Voice of OC photographers, interns, students this year ventured out across Orange County to give voice to thousands of residents at a variety of events, civic actions and protests.
Along with an ongoing look at the great vistas across the region – in many cases protected by the efforts and tax dollars of local residents.
Photographers also profiled local leaders that make up the diverse County of Orange.
Native American leaders, faith leaders, and Black and Brown communities.
Little Arabia, and the new Koreatown.
Here’s a look at the faces and places that made up the changing landscape of Orange County this year.
A Community Urban Farm Faces New Test in Sustaining Its Neighbors in Santa Ana
Abel Ruiz, CRECE farmer, tends to a Capulin tree in the Santa Ana garden.
These Community College Retirees Say Bad District Leadership Put Their Healthcare in Peril
Pam Hernandez stands for a portrait in front of Rancho Santiago Community College District offices on Dec. 8, 2022. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
After Monterey Park Shooting, Westminster Pushed Past Its Own Turmoil for Triumphant Tet Parade
Glitter showers onlookers at the conclusion of the 2023 Little Saigon Tet Parade in Westminster. Credit: Jacobo Hernández
Orange County More Than Doubles Investment in Helping People Transition Out of Jail
Henry Rodriguez (right), a workforce case manager with Project Kinship, speaks with a program participant at the group’s Santa Ana office on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. Credit: NATALIE CARTWRIGHT, Voice of OC
Latino Health Access’ Weekly Distribution Feels the Squeeze Ahead of California’s Food Cliff
Maria, a recent immigrant from Guerrero, has been in the US for less than a year. Maria stood in line for the once-a-month diaper drive for her newborn son. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Meet the Investigators Trying to Shine a Light on Corruption at Anaheim City Hall
Jeff Love (left) and Jeffery Johnson sit for a portrait in the Judicate West Building on Feb. 17, 2023 in Santa Ana. Credit: NATALIE CARTWRIGHT, Voice of OC
Here Comes The Judge: Meet the Man Overseeing Anaheim’s Corruption Probe
Judge Clay Smith sits in a conference room at the Judicate West Building in Santa Ana on Feb. 22, 2023. Judge Clay has come out of retirement to oversee the corruption probe in Anaheim. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Huntington Beach Looks To Limit Who Leads Prayers Before Meetings
A relgious leader leads a prayer during the Jan. 17, 2023 Huntington Beach city council meeting. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Trench Foot & Infections: Street Medics Treating Homeless People Brace for Storm Aftermath
The Santa Ana Riverbed during the rainstorm on Jan. 10, 2023. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Meet The Santa Ana Muralist Who’s Changing The Way People Look At Graffiti
Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
A Puzzling Bond
Team 16, Sandi Saltzer and Sharon Ogomori organize their puzzle at the Orange County Speed Puzzling competition on Saturday, April 1, 2023. Credit: NATALIE CARTWRIGHT, Voice of OC
OC Zoo Welcomes New, Young Jaguar
12-month-old jaguar Mickey looks out into his enclosure after his daily feeding on March 16, 2023. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Battling to Survive Santa Ana’s Street Car
Shawn Makhani protests in Downtown Santa Ana on April 21, 2023. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
County Employee Wants Answers On Sheriff’s K-9 That Accidentally Mauled Him
Jeff Coloman in his home on March 30, 2023. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
County Employees Attacked At Work Find A Big Hole in California’s Workers Comp System
Barbara Bossenmeyer shows the area in which a bullet struck her right arm. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Will Anaheim Require Better Pay and Protections for Hotel Housekeepers?
