The new measures will result in less people in the jails, reads an administrative order from OC Superior Presiding Judge Kirk Nakamura, “thus alleviating some of the pressures for arraignments within 48 hours and preliminary hearings within 10 days.”
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 inCountywide, Emergencies & Disasters, Health & Wellness, Investigative, Irvine, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
UCI Doctors Say Hospital Administrators Failing to Provide Enough Protective Equipment
Doctors in at least one OC hospital, UC Irvine Medical Center, are ringing alarm bells of crucial supply shortages and a lack of adequate response by administrators to a local outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
Posted inCountywide, Emergencies & Disasters, Government, Health & Wellness, NEWS, Top Stories, Transportation
OC Buses Cutting Down Service Amid Coronavirus Fears
It’s the first round of cuts to bus service transportation officials have made responding to the public safety crisis, which has caused sharp drops in bus boardings for an agency that sees ridership fall year-by-year.
Posted inCountywide, Emergencies & Disasters, Government, Health & Wellness, NEWS, State, Top Stories
OC Court Officials Revise Operations and Hearings After Public Outrage, But What Happens Next is Unclear
OC Court officials have partly backed off reopening courtrooms for hearings amid a higher court order to close for two weeks and public health orders for OC residents to stay at home, after scenes from the main courthouse in Santa Ana on Thursday drew outrage from attorneys and county officials.
Posted inCountywide, Emergencies & Disasters, Government, NEWS, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
DA Spitzer Calls For Closure of OC Courts Amid Coronavirus Concerns After Initially Supporting Hearings on Thursday
Spitzer denounced what some attorneys decried as a serious public safety hazard at the main courthouse in Santa Ana today, but a day earlier he urged court staff and attorneys to remain calm and assured that measures were in place to protect attorneys and court staff.
Posted inCountywide, Economy, Education, Emergencies & Disasters, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Government, Health & Wellness, NEWS, REGIONS, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories, Westminster
Gaps In Coronavirus Outreach to Non-English Speaking Families & Businesses
Recent orders — and subsequent clarifications — by the county health officer weren’t immediately translated into non-English languages when they went into effect Tuesday. Meanwhile, local activists and doctors have taken it upon themselves to ensure key information about the novel coronavirus gets across to immigrant families and businesses where English isn’t the first language.
Posted inCountywide, Emergencies & Disasters, Santa Ana, Top Stories
OC Attorneys, Court Workers In Uproar After Being Called into Hearings Today Amid Coronavirus Fears
Attorneys are criticizing the move, calling it a public health risk – with attorneys, clients and court staff all slated to appear in one courtroom – amid orders by the county and health authorities to limit human contact in public settings to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Posted inEmergencies & Disasters, Government, NEWS, Safety, Security & Justice, State, Top Stories, Transportation
Transportation Officials Report Steep Decline in Bus Ridership
Transportation officials in just the past couple of days are reporting sharp declines in bus ridership amid orders by the governor and local health officials for people to avoid public gatherings and stay at home.
Posted inEmergencies & Disasters, Health & Wellness, NEWS, State, Top Stories
Grocers, Food Banks and School Lunch Programs Gear Up to Ensure Residents Have Plenty of Food
“There is plenty of food,” say grocers as Orange County residents prepare to stay at home and limit their public interactions. Meanwhile, food banks and school lunch programs will continue kicking into gear for low-income families and seniors who need affordable access to food during the public health crisis.
Posted inEmergencies & Disasters, Top Stories
Coronavirus Updates: To Slow Spread, Public is Asked to Stay Home When Possible
Public life in OC changes to put brakes on coronavirus’ spread. Health experts say lives will be saved from the people staying 6 feet from others as much as possible, and washing hands frequently.
