Federal Judge David Carter, known for handling the 2018 homeless lawsuits against the county, is poised to handle a class action lawsuit against the oil rig operator for the October 2021 oil spill.
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 inNorberto Santana Jr.
Santana: Orange County Veterans Take Their Last Hill
A coalition of Orange County veterans broke out of Irvine’s shifting council majorities, developer interests and competing sites to secure countywide support for a proposed veterans cemetery at Gypsum Canyon. It all comes after roughly a decade-long battle for a final resting place in OC.
Posted inNorberto Santana Jr.
Santana: A Chance to Cheat Death For Dia de Los Muertos
Latinos continue to get hit the hardest when it comes to COVID deaths in OC. During this weekend’s holiday, vaccination clinics will go up in key areas with the hope of avoiding the wave of death that engulfed Orange County last winter.
Posted inNorberto Santana Jr.
Why Did One of Orange County’s Most Park Poor Cities Quietly Sell Off a Slice of Its Own Public Park?
Westminster city officials and their law firm are drawing questions — and formal calls for an investigation — into how the sale of a slice of Liberty Park happened without public hearings required by state law to sell off public land.
Posted inNorberto Santana Jr.
Santana: State, Feds Kick Off Slew of Investigations Into OC Oil Spill
This week, a host of different state and federal officeholders are launching investigations and oversight hearings after last week’s oil spill off of OC’s coast. Could their action spur the next environmental movement?
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Santana: The Public’s Right to Know Shouldn’t Be the First Victim of an Oil Spill
The unified command for OC’s massive oil spill admitted Tuesday it can’t meet the public information demand. That’s why — more than ever — residents need raw, public documents to be released quickly.
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Santana: Turns Out the Public Does Have a Right to Know How Anaheim City Officials Sold Off Angels’ Stadium
Anaheim residents’ lawsuit spurs questions about what kinds of private text messages, emails and memos exist detailing how Anaheim officials deliberated privately to sell Angels Stadium to a development group controlled by team owner Arte Moreno.
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Santana: Why Are Orange County Latinos The Least Vaccinated in SoCal?
OC lags behind all surrounding counties in the percentage of Latinos vaccinated. County public health officials don’t have many answers, demonstrating a need for public questioning and debate on strategies to get vaccines to the hardest hit community.
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Santana: Is Orange County Poised to Depoliticize Its Public Health Officer?
After months of OC’s public health officer dodging important COVID questions and downplaying trends, there seems to be movement to professionalize the role of Orange County’s chief public doctor.
Posted inNorberto Santana Jr.
Santana: Look For a Different CA Governor After Tuesday’s Recall
Gov. Newsom heavily campaigned on COVID safety measures during the last weeks of the recall campaign, while Larry Elder, who polls as the frontrunner, ran against the mandates. What kind of pandemic landscape will the Golden State see on Wednesday?
