Fed Up With Homeless Impasse, Santa Ana Takes Legal Action Against Other Counties
Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido said his city long has sacrificed to help the homeless while continuing to carry burdens.
Los Angeles Times:
Santa Ana To Sue The Other 33 Orange County Cities Over Homelessness Burden
Santa Ana officials moved Wednesday to take legal action against all 33 other Orange County cities, stepping up pressure on their leaders to help resolve homelessness across O.C. The City Council's unanimous vote may clear the way for a federal judge to follow through on his threat to ban enforcement of anti-camping ordinances in the county, if elected officials — especially those in South Orange County — don't start doing their part to provide temporary housing for a swelling homeless population. (Do, 4/26)
In other news from across the state —
East Bay Times:
Grand Jury Says Los Medanos Healthcare District Should Dissolve
A Contra Costa Grand Jury has recommended that the Los Medanos Community Healthcare District be dissolved, considering it no longer runs a community hospital, spends more money administering grants than on the grants themselves and does not track the effectiveness of its programs. The report, which was issued on April 19, details what it sees as the fiscal mismanagement, duplication of services, and a lack of transparency. The district’s 2017-2018 budget anticipates bringing in $1 million in property taxes and spending half of that — $510,000 — on administrative overhead and $412,000 on the grants themselves. In the past six budgets, four have allocated more money for administering grants than on the grants themselves. (Davis, 4/26)
Modesto Bee:
Modesto Doc Faces Federal Charges Of Illegally Prescribing Opioids
On April 19, a federal grand jury delivered a 22-count indictment against Sawtantra Kumar Chopra, who has an office on Spanos Court and whose business card says he practices internal medicine and treats pulmonary diseases. Between March 2017 and March 2018, the indictment alleges, Chopra on multiple occasions sold for cash prescriptions for large quantities of highly addictive opioids, including Norco (hydrocodone) and Xanax (alprazolam). (Farrow, 4/26)