For the past nine months, Orange County’s watchdog agency has been left without a director. But that could change with a possible vote Tuesday by county supervisors to appoint the new head of the Office of Independent Review.
Tag: County Government
Posted inEconomy, Government, Top Stories, Transportation
Despite Bus System Overhaul, County Ridership Continues to Fall
Dubbed OC Bus 360, the program was a response to a 30-percent decline in ridership from 2008 to 2014. But early indications are that the declines are continuing despite the program, according to a preliminary report presented to the Orange County Transportation Authority board.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Investigative, Top Stories
Judge in Snitch Case Again Rebukes Sheriff for Records Issues
Superior Court Judge Thomas M. Goethals Friday ordered Sheriff Sandra Hutchens to retain all relevant jail informant records after disclosures that the county Board of Supervisors had at one point approved a policy allowing such records to be destroyed.
Posted inGovernment, Investigative, Top Stories
Rackauckas Likely to Face Yet Another Investigation
The county Board of Supervisors indicated this week that they’ll launch a probe into the DA’s controversial DNA collection program.
Posted inGovernment, Top Stories, Tustin
Most OC Supervisors Taking a Hard Line on Pot Businesses
Starting next year, it will be legal to sell recreational marijuana in California. But local governments will have a lot of say in where the shops can operate, and the majority on the county Board of Supervisors seem to favor heavy restrictions.
Posted inCorrections, Countywide, Government, Top Stories
State Watchdog Fines Funder of OC Ethics Commission Measure
The state Fair Political Practices Commission is fining the campaign committee behind a ballot measure for a county ethics commission because it failed to disclose funding of a robocall call featuring Supervisor Todd Spitzer.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Investigative, Top Stories
DA Fills Position Recommended by Panel in Wake of Snitch Scandal
District Attorney Tony Rackauckas has promoted one of his top subordinates, Jim Tanizaki, to be his second-in-command in response to recommendations from an independent panel of attorneys.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Investigative, Top Stories
Judge Set to Decide Whether to Bar DA From Another Murder Case
Like in the jailhouse snitch case, Superior Court Judge Thomas Goethals is being asked to remove District Attorney Tony Rackauckas’ office from a murder case due to allegations that prosecutors violated the defendant’s right to a fair trial.
Posted inAnaheim, Countywide, Garden Grove, Government, Investigative, Santa Ana, Top Stories
Holding the Powerful Accountable in 2016
In 2016, Voice of OC delved into how corporations spend to influence public policy, the ways in which politicians pull the levers of government to stay in power, and how they use their public offices for private gain.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Investigative, Top Stories
Jailhouse Snitch Scandal Brings Another Year of Headlines
Nearly four years ago, a Superior Court judge requested that the Orange County district attorney’s office turn over a large cache of records having to do with jailhouse snitches. The fallout from that request continues today.
