Voice of OC

Placentia City Council members are largely relying on spending cuts and layoffs to pull the North OC city out of a roughly $1.5 million budget deficit. It marks a different approach compared to a host of other Orange County cities that closed budget gaps by using reserves, reallocating money and issuing hiring freezes.

An empty dais during the June 22, 2026, Board of Supervisors meeting. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC The ability of Orange County Supervisors to take a month-long vacation from public meetings until August should raise serious questions about how much work these politicians really do and how much they’re getting paid.

Mr. Gq, a 5-year-old domestic shorthair cat, licks his paws while eating treats in his kennel at OC Animal Care in Tustin on July 9, 2026. Credit: ANGELINA HICKS, Voice of OC Have you adopted a shelter animal because of Voice of OC’s weekly Pets of the Week article? We’d love to hear from you. Contact Angelina Hicks at ahicks@voiceofoc.org or admin@voiceofoc.org to share your experience.

A routine bike ride in Irvine’s Quail Hill area turned into a tragic incident when a 25-year-old from Costa Mesa was bitten by a rattlesnake after an apparent fall into nearby brush, resulting in his death a month later. The incident has prompted local leaders to highlight safety practices when hiking and mountain biking in Orange County’s trails and wildland areas.

Ads are placed on lifeguard towers along the coastline in Huntington Beach on June 29, 2026. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC City officials across Orange County are struggling to balance municipal budgets, with some facing multi-million dollar structural deficits – forcing some cities to issue spending cuts, hiring freezes and floating the idea of tax increases.

The recent chemical plant emergency in Garden Grove should be a wake-up call for all of Southern California, home to the de facto nuclear waste dump site at San Onofre, just south of San Clemente.

A sign outside of the Huntington Beach Sports Complex on Aug. 21, 2025. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC Huntington Beach leaders are workshopping a plan to overhaul the city’s sports complex, but there are some questions over how long it will take until it generates tax revenue in the face of a deficit.

The Orange City Council meeting on May 14, 2024. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC Orange officials are extending their moratorium on allowing new massage parlors to set up shop in the city for nearly two years amid allegations that the businesses are hot beds for prostitution and illicit sexual activity. Beyond the alleged sexual activity, code enforcement officers say they’ve found parlors where people are living there illegally.

While police officers made headlines last summer for firing tear gas and rubber bullets at protestors in Orange County, there’s another piece of military equipment they use much more that receives less attention – drones. At least three of the county’s largest law enforcement offices are ratcheting up their spending and use of drones with little public discussion, according to annual disclosures released highlighting how they used military equipment over the past year.

Voice of OC’s consistent coverage of local issues was recognized at the state level with six first place awards from the California News Publishers Association and four second place awards from the LA Press Club last month. From our coverage of Angels Stadium to E-bike crackdowns, Voice of OC was recognized for its coverage of local government, homelessness, labor and transportation reporting and more.