Residents are taking it upon themselves to extend financial assistance to their neighbors, as the Coronavirus pandemic continues to present disadvantaged communities with economic hardship.
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
Santa Ana’s New, Younger Council Will Get To Decide What The City Looks Like When It Grows Up
The city’s general plan outlines the city’s official stance on what kinds of land uses are allowed throughout the city for decades into the future.
Posted inNEWS
Fountain Valley Hospital Employees Continue Protesting Working Conditions After Coronavirus Kills One Worker
The employees first protested working conditions in July, which led to a critical state audit in September.
Posted inCountywide
Annual High Tide Spurs Concerns About Future Safety of San Onofre Nuclear Waste Stock Near South OC
Sea level rise and questions about the integrity of radioactive waste storage canisters are propelling local anxiety over the decommissioned San Onofre nuclear reactor.
Posted inNEWS
What Should Orange County’s Fairgrounds Look Like in the Future, Who Should It Serve?
Due to COVID-19 impacts, California may be setting the stage to relinquish state control of some of its fairs. Meanwhile, OC’s Fairgrounds faces an identity crisis.
Posted inNEWS
Hospitalizations Climb As Second Coronavirus Wave Exposes New Case Rate Fronts Across OC
The ever-growing number of people in the hospital comes just in time for a winter season where holiday traditions mean many indoor gatherings among families and family friends.
Posted inNEWS
Willowick: One Neighborhood At Center of Reshaping Battle for Area’s Last Open Space
The fate of the land, and the historic Santa Anita neighborhood around it, now hinges on a potential three-way battle between activists and two government bodies.
Posted inNEWS
Republicans and Democrats Move to Finalize Wins, OC Remains Purple As of Latest Election Results
The latest results come from just short of 13,000 new election ballots counted, rounding out a nearly 86% historic voter turnout this year.
Posted inCountywide
Orange County Residents Still Waiting on Final Election Results With Sixth Day of Ballot Counting
Results are largely unchanged with the latest vote totals reported on Monday night.
Posted inNEWS
Republicans and Democrats Seeing Their Own Wins in Orange County as U.S. Elects New President
Orange County residents turned out to vote in this election like never before.
