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2013 Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast

From left, John M. W. Moorlach, Supervisor County of Orange, Chris Cox, Partner Bingham McCutchen LLP and former Chairman of the U.S. Secutities and Exchange Commission and Hoshi Printer pose during the 18th Annual Forum for Corporate Directors Director of the Year Awards held at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel on Wed., March 6, 2013 in Laguna Niguel, Calif. (Photo by Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging)

Celebrating the dedication of the Fairview Park Wetlands and Riparian Habitat where many can bike, hike, or simply savor the beauty of this nature preserve.

State of the County 2013 - A Year in Review

Interview with John Moorlach

This former OC Treasurer and current Supervisor always tells it like he sees it – good or bad. Here, he talks about OC's former bankruptcy, and why we may be on track for another.

BY Terence Loose

Supervisor John Moorlach with wife Trina at the 2013 Speak Up Newport Mayor’s Dinner

Supervisor John Moorlach with President/CEO of the Cypress Chamber of Commerce Ed Munson

Supervisor Moorlach with Ruth Ding, Founder Performing Arts Center /Orange County Chinese Cultural Club

Supervisor Moorlach attended the opening of the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Museum of Tolerance traveling exhibit “Courage to Remember” at the Santa Ana Police Department.

Supervisor John M. W. Moorlach speaking at the 18th Annual Report on the Conditions of Children in Orange County.

Supervisor Moorlach interviewed on the topic of adding Upper and Lower Trestles as an official landmark on the National Register of Historic Places.

Memorandum from John Wayne Airport Director Alan Murphy, discussing the new Transportation Security Administration PreCheck Program

Supervisor John Moorlach at the Republican election night party in Costa Mesa.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors honored the Olympians who live and train in Orange County, as well as the organizations that support their Olympic endeavors.

Interim Executive Director Steve Keil presented three CSAC Challenge Awards to Orange County Agencies.

Broadrock / Olinda Alpha Landfill Ribbon Cutting

United Way Dine at the Dump Luncheon

Event: United Way Leadership Breakfast @ Phoenix Club – 9.26.12

Event: District 2 End of Summer Beach BBQ & Bonfire – 8.24.12

The Orange County Young Republicans (OCYR) is an organization consisting of young professionals and political activists who are committed to a common sense approach to politics.

Event: OC Veteran Advisory Council - 7.19.12

Event: Limestone Canyon Hike – 7.3.12

John Wayne Airport’s Explosive Detection Team’s exercise yard shall be known as the Mike Mullen K-9 Training Facility

This year’s award winner, Jackie Cole of the Offices of the Public Defender

Supervisor Moorlach with JWA’s Director Alan Murphy

Celebrating Bus Transit in Orange County

ExplorOcean is a thrilling new interactive experience, where the planet’s vast and mysterious oceans are the gateway to the adventure of a lifetime.

City of Newport Beach dedication of Kline Drive, the last dirt road in Newport Beach

Supervisor Moorlach at the 18th Annual Balboa Island Parade

Dalia Taft, Archivist of the Orange County Jewish Historical Society. David W. Epstein and Gladys Sturman, current publishers of Western States Jewish History.

Supervisor John M.W. Moorlach presenting the National Public Works Week Resolution

The mission of this conference was to showcase the Orange County Tourism Council's role, through branding, in the development and sustainability of tourism to Orange County and to serve as an information resource to visitor industry stakeholders.

2-1-1 Orange County offers a comprehensive information and referral system linking Orange County residents to community health and human services and support.

The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International promotes professional and personal growth of women educators and excellence in education.

The Council on Aging – Orange County promotes the independence, health and dignity of older adults through compassion, education and advocacy.

After a yearlong closure, the 7th Street bridge that connects commuters from Orange County to Long Beach reopened Friday morning.

Chairman John M.W. Moorlach at the Board of Directors Installation 2012 Event where he administered the Oath of Office to the new Board of Directors.

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan officially proclaimed March as National Social Worker Recognition Month. Today, there are over 4,000 dedicated, caring, and compassionate social workers serving the residents of Orange County in a variety of settings.

The Orange County Rescue Mission, in a joint venture with Trinity School of Law, has created a Mobile Legal Clinic to help homeless men and women in Orange County to resolve any legal issues they may face.

Mullen, Michael W. Jr., Lieutenant, Orange County Sheriff Dept., 47, passed away on Monday, January 16, 2012.

View a video of the Farmers Airship Tour Over OC

View a Picture collage from the Stanton Island Community Clean Up Day.

