Pacific City Hosts Orange County’s State of the County Conference

Elected leaders and vested professionals from throughout Orange County gathered last week at DJM’s Pacific City shopping center in Huntington Beach, CA for a focus on the big issues facing Orange County cities in a State of the County conference. Compelling topics included talks on homelessness, the opioid crisis, workforce development and California’s economic and climate future. Key takeaways included:

– Issues affecting local communities are interconnected

– The Orange County Health Care Agency reported in 2017 that the county had seen an 82% increase in overdose deaths since the turn of the millennium

– More than 40% of Orange County’s homeless people have a serious substance abuse issue or mental illness

– The average two-bedroom apartment in the county rents for $2,400, and it doesn’t make business sense to pay all workers a wage that matches the housing market

*Photo Credit: Pacific City

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