Law and Order in O.C. is a topic that garners plenty of headlines. In our cover story this month, we’ve collected stories from the community: big-name judges, attorneys, and defendants; law professors, the head of a nonprofit, and the president of the Orange County Bar Association; true-crime podcasts; and some of the most memorable legal cases within our county. We’re even going behind the scenes of jury duty, as that’s a part of our justice system that we might all be involved in at some point.
Taking a cue from the world of law and employing a little Latin, we want to issue a mea culpa regarding a previous cover story. In February, we put a spotlight on water in Orange County and used the headline H2OC to describe the story. We later learned that H2OC is the name of the Orange County Stormwater Program, a cooperative effort by the county and all 34 of its cities. Protecting our water quality is important, and runoff and stormwater collection are essential aspects. We’d like to take this opportunity to tell you more about the program—and since May is Water Awareness Month, it’s good timing.
I spoke with Christy Suppes, North Orange County Watershed Manager, and Jenna Voss, South Orange County Watershed Manager, who emphasized that protecting our creeks, rivers, and ocean from polluted runoff might seem overwhelming, but we can all do our part. “Everyday actions by everyday people can make the biggest difference,” Voss says. Trash, pesticides, and fertilizers can get to the water untreated if they go straight into storm drains. Simple actions such as covering trash cans, using less toxic pest control options, and applying fertilizer only during dry weather can help protect our waterways. The H2OC website (h2oc.org) has easy-to-navigate resource pages with things we can all do at home to ease runoff and protect the ocean: add mulch to your landscape, create a rain garden, double-check sprinklers, skip watering around rain (easy to do this spring!), and more. Head to h2oc.org to discover simple ways to do your part and get involved with activities such as beach cleanups, landscape seminars, and garden design workshops.
