Eight youngsters from around Orange County were honored last week for their exemplary conduct when they called 9-1-1 to report real life emergencies.

Sheriff Sandra Hutchens was joined by fire officials, news personalities and show business celebrities in honoring the youngsters at the Sheriff's Regional Training Academy in Tustin last Thursday.

Sheriff Hutchens presented an award to Drew Zavala, 11, of Yorba Linda, who called to report an assault in his home to Orange County Sheriff's Dispatcher Jennifer Demers.

The Sheriff said in her presentation: "On June 19, 2009, 11-year-old Drew called 9-1-1 to report a known suspect had broken into the house and was fighting with his mother. Drew remained very calm and provided Dispatcher Jennifer Demers with his correct address and phone number. This was very important, as he had called on a cell phone, which does not automatically show the address of the caller. Even though Drew’s mother was injured, he remained calm throughout the call and answered each question he was asked. Thanks to Drew’s quick action, units arrived and were able to help Drew’s mother."

Four awards went to youngsters who called the Anaheim Police Department, one who called the La Habra Police Department and one who called the Orange County Fire Authority. 

Award Presenters included the Sheriff and Orange County Fire Authority Chief Keith Richter, KOCE-TV's Ed Arnold, Fox 11 News Anchor Christine Devine, and actresses Tatum and Haley McCann, who have starring roles in the hit movie "The Time Traveler's Wife."

9-1-1 For Kids is an organization dedicated to teaching youngsters how to make 9-1-1 calls. For more information on the group click here. 

Deputy Chris Corn was interviewed by KUCI's Mari Frank about the duties of Marine Operations and the Department's Dive Team.

To listen to the interviews click the icons below:

[mp3:http://blog.ocsd.org/file.axd?file=Dep+Chris+Corn+re+marine+ops+and+dive+team+Seg+I+3+min+45+sec.mp3]

[mp3:http://blog.ocsd.org/file.axd?file=Dep+Chris+Corn+re+fire+fighting+and+water+safety+Seg+II+4+min+6+sec.mp3]

Nearly twenty of Sheriff’s Department personnel from Airport Operations teamed up with American Airlines workers on Saturday. They came together to host a picnic for about 100 youngsters who had lost a parent while serving our country in the War on Terror.

Deputy Richard Leonard works the grill

Photos by Sheriff's Special Officer Charles Volkel

In the regional version that took place last Saturday, many of the local “ Snowball” families,  mothers and children were treated to a summer picnic at Mason Park in Irvine.

There were games for all the kids and decorations brightened the entire picnic ground. Two special clowns flew in from Fort Lauderdale and Dallas-Fort Worth to “paint faces” for everyone …children, parents and employees alike. The Sheriff’s volunteers presided over the barbeque pits, grilling hundreds of hot dogs and hamburgers. The Orange County Fire Authority provided support and backup. [more]

Local merchants supplied much of the food and a collection was taken among Sheriff’s employees to augment the cost of treats for the youngsters.

Pony rides were available all morning and afternoon long, along with a Bounce House. At noon, a Sheriff’s helicopter landed on the pitcher’s mound on the baseball field, adjacent to the picnic shelter. The kids all had their pictures taken inside the helicopter.

Shortly thereafter, the Boys of Summer took to the field and a softball game began between a Department team and a team of American Airline’s All American Ramp Service All Stars. The Sheriff’s team won the game 12 -11.  

For the adults, there was a dunking tank. Arian Saadzoi, the American Airline's General Manager at John Wayne Airport, was dunked 15 times.

One American Airlines volunteer said, “Their happy faces…their laughter… their hugs of gratitude and the moms who were all so pleased and so grateful for all you had done for them and their families….much in the same ways that we will be forever in the debt of their “wounded warriors”, their deceased soldier husbands.”

The Orange County Grand Jury issued it's annual State of the Jails Report in June and, while giving the Sheriff's Department high marks for their operations, made several recommendations and asked for responses from the Sheriff and the Board of Supervisors.

