J. Luis Correa

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize SEVA Collective, a nonprofit based in the City of Santa Ana, for their diligent efforts in supporting our communities in need.

Since its inception, SEVA Collective has served over 5.5 million meals, establishing methods to tackle food insecurity for communities across Orange County and Southern California. Through a strong commitment to selfless service, SEVA Collective regularly runs food drives and provides food for our neighbors in need, year-round, rain or shine.

Beyond their efforts in tackling food insecurity, SEVA Collective also believes in inspiring the next generation of leaders. SEVA Collective also offers programming focused on youth development, having led 30+ graduates in developing the skills needed to become strong, competent, and committed leaders.

Always striving to find ways to help others, SEVA Collective has also established a free medical clinic that operates during their regular food distributions. This clinic further supports our neighbors in need, providing basic access to medical tests and offering free medical consultations for all those who come. With the establishment of this clinic, SEVA Collective has been able to help our neighbors catch health issues that would have otherwise gone undetected.

I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing SEVA Collective for their hard work and selfless service in helping those in need and inspiring action through committed leadership. We thank SEVA Collective for all that they have done to support the health and wellness of our neighbors back home. All of us here in Orange County wish them success as they continue to serve our communities for generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Andy Nogal, Deputy Director for the Housing & Community Development Department of the City of Anaheim, on his retirement.

For the past 24 years, Andy has served as a key member of the City of Anaheim's Housing & Community Development Department, holding responsibility for all aspects of for-sale and rental housing development projects. Andy has extensive experience with housing development financing, including State and Federal Tax Credits, bond financing, and other funding sources. He has a profound passion for affordable housing development and was part of a team that facilitated the development of over 2,879 affordable rental new construction, acquisition/rehabilitation, and for-sale housing units since 2005.

Andy also has a strong interest in the built environment, ensuring that Anaheim's affordable housing development projects are designed in a manner that are respectful to neighborhood character, provide quality architectural and landscape design, stand the test of time, and serve as an asset to the community.

In times of reduced financial and staff resources, Andy continues to seek and identify internal and external resources to assist in the development of affordable housing. Andy worked with Anaheim City Planners to implement substantial developer incentives/waivers as part of the City's Multifamily Affordable Housing Ordinance/Density Bonus Ordinance to incentivize the development of affordable housing. Andy also assisted in the creation of the City of Anaheim's Affordable Housing Strategic Plan--establishing a five-year goal for the creation of more than 2,812 rental new construction, rental rehabilitation and for-sale affordable housing units. To help achieve these goals, Andy assisted with the implementation of an expedited entitlement process for affordable housing development projects and the prioritization and allocation of City Department resources for affordable housing projects such as energy star rebates, fee deferrals, and fee waivers. Andy is a City Planner by trade and holds a Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Planning from Cal Poly Pomona University.

I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Andy Nogal on his retirement from the City of Anaheim. I thank Andy for his diligent work serving our communities here in Orange County.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Father Bill Cao, an Orange County Pastor who has dedicated his life in service to those around him. His impact on Orange County through his work as a pastor is felt throughout all corners of our community.

Father Cao was born in Saigon, Vietnam a couple years prior to the Communist occupation. He, alongside his ten siblings, escaped Vietnam at a young age--destined for the United States to achieve greater opportunity and their American Dream. Filled with uncertainty but also faith, Father Cao and his family were among the countless thousands of Vietnamese refugees who fled on small rickety fishing boats to escape the turmoil of war, religious persecution, and uncertainty.

Throughout the years, the Vietnamese community eventually found a home in Orange County, where Father Cao and his family eventually settled to lay the roots for their forever home. Bound together by the hardships they experienced, Father Cao and his family built a safe haven in a small pocket of central Orange County, now better known as Little Saigon. This community, which harbors the largest Vietnamese diaspora outside of Vietnam, is bonded by the trials and tribulations they faced, and they continue to be an integral part of why Orange County is home to the largest Vietnamese community outside of Vietnam.

Father Cao used the promise of the American dream to further pursue an education here in the States. Father Cao proudly obtained his bachelor's degree, having later been selected to attend the American College and the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, further enriching his studies.

Father Cao continues to embolden his local community and those around him through his spiritual teachings, where he is now Pastor for St. Anthony Mary Claret Catholic Church here in my hometown of Anaheim, California. Father Cao represents the best of America, using this country as an opportunity to rebuild, educate, and inspire himself and those around him. We thank him for his influence and endless service to all of us here in Orange County.