Latest news with #OrangeCountyHealthCareAgency
Los Angeles Times
05-05-2025
- Climate
- Los Angeles Times
Ocean access in Huntington, Newport beaches OK'd after sewage spill
A nearly half-mile segment of coastline in Huntington Beach and Newport Beach at the Talbert Channel reopened to surfers and swimmers Monday morning after a large sewage spill caused a weekend cessation of water activity. Orange County Health Care Agency officials on Saturday called for the temporary closure along beaches 1,000 feet to the north and south of the channel, near the mouth of the Santa Ana River, to protect visitors from potential exposure to bacteria. The spill stemmed from a blockage discovered Friday evening in a sewer line on Costa Mesa's Mesa Verde Drive East, near Golf Course Drive, according to Scott Carroll, general manager of Costa Mesa Sanitary District. Carroll said a roughly 4,000-gallon spill was detected on the 1500 block of Mesa Verde Drive East shortly after 4:45 p.m. Friday, when a resident in the area noticed water issuing from a 5-inch cleanout accessing the sewer line and contacted the district directly. 'We were notified by a resident in the area who called us,' he said Monday. 'The sewage was coming out of a cleanout, not a manhole.' Crews arrived at the scene just before 5:30 p.m., checking points upstream and downstream of the leakage to pinpoint the location of the blockage and to ultimately prevent the spill from reaching further into the storm drain network. Working with a vehicle armed with both a vacuum and a high-pressure water hose, sanitary district employees captured about 3,000 gallons of spilled sewage. The blockage was determined to have been caused by a combination of tree roots and grease, possibly from a residence in the area, according to Carroll. The affected segment of sewer line, which is annually inspected for blockages, was last checked May 9, 2024. 'It was due for a cleaning any day now,' he said. 'But having that much grease build up in one year is pretty uncommon.' To mitigate the effects of the remaining 1,000 gallons of sewage, Orange County Health Care Agency officials on Saturday began testing water samples, according to Environmental Health Director Darwin Cheng. Cheng said the spill likely traveled through the Fairview and Banning channels to the Santa Ana Riverbed, eventually reaching the Talbert Channel. 'During the closure on Saturday and on Sunday we took samples at various locations to monitor the bacteria levels,' he added, indicating the readings had fallen within acceptable standards by Monday. For information regarding Orange County ocean, bay, or harbor closures, call (714) 433-6400 or visit To report a sewage spill, call (714) 433-6419.
CBS News
03-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Stretch of Orange County coastline closed due to sewage spill
A stretch of Orange County coastline was closed on Saturday due to a sewage spill. The ocean water closure runs from Talbert Channel outfall at Huntington State Beach to the projection of Grant Street in Newport Beach, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency. They say that a spill of approximately 4,000 gallons of sewage came from a roots and grease blockage in a Costa Mesa sewer line. Officials said that the water would be closed to beachgoers until their follow-up testing revealed that water quality had returned to acceptable levels. People were advised against swimming, surfing and diving until officials lifted the closure. Anyone in search of more information can visit or call (714) 433-6400.
CBS News
26-02-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Health officials say Orange County infant with measles traveled through LAX
Health officials on Tuesday advised the public that a person with a confirmed case of measles traveled through Los Angeles International Airport earlier this month. The person, an infant from Orange County, arrived at the airport's Tom Bradley International Terminal following an overseas trip aboard Korean Air Flight KAL11/KE11 on Feb 19, according to health officials with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the Orange County Health Care Agency. Now, they're waning that anyone who was at Terminal B that day between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. may be at risk of developing measles, a viral infection that is currently at the center of an outbreak across the United States. Public health officials are working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to notify any passengers that may have been sitting in specific seats on the same flight as the infant, as it may have increased their risk of exposure to the disease. OCHCA officials said that there are not any known additional community exposures beyond LAX. Anyone who may have come into contact with the child is urged to confirm their vaccination status or possible immunization through a prior infection. Those who are not immune are at risk of contracting measles between a week and three weeks from exposure, officials said. "Measles is a serious respiratory disease that spreads easily through the air and on surfaces, particularly among people who are not already protected from it," said Los Angeles County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis in a statement. "A person can spread the illness to others before they have symptoms, and it can take seven to 21 days for symptoms to show up after exposure." Davis continued to note that the disease is particularly dangerous for vulnerable people like young children and elderly adults. "The best way to protect yourself and your family from infection is with the highly effective measles vaccine," Davis' statement said. Common symptoms of measles includes a high fever, runny nose, cough, tiny white spots inside of the mouth, red and/or watery eyes and a rash that develops within five days of other signs of illness. It typically tarts at the face and then spreads to the rest of the body. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said that there have been 93 confirmed cases of measles reported across the U.S. this year, but that the number is likely higher because of outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico.
