Border Patrol cameras will soon be monitoring San Clemente’s idyllic coast after city council members signed off a proposal aimed at curbing panga boat landings, despite privacy and overreach concerns.
That same day San Clemente signed off on Border Patrol cameras, more than 1,000 people throughout Orange County walked out of classrooms and jobs to protest President Donald Trump’s deportation policies on the first anniversary of his return to office.
Voice of OC’s publisher and editor in chief Norberto Santana Jr. examined why Santa Ana police officers fired rubber bullets and tear gas into crowds of protestors demonstrating against the ICE raids last year.
Santana also found contradictions between official accounts of what happened from the police department and people who were on the ground at the time – including local elected officials.
In nearby Irvine, city officials canceled this year’s Fourth of July celebration in the Great Park after last year’s event drew so much community interest it led to traffic jams. City staff said they couldn’t secure the necessary vendors in time for the country’s 250th birthday.
Plans for a proposed battery storage in San Juan Capistrano have been paused – for now – after mounting concerns from residents that the site was too close to homes, schools and wildfire-prone areas.
Orange County residents spent another Martin Luther King Jr. day without knowing how much hate is happening after county supervisors nixed large parts of hate reporting requirements and gagged the Human Relations Commission.
Costa Mesa became the first Orange County city to require manned self-checkout stands at businesses like grocery stores and pharmacies with city leaders saying the ordinance will help reduce theft, while industry groups say the move will raise prices.
The race for Orange County Treasurer is heating up after the officeholder tried firing her top deputy after the executive pulled papers to run for the spot – a move that was ultimately blocked, although it’s unclear which county official barred the termination.
More OC cities are cracking down on Kratom sales, which comes from a tropical tree that can be used as both a stimulant and sedative. The trend is raising concerns it could impact people who use the tree’s natural form to treat chronic pain.