The Westminster Police Department fostered a culture of bullying and retaliation for years under former police chief Ralph Ornelas, three police officers allege in separate legal claims filed against the city.
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 inWestminster
Westminster City Council Again Delays Adoption of Ethics Code for City Officials
Westminster City Council members for the second time put off adopting a code of ethical conduct for city officials, continuing a months-long battle between those on the dais who see a City Hall buried in corruption allegations and those who argue they’re already following the law.
Posted inFullerton, Irvine, Orange, Santa Ana
Irvine City Council Will Attempt Complicated Appointment Process to Fill Vacant Council Seat
Irvine City Council members are looking at filling a vacancy on the dais through a complicated appointment process in an effort to avoid a special election that’s still on the table, though it could be costly, according to city officials.
Posted inGovernment, Housing & Homelessness, Santa Ana, Top Stories
Santa Ana and OC Officials Bicker Over Stalled New Homeless Shelter
All work and construction on a new homeless shelter has stalled in Santa Ana, as city and county officials continue to point fingers over an apparent lack of public input on the effort to relocate homeless people from the Courtyard shelter in downtown to the new location on Yale Street.
Posted inBuena Park, Housing & Homelessness, Top Stories
Buena Park City Council Relocates New Homeless Shelter After Public Pressure
Buena Park City Council members found a new homeless shelter site in a more industrial, east-end part of town, after taking heat from the public for considering a location that was closer to neighborhoods and a number of schools.
Posted inGovernment, Investigative, NEWS, Westminster
Newly Elected Westminster Councilman Clashes With Peers Over Ethics and Transparency
A proposed set of council ethics policies introduced by Westminster’s newest City Councilman Tai Do has put him squarely at odds with most of his council colleagues.
Posted inFullerton, Irvine, Orange, Santa Ana
Irvine To Grapple With City Council Vacancy After Christina Shea Becomes Mayor
Irvine will grapple with a City Council vacancy when Mayor Pro Tem Christina Shea succeeds former Mayor Don Wagner, who resigned Tuesday after winning a special election to become a County supervisor.
Posted inSanta Ana
Santa Ana Officials Set $1.7 Million Car Dealership Subsidy To Help Local Business
Santa Ana city officials, fearing a downturn in local commerce amid a recent voter-approved 1.5 percent sales tax increase, are trying to encourage residents to shop locally, and they’re helping car dealerships first, through a $1.7 million subsidy.
Posted inEconomy, Investigative, NEWS, Santa Ana
Santa Ana Debates Vacant City Leadership Positions Friday
Two key city leadership positions in Santa Ana could be filled at a special City Council meeting this coming Friday night – though movement on solving Santa Ana’s leadership vacuum has so far been stalled by deadlocked council members.
Posted inEconomy, Government, NEWS, REGIONS, Santa Ana
Kristine Ridge Set to Become Next Santa Ana City Manager
Santa Ana City Council members will vote Tuesday on appointing Kristine Ridge as the new city manager, as the city faces a leadership vacuum that began three months ago with the deputy city manager leaving for another city and City Manager Raul Godinez pushed out by the mayor and other council members.