See what Buena Park has to offer.

Watch a video on the OCTA – Second Harvest Food Bank.

The Superior Court of Orange County encourages qualified citizens to apply to serve on the 2012/2013 Grand Jury. Service is a full-time commitment for one year, from July 2, 2012, to June 30, 2013. Nineteen Orange County residents will be selected.

As supervisor for the 2nd District, which includes Sunset Beach, and as chairman of the Orange County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), which governs the annexation of territory to cities, I have long supported annexation. I knew that in the long-term, the county would not be able to afford to provide the level of municipal services Sunset Beach residents enjoy.

SANTA ANA - The Orange County Board of Supervisors today will consider two plans to bridge a nearly $50 million gap in the budget -- one that would make severe cuts in service, the other less drastic.

Join preserve staff and other volunteers on the first Saturday of each month at Talbert Nature Preserve working on park improvement projects which may include: non-native plant removal, weeding, watering, trail maintenance, trash cleanup and planting native species.

SANTA ANA, Calif. - John Wayne Airport (JWA) began rolling out the first phase of its new state-of-the-art Parking Access and Revenue Control System (PARCS) on Thursday, July 7, 2011.

The ‘Red Rocks’ section of Black Star Canyon that is usually closed to all but guided tours will be opened to the public for a day on July 23.

Designed to tidy the county boundaries, the change affects local trails and five homes in Los Alamitos.

One of the justifications for the Rossmoor Community Services District to ask for authority over police services is concern Orange County might transfer the responsibility from the Sheriff’s Department, to the Los Alamitos Police Department. Whether that concern is well founded, or whether it is something to be feared by Rossmoor residents, was one of the topics which came up several times during Monday’s public hearing (see related article.)

HomeAid, in partnership with the Children and Families Commission of Orange County, will collect diapers, baby food and baby hygiene products including baby wipes and lotion which are then distributed to 16 shelters here in Orange County.

Crews will perform nighttime work to demolish the westbound SR-22 / 7th Street connector bridge over the I-405 freeway.

The March/April edition of Straight Talk Magazine by Art Levine has been published featuring and editorial by Supervisor John Moorlach

John Wayne Airport (JWA) has been named a Local Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers, Orange County Branch and is one of only three airports worldwide bestowed with this honor.

HomeAid, in partnership with the Children and Families Commission of Orange County, will collect diapers, baby food and baby hygiene products including baby wipes and lotion which are then distributed to 16 shelters here in Orange County.

A group of county supervisors and labor leaders sitting across the table from each other at a public meeting having a calm discussion, even offering each other complements. There was no shouting, no finger pointing and even the posturing was kept to a relative minimum. What made it even more remarkable was the topic: public pensions.

In the face of tight finances and rising pension costs, the city is taking a number of steps to increase returns on its investments and save the money it pays to financial advisers. The moves, while still within state guidelines, may ultimately result in a less diverse portfolio, fewer people handling the city's investments and diminished liquidity.

This month marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the landmark deal that lead the creation of Orange County's airport: John Wayne Airport

OC Waste and Recycling, along with the Orange County Board of Supervisors, launched the Waste Free OC Campaign at the Frank R. Bowerman Landfill in Irvine on February 10, 2010.

HUNTINGTON BEACH Bolsa Chica enthusiasts will start the New Year with a long-awaited footbridge connecting the Outer Bolsa Bay with the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve's upper wetlands and mesa, Bolsa Chica Land Trust officials reported.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors and Costa Mesa City Council have approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding the proposed purchase, governance, and operation of the Orange County Fairgrounds.

WHAT: A portion of John Wayne Airport's Terminal roadways near Terminal B will be narrowed to allow for construction of Terminal C and Parking Structure C through 2011.

The Assessor will be sending out property value notices next month. Be sure to read your notice carefully. If there are two values shown on your assessment notice, the LOWER of the two values will be enrolled and that will be the basis for your 2009 Property Taxes. If you only have one value listed that is your enrolled value and no temporary reduction in value was made by the Assessor.

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 19 (Reuters) - California lawmakers approved on Thursday a state budget package to close a $42 billion deficit, ending a lengthy standoff with a slate of bills that aim to raise taxes, slash spending and increase borrowing with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature.

If a government employee is ready to retire and just before walking out the door his or her employer increases pension benefits 50 percent, would that be an earned increase or a gift of public funds? The answer to taxpayers is obvious.

After months of declines, municipal bonds look too cheap to pass up, and signs suggest the market may be ready to rebound.

