Yusra Farzan
Local news in Orange County has my heart: All those long meetings — city council, school boards, power authorities, housing commissions, planning departments — play a huge role in our everyday lives. So I take the time to synthesize how decisions in Orange County’s 34 cities affect your electricity bill, how your taxes are funding the next big project and the resources available at your child's school.
Even though I got my break in entertainment reporting, the pieces I am most proud of spotlight everyday people: teachers in Orange County, the duo who started a school for Ukrainian refugees, the women behind Ramadan markets and the teenager who invented a cancer-detecting toothbrush.
Ask me about the small liquor store in Garden Grove that also carries Sri Lankan snacks, the best places to get Arab food in Anaheim and why the drive to Laguna Beach is worth it for those warm, summer days.
I grew up in the Middle East, but I am of Sri Lankan descent. I used to live in Irvine, and I still have one foot in O.C. But now I also call Rancho Palos Verdes home — it’s also why I am so invested in covering the land movement here.
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The city has been managing the peafowl population for years in response to complaints about noise and property damage. -
Attendees discuss topics like childhood trauma, share a potluck meal and engage in dance.
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The light rail project, which had been planned for 2021, could see its first riders early next year.
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The city is poised to spend as much as it does on its entire operating budget to counter the slow-moving disaster.
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Following the release of text messages related to the January fires to other media outlets, LAist requested to review the available public records. The mayor’s office shared some texts, but LAist is still waiting on communications from the days prior to the start of the fire.
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The city needs between 2 million and 5 million cubic yards of sand to restore its thinning shorelines.
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Many of the demonstrations for workers’ rights have also become an indictment of President Donald Trump’s stance on immigration.
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“ I wouldn't be here if it weren't for my family, who suffered through months in refugee camps.”
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For the first time, millennials are now leading the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce: They plan to distance the organization from politics and focus on promoting local business.
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Orange County supervisors are discussing what to say to express harm done to the county and constituents by former Supervisor Andrew Do. He faces federal prison time at an upcoming sentencing.
