County officials have begun searching for seven people to serve on the newly revamped board of directors that oversees the $3.2 billion health plan for low income and disabled residents.
Author Archives: Tracy Wood
Tracy Wood oversaw Voice of OC’s civics reporting, including county and city government, the Orange County Transportation Authority, CalOptima, Anaheim, Santa Ana and other community coverage.
Tracy was a government reporter, foreign correspondent in Asia, California investigative reporter and editor. She covered the California legislature and governor’s office for both United Press International and the Los Angeles Times. As a UPI reporter, she was one of the few women combat correspondents during the Vietnam War. She joined the Los Angeles Times in California where she was an investigative reporter for 17 years, covering political and government corruption. Later she became the Orange County Register’s Investigations Editor, leading the paper’s investigations team when it broke the story of former Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona’s ties to Nationwide Auction Systems founder and former Assistant Sheriff Donald G. Haidl.
She won numerous awards for investigative reporting and in 2001 was named Los Angeles Print Journalist of the Year by Sigma Delta Chi, the professional journalism association.
Wood and eight other women reporters from Vietnam co-authored “War Torn, Stories of War from the Women Reporters who Covered Vietnam” (2002 Random House). She was also part of the Los Angeles Times staff team that won the 1993 Pulitzer for coverage of the Rodney King riots. The Pulitzer was for spot news coverage for balanced, comprehensive, penetrating coverage under deadline pressure of the second, most destructive day of the Los Angeles riots.
Posted inCountywide, Health & Wellness, Top Stories
Moorlach Bill Would Boost Local Access to Mental Health Funds
The bill, proposed by state Sen. John Moorlach, would make it clear that local police and hospitals could use money from state Proposition 63 for emergency treatment of adults who are in danger of seriously harming themselves or others.
Posted inFullerton, News Briefs
Fullerton Soccer Club Leaders Resign After Embezzlement Revelations
The top two leaders of the Fullerton Rangers Youth Soccer Club have resigned in the midst of the club’s treasurer pleading guilty to felonies related to more than $174,000 in embezzlement and money laundering from the club.
Posted inInvestigative, News Briefs
Fullerton Youth Soccer Club’s Ex-Treasurer Pleads Guilty to Four Felonies
Laura Alicia Zellerbach, former treasurer for the Fullerton Rangers Youth Soccer Club, pleaded guilty Friday to four felonies in connection with the embezzlement and money laundering of more than $174,000 from the club.
Posted inFullerton, News Briefs
Treasurer of Fullerton Soccer Club Arrested on Embezzlement Charges
Laura Zellerbach, former treasurer of the Fullerton Rangers Youth Soccer Club, faces 27 counts of embezzlement and other felonies in connection with $250,000 allegedly taken from the club.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Top Stories
State’s Public Records Act Hasn’t Caught Up to Smart Phone Revolution
The act, for example, does not adequately cover communication via text and emails. But 2016 might be the year courts and policymakers move to close loopholes created by technology.
Posted inFullerton, Investigative, News Briefs
Fullerton Soccer Club Dealing With Embezzlement Charges
The District Attorney’s office is investigating the former treasurer of the Fullerton Rangers youth soccer club for possibly embezzling more than $190,000 from the volunteer organization, according to the Fullerton Police Department.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Health & Wellness, Investigative, Top Stories
OC Supervisors to Consider Another Remake of CalOptima Board
Proposed changes include reducing the size of the board and allowing spending requests and other issues to be approved by less than a majority of the full board.
Posted inGovernment, Health & Wellness, Top Stories
CalOptima Appointments Deleted From Supervisors’ Agenda
Officials offer little explanation as to why, after months of continuances, a controversial plan to add a second hospital industry representative to the CalOptima board was nixed by request of Health Care Agency chief.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Health & Wellness, Investigative, Top Stories
As Hospital Lobbyist, Ex-County Employee Pushes Limits of Ethics Policy
Whitney Secor Ayers, a new vice president of the Hospital Association of Southern California, has been warned twice this year about violating the county’s policy on lobbying by former employees.