The report said in part: "The overriding conclusion reached by the Grand Jury is that the Orange County jail system is well run and in good overall condition. The delivery of service continues to improve under new leadership and the morale of the jail staff is improving."

The Grand Jury found that the facilities are aging quickly, staff overtime remains a concern and the challenges for command and line staff are many. Still the Grand Jury said it applauds the work of the OCSD men and women and the HCA staff in operating a jail system that has no shortage of tests and challenges."

Sheriff Sandra Hutchens filed the Department's reponse on August 17 and the Board of Supervisors approved their response at today's Board Meeting.

To view the full grand jury report click here.

To view the Sheriff's response click here.

To view the response approved by the Board of Supervisors click here.

Thanks to Orange County California Assistant Sheriff Mike James,  Investigator Jeff Brown and Investigator T. Morris  for sharing this investigative account of a chilling incident that was skillfully handled by these professionals.  As always, we’re sharing the method and not the specific information about the victim/suspect as this case is still active.  Frankly, if there is any agency that has had a similar case, no matter where you are, please try and get through to Mike or Jeff to compare.  No telling where the suspect has been previously.

 The child victim in this incident was confronted by suspect who offered her money to get into his car within a close proximity to the child’s home.  The child refused and went to tell her father.  The father saw the suspect vehicle leaving and got a partial plate.  Investigator Brown had a flier prepared and Investigator Morris located a suspect from the partial plate in COPLINK.  In addition, Anaheim Police Department found the same COPLINK information that Investigator Morris found and Irvine Police also had a case involving the suspect.  From the press release, it appears that all of the agencies are looking at similar cases to insure that they haven’t overlooked anything. 

 This is an absolutely incredible investigation, where time was saved and information from all of the agencies Officers came together to show the value of sharing information.  In all of my presentations around the country, I make sure the participants know that COPLINK is part of the solution.  The Officers who work day after day developing suspects, reporting suspicious activity and insuring that the methods criminals use are accurately reflected make COPLINK work for them.  In cases where you can’t make an arrest, you provide the information to set up the next investigator.  The odds that your suspect is in your system or that of the agencies you share with?  80% - More for sexual crimes.  The precursors are their downfall.  Congratulations to all involved here.  Great job!!   Mike

Mike Widmer

Law Enforcement Liaison

Knowledge Computing Corporation

COPLINK

Sheriff Sandra Hutchens and Orange County Chief Probation Officer Colleene Preciado are guests of Johnny Law's Cop Shop.

To hear the broadcast click the icon below. The portion with Sheriff Hutchens starts around minute 16.

[mp3:http://blog.ocsd.org/file.axd?file=cop+shop+August+30th.mp3]  

Letter from the Sheriff

Fifty years ago newly hired Deputy Sheriffs were assigned to work in the Orange County Jail for the purpose of

observing criminal behavior before working the streets on patrol. They rarely spent a full year working in the jail.

That quaint training experiment has grown into our modern day custody operations force that requires deputies to stay

in the jails for up to eight years before they have the opportunity to transfer to patrol and it costs the county millions

of dollars a year.

In the interest of both fiscal responsibility and enhancing the careers of both sworn and non-sworn members of the

department, we have opened recruitment for a new class of department employee, the Sheriff's Correctional Services

Assistant.

This recruitment has been met with a lot of interest and it showcases the fact that, despite the challenges we currently

face, our future is bright.

Thank you for your collaborative and innovative efforts to explore new ways of accomplishing our mission. The press release is below:

"In a move that's likely to save the Orange County Sheriff's Department $10 million a year, Sheriff Hutchens announced the recruitment

for the position of Sheriff's Correctional Services Assistant Trainee. The Correctional Services Assistant will assist sworn personnel with

monitoring inmate movement, maintaining order and controlling entry and exit to jail facilities."

