Sometimes, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. A couple of days ago, I opened up OC Metro to discover a feature article about all the major coastal resorts banding together to "brand the waterfront" as the ultimate luxury destination. And of course while looking for the article, I had to see a full-page ad urging me to "wake up to the waves" and "rest to the setting of the sun" at "Brightwater in Huntington Beach", the new luxury housing development that sits just west of the other luxury housing development that sits atop what's supposed to be protected wetlands. But of course, all this OC coastal luxuriousness mustn't end there. I soon find a big ad telling me of all the decadently luxurious scenery awaiting me at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach. No matter where I turn the page in OC Metro, I find all this fabulous luxury. Who would have known that I was living in the lap of luxury here in oh-so-fabulous Orange County?
But wait, does everyone really enjoy the "luxurious lifestyle" in The Land of the OC? Can we afford those new houses sitting dangerously close to protected wetlands? Can we even reach the beach amidst all this development? Can we afford to continue ignoring the dire need for affordable housing in the region? Oh yes, and what about the poor kids who want to go to the beach, but can't thanks to OCTA's refusal to meet the demands of bus drivers who themselves can hardly afford the high cost of living in Orange County?
Follow me after the flip to explore just how luxurious (or not) life really is...
(OK, done! And if you have something to say about this Dana Point ordinance, then go ahead and go to the city council meeting tonight at 5:00 PM! - promoted by atdleft)
"We are trying to … keep our population comfortable and safe," she said. "Enforcing immigration law is not a city job."
That's what Dana Point Mayor (ANDCandidate for AD 73 in 2008) Diane Harkey has to say to The OC Register about a "No-Trespassing Ordinance" that may very well become law tonight in Dana Point. And if Dana Point does pass this ordinance, it will be the third South Orange County city to do so...
But what does this mean? The new law will prohibit day laborers from congregating on private property... But will it really kick all the "illegals" out of Dana Point? Will it solve the problem of all the "illegal aliens" loitering in front of city businesses?
So what is it about these anti-immigration measures taking off in Orange County, and spreading throughout the rest of California, and being copied elsewhere in the nation? As a native Orange County resident, I live in the middle of all of this...
And I want to examine the issues surrounding local governments enforcing immigration law. Today, we go to Dana Point to figure out whether this "No-Trespassing Ordinance" will really work. Follow me after the flip for more on this latest attempt in Orange County to weed out the undocumented...
Why doesn't the Republican Party like its own voters? Why won't the GOP candidates talk to the people who will be making a huge decision next February? Why do the candidates only come to Orange County for the big money, and avoid everyone who could not possibly afford to join the big money at these extravagant fundraisers?
