City voters will decide in November if they will maintain a sales tax increase indefinitely after elected leaders warn that without it they will make drastic cuts to city services.
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 inSanta Ana
Will Santa Ana’s Temporary Sales Tax Increase Become Permanent?
Elected officials are debating asking voters to maintain a 1.5% sales tax increase indefinitely after making multi-million dollar cuts to balance their budget.
Posted inEconomy
How Rocky Are Orange County’s Municipal Budgets?
Several of the county’s large cities are confronting growing budget deficits with no real answers for how they’ll dig themselves out of the hole.
Posted inOrange
Orange Moves to Fine Abandoned Property Owners Amid Budget Woes
Officials are looking to crack down on unkept vacant buildings they say create public nuisances by citing owners as they look to generate more revenue to address the city’s structural budget deficit.
Posted inWestminster
Demands For Compensation Over Chemical Tank Emergency Increase in Orange County
More elected officials are calling on GKN to reimburse impacted residents forced to evacuate their homes in May when one of their chemical tanks nearly blew up.
Posted inCypress
OC Plans to Crackdown on Illegal Fireworks on a Monumental Fourth of July
Cypress officials are joining a host of cities across OC ramping up firework regulations as local police departments plan to increase enforcement for America’s 250th Fourth of July celebration.
Posted inSafety, Security & Justice
Santa Ana Officials Rally Against County’s Quietly Planned Halfway House
Santa Ana officials are pressuring county leaders to relocate a proposed $21 million halfway house for ex-cons outside of their city, arguing they already host too many social service hubs.
Posted inSanta Ana
Santa Ana’s Bleak Budget Leads to Commission Purge
Officials are dissolving five resident-run advisory boards to save tens of thousands of dollars in the face of a multi-million dollar budget gap.
Posted inGovernment
Grand Jury Questions if Orange County Can Hold Elected Officials Accountable
O.C. Grand Jurors are recommending a charter reform to give O.C. Supervisors the power to remove county elected officials for misconduct with a supermajority vote.
Posted inFullerton
Auditors Question if Fullerton is Properly Overseeing Budget
Auditors are recommending Fullerton hire an experienced chief financial officer and be more forthright with budget documentation and presentations as city leaders grapple with a projected budget deficit.
