Lake Forest officials will decide today on whether their city should join a regional renewable energy agency.
Author Archives: Brandon Pho
As a Voice of OC reporter, Brandon Pho covered north/central Orange County, as well as broader regional issues around law enforcement, transportation, the environment, the OC Fair and Little Saigon.
He joined in 2018 as an intern, shedding light on turmoil and corruption claims in Westminster and uncovering a now-fired OC Fair executive’s suspect fundraising relationship with a nearby, private Christian college that the Fair had sponsored with public money.
Later, he published a number of investigative stories on local law enforcement agencies; detailed political jockeying around a controversial seawater desalting plant proposal in Huntington Beach; narrated a racial reckoning inside one of the county’s largest school districts; and tracked various quality of life issues across the region.
Before Voice of OC, Brandon worked as a reporter and editor at Cal State Fullerton’s independent student newspaper, the Daily Titan, and won a number of accolades for his reporting in 2018, including a 1st and 2nd place Los Angeles Press Club award and 1st place national College Media Association award.
While at Voice of OC, Brandon was a member of Report for America, a national network of local reporters committed to bolstering democracy throughout the U.S.
Posted inNEWS
Orange County’s Homeless Face A Hard Quandary: Suffer Sexual Harassment Inside Shelters or Risk Arrest, Lawsuit Alleges
On top of these claims, the lawsuit argues shelters in Anaheim and Santa Ana are rife with overcrowding, filthy plumbing, broken showers, and other inhumane conditions.
Posted inNEWS
Santa Ana Police Lawsuit Settlements Cost Taxpayers At Least $24 Million Over Last Decade
It has cost Santa Ana roughly $24 million out of the public purse to settle legal claims and lawsuits against the police department over the last decade, according to official data.
Posted inNEWS
Developer Accused of Bullying As His Plans to Reimagine Westminster’s Civic Center Drag On
Instead, an internal memo labelling Sheldon’s behavior as “hostile” and “aggressive” toward those tasked with holding him to his project commitments is causing distress among the public over what kind of deal, exactly, the city has gotten itself into.
Posted inNEWS
A Fullerton Police Shooting Draws Neighborhood Outrage to Department’s Doorstep
The community is uniting around calls for accountability and consequences over a police killing they say was highly unnecessary.
Posted inNEWS
Willowick: Unease Abounds as Talks Begin with Developers on Precious Central OC Open Space
The Garden Grove City Council voted 5-2 Tuesday to start negotiating with three groups proposing to build on the Willowick Golf Course, legally owned by the city yet located in Santa Ana.
Posted inEmergencies & Disasters
Will Coronavirus Patients Push Orange County Hospitals to the Edge?
OC Supervisors challenge Gov. Gavin Newsom as hospitalizations skyrocket.
Posted inNEWS
Santa Ana’s Police Chief Rung Alarm Bells Over Police Union Boss’ Excessive Cash-Out for Time Off
Santa Ana’s Police Chief has raised questions about whether Police Sgt. Gerry Serrano — the man just re-elected to lead the city’s powerful police union — scored excessive cash-outs for unused time off from City Hall.
Posted inNEWS
Brea City Council and Police Face Questions About Surveillance of Former School Board Member
Keri Kropke, whose term as trustee at the Brea Olinda Unified School District ended Nov. 30, ties it to ire by some in the community toward her stances on issues like systemic racism and police accountability.
Posted inCountywide
Santa Ana Officials Enact Their Own Mandatory Mask Order as Coronavirus Crisis Worsens
While there’s a statewide mandatory mask policy, Santa Ana became the latest Orange County city to adopt its own — all while strategies of enforcing such policies across the county and state remain in disarray.
