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 task force will target federal dollars set aside for homelessness in seven SoCal counties. -
Maznavi leaves behind a legacy of creating safe spaces for Muslim women.
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Some takeaways from the files obtained so far and what we know about the delay on other requests.
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The city is tapping a lobbying firm to make the case in D.C. for more help in shoring up a landslide that is slowly destroying entire neighborhoods.
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Sidhu was ordered to return to federal court Sept. 2, when he is expected to begin his sentence.
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In Irvine, legislative power rests in the hands of the seven-member City Council. One of those seats is up for grabs on April 15.
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The City Council also wants businesses to report ICE raid notices to the city.
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The LAPD and LA County Sheriff's Department do not collaborate with ICE but the OC Sheriff's Department does following SB54.
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Karen Bass' order directs multiple city departments to create plans to expedite rebuilding with wildfire resilience in mind.
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The tradition of iftar is thriving in SoCal during Ramadan. Here's what it's like to be at the tableTwo LAist colleagues attend iftar to break the Ramadan fast together with a Palestinian family in Rowland Heights.
