Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/author/scustodio/page/2/)
Spencer Custodio joined Voice of OC as a full-time reporter covering south Orange County and Fullerton in August 2017. Previously, he worked as one of Voice of OC’s first interns starting in 2010, covering Fullerton and general assignment stories. During his time with Voice of OC, Custodio covered the Joe Felz election night car crash that lead to him being charged with a DUI (the case is ongoing). He also has been covering the Irvine Veteran’s Cemetery, a first for Orange County, that led to a land swap with a developer that divided many veterans and residents. Recently, he covered the sudden resignation of former Laguna Niguel Mayor Jerry Slusiewicz over claims of bullying and intimidation that started when Slusiewicz found a tree trimming contract that was overpaid by $410,000. Custodio graduated from Cal State Fullerton in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism with extensive education in Constitutional law, public policy, economics and international law. He worked as the news editor at the student newspaper, The Daily Titan, during his last semester. Languages spoken: English Areas of expertise: Voter registration and turnout, data analysis, homelessness, Irvine and Fullerton.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva’s bill allowing a cemetery to be built on one of two sites in Irvine, which could ultimately be decided by Irvine voters if a citywide ballot initiative is successful.
While the Big A has made $1.6 million for Anaheim since 2010, sports financing economists say the city can get more if it allows the Angels to develop parking lots surrounding the stadium in order to bolster tax revenue and generate developer fees and avoid direct stadium financing.
Mayor Harry Sidhu originally said the reinstatement of the Angels lease was a “one-year extension,” but then said Aug. 27 he knew, along with a majority of the Council, that the January vote was a reinstatement of the 1996 lease and the extension of the team’s termination window.
Anaheim City Council members talked about what they’d like to see in the upcoming Angel stadium lease negotiations over eight months after it voted to reinstate the lease.
Rancho La Paz seniors have been lobbying Fullerton and Anaheim city councils for nearly six months for help on raising rents. Seniors secured a rent subsidy from Fullerton. Anaheim decided to let the market runs its course.
Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu and Angels Baseball said the city won’t be put back into the team name within a day of Councilman Jose Moreno hosting a community meeting, where he and some residents expressed a desire to have Anaheim back in the team name.
Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva announced Tuesday she will amend her legislation to include a proposed golf course that could be the home Orange County’s first veterans cemetery after a five-month battle between state Legislators and Irvine City Councilmembers.
Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu paid off his 2016 Assembly campaign debt and a portion of his 2018 mayor campaign debt by fundraising for both campaign committees beginning in December. It’s a move some local politics experts said is an example of loopholes in campaign finance regulations.
The appraisal of the 155-acre site of Angel Stadium is still in draft form, but the Anaheim City Council will be discussing the lease reinstatement it authorized in January and potential negotiating framework in the upcoming weeks.
Orange County’s top watchdog, Auditor-Controller Eric Woolery, died Wednesday evening, according to a county spokeswoman. Woolery, first elected in 2015, clashed with County Supervisors.