Your guide to Santa Ana’s lengthy slate of City Council contenders hoping to win seats this November – and the stakes.
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
Will Gov. Newsom Replace Poseidon Desal Project Critic on OC Regional Water Board?
There are mounting questions over whether Gov. Gavin Newsom will replace William von Blasingame, when his current term expires Sept. 30.
Posted inCountywide
Orange County Coastal Enclave Becomes Ground Zero of Police Violence Controversy and Protests
The killing of a homeless Black man by an Orange County Sheriff’s deputy prompted protests throughout the day Thursday in San Clemente.
Posted inNEWS
Deputy Shooting of Homeless Black Man Prompts Curfew, Puts New Scrutiny on Sheriff’s Role, Protesters on Edge
Officials in San Clemente at a Thursday emergency meeting declared a 9 p.m. civil unrest curfew in specific areas of the city.
Posted inNEWS
OC Sheriff Deputy Killing of Homeless Black Man in San Clemente Sparks Protests
Protests have already appeared in San Clemente. Plans for another this afternoon outside the Sheriff’s San Clemente station are underway.
Posted inEmergencies & Disasters
State Report Verifies Fountain Valley Hospital Workers’ Claims of Mismanagement During Pandemic Surges
California’s Department of Public Health officials have issued a scathing report – verifying two-months-old worker accusations that virus patients were being mixed with nonvirus patients.
Posted inNEWS
Concerns Rise Over State Unemployment Hold-Ups, Local Labor Unease Mounts Over Laid-off Workers
A growing backlog of state unemployment claims and concerns among local labor leaders over whether laid off workers will get their jobs back keeps a spotlight on unemployment.
Posted inNEWS
Conservationists Split Over Poseidon Desal Project’s Potential to Help Bolsa Chica Wetlands
Some say the project could fund the Bolsa Chica Wetlands, weighed against the plant’s expected ecosystem damage. Others say Bolsa Chica doesn’t need Poseidon’s help.
Posted inNEWS
Orange County Supervisors Finalize Private Jet Plans, Ignore Resident Concerns
The vote caps a years-long saga filled with corruption allegations and non-transparency concerns hurled at several supervisors.
Posted inNEWS
Private Jet Plan for John Wayne Airport Sparks Resident Concern and Corruption Allegations
Several county supervisors have been called out regarding their handling of the private jet contracts.
