January 14, 2022 Media Brief
Orange County
OC Register: School stress explodes as COVID-19 cases soar
The cascading problems have left educators scrambling to fill teaching vacancies and distribute test kits to families — all while trying to keep school as normal as possible.
Voice of OC: Saddleback Valley School District angers parents by ending COVID dashboard during surge
Saddleback Valley Unified School District nixed its COVID-19 dashboard because officials can’t keep up with the high number of new cases, sparking another flashpoint in Orange County’s debate on how to teach children during the Omicron surge.
OC Register: Assembly candidate, vaccine skeptic Benjamin Yu talks about how COVID-19 sent him to ICU
In “hindsight,” Yu said he realizes that being vaccinated “may possibly reduce the severity or duration of the episode.” (Data shows unvaccinated adults are 13 times more likely to end up hospitalized and 20 times more likely to die from the virus.)
OC Register: Members of O.C. School Board could face bigger, more liberal electorate
Conservative panel currently is selected in lower-turnout primaries. A proposal from state Sen. Dave Min would push that to the November general elections.
OC Register: Long council meeting results in censure of Westminster mayor
The night’s big result? Mayor Tri Ta was censured, on a 3-2 vote, for allegedly making false statements about his colleagues on Vietnamese-language media.
Voice of OC: Nepotism fuels political fights in some OC cities
Mindy Romero, founder and director of the Center for Inclusive Democracy at the University of Southern California, said nepotism is one of the most easy-to-understand forms of impropriety in government — something which people know clearly runs counter to the public’s interest.
Daily Pilot: Mesa Water rate hikes, capital charge approved by directors
Mesa Water District Board of Directors on Wednesday approved a five-year rate hike and a capital charge that will be added to property owners’ tax bills — steps officials say are needed to help maintain service reliability and cover rising costs.
Region
Associated Press: Thieves raiding rail cargo containers in Los Angeles
While KCBS cameras were on the scene, one person was spotted running off with a container used to hold small packages, and a Union Pacific railroad police officer was spotted pursuing two other people who were apparently going through packages.
Nation
CNN: Here’s how you can get free home COVID-19 tests
Most Americans with private insurance can buy home tests online or in stores and have them paid for at the time of purchase or get reimbursed by submitting a claim to their insurer. So make sure you save your receipts.
Publication Date: January 14, 2022