The accountant who predicted the nation’s largest municipal bankruptcy says as many as 10 insolvencies will roil the $2.7 trillion U.S. market for state, county and city debt next year as public finances worsen amid calls for federal aid to state and local governments.

Our governor has signed budgets with annual expenditure increases greater than those of his predecessor. So it is disingenuous for him to be critical of the Legislature now. For more than four years he has been guilty of pushing problems out into the future. Gov. Schwarzenegger, please do not lecture us now about requiring a balanced budget, requesting spending caps or being horrified at the lack of a "rainy day" fund. You're a classic finger-pointer, with most fingers pointing back in your direction.

It seems that every time the stock market suffers a major setback, those who don't fully understand how government pensions work begin sounding alarm bells that it will absolutely drive up the cost of government pensions. A close examination of history and the facts suggests it's way too early to make such assumptions.

Look out – another massive taxpayer-funded bailout is coming down the pike.

Despite a warning from the county grand jury, the Orange County Board of Supervisors declined Tuesday to impose a letter grading system designed to inform would-be diners about the health safety record of restaurants.

The 28th Annual Los Alamitos Race on the Base will be held on Saturday, February 21, 2009.

When it's cold and you're homeless and you have nowhere else to turn, wouldn't you knock on every last door?

A long-awaited jail audit report landed with a thud Tuesday at the County Board of Supervisors as two private consultants called for hiring nearly 500 more deputies as well as spending more on aging jail facilities.

Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman John Moorlach thinks Sheriff Sandra Hutchens is doing a bang-up job in her new post, despite a battle that erupted earlier this week between 2nd Amendment advocates and the sheriff.

About 75 percent of voters there last week passed a measure that makes county employee and elected official retirement contracts contingent on approval at the ballot box.

Voters have overwhelmingly endorsed limiting the power of county supervisors to sweeten pension payouts for public employees supporting Measure J by a whopping 75 percent.

Orange County restaurants would have to post color-coded inspection seals on their windows to give customers more information about the cleanliness of their kitchens under a plan being put forward by health officials.

Overtime pay in the Orange County Sheriff's Department has skyrocketed in recent years because the department lacks a comprehensive policy or effective controls on the extra pay, according to an audit released Wednesday.

ROSSMOOR - The Rossmoor Homeowners Association issued a statement this week in support of making the unincorporated tract on Long Beach's eastern flank Orange County's newest city.

One option stands above the rest of the possible solutions to deal with the often unbearable traffic on the 55 Freeway and Newport Boulevard, according to a new study by the Orange County Transportation Authority.

On the night that John Derek Chamberlain was stomped to death at Theo Lacy jail in 2006, Sheriff's deputies waved off District Attorney investigators that showed up to look into the murder.

Orange County supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to place a measure on the November ballot letting voters decide if future pension increases for county government workers should be put to a public vote.

SANTA ANA – Orange County supervisors diluted their own power Tuesday by approving an initiative that would require voters to OK any increases in public workers' pensions.

Six years ago the voters of Orange County approved Measure V, converting us to a charter county. It was poorly constructed, but we now have the opportunity to allow the voters to add provisions to the Charter that instruct the County's Supervisors on how to proceed on financial and business matters.

Concerned about the skyrocketing cost of Orange County employee retirement benefits, Supervisor John M.W. Moorlach on Tuesday proposed requiring voter approval for any future increases to employee pensions.

SANTA ANA – Sheriff Sandra Hutchens was publicly sworn in as Orange County's first female top officer today in a large public ceremony held under sunny skies with calls for an end of "dark days."

Over the past decade, Orange County officials transformed the post of sheriff's deputy into a six-figure job based on the belief that overtime was cheaper than hiring new officers.

After a long, miserable haul with former Sheriff Mike Carona, our neighbors in Orange County have a promising new leader in Sandra Hutchens. What a refreshing change.

October 30, 2007 - A federal grand jury indictment is unsealed naming Carona, his wife, Debbie, and his "longtime mistress," Debra V. Hoffman, as part of a conspiracy to get Carona elected sheriff to enrich himself and others.

SANTA ANA – Sandra Hutchens, named Orange County’s first female sheriff on Tuesday, described herself as a "change agent" who promised to clean up a department rattled by scandals.

Nine law enforcement veterans competing to become Orange County's next sheriff appeared before the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday in an unprecedented public interview session to determine which one should replace the top cop who left office under indictment.

