Following a recent scandal where a former colleague was raided by the FBI and pleaded guilty to bribery, county supervisors are divided on how best to police themselves.
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 inTop Stories
Santana: Hard News Matters More Than Ever
During the national NewsMatch nonprofit news fundraiser, readers can help forge strong local newsrooms.
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Santana: California State Senators’ Strange, Secretive Courtship of Cuban Communism
The California State Senate’s Office of International Relations has welcomed Cuba’s communist regime three times since 2017 – without dissenting views or questions about systemic human rights abuses.
Posted inTop Stories
Santana: The Political Ghost of Andrew Do Haunts 1st District Race
Listening to supervisorial candidates running this November for the First District seat left open by disgraced Supervisor Andrew Do, it seems a housecleaning of sorts is on the way for the county bureaucracy, no matter who wins.
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Santana: OC Hosts One of America’s Tightest Congressional Races
A future majority in the U.S. House of Representatives could tilt on the 47th Congressional District, where Republican Scott Baugh and Democrat Dave Min compete not just on ideology but on a furious fundraising frenzy – one that Ironically works to lessen public debate.
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Santana: Where Do The Candidates in CA’s Tightest House Race Stand on Key Issues?
Congressional candidate debates didn’t materialize this campaign cycle but Voice of OC got Republican Scott Baugh and Democrat Dave Min to share their views on key issues,along with a brief questionnaire.
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Santana: Where to Find a Good Political Debate in OC
Over the next few weeks, residents and potential voters across a host of cities will be able to see debates for city council and school board candidates. Not so for congressional candidates.
Posted inCountywide
Santana: Are Reforms and Transparency Coming to Orange County?
On the heels of FBI raids on the house of County Supervisor Andrew Do and OC Superior Court Assistant Presiding Judge Cheri Pham, the first of what could be a Fall season of ethics reform packages are up for debate this next week.
Posted inTop Stories
Santana: OC Supervisor Andrew Do’s Political Journey That Ended in FBI Raids
During his long tenure, embattled Supervisor Andrew Do took over the reins at the County of Orange, crafting a high profile – one that eventually landed him and his family on the FBI’s radar.
Posted inInvestigative
Santana: Following The Money Inside The County of Orange
The scandal around the Viet America Society keeps raising key questions about how well executives track public money.
