Report finds OC kids fatter, more involved in gangs

The Orange County Board of Supervisors will get a new report this week that spells out how children in the county are faring.

The 16th Annual Conditions of Children in Orange County report won’t be all bad.

It will show that more kids have access to healthcare and that school scores are up. But Orange County education spending is down — below the state average. And a lot of kids can’t meet the minimum fitness standards in all six areas of a standard physical fitness test.

Here’s a bigger worry: the number of kids between the ages of 8 and 17 in gangs has skyrocketed. In 2000, officials say there were 916 kids in gangs in Orange County, down from the previous year. That number has since doubled to 1,851 child gang members last year.

For the past 16 years, the report has tracked dozens of areas related to the health and welfare of Orange County children. County supervisors use the findings to decide how to fund programs for kids. They'll get a presentation on the report at their meeting tomorrow.