Irvine, Calif. – The Irvine Ranch Conservancy (IRC), along with the Capistrano Valley Conservancy (CVC), will host the 2nd Annual Paint-Off on March 29. The unique event will be held at The Irvine Ranch Historical Park, site of the original Irvine Ranch Headquarters, at 13042 Old Myford Road in Irvine. The park site includes the Ranch’s headquarters building, the James Irvine II Home, which houses the brand-new Katie Wheeler Branch Library, and numerous barns and other residential buildings.

Orange County faces state budget cuts, dwindling tax revenue and rising crime rates, Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman John Moorlach said in his State of the County address Tuesday.

After months of legal preparation, the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to file a lawsuit seeking to repeal part of their pension agreement with sheriff's deputies, saying the county cannot afford the expense.

Bill Yee doesn't have far to go to cross county lines.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors recently voted 4-1 to increase traffic ticket fees to fund medical care for the uninsured. Supervisor John Moorlach, who calls the moving violation hike “nefarious,” cast the only dissenting vote.

Chriss W. Street was called a hero in 1994, when he sounded the alarm on high-risk investments in the Orange County portfolio and predicted the county’s $1.7 billion bankruptcy filing.

The Sheriff has stated that he has delegated his duties to Undersheriff Galisky.

It was the largest municipal bankruptcy in the nation's history.

Thirteen years ago, Orange County politicians were busy telling the public that the county was bankrupt.

In a slap at indicted Sheriff Michael S. Carona, Orange County supervisors Tuesday eliminated a waiver granted in 1998 that allowed him to promote two outsiders to be assistant sheriffs.

After more than a year of contentious labor talks, the Orange County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a new contract with sheriff's deputies that will increase pay more than 12% over three years and reform the medical benefits program for retirees.

Share the burden or cough up the cash.

That's the message airport commissioner Walter Zifkin sent this week by suggesting Orange County residents be charged a special fee to use Los Angeles International Airport.

Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach is unquestionably influential, but whether his influence is good or bad depends on whether you’re asking a sheriff's deputy.

2 presentations made to the Board regarding unconstitutional retroactive pension increases.

John Crean always said 99% of success was just outliving your competition and never giving up. Through the years our ad and syndication sales grew because I never gave up. If I learned anything in my years working on that show, it was that perseverance, coupled with patience, pays off.

SANTA ANA - Medical marijuana users will finally be able to get county-issued photo identification cards within four months even though their ability to buy cannibis at legal local dispensaries is growing increasingly difficult.

The Bolsa Chica Conservancy serves thousands of visitors a year who take its tours, feel sea creatures in its touch tank, and learn about wetlands ecology in its many classes. But a recent remodel to its Interpretive Center cost a lot, as will a planned bridge to get visitors there more safely. That's why county officials have come to the rescue.

May 23, 2007 Orange County supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to move forward with the creation of a civilian commission that would review misconduct complaints against county law enforcement.

Newport Beach and Orange County officials may take their battle for control of the Harbor Patrol to a new venue: Sacramento.

The ongoing debate about who should run the Harbor Patrol in Newport Beach may become more intense, with city and county officials bidding for control.

Years of arguing and months of negotiations over unincorporated areas between Costa Mesa and Newport Beach may come to a head Wednesday, when the commission that decides annexations in Orange County meets.

Dealing a blow to the logic of outsourcing government work to private companies, a new Orange County report finds little savings in a $25-million-per-year contract awarded to a firm that manages the county's technology systems.

A free society should have as much oversight of its government as possible. That's why in larger communities in California, police agencies typically are monitored by a civilian oversight panel that can review allegations of official misconduct and assure that internal investigations are thorough. This level of independent review can benefit the agency and deputies themselves, as it can bolster confidence in the criminal justice system, and in those who enforce the laws.

The cost of keeping the promise of generous retirement benefits for state and local government employees is starting to break California taxpayers and government agencies. Elected officials hoping to avoid accountability for massive public debts have mustered only a timid response to this growing fiscal crisis.

Johnnie Nichols, a civilian Defense Department employee, contributes to a federal pension that will let him retire at age 56, after 32 years of service.

Newport Beach could take over the Upper Newport Bay and Costa Mesa would manage Talbert Nature Preserve under a proposal from Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach

It's worked with sodas and fast food, so why not geography? Call it supersizing, city style.

The other night a close friend and neighbor asked if anything had surprised me in my first few days in my new office.

After 12 years in the penalty box, Merrill Lynch is back in business in Orange County.

The county, in Southern California, once accused Merrill of helping tip it into bankruptcy. This week, the county’s board of supervisors voted to put the investment bank on its list of firms qualified to provide it with underwriting services.