OC District Attorney investigators allege unscheduled discussions and a board member driving while calling into a meeting violated California’s open meeting law, the Brown Act.
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
OC Animal Activists Demand Walk-In Animal Shelter, End Appointment-Only Adoptions
Activists have criticized the limited number of adoption appointments at OC Animal Care in Tustin, which doesn’t allow people to walk in to view animals they might adopt.
Posted inGovernment
Battle Between Huntington Beach City Council and Elected Attorney Continues
The issue on the table is whether or not Councilman Erik Peterson can call one of the ballot measures easing ways to hire outside attorneys a “power grab” by the city council.
Posted inGovernment
More OC Cities Disclose Their Police Departments’ Weapon Inventory
AR-15 style rifles, flashbang grenades, armored vehicles and drones – these are just a sample of the equipment and weapons local OC police departments have in their inventory.
Posted inCypress
Cypress Sued For Violating Voting Rights Act After Refusing District Elections
The small northwest city is the most recent OC municipality to undergo a legal challenge for hosting at-large elections, which some say promote racially-polarized voting.
Posted inHuntington Beach
Huntington Beach Running Out of Time to Ask Voters if They Want Cannabis Shops
The council is expected to continue discussing specific details about the shops, like hours of operation and where in the city they should be allowed to open.
Posted inEquality & Equity
Orange County Human Relations Council Looks to Curb Rising Hate Crimes
Council leaders say finding ways to end hate incidents and crimes starts in Orange County’s communities through education and expanding the ability to report hate crimes.
Posted inCypress
A Public Records Battle Brews in Cypress as a Councilwoman Demands Records From Colleagues
Following a censure for allegedly not responding to a public records request, Frances Marquez had filed her own information request, saying it’s an effort to root out alleged corruption.
Posted inGovernment
Huntington Beach Voters Could Decide on Allowing Cannabis Businesses in November
After Surf City voters failed to pass a measure that would have approved a cannabis business tax, voters are slated to decide whether or not to allow the shops on the ballot this November.
Posted inTop Stories
Grand Jury: OC Residents Lose Millions Each Year in Unclaimed Recycling Funds
With recycling centers dwindling drastically over the last 10 years, the OC Grand Jury encourages all cities to increase recycling efforts to minimize unclaimed recycling funds.