"The Correctional Services Assistant is an extremely important addition to the Orange County Jail system. This new classification of

department personnel will not only assist us in our mandate to provide for the safety and well being of our inmates, but it will provide a

significant savings to our operating budget," said Sheriff Sandra Hutchens. "Just this year we have been required to reduce our budget by

$28 million and next year we're looking at a $60 million reduction. Any savings we can obtain is of great benefit to Orange County

taxpayers."

The initial recruitment is open to current Orange County Sheriff's personnel; however, we anticipate opening this position to individuals

outside the department in the next few months.

The first class of fifty Correctional Service Assistants will attend nine weeks of training and should begin working in our jails in January

2010."

SANDRA HUTCHENS

Sheriff-Coroner

August 21, 2009

The Orange County Law Enforcement Explorer Advisor Association (OCLEEAA) sponsored the 2009 Summer Explorer Academy at the Orange County Sheriff’s Regional Training Academy in Tustin, from August 2nd through August 6th.  The Explorer Academy simulates an abbreviated basic law enforcement academy. There were 198 explorers from throughout Orange and Los Angeles Counties who began the academy.  Of the 198, 173 successfully graduated. Orange County Sheriff's Department Explorer Post 449 was strongly represented and proudly watched 47 explorers graduate at the Tustin Academy on August 6th.  Undersheriff John Scott, Lieutenant Paul Fuzzard (Community Service Bureau Commander – Explorer Director) and Sergeant Dan Daniels (Community Services Bureau – Explorer Coordinator) were present at the graduation. [more]

We would like to congratulate the following explorers from Post 449 for a very impressive showing:

Drill;
3rd place – Explorer Vanessa Tapia

OCSD Explorer Post 449 would like to thank Deputy Gregg Surrell (Lamoreaux Justice Center), who was the Assistant Director of the Academy, Deputy Anton Pereyra (Intake Release Center), Deputy Ronni McKendry (Intake Release Center), Deputy Tony Aiello (Mission Viejo Police Services) and Dispatch Supervisor Karen Daly (Emergency Communications Bureau) who mentored, trained and monitored the Explorers in their role as Explorer Academy Tactical Officers.  

Post 449 would also like to thank Explorers Lex Ogan, Frank Salgado and Melissa Gorfu for assisting the Tactical Officers at the Academy.   This was the first OCLEEAA Explorer Academy held at the Sheriff’s Tustin Academy and Post 449 would like to thank Training Division Commander Catherine Zurn, Academy Commander Lieutenant Jeff Bardzik, and Tactical Sergeants Al Sevilla, Dominic Montalbano, and Brad Newmyer for accommodating and assisting in making this Explorer Academy so successful.  

The Blood Drive and Bone Marrow Drive at IRC on Wednesday August 12, 2009 was a success. 

A total of 67 Employees from various parts of the Department and County Agencies attended this drive. The Red Cross collected 60 pints of blood. In addition, 44 Sheriff's employees registered for the National Bone Marrow Registry. According to officials at that Registry, “Orange County Sheriff's personnel provided the most new registered donors in a single day”.  

Deputy Curtis Vincent, who has organized blood drives at IRC in recent years, offered special thanks to Correctional Service Technician Annette Ortega for helping to organize the Bone Marrow Drive. CST Ortega began the Bone Marrow Drive after seeing the story of 14 month old Allison Zicree of Reseda and her need for bone marrow. CST Ortega hand-delivered flyers to various agencies and employees.    

Laguna Niguel's new Chief of Police Services Lieutenant Andy Ferguson

To listen to the interview click the icon below

[mp3:http://blog.ocsd.org/file.axd?file=Lt+Ferguson+Seg+1+re+new+chief+of+LN+PD+2+min+13+sec.mp3]

[mp3:http://blog.ocsd.org/file.axd?file=Lt+Ferguson+Seg+2+re+upcoming+plans+for+LN+2+min+3+sec.mp3]

After over 23 years of proud service to the Orange County community, I will be leaving the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in mid-September 2009.  It has been my privilege and my honor to have served among some of the finest people in the profession during my tenure.  I wish to thank all of you who make up this great organization and the other members of the County’s service community who have been supportive of both me and the department.  You all have my admiration for the good you do daily in making Orange County a better and safer community.

