

The proposed center would allow the state to coordinate its response during an emergency or disaster for 11 Southern California counties, the state Office of Emergency Services said. Costa Mesa city leaders are weighing in on the state’s plan to turn part of the Fairview Development Center into a regional emergency operations center, sharing concerns about potential impacts to the area and future housing envisioned for the 114-acre site. City officials will call for more bids later this year. The project went out to bid in February and received five offers, the lowest coming from AMG & Associates at $17.1 million. Approval of the Witte Hall construction, which first carried a $13-million price tag, came in November 2021, according to Daily Pilot reporter Lilly Nguyen. All construction bids for a new lecture hall at the Newport Beach Central Library have been rejected by city leaders after the lowest contract exceeded the estimated $14-million cost of the project by more than $3 million.

(Courtesy of the Newport Beach Public Library Foundation) “A new perspective is gained, and that’s what we really look for in higher education.” “You could really think about who you want to be, as an individual, instead of the generic ‘What’s your major?’” said Mejia, who graduated in the winter. CLEEO inspired him to change his major from animal science to business administration after doing a lot of soul-searching. Civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, author Victor Villaseñor and actor Pepe Serna are other figures who’ve graced the campus.įor 23-year-old Alexander Mejia, the program became a lifeline. Father Greg Boyle, Jesuit priest and founder of Los Angeles gang member redirection program Homeboy Industries, was the keynote speaker to celebrate the opening of the space.Ĭuellar said appearances by noteworthy figures like Boyle are an important part of the CLEEO Project. On April 25, school officials celebrated the program’s expansion and officially made room in the campus’ Global Engagement Center for use by the CLEEO project. Now, there will be more room at the Costa Mesa campus to share such experiences. “ coaches us to believe in ourselves, that we are individuals and we deserve to share in this world with everybody.” They were too afraid and just tried to grow us into American culture,” Estrada said.

“My parents never liked to share where we came from. The 44-year-old Santa Ana resident told Cardine she learned more about her culture and heritage in three months than she had in her entire life. OCC student Nancy Estrada took the course last fall. For Chicanos and Latinas, it incorporates an understanding of our history and our culture, which is one of fusion.”

“There’s a definite focus on critical thinking, emotional intelligence and cross-cultural competency. “I wanted the course to serve as a platform for students to be able to experience a cultural sensitivity and a culturally responsive view,” Cuellar told Cardine of the curriculum, which clarifies the “Mestizo perspective,” a mixture of backgrounds and beliefs common to Chicano and Latino culture. The program encourages participants to explore where they come from, who they are and where they want to go, according to founder and associate professor of counseling Eric Cuellar. The Counseling Latinos for Equity and Engagement Project at Orange Coast College is a program intended to guide Latino students as they learn about their shared cultural roots and develop the skills to succeed in college and in life.Īs our Daily Pilot colleague Sara Cardine writes, since 2016, the CLEEO Project has offered a counseling course - the Chicano/Latino Experience in Higher Education - that focuses on issues of identity, sociology, politics and student experiences. My colleague, Carol Cormaci, is taking a well-deserved break. I’m Vince Nguyen, bringing you this week’s TimesOC newsletter, with a compilation of the latest local news and events.
