Residents of both the Santa Anita neighborhood and Park Santiago neighborhood agree the Council has ignored their opposition to development near their homes — but residents of Santa Anita, a lower-income and predominantly Latino area, say they weren’t listened to as much as residents of Park Santiago, which has more white and higher-income residents.
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 inEconomy, News Briefs, Santa Ana
Santa Ana City Council Approves Controversial Apartments Project in Park Santiago Neighborhood
A much-disputed apartment complex is moving forward in north Santa Ana, after two years of uncertainty and protests by nearby homeowners who say the project is too large for the […]
Posted inEconomy, Government, Housing & Homelessness, NEWS, REGIONS, Santa Ana
Santa Ana City Council Set to Vote Today on Controversial Apartments Proposal
Today’s vote by the City Council will come after more than two years of protests and uncertainty among city officials and residents surrounding the project, which prompted numerous revisions to it by developer Ryan Ogulnick and his team at Vineyards Development Corp.
Posted inGovernment, Housing & Homelessness, Top Stories
Construction of Homeless Shelter in Santa Ana Up for County Approval Today
The 425-bed Yale shelter would replace the Courtyard shelter in the Santa Ana Civic Center. It’s generated concern from Santa Ana residents, many of whom feel the city has long done more than its share to shelter homeless people.
Posted inCosta Mesa, Countywide, Government, Investigative, NEWS, News Briefs, REGIONS, Top Stories
Outgoing Costa Mesa Police Chief Claims Retaliation at City Hall
Sharpnack announced his retirement in October, a few months after a disagreement between him and the City Council over how much support from the city is actually needed for the police department.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Housing & Homelessness, NEWS, Santa Ana, Top Stories
Santa Ana Residents Say Landlords Are Evicting Them Ahead of New State Law, City Council Balks on Emergency Tenant Protections
Santa Ana housing advocates say local landlords are rushing to evict tenants or raising rents to get ahead of a new California rent control law, and calling on the City Council to follow other cities across the state in enacting protections for tenants until the state law takes effect.
Posted inGovernment, Investigative, NEWS, Politics & Elections, REGIONS, Top Stories, Westminster
Recall Campaign Targeting Westminster City Council Majority Claims Enough Signatures to Trigger Election
If the recall petitions hold up to city and county officials’ review, voters will decide the fates of the City Council’s majority faction in a recall election.
Posted inPolitics & Elections, Santa Ana
Bacerra Maintains Lead in Latest Santa Ana Council Results
Phil Bacerra, a real estate consultant and former city planning commissioner, held on to his lead for a City Council seat in the third day of election results Thursday, as former city planner Manny Escamilla closed in slightly, from 2.4 percentage points to 2.0 points behind Bacerra.
Posted inGovernment, Investigative, Politics & Elections, Santa Ana
Results Tighten as Vote-Counting Continues for Santa Ana Council Seat
Vote counting will continue through at least Friday.
Posted inGovernment, Investigative, Politics & Elections, Safety, Security & Justice, Santa Ana, Top Stories
Bacerra, Mendoza and Escamilla Have Early Leads in Santa Ana Council Results
It’s still early; in last year’s primary election, almost half of all ballots in Orange County were not yet counted at of the end of election night.
