California County Officials Oppose State’s Needle-Exchange Program

Mayor Vicente Sarmiento of Santa Ana speaks at a press conference speaks to reporters at AltaMed Urgent Care in Santa Ana, Calif., on March 25, 2021. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

SANTA ANA, Calif.—Orange County supervisors voted Tuesday to ask state officials to reconsider a needle-exchange program in Santa Ana.

The program by the Harm Reduction Institute comes about five years after the county prevailed in litigation to halt another needle-exchange program based on arguments that it led to an increase in littering in the city.