Orange County residents take to the streets in Santa Ana every year to celebrate ‘El Grito’ with a street fair, live music and dancers.
Author Archives: Angelina Hicks
Angelina Hicks is Voice of OC’s Collegiate News Service editor, leading the newsroom’s partnership with Chapman University that gives students the chance to report on civic news across Orange County.
Hicks was named the inaugural Tracy A. Wood Fellow in 2022, but she has been filing stories and mentoring students with the newsroom since her freshman year at Chapman in 2020. She reports on south county news and civics, including issues along the coast, the county-run animal shelter in Tustin and the OC Fair & Event Center. Her “Pets of the Week” series, published each Friday, highlights dogs and cats available for adoption at local shelters.
Hicks graduated from Chapman in 2023, where she was editor-in-chief of The Panther, the university’s student-run newspaper. She earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Southern California in 2024, where she was managing editor of Annenberg Media. She is an assistant professor of journalism and interim director of the journalism program at Chapman’s Wilkinson College.
Since she became Collegiate News Service editor, the number of student stories published on Voice of OC each year has nearly doubled.
Posted inTop Stories
Huntington Beach Looks to Ban Universal Mask and Vaccine Mandates
The ban comes at a time when COVID-19 hospitalization rates are low but climbing, and there aren’t any public plans at the state level to reinstate mask or vaccine mandates.
Posted inEducation
An OC School District Adopts Transgender Notification; State AG Issues Legal Threat
A local school district is joining other California school boards in adopting a transgender notification policy as state officials take a hard look at those efforts.
Posted inEducation
Will Orange Unified Approve a Transgender Outing Policy Despite State Legal Threats?
The Orange Unified School Board is expected to discuss a policy Thursday night mandating school officials to inform parents if their child is transgender.
Posted inTop Stories
Mission Viejo Rejects Proposal to Create Professional Cricket Fields
The council voted against the item due to concerns that it would take away space for youth soccer and arts in the city.
Posted inEducation
Orange Unified School District Considers Notifying Parents of Transgender Students
The Orange Unified School District is debating whether or not to enforce school staff members to inform parents if their child is transgender.
Posted inTop Stories
OC Officials Dispute Scathing Grand Jury Report on Increased Kill Rates at Animal Shelter
The OC Board of Supervisors approved a response disagreeing with more than half of the grand jury’s findings that called out issues in the county animal shelter, like increased kill rates.
Posted inTop Stories
Laguna Beach to Update Rules Declaring Dogs a Public Nuisance
The Laguna Beach City Council is considering new guidelines for citing vicious dogs and time limits for excessive barking.
Posted inTop Stories
Toxic Algae is Stranding Sick and Aggressive Sea Lions on OC Shores
Toxic algae blooms off California’s coast are pushing distressed marine mammals south onto OC beaches.
Posted inCosta Mesa
Costa Mesa Examines Strengthening Renter Protections, Following on Heels of Buena Park
The Costa Mesa City Council directed staff to look into creating a new ordinance to help protect tenants and reduce evictions in the city.
