The Orange County district attorney’s ‘spit and acquit’ program
has amassed tens of thousands of DNA samples from misdemeanor
offenders. But there are questions about how the DA gets the
samples and their use.
Category: Top Stories
Why the Bell Scandal Happened and What Can Be Done
The decline of the small town newspaper and holes in the state’s open government law left the door open for the enormous salaries of public officials in the Los Angeles County city. What now?
High-Speed Rail Board Releases Favorable Poll
The poll shows that 76 percent of Californians support high-speed rail. However, the authority did not release the questions asked of respondents.
Irvine’s Underdog: Questions for Christina Shea
The Irvine city councilwoman, who will be termed out in November, talks about her successes (and failures) fighting what she believes was a career-long crusade against an unethical council majority.
Don’t Let Costa Mesa Become Irvine
Dear Mr. Editor-in-Chief, Would you be interested in investigating the city of Costa Mesa’s desire to become “like Irvine”, aka, the model CC&R city, with regards to residential property rights […]
Possible Teardown of Seal Beach Gas Station Leaves Owner Scrambling
Brothers work to save family enterprise while residents continue their push to have the station torn down and contaminated soil removed.
County Holds the Line While Indigent Healthcare Costs Skyrocket
The Great Recession has forced record numbers of adults to arrive in local hospital wards as indigents, but Orange County has thus far refused to pay its share of the increased burden.
A ‘Barkingly’ Unconstitutional Proposal
A state Senate bill that calls for a feasibility study of commercial messages on California license plates is two votes away from going to the governor.
Late Communications Reveal Gap in Brown Act
The Brown Act has nothing to say about so-called “late communications,” reports, correspondence or emails that come in too late to be included in the normal council meeting agenda packet. As Huntington Beach example shows, they can contain crucial information that the public doesn’t see.
Parts of OC Are in Earthquake ‘Doughnut Hole’
LA Times story details theory that a string of small quakes — like those that have happened this year in Southern California — leads to a big one.


