This year, Orange County residents saw the conviction of a former OC Supervisor, felt the impacts of widespread deportation sweeps, helped pass a statewide congressional redistricting effort and continue to wait for the opening of a local veterans cemetery.
2025 has been defined by a federal immigration crackdown that was front and center in the news cycle this past summer with incidents like the violent detention of Tustin landscaper Narciso Barranco and the prolonged presence of the national guard in Santa Ana.
[Read: Orange County’s Year on ICE]
Widespread deportation raids ramped up in OC in June sparking protests across the county and also led to difficult debates at city halls these past few months on how best to respond to President Donald Trump’s federal immigration crackdown.
City leaders in places like Anaheim, Costa Mesa and Santa Ana launched immigrant aid programs to support families impacted by the raids with legal defense assistance or with rent, bills and groceries support.
Leaders in other cities like Orange opted not to take an official stand against the raids, worrying it might land them on the Trump administration’s radar while officials in Huntington Beach called on police to defy state law and cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
To view Voice of OC’s coverage of immigration this year, click here.
A Veteran Cemetery is on The Horizon in OC
After over a decade of delays and debate, Orange County veterans ended the year with a commitment of $10 million from the federal government toward the county’s first veterans cemetery.
It comes after a yearslong push at the state, local and federal levels to get the project done.
Now, it’s just a matter of how it will be funded, with over $65 million in the bank but a $130 million price tag.
To make up the gap, state leaders are looking to redesign the cemetery and drive down the cost alongside a planned public cemetery run by the county government next door.
With both sites sharing infrastructure, there have been talks to split the costs between the two agencies and save on expenses, as well as a proposal to not level the entire site and instead work with the land.
[Read: Orange County Veterans Cemetery Being Redesigned to Reduce Cost]
The Conviction of Andrew Do
Former County Supervisor Andrew Do was sentenced to five years in prison last June after pleading guilty to charges from federal prosecutors claiming he accepted bribes in exchange for handing over $12 million of contracts to a nonprofit that allegedly pocketed most of the money.
[Read: Former OC Supervisor Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison in Bribery Scheme]
Now, Do’s also on the hook to repay $878,000 in restitution, and Peter Pham, the former leader of the nonprofit Viet America Society, has been charged with over 15 crimes that could carry up to three decades in prison and is a “fugitive from justice,” according to federal prosecutors.
Pham, in turn, also has sued Do for damages.
[Read: Feds Charge More Conspirators in OC Corruption Scandal]
While county leaders made some changes to their contract policy in an effort to close up the loopholes Do used to accept bribes and redirect contracts, they declined to add any penalties to their own code of ethics.
[Read: OC Supervisors Greenlight New Ethics Code Without New Enforcement Mechanisms]
Investigations into Do’s other work are still underway at the county, with auditors reviewing over $4 billion worth of contracts that came before the board while Do voted on them.
A recent investigation by CalOptima, the county health plan for the poor where Do served as board chair, also found questions around a land deal that ultimately ended up falling apart and costing the agency $460,000 in escrow costs.
[Read: CalOptima Probe Finds $460,000 Lost on Failed Real Estate Deal]
Officials Grapple With Budget Gaps
This past summer, a host of Orange County cities struggled to balance their budgets amid poor financial outlooks and as spending and costs outpace revenue.
[Read: Orange County Cities Scramble to Patch Budget Gaps]
As a result, officials in some cities across Orange County looked at implementing paid parking and upping parking enforcement as ways to help bolster tax revenues.
[Read: Orange County Drivers Are Increasingly Helping Patch City Budgets]
At the same time, officials in Costa Mesa and Fullerton are exploring crafting their own tax increase measures that could land on the ballot next year.
Prop. 50 & The Impact on OC
In November, voters across OC and the rest of California overwhelmingly passed Prop. 50 – a statewide ballot measure that redrew the state’s congressional maps to give Democrats an advantage to win five of California’s 52 congressional seats in next year’s election.
The victory shifts Huntington Beach, Orange County’s MAGA stronghold, into a district that stretches up into Long Beach and is represented by progressive Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia – an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump.
[Read: What Lies Ahead For Surf City Under a New Congressman From Long Beach?]
The passage of Prop. 50 also means two prominent Republicans, Rep. Young Kim (R-Anaheim) and Congressman Ken Calvert (R-Corona), will face off against each other to represent Anaheim Hills and the eastern part of Orange County in the 2026 election.
[Read: At Least Two Prominent Republicans Will Square Off to Represent OC in Congress]
To view Voice of OC’s complete coverage of Prop. 50, click here.
Hunger & Food Insecurity in Orange County
This year, widespread deportation raids coupled with a prolonged federal government shutdown that interrupted CalFresh food assistance created new hurdles for OC’s emergency food assistance network.
In response to the raids that kicked off in June, local food pantries adapted their models to deliver groceries and food to families afraid to go to work or the store for fear of being deported or detained.
[Read: Feeding Orange County Families Amid a Federal Immigration Crackdown]
The raids this year also brought rise to grass root community efforts to feed families across the region.
[Read: ICE Raids Spur Aid Network in Orange County]
Months after the ICE sweeps kicked off, food bank and pantry leaders had to grapple with a skyrocketing demand for food due to interruptions to the CalFresh program caused by the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history.
[Read: Orange County Grapples With Loss of Food and Housing Benefits as Shutdown Drags On]
In the wake of that interruption, OC Social Service Agency, CalOptima and food bank leaders warned that drastic cuts and changes to federal food assistance and health care programs under a bill signed into law this year will only increase the need unless the legislation is reversed.
[Read: Orange County Families Confront Hunger & Financial Woes This Holiday Season]
Pantries, nonprofits, elected officials and the food banks closed out the year with Thanksgiving distributions and winter toy giveaways – a yearly tradition in OC.
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org.