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Voice of OC • October 16 2025

As More Orange County Cities Crack Down on Whippets, Irvine Sidesteps Ban

A growing list of Orange County cities is banning the sale of nitrous oxide — also known as whippets or laughing gas — for people looking to use the inhalant to get high. 

While cities like Stanton, Costa Mesa and Santa Ana voted earlier this year to prohibit the sale of the gas for recreational use, Irvine city officials voted down a similar proposal, saying state law already prohibits the inhalant for people who want to get high. 

The trend of banning whippets comes after Orange County’s Boa...

Voice of OC • October 10 2025

San Clemente Grapples With State Transparency Laws

San Clemente City Council members are tackling two separate transparency issues that recently surfaced in the South Orange County coastal town. 

This week, council members discussed an alleged violation of California’s transparency law — the Brown Act — and how to best handle public records requests.

During the Oct. 7 meeting, council members addressed an alleged Brown Act violation by Councilmember Zhen Wu, who apparently shared closed-door discussions about property negotiations with an outs...

Voice of OC • September 30 2025

Laguna Hills Approves Building 180 Apartments for Seniors

Laguna Hills is expected to see 180 apartments built for senior housing after council members approved a housing project commonly referred to as a “builders’ remedy” because state law allows it to bypass local zoning rules.

Builder’s remedy is part of California’s Housing Accountability Act and allows developers to circumvent certain general plan and zoning limitations in cities if the project provides a certain number of affordable housing units.

That means cities can’t deny builder’s remedy...

Voice of OC • September 29 2025

Laguna Hills Becomes Latest OC City to Adopt District Elections Amid Legal Threats

Laguna Hills, one of the few remaining Orange County cities that still elects council members at-large, is expected to transition to a district-based voting system after legal threats regarding voting rights.

It’s been a trend over the past few years in Orange County as cities make the change to how they elect city council members in response to legal challenges that at-large voting violates the California Voting Rights Act and results in “racially polarized voting.”
At-large voting gives voter...

Voice of OC • September 26 2025

A Look at Orange County’s German Shepherd Rescue

Orange County’s nonprofit German Shepherd rescue is struggling to keep up with the influx of dogs while costs go up and adoption numbers continue to dip below pre-pandemic levels.

The German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County was founded in 1998 and strives to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home German Shepherds across Southern California.

Maria Dales, the organization’s founder and director, said she’s never seen dog overpopulation numbers this high in her 30-year career.
And now her organization...

Voice of OC • September 24 2025

Is Orange County’s Struggling Green Power Agency Bouncing Back?

Orange County’s green power agency might be making a comeback after Irvine officials decided to stay with the alternative energy provider — reversing a previous decision that could have pulled all Irvine’s accounts from the agency by the end of this year.

The agency known as the Orange County Power Authority was heavily criticized in previous years for lacking transparency, including a number of state audits that nearly caused the group to collapse.

Earlier this month, Irvine City Council memb...

Voice of OC • September 18 2025

San Clemente’s Coastline is About to Get More Crowded

San Clemente’s idyllic coastline is about to get more crowded after city council members approved a hotel development while nearby residents protested the proposal. 

Some council members say it’s a necessary step to help the city generate much-needed revenue through hotel bed taxes. 

Officials approved a height exception for a hotel development at the Outlets shopping center, featuring a rooftop bar and restaurant space that nearby residents say will cause noise and lighting issues — as well a...

Voice of OC • September 18 2025

San Juan Capistrano Approves Mixed-Use Apartment Building

San Juan Capistrano City Council members approved another residential development in town, this time a mixed-use project featuring a restaurant and fitness center within the city’s historic downtown region.

Council members also considered a performing arts center development that would be right next to the 95-unit apartment complex, but tabled that approval for now in order for the council to give the developer more feedback on design and discuss issues surrounding public land.

During their Tu...

