Orange County Animal Care kennel attendants are among the 400 county workers striking over stalled labor negotiations as the Prima Deseche Landfill is closed to the public.
Author Archives: Norberto Santana Jr.
Norberto Santana, Jr. is an experienced investigative reporter, serving as founding publisher and editor-in-chief for Voice of OC, overseeing newsroom, engagement and fundraising operations.
He’s also an award-winning columnist, focusing his efforts on First Amendment issues and local government, being recognized multiple years by the Orange County Press Club as the region’s best columnist.
The LA Press Club has named him a Journalist of the Year (2018) and the Los Angeles chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists has recognized him as a “Distinguished Journalist.” The California Chicano News Media Association has honored him with a lifetime achievement award and the national News Leaders Association has recognized him for his commitment to diverse staffing and coverage.
Santana is a pioneer in the field of nonprofit news having served on the board of directors for the national trade group for nonprofit newsrooms, the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN). He also has served on boards of the national nonprofit advocating investigative journalism, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) and the California First Amendment advocacy group, CalAware.
In addition to journalism, Santana also teaches public affairs and investigative journalism as an adjunct faculty professor at Chapman University.
Before founding Voice of OC in 2009, Santana was a lead investigative reporter for the Orange County Register, focusing on county government. He spent nearly two decades covering local governments across Southern California, previously as a staff writer at the San Diego Union Tribune and San Bernardino County Sun.
Santana began his journalistic career as an apprentice reporter with Congressional Quarterly in Washington, D.C. covering daily floor action in the U.S. Congress and followed that up with a stint covering the territorial Senate for the U.S. Virgin Islands Daily News.
Languages spoken: English and Spanish
Posted inTop Stories
Santana: Finding The Inside Scoop About OC Candidates Vying For Election Next Month
Voice of OC is aiming to put residents in the driver’s seat for the upcoming November elections with questionnaires in county supervisors’ races, coverage on city races and debates.
Posted inSanta Ana
Santana: Why Is a Free Press Not Welcome in Santa Ana?
This year’s election debates are surfacing a dangerous tendency among the majority of council members to avoid press questions.
Posted inNorberto Santana, Jr.
Santana: Is The County of Orange Ready to Investigate Itself?
OC Supervisors might give themselves subpoena power to look further into the 2024 corruption scandal that saw former Supervisor Andrew Do plead guilty to a bribery scheme, landing him in prison for five years.
Posted inLadera Ranch
Santana: Could Ladera Ranch Lead The Way on Organic HOA Landscaping?
In the wake of child cancer concerns, residents tonight are scheduled to get an update at the Ladera Ranch HOA board meeting on cancer study updates as well as adopting new landscaping policies moving away from toxics and toward more healthy landscaping practices.
Posted inNorberto Santana, Jr.
Santana: Hotel Workers Caught Up In Political Rip Tides At Dana Point Harbor
The race for a supervisors’ seat in South Orange County is having a real impact on a lucrative deal to redevelop hotels and boat slips.
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Santana: Who’s Influencing Orange County’s Government
Two Orange County Supervisors are proposing that lobbyists publicly detail who they meet with inside the county government. Yet there’s seemingly little taste for a similar standard for county supervisors.
Posted inState
Santana: OC Water District Called Out For Illegally Bulldozing Bird Nest in Santa Ana River
State regulators say the Orange County Water District illegally bulldozed a migratory bird nest in the Santa Ana River – a claim the district denies – as state and water district officials are expected to meet on the issue.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Santana: Ladera Ranch Sparks National Debate on Tackling Toxics
Facing mounting concerns about kids getting rare cancers, Ladera Ranch residents are asking tough questions about the health impacts from herbicides and pesticides used in landscaping as well as other environmental factors like power lines.
Posted inTop Stories
Santana: CA Wildlife Officials Saved Creeks Near Doheny State Beach From OC Public Works
State officials block local efforts to cut down vegetation as they meet with OC Public Works today to review their management of the San Juan and Trabuco Creeks.
