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Heading Off a Fiscal Cliff: How Are OC Cities Planning For Budget Shortfalls?
Some city leaders are starting to sound alarms over Orange County’s financial future, highlighting the need for new revenue as tax revenue drops in an effort to keep critical municipal services. Those talks come as some cities are hitting a fiscal cliff, with places like Orange and Fullerton facing...
Election Night Results in Anaheim Councilwoman Rubalcava Recall
Voters in Anaheim’s District Three are on track to keep City Councilwoman Natalie Rubalcava in office, according to the initial tally of the first recall election in OC’s largest city in over 40 years. As of 8 p.m., online results from the county Registrar of Voters showed about...
Fountain Valley to Test Out a Four-Day Work Week at City Hall
Fountain Valley city employees could soon be working 10-hours a day, four days a week as part of a new 6-month trial expected to run in the future. Currently, full time city employees work 9 days every two weeks for 80 hours – which is broken up into eight nine-hour days and one eight-hour day.
Santa Ana Struggles Managing Political Aides For City Council
Santa Ana City Council members are facing scrutiny after gripes about loose rules and complicated contracts for political aides have led to disarray within the city and objections from city staff. The situation got so out of hand that the City Manager’s office and City Attorney decided to step in...
Stockstill: A Short History of the Irvine General Plan
Irvine residents recently learned that more than 50,000 housing units could be built in town in the future. That’s A LOT of new houses, and at 1.5 persons per unit, close to 80,000 more residents. The news has people asking about the city’s defining planning document, the General Plan....
How Big Should Buildings Get in Laguna Beach?
Laguna Beach city officials continue to grapple with what their town should look like, debating how to prevent certain large developments in the coastal city that could damage the small-town feel. Now, council members are backing up, repealing a 2022 law that laid out building size guidelines after getting sued...
Santa Ana Officials Say the City’s Iconic ‘Chicano Gothic’ Mural Stays; Now What
One of Santa Ana’s most famous Chicano murals is a step closer to being restored. However, several council members are still expressing concerns. Earlier last month, preserving the mural wasn’t the case. According to several city council members, city staff suggested in May that it be destroyed and...
OC Parks Unveils Red Rock Wilderness For Public Access
OC park officials this month unveiled an iconic local open space in the hills just outside Irvine and Orange known as the Red Rock Wilderness – a rare chance to walk the area formed millions of years ago. About 1,500 acres of the open space were opened to public...
San Clemente City Officials Set to Repair Storm Drains Damaged by Landslides
San Clemente officials have spent years grappling with a disappearing shoreline as landslides and coastal erosion chip away at the Spanish Village by the Sea. Efforts from city officials — in collaboration with the United States Army Corps of Engineers and California State Parks — aim to replenish two million cubic yards of sand back to the shoreline over the next 50 years.
Stanton City Leaders Dream of a New Downtown
Stanton residents could one day enjoy a new town center after council members approved a specific plan for a downtown, a step toward the city’s long-time goal. The new town center would focus on preserving the existing residential neighborhoods and businesses while promoting redevelopment, such as a pedestrian-friendly landscape and connecting the center to future transit, according to a city staff report.
Spending Rockets in Anaheim City Council Recall Ahead of Election Day
Anaheim residents decide next Tuesday whether or not Natalie Rublacava will keep her seat on the city council in a race that has triggered a historic split in labor and Democratic Party circles along with big spending from an array of special interests advertising in the final days of the race to sway voters.
Free Things To Do This Weekend Across OC
Consider starting your weekend this Saturday by taking the kids to an e-bike event on the Huntington Beach Pier, or by exploring Limestone Canyon during the wilderness access day. On Sunday, consider taking the kids to watch Pixar short films at Central Library, or by enjoying views of the Irvine...
Jaffe: Orange County Deserves Education Trustees That Understand our Schools
The makeup and membership of the Orange County Board of Education (OCBE) is being exclusively targeted by state bill SB907 to force a 7 member board despite the board currently having this authority should it be deemed necessary. Orange County families and schools are solely impacted while ignoring all other counties in California and the cost to Orange County voters to include an election for these positions. With so many issues confronting our educational system today, it is imperative that the governing bodies of these districts and schools are intimately familiar with the dynamics and issues that are specific to the individual community. Allow me to explain why Orange County constituents should pay close attention.
Voice of OC Intern Gigi Gradillas Named Tracy Wood Fellow
Recent California State University, Fullerton, graduate Gigi Gradillas has earned distinction for her work in journalism, being named the Voice of OC’s third Tracy A. Wood Fellow. The Tracy A. Wood Fellowship was founded by the friends and family of the legendary journalist and Voice of OC Civic Editor...
Can Orange Leaders Make The Hard Choices To Tame a Looming $19M Budget Deficit?
Orange City Council members continue avoiding hard choices to tame a looming and quickly approaching $19 million budget deficit – one that threatens public services including the hiring of police officers and firefighters. Earlier this month, council members confronted the deficit by making statements about programs they wouldn’t cut,...
Costa Mesa Approved Another Cannabis Shop After Overhauling Local Laws
Costa Mesa City Council members authorized another cannabis shop to open in the city after a series of changes to local zoning and code enforcement laws surrounding the retailers. Yet after months of discussion, officials still grappled with how to best regulate the cannabis shops at their May 7 meeting...
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