🌱Volunteers Count OC Homeless + What Are House Members Tweeting?

Good morning, Orange County! Paula Constance here with a fresh issue of the Orange County Daily.

First, today's weather:

A partly sunny day, showers around. High: 58. Low: 38.

One of the easiest ways to connect with local customers and stay top-of-mind in town is to sponsor the Orange County Daily. Click here to learn more.

Here are the top stories in Orange County today:

1. Luxury cars, including Porsches and Lamborghinis, worth an estimated $155 million are lost at sea. The luxury cars that have an estimated value of $401 million are on the "Felicity Ace," a large cargo ship that is on fire in the Atlantic Ocean. The 22-member crew of the ship billowing smoke and drifting 90 miles from the Portuguese Azores Islands had to be rescued by the Portuguese military. The large cargo ship was transporting about 4,000 luxury cars, including Volkswagen, Porsche, Audi, Bentley and Lamborghinis from Germany to dealerships waiting for them across the United States when it caught fire last week. You can read the full story here: (OC Register)
2. Have you been following what Orange County House members are tweeting? The Orange County Register found that two local Republicans who represent sections of Orange County in the House haven’t tweeted “voting rights” or “LGBTQ” from their official accounts when the Congressional session started in January 2021, while most OC Democrats have not mentioned “gas prices” or “rising crime." While actions are more important than messages, Ramesh Srinivasan, professor of information studies at UCLA who looks at the connection between social media and politics, said that politicians can use social media messages to influence how the public views them and how they frame issues. Messages lawmakers post can let you know if your representative is focusing on issues that you care about. You can read the full story about what messages OC politicians, or their staff, are posting here (with a subscription): (OCRegister)
3. Volunteers and officials in Orange County will be traveling through local neighborhoods and city streets this week to get an accurate count of the county's homeless population. The count will help assess the extent of the homelessness crisis in Orange County for grants and funding. The tally is mandated every two years by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development but had been delayed twice since 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can read more about this story here: (FOX 11 Los Angeles)

From our sponsor:

Today's Orange County Daily is brought to you in part by our friends at GoodRx — the best way to save money on your prescriptions. GoodRx helps you locate the lowest prices for medications at local pharmacies, so you're not overpaying. Works for pet medications too! To see how much you can save, go to GoodRx.com.

Today in Orange County:

• Cultural Appreciation Week — "Lucky Chance Wednesday" — Vietnamese Appreciation Day (Events). (All Day)
• Winter Reading Challenge Online — Huntington Beach Public Library. (All Day)
• Credit Recovery — World History (Events). (8:25 a.m.)

From my notebook:

• Newport Beach City Manager Update: Read the Newport Beach City Manager's update. (Newport Beach Independent Newspaper)
• Local Jobs: Check out who's hiring in the Orange County area. (Orange County Patch)
• Orange County: See this week's upcoming events in the area. (Orange County Patch)
• Philharmonic Society of Orange County: "Huntington Beach High School Academy for the Performing Arts will be one of 15 high schools participating." (Facebook)
• German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County: "Available for adoption. Hi! My name is Billy and I am 2 months old." (Facebook)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured businesses:

• Camino De Santiago Nature School — (Visit website)
• JDC Design & Consulting — (Visit Website)
• ABC Heating & Air Conditioning — (Visit website)
• SMILES AND TEARS FOSTER FAMILY AGENCY — (Visit website)
• Storage Valet — (Visit website)
• Vydeo Media — (Visit website)
• Carsplus — (Visit website)
• M&J SERVICE WORKS LLC — (Visit website)
• Add your business here

Events:

• Social Security Seminar Feb. 22 & Feb. 23. (Feb. 23)
• 41st Annual CARSplus Convention: Networking for Success and Best Practices. (Feb. 25)
• The Most Romantic Evening In All of Orange County! (Feb. 25)
• A Romantic Play, Wine and Chocolate! (Feb. 25)
• Fall Youth Football Registration. (Feb. 26)
• Learn How To Reduce Your Risk For Heart Disease During American Heart Month. (Feb. 28)
• Add your event

Announcements:

• Free self-guided, goal-setting worksheet for 2022. (Details)
• Add your announcement

If you love the Orange County Daily, here are all the ways you can get more involved:

• Send a friend or neighbor this link so they can subscribe for free
• Get your local business listed in front of readers
• Send me a news tip or suggestion at orangecounty@patch.com

Now you're in the know and ready to start Wednesday off right. I'll see you soon!

— Paula Constance

About me: I am a freelance writer, author, and media producer. I am committed to media projects that empower, engage, and help make the world a better place. One of my favorite jobs? Working with Imagineering for The Walt Disney Company.