Orange County is seeking an emergency court order blocking Monday’s re-opening of a state-authorized needle exchange program.
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 inAnaheim, Costa Mesa, Government, Health & Wellness, Housing & Homelessness, Orange, Santa Ana, Top Stories
OC Supervisors to hold emergency meeting on state-authorized OC Needle Exchange Program
The Orange County Board of Supervisors will hold an emergency hearing Friday to discuss possibly filing a law suit in an effort to stop the OC Needle Exchange Program authorized by the state in spite of strong opposition by the county and some cities.
Posted inGovernment, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
Hunger Strike by OC Jail Inmates Ends
A hunger strike by Orange County jail inmates ended as of 10 p.m. Friday according to Sheriff’s spokesman Ray Grangoff.
Posted inBuena Park
Buena Park OKs Background Checks for Commissioners Who Work With Kids
A unanimous Buena Park City Council voted Tuesday to create a background check policy for commissioners working with children, making it one of only a few Orange County cities to do any kind of a background investigation of its commission members.
Posted inGovernment, Investigative, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
Sheriff’s Department Says 145 OC Jail Inmates Ended Hunger Strike After One Day
A hunger strike by 145 Orange County jail inmates ended after one day, but four inmates still are refusing to eat after at least four days, according to Sheriff’s spokeswoman Carrie Braun.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Investigative, Safety, Security & Justice, Santa Ana, Top Stories
At Least 150 OC Jail Inmates on Hunger Strike to Protest Conditions and Treatment
Roughly 150 to 200 Orange County jail inmates are on a hunger strike to protest jailhouse conditions, according to two different estimates — one from the OC Sheriff’s Department and another from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Posted inDana Point, Government, Top Stories
Finances Unclear as Supervisors Decide on $1 Billion-Plus Dana Point Harbor Overhaul
Orange County supervisors Tuesday are poised to vote on a $1 billion-plus public-private revitalization project for Dana Point Harbor, although officials have so far declined to specify how much of the county’s $1.2 billion in projected harbor costs are expected to be paid out of park funds meant for the entire county.
Posted inIrvine
Irvine Hires John Russo as City Manager Despite Controversy in Riverside
The Irvine City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to hire John Russo as its new city manager, despite a pay increase controversy and contract dispute from his past city manager position in Riverside.
Posted inAnaheim, Countywide, Government, Irvine, Top Stories
Veterans Cemetery Location in Irvine Still Unclear
The location of Orange County’s first veterans cemetery remains unclear after the Irvine City Council directed staff to identify a site in or around the Great Park and put the […]
Posted inCountywide, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Top Stories
Border Patrol Says Human Smuggling by Boat Increased in OC and So Cal
Orange County is likely to see more human smuggling in small fishing boats or rafts along the coast, like two cases in June, due to “zero-tolerance” federal enforcement of immigration rules on the California-Mexico border, said U.S. Border Patrol spokesman William Rogers.
