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Voice of OC • June 23 2025

Huntington Beach Nixes Public Comment Restrictions After ACLU Warning

Huntington Beach city officials agreed to remove previous restrictions placed on public commenters after the ACLU sent a letter accusing Mayor Pat Burns of violating the state’s open meeting law, known as the Brown Act.

During a council meeting on May 6, Burns implemented several rules during the public comment portion of the meeting, including preventing residents from cursing or speaking directly to individual council members.

He told residents to address the council as a whole and interrupt...

Voice of OC • June 18 2025

Irvine’s Oak Creek Golf Club Could Become Housing, Does it Go Against a Voter Initiative?

Irvine City Council members are in the beginning stages of contemplating another residential village in the city — a development that could replace the Oak Creek Golf Club with 3,100 housing units, a new school, parks and other community spaces.

But residents are ringing alarm bells that the plan, in conjunction with the Irvine Company, would violate the golf course’s preservation as permanent open space, a designation passed by voters in 1988.

Some residents argue that since voters originally...

Voice of OC • June 17 2025

Orange County’s Public Defender to Retire in July

Orange County’s public defender is set to retire next month after a 28-year career in the department.

Martin Schwarz joined the Public Defender’s Office in 1997 and took over as public defender in 2020. He’s slated to retire on July 11 after announcing his departure late last month.

“Serving as the Public Defender has been the honor of a lifetime and leaving this position is far and away the most difficult decision of my career,” Schwarz wrote in a letter to the Orange County Board of Supervis...

Voice of OC • June 11 2025

Irvine Looks to Increase Enforcement For Sober Living Homes

Sober living homes in Irvine could be facing increased regulation as city council members look to enhance enforcement on the facilities that provide residential space for people battling alcoholism or drug addiction.

It’s a trend that’s been spreading across the county after the city of Costa Mesa won a legal battle that paved the way for jurisdictions to maintain local control over sober living and group homes.

During a special city council meeting earlier this month, the Irvine City Council...

Voice of OC • June 2 2025

Proposed Battery Storage Site in South Orange County Sparks Wildfire Concerns

South Orange County residents and elected officials representing the region are raising wildfire concerns about a proposed battery storage facility that could get built on the northern edge of San Juan Capistrano. 

Residents and elected officials railed against the proposal last week at a California Energy Commission meeting that lasted over 10 hours — while dozens of speakers emphasized concerns of wildfire risks for the facility planned near homes and schools.

The project applicant, Compass...

Voice of OC • May 19 2025

Rancho Santa Margarita Officials Resist Livestreaming City Council Meeting Video

Officials in Rancho Santa Margarita continue to resist adding a video livestreaming option for city council meetings — one of the last Orange County cities that only offers audio for the public to tune in from home.

Newly-elected Rancho Santa Margarita Councilmember Keri Lynn Baert brought forth a motion to investigate the budget costs and options for adding video livestreaming at the March 12 meeting.

However, none of her colleagues supported the motion, ending the discussion. 
“There is not...

Voice of OC • May 16 2025

Training Service Dogs to Ride the Bus

Across Southern California, public events for handlers to train service dogs to ride buses are rare.

An estimated 500,000 service animals in the United States help people with disabilities manage daily tasks and medical conditions — including helping their owners travel, sometimes by buses or other public transportation.

But training service dogs to navigate public transportation poses a challenge — bustling vehicles and busy schedules can make it difficult for a trainer to introduce the dog t...

Voice of OC • May 13 2025

Irvine Looks to Crack Down on Sober Living Homes

Irvine city officials are set to consider increasing enforcement measures for problematic sober living homes as a growing number of Orange County cities look to add regulations for drug and alcohol treatment facilities.

Councilmember Melinda Liu placed an item on Tuesday night’s agenda requesting that staff draft up an ordinance to give the city more power over the application, requirements and permitting for group homes and sober living homes.

These facilities are meant to provide residential...

