Voice of OC works with a reporting boot camp for middle schoolers in Santa Ana, producing a podcast where kids sounds off on life in Santa Ana as well as the immigration debate that is playing out in their living rooms and neighborhoods.
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 inOn OC
On OC: OC Election Trends to Watch Heading into November
Chapman University Political Science Professors Fred Smoller and Mike Moodian explore the election trends that fueled the June primary along with offering insights on what trends to keep watch over as congressional and local races heat up as we head into November.
Posted inNorberto Santana Jr.
Santana: Safe to Head to the OC Fairgrounds This Summer?
A series of recent state fire and safety inspections are triggering questions about the safety of this year’s summer fair. Officials insist the property is safe. Activists are demanding more information.
Posted inOn OC
On OC: OC Roundup on Election Results from the June Primary
Chapman University Political Science Professors Fred Smoller and Mike Moodian talk about election results from the June primary with a focus on the four hotly contested congressional seats in Orange County along with a potential run off for the Sheriff and a contested District Attorney election.
Posted inNorberto Santana Jr.
Santana: Public Use Battles Loom Over OC Fair
As the summer fair begins to gear up, a battle over horse stables is prompting activists to question just how the 150-acre property in Costa Mesa is governed and how the future of the fairgrounds, in terms of public uses other than the annual summer fair, will be decided.
Posted inOn OC
On OC: OC Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley Talks About June Primary Election
Neal Kelley has effectively administered more than 70 countywide elections since coming on the job more than a decade ago.
Posted inNorberto Santana Jr.
Santana: Performance Auditing Offers a Real Look Under The Public Sector Hood
As Orange County Fair Board members consider a Performance Auditor to look under the hood, Voice of OC Publisher Norberto Santana, Jr. offers a review of how the revolutionary – now virtually extinct – auditing approach worked at the County of Orange and it’s potential use on a state property.
Posted inOn OC
On OC: Who Does The OC Fairgrounds Serve?
A brewing controversy over removing horses and community equestrian stables from the state fairgrounds in Costa Mesa has awoken a decades-old argument over just who the fairgrounds serves; the community or the fair industry?
Posted inNorberto Santana Jr.
Santana: OC Fairgrounds Needs Strong Auditing After Horse Fiasco
Exposure of a quiet lobby effort by OC Fairgrounds executives to downsize community horse stables at the 150-acre state fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, prompts community questioning about whether the OC Fairgrounds needs a performance auditor in place before the July fair.
Posted inOn OC
On OC: 48th Congressional District Elections & the OC Press Club Awards
Feet to the Fire Panelists – Daily Pilot Columnist Barbara Venezia and LA Times Executive Editor for Community News John Canalis – join Voice of OC Publisher Norberto Santana Jr. for this week’s On OC.
