Voice of OC
Anaheim Approves $2 Billion Disneyland Forward Expansion
Anaheim officials approved Disneyland Forward – a proposal to expand the iconic theme park – and sell off three public streets, including Magic Way, to the entertainment juggernaut. City council members – a majority of whom had their campaigns heavily supported by Disney – voted unanimously early Wednesday...
Santa Ana’s Sullivan Neighborhood Wants Your Take on a Mural For This Wall
Santa Ana’s Sullivan neighborhood is calling on local students, artists, residents and city officials to join a dialogue about their latest neighborhood project, a new mural. The conversation is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Country Club Mobile Home Park and hosted by the resident-led organization Sullivan en Accion,...
Huntington Beach to Consider Water Rate Hikes
Surf City residents could see their first water rate hikes in over five years come on Tuesday night, where city leaders are set to discuss an increase that could double their water bills. Water rate hikes have faced multiple cities and water boards throughout the county in recent months, with...
Boyer: A Deteriorating Animal Shelter and Millions in Suspicious Contracts
Elected County Supervisors get all the attention. We praise them and we blame them. The opposite happens with the unelected managers that hold sway over the county bureaucracy and taxpayer dollars. Usually, we just ignore them. Supervisor Andrew Do got flak for the 13.5 million dollars that the county sent...
CA Attorney General Sues Huntington Beach Over Voter ID Law
Huntington Beach is facing its third lawsuit with California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who announced Monday afternoon he’d be suing the city over for moving forward with voter ID laws following the March primary election. “The right to freely cast your vote is the foundation of our democracy and...
Newport Beach Harbor Commission Recommends Spiking Boat Mooring Rents
Newport Beach Harbor Commissioners unanimously approved a rental rate spike this week on offshore moorings that could increase boaters’ monthly bills by three or four times over the next several years. Their action comes after criticism from Newport Harbor boat owners who’ve said they won’t be able to afford...
Orange County Superintendent Quietly Misses a Year on Medical Leave
Orange County Superintendent Al Mijares hasn’t been seen in a public school board meeting in over a year due to medical issues, and questions are swirling on why nothing has been publicly disclosed. His position as superintendent is a unique one, serving as the only elected school administrator overseeing...
Free Things To Do This Weekend Across OC
Consider starting your weekend this Saturday by attending the 2nd Annual Plant and Seed Swap at one of Anaheim’s Public Libraries, or by taking the kids to a bilingual Spanish storytime at Garden Grove Main Library. Weather permitting, consider starting the Sunday with a cardio hike, or by volunteering...
Girand: When Is A Listening Session Not A Listening Session?
The Orange County Transportation Authority drafted a report entitled “Coastal Rail Resiliency Study Initial Assessment Technical Memorandum” (CRRSIATM) in January 2024 and only formally presented it to the OCTA Board of Directors on March 11, 2024. In the report, it is revealed that the OCTA plan to keep trains running on the beaches in San Clemente and Dana Point will mostly consist of dropping tons of riprap boulders, scientifically identified to obiterate beaches. Riprap is mentioned 54 times in the report. Solutions involving sand are mentioned only 9 times, mostly as a reference to what others are doing. Estimates of this “plan” to be executed through the upcoming summer are $200 million. Boulders are already staged in San Clemente. The CRRSIATM is explicit that it will seek to evade all environmental assessments in order to prevent shutdowns next winter. Yet, a process for public input is taking place only once each month in March, April and May.
Orange School Board Gets New President in Wake of Recall
The Orange Unified School Board has a new president following the recall of two trustees – amidst mounting concerns the former president violated people’s First Amendment rights. “I think the community spoke loudly and pretty clearly about what it wanted and what they were not happy with and...
Irvine Launches New Shuttle System as OC Bus Service Continues Shrinking
Irvine is launching a new pilot program for shuttle services in town amidst a shrinking county bus system, raising questions on whether the city will be taking a bigger role in public transit moving forward. The new shuttle system, dubbed Irvine Connect, launched this month with over 70 stops throughout...
Is Anaheim Rushing the Approval of Disneyland’s Expansion?
Anaheim officials are expected to decide next week if they will allow Disney to buy three public streets, including Magic Way, and expand their iconic theme park as a host of concerned Anaheim residents want to know why the city is in a hurry to approve the project. “We need...
Anaheim Chamber of Commerce Bleeds Leadership in Wake of Corruption Scandal
Anaheim’s Chamber of Commerce is once again searching for a new chief executive after Laura Cunningham quietly departed earlier this year, marking another departure from the c-suite that multiple investigations found held outsized control over city hall for years. Those investigations were just part of a series of reviews...
OC Transit Agency Moves Forward With Video Live Streaming
Leaders at the Orange County Transportation Authority voted Monday to implement a video live streaming system “immediately” following a month of discussion on whether or not to allow the public to watch them from home. The motion to pursue a video streaming option, either mid-to-high range, passed 11-2...
Costa Mesa Moves Forward on Cannabis Shop Limits
Years after Costa Mesa voters decided to legalize cannabis retail stores, city council members are moving to limit just how many shops can operate – putting a cap of 35 shops. It’s part of an ongoing effort to change the municipal codes on cannabis businesses while also streamlining how...
OC’s Middle Eastern Community Will Finally Get Counted in Next Census
Come 2030, Arab, North African and Iranian Americans in Orange County will have their own box to check on the U.S. Census count – a move advocates say will provide a more accurate count of the community and a better understanding of challenges they face. The new census category...
Mendez: The DisneylandForward Dilemma – A Crisis of Transparency and Trust
Anaheim stands at a critical juncture with a project that dramatically alters the city’s economic and physical landscape. The proposal on the table, DisneylandForward, is touted as a driver of growth for our local economy. However, there are troubling issues that can’t be ignored ahead of the crucial April 16th vote: after sailing through the Planning Commission with minimal deliberation (with the exception of questions raised by Commissioner LuisAndres Perez) our City Council seems willing to justify documented negative impacts based on “benefits” confirmed by only a 9-page Executive Summary of what was promoted as a comprehensive economic impact study by CSUF’s College of Business and Economics. This isn’t just an oversight; it represents a failure to represent the interests of the citizens they serve.
Newport Harbor Boat Owners Confront Rent Spike on Offshore Moorings
Newport Harbor mooring owners could soon see their monthly payments increase by four or five times the amount they’ve paid for years. That depends on the Newport Beach Harbor Commission, which is set to discuss increasing monthly rental rates and make a recommendation to the city council at its meeting on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
Garden Grove Considers $140M Bond For New Police Station
Garden Grove officials are looking to take out a $140 million bond to finance building a new police station, a four-level parking structure and a revamped 2.7 acre civic center park. If approved, the city will pay roughly $9 million every year for the next 30 years out of its...
Santana: Setting Orange County’s First Congressional Debate of The Season
It looks like we have our first congressional debate of the season. When Congresswoman Katie Porter (D-Irvine) earlier this year opted against running for House reelection, running instead for the U.S. Senate, it opened up a close race that could tip the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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