I now have a total of 26 years of law enforcement experience, time filled with wonderful memories of exciting moments, accomplishments toward making our community a safer place to live, work and play, and many cherished friendships.  As I transition from this chapter of my professional career I will seek new opportunities to continue as a servant leader.

While my career has had many professional highpoints, it will be the time I was honored to lead our great department for five months as the Acting Sheriff that I will hold most fondly.  With the support of the department’s members, County leadership and the community, I was privileged to successfully lead the department toward ensuring that the delivery of quality public safety services was uninterrupted.  Exercising authentic leadership, I tried my best to lead using a moral compass and applying the principles of integrity, accountability and transparency.  What we were able to accomplish could not have been possible without the commitment of each and every member of the department and our supporters working together.

Without the support of our loved ones we can never reach our fullest potential.  Most importantly, I want to thank my family for their love and unwavering support.  I credit my wife and young son for the successes I have had while serving our community, as their understanding and support allowed me to fulfill necessary work commitments.

In closing, I want to say that I wish you all the very best in your careers and your lives.  I shall keep you all in my prayers that you remain safe as you protect our community from those who might want to bring it harm.

God Bless,

A Message on the Department Reorganization
Sheriff Sandra Hutchens 

Our Core Values:

Integrity without compromise;
Service above self;
Professionalism in the performance of duty;
Vigilance in safeguarding our community.

We all continue to feel the effects of these challenging economic times, both in our professional and personal lives.  The Fiscal Year 2009/10 budget approved by the Board of Supervisors requires our Department to cut 28 million dollars from our budget this fiscal year. Based on revenue projections, we must prepare for an additional 60 million dollar cut in fiscal year 2010/11.  When faced with these unprecedented budget cuts, I directed my Command Staff and Division Commanders to “deconstruct” their commands and look at our core functions—those functions that impact our responsibility for direct public safety services.  The decision of who would be laid off was made as a result of what functions could be eliminated and/or combined without directly impacting our core mission.  These layoffs were not based on performance; they were based on the elimination or consolidation of functions and were made solely because of our current financial situation.  

During the past few weeks, I have met with each Assistant Sheriff, Executive Director, and Captain.  The purpose of the meetings was to tell them if they were staying or if they would be laid off.  For me, this has been one of the most difficult and gut-wrenching of tasks.  As I have publically stated, given the budget cuts we have been directed to make, I felt it my duty to preserve the delivery of front-line law enforcement so that the residents of Orange County would continue to enjoy the benefit of our public safety services and not be impacted by our budget cuts.

You will see from the attached Organization Chart that the shape of the Department has been dramatically altered.    I have cut two Assistant Sheriff and five Captain positions. Assistant Sheriff Hillmann with be responsible for Field Operations and Investigative Services. Assistant Sheriff James will be responsible for Custody and Court Services.  Executive Director Dostal will continue to be responsible for Administrative Services Command. 

Of the remaining nine Captains, two will serve as Area Commanders.  The Area Commander will assist their respective Assistant Sheriff with their expanded commands.  Tim Board will serve as the Area Commander for Field Operations and Investigative Services and Jay LeFlore will serve as the Area Commander for Custody and Court Services.

Director Gialamas, in addition to his Crime Lab responsibility, will assume command of Support Services.  Undersheriff Scott will assume direct responsibility for Professional Services Division and I will assume direct responsibility for Coroner and the Crime Lab/Support Services Divisions.I view these cuts as temporary and something that we cannot sustain for more than a couple of years. I fully intend to rebuild the department when the economy improves.In addition to our Command Staff cuts, we are having to impact the lives of 30-40 of our employees either through demotion or layoffs.  This process will be completed sometime in September.

I want to personally acknowledge the tremendous contributions of our personnel who are impacted by these budget cuts.  They have all contributed to the success of this Department and are to be congratulated for their commitment and dedication. Their service and individual contribution to the success of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department will not be forgotten.