Los Angeles Times
29-01-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
2 Orange County cities beef up street food enforcement
Two Orange County cities took additional measures to strengthen enforcement efforts against street food vendors. On Tuesday, the Buena Park City Council voted to give code enforcement officers the ability to impound street food vending equipment. The vote came at the same time that the Anaheim City Council approved two $250,000 contracts for third-party consultants that will, in a small part, assist its code officers with cracking down on taco stands, fruit carts and other vendors that set up on sidewalks without required permits. Buena Park originally took limited measures in 2021 to ban street food vending in areas around Knott's Berry Farm and the city's auto center, two years after the California Safe Sidewalk Vending Act became state law. But a pair of study sessions last year claimed that street food vendors continued to set up on sidewalks throughout the city — and that flies and maggots were even found in the meat of one street taco stand. Former City Councilman Jose Trinidad Castañeda balked at the notion while wanting to keep the 2021 laws in place. 'You're not seeing maggots on all the tacos from every street vendor in the city,' he said during the Feb. 27 meeting. 'Let's be a little bit real here.' A majority of council members, though, directed city staff to explore granting code enforcement with impounding authority, which came back on Tuesday for discussion. Matt Foulkes, the city's community and economic development director, noted that one part-time code officer is currently tasked with street vending enforcement. Orange County Health Care Agency officers, who have impound authorities, have teamed with Buena Park for enforcement efforts but have been limited to one to three actions per month, according to the city. A change in city law will give code enforcement the power to confiscate tents, tables and grilling equipment for 90 days, while also dumping food. The approach takes a page out of Anaheim's playbook. 'What Anaheim was experiencing was very similar to us, but of course, on a larger scale,' Foulkes said. 'This is a tool in our toolbox,' he later added. 'But in cases where we have repeated offenders … this impoundment would allow us to, ultimately, take their equipment, which we have found to be the most effective method.' City staff estimated that up to as many as a dozen street vendors operate in Buena Park on any given weekday. During Halloween Haunt season at Knott's Berry Farm, that number balloons up to 40. 'I would like to see somewhat of a pathway for these people to conduct business legally,' Councilman Carlos Franco said. 'In addition, if there was no demand for it, then they wouldn't be here.' Council members approved the changes to the law in a 4-1 vote, with Franco being the lone vote against it. A second, unanimous vote set the impound fees at $265. Under the amended law, code enforcement can directly impound equipment if a street vendor appears to have abandoned it or if it poses an imminent safety or environmental hazard. In most cases, a code officer will approach vendors and allow them to pack up their equipment within 30 minutes or risk impoundment. Code officers will begin notifying street food vendors of the changes 30 days before they take effect. Councilman Connor Traut voted in favor of the beefed up measures. 'We've kind of hit our limits,' he said. 'We need this extra stick. It's a necessary step and I think we should still work towards encouraging legal street vending and amending rules, because the demand is there for folks in our community.' It's a strategy that Anaheim added to on Tuesday when it contracted with two private companies for supplemental staff to help with an array of code enforcement tasks. Before Anaheim, 4Leaf Inc. gained a $600,000 contract with Fontana to assist code officers with street vendor crackdowns. Where it concerns street food vending, 4Leaf's contract in Anaheim allows it to provide up to 15 staffers for enforcement efforts at large sporting events at Angel Stadium, Honda Center and the Anaheim Resort around Disneyland. More staffers could be made available if multiple events occur on the same day. The hiring of support staff comes after Angels Baseball President John Carpino railed against hot dog vendors setting up outside of Angel Stadium last season. Carpino sounded the alarm about a guest getting 'severely sick or even dying due to food poisoning' in an April email to city officials. By June, Anaheim solicited bids for code enforcement support staff. As an independent contractor, 4Leaf workers will have the same ability to 'seize, transport and book' vendor equipment as city code officers. The terms and services offered by the Willdan Engineering contract are the same. 'Neither is being hired just for street vending,' Mike Lyster, a city spokesman, added. 'We've actually had tremendous success with street vending enforcement on our own. We still have issues at the stadium, at Honda Center and along Harbor Boulevard. These contracts will give us more flexibility.' Former Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle lobbied city officials in December 2023 on Willdan's behalf, according to Anaheim's lobbyist registry.
