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1 month ago | 
voiceofoc.org | Hosam Elattar |Hugo Rios
Melbourne A. Gauer Elementary School in Anaheim on Aug 20, 2021. (Omar Sanchez / Voice of OC) A majority of Anaheim Elementary School board members voted to vacate Trustee Mark Lopez’s seat for holding two public offices at the same time despite concerns from some elected officials that the move is illegal and could lead to a lawsuit.
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1 month ago | 
voiceofoc.org | Hosam Elattar |Hugo Rios
An elementary school in Anaheim on Aug. 12, 2020. The Anaheim Elementary school board is considering relieving Trustee Mark Lopez from his duties after he was elected to a local community college board and is serving in the two roles simultaneously. Tonight at a special 6 p.m. school board meeting, board members will vote on a resolution declaring Lopez’s seat vacant, which he’s held since 2018.
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2 months ago | 
voiceofoc.org | Angelina Hicks |Hugo Rios
More elected officials in Orange County have been formally reprimanded at a public meeting, through what’s known as a censure. This time it’s two school board trustees. It comes after a spate of elected officials have been censured for various reasons throughout Orange County — mostly city council members for things like allegedly sharing sensitive information or berating residents. In the Anaheim Elementary School District, board members voted to censure board member Mark Lopez on Jan.
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Jan 16, 2025 | 
voiceofoc.org | Hugo Rios
The La Palma city council meeting on Jan. 14, 2025. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC Despite repeated calls to implement live video streams for increased transparency, La Palma’s City Council members this week balked again at offering residents video services to watch public meetings from home.
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Jan 14, 2025 | 
voiceofoc.org | Hugo Rios
OCTA bus in Santa Ana on Jan. 13, 2023. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC Leaders at the Orange County Transport Authority are taking steps for passengers to require bus passes in order to pay for and ride Orange County’s public bus system in the near future.
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Dec 23, 2024 | 
voiceofoc.org | Hugo Rios
After Santa Ana officials battled a needle exchange program from setting up shop within city limits again, the local substance abuse clinic has rescinded its application to operate in Orange County – ending a saga dating back to last year. City officials have long argued that the program – which is run by the Harm Reduction Institute – threatens the public health and safety of residents.
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Dec 17, 2024 | 
voiceofoc.org | Hugo Rios
In one of Orange County’s smallest cities, a La Palma City Council member called upon her colleagues to look into implementing live video streaming for all City Council meetings. But the rest of La Palma City Council is not interested in live streaming council meetings for the foreseeable future. “I propose we now look into [adding] audio and visual,” said Councilwoman Janet Keo during the Dec.
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Dec 10, 2024 | 
voiceofoc.org | Julie Leopo |Hugo Rios
Local activists, arborists, artists, and residents are ringing alarm bells at Santa Ana City Hall, hoping to save a Santa Ana Main Public Library ficus tree that is set to be removed. The group of concerned residents are worried the tree could be removed as early as Wednesday morning. “This is a public asset,” said Jenson Hallstrom, 27, an urban forest activist who has advocated for OC trees for the past seven years.
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Dec 9, 2024 | 
voiceofoc.org | Hugo Rios
As cities throughout Orange County struggle to build enough affordable housing mandated by Sacramento, Buena Park officials are eying old commercial properties in an effort to hit those goals. It comes as cities across the Golden State figure out how to best hit the state’s directive in an effort to curb the housing crisis – a lofty goal many local officials say is too much.
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Dec 3, 2024 | 
voiceofoc.org | Hugo Rios
Neighborhoods of the French Park Historic District near Downtown Santa Ana on April 5, 2024. Credit: GIL BOTHWELL, Voice of OC As a host of Orange County cities are taking a stance against short-term rentals – also known as AirBnB – Santa Ana is eyeing more crackdowns on landlords wanting to rent out their properties that housing advocates argue are severely impacting the housing market.
