, an Orange County man decided to go with a more homespun do-it-yourself method, with near-disastrous results.

In a very matter-of-fact phone call to a Westminister emergency dispatcher yesterday morning, 38-year-old Thuy Le said she had stabbed her two daughters and herself, asking if authorities were coming to her aid, according to the OC Register. They did, finding a bloody room in Le's cousin's home, where the Le family had been spending the night. It was after 6 a.m. when her cousin, Toan Pham and his wife, were awakened by their two children who investigated screams from the living room. Pham went down, finding blood all over and Le holding one of her daughters--he had no idea what just happened just minutes prior. The 5-year-old remains in a medically induced coma, but her 3-year-old sister and Le suffered superficial wounds. No word on why Le attempted to hurt her children before herself, but it may have been due to the stress over a failed attempt to sell her massage therapy business. Police are looking into other possibilities such as marital or mental health problems.

Users of the business-oriented social networking site LinkedIn who are based in Orange County are sick of being considered part of "greater Los Angeles." One user, Laguna Niguel's Sven Johnston, has "spearheaded the campaign to get the O.C. recognition," apart from L.A. explains the OC Register's Jan Norman in a blog post.

[Update: After being ousted from his committee assignments later this morning, Duvall resigned from his post] Talk about scandal. In an exclusive, KCAL9 obtained a video of Orange County Assemblyman Michael Duvall (R-Yorba Linda) allegedly talking about at least two sexual relations beyond his marriage. Why would a 54-year-old man like Duvall be such a popular guy with the Sacramento ladies? Speculation leads to his position of power on the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee where he sits as Vice Chairman.

Now that officials have been forced to raise fees at state parks in order to save some of them, a thrifty blogger at the Orange County Register's OC Deals blog makes a good observation. Looking into beachfront family campsites with hookups at Bolsa Chica State Beach, Doheny and San Clemente is running $60 to $65. "I recently bought a new tent and cot to go back to nature, and save money on vacations by camping, instead of staying in hotels. But the world’s gone topsy-turvy, folks. You can rent a room this week in the fancy Wyndham hotel in New Orleans for $58 a night, but you can’t camp in a state campground on the beach for that! Incredible." Still, we rather camp.

An Orange County Police Sergeant has been on administrative leave since May over a domestic violence call, but now officials are finding that he used law enforcement databases for dates and to look up rival men. Sgt. Bill Arganda of the Westminster Police Department stands accused of searching the database some 4,000 times and has been accused of domestic violence twice. Of those databases searches, there were "a blond Fox news correspondent, a woman from a gym class, a mother from his daughter's kindergarten class, his ex-wife and ex-girlfriends as well as the new men in their lives," according to the Orange County Register, which dives into the Arganda's history. He is an 18-year veteran.

Dangerously high surf is still expected today at the beaches, as predicted earlier--all part of the same system of swells that "pounded Orange County beaches on Friday, killing a surfer at the Wedge" according to the OC Register. Massive waves can be awe-inspiring, but the 4-7' swells "and occasional sets up to 9′" and higher in some places mean even the pros should think twice about hitting the water.

Lifeguards are cautioning surfers and swimmers alike that a high surf is due to hit the shores of the OC with some pretty serious strength starting tomorrow, according to the OC Register. "The waves are going to be so big from this south swell - the biggest our coast has seen for years - jet-ski assists have been added to this year's Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing so the surfers don't paddle against a raging river all day."

No, she won't just go away: Nadya Suleman, aka OctoMom, is keeping her name in the press thanks to a pair of lawsuits going on in Orange County regarding her children and their being filmed. "A child-labor activist has filed suit against Suleman in Orange County Superior Court, alleging that video shot of her children violates a law aimed at protecting child entertainers from overwork. The suit seeks to create an independent trust for the children," LA Now reports.

A Baja Fresh with margaritas, korean tacos, new salsas and step by step ordering like you do a Chipotle? That's what the Cypress-based company is testing in Irvine, according to Nancy Luna, the Fast Food Maven of Orange County. She also notes that one of the franchises in Huntington Beach recently received an alcohol permit, which might be one of the 13 locations that gets the liquor upgrade, according to the chain. The Kogi Korean tacos won't be from the famous truck, but definitely seems inspired by them. According to a blog dedicated to Orange County Mexican food, Baja will let you choose a meat--spicy chicken ($6.59) or Korean BBQ steak ($6.99)--for two dishes: The Baja Korean Taco Platters ($6.59) are two tacos with corn tortillas garnished with Kimchi slaw and sesame salsa Roja, served with cilantro lime rice, black beans, chips and salsa. Their Korean BBQ Burrito will consist of sesame salsa Roja, served with cilantro lime rice and kimchi slaw.

