Orange County has been headlining state and national news for the past months--especially last week--because of the way the region is dealing, or not, with its homeless crisis. It would be too soon to say the coverage has reached a high point, as the next phase continues to outdo.
The Santa Ana City Council right now is considering "suing all the cities in the county in order to to bring them into the court with Judge Carter” on the homelessness case, Mayor Miguel Pulido said during public remarks at this morning's special council meeting.
This saga changes almost every week and every day. While the County's homeless population is smaller than in other communities across the state, the crisis is similar to the story playing out in Los Angeles and the Bay Area. Who knows where this story will end up next. The homeless residents who were moved to motels will see their vouchers end this week. Some may receive an extension on those vouchers, but the number of options to create new shelter are dwindling, and there is little sign of a clear path forward.
Image: OCTA
OCTA Buys Its Streetcars
The OCTA board of directors on Monday approved a $51.5 million contract to purchase eight streetcar vehicles from Siemens Industries for the Santa Ana-Garden Grove OC Streetcar. The vehicles are 88 feet long and have 70 seats, carrying up to 180 passengers at a time. The streetcars will have doors on each side, operator cabs in the front and back, and level boarding.
Earlier this month, the date to open construction bids for the OC Streetcar was changed to April 27 because of a delay in acquiring one residential and two commercial properties in the project area. Also, a full funding grant agreement with the Federal Transportation Authority to pay for about half of the project’s costs hadn't been secured.
The OC Streetcar project is estimated to cost $299 million, with funding coming from Measure M, Orange County’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements, and a mix of state and federal funding.