Finally, I want to thank each and every one of you for your hard work and willingness to go the extra mile to secure the safety of all and to continue the great reputation of community service that the Orange County Sheriff’s Department so richly deserves.  Your actions serve to make me proud every day. It is an honor to be your Sheriff and to serve side by side with you.   My decisions have and will always be based on what is best for the public safety needs of Orange County and the continued success of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.  

To view the new Organization Chart click: New Org Chart.pdf (2.15 mb)

To view the old Organization Chart click: Old Org Chart.pdf (1.43 mb)

Sex cops see the worst

MORNING READ: Do investigators who fight child abuse shed a tear at home? Yeah, they do.

Like all the classes before them, Class 191 gets to run and run some more. This week the class covered new ground, running through one of the larger-than-life Blimp Hangars at the former Marine base, now the Sheriff's Regional Training Academy.

Three investigators and two Sheriff's Special Officers were commended Thursday for their handling of a cache of weapons at the home of a man incacerated on suspicion of attempted murder.

Assistant Sheriff Jack Anderson congratulated the five for the recovery of about 50 weapons, including loaded high caliber weapons that were unique and difficult to handle without an accidental discharge. Some of the weapons were outfitted with bayonets and a World War II vintage hand grenade was found.

Those commended were Investigators Chris Wax, Mike Starnes, Tracy Harris and SSO's Joe Giese and Bob Wagner.

Left to right: Assistant Sheriff Jack Anderson, SSO's Bob Wagner and Joe Giese, Investigators Tracy Harris, Chris Wax and Mike Starnes

"It should be noted that most of these weapons were either a hybrid or considered unique sophisticated weaponry," said the commendation prepared by Sergeant Gary Strachan. "Additionally, they were loaded with large capacity magazines and a round of ammunition was chambered in every weapon.

"During the course of the assignement, a WWII grenade was discovered in a large safe located on the back patio of the residence. Due to their extensive training and experience, a potentially life threatening incident was quickly averted. The doors to the safe were immediately closed and an area was cleared of staff. The Sheriff's Department Bomb Squad was requested and the grenade was properly disposed of.

"The hard work and commitment to excellence demontrated is a testament to their respective units and the entire Department. They have shown to be faithful and devoted public servants and should be commended."

Captain Lee Trujillo said, "Excellent job by all! Thank you."
 

The Los Angeles Times is reporting this afternoon that the U.S. Department of Justice has launched a probe into the Orange County jail system. 

This probe was launched in December 2008. We have and will continue to cooperate with their investigation.

August 13, 2009 

U.S. Justice Department probes Orange County jails

The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an extensive investigation into Orange County’s jail system, which for more than a decade has been mired in allegations that sheriff's deputies mistreated inmates and used excessive force to keep control inside the county’s five jails, the Sheriff’s Department has confirmed to The Times.

The Justice Department is examining various cases to determine whether there is a pattern of Orange County violating the civil rights of inmates. Among the more recent cases, an inmate was stomped to death by fellow prisoners after a deputy erroneously told them he was child molester. A county grand jury later criticized the Sheriff's Department for trying to impede the investigation and concluded that there was evidence of rampant abuse at the Theo Lacy Jail in Orange.

The Orange County district attorney earlier this year criticized deputies for a "code of silence" that hampered prosecutors' ability to investigate possible criminal activities by jailers. In addition, the Sheriff's Department has come under fire for using Taser stun guns on handcuffed or restrained inmates. Two inmates died after being stunned, and new Sheriff Sandra Hutchens ended the practice earlier this year.

The investigation, which falls under the federal Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act, has been underway for several months and may take more than a year to complete. If a pattern of misconduct is found, the Justice Department could seek a settlement or a court-ordered federal consent decree similar to the one brought against the Los Angeles Police Department after the Rampart corruption scandal. It took nearly a decade for the LAPD to have federal oversight lifted.

