Background

With nearly six million students in the K‑12 grade levels in public schools, the State provides billions of dollars each year to local educational agencies: county offices of education, school districts, and charter schools.  In fiscal year 2013–14, the State began funding K‑12 education in part through the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) to provide more local control over the spending of state funding and to improve educational outcomes among certain groups.

Fullerton City Council voted 4-1 (Whitaker “no”) to enter into a cooperative funding agreement with local non-profit the Illumination Foundation to provide $500,000 of City funds for the development of a proposed recuperative care/navigation center in Fullerton for individuals experiencing homelessness, at their November 5 meeting.

The proposed site of the facility is 3535 West Commonwealth Ave.The Illumination Foundation has begun preparation of a conditional use permit application that will be subject to review and approval by the Planning Commission early next year.

State legislators hear Orange County ideas for fixing homelessness

First-of-its-kind meeting generates broad discussion.

A first-of-its-kind legislative hearing in Buena Park Tuesday covered a wide range of issues related to homelessness in Orange County, from the cost of operating emergency shelters to support for medical-based treatment for jailed addicts to the dynamics some people face for being viewed as ‘resistant’ to accepting services.

Legislators and others push for stronger regulation of addiction-treatment industry at Costa Mesa hearing

Of all the things experts believe are needed to more effectively regulate and oversee California’s substance abuse treatment industry, perhaps the most important can be summed up in one word: teeth.

The term came up several times at Costa Mesa City Hall on Wednesday as legislators, law enforcement officials, health professionals and industry representatives emphasized the need to fashion a robust regulatory framework that includes the resources to monitor and ensure the quality of treatment facilities while providing for enforcement that has, yes, some teeth.

State Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach) led the informational hearing of the Assembly Accountability and Administrative Review Committee, which she chairs.

During about three hours, she and two of her colleagues in the Legislature — Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton) and state Sen. Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) — listened to input from residents and panels of speakers about how best to tackle problems in the addiction-treatment industry.

 

Formerly Incarcerated Students Find Support — And College Housing — At Cal State Fullerton

Cal State Fullerton student Matthew Vasquez (center) shows off an Assembly recognition given to Project Rebound by Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva. 

There's a two-story house in the hills four miles west of Cal State Fullerton. It's changing lives.

"I've been living here for three weeks," said Steven Green.

He's taking two classes for his business administration major. He moved in right after he was released from prison.