August 5, 2021 Media Brief
Labor
NPR: Powerful U.S. labor leader Richard Trumka dies
A lion of the labor movement passed away Thursday after suffering a heart attack while on a camping trip with his family. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka headed the labor organization with more than 12.5 million members. When Trumka made his first visit to Orange County as president, it was OCEA that hosted him.
Orange County
Voice of OC: Anaheim Councilman Jordan Brandman resigns after vulgar text controversy
“I write to respectfully submit my resignation from the Anaheim City Council effective immediately,” Brandman wrote in his resignation letter. “Like for most, there are periods in our lives when we are faced with competing career and personal priorities.” He said he needs to focus on his personal life.
Voice of OC: Taxpayer groups demand transparency on how OC spends hundreds of million in COVID money
Over the past year, Orange County officials have spent hundreds of millions in federal coronavirus recovery dollars – all without a public presentation about where it’s all gone so far. Taxpayer advocates are calling for full transparency on the spending.
Voice of OC: OC schools to follow mask mandate as COVID surges
School districts throughout Orange County plan to enforce the mask mandate from state officials when students return to the classroom this Fall, while they face pushback from some parents and groups who want kids to drop the masks.
OC Register: Unmasked clients make for nervous workers as county offices reopen
Breanna Mercado, 19 weeks pregnant, has been ordered back to the office. Since COVID-19 hit last year, she’s been doing her job from home, checking the eligibility of low- and no-income people for Medi-Cal for the County of Orange. She’s vaccinated, but nervous about returning to an office where masks and social distancing are not mandatory.
Daily Pilot: Following attacks on voting rights and election process, UCI opens free speech and fair elections center
The aptly named Fair Elections and Free Speech Center will host public events, publish reports and provide legal support to the university’s law clinics, while also focusing on international threats to democratic elections and speech issues.
California
OC Register: At some California hospitals, nearly half of workers remain unvaccinated
But the story isn’t the same everywhere. Fewer than 2% — or less — had spurned vaccines at Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana, MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital in Glendale and MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, according to the federal data.
Publication Date: August 5, 2021
