Voice of OC

A judge cited OC Board of Education Trustee Mari Barke for failing to report millions in dollars of income over her tenure in office on her annual disclosures. buff.ly/7JfvMBe

Irvine leaders quietly spent millions of dollars remodeling their city hall in the years right before city staff revealed they could soon be facing a projected multi-million dollar structural budget deficit. buff.ly/NHdIyJP

Santa Ana officials are opposing county leaders’ plan to convert a local teen rehab center into a halfway house for former inmates, saying the city was excluded from the decision and isn't a dumping ground for such services. buff.ly/eLU8SHF

State wildlife officials blocked efforts by OC Public Works staff to cut vegetation near Doheny State Beach, raising questions if the county department ever got the go-ahead to trim the greenery around a sensitive habitat for endangered species. buff.ly/43TOIVU

Fullerton officials won’t ask voters for a tax increase to fix their broken streets as they slash spending to right size a collapsing budget and as residents pursue recall efforts, saying they have lost trust in city hall. buff.ly/iXQpgqw

Costa Mesa officials will keep cameras that scan license plates despite overwhelming pushback from residents to get rid of them after a police officer used the devices to stalk women, including his wife, an ex-girlfriend and romantic rivals. buff.ly/hdzmu5Y

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It’s getting more expensive for Orange County residents to attend their local county fair which opened this weekend as executives sock away extra cash and spend millions on upgrades for themselves. buff.ly/L3Oh1zU

Placentia City Council members are cutting spending and relying on layoffs to help quell a roughly $1.5 million budget deficit. buff.ly/kYkpV1j

Orange County Supervisors are on a month-long summer vacation from public meetings raising questions about how much work these politicians really do after giving themselves a 25% pay raise. buff.ly/CrVAObj

Santa Ana residents say finding parking while getting home from work can be a Herculean task, with many having to leave their cars blocks away. Questions remain as to when city officials might give them relief. buff.ly/rD4sseb

Huntington Beach officials are looking to prevent takeover “beach parties” in the city after the July 4 Newport Beach takeover while Buena Park officials are trying to stop a similar gathering at Knott's Berry Farm. buff.ly/FlhTFm6

Newport Beach leaders are looking to crack down against social media-driven beach takeovers after viral posts brought thousands of teens from out of town to OC’s coastline over the Fourth of July weekend. buff.ly/HypWCXq

A warehouse project is expected to come to Lake Forest after years of resident pushback arguing that the development, located next to hundreds of homes, will cause nonstop noise, truck traffic and air pollution. buff.ly/SlG5JOx

Santa Ana voters will decide in November if they want to keep a 1.5% sales tax increase indefinitely after city officials had to cut millions of dollars in spending to balance their budget this summer. buff.ly/HEenKYp

Several Orange County cities are grappling with structural budget deficits as spending and costs are outpacing revenue, leaving elected officials to dip in reserves or eye tax increases to stay afloat. buff.ly/aBNMfmx

Law enforcement officials across OC are ratcheting up spending and use of drones to police the streets amid budget woes and resident concerns of over surveillance. buff.ly/ZpmTUOE

Owners of vacant properties in Orange will be required to secure and repair their buildings and clean up any graffiti and debris or face thousands of dollars in fines and fees under a new ordinance. buff.ly/H4aSB6L

Newport Beach officials are switching their homeless shelter from Costa Mesa to Huntington Beach as part of a new partnership, which will also decrease their access to shelter beds. buff.ly/pYrVBYI