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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It’s Leap Day, not April Fools’ Day, some fans reminded the Dodger star. -
The northbound connector will close for 57 hours starting Friday. -
Owner Karen Kropp said it has become “harder and harder” to run a mom-and-pop shop. -
The move comes after state officials found landfill operators violated hazardous waste control laws. -
The dream wedding venue for many had to temporarily close because of damage caused by the Rancho Palos Verdes landslide complex. -
City officials are requesting Gov. Gavin Newsom declare a state of emergency in the Portuguese Bend area while also seeking a federal declaration from the Biden administration. -
The program aims to help businesses threatened by gentrification in their neighborhoods. -
For one couple, it's an easy date to remember. For another, it's the wedding after a NASCAR proposal. -
The climate crisis is destabilizing cliffs and making landslides more likely, an expert says. -
Sunny day ahead with temperatures in the 60s.
