Orange County Pulse

Budget Updates

• 🔥 County FY 2026–2036 Capital Budget: County Manager presented recommended capital budget with $150.8 million in Year 1...

Prima Deshecha residents push back on county plan to double trash intake from 2,500 to 8,000 tons/day, fearing massive quality-of-life hits.

• San...

Orange County and cities Anaheim, Irvine, Santa Ana receive $35.1M from California's $145.4M HHAP allocation to 8 counties.

Key impacts:

• Rapid...

Trend alert: Irvine and Fullerton mirror fiscal distress patterns—deficits mounting, reserves dipping dangerously low.

• Irvine: $6M shortfall now...

OC's purple politics shines in UCI poll: Republicans Hilton at 19% and Bianco at 11% top choices for governor, with 25% undecided signaling voter...

Key breakdowns from the FY 2026–2036 recommendations:

• Year 1 (FY 2026–27): $150.8M total capital expenditures
• 10-Year Total: $871.6M investment
• Top Priorities: Schools and infrastructure
  Big boost for OC's core needs ahead.

• New SBE Program launched: Orange County accepting certifications for small businesses.
• Broadens opportunities in county contracting and...

Targeted South OC boost: Friendship Shelter's project transforms a motel into 11 permanent units for homeless/at-risk residents, funded by $500K...

Voter Sentiment Shifts

• 🔥 UCI-OC Poll Shows Disapproval: A new UCI-OC Poll of 1,202 Orange County adults reveals 62% disapproval of President...

UCI-OC Poll exposes frustrated voters in purple Orange County, with Trump at 35% approval/62% disapproval and Newsom at 38%/55%—independents (now 36%)...

Public-private powerhouse: City of Irvine, Irvine Unified School District, Irvine Company, and Jamboree Housing Corporation honored with...

Spotlight on captains: Jason Krotts (Real Estate Development Associates) leads Chapman University team; Chris Tipre (Trammell Crow) guides UCI...

Prima Deshecha expansion makes it OC's main dump post-Olinda Alpha's 2026 closure, handling 8,000 tons/day vs. current 2,625 average—with 30% already...

• Stuart Robert Chase, 50, faces felony grand theft and false claim charges for collecting $2,590.93 overtime/comp time for 12 court dates he never...

Key ruling upholds city's denial of 498-unit project at 2525 N. Main St.

• AB 2011 exemption validated: Santa Ana properly exempted site in 2023; HCD...

Bixby Land Company brings to market The Ranch, a 299,000 SQFT mixed-use office campus in Seal Beach – a five-building site on Old Ranch Parkway at the OC-LA county border, ideal for business investors.

Massive healthcare fraud bust: Orange County resident Paul Randall, 66, pleads guilty to submitting nearly $270M in bogus Medi-Cal claims for...

County budget squeeze hits homes: Supervisors hiked landfill dumping costs over next three years to offset rising expenses.

• State mandate adds...

Transportation Projects

• 🔥 OC Streetcar Daytime Testing: The OC Streetcar begins daytime testing in Santa Ana on April 8, towing a vehicle from...

Investor confidence shines in stable medical assets: Newport Beach's Archer Property Partners bought three MemorialCare clinics for $18M across Rancho...