Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comment Oversight topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public commenters press Orange County on homelessness, Mind OC audit, Maximus contract and JSX airport dispute
Summary
At the public-comment portion of the board meeting, residents criticized county leadership over homelessness and mental-health contracting, urged scrutiny of a Maximus contract, raised a request to agendize JSX at the airport and described individual medical grievances; the board later provided closed-session readouts of legal actions.
During the public-comment period, speakers raised several recurring concerns about county contracting, oversight of mental-health services and decisions affecting the county’s airport.
Jackie Cordova, who identified herself as a mother from Santa Ana, urged the board to address homelessness and criticized county oversight of mental-health services, citing what she called a "damning audit" of Mind OC that she said found the nonprofit had failed to ensure proper staffing, oversight of subcontractors and effective crisis services. "Orange County also faces claims for damages related to the airport fire," Cordova said, and she reminded victims about a victim-compensation application deadline she cited.
Another commenter urged the board to reconsider an August 2024 contract the transcript tied to Maximus Inc., saying the company would have access to county computers, equipment and records and raising past data-breach allegations. The speaker urged the board not to renew or retain Maximus in county work, citing the company's size and previous cybersecurity incidents as reasons for concern.
Joe Dachen asked the board to agendize a discussion about JSX and whether the company will remain in Orange County, saying declarations were filed in Superior Court and warning the county that losing JSX could have substantial local economic impact tied to airport users. A county official who spoke during the meeting said staff and the airport director were coordinating with the FAA and TSA and invited Dachen to meet with staff for an update.
Kenny Kabata described a patient experience at UCI, alleging that a young woman had been coerced into taking vaccines to receive treatment. Kabata urged the board to consider the account when evaluating county agreements and clinical partners. Several other public commenters made allegations about political favoritism, censorship and the need for oversight from entities such as the grand jury.
The board returned from closed session to report multiple actions, including authorizations to retain outside counsel and a proposed $497,500 settlement in a hazardous-road personal-injury matter, as reflected in the board's readout. Counsel said finalized settlement documents will be provided by CEO Risk Management to those who request them.
The meeting closed after board adjournments in memory of an Orange County Fire Authority employee and a local resident; the board scheduled its next meeting for Oct. 8, 2024 at 9:30 a.m.
Note: Quotations and claims in this article reflect statements made by public commenters and board counsel in the meeting transcript; they have not been independently verified by the county. Requests for county records and finalized settlement documents were described as available via the Office of the CEO Risk Management.