Orange County officials were not told why the investigation was initiated, and Justice Department officials would only confirm its existence. But the federal act outlines certain conditions that start such a process, among them whether the attorney general has reasonable cause to believe that people are being subject to “egregious or flagrant conditions which deprive” them of legal rights or causes them to “suffer grievous harm.”

—Tami Abdollah, reporting from Orange County 

Sheriff's officer carries around a lot of extra weight

In a national meet in La Mirada, Sheriffs Special Officer Tanya Reed set three world records in weightlifting for her division.

The Sheriff's Dive Team was the subject of a story this week in the Daily Pilot.

Reporter Joseph Serna went along to observe the team train and interview team members about their experiences.

‘Search and recovery’

Sheriff Sandra Hutchens joined child safety advocates Erin Runnion, Ed Smart and Steve Daley at a forum in San Juan Capistrano Monday night. The forum was held to educate parents in ways to protect their children from sexual predators.

Erin Runnion and Ed Smart are both nationally known advocates in the battle against child predators. In 2002, 5-year old Samantha Runnion was kidnapped from outside her Stanton home and murdered. The same year middle-school student Elizabeth Smart was taken from her bedroom in her Salt Lake City home and she survived 9 months of sexual molestation.  Steve Daley, a former police officer in Florida, is founder of radKIDS Inc., which teaches youngsters of all ages ways to physically combat child predators.

Also at the forum were Orange County Sheriff’s Department special victims investigators Jeff Brown and Sandra Longnecker.

The forum was sponsored by the National Center for Chaplain Development, which has several volunteer Orange County Sheriff’s Department Chaplains among its members.

Sheriff Hutchens was the first speaker and began with a description of Erin Runnion.

“Her smile is almost as big as her heart, and she turned a tragedy in her life to help other people, and that’s huge.

“We have here two crimes against children investigators, Jeff and Sandy. They are experts in this field.

“Isn’t it sad we have to have law enforcement officers who are experts in this field.  I will tell you they work the most difficult of assignments. You will hear in law enforcement circles among investigators and some of the toughest cops out there that they would not want to have to investigate crimes against children.  It is difficult and I admire Jeff and Sandy and any of our investigators who deal with that day in and day out and do it very very well.

“When I’m out speaking to various groups in Orange County I’m always asked what the public can do to assist law enforcement in this and other areas. The answer is right here in this room.  You’re here tonight, you’re engaged, you’re here to learn. We need you to continue to be active and vigilant in this area. We need our parents to be educated and engaged in the dangers facing our children in this area and we need our kids to be educated and to tell.

“There are 800,000 children reported missing each year, 58,000 are abducted by friends, acquaintances and strangers. Children represent the largest group of victims of violent crimes in America.  I know we would all like to think that it won’t happen to us, that it won’t happen in our neighborhood. I want to tell you that that is natural. We would like to think that we live in a world where we can trust everybody. But the fact of the matter is we don’t.  There are people out there who for whatever reason want to do us harm. So we have to make sure we don‘t allow ourselves to become victims, that we take the steps to keep that from happening, that we protect our children and empower them.  

The speakers were introduced by Ken Schlenker, executive director of the National Center for Chaplain Development and a volunteer Chaplain for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

To see the Orange County Register’s story on the forum, click here.  http://www.ocregister.com/articles/runnion-children-safety-2524838-samantha-kids

Some of the advice Investigators Jeff Brown and Sandra Longnecker had for parents included:

1.       Megan’s Law Internet data base does not include sexual offenders who have been arrested but not been convicted nor many of those who were convicted of victimizing members of their own family. [more]

2.       Majority of sexual assaults do not end up with convictions, reasons include the lack of corroboration and the unwillingness of the victim to prosecute.

3.       People in positions of trust who are child predators are so good at hiding their habits that they maintain friends and supporters even after they are arrested for sex crimes against children.

4.       Hardest thing for some investigators is dealing with parents who did the wrong thing, let child go camping with coach, spend night at home of teacher.  Advice, without any solid evidence,  if it feels wrong, go with your feelings to protect your children.  

