The state pension system determined in March that Westminster City Attorney Richard Jones was never entitled to a pension through the city because he is an independent contractor.
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 inCountywide, Health & Wellness, Top Stories
Confronting a ‘Conspiracy of Silence’ With End-of-Life Care in Ethnic Communities
California’s new End of Life Options law, which allows some terminally ill patients to access life-ending drugs, has sparked questions about how language barriers and different cultural beliefs about death can complicate doctors/patient conversations about palliative care.
Posted inCountywide, Politics & Elections, Top Stories
Nguyen Surpasses Peterson in Battle for Second in U.S. House Race
Garden Grove Mayor Bao Nguyen has overtaken Republican Bob Peterson for second place behind former state Sen. Lou Correa in the race for the 46th District U.S. House seat. The top two will face each other in the November general election.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Health & Wellness, Investigative, News Briefs, Top Stories
Grand Jury: Mentally Ill Inmates in County Jails Are Isolated and Over-Medicated
A lack of funding for treatment programs and over-reliance on isolation techniques and medication means most mentally ill inmates have needs that are going unmet, according to a new grand jury report.
Posted inCountywide, Top Stories
Correa Cruises in 46th Congressional Race
Former state Sen. Lou Correa outpaced his closest challenger, Republican Bob Peterson, by more than 27 points, according to the night’s final tally from the county Registrar of Voters.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Politics & Elections, Top Stories
Do Narrowly Wins First District Supervisor Race
Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do and Santa Ana Councilwoman Michelle Martinez finished less than 400 votes apart in the race for the First District supervisorial seat. The two will face each other in the November general election.
Posted inCountywide, News Briefs, Politics & Elections, Top Stories, Westminster
Clinton Comes to Little Saigon, But Vietnamese Mostly Stay Away
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday became the first presidential candidate to visit Little Saigon, but few Vietnamese voters came out to greet her.
Posted inCountywide, Government, News Briefs, Politics & Elections, Top Stories
FPPC Investigating Complaint Against Do for Statue Donations
The state political watchdog has opened an investigation into donations solicited by Supervisor Andrew Do for statues at Mile Square Park. The investigation was sparked by a complaint from one of Do’s opponents in the race for his supervisorial seat.
Posted inCountywide, Politics & Elections, Top Stories
Correa Top Fundraiser in Race for 46th District Congressional Seat
The former state senator has raised $492,801 and benefited from another $613,834 in independent expenditures. His chief rival, former state Sen. Joe Dunn, has raised $386,932.
Posted inCountywide, Investigative, Top Stories
The Rackauckas/Spitzer Feud Takes Another Weird Turn
Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas has accused county Supervisor Todd Spitzer of “falsely impersonating” an assistant district attorney, the latest salvo in a years-long public feud between the two politicians.
