The debate over recasting Columbus Day as Indigenous People’s Day offers a chance to consider equity in society and how best civic leaders can address inequity. In San Juan Capistrano, the historic debate is in many ways still playing itself out in the effort to preserve one of the last original indigenous villages in Orange County. And on the modern policy front, one recent study about inequity in Orange County is challenging local policymakers to confront a stark opportunity gap between geographic areas of the county – split along largely racial, ethnic and income lines.
Category: Norberto Santana, Jr.
Posted inCountywide, Norberto Santana, Jr., Top Stories
Santana: Orange County’s Key Organizing Group Gets Disorganized
With key debates over the future of Anaheim’s stadium and public lands in Santa Ana intensifying, Orange County’s premier progressive organizing group, OC Communities Organized for Responsible Development, OCCORD, is reeling from the resignations of Executive Director Shakeel Syed and a slew of organizers in recent months.
Posted inCountywide, Norberto Santana, Jr., Top Stories
Santana: Chapman Student Newspaper Triggers Sparks
With congressional campaigns across Orange County intensifying for 2020, Chapman University Dean of Communications, Lisa Sparks – who is running as a Republican in the 45th Congressional District against incumbent Democrat Katie Porter – triggers a slew of questions about accessibility by avoiding interviews with her campus newspaper.
Posted inNorberto Santana, Jr.
Santana: Commie Hunting in Westminster
City Council members in Westminster adopt an ominous resolution encouraging all residents of Westminster to raise their voices against individuals who fit the profile of an “aider and abettor” of the communist government in Vietnam.
Posted inNorberto Santana, Jr.
Santana: Death of OC Auditor Controller Underscores Why Public Access to Elected Officials’ Calendars Matters
After having his department largely defunded last year because of an active watchdog approach, it now seems that deceased Orange County Auditor Controller Eric Woolery was transitioning his life to Kansas. Orange County taxpayers had a right to know that Woolery was super-commuting to his local office from out of state and might be transitioning to a new life. Access to an official public calendar would have allowed for that kind of accountability, something that County of Orange officials keep fighting.
Posted inNorberto Santana, Jr.
Santana: Angels-Anaheim Negotiations Enter Final Stretch
Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in October start closed-door negotiations on a new stadium development plan. The Angels enter the negotiations up against a Dec. 31 deadline that forces them to either opt out of their lease or stay under current terms until 2029. Is it the beginning of the end for Angels in Anaheim? Or the end of the beginning for a new lease terms between the city and the team?
Posted inNorberto Santana, Jr.
Santana: Brea’s Private Water Woes
Brea City Treasurer Rick Rios along with Brea resident activist and downtown developer Dwight Manley keep pressing uncomfortable questions about the city’s main water wholesaler, Cal Domestic Water. Their probe, which has already drawn a DA review and state sanctions over past dealings, may soon be headed to OC Superior Court.
Posted inCountywide, Norberto Santana, Jr.
Santana: Fishing Comes Back to Irvine Lake
A defunct but popular Orange County fishing spot comes back to life on Saturday, Aug. 17 after Supervisor Don Wagner – who is up for re-election next year, successfully leads negotiations with two neighboring water districts to re-open Irvine Lake, which has been shut down since 2016.
Posted inNorberto Santana, Jr.
Santana: When Sheriff’s Deputies Take the Fifth
Sheriff Don Barnes has set what is apparently a new standard at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, enforcing administrative discipline against deputies who plead Fifth Amendment protections. The OC Deputy Sheriff’s union is taking Barnes to court, saying it’s unconstitutional. But legal experts sought out by Voice of OC argue Barnes is right on.
Posted inNorberto Santana, Jr.
Santana: The Pesky Public
Keeping the public out of the loop has become an extreme sport for our elected class as well as the greatest threat to our democracy. In recent times, we’ve seen efforts here in Orange County to illegally restrict public comment, destroy public documents, squash dissenting council members, delay release of police misconduct records along with the murky process of monitoring state harassment investigations or changing federal regulations.