5.       We don’t have a lot of Stranger Danger, dragging into the bushes crime. Biggest problems are predators who gain trust of children, includes virtually every profession, including religious leaders, educators, sports coaches even law enforcement.  

6.       More commonly, sex offenders are nice to kids, shower kids with gifts, hugging kids.  If it doesn’t seem right, it probably is not right.  The predator’s motive is not a good one, they are sexually motivated. Be suspicious if children have expense gifts, especially cellphones that predators can use to communicate with their victim

7.       Parents need to monitor Internet use by youngsters, intercede before a relationship has begun between minor and predator.  Recent survey showed that 60 percent of teens received an instant message from  a stranger and 50 percent of those responded. Fifty percent of teens did not tell parents about a meeting they had with somebody they met online.  Adult predators all pretend to be a different person online.

8.       Prohibiting teen from using computer at home will likely drive them to use unsupervised computer at a friend’s house or Internet café.

9.       Call 911 if you spot a suspicious person or encounter a predator engaged in illegal conduct like indecent exposure. 
  

Playhouse Women, a support group of the non-profit Laguna Playhouse, will host a luncheon featuring keynote speaker O.C. Sheriff-Coroner Sandra Hutchens on Thursday, September 10, 2009 at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach.

“We are extremely honored that Sheriff Hutchens can join us,” said Ilona Martin, a charter member of Playhouse Women.  “We are looking forward to hearing more about her accomplishments during her first year in office, and her vision for the Sheriff’s Department.” Martin said that an audience Q&A will follow Sheriff Hutchens’ presentation.

Founded in 1920, the Laguna Playhouse is one of the oldest continuously operating theatres on the West Coast. The Laguna Playhouse has evolved from an amateur theater into a professional venue that is now a member of League of Resident Theatres (LORT), a prestigious body of the nation's largest non-profit professional theatres. In addition to employing Equity actors, The Playhouse is a constituent of the Theatre Communications Group, the national organization of American professional theatre. More than 100,000 theatergoers annually attend performances at the Laguna Playhouse. Its continued artistic excellence, audience popularity and critical acclaim have helped make it one of Southern California 's most important nonprofit theatre companies.

Playhouse Women (PW) was established in 2007 to develop awareness of and support for the non-profit Laguna Playhouse, now entering its 90th anniversary.  PW is comprised of more than 70 women with a variety of talents and interests, including executives, community leaders, working moms, business owners, artists, and others.  All value great theatre in their community and want to ensure its long-term success.   PW hosts a variety of special events offering a broad range of topics for its members and non-members throughout the year.

The Annual Red Cross Blood Drive will be held on Wednesday and more donors are urged to sign up.

Here is a plea from long-time Blood Drive Coordinator Deputy Curtis Vincent.

As of today, we have 30 department personnel signed up to donate blood.

The Annual Red Cross Blood Drive will be held in the IRC Briefing Room from 0700-1900 hours on Wednesday August 12, 2009.

As with the past Blood Drives, the Red Cross will be offering a County-Wide Drawing and assisting with providing in-house drawings for gas cards, and other prizes.

Also, as in the past, all participants will receive a Donor T-Shirt and coupon to a local restaurant. If you wish to participate you may register on line at www.givelife.org Code: OC1 or you can call Deputy Vincent Curtis, IRC-CJX to schedule a time.

Walk-In donors with no appointments are welcome too. I thank you in advance for your assistance. When you donate blood, please remember that you must bring Picture Identification.

At this Drive we will have Mrs. Gina Cousineau to talk with anyone interested about how to register as a donor and to become a hero to those in need. 

Potential Bone Marrow Donors are being sought to help Allison Zicree, a 14-month-old, who is battling a rare form of Leukemia.

