Heading into the weekend, we have a look at Anita Tran, a 25-year-old Santa Ana resident who’s raising cancer awareness and fundraising research efforts through her art as she battles terminal cancer herself.
Tran, who sells her art at pop-up events throughout Orange County, is expected to hold a cancer research fundraiser for the American Cancer Society on Sept. 20.
In other civic news, Huntington Beach officials are facing a host of questions after they signed onto a controversial airshow deal and decided to let a snack shack vendor sell booze in a public park this week.
Surf City council members signed a deal – good for up to 25 years – with the Pacific Airshow operators that guarantees them public parking spots for at least five years, along with all the revenue from those spots.
But it comes after Councilman Chad Williams publicly questioned just how the city stood to benefit and cast doubt on the economic impact report – raising a host of questions over how much tax revenue the show brings in.
Voice of OC reported on the economics of the Air Show back in 2023.
[Read: How Much Money Does the Pacific Airshow Bring to Huntington Beach?]
Council members this week also decided to allow a snack shack to sell craft beer in the Huntington Beach Sports Complex right next to a playground after Williams and scores of residents opposed the move.
The police union in Santa Ana has alleged a local reporter is harassing officers by asking them questions through text, calls and email while he writes police accountability stories – raising First Amendment concerns from a statewide free speech organization.
Separately, Santa Ana Councilman Johnathan Hernandez is facing complaints from three police officers, alleging he’s harassed them.
It comes after Hernandez has loudly criticized the police department’s response to the recent anti-ICE protests, along with accountability measures like the oversight committee.
In Cypress, city council members are scrambling to replace their city manager who abruptly resigned after a former department head publicly leveled misconduct accusations against the city’s top executive.
Costa Mesa officials were set to consider creating a legal defense fund for immigrants as federal agents continue deportation efforts throughout the region, but the Tuesday meeting ran too late and council members delayed discussing the move until next week.
Council members also voted to continue looking into joining the controversial Orange County Power Authority after reviewing a feasibility study. They also directed staff to draft up an ordinance for the Oct. 7 meeting.
They also delayed a proposal to join or support a federal lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security to curb the current deportation sweeps – something other OC cities have done.
Correction: A previous version of this article stated Costa Mesa City Council members punted a decision to join the OC Power Authority. They voted to continue the process of joining the authority at a later meeting after reviewing a feasibility study. We regret the error.
