A unanimous Anaheim City Council has approved $400,000 partly to ramp up visible, private security and park rangers at city parks where large numbers of homeless people are known to visit.
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 inBrea, Costa Mesa, Dana Point, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Irvine, La Habra, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, Politics & Elections, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Villa Park, Yorba Linda
Former VP Joe Biden Stumps for OC Democratic Congressional Candidates
Former Vice President Joe Biden endorsed Democratic congressional candidates at Cal State Fullerton Thursday at a crowded invitation-only rally where he blamed the Republican tax bill for cuts to social programs.
Posted inInvestigative, Politics & Elections
New State Law Requires More Transparency From Social Media Political Ads
Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill requiring social media organizations to disclose the top three funders behind political advertisements that appear on social media.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness, Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, Top Stories, Westminster
Santa Ana Hires Operator for New 200-Bed Homeless Shelter; No Location Yet
Santa Ana is moving ahead to open a new 200-bed homeless shelter by the end of the year, following unanimous Santa Ana City Council approval of a one year operations contract. The location hasn’t been announced.
Posted inSanta Ana
Santa Ana Adjourns Meeting in Middle of Public Comment After Council Majority Leaves Early
Santa Ana City Attorney Sonia Carvalho adjourned Tuesday’s city council meeting in the middle of public comment while people were still waiting — some for four hours — to address a half-empty dais.
Posted inSafety, Security & Justice, Westminster
Two Westminster Police Officers in Workplace Fight; One Officer Now On Leave
Two Westminster police officers who were plaintiffs in a federal discrimination lawsuit against the Police Department were involved in a workplace fight Aug. 30.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Top Stories
Anaheim-based Animal Rescue Group Threatens LAPD With Lawsuit
Anaheim-based Ghetto Rescue Ffoundation (GRFF) is threatening a lawsuit if the Los Angeles Police Department doesn’t retract a statement blaming the animal rescue group for false information about a dead adopted pit bull.
Posted inGovernment, Top Stories
OC Adopted Pit Bull Not Sexually Abused: LAPD
The Los Angeles Police Department reported Thursday a pit bull adopted from the OC Animal Care shelter was not sexually abused and the cause of death still is being investigated.
Posted inGovernment, Top Stories
In Wake of Dog’s Abuse and Killing, County Exploring ‘Do Not Adopt’ List
The discussion was prompted by the recent sexual abuse and killing of a 5-year-old pit bull that was adopted last month from a free county program.
Posted inAnaheim, Costa Mesa, Countywide, Government, Housing & Homelessness, Orange, Safety, Security & Justice, Santa Ana, Top Stories
OC Needle Exchange Plans to Open in September, as County Asks Court to Block It
The program faces staunch opposition from the county and the four cities where the state authorized it to operate. A court hearing on whether to block it could come later this month or next month.