Newport Beach held a demonstration this weekend for their future bicycle sharing program, something that many desire here in Los Angeles after seeing similar programs in Europe and Canada. The Brandenburger Foundation is bringing the program to the city and has chosen the Bixi Bike System, which can be seen on the streets of Montreal. Here's how it will works, as explained by the Orange County Reigistrar's green blog:

It's summer and that means county fairs. While the LA County Fair is set to begin in September, Orange County's begins today and will run a longer one week longer than normal--through August 9th--because of a new schedule that closes the event on Mondays and Tuesdays.

It's been proposed and pooh-poohed by the public before, but considering our drought, does treating sewage so it's drinkable gaining more public consensus in Los Angeles? It already has in Orange County at the world's largest modern reclamation plant that serves many of the county's residents.

A one-acre fire is burning in a remote part of the Cleveland National Forest in Orange County today. Officials first got word of a column of smoke that led them to a section about a mile west of Los Pinos Peak. “It is way up there and in a very inaccessible area,” a fire official told the OC Register. They predict the fire will not spread and will be knocked down fairly quickly.

Say you're a guy that likes attractive Vietnamese gals. You also have a passion for caffeine. You've no doubt been frustrated, and said to your friends time after time, "geez, when will Garden Grove get a Vietnamese coffee shop that offers more sex appeal than Starbucks' green aprons?" Time to get happy. Cafe Di Vang 2 is the spot. They're the "Asian Hooters for coffee," according to one of their bikini-wearing tea-pourers.

Universal City's Cafe Tu Tu Tango was shuttered back in December, yet is surviving in Orange County and... Orange County, Florida (okay, specifically Orlando). Cruising the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control's website, an LAist tipster found that Samba Brazilian Steakhouse is taking the cafe's place. Unclear if they are connected, there's a restaurant with the same name at the Mirage in Vegas and a similarly themed one in Redondo, too. But inquiring minds wonder, what will they do with those old tutus?!

While we await Cirque du Soleil's arrival to Hollywood & Highland, the group is heading to Santa Monica and Orange County beginning in October. First on the Santa Monica pier, where it's been 10 years since the group brought its Grand Chapiteau (big top), and then to the Orange County Great Park in Irvine in January. “Cirque du Soleil brings a global distinction to the Great Park," said City of Irvine Mayor and Great Park Director Sukhee Kang. "As we unveil each new component of this great metropolitan park, we feel that we are moving closer and closer to our vision as an unforgettable destination for visitors from all over the world. We look forward to our continued partnership with the Cirque.” Tickets go on sale via their website on June 15 for Cirque Club members and the general public the day after.

Just what we all need: One more social networking site to sign up for, one more profile to make, quirky picture of ourselves to upload, badge to import to our blog. Except Irvine-based Greenwala is a social networking site that gives something important back to the world with each new member.

After leading the nation's 5th largest Sheriff's Department (second largest in California), Former Orange County Sheriff Michael Carona today was sentenced to five and a half years in prison for his involvement in large law enforcement corruption scandal. He was convicted of the charge in January, but was acquitted of various other charges such as conspiracy. His lawyers said he will likely appeal any ruling that is not probation and will request he remain free during the appeal process. Carona was once a rising star in GOP politics and was expected to do well in Sacramento.

Charity Navigator released their list of the country's 10 Most Inefficient charitable groups, naming two Orange County groups as some of the best for being worst. The ranking looks at the percentage of money spent versus the amount of money actually put towards supporting the cause, and those listed "spend more than $0.50 to raise each dollar in support, making them four times less efficient than the average charity. This inefficiency forces them to devote more than 40% of their budgets to fundraising, limiting the difference they can make with your dollars."

A chase that began around 12:30 a.m. shortly came to its end with an officer involved shooting that left the woman dead a half hour later. "The woman, who at times traveled up to speeds of more than 100 mph and rammed into police cruisers, was pronounced dead at the scene," reported the LA Times. An 18-month-year-old child in the backseat during the chase was not killed, but there are no reports on its condition.