Council members voted Thursday night to indemnify three former police chiefs and current chief Kevin Baker for $2.1 million in punitive damages leveled against them as part of a 2011 federal lawsuit.
Category: News Briefs
Orange County news briefs were the short items that did not need a full story of their own: a vote taken, a filing made, a number released. The newsroom stopped filing here in 2025 and the archive stays, newest first.
Posted inGarden Grove, News Briefs
Garden Grove OKs $42 million Bond Payment for Waterpark Hotel Developer
The Garden Grove City Council approved payment to Colorado-based McWhinney developer of the Great Wolf Lodge Water Park Hotel as part of a 2010 subsidy agreement.
Posted inGovernment, News Briefs, Top Stories
Supervisor Promises Animal Advocates a Say in Changing Euthanasia Policies
Animal advocates saw progress this week in their efforts to reduce euthanasia at the Orange County animal shelter, with a promise from county Supervisor Lisa Bartlett to involve them in discussions to change the county’s process for deciding whether to kill shelter animals.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Investigative, News Briefs, Top Stories
OC Jailhouse Informants Scandal Prompts New State Law
The law, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown this week, imposes tougher punishment on prosecutors who intentionally withhold evidence in criminal cases. It was prompted by revelations that Orange County prosecutors violated the constitutional rights of defendants by keeping secret evidence gleaned from jailhouse informants.
Posted inCountywide, Fullerton, Investigative, News Briefs, Top Stories
State Fines Fullerton Councilwoman $100 for Late Disclosure
The Fair Political Practices Commission levied the penalty on Fullerton Councilwoman Jennifer Fitzgerald for not fully disclosing her position with the lobbying firm Curt Pringle & Associates.
Posted inInvestigative, News Briefs, Santa Ana
Santa Ana Council Committee Wants Stricter Rules on Legal Defense Funds
The request comes as Mayor Miguel Pulido has raised $44,750 for his legal defense fund to pay legal bills associated with criminal and state investigations into his land swap with a city contractor.
Posted inCountywide, Investigative, News Briefs, Top Stories
New York Times Calls for Federal Investigation of OC District Attorney’s Office
The Times’ editorial board did not pull any punches, describing the actions of prosecutors as “blatant and systematic misconduct” and calling on the U.S. Justice Department to launch an investigation.
Posted inGovernment, Investigative, News Briefs, Top Stories
Nelson Pushes New Site for Animal Shelter
Impatient with a grindingly slow effort to build a replacement for the’s county 74 year-old animal shelter, Supervisor Shawn Nelson has identified a potential site that he hopes will speed along the process.
Posted inCountywide, Health & Wellness, Inside the Newsroom, News Briefs, Santa Ana
Voice of OC to Host Forum on Community Policing with SAPD, Activists
Santa Ana Police Chief Carlos Rojas and City Councilman David Benavides will discuss community policing with the public and Voice of OC on Sept. 29.
Posted inGovernment, News Briefs, Top Stories
County Officials Reject Effort to Save Wolf Dog
An online petition drive, calling for the dog, named Karma, to instead be transferred to a wolf sanctuary in the Mojave Desert, has generated over 300,000 signatures worldwide.
