Tag: Southern California OC News

New Huntington Beach City Council Takes Action On Campaign Promises

The newly elected conservative majority on the Huntington Beach, California, City Council—Mayor Tony Strickland, Mayor Pro Tem Gracie Van Der Mark, and councilmen Casey McKeon and Pat Burns—hit the ground running during their first meeting on Dec. 20. In a nearly  four-hour meeting, the seven-member council granted a pay raise for its city attorney, approved a…


Transient Charged with Attacking Lyft Driver in Anaheim

SANTA ANA, Calif.—A 26-year-old convicted thief was behind bars Dec. 23 on charges of sexually assaulting and robbing a Lyft driver in Anaheim. Samuel Nicholas Rodriguez, who has a lengthy criminal record for car thefts, was being held without bail as he awaits arraignment Jan. 6 on charges of assault with the intent to commit…


Banning Ranch Finally Sold to Nonprofit for $100 Million

After a decades-long fight over Banning Ranch—one of the last undeveloped coastal areas of Orange County—the Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit dedicated to land conservation and the creation of parks, has purchased the property for nearly $100 million. The sale, concluded Dec. 16, is a victory for conservationists and local tribal communities, as it…


Orange County Still Looking for Cold Weather Shelter Operator as Winter Begins

Orange County, California, is still searching for an operator to run its emergency cold weather shelter as winter commences and temperatures drop. The county’s Commission to End Homelessness emphasized the urgency of finding an operator for the shelter during a Dec. 15 meeting. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer called the situation an “emergency,” saying…


19 Year-Old Who Killed His Mother Charged With Making a Shank in Jail

SANTA ANA, Calif.—A 19-year-old Garden Grove man who stabbed his mother to death when he was 13 years old, pleaded not guilty Dec. 22 to making a shank while in jail, according to officials. Ike Souzer was indicted on single felony counts each of possession of a deadly weapon by a prisoner and a prisoner manufacturing…


Orange County Supervisors Withdraw From Power Authority

The Orange County Board of Supervisors Dec. 20 voted 3–2—with Board Vice Chairman Don Wagner and Supervisor Andrew Do dissenting—to withdraw the county’s unincorporated areas from the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA), a local energy provider embroiled in controversy and accused of lacking transparency. The agency also serves residents and businesses in the cities of…


Orange County Funds Opioid Blockers for School Districts

The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Dec. 20 to authorize funds for opioid blockers, such as Narcan, for Orange County school districts. Supervisor Don Wagner initiated the plan with an allocation of $120,000. Of the lump sum, $20,000 will go to each school district within his supervisorial 3rd district—encompassing Orange, Tustin, Villa Park,…


Parents at California School Say Disruptive 5th-Graders Hinder Learning, Leave Teachers Crying

Some California elementary school parents are looking for answers over reported bullying by students in classrooms, causing some teachers to walk out in tears, they said. The parents spoke during public comment at the Newport-Mesa Unified School District Board of Education meeting Dec. 13. They said a group of 5th graders are behind the trouble…


Parents Say Disruptive Students in California Elementary School Hindered Learning, Left Teachers Crying

Some California elementary school parents are looking for answers after concerns over reported bullying in classrooms continue, leading some teachers to walk out in tears, they said. The parents spoke during public comment at the Newport-Mesa Unified School District Board of Education meeting Dec. 13 and said a group of 5th graders are behind the…


Corona Man Charged with Robbery Spree in Orange County

SANTA ANA, Calif.—A 27-year-old Corona man was arrested Dec. 21 on federal charges of eight armed robberies and two attempted robberies during a spree of holdups in Orange County in November. George Arizon is charged with a count of interference with commerce by robbery and a count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a…