A Slice of Orange

Halloween is right around the corner! So, in the spirit of the festivities, I spoke to Gustavo Arellano, features writer for the Los Angeles Times , covering mostly Southern California, and Gabriel San Roman, a journalist who wrote for the OC Weekly in 2006 and later became a staff writer until the newspaper's closing in 2019, and now manages a well-known blog, about some of the scariest politicia...

What happens when there's only one person on the ballot? Uncontested seats aren't common, but sometimes you can win a seat without a campaign. What's that experience like? To find out I spoke with Deana Miller, Brea-Olinda School Board Member, who won her seat in the primary.

We're a week away from the 2020 presidential election and already over 60 million Americans have voted. That begs the question, what does it mean to be an informed voter, and how can young voters learn about the impact of their vote not just for president but for all elective offices and ballot propositions? To help answer that question I spoke to Michelle Majewski who is well known in North Orang...

Beatriz "Betty" Valencia is the last of twelve children and daughter of Antonia and Ricardo. She was born in Mexico City and brought to the United States at the age of six. She often recalls spending the first part of her school year learning the English language and customs. Betty is a seasoned businesswoman, rising the ranks to become Vice President of Operations in the private sector, and is fu...

Neal Kelley is Registrar of Voters for Orange County, California, the fifth-largest voting jurisdiction in the United States, serving more than 1.6 million registered voters. He joined the County as Chief Deputy Registrar of Voters in May 2004. Appointed Registrar of Voters in April 2006 by County Executive Officer, Thomas G. Mauk, Kelley has led the Registrar of Voters’ office through the largest...

Senator Josh Newman is running for election to the California State Senate to represent District 29. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2020. Josh is a former Democratic member of the California State Senate, representing District 29. He was recalled from the position on June 5, 2018. Ling Ling Chang (R) was selected as his replacement after the Republicans targeted him for...

These ballot measures are not only spending the most money trying to convince you one way or another but could also change major tax policy and enact criminal justice reform.

Propositions 16, 19, 21, 25 have raised some serious cash and range from instituting affirmative action policies in admissions, and hiring practices are the University of California to repealing Costa Hawkins.

The November 2020 ballot measurers span the gamut. In this episode, we look at measures 14, 17, 18, and 24 to explore their fiscal and legal impact throughout California.

LaShe's life experiences informed her thinking that local government affects the community more directly than distant federal and state decisions – especially surrounding youth development and K-12 education, which is why she decided to run for school board. She currently serves as the Chief of Staff for Orange County Supervisor Doug Chaffee. LaShé earned her Bachelor’s degree at the University of...

Councilman Moreno represents Anaheim's third district which encompasses much of the North Central region. Before his election to the city council, he served on the school board of 8 years. He is an associate professor of Chicano and Latino Studies at California State University, Long Beach. He has served on the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, the Association of American Coll...

Tony Saavedra is an investigative reporter specializing in legal affairs for the Orange County Register. His work has been recognized by the National Headliner Club, the Associated Press Sports Editors, the California Newspaper Publishers Association, the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association and the Orange County Press Club. His stories have led to the closure of a chain of badly-run group home...

Not very many people know what a community college district does, let alone what it is! In this episode, we talk to Miguel Alvarez who is running for the board, and details his candidacy, his campaign, and why you should care about who gets elected to your community college board. Miguel is an education policy expert and advocate. He was raised right here in North Orange County and is an alumnus o...

Sharon Quirk-Silva is a mother, teacher, former Mayor of Fullerton, and Member of the California State Assembly. Sharon has deep ties to Orange County. Sharon came to Fullerton when she was two, was educated in Orange County public schools, and earned her degrees from Fullerton College, UCLA, and CSU Fullerton. She found a passion for education, serving as a classroom teacher for more than thirty...

Lauren is a seasoned public school teacher who successfully earned a spot on the Fullerton Joint Union High School District board--surprising many by beating two well-known candidates by simply out-working them and taking nothing for granted. In this episode, Lauren tells us what it means to be the underdog in a campaign and the power that school board members have in our community.

Ahmad represents Fullerton's 5th City Council district. He made headlines when he shocked the political world with his election to the council, being the first openly-gay elected council member. As if that wasn't enough of a barrier-breaking accomplishment, Ahmad is a doctor, film-maker, and a Syrian immigrant. In this podcast, we talk to Ahmad about his life and what motivated him to run.

Jodi talks to Grant Henninger, a local activist in Anaheim, California who attempted a run for Anaheim City Council from the notoriously conservative Anaheim Hills district. He is active in his community and serves on various city commissions.

We're kicking off this podcast to put local politics in focus. Why North Orange County? Because it all happens here--North Orange County is where both former state Sen. John Briggs--the author of California's Proposition 6, the so-called Briggs Initiative, that would have allowed teachers to be fired for being homosexual and admitting to that fact--was from. But, in the same generation, it is also...