The council-approved training course is meant to check social, unconscious biases among those overseeing public services and taxpayer dollars.
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 inGovernment, Health & Wellness, NEWS, Outdoors, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories, Transportation
OC Supervisors Move Forward on John Wayne Airport Jet Space Plans as Public Concerns Remain
Orange County supervisors are moving forward with three companies to take over non-airline aviation services at John Wayne Airport.
Posted inCENTRAL COUNTY, Countywide, Government, Irvine, Newport Beach, NEWS, Outdoors, Politics & Elections, REGIONS, Safety, Security & Justice, Santa Ana, SOUTH COUNTY, Top Stories, Transportation
Orange County Supervisors Decide Today on Private Jet Plan for John Wayne Airport
Airport expansion foes fear that what started as a home to small planes has over the years turned into a more ambitious enterprise with increased international clientele.
Posted inCountywide, Health & Wellness, Huntington Beach, NEWS, Top Stories, Water, Power & Waste
Water Officials Push Back Decision on Huntington Beach Desal Project Yet Again
The Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Agency board directors anticipate returning to the issue on Sept. 17.
Posted inCENTRAL COUNTY, Countywide, Health & Wellness, Huntington Beach, NEWS, REGIONS, Top Stories, Water, Power & Waste
Controversial Huntington Beach Desalination Project Faces Key Hurdle Friday
Getting a permit from the Santa Ana regional water board would be one of the last hurdles for the Poseidon Water company to clear for its desalination project.
Posted inNEWS, Top Stories, Transportation
John Wayne Airport Officials Slammed for Shutting Out Residents From Key Private Jet Public Meetings
Airport officials came under significant criticism from residents in the wake of Wednesday’s meeting over the total breakdown in phone conferencing.
Posted inCENTRAL COUNTY, Economy, Emergencies & Disasters, NEWS, REGIONS, Top Stories, Westminster
A Nervous Westminster City Council Takes Another Hard Look at Increasing Sales Taxes Today
City officials have convened another special meeting for today to revisit the possibility of putting a sales tax increase before voters in November.
Posted inCENTRAL COUNTY, Countywide, Education, Emergencies & Disasters, Government, Health & Wellness, NEWS, Politics & Elections, REGIONS, Safety, Security & Justice, Santa Ana, Top Stories
OC School Reopening Reignites Debate Over Alternative Education, Charter Schools
It isn’t the first time arguments around ‘choice’ have come up in debates over public education in Orange County.
Posted inEconomy, Emergencies & Disasters, Government, Health & Wellness, NEWS, Santa Ana, Top Stories
Santa Ana Expands Its Coronavirus Response With Influx of New Federal Dollars
The federal cash was passed on to the city from the state, on top of the $3 million it already received from Orange County.
Posted inCENTRAL COUNTY, Countywide, Emergencies & Disasters, Garden Grove, Government, Health & Wellness, NEWS, NORTH COUNTY, REGIONS, Stanton, Top Stories
Coronavirus Prompts Community Census Takers to Get Creative
New partnerships between census workers and local community leaders have formed new outreach efforts to ramp up response rates in undercounted areas.
