
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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Crews are beginning emergency stabilization work. Travelers will be bused between Irvine and Oceanside for about six weeks.
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The city has not contracted with the Chamber of Commerce since 2022, when a corruption scandal made headlines.
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The proposed project is in its infancy and still has to clear concerns raised by City Council members.
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Community leaders said he was ahead of his time.
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The top vote-getter told LAist the second-place candidate called to concede the race.
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Critics say the $300-million effort to stabilize a stretch of the popular Pacific Surfliner route is haphazard, curtails public beach access and will only yield short-term benefits.
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The winner will take part in several key decisions facing one of Orange County's biggest cities.
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Irvine voters head to the poll as 2025 is poised to be a year of change for the city. Three candidates are vying for the District 5 council seat.
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Due to the sheer volume and different needs of fire victims, a lot of it ended up either in landfills or being shipped abroad.
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The county could be on the hook for far more money, with more than $400 million in claims filed overall.