Protesters at the Orange Unified School District board of education meeting on Sept. 7, 2023. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
Voice of OC photographers, interns, students this year ventured out across Orange County to give voice to thousands of residents at a variety of events, civic actions and protests.
Along with an ongoing look at the great vistas across the region – in many cases protected by the efforts and tax dollars of local residents.
Photographers also profiled local leaders that make up the diverse County of Orange.
Native American leaders, faith leaders, and Black and Brown communities.
Little Arabia, and the new Koreatown.
Here’s a look at the faces and places that made up the changing landscape of Orange County this year.
Henry Rodriguez (right), a workforce case manager with Project Kinship, speaks with a program participant at the group’s Santa Ana office on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. Credit: NATALIE CARTWRIGHT, Voice of OC
Maria, a recent immigrant from Guerrero, has been in the US for less than a year. Maria stood in line for the once-a-month diaper drive for her newborn son. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Jeff Love (left) and Jeffery Johnson sit for a portrait in the Judicate West Building on Feb. 17, 2023 in Santa Ana. Credit: NATALIE CARTWRIGHT, Voice of OC
Judge Clay Smith sits in a conference room at the Judicate West Building in Santa Ana on Feb. 22, 2023. Judge Clay has come out of retirement to oversee the corruption probe in Anaheim. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Team 16, Sandi Saltzer and Sharon Ogomori organize their puzzle at the Orange County Speed Puzzling competition on Saturday, April 1, 2023. Credit: NATALIE CARTWRIGHT, Voice of OC
Over 40 hotel workers gather outside the Anaheim Hilton Hotel on May 3, 2023 to demand fair wages and workers protections against sexual assault. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Tim Elmore, 69, inside the Cypress Public Library on April 20, 2023. Elmore has worked as an OC Read tutor since 2019. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
Earn One, 52, with his car at the 2023 Juneteenth Festival at Centennial Park on June 17, 2023. It is the first year that One is celebrating Juneteenth. This year, he wanted to “come out to support the Orange County Heritage Council.” Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
Beth Margalis, 39, at the 72nd annual Huntington Beach Pier Swim on June 10, 2023. Margalis participated in the pier swim last year 20 weeks pregnant with her twins, Chloe and Will (pictured above). Margalis set a record for her division Masters Women this year, swimming around the pier in nine minutes and fifty seconds. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
From left, Dustin DePaola, 35, and Luke Collins, 33 speak to Voice of OC at OCFA Headquarters in Irvine on June 28, 2023. DePaola points at the American Flag patch on his uniform, explaining the significance of a backward flag on his uniform. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, VOICE OF OC
Bassel Balouk, a Syrian immigrant and owner of Chamya, pours Turkish style coffee that is heated in a pan filled with sand on July 22, 2023, at the Islamic New Year and Night Market Festival in Orange. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
“You are depending on people not paying attention,” said Kenneth Batiste during Anaheim public comment on Aug. 15, 2023. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Sharon Gonzalez, 22, from Anaheim, attends the Chicano Heritage Festival in Santa Ana on Aug. 27, 2023. “It is hard to live here, and have a stable life but it is worth it because as of today, we are getting recognized for the people we are,” said Gonzalez. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
“I like being mixed with kids of different ages in my class,” said Sophomore Yenny Medina, 15, a Círculos Advanced Academy. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Unite Here Local 11 picketing at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott on August 12, 2023. The union is calling for a boycott of the hotel after workers experienced violence against them. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
Bryana Ramos, 10, daughter of Francisco Ramos, watches the parade go by on Sept. 17, 2023. “I am emotional seeing this and proud because my parents are from Mexico,” said Ramos. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Mexican performer slashes a whip through the 43rd Annual Fiestas Patrias in Downtown Santa Ana on Sunday Sept. 17, 2023. Credit: EVELYN MUNIZ MORFIN, Voice of OC
Isabelle Donovan, Beverly Mount, Alexi Garza and their horses at the Chino Hills State Park Discovery Center on Sept. 2, 2023. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
Carly Rogers at the Volcom Skatepark of Costa Mesa on May 20, 2023. “All my skating gear is pink, even though it’s not my favorite color, I think it’s very girly and I like it,” Rogers said. Rogers shared that although the sport is male-dominated, she has not faced discrimination as a female skateboarder. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
Adelia Sandoval, 70, at Putuidem Village on Aug. 15, 2023. Putuidem was the central village for the Juaneño band of Mission Indians and Acjachemen Nation for thousands of years. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
Clara Ramos, an Esplanade Elementary mother, with her daughter Michelle at a community meeting held in Orange on Nov. 8, 2023. Credit: HOSAM Elattar, Voice of OC.
Trainer and Owner of Life O’Riley Riding Kate Riley, 49, poses with King Solomon at Orange County Fair Equestrian Center in Costa Mesa on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Riley shares how she grew up taking care of the horses at the stables since she was young. Credit: ARIELLE LEE, Voice of OC
Jay Chang, 49, at WOW Pharmacy on Oct. 5, 2023. Chang is a pharmacist and the owner of WOW Pharmacy, a Korean pharmacy located in Buena Park’s Koreatown. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
Residents, activists and community members walk along the train tracks in south Fullerton advocating for the Union Pacific Trail on Oct. 4, 2023. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
The flow of water from Aliso Creek into the ocean at Aliso Beach on Nov. 9, 2023. The berm separating the creek from the ocean was dredged by Laguna Beach residents earlier in the day. The flow of water expanded over time, creating waves for boogie boarding, surfing and skimboarding. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC
Paul Worley, 42, a Marine Veteran, who has served over two decades in the infantry, walks a horse out of the barn at the Shea Center in San Juan Capistrano. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Shawn Bacon, left, embraces Heroes Hall Veterans Foundation President Nick Berardino, left, after the unveiling of a plaque commemorating those that served and died during wartime following Sept. 11, 2001. Bacon’s son, CPO Jason C. Finan, is listed on the plaque. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
Residents, community organizations, activists, and spiritual leaders on both sides of the issue were some of the attendees and speakers at the Santa Ana city council meeting on Dec. 5, 2023.
Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