Voice of OC • May 6 2025

La Palma Residents Push for City Council Meeting Video Livestreams

Residents in La Palma, one of Orange County’s smallest cities, continue to demand video live streaming access for city council meetings to make it easier to engage with local government from home.

Of the 34 cities in Orange County, only La Palma and Rancho Santa Margarita provide audio-only access to their council meetings. Every other city in the county offers video live streaming with playback.

The lack of videostreaming at public meetings has prompted state legislators to consider legislati...

Voice of OC • April 30 2025

San Clemente Prepares to Launch Dredging Project to Find Offshore Sand Source

San Clemente officials are getting ready to launch a seven-day offshore sand investigation project as the city grapples with a dwindling shoreline and a lack of funding for sand replenishment.

City officials are debating the most cost-effective way to bring sand to San Clemente’s beaches to battle the effects of coastal erosion that’s been chipping away at the shoreline for decades.

[Read: San Clemente Officials Seek Money For Sand Replenishment]
One reason why sand is so expensive is because...

Voice of OC • April 28 2025

Irvine Expands Free Shuttle System Bus Routes

Irvine residents looking for public transportation options will have more routes to ride on the city’s free shuttle service after officials approved an extension and expansion to the program.

Irvine City Council members authorized an expansion of the Irvine CONNECT shuttle service — originally approved as a one-year pilot program last April — and directed staff to research additional routes.

The current route uses five buses to connect the Irvine Station and Spectrum Center down Barranca Parkw...

Voice of OC • April 24 2025

Retail and Restaurants Finally Coming to the Irvine Great Park

Residents living in Irvine’s Great Park neighborhoods are expected to get nearby shopping options by 2027, after years of waiting and driving to surrounding neighborhoods for groceries and cuisine.

City leaders are taking steps to finalize the Great Park’s retail center that’s expected to feature grocery stores and other shopping options.

The city had already selected Almquist as the developer to create the new center in a two-pronged plan.
[Read: Are Retail and Restaurants Finally Coming to t...

Voice of OC • April 22 2025

Irvine Rolls Out Affordable Housing Program For Homeless Students

Students and their families struggling to get enough to eat or keep a roof over their heads could soon get some relief in Irvine after city officials refocused their approach to some of the city’s neediest residents. 

It comes as Irvine officials are taking a closer look at their efforts to build affordable housing in the city and rethinking how those projects can better serve the local community, especially homeless students in local school districts.

During the city council’s April 8 meeting...

Voice of OC • April 21 2025

San Clemente Opposes State Bill that Would Ban Bussing Homeless People Out of City

San Clemente officials have opposed a state bill that would prohibit government employees from transporting homeless people outside the city and leaving them there.

The practice is often referred to as “dumping” — when governments or other institutions release unhoused people onto the street without providing any resources, support or a place to go.

It’s often done to shift responsibility for homelessness or reduce how many homeless people are visible in a certain place.
The proposed bill, cal...

Voice of OC • April 15 2025

State Grants Orange County Emergency Permit For Surfliner Rail Stabilization

Orange County transportation officials got approval from one of the state’s top commissions to speed up efforts to place sand and rock along the Pacific Surfliner rail line that runs through San Clemente to protect it from landslides and coastal erosion. 

The application focuses on four main areas most vulnerable to failures from landslides and erosion. Leaders from the Orange County Transportation Authority plan to place both sand and rock, also known as riprap, with the rock coming in first a...

Voice of OC • April 15 2025

Environmental Groups Raise Concerns Over OC School District Property Lease Near Banning Ranch

The proposed lease of an 11.36-acre site in Newport Beach is gaining the attention of local environmental groups, who are claiming an Orange County school district violated state law during the search for developers.

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District put out a call for bidders in January, looking for a group to enter a long-term ground lease to develop the site — a move district officials say is allowed under state law.

The property is surrounded on three sides by the nearly 400-acre Ra...

