The last time council members got a raise was 1976, and they are paid well below their counterparts in many other Orange County cities.
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, Garden Grove, Top Stories
Garden Grove Council Growing Impatient With Vietnam War Museum
Members of a council subcommittee are giving organizers of the proposed Vietnam War Museum of America four weeks to come up with a detailed plan for weaning their foundation off taxpayer funds, or risk losing city support altogether.
Posted inGarden Grove, Health & Wellness
Garden Grove Faces Voting Rights Act Lawsuit
The lawsuit argues that the City Council has been “dithering” on the issue despite a clear lack of Latino representation.
Posted inGarden Grove
Garden Grove Council Almost (but not quite) Opposes Poseidon Plant
It appeared the Garden Grove City Council would take a stand against a controversial desalination plant in Huntington Beach, but activists opposing the project were disappointed when council members quickly retreated.
Posted inGarden Grove, Inside the Newsroom, News Briefs
Voice of OC Podcast: District Elections
This week, Voice of OC journalists talk about California Voting Rights Act lawsuits, district elections and some of the challenges to achieving equal representation in local government.
Posted inGarden Grove, Investigative, News Briefs
Garden Grove Appoints New City Attorney
Assistant City Attorney Omar Sandoval will take the place of City Attorney Thomas Nixon, who is retiring at the end of this month. The mayor is pushing the council to consider replacing its contract firm, Woodruff, Spradlin and Smart, altogether.
Posted inCountywide, Garden Grove, Health & Wellness, Top Stories
Are Lawsuits Always the Answer to Equal Representation?
Garden Grove’s Vietnamese Americans have made significant inroads on the City Council, but the city hasn’t yet elected its first Latino despite Latinos making up 37 percent of the population. Is this something a Voting Rights Act lawsuit can fix, or does the issue run deeper?
Posted inEquality & Equity, Garden Grove, News Briefs
Garden Grove Mayor, Considering Run for Congress, Comes Out as Gay
At the public forum Sunday afternoon, Mayor Bao Nguyen thanked the U.S. ambassador to Vietnam, as a gay man himself, for his influence as an openly gay ambassador in Hanoi.
Posted inAnaheim, Inside the Newsroom, Investigative, News Briefs
Voice of OC Podcast: A Peek Behind the Curtain of Reporter-Source Relationships
This week, Voice of OC journalists discuss allegations by a Latino activist in Anaheim that the Orange County Register excluded him from coverage of a ticket tax protection deal for Disneyland.
Posted inNews Briefs, Westminster
Westminster Hires Consultant To Resolve Budget
Westminster has hired local government finance consultant Irwin Bornstein to help resolve budget issues after its last finance director was fired for a budget miscalculation.
