Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/author/nsantana/)
Norberto Santana, Jr. is an award-winning investigative reporter with nearly two decades reporting experience, most recently engaging Orange County government institutions and decision makers as the founding publisher of the nonprofit digital newsroom, Voice of OC. As publisher, Santana oversees all newsroom, engagement and fundraising operations and also writes a weekly Opinion column about Orange County government. In 2017 and 2018, the Orange County Press Club recognized Santana as Orange County’s best columnist. Before founding Voice of OC in 2009, Santana was a lead investigative reporter for the Orange County Register from 2004-2009, focusing on county government. He’s spent nearly two decades just focusing on local governments across Southern California, previously as a staff writer with outlets such as the San Diego Union Tribune and the San Bernardino County Sun. Santana began his journalistic career in the early 1990s 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. In addition to his experience as a journalist, the Southern California native has a master’s in Latin American Studies, has worked as an elections analyst on National Endowment for Democracy programs across Latin America and was one of the founders of CubaNet.org, a website featuring the work of dissident journalists inside Cuba that has operated since 1995. Languages spoken: English and Spanish Areas of expertise: Orange County, southern California, investigations, politics, elections, government transparency, Congress, Latin America, local government, civic education and reporting education.
County officials won’t say much about how they purchased the Othena vaccine app that is frustrating so many residents. They are also going silent on ongoing virus outbreaks in jails, homeless shelters and among county workers.
As Congress considers another impeachment, questions mount for those who traveled to the D.C. rally as well as for local political party leaders, who face election this month.
OC’s first female Sheriff was hired in 2008 to revamp a department battered by the federal indictment of former Sheriff Mike Carona. While she is credited with stabilizing the agency, the culture issues she identified when she first arrived remained throughout her tenure.
OC Sheriff faces a massive outbreak forcing near evacuation of the jail. County Social Services Agency has outbreaks int nine divisions across six different addresses.
Nearly 1,000 County of Orange workers have been infected with Coronavirus. As numbers continue to rise so do questions about how to best protect workers and the public.
OC Supervisors today expected to consider supporting lawsuit against Gov. Newsom. Yet the County of Orange itself isn’t very transparent about Covid.
As OC elections officially wrap up this week, no major race outcomes changed much. But for Lauren Barnes, now one of Orange County’s newest – and youngest – elected officials, the race came down to the last day and down to just one vote.
OC likes purple. Voters leaned Democrat for President and Republican in key congressional contests as well as in an urban county supervisors’ seat. Meanwhile, Democrat flipped two key state senate races.
Amidst concerns of rising COVID Cases, the 112th annual boat parade has been canceled.
OC’s Veterans Service Office – which helps local vets in crisis deal with hard-to-navigate federal benefit programs – is critically low on staffing. County officials say they are on track to fill key vacancies.