Frances Marquez was formally reprimanded by her colleagues for various alleged infractions, including violating the state’s public records laws despite resident pushback.
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 Judge Orders All 5 Mission Viejo Council Members Must Stand For Election in November
A resident successfully sued the Mission Viejo City Council to uphold three council members’ two-year terms.
Posted inCypress
Cypress Moves to Censure Dissenting Council Member While Facing Transparency Lawsuit
Amid a lawsuit against the city over a secret vote and legal pressure to get Cypress to switch to district elections, France Marquez could be the latest city council member in OC to be censured.
Posted inMission Viejo
Mission Viejo’s Entire City Council Might be up for Election This November
After a resident sued the Mission Viejo City Council claiming all five members need to stand for election this November, an OC Superior Court judge is expected to weigh in later this month.
Posted inGovernment
Orange County Cities Wrestling With Southwest Drought Look to Conservation Policies
Cities across the county are implementing mandatory water conservation policies in response to California’s drought and state of emergency declared by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Posted inCypress
Cypress Modifies Records Policy After Council Member Allegedly Fails to Follow Disclosure Law
Facing a lawsuit for allegedly violating state transparency law, city officials are looking to censure Councilwoman Frances Marquez for supposedly not turning over records related to a secret vote.
Posted inTop Stories
Banning Ranch is One Step Closer to Becoming Preserved Open Space
After battling to maintain open space at Banning Ranch near Newport Bay since 2016, the final funding needed to conserve the 385-acre property has been acquired.
Posted inCypress
Cypress Moves to Censure Council Member For Allegedly Failing to Follow Public Records Act
Cypress city officials are now facing allegations of violating two laws aimed at preventing government secrecy — California’s public records law and the state’s open meetings law.
Posted inMission Viejo
Mission Viejo Council Shoots Down Consideration to Allow Cannabis Businesses
After the Mission Viejo City Council initially considered allowing cannabis shops in the city, a split council voted 3-2 to prevent the discussion from moving forward.
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Election Night Roundup: DA Todd Spitzer Trounces Opponents; On Track to Win Without Runoff
Spitzer is on track to win re-election outright, while Democrats advanced to have a chance in November to take a majority on the powerful Board of Supervisors for the first time in decades.
