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Following an open recruitment process, County Executive Officer Michael B. Giancola has announced the appointment of Scott D. Mayer to the position of Chief Real Estate Officer effective June 18, 2013. "Scott brings 25 years of real estate experience to his new role with the County of Orange and we look forward to utilizing his expertise in addressing the County's current and future real estate needs," Giancola said.

The Tuesday morning farmers market that was previously at Irvine Ranch Historic Park has moved to Irvine Regional Park. Held every Tuesday from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., the event features vendors with organic produce, artisan bread, specialty nuts, Mediterranean and Hispanic food items and flowers.

Are you between the ages of 14 and 21 and interested in an exciting career that involves the handling of animals? If so, then OC Animal Care's Explorer Post may be just the thing to get you started. Explorer Post 538 focuses on the fields of animal care and control, animal handling and training, and law enforcement.

The Orange County Health Care Agency has created a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about a multistate outbreak of Hepatitis A illnesses potentially associated with a frozen berry blend product.

Airline passenger traffic at John Wayne Airport increased in April 2013 as compared to April 2012. In April 2013, the Airport served 764,308 passengers, an increase of 5.1% when compared to the 727,523 passenger traffic count of April 2012.

County Executive Officer Michael B. Giancola has announced the selection of Frank Kim to serve as the County's Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Kim, who has been the County’s Budget Director for more than five years, will succeed Bob Franz as CFO.

OC Animal Care has partnered with the Found Animals Foundation to provide animals for Orange County's first Adopt & Shop store. Located on the lower level of The Shops at Mission Viejo, this unique pet store only adopts out animals from local shelters.

The Orange County Clerk-Recorder will offer special Saturday hours on June 22nd from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Old County Courthouse in Santa Ana as well as the department's branch offices in Laguna Hills and Fullerton.

OC Parks welcomes back its annual outdoor summer concert series. Thirteen free concerts at Craig Regional Park, Mason Regional Park, Mile Square Regional Park, Irvine Regional Park and Bluff Park at Salt Creek Beach will present Southern California artists performing live under the summer sky on Thursday evenings June through August.

Community members are encouraged to attend the FY 2013-14 Budget Workshop on Friday, May 24th to learn about the County's budget process and anticipated issues.

John Wayne Airport and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have announced that a Global Entry kiosk is now in operation for travelers arriving from international destinations. Global Entry allows expedited CBP clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States.

The County of Orange Board of Supervisors today selected Michael B. Giancola to serve as County Executive Officer effective immediately.

The National Weather Service, San Diego, has issued a Red Flag Warning for all of Orange County through 6 p.m. Friday, May 3. A Red Flag Warning is issued when critical fire weather conditions including high temperatures, strong winds and low relative humidity are forecast or occurring.

Airline passenger traffic at John Wayne Airport increased in March 2013 as compared to March 2012. In March 2013, the Airport served 771,554 passengers, an increase of 6.0% when compared to the 727,841 passenger traffic count of March 2012.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors today appointed Jan Grimes to serve as the County's Auditor-Controller. Ms. Grimes has been serving as the Chief Deputy Auditor-Controller and has more than 34 years of experience with the County of Orange. The appointment was made following the interview of four candidates for the position, which is one of the County's elected offices.

A panel of mental health professionals will discuss the early warning signs of violence, substance abuse, and mental illness at the April 17 Safe Communities Meeting to be held at the Lakeview Senior Center in Irvine. Guest speakers with real-life experiences will share their stories and community organizations will host information booths to provide additional resources.

The FBI recently announced that the OC Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory has earned international accreditation from the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board. Currently, only 38 laboratories worldwide hold international accreditation in the digital and multimedia evidence-computer forensics discipline.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted April 2nd to appoint Hugh Nguyen to the office of County Clerk-Recorder. Mr. Nguyen has worked for the County of Orange since 1994, serving with the Clerk-Recorder's Office and the Office of the Clerk of the Board during his County career. The appointment followed the Board’s interviews with eleven candidates for Clerk-Recorder, which is one of the County’s elected offices.

