Hosam Elattar

Los Angeles

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Articles

Santa Ana Cracks Down on First Street ‘Drug Dens’ After Years of Police Calls

1 week ago | voiceofoc.org | Hosam Elattar

Santa Ana Police officers have been called to respond to 1,441 calls at two motels and a restaurant on East First Street for crimes like illicit drug sales, possessing meth and disorderly conduct in the past three years. It’s an area that city council members – most of whom are in their second term – say has long been a problem and hot bed for drugs as other cities in Orange County convert problematic motels into affordable homes.
Santa Ana Looks to Crack Down on Problematic Sober Living Homes

1 week ago | voiceofoc.org | Hosam Elattar

Officials in Santa Ana are looking to join a growing list of Orange County cities regulating problematic sober living homes amid noise complaints, drug use and various disturbances in residential areas. On Tuesday, city council members directed staff to bring back an ordinance regulating group homes where people with alcohol and drug addictions stay and participate in a recovery program to help them achieve sobriety.
Anaheim Chamber of Commerce To Close in Aftermath of Corruption Probes

1 week ago | voiceofoc.org | Hosam Elattar

The Anaheim Chamber of Commerce. Credit: DEVON JAMES, Voice of OC Anaheim’s Chamber of Commerce – an organization deeply involved in one of Orange County’s largest corruption scandals – will be closing at the end of the month years after federal agents detailed Disneyland resort interests’ outsized influence over city hall.
Tourism Bureau to Repay Anaheim $3 Million From Controversial Pandemic Bailout

2 weeks ago | voiceofoc.org | Hosam Elattar

Executives with Anaheim’s tourism bureau have agreed to repay taxpayers over $3 million dollars from a $6.5 million COVID bailout elected officials gave to Visit Anaheim after a scathing state audit said city officials failed to oversee the spending, leading to improper use. Independent investigators also found $1.5 million of that bailout was redirected to a chamber of commerce-controlled nonprofit – something they described as a theft of public funds.
Anaheim Could Publicly Discuss Angel Stadium’s Future

2 weeks ago | voiceofoc.org | Hosam Elattar

Anaheim residents might get a rare look at city council members’ plans for Angel Stadium after two separate corruption probes highlighted the shadowy inner workings of city hall’s dealings with the Major League Baseball team. It comes as top city executives have privately met with Angels representatives and real estate consultants to discuss the stadium and go over the Surplus Land Act – a state law governing selling public land.
Anaheim Reaffirms ‘Welcoming City’ Stance Amidst Deportation Fears

2 weeks ago | voiceofoc.org | Hosam Elattar

Elected officials are once again declaring Anaheim to be a “welcoming city” without explicitly bolstering protections for undocumented immigrants that some local activists have been calling for. It comes as President Donald Trump’s administration continues the federal immigration crackdown and vows to challenge sanctuary states like California.
Questions Persist Over $1.5 Million Anaheim Wants Back From Tourism Bureau

2 weeks ago | voiceofoc.org | Hosam Elattar

Earlier this year, Anaheim City Councilwoman Natalie Rubalcava publicly pushed for city officials to get $1.5 million back from Visit Anaheim, the local tourism bureau that faced a scathing state audit last year. State auditors found that Visit Anaheim didn’t need the $6.5 million bailout during the pandemic and city-contracted independent investigators alleged Visit Anaheim diverted $1.5 million to a Chamber of Commerce-controlled nonprofit.
Fullerton to Bring Ambulance Services In-House

3 weeks ago | voiceofoc.org | Hosam Elattar

Paramedics exit the Orange City Fire Department on March 28, 2023. Credit: Carissa Nelson, VOICE OF OC Fullerton is expected to roll out its own ambulances next spring after city officials decided to take over emergency medical response.
Fullerton Publication Policy Raises Censorship Concerns

3 weeks ago | voiceofoc.org | Hosam Elattar |Isabel Torres

Residents are raising concerns that a new policy in Fullerton is designed to censor bloggers and reporters who write articles critical of local politicians and violates freedom of speech rights. On Tuesday, Fullerton City Council Members voted 4-1 in support of a new policy that would ban materials not produced by the government – like community newspapers – from being placed in nearly all city facilities except a certain part of the library.
Casting a Light on the Hidden Inequities in OC’s Middle Eastern Community

3 weeks ago | voiceofoc.org | Hosam Elattar

Middle Eastern and North African community leaders in Orange County are once again taking their advocacy for greater visibility to the state level – fresh off the heels of getting OC’s largest city to recognize the state’s first Arab American cultural district after decades.