Category: Orange County

Orange Considers Banning Short-Term Rental Housing 

The City of Orange will decide whether to ban short-term rentals within city limits during a city council meeting Feb. 9. The decision comes as numerous Orange County cities begin prohibiting or tightening restrictions on short-term rentals, which are defined as stays lasting less than 30 days. Garden Grove, Yorba Linda, Tustin, and Irvine specifically prohibit short-term rentals in residential…


Police Put the Brakes on Orange County Street Racers

A night of illegal street racing throughout southern Orange County led to the arrest of three people, police say. Upward of 100 cars began gathering about 9:35 p.m. Feb 5, when Mission Viejo deputies responded to reports of a large number of vehicles driving recklessly and congregating in a parking lot near the intersection of…


Suspected DUI Crash Kills Woman in Santa Ana

An Orange County man is facing impaired driving charges following a Santa Ana crash that left a woman dead. The two-vehicle collision happened at 5:13 a.m. Feb. 6 when a Chevrolet traveling south on Main Street slammed into a Kia sedan passing through the intersection of Main and Third streets, police said. A passenger of…


New UK Strain of COVID-19 Detected in Orange County

SANTA ANA—A 21-year-old San Clemente man tested positive for the more contagious U.K. strain of COVID-19, marking the first known case in Orange County, local health officials announced Feb. 8. The man tested positive on Jan. 26 and “his symptoms have now resolved,” according to a memo sent Monday to the Board of Supervisors from…


Battle for Orange County’s CoreLogic Leads to Private Equity Takeover  

Commentary Irvine-based CoreLogic Inc. (NYSE: CLGX) is being purchased by two private equity funds for about $7.7 billion, a figure that includes about $6 billion—or $80 per share—buyout for current stakeholders. The purchase price also includes $1.7 billion in debt owed by CoreLogic.  The acquisition will be funded with $2.5 billion already invested in the…


No-Burn Order in Effect Over Much of Southland

LOS ANGELES (CNS) – A no-burn order will be in effect today for large portions of the Southland due to higher predicted PM2.5 levels. Wood burning is prohibited through 11:59 p.m. Feb. 8 for all those living in the South Coast Air Basin, including Orange County and non-desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San…


FBI Questions Capitol Protesters, Including Newport Beach Woman

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Diana Davis was on her houseboat in Newport Beach, California, when she received an unexpected phone call from an FBI agent who wanted to question her about the Jan. 6 Capitol protests and breach. The problem? Davis wasn’t there. Although she initially planned to be at the Capitol grounds to pray, she said,…


County’s COVID-19 Hospitalizations Continue to Drop

SANTA ANA—Orange County reported 1,187 new cases of COVID-19 and 46 additional deaths Feb. 7, bringing the county’s totals to 238,264 cases and 3,358 fatalities. The number of coronavirus patients in county hospitals continued its downward trend, declining from 1,164 Feb. 6 to 1,093, and the number of patients in intensive care decreased from 347…


‘Pursuit of Justice’ Leads to Extradition in 1994 Santa Ana Gang Shooting

The Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) office has extradited and charged a man from Guatemala in connection with the fatal shooting of a rival gang member 26 years ago. “The pursuit of justice never ends,” District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a Feb. 5 press release. “No matter how long it takes or how far…


Orange County’s COVID-19 Hospitalizations, Case Rate Continue to Drop

SANTA ANA—Orange County reported 739 new cases of COVID-19 and 33 additional deaths Feb. 6, bringing the county’s totals to 237,077 cases and 3,312 fatalities. The number of coronavirus patients in county hospitals continued its downward trend, declining from 1,233 on Feb. 5 to 1,164, but the number of patients in intensive care increased from…