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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: Columbus Day or Indigenous People’s Day?
Given Orange County’s longtime, official fervor for ideological debates on issues like immigration along with this year’s competitive congressional campaigns, it’s surprising that the question of city recognitions of Columbus vs. Indigenous People’s Day hasn’t yet hit the city council dais.
Posted inOn OC
On OC: Funding Homelessness
Voice of OC Publisher Norberto Santana, Jr., interviews Jack Toan, vice president at Wells Fargo. A leader in Orange County and part of Well’s Fargo’s Corporate Responsibility team, Toan is working with the United Way on funding UC Irvine cost studies on homelessness. He talks about the challenges in the philanthropic community around funding programs on housing.
Posted inNorberto Santana Jr.
Santana: Could Vietnamese American Political Rift Affect the 34th State Senate and 48th Congressional District Races?
The intense rivalry between State Senator Janet Nguyen, who faces re-election this year, and County Supervisor Andrew Do has some wondering whether the spat could impact turnout in local and congressional races. Nguyen has called on GOP leaders to quiet Do.
Posted inARTS & CULTURE, On OC, Top Stories
On OC: A New Voice for Arts in OC
Paul Hodgins talks about the new Arts & Culture section at Voice of OC as well the future of Arts institutions, like the Segerstrom Center for the Arts and South Coast Repertory, in a changing Orange County.
Posted inOn OC, Safety, Security & Justice, Santa Ana
On OC: Enhancing Public Safety in Santa Ana
Sean Garcia-Leys and Eric Lam from the Urban Peace Institute talk about their ongoing assessment of local policing, a Sept. 26 public forum in Santa Ana to discuss public safety and the broader prospects for enhancing public safety without breaking the public budget.
Posted inNorberto Santana Jr.
Santana: Training Young Reporters at SAUSD Summer Enrichment Program
Tonight, at a Santa Ana Unified School District Summer Enrichment Showcase at Santa Ana High School, local teachers from Lowell Elementary will be showing off the results from a summer reporting boot camp with Voice of OC.
Posted inOn OC
On OC: The Challenges of Sheltering Homeless Women in Orange County
Longtime Orange County GOP political consultant, Eilleen Padberg offers a hard look at life on the streets for homeless women living in Orange County as well as the challenges and costs of building permanent supportive housing for them.
Posted inOn OC
On OC: The Woman Who Created an Animal Shelter From Her Pen
Orange County animal rights activist Rose Tingle created a $35 million regional animal shelter with a string of Op-eds in the Voice of OC that were followed by a stinging series of grand jury investigations, which ultimately convinced Orange County supervisors to break ground on a new facility.
Posted inCountywide, Norberto Santana Jr.
Santana: OC Lack of Progress on Homelessness is Tragic. Could it Soon be Illegal?
Recent court decisions stress that without adequate public sheltering infrastructure, leaders can’t legally enforce anti-camping ordinances. Given the failure of OC Supervisors to craft regional consensus among cities on housing homeless people, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter has now been put in a tough position, one he’s been trying to avoid since March.
