Irvine city leaders are cracking down on college students who board up with multiple roommates to afford steep rent prices, to the support of city homeowners concerned with neighborhood character and objection of college students who argue this will force many of them into homelessness.
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, Santa Ana
Santa Ana Prepares to Sell Off Dozens of Public Land Parcels for Development
Council members opted this week to send 23 of the city’s 88 undeveloped, public land parcels out for private real estate bids — continuing a years-long battle between city officials pushing for commercial growth through development and affordable housing advocates who see a built-out city already feeling the effects of gentrification and lack of community spaces.
Posted inCENTRAL COUNTY, Santa Ana
Developer Offers Scaled Down Apartment Proposal Near Discovery Cube on North Main
Developer Ryan Ogulnick is offering to scale down a controversial plan for a large apartment complex along North Main Street in Santa Ana, right across from the Discovery Cube, which has been intensely opposed by residents of the surrounding Park Santiago neighborhood.
Posted inSanta Ana
Roman Reyna Resigns From Santa Ana City Council
His resignation follows through on an agreement to step down to avoid a civil trial involving allegations of election fraud.
Posted inInvestigative, Safety, Security & Justice, Westminster
Westminster settles with two former employees alleging discrimination
Two former Westminster employees claiming workplace discrimination have reached settlements with a city still weathering corruption and bullying allegations leveled by both former and current city officials.
Posted inInvestigative, Safety, Security & Justice, Santa Ana
Santa Ana Searches for Money to Cover Police Raises
Santa Ana officials are looking for money in other parts of the Police Department budget to fund $4.3 million for police pay increases this fiscal year, as City Council members continue to be deadlocked over whether to fund the raises.
Posted inInvestigative, Safety, Security & Justice, Westminster
Westminster Police Chief Placed on Administrative Leave
Westminster’s police chief, Ralph Ornelas, is on administrative leave pending the results of an outside investigation into “possible policy violations,” according to city officials.
Posted inBuena Park, Housing & Homelessness
Buena Park Residents Express Opposition to Possible Homeless Shelter
Resident frustrations boiled during a town hall meeting hosted by the Buena Park City Council to consider a temporary, regional homeless shelter just north of the city’s border with Anaheim.
Posted inEconomy, Investigative, Safety, Security & Justice, Santa Ana
Santa Ana Approves $25 Million Police Raise, But Not Funding
Santa Ana City Council members granted raises to police officers and sergeants totaling $25 million over the next two and a half years, without the ability to actually pay the $4.3 million cost for this fiscal year.
Posted inGovernment, Safety, Security & Justice, Santa Ana
$25 Million in Santa Ana Police Raises Up for City Council Approval
Santa Ana City Council members will vote Tuesday on the largest pay raises for the city’s police officers in more than a decade, totaling $25 million in taxpayer money over […]
