Citing employee privacy concerns, Anaheim council members voted to hire an outside attorney to help review and redact certain aspects of an independent corruption investigation.
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 inAnaheim
How Much of Anaheim’s City Hall Corruption Probe Will Residents See?
After considering limiting the scope of the independent probe and placing a gag order on investigators, officials today are expected to reconsider exactly what gets released in the final report.
Posted inCypress
Will The Cypress City Council Limit Public Debates?
Officials are tinkering with their city council meeting agenda setting policy, sparking transparency concerns and worries of limiting policy debates from residents.
Posted inCountywide
Orange County Moves to Help Connect Refugees and Immigrants to Critical Services
County officials are looking to start a new office aimed at helping immigrants and refugees navigate a new life in Orange County as they try to achieve the American dream.
Posted inBuena Park
Buena Park May Soon Roll Out a New Rental Home Inspection Program
Officials are tinkering with an idea of a targeted rental inspection program in an effort to hold landlords accountable for critical repairs.
Posted inFullerton
Fullerton Moves to Repair Badly Damaged Roads
Fullerton officials are trying to fix some local streets, but questions are surfacing if the repairs factor in bicycle riders as some residents push for greater pedestrian infrastructure.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Sacramento Warns Orange For Trying to Quietly Sidestep Housing Law
A Voice of OC review found that much of the city’s current housing plans are set up on sites that can’t be developed for another 20 years – something that prompted a warning from state housing officials.
Posted inLa Habra
La Habra Keeps Security Guard at Skatepark to Enforce Helmet Rules
City officials voted unanimously to keep a security guard at the La Habra Skatepark despite local skaters telling them enforcement of helmet regulations is driving kids out.
Posted inCypress
Cypress Looks to Bolster Businesses Who Lost Foot Traffic During Pandemic
Three years since the start of the pandemic, city officials hope three new recovery programs intended to support business growth will help local entrepreneurs by spurring local spending.
Posted inEducation
What’s the Future of Orange County’s First Arabic Public School Program?
Anaheim Union High School District officials cut their Arabic program but at least one local Arab American leader is asking why the community wasn’t involved in the decision.