For informaton on helping Allison click: ALLISON - BATTLES.pdf (37.28 kb)

To see the flyer asking Orange County law enforcement to rally to Allison's cause click: Allison Zicree4 Scan001 (4).pdf (78.38 kb)

This information was originally published in the County Connections Newsletter  

Cogeneration Power On Its Way To Civic Center

operators and mechanics who have for 41 years made sure the County, city, state and federal government buildings in the Civic Center Campus had heat or cool air.

Every member of the cogen team has an average of more than 20 years experience running the large boilers and chillers in the Central Utility Facility (CUF). In the late 1990s when Southern California was experiencing electrical brown-outs, Facilities Operations’ managers reviewed the plant and concluded the County could produce its own electricity. In 2004, the County began design and construction on the conversion of the existing CUF to produce electricity through the power of cogen. Designed for electric reliability, the new County cogen plant has been constructed adjacent to the existing plant and will provide electric power to County Civic Center buildings. The CUF will operate in parallel with Southern California Edison power. In the event of a power failure from cogeneration electric production, all County buildings will immediately receive Edison power. The plant’s new cogen turbine engines operate at almost 15,000 RPM and can produce up to 10.4 megawatts of electricity.That is enough power for 8,600 homes, based upon average home use of 10,665 kilowatt hours per year.

The new cogen plant also stores natural gas compressors that condense gas to 250 pounds per square inch and drive the turbines. The turbine combustion engines, often referred to as aircraft engines, produce electricity and heat. The excess heat from the turbines is sent to the heat recovery steam generators (HRSG), which are often called boilers. The HRSG technology is similar to an old fashioned steam train. The generators produce steam to power the existing chillers that produce cold air for air conditioning in the summer and heat for warming buildings in winter.

(Over the last year, more than three miles of new piping was installed to heat County buildings and 41 miles of new electrical wire was installed for power. The project will be completed in October, when the CUF will begin to supply its own electricity to the OC Civic Center.

Below is the list of buildings that will be powered by Cogen:

Hall of Administration (Building 10) [more]

Hall of Finance & Records (Buildings 11 & 12)

Public Defender Building

Old Social Services Building

County Courthouse

County Law Library

Superior Court Civic Complex

CenterCentral Utility Facility

County Sheriff’s Department Headquarters

Civic Center JailsCounty Coroner

Osborne Building

Sheriff Forensic Science Building

Twin Towers Parking Structure

Courthouse Parking Structure

Transportation Civic Center Garage

From Sandra Hutchens 

Sheriff-Coroner

Throughout the last several weeks the Division Commanders, Executive Command Staff and I have been meeting to discuss our Strategic Financial Plan for fiscal year 2010-2011 and our preparations for a $60 million shortfall. I've asked each of them to deconstruct their divisions and evaluate our core services to ensure we provide the best public safety services possible with the budget that was approved by the Board and the potential cuts for next year.

Tuesday, July 28th I attended the Board of Supervisor's meeting to provide a status report on the budget reductions we are currently implementing. We have already implemented $13.7 million of the $20 million we must cut from our budget this year by temporarily closing the Women's jail, temporarily closing the Musick North Compound, reducing overtime for ICE screening, reducing contracts, and deleting vacant positions.

We are also looking at additional cost savings, reductions and revenue by changing jail schedules, relocating inmate workers, implementing the Correctional Services Assistant classification, and housing federal detainees.

Implementation of any of these plans would bring us cost savings this year, and assist us in preparing for the next fiscal year.

Also being finalized is our layoff plan in which 199 positions are affected by these reductions. Anywhere from 25-30 of our department personnel will be laid off. We are also reducing our command staff by 42 percent - this reorganization will reduce the number of Assistant Sheriffs from four to two while Captains will be reduced by six. Throughout this week I have been meeting individually with each Captain and notifications will continue next week with Assistant Sheriffs. Following these meetings, County Human Resources and ACLEM will be contacted. We expect to discuss, in detail, our reorganization sometime after August 17th.

I realize that these are challenging and uncertain times for you all. Our goal is to guide the department through these extraordinary economic challenges while ensuring our mandate to protect the public we serve. I want to thank you all for your hard work, dedication and patience as we work through this process.