The City of Westminster will release an official statement denouncing Councilman Tai Do over his recent remarks on the state of city politics, following the approval of a controversial new policy that gives the dais’ majority faction more control over agenda-setting at meetings.
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, Government, Investigative, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
Company that Caused Illegal OC Jail Phone Recordings Could Have Nationwide Problem, Attorney Alleges
Phone company Global Tel Link (GTL) kept possibly hundreds of other U.S. jails in the dark about phone system problems it knew of since 2015 that caused the illegal recording of attorney-inmate calls in Orange County, according to a 42-page legal motion filed by OC Assistant Public Defender Scott Sanders.
Posted inWestminster
Allies on Westminster Council Add to Their Power Over the Agenda
The Westminster City Council’s majority, following a raucous meeting, now can decide what issues can be discussed in public meetings, under a new policy that could consolidate council members’ power over political opponents and agenda-setting.
Posted inCountywide, Top Stories, Transportation
OCTA Proposes Cuts to Bus Routes as Ridership Hits Low Mark
OCTA officials continue to grapple with the challenge of finding ways to increase the number of people using the bus system while at the same time absorbing cuts to bus service that have triggered serious declines in ridership.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
Grand Jury: A Simple Vitals Check Could Prevent Inmate Deaths
A simple check of inmates’ vital signs as they come into Orange County jail facilities could save their lives, according to a new Orange County Grand Jury report.
Posted inSanta Ana
Santa Ana Council Deadlocks on Its $450,000 City Manager Overruns
The ability of the Santa Ana city manager to pay her office’s bills has been thrown into doubt, after City Council members deadlocked on a $450,000 mid-year transfer to cover bills related to the council’s ouster of former City Manager Raul Godinez.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Investigative, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
Grand Jury Finds Lack of Sheriff’s Department Oversight in Illegal Jail Phone Recordings
A lack of oversight allowed the illegal recording of more than 30,000 phone calls between inmates and their attorneys inside county jails, according to the Orange County Grand Jury.
Posted inWestminster
Westminster City Council Approves Thinned-Out Ethics Code
Westminster officials now have a set of ethics guidelines to follow while doing city business, the result of a months-long battle between council members over whether a City Hall struggling to move past years of corruption allegations needs ethical reform.
Posted inBuena Park, Housing & Homelessness, Top Stories
Buena Park Hires Mercy House to Operate New Shelter
The nonprofit Mercy House will operate Buena Park’s new $2.6 million regional homeless shelter, though there’s scrutiny over an apparent lack of public input when a select committee of public officials and homelessness experts recommended their preferred contractor to the City Council.
Posted inGovernment, Housing & Homelessness, San Clemente, Top Stories
San Clemente Begins Anti-camping Enforcement at North Beach, Spurring Public Standoff
San Clemente pushed ahead with anti-camping enforcement Friday when county healthcare workers and Sheriff’s deputies asked North Beach homeless camp residents to pack up their tents and move to a city lot, despite a fresh lawsuit against south county cities.