Over 40 hotel workers gather outside the Anaheim Hilton Hotel on May 3, 2023 to demand fair wages and workers protections against sexual assault. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Turning The Page on Low Literacy Rates in Orange County
Tim Elmore, 69, inside the Cypress Public Library on April 20, 2023. Elmore has worked as an OC Read tutor since 2019. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
Celebrating Freedom on Juneteenth
Earn One, 52, with his car at the 2023 Juneteenth Festival at Centennial Park on June 17, 2023. It is the first year that One is celebrating Juneteenth. This year, he wanted to “come out to support the Orange County Heritage Council.” Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
Local Lens: A Swim Around Surf City’s Pier
Beth Margalis, 39, at the 72nd annual Huntington Beach Pier Swim on June 10, 2023. Margalis participated in the pier swim last year 20 weeks pregnant with her twins, Chloe and Will (pictured above). Margalis set a record for her division Masters Women this year, swimming around the pier in nine minutes and fifty seconds. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
‘I Expected Worse:’ Measuring OC Beach Health After Wet Winter
Surfers cross through a storm drain channel at Poche Beach on June 27, 2023. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Santana: The Art of Showing Up Is What Keeps America’s Flag Waving
From left, Dustin DePaola, 35, and Luke Collins, 33 speak to Voice of OC at OCFA Headquarters in Irvine on June 28, 2023. DePaola points at the American Flag patch on his uniform, explaining the significance of a backward flag on his uniform. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, VOICE OF OC
Summer Tradition, The OC Fair
OC Fair opening night on July 14, 2023. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
Orange County Celebrates Islamic New Year
Bassel Balouk, a Syrian immigrant and owner of Chamya, pours Turkish style coffee that is heated in a pan filled with sand on July 22, 2023, at the Islamic New Year and Night Market Festival in Orange. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
As Anaheim Waffles on Corruption Reform, Residents Question City Hall’s Legitimacy
“You are depending on people not paying attention,” said Kenneth Batiste during Anaheim public comment on Aug. 15, 2023. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
A Time For Chicanos and Chicanas
Sharon Gonzalez, 22, from Anaheim, attends the Chicano Heritage Festival in Santa Ana on Aug. 27, 2023. “It is hard to live here, and have a stable life but it is worth it because as of today, we are getting recognized for the people we are,” said Gonzalez. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Tropical Storm Hilary Shows Her Colors Across Orange County
A large crowd watches the waterfall at Dana Point Harbor Drive on Aug. 20, 2023. Credit: MAXIMO SANTANA, Voice of OC
Chapman University Law School Runs From The Ghost of John Eastman
A welcome reception at the Dale E. Fowler School of Law on Aug. 24, 2023. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
Orange County Goes Back to School
“I like being mixed with kids of different ages in my class,” said Sophomore Yenny Medina, 15, a Círculos Advanced Academy. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
The Summer of Strikes
Unite Here Local 11 picketing at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott on August 12, 2023. The union is calling for a boycott of the hotel after workers experienced violence against them. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
Local Lens: Walking Orange County’s Coast
A fin fish is caught through a spearfishing method at Crystal Cove Park in Laguna Beach on April 21, 2023. Credit: GIL BOTHWELL, Voice of OC
San Clemente Shines in Surfing World Championship
Surfers wait for a wave in San Clemente during the Rip Curl WSL Finals on Sept. 8, 2023. Credit: JAKE RANDAZZO, Voice of OC
Pride and Culture: Santa Ana’s Fiestas Patrias
Bryana Ramos, 10, daughter of Francisco Ramos, watches the parade go by on Sept. 17, 2023. “I am emotional seeing this and proud because my parents are from Mexico,” said Ramos. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Keeping Latino Traditions Alive at Fiestas Patrias
Mexican performer slashes a whip through the 43rd Annual Fiestas Patrias in Downtown Santa Ana on Sunday Sept. 17, 2023. Credit: EVELYN MUNIZ MORFIN, Voice of OC
Chino Hills State Park, A Refuge From Urban Living
Isabelle Donovan, Beverly Mount, Alexi Garza and their horses at the Chino Hills State Park Discovery Center on Sept. 2, 2023. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
Between Two Worlds: An OC Native’s Award-Winning Irish Short Film Makes Dual Waves
Brigid Leahy at Dana Point Harbor in October, 2023. Credit: BRANDON PHO, Voice of OC
Skating Across Orange County
Carly Rogers at the Volcom Skatepark of Costa Mesa on May 20, 2023. “All my skating gear is pink, even though it’s not my favorite color, I think it’s very girly and I like it,” Rogers said. Rogers shared that although the sport is male-dominated, she has not faced discrimination as a female skateboarder. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
Mile Square Park, A Place for Serenity and Family
The Guerrero family fish at one of the lakes at Mile Square Regional Park on Monday, Sept. 4, 2023. Credit: CARISSA NELSON, Voice of OC
Putuidem Village Unearths OC Indigenous History
Adelia Sandoval, 70, at Putuidem Village on Aug. 15, 2023. Putuidem was the central village for the Juaneño band of Mission Indians and Acjachemen Nation for thousands of years. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
What Will an OC Charter School Expansion Mean For Esplanade Elementary?
