From minimum wages to recalls – this year was just a taste of what’s to come in next year’s larger elections.

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Across OC, water agencies have grappled with bad finances, neglected infrastructure and coastlines of sewage. Residents are the ones being forced to pay.

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A chorus of audience members calling for a ceasefire in Gaza prompted city council members to clear the chambers and cancel public comments.

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Fair officials denied any intent to close the stables, saying they want more control over ensuring public benefit from a facility of private horse owners.

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The fate of the 44-year-old stables now sits between a debate over whether or not the equestrian center serves a public benefit or is a gift of tax dollars.

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Westminster voters will decide whether they should pay more taxes to combat a fiscal crisis and save public services just one year after voters approved a 1-cent sales tax increase.

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Journalists hope to turn a page in the fight for the future of local news in Orange County and Southern California.

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There are increasing questions in OC about paying homeless nonprofits to help get unhoused people off the streets when much of the money is going to nonprofit executive salaries.

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With different council members introducing different resolutions, there wasn’t enough support to bring back a single one for a formal vote at a future meeting.

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The city has spilled more than 2.7 million gallons of sewage since 2007. The city recently made a series of investments to overhaul its sewage system, raising residents’ rates along with it. 

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Officials in Santa Ana might become the first in Orange County to pass a resolution in support of a permanent ceasefire as more elected officials weigh in on Israel and Palestine.

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As water officials across OC hike rates due to aging infrastructure, the Garden Grove City Council called the increases a bitter pill that residents would have to swallow.

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More than 30 people – including council members – complained that Santa Ana’s predominantly working-class and Latino residents were being unfairly treated compared to wealthier OC residents.

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The prospect has local equestrians questioning whether they’re up against an effort to push the fairgrounds further from its history.

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Residents are now asking what Councilmember Jessie Lopez’s apparent recall survival says about the political future of a Latino city split at its governing level over what “saving your community” looks like.

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The result of the effort to unseat Councilmember Jessie Lopez – also driven by landlords – could tip the scales of power in Santa Ana on issues like rent control and policing.

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A controversial special recall election – funded by Santa Ana’s powerful police union – could see an early end to the term of Councilmember and police union critic Jessie Lopez.

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City Council members narrowly approved sending the question to voters as a ballot measure in the 2024 Presidential Election. 

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Santa Ana’s police union has become a powerhouse in city elections, floating its preferred candidates. City politicians insist contributions don’t buy votes. But a look at local campaign finance raises questions. 

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The question of whether the wrong electorate is voting on Jessie Lopez’s fate this November will be settled in court after the election.

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