🌱 'CiclaIrvine' + Cypress Business Recovery + Laguna Beach Lifeguards

Hey, Orange County! Today’s National Banana Day; did you know that a minute amount of the potassium inside bananas is radioactive potassium-40? I'm here in your inbox per usual to get you caught up on everything you need to know that's going on in the county, including news about:

• ✈️ Southwest Airlines flights
• 🍓 The Fullerton Arboretum
• 🏊 Three Arch Bay Beach lifeguard funding

💗 Please help us grow! Send a friend or neighbor this link, so they can be in the know, like you!

🌤️ But first, today's weather:

Sunny to partly cloudy. High: 70 Low: 49.

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⛽ Three of the Cheapest Gas Stations Across Orange County

• Sam’s Club at 17099 Brookhurst St. in Fountain Valley, $4.24
• ARCO at 2721 W Edinger Ave. in Santa Ana, $4.45
• Costco at 115 Technology Dr. in Irvine, $4.69

💻 Social Media Poll!
Everyone uses social media – frequently multiple platforms. Or do they? If you had to eliminate all social media except one platform, which one would you keep? So far, 41.7% would keep Facebook, 16.7% each LinkedIn or Truth Social, and 25% Instagram.

📰 Here are the top stories today in Orange County:

1. The Cypress City Council is looking for ways to support business owners still reeling from the pandemic. It set aside $365,000 to fund business recovery programs. The Business Park Local Catering program got $190,000. These funds are supposed to be reinvested into Cypress restaurants via gift cards that companies can hand out to employees. Cypress will also continue to waive permit fees and retroactively refund them — the program received $150,000 in funding. The remaining funds will be used to help expanding businesses “navigate building, safety, and fire code through the help of technical consultants.” (Voice of OC)
2. Will Three Arch Bay Beach in Laguna Beach get the added lifeguards the local association is looking for? The City Council is considering an agreement that offers additional “ocean lifeguard personnel services and equipment” to the beach during spring break, Memorial Day and the summer. The Three Arch Bay Association agrees to pay $134,000 annually plus a one-time fee of $46,500. (Patch)
3. The good news is that no Southwest Airlines flights to or from Santa Ana’s John Wayne Airport were canceled on Tuesday. The bad news is that the airline famous for its 2022 Christmas season meltdown experienced "data connection issues resulting from a firewall failure." What caused the problem in December? “Southwest’s outdated crew-scheduling technology was overwhelmed.” What’s going on with the company’s computer systems? (Patch, HospitalityNet)
4. Did you know the Fullerton Arboretum at Cal State Fullerton uses its 26 acres to grow lots of fruits such as “avocados, oranges, kumquats, peaches, (and) bananas?” It sells most of the crops. What it can’t sell, it donates to the Associated Students Inc. Food Pantry, which is also on the school’s campus. Insiders crunched the numbers, and it turns out the pantry “received more than 2,000 pounds of produce from the arboretum” since early last year. (Spectrum News1)
5. Ciclovia is coming to Irvine. Here, it’ll be known as “CiclaIrvine” and take place in 2024. You may already know the program from its success in Los Angeles, where streets are periodically closed for brief periods so that residents can walk, bike or roller skate on them. The event encourages neighbors to “explore the community in a different way.” Vendors, music and other attractions give the event a festive atmosphere. However, before this can happen, the City Council has to determine if it wants to spend around $200,000 to fund the work needed to close the streets and put together detours for drivers — and decide which streets to close in the first place. (The Orange County Register/paywall)

📆 Today in Orange County:

• Join the Mom's Group at the Bridge Community Church in Orange (9:30 AM)
• Come to the Alzheimer's Foundation Educating America Tour at the Hilton Irvine (10 AM)
• Hear Shawn Jones perform acoustic music at The Ranch in Laguna Beach (4 PM)
• Bring the kids to Our Tribe Our Village in Buena Park for Story Time (4:30 PM)
• Visit the German Film & Cultural Fest at Fullerton College (6:30 PM)

🖊️ From my notebook:

• "The Orange County Department of Education is excited to announce the launch of a new monthly feature. It’s called 'OCDE Employee Spotlight,' and it aims to recognize the dedication, hard work and unique roles of our staff. To kick things off, OCDE is pleased to introduce you to Juan Sosa, who joined the department in 2003." (Orange County Department of Ed via Instagram)
• "Kiddos at Orange County Rescue Mission recently worked on a colors craft based on a story from Teacher Diane. They had a blast!" (Orange County Rescue Mission via Facebook)
• "Today, CASA OC would like to thank our fantastic event chairs for the upcoming CASA Celebration gala on Saturday, May 6th - CASA Board Member Karen Jordan, and 2021’s Advocate of the Year, Nancy Eaton. Karen, Nancy, and their dedicated event committee have worked tirelessly over the last few months as we prepare for the gala." (CASA of Orange County - Court Appointed Special Advocates via Facebook)
• "Congratulations to the 9 FVHS athletes who have signed their National Letters of Intent, securing their collegiate futures as student-athletes! We are SO proud of the hard work and dedication you have put into your sport and the classroom!" (Huntington Beach Union High School District)
• "This is a courtesy notification informing you of OCMVCD’s upcoming mosquito control efforts: Fairview Park in Costa Mesa, and Harriett M. Wieder Regional Park and Bolsa Chica Wetlands in Huntington Beach. For more information: https://bit.ly/MosquitoControlEfforts." (OCMVCD)

🏡 What are homes selling for these days in Orange County?

• Median Listing Home Price $1M
• Median Listing Home Price/Square Foot $598
• Median Sold Home Price $975K

Check out more Orange County real estate information!

🐶 Meet adorable Orange County area Pets Available To Be Adopted!

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Featured events:

• 33rd Annual Southern California Spring Garden Show (April 20)
• Spring Madness Night Market at The District in Tustin on April 20th! (April 20)
• Earth Day Shop Small Event!! Family & Pet Friendly! Reviving The Kaleidoscope Mall! (April 22)
• Earth Day Market @ Kalideoscope Mall (April 22)
• Farmers Market at The District in Tustin on April 23rd! (April 23)
• Family Fest (April 29)
• Add your event

Featured announcements:

• Audition to Perform As a Soloist for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games (Details)
• Add your announcement

Thanks for following along and staying informed. I'll see you soon!

— Sylvia Cochran

About me: Sylvia Cochran works out of sunny Southern California and has been freelance writing full-time since 2005. She loves dogs, cats, books, plays Bee Swarm Simulator (don't judge), embraces social justice, and tries to live out Micah 6:8.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Orange County Patch newsletter? Contact me at orangecounty@patch.com