County Board Allocates $1.7 Million to Sheriff’s Department for Drug Prevention, Enforcement

BY C. JAYDEN SMITH

The Orange County Board of Supervisors approved on Tuesday, Aug. 8, a $1.7 million appropriation to enhance the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s fentanyl prevention and enforcement efforts.

The funding will be split into two uses: $1.3 million will go toward adding a third deputy to the “Above the Influence” education program over the next five years, and the remaining $400,000 will be spent on OCSD’s Highway Interdiction Team (HIT).

Donald P. Wagner, Third District supervisor and board chair, brought the item to the board’s agenda. In a news release from OCSD, Wagner said the situation surrounding fentanyl is at a “crisis point” in California.

“While Sacramento refuses to address the issue, I will continue to be proactive in the fight against fentanyl,” said Wagner. “This funding to educate our youth and prevent drugs from coming into our community will save lives.”

OCSD’s six-week Above the Influence program teaches fifth- and sixth-graders in county schools how to avoid substance experimentation and substance-use disorders. Above the Influence is taught by the OC Sheriff Community Engagement Team, staffed by two deputies and a sergeant.

The curriculum instructs students by explaining why young people choose to use substances, the dangers and risks of various substances such as vaping and fentanyl, how to read medication labels, how to avoid peer pressure, and more.

The program reached 37 schools during the 2022-2023 school year and graduated 3,000 students, according to them. However, to implement a ban on STRs, HOAs may need to apply for a coastal development permit.

The city’s staff report for the consideration of granting CDPs for HOAs to ban vacation rentals stated that there were “approximately 52 HOAs in its Coastal Zone, containing 4,400 units.”

The city again revised the data at a mid-May City Council meeting, noting that there were 5,737 housing units in the coastal zone, with 4,216 residing within the area’s 53 HOAs.

Since the program has been implemented, 17 HOAs have gone through the CDP process to enact a ban on vacation rentals, according to the commission’s staff report, with two more pending.

Nelson and Malcolm argue in their revocation request that the city misled the commission to believe that the the release.

County Sheriff-Coroner Don Barnes spoke about the importance of education in prevention efforts.

“I am grateful for the opportunity this funding from Chairman Wagner provides to expand this important program and effectively reach more students,” said Barnes. “The work of the Community Engagement Team undoubtedly saves lives.”

The funding for HIT, which specializes in disrupting the trafficking of contraband into the county, will be used to provide an additional vehicle and drug-detecting K-9, contraband-locating equipment, and TruNarc. TruNarc is a handheld device that “provides on-site analysis of narcotics and unknown substances.” number of STRs in the coastal zone would represent 2% of the total housing stock.

Instead, the two stated, “The actual results will be far outside those parameters (7 to 22%), burdening less than one-third of the Coastal Zone with concentrations that far exceed the Commission’s intentions.”

In its report ahead of the hearing, staff “concurs that the City clearly did provide the Commission with inaccurate information, as alleged in the revocation request.”

However, the staff report stated that the discrepancies “are a result of the City refining its information and data as it performed additional research and analysis, rather than an intentional effort to misrepresent information to the Commission.”

Additionally, staff noted that the commission would not have acted differently had it received accurate information, noting that the commission was aware that STRs would concentrate in nonHOA areas in the coastal zone.

To address potential impacts of the STR program, the city is required to return to the commission in 2025 and 2028 with an evaluation of the program.

Ultimately, staff recommended that the commission deny the revocation request.

Editor’s Note: The hearing to discuss the request for revocation was scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 10, after Dana Point Times went to print. Head to danapointtimes.com for the latest on Thursday’s meeting.

“Fighting the narcotics epidemic takes a multi-faceted approach that includes enforcement, education and rehabilitative programs,” Barnes added. “I am extremely proud of the work we are doing on all fronts, and look forward to the impact we will see from the expansion of these essential teams.”