Voice of OC • April 9 2025

Newport Beach Clashes With State Over Offshore Moorings Pricing

Newport Beach boaters are still fighting for fair rents in Newport Harbor as city officials coordinate with state agencies on the future of offshore moorings — permanent structures surrounded by water for owners to store their boats.

The California Coastal Commission and State Lands Commission have both stepped in as Newport Beach city officials attempt to make some changes regarding mooring field layout and monthly rent prices for offshore moorings.

A majority of the waterways in Newport Harb...

Voice of OC • April 7 2025

Aliso Viejo Rejects Pride Flag Ban at City Hall After Public Pushback

Aliso Viejo city officials threw out a flag-flying resolution last week that would have banned the rainbow LGBTQ+ Pride flag at city hall, after dozens of public comments kicked off a five-hour debate about the banner.

Councilmember Mike Munzing brought forward the resolution at the April 2 council meeting that would have restricted city-owned flag poles to fly only the federal, state and local flags.

But council members ended up unanimously voting against the proposed changes, allowing the ra...

Voice of OC • April 1 2025

Another Orange County City Cracks Down on Sober Living Homes

City leaders in Mission Viejo are pushing forward new rules for sober living homes, requiring a new permitting process and distance requirements for these transitional facilities.

Sober living homes — also called group homes — are meant to provide residential space for people with alcohol or drug addiction so they can stay clean and participate in a recovery program. 

However, these facilities can often draw complaints from locals about noise and other disturbances in residential neighborhoods...

Voice of OC • March 31 2025

Lake Forest Officials Approve Another Affordable Housing Project

Lake Forest officials are moving forward with a new affordable housing project for low-income residents as cities across California begin to file their annual housing reports to the state.

City Council members unanimously approved a $4.35 million housing loan agreement with National Community Renaissance (National CORE) to create a four-story, 50-unit affordable housing project called Aspan Court.

The project will be funded using $3.7 million worth of in-lieu fees — money the city collected fr...

Voice of OC • March 26 2025

Laguna Beach Keeps Homeless Shelter, Potential Service Cuts Loom

Laguna Beach’s homeless shelter is one of the only facilities in South Orange County where unhoused people can find free meals, a shower and a warm bed 365 days a year.

But now city officials are taking a closer look at the shelter — named the Alternative Sleeping Location (ASL) — to see what services, if any, could be cut in the future to save money and reduce the facility’s regional draw.

The shelter, located at 20652 Laguna Canyon Road, was created in 2009 and features 35 beds. It’s run by...

Voice of OC • March 26 2025

Will Rancho Santa Margarita Officials Launch Their Own After School Program?

Rancho Santa Margarita officials may look to start their own after-school program after the local Boys & Girls Club branch abruptly ended contract negotiations with the city following accusations of political indoctrination and cost concerns.

City Manager Jennifer Cervantez said staff is researching what other kinds of recreational programming could replace the club. A proposal is expected to be presented to council members during the budget study sessions in May.

“The city’s community service...

Voice of OC • March 19 2025

San Clemente Officials Seek Money For Sand Replenishment

San Clemente city leaders are scrambling for ways to fund sand replenishment projects and restore the city’s dwindling beaches.

It comes after city voters narrowly rejected a sales tax increase that would’ve funded sand replenishment efforts.

San Clemente city officials are now turning toward the state to help provide enough cash to widen the beaches and reverse some of the effects of coastal erosion over the past several decades.
At the same time, a group of residents is pushing forward a cit...

Voice of OC • March 17 2025

What’s the Best Approach to Pickleball Courts in Orange County?

As pickleball becomes more and more popular in Orange County, some cities are taking a closer look at the best way to offer courts without creating excess noise or spending too much money.

A 2024 review by Chapman University students in partnership with Voice of OC found the county had approximately 220 public courts available with plans to add dozens more in different cities across the county.

[Read: OC Pickleball Courts Swell to Meet Demand]
While cities like Newport Beach and La Palma are o...