Today, Voice of OC, Southern California Public Radio and the Los Angeles Times will go into court together to oppose a request by the Orange County Deputy Sheriff’s union to block release of misconduct records on use of force, sexual assault and lying while in office.
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 inAnaheim, Norberto Santana Jr.
Santana: Angels Get to 2020 in Anaheim
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim get a lease out clause extension to 2020 on a 5-2 vote from Anaheim city council members.
Posted inAnaheim, Norberto Santana Jr.
Santana: Anaheim Stadium Deal Goes Easy on Angels, Hard on Taxpayers
Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu is proposing this Tuesday to let the Los Angeles Angels out of a bad move this past November when owner Arte Moreno opted out of his stadium lease with nowhere to go. As a result, by this October, taxpayers will be sitting on a $1 billion asset with no restrictions on developing the 150-acre parking lot area around the stadium. Yet a proposal this Tuesday before the Anaheim city council would erase that potential and lock taxpayers into another lopsided, long-term negotiation with the Angels – who are probably leaving for Los Angeles anyway as their recent controversial renaming clearly implies.
Posted inCountywide, Investigative, Norberto Santana Jr.
Santana: Santa Ana City Manager In Play Again
Santa Ana city council members have gone through five city managers in two years. The latest, City Manager Raul Godinez II, finds his future at city hall in play with just a little over a year in the job. City council members met this past Friday in secret session to discuss his severance, the latest in top executive severance agreements – which could soon collectively reach near the million dollar mark for Santa Ana taxpayers.
Posted inOn OC
On OC: From Kleptocracy to Democracy
Chapman University Professor Fred Smoller talks about his new book on the sacking of Bell city hall and what people need to do to protect their own civic backyards.
Posted inNorberto Santana Jr.
Santana: We Made It! Top Issues to Watch in 2019
Thanks to an outpouring of reader support, we exceeded our $75,000 fundraising goal this year and our newsroom enters 2019 on a solid fiscal footing, with renewed vigor to keep Orange County informed and alert on the key issues impacting quality of life from the public dais this next year.
Posted inOn OC
On OC: The Future Challenges Facing Working Families in Orange County
Jennifer Muir Beuthin, outgoing general manager for the Orange County Employees Association, talks about the challenges facing working families in Orange County as well as her own path as a women up through Orange County political and labor circles, the #Me Too Movement as well as her own change in life moving on to motherhood and twins.
Posted inNorberto Santana Jr.
Santana: The Best of 2018
The Blue Wave Election and Homelessness led the list of top stories for the Voice of OC team in 2018 along with a host of scrappy, daily enterprise reporting scoops uncovering fraud, waste and abuse across Orange County. Readers can really help spur this kind of reporting this week – as all contributions before Dec. 31 get doubled by a national foundation effort to bolster local nonprofit news.
Posted inOn OC
On OC: OC Democratic Party Chair Reflects on Victory
OC Democratic Party Chairwoman Fran Sdao reflects on the historic wins by Democrats in Orange County this past November and what Democrats have to do to stay in the majority in Orange County.
Posted inCountywide, Investigative, Norberto Santana Jr.
Santana: Voice of OC Donors Help Young Journalists Fuel Change
Our donors create real impact not only in Orange Country but across the nation, helping pioneer a solid training model for apprentice journalists focused on daily coverage and investigative scoops about fraud, waste and abuse within local civic institutions. Consider joining them and have your donation matched through the end of the year.
