The Orange County Fairgrounds’ weekend swap meet and hundreds of vendors who make a living there are in limbo.
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
Toll Road Officials Keep Battling Efforts to Drop South OC Toll Road Extension, Defend Financial Health
TCA directors in March dropped a slew of controversial proposals to extend the 241 toll road. Now they’re using paid lobbyists to oppose a state bill affirming their own move.
Posted inNEWS
In South OC’s Wealthy, Mostly White School District, Students of Color Tell Stories of Racism, Harassment and Inaction
Stories of racism at Capistrano Unified School District are storming social media.
Posted inNEWS
Huntington Beach Parents Continue to Fight Perry Elementary Closure
Dozens of parents and their children gathered outside Joseph R. Perry Elementary School on Tuesday for a protest.
Posted inNEWS
Protesters Call Out Sheriff Over Spending at County Meeting, Supervisors Unanimously Approve City Patrol Contracts
County supervisors ultimately approved all the contracts unanimously with no real debate or discussion about any of the terms or details.
Posted inNEWS
OC Fair Audit Shows $220K in Improper Expenses, Travel, and Unreported Theft
The audit spans a year, 2018, in which the OC Fair and Events Center was under leadership of former CEO Kathy Kramer, who was fired by the Fair Board in late 2019.
Posted inNEWS
As Coronavirus Pummels Local Economies, Cannabis Sales Gets A Second Look From City Halls
Some city officials say marijuana, unlike other sales tax revenue streams, has at least been a stable source of cash.
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Juneteenth Santa Ana Rally Draws from Local Black History in Wake of Protests
By design, Friday’s rally coincided with Juneteenth, which commemorates the year when Black slaves in Texas were proclaimed free two years after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863.
Posted inNEWS
Santa Ana Officials Move Forward with Police Spending Increases, Police Oversight Commission in Meeting Marred By Public Outrage
Santa Ana City Council members late Thursday night approved a $9 million police spending increase for the next fiscal year along with the rest of the city budget in an initial vote.
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Young Black Organizers and Leaders Look to a New Orange County in Light of Protests
Local Black activists and leaders participating in recent protests warn that the energy needs to carry over to local city council and public agency meetings in order to accomplish any real systemic change.
