What the officers want is the option of retiring at age 50 and still receiving an annual 3% of their highest salary as their pension.
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 inBrea, Emergencies & Disasters, Fountain Valley, Health & Wellness, NEWS, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories, Westminster
More OC Hospital Employees Protest Conditions They Say Led to Coronavirus Outbreak
Medical workers at Kindred Hospital in Westminster protested hospital management’s handling of coronavirus patients, which they said led to an outbreak.
Posted inSanta Ana
Balancing Health Safety with Participation, Santa Ana Grapples with Public Comment Policies
Santa Ana City Council members Tuesday settled on a speaking format that will continue hearing phone-in input at the start of each session rather than the end.
Posted inNEWS
Santa Ana Officials Raise Questions Over Voter Access “Desert” In City’s Crowded South End
A map of ballot drop-off boxes proposed for the city triggered immediate concern by council members like Phil Bacerra.
Posted inNEWS
Santa Ana’s Youth Go Profane in Public Comment to Get Noticed by City Council
While city officials this year smoothed out their new spending plan, residents and young activists protested yet another city budget that put most of its money into police.
Posted inNEWS
Garden Grove Police Launch Probe into Officer Who Waved Baton Out Of Unmarked Car During Protest by Young Activists
The video has prompted an internal police department probe.
Posted inNEWS
Santa Ana Tenants Confront Mounting Eviction Threats Amid Looming Expiration of Citywide Renter Protections
Some tenants who spoke to Voice of OC claim some landlords have already ramped up harassment as the deadline approaches.
Posted inEmergencies & Disasters
Orange County Schools Likely to Have Online Learning Only at Start of Fall Semester
Gov. Newsom ordered most large school districts to implement online learning, ending a debate in OC over whether or not kids should physically go back to school.
Posted inNEWS
Another Wave of Coronavirus Patients Likely to Hit Orange County Hospitals
Hospitals in the county are now likely to see even more virus patients in the coming weeks after two weeks of sharp increases of newly-reported cases.
Posted inNEWS
Unprecedented OC Election Season Gears Up, Shaped by Social Justice Movements, Public Health Crises
The 2020 election was already set to be pivotal; but now it will be further shaped by regional forces like Coronavirus and social protests.