Voice of OC • September 16 2025

What’s Going On With the Cat Colonies at Cypress College?

A colony of community cats living on campus at Cypress College has prompted allegations of animal cruelty while Orange County remains without a catch and release program to reduce stray cat populations.

Recent social media and online blog posts have alleged that Cypress College employees are intentionally harming feral and stray cat colonies on campus, including depriving cats of food and water and purposely destroying water dishes.

A blog known as Cats of Cypress College has been documenting...

Voice of OC • September 15 2025

Irvine Might See Child Care Grant Program for Children Ages 4 and Below

Irvine residents with young children may soon be able to participate in a city-sponsored child care grant program after city council members told staff to study the topic and return with a plan.

Council members unanimously supported the idea during their meeting on Sept. 9 and voted to direct staff to study the proposal for families with children ages 0 to 4 that live or work in Irvine.

Councilmembers William Go and Melinda Liu brought the item forward for discussion last week.
“The city of Ir...

Voice of OC • September 9 2025

Newport Harbor Mooring Battle Heads to State Lands Commission

California State Lands Commissioners, tasked with protecting public lands and waterways, are stepping in to voice concerns about Newport Beach’s management of the harbor, including offshore moorings and residential piers.

Now, local mooring permit holders are at odds with state commissioners over price hikes, permit transfers and the overall future of how accessible Newport Harbor will be for residents.  

It comes after Newport Beach mooring permit holders have spent the past couple years prot...

Voice of OC • September 8 2025

Lake Forest Residents Protest Proposed Warehouses Near Homes

Lake Forest residents are voicing concerns about three proposed industrial projects next to a residential neighborhood they claim will cause 24/7 noise, truck traffic and air pollution if approved.

Residents who live in The Meadows neighborhood in Lake Forest have spent the past couple years ringing alarm bells about these proposed projects — separated from some homeowners’ backyards by only a block wall. 
The Meadows sits on 126 acres south of Bake Parkway and features over 500 single-family h...

Voice of OC • September 4 2025

Lake Forest Approves El Toro Road Improvements, Street Widening

Lake Forest residents’ drive through the city could soon get easier after city council members approved a series of road improvements on El Toro Road. 

City officials are moving forward with three street improvement projects on the major road to improve traffic flow and increase traffic safety, expecting to cost just under $10 million.

The three projects include road widening at Jeronimo Road as well as median improvements on El Toro Road and Trabuco Road, near El Toro High School.
City counci...

Voice of OC • August 26 2025

San Juan Capistrano Grapples With Mandated Housing Numbers

City council members across Orange County have spent the past several years grappling with state-mandated housing numbers and how to best maintain local control for housing developments.

It comes while state leaders pass new laws aimed at pushing forward residential units. 

Earlier this year, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation that removes some environmental review regulations for developers to speed up housing production across the state. In 2021, Newsom signed SB 9, which allows...

Voice of OC • August 22 2025

Helping Mutts in Need Across Orange County and Beyond

The nonprofit animal rescue Mutts in Need sends a monthly transport to the Los Angeles airport to pick up a group of dogs scooped from the streets in Armenia — shuttling them to Orange County for rehabilitation and a chance for a new life.

Saved by a partner in Armenia who gathers up street dogs and obtains certification for canine air travel, these pups often arrive with varying degrees of injuries or other issues.

“A lot of them are not in very good shape and need a lot of work to get them s...

Voice of OC • August 18 2025

San Juan Capistrano Could See 225 New Homes

San Juan Capistrano residents could see a new neighborhood with 225 residential units off the 5 Freeway, featuring a mix of single-family detached houses and three-story townhomes.

City council members are expected to discuss initial steps to study the potential development during their meeting on Tuesday night.

The applicant, known as Pendulum Property Partners, has proposed a plan to redevelop the 15-acre Capistano Business Park — located along Calle Arroyo — into a residential community wit...