Treasurer-Tax Collector Shari Freidenrich has announced the County of Orange's top ten property tax payers for 2012 in the secured and unsecured categories.

Airline passenger traffic at John Wayne Airport increased in February 2013 as compared to February 2012. In February 2013, the Airport served 653,118 passengers, an increase of 6.5% when compared to the 613,201 passenger traffic count of February 2012.

The Health Care Agency has issued 3,274 Award of Excellence certificates to local food facilities. From a qualifying group of 9,839 food facilities throughout OC, these establishments were recognized for their outstanding food safety and sanitation practices during 2012.

The Orange County chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) recently honored 11 Orange County deputy district attorneys for their time and effort in prosecuting driving under the influence (DUI) cases in 2012.

Community members are invited to stop by the Caspers Wilderness Park Nature Center any weekend in March (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and submit an entry to name the gopher snake. The winner will receive a 2013 OC Parks Annual Pass and backcountry tour with a Caspers Park Ranger.

More than 200,000 people have used the convenient South County branch office of the Orange County Clerk-Recorder Department since it opened seven years ago.

The County of Orange has officially launched its re-designed website, www.ocgov.com, which includes a fresh new look, enhanced features and streamlined navigation.

Supervisor Patricia C. Bates recently unveiled the new County of Orange Veterans Resource Directory, which is now available to view and print online. Community members may also request a copy by calling the Veterans Service Office at (714) 480-6555.

A near-record number of couples - 170 - were married on Valentine's Day 2013 in civil ceremonies performed by the Clerk-Recorder Department, just three couples shy of the previous record of 173 couples who wed on the holiday in 1997.

Reservations are filling up fast for couples wishing to be married on Valentine's Day at the Clerk-Recorder Department's three wedding offices in Orange County. Couples are advised to make an appointment for a civil wedding ceremony because of the day's popularity.

Registration is now underway for Literary Orange 2013, a celebration of authors, readers and libraries taking place April 6th and featuring J.A. Jance and Tatjana Soli.

The Superior Court of Orange County is seeking applications from qualified individuals interested in serving as a member of the 2013-14 OC Grand Jury. The deadline to apply for consideration is now January 25, 2013 and applications are available on-line at www.ocgrandjury.org.

The County of Orange has successfully borrowed $268 million through the sale of short-term Pension Obligation Bonds at interest rates of less than one percent, allowing the County to reduce pension costs by over $20 million.

Overnight temperatures in some areas of Orange County will dip below 40° this week, so Public Health officials are urging area residents to use caution when heating their home.

“Almost every winter, there are cases in California of people who are overcome by carbon monoxide gas after bringing a charcoal grill indoors or using other faulty heaters to provide heat. Never use a charcoal grill or other fuel-burning device such as a camping stove or other device fueled by propane, wood pellets, kerosene or liquid gas to heat the inside of your home,” said Dr. Eric G. Handler, County Health Officer.

The Auditor-Controller's office has released its annual OC Citizens' Report, which presents financial highlights for the County of Orange for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012 and provides a high-level summary of information contained in the County's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR).

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has assigned its 'A+' rating to Orange County's taxable pension obligation bonds (POBs), series 2013A. At the same time, Standard & Poor's affirmed its 'AA-' issuer credit rating (ICR) on the county and its 'A+' long-term rating and underlying rating (SPUR) on the county's lease revenue bonds, recovery bonds, and POBs.

Give the gift of the great outdoors and join OC Parks in the coming New Year! 2013 OC Parks annual passes are now available for purchase.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors is now accepting applications from qualified candidates as they seek to fill three elected offices that are currently vacant. The Board is seeking candidates for possible appointment to the offices of Auditor-Controller, Clerk-Recorder and Public Administrator.

You can make a difference this holiday season for needy children, impoverished senior citizens and low-income families as a donor or volunteer.

The Aliso Creek Regional Riding and Hiking Trail was recognized by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior as an exemplary local and regional trail as part of America's national system of trails.