Placentia officials are rolling out new regulations for short-term rentals as leaders in neighboring Brea cranked up fines for violating the city’s Airbnb pilot program.
Author Archives: Hosam Elattar
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC/ Report For America reporter covering Anaheim & North Orange County, food insecurity, housing & homelessness, the Arab & Muslim American community and education.
Elattar started at Voice of OC as an intern in January, 2020 and has covered local food banks’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic, School board debates on how to teach history, the decades long push by Arab American business owners to recognize Little Arabia and a corruption scandal at Anaheim City Hall.
He has won several awards from the OC Press Club including Best News Story, Best Political Story and Best Religion Story.
Elattar is Egyptian American and has lived in Botswana, Nepal, Uganda, The Dominican Republic and India.
Posted inWater, Power & Waste
More OC Cities Hike Trash Rates; Where Are The Increases The Highest?
Cypress residents’ trash bills are expected to get more expensive this summer by $6 a month while Buena Park residents will pay $4 more each month.
Posted inOrange
Orange Holds Off on Sale Tax Measure Amid Looming Cuts to Public Safety
Orange City Council members kicked a discussion on placing a tax measure on the November ballot that, if approved, is projected to eventually bring in $37 million to help curb the city’s budget crisis.
Posted inSanta Ana
Under Construction: Santa Ana’s Long Winding Saga With Torn Up Streets
Many Santa Ana residents have grown up alongside street improvements that seemingly never end.
Posted inOrange
Orange Again Poised to Bank on Sales Tax Increase to Bail Out Bleak Budget
Orange City Council members are slated to once again ask residents to approve a sales tax measure in November after residents rejected a smaller proposed tax increase in 2024.
Posted inSanta Ana
Santa Ana Police Called to Aid Federal Officers Before Firing on ICE Protesters Last Year
Almost a year since the ICE protests, Santa Ana police officials publicly answered limited questions on their scrutinized response to last June’s protests amid looming legal threats.
Posted inSanta Ana
OC Judge Overturns $2.9 Million Verdict in Santa Ana Police Retaliation Lawsuit
A judge overturned a $2.9 million ruling in favor of a former Santa Ana police administrator who alleged she was being unlawfully retaliated against by her superior, arguing there was insufficient evidence to support the jury’s verdict.
Posted inSanta Ana
Santa Ana’s Upcoming Report on Police Firing on ICE Protesters Lacks Details
Santa Ana leaders seem to be shying away from an in-depth public debate on why police officers fired hundreds of rounds of rubber bullets and threw tear gas at anti-ICE protestors in Orange County’s only sanctuary city.
Posted inEconomy
Some OC City Officials Eye Cannabis to Bail Out Municipal Budgets
As cities grapple with budget deficits, some leaders in two separate college towns are more open to exploring legalizing and taxing cannabis retail stores to bring in new revenue than others.
Posted inOrange
Orange Expected to Defer Millions in Infrastructure Repairs Amid Budget Crisis
City of Orange officials are continuing to grapple with curbing a long time structural deficit and are expected to postpone making repairs to a couple of fire stations and city hall.