Voice of OC • August 14 2025

Irvine Open Space Protection Ballot Measure Kicked to 2026

Irvine City Council members kicked discussions about an open space ballot measure — including whether or not the Oak Creek Golf Club might become housing — into next year after concerns that the issue was getting too complex for a special election this year.

Rumblings of a potential statewide election this year also encouraged council members to take a step back and instead bring forward the special election sometime in 2026.

The council was expected to consider four different ballot measures...

Voice of OC • August 12 2025

Irvine Grapples With Open Space Protections

Irvine has been long known for its idyllic parks spanning nearly 30% of the city’s land, but a recent housing development proposal on a golf course is raising questions over just how protected the city’s open spaces can be.

Earlier this year, officials debated a proposed development at the Oak Creek Golf Course, which saw questions over just how protected that land is under a 1988 ballot measure. 

Now, Irvine City Council members are slated to consider four different ballot measures about open...

Voice of OC • August 11 2025

Former OC Supervisor Ordered to Repay $878,000 for Role in Bribery Scheme

Before he heads to prison next week, former Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do has been ordered to repay $878,000 by a federal judge after he admitted to illegally redirecting millions of dollars in contracts for bribes. 

Do is set to begin his five-year prison sentence by Aug. 15 after he pleaded guilty to accepting over $800,000 in bribes in exchange for handing over $12 million of contracts to the Viet America Society, a nonprofit whose leaders allegedly pocketed most of the money.   

[Read...

Voice of OC • August 7 2025

Two Dogs Dead in Transport from OC Animal Care to Idaho

Two French bulldogs died while being transported across the desert in the middle of the night from Orange County’s animal shelter to a partner facility in Idaho last month, according to necropsy reports obtained by Voice of OC.

On July 12, two French bulldogs — a 2-year-old female known as Mrs. Toy and a 3-year-old male named OJ — were being transported to Idaho along with 23 other dogs in three vehicles and six total staff members, according to an incident summary provided by OC Animal Care sp...

Voice of OC • August 5 2025

OC Fair Restores Critical Social Media Comments on Prices After Questions About First Amendment Violations

Orange County Fair officials have restored social media users’ ability to comment on a controversial post about rising parking costs at the summer fair – after Voice of OC posed questions regarding potential First Amendment violations for deleting critical comments and removing the public’s opportunity to comment on the official post.

Voice of OC published a story last month detailing prices to park and enter the OC Fair, which have been trending upward over the past several years and remain hi...

Voice of OC • August 5 2025

Who Gets a Free Ticket to the Orange County Fair?

The price tag of the Orange County Fair keeps going up for just about everyone.

But there’s one group that continues to have easy, free access to the fair — local politicians and their guests. 

A Voice of OC review of the fair’s public ticket disclosures found that fair board members used nearly $20,000 worth of free tickets last year, and that over 30 OC city council members, one state assemblywoman and one congressman also got free tickets to the fair alongside exclusive dinners. 
About 300...

Voice of OC • July 28 2025

Irvine to Consider Options For Open Space Preservation Ballot Measure

Irvine voters will likely have a chance to cast their votes in a November special election to decide whether or not developers can develop 3,100 housing units at the Oak Creek Golf Course — as city leaders begin early steps to review the proposal.

It’s not yet clear what that ballot measure will exactly look like.

Irvine City Council members are expected to mull over a few different options during their next meeting on Aug. 12. Those ballot measure options will be published by the city for pub...

Voice of OC • July 23 2025

Why is Newport Beach on Track to Pay Two City Manager Salaries?

Newport Beach residents are questioning why the city signed up to pay for two city manager salaries in 2026 after the current top city employee decided to retire a year early.

Newport Beach City Manager Grace Leung previously had an employment contract that lasted until the end of 2026, but at a meeting earlier this month, the city council unanimously approved a new agreement that shortens her employment by a year.

She’s now expected to retire at the end of 2025, but when she leaves the city,...