Clara Ramos, an Esplanade Elementary mother, with her daughter Michelle at a community meeting held in Orange on Nov. 8, 2023. Credit: HOSAM Elattar, Voice of OC.
Día de Los Muertos Celebrations Return to Santa Ana
A woman stands outside a face-painting booth, advertising the paints in Santa Ana on Nov. 4, 2023. CREDIT: ANNA MORISAWA, Voice of OC
Is Orange County’s Registrar Ready For The Next Election?
Orange County Registrar Bob Page on Nov. 1, 2023. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Will the OC Fairgrounds’ Equestrian Center Become a Parking Lot?
Trainer and Owner of Life O’Riley Riding Kate Riley, 49, poses with King Solomon at Orange County Fair Equestrian Center in Costa Mesa on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Riley shares how she grew up taking care of the horses at the stables since she was young. Credit: ARIELLE LEE, Voice of OC
Buena Park’s Koreatown Becomes OC’s Newest Official Cultural Enclave
Jay Chang, 49, at WOW Pharmacy on Oct. 5, 2023. Chang is a pharmacist and the owner of WOW Pharmacy, a Korean pharmacy located in Buena Park’s Koreatown. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
Fullerton Residents Fight For a Trail; Politicians Want to Spend That Money Elsewhere
Residents, activists and community members walk along the train tracks in south Fullerton advocating for the Union Pacific Trail on Oct. 4, 2023. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Laguna Beach Debates Beachgoers Digging Out Sand Berm at Aliso Beach
The flow of water from Aliso Creek into the ocean at Aliso Beach on Nov. 9, 2023. The berm separating the creek from the ocean was dredged by Laguna Beach residents earlier in the day. The flow of water expanded over time, creating waves for boogie boarding, surfing and skimboarding. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC
Santana: Tustin To Get Asbestos Clean Up After Hangar Fire Fallout
A view of the collasped hangar from Montgomery Square Park on November Nov. 9. 2023. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
‘Becoming a Civilian Again,’ Veterans Use Equine Training to Combat Mental Stress
Paul Worley, 42, a Marine Veteran, who has served over two decades in the infantry, walks a horse out of the barn at the Shea Center in San Juan Capistrano. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Post-9/11 Veterans Honored at Heroes Hall Plaque Unveiling
Shawn Bacon, left, embraces Heroes Hall Veterans Foundation President Nick Berardino, left, after the unveiling of a plaque commemorating those that served and died during wartime following Sept. 11, 2001. Bacon’s son, CPO Jason C. Finan, is listed on the plaque. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
Santa Ana Council Deadlocks on Israel & Palestine Statement
Residents, community organizations, activists, and spiritual leaders on both sides of the issue were some of the attendees and speakers at the Santa Ana city council meeting on Dec. 5, 2023. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
OC Jewish Community Celebrates Hanukkah – a Festival of Lights
Rabbi Nancy Myers at Temple Beth David on Nov. 29, 2023. Rabbi Myers has led the temple spiritually since 2004. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
