When evaluating OC cities’ transparency, a group of Chapman University students measured how easy it is for users to locate certain city council candidate disclosures.
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 inCountywide
‘We’re All Overwhelmed’: As Orange County Becomes Overrun With Cats, Local Rescues Struggle to Keep Up
OC cat rescues are now unable to predict when an influx of kittens will come into local shelters as stray cat population continues to grow.
Posted inNEWS
Mission Viejo Appoints City Manager to Run the Town After Judge Boots Council Majority
After an OC Superior Court Judge tossed three council members in an election lawsuit, city officials handed the city manager a blank check to run the city.
Posted inHuntington Beach
Huntington Beach Might Establish New Rules For City Council Meetings
Surf City council members could also change the way public comment is conducted – something that’s raised concerns from some residents.
Posted inSanta Ana
Orange County Celebrates ‘El Grito,’ Mexican Independence Day in Santa Ana
Fiestas Patrias will feature music, food and dancing Saturday and Sunday in Santa Ana to celebrate Mexican Independence Day.
Posted inGovernment
More OC Residents Keep Pressing The County Animal Shelter to Reopen Kennels to Public Visitors
Protesters are fighting against the shelter’s current adoption system and lack of low cost spay and neuter services for abandoned cats.
Posted inTop Stories
OC Judge Removes Majority of Mission Viejo City Council Members, City Moves to Appeal
The city of Mission Viejo is already looking to appeal the case, but it’s an open question of what will happen if they lose.
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Tentative Ruling Removing Mission Viejo City Council Members Stands, Who Might Fill Their Seats?
The Mission Viejo City Attorney called on the judge to lay out a process for replacing the council majority, but he said it wasn’t his responsibility.
Posted inOutdoors
OC Animal Activists Call on County Supervisors to Reopen Animal Shelter
Residents want county-run shelter to allow visitors to see more animals and reinstate its trap, neuter and release program for feral and abandoned cats.
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Local Judge Throws Majority of Mission Viejo’s City Councilmembers Off Dais
The ruling comes years after residents originally alleged the council had illegally extended their terms of office without notifying the public.
