Plans for a 769-room, three hotel resort in Garden Grove will move forward after the City Council approved a development agreement that hands over a 5.18-acre property to the developer for $852,571 in fees. The city also will pay up to $250,000 in improvements to the site and give the developer tax subsidies worth at least $17.6 million.
Author Archives: Thy Vo
Thy is a reporter covering the cities of Anaheim, Garden Grove, and Westminster as well as transportation issues and the courts. She’s the daughter of two Vietnamese refugees and grew up in Anaheim and Orange County’s Little Saigon community. She speaks Vietnamese and conversational Mandarin Chinese.
During her time at Voice of OC, Thy has investigated nepotism and illegal contracts in the city of Garden Grove, an illegal pension arrangement by the Westminster city attorney and controversy over the use of publicly-funded mass mailers by county supervisors.
Thy has received accolades from the Orange County and Southern California Press Clubs, including a second place Best Public Affairs Story award from the OC Press Club for her story “Dick Jones’ Sweet Deal in Westminster,” and a third place Best Feature Story award from the SoCal Press Club for “Struggles of Second Generation Reveal Long Shadow of War.”
Before working for Voice of OC, Thy interned at the Santa Barbara Independent; China Economic Review in Shanghai, China; and Orange County Register. She graduated from Haverford College with a degree in political science.
Languages spoken: English, Vietnamese and Mandarin
Areas of expertise: Anaheim, Garden Grove, Westminster, immigration, pension issues, court coverage and transportation.
Posted inAnaheim, Safety, Security & Justice
Anaheim Moving Toward Creation of a New Police Review Board
A staff proposal for a new Anaheim police review board appears to be moving toward selecting members as soon as spring 2018.
Posted inAnaheim, Safety, Security & Justice
Anaheim Council To Consider New Police Review Board
Beefed-up citizen oversight of the Anaheim Police Department will be considered by the City Council Tuesday. A report by the ACLU found Anaheim to be among the nation’s worst cities for deaths at the hands of police.
Posted inWestminster
Judge Rules Westminster Must Make Public Ex-Police Chief’s Claim Against the City
The city of Westminster must make public a legal claim against the city filed by former Police Chief Kevin Baker, according to a ruling issued late Wednesday afternoon by Judge Walter Schwarm, in response to a Voice of OC lawsuit.
Posted inAnaheim, Safety, Security & Justice
ACLU: Anaheim Police Ninth Deadliest of 60 Biggest U.S. Cities
From 2003 to 2016, 33 people died following use-of-force by an Anaheim police officer. The Anaheim Police Department is the ninth deadliest police force among 60 of the largest U.S. cities, the ACLU report states.
Posted inAnaheim, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Government, Top Stories, Transportation, Westminster
OCTA Considers Faster Bus Service or Streetcar for Heavily-Used North and Central County Routes
The Orange County Transportation Authority’s (OCTA) plans for the future could give public transportation in the county’s north and central areas a boost, including the possibility of two streetcar routes along north Harbor Boulevard and Westminster Avenue.
Posted inAnaheim, Health & Wellness
Public Not Told of Anaheim Legionnaire’s Outbreak Because Health Threat Was Over
The public was not notified of a recent outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease in Anaheim until reporters asked about it, because there was no ongoing public health threat, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA).
Posted inAnaheim, Health & Wellness
12 Cases of Legionnaire’s Disease, One Death, Reported in Anaheim; Disneyland Closes Cooling Towers
Disneyland has shut down two cooling towers at its theme park after a dozen cases, including one death, from Legionnaire’s disease – a serious respiratory illness caused by the Legionella bacteria – were reported in Anaheim.
Posted inGovernment, Top Stories, Transportation
Ridership Up On OCTA’s Improved Bus Routes
Bus ridership on north and central Orange County routes overhauled last year by the Orange County Transportation Authority has increased by nearly 20 percent, according to report presented Thursday to the board’s transit committee.
Posted inAnaheim, Education
Anaheim’s Savanna High School to Get New “Rebel” Mascot
Savanna High School’s “Johnny Rebel” mascot will change after the Anaheim Union High School District Board of Trustees voted Monday night to come up with a new image and remove the Confederate flag from school symbols.
