Email Author MATT COKER

Awards

• 2011 - Southern California Journalism Awards/LA Press Club, published February 4, 2010

  "Douchebag Does Sundance"

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2012 Stories by MATT COKER

• Balboa Bay Club and Newport Beach Country Club Sale to Chinese Investor Reportedly Off

  published Jan 18, 2012

  We had fun in August with the venerable Balboa Bay Club & Resort and Newport Beach County Club reportedly being snatched up by Chinese investor Winston Chung.Alas, it seems that deal is off.And in... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Cacophony Society Inclusion in Santa Ana Art Walk Rings U.S. Homeland Security Alarm Bells

  published Jan 17, 2012

  Is the ultimate arbiter of art and culture in the city of Santa Ana the federal Department of Homeland SecurityrSeems to be so based on a recent letter Vicky Baxter, executive director of Downtown Inc... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  [UPDATED with All-Clear:] "Bomb" Package Left at Social Security Office

  published Jan 17, 2012

  UPDATE, JAN. 17, 3:32 P.M.: The Orange County Sheriff's Department bomb squad gave the all-clear this morning after examining the suspicious package with "bomb" written across it outside the Social Se... More >>

• Joseph A. Fletcher Was 2nd Highest Paid Muni Worker in State as Santa Ana's City Attorney

  published Jan 17, 2012

  City Attorney Joseph A. Fletcher left the cracked streets of Santa Ana a January ago with more than $605,000 in salary, severance and benies, and new data released by the State Controller show that br... More >>

• Marbel A. Para Popped for Poaching 42 Spiny Lobsters from Marine Sanctuary

  published Jan 17, 2012

  A Riverside County man was cited Sunday for allegedly poaching 47 California spiny lobsters from Laguna Beach waters within Southern California's new marine sanctuary zone that went into effect Jan. ... More >>

• Anthony Ray Lopez Accused of Deliberately Running Over and Murdering Cycling Grandpa

  published Jan 17, 2012

  Anthony Ray Lopez, 23, of Anaheim, is being held in lieu of $1 million bail for allegedly using his car to deliberately run over and murder a grandfather bicycling a few blocks from his home.The famil... More >>

• [UPDATED with Victim I.D.:] John Berry, OC Homicide No. 2: Itzcoatl Ocampo Held in Fatal Stabbings of Homeless

  published Jan 16, 2012

  UPDATE, JAN. 16, 8:53 A.M.: The homeless man fatally stabbed behind an Anaheim Carl's Jr. Friday night has been identified by friends as 64-year-old John Berry. He's been described as a spiritual man ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  James Ernest Bledsoe, Child Molester-Turned-Serial Rapist, Gets 129 Years

  published Jan 16, 2012

  It was easy to lose amid all the serial killer coverage, but late last week serial rapist James Ernest Bledsoe, 30, of Huntington Beach, was sentenced to 129 years to life in state prison for sexuall... More >>

• What We Learned, Jan. 6-Jan. 13

  published Jan 13, 2012

  Jan. 6: We obtain a screenshot of Jeremy Popoff's Facebook page, on which he claims he hasn't avoided calls from the Weekly, that we committed journalistic malpractice by "twisting [his] words" and th... More >>

• Washburn, Arellano and Chemerinsky Are Ready to Get All Chautauqua! on Your Ass

  published Jan 13, 2012

  Amazingly, it was not our fearless leader Gustavo who shamelessly solicited a plug for an event he was participating in, but the Weekly's pre-millennium No. 2 man Jim Washburn--and justifiably so. Bec... More >>

• Hasan Nouri Still Helps War Orphans in Afghanistan--and He Still Needs Your Help

  published Jan 13, 2012

  Remember the native Afghan and Orange County civil engineer featured in my cover story "Hasan Nouri Pitched Plans to Stabilize Aliso Creek and His Native Afghanistan, But No One Listened"r One thing t... More >>

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  [UPDATED with Charges:] Oscar Zamora Pinedo Latest Stooge to Fall for Surf City Cops' "13-year-old Girl" Sting

  published Jan 13, 2012

  UPDATE, JAN. 13, 1:16 P.M.: The Orange County District Attorney's office today announced that Oscar Zamora Pinedo faces charges that could have him spending up to six years in state prison for alleged... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Ditch 3-D Glasses for "Jesus Glasses" at One Irvine International Film Festival Screening

  published Jan 13, 2012

  "Irvine International Film Festival is Full of Hidden Gems" gives an overview of the inaugural event running through Monday at Edwards Westpark 8 in Irvine, but more advance word is in order for Vic L... More >>

• Bolsa Chica Mesa Landowner Fined $430,000 for Damaging Ancient Native American Village

  published Jan 13, 2012

  A near-unanimous California Coastal Commission and the Goodell Family Trust have agreed on a settlement that will have the property owner paying a $430,000 fine for unearthing artifacts at the Cogged... More >>

• [UPDATED with Santa Ana Hypocrisyr] "Bain" of Mitt Romney's Existence: Shitty Stewardship of Anaheim Company

  published Jan 13, 2012

  UPDATE, JAN. 13, 10:42 A.M.: Even those who question Mitt Romney's commitment to conservatism would agree that, when it comes to business, he has steadfastly advocated in public speeches that governme... More >>

• Huntington Beach Forensic Genealogist Traces Cold-Case Killer's DNA Back to The Mayflower

  published Jan 13, 2012

  A fresh new lead in a 20-year-old murder investigation in King County, Washington, has come from a Huntington Beach forensic genealogist who traced the killer's DNA back to The Mayflower passenger lis... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Five "Hate Radio" Lines from KFI AM 640 Hosts

  published Jan 13, 2012

  Thursday, the National Hispanic Media Coalition released a report titled, "American Hate Radio: How a Powerful Outlet for Democratic Discourse Has Deteriorated into Hate, Racism and Extremism." Incl... More >>

• Richard J. Patterson, Drunk Off-Duty Cop Hurt with Wife in Motorcycle Crash, Draws Jail Time

  published Jan 12, 2012

  My former (sniff) colleague Marisa Gerber first reported on Richard J. Patterson, a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy, being up on multiple charges related to his drunkenly ramming his motorcycle in... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Miguel Ruiz Fabian Gets Jail and Probation for Filming Men in Santa Ana City Hall Restrooms

  published Jan 12, 2012

  Former Santa Ana city intern and budding Coen Brother Miguel Ruiz Fabian was sentenced today to six months in jail and three years probation for secretly videotaping men using City Hall restrooms.The ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Fred Karger, Gay GOP Presidential Candidate, Left N.H. in Bachmann-Burner Overdrive

  published Jan 12, 2012

  Fred Karger's goal heading into the New Hampshire presidential primary was to better a major candidate who campaigned against gay marriage, something the GOP insider accomplished by beating Michelle ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Neptune, Jesus, Santa and Satan Sitting on a Billboard, Promoting Orange County Atheism

  published Jan 12, 2012

  For its latest atheist-friendly billboard, Backyard Skeptics is unveiling in Midway City this afternoon a photo lineup featuring King Neptune, Jesus Christ, Santa Claus and the Devil himself, broken u... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Edelmira Corona, Final Player in Bizarre Family Murder Plot, Lucky to Get 14 Years in Prison

  published Jan 12, 2012

  Edelmira Corona was sentenced Tuesday to 14 years in state prison, closing the book on the murder-for-hire case reportedly born from co-worker Deborah Ann Perna's jealousy and hatred toward her brothe... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Leigh Steinberg, Onetime Super Sports Agent Hassled by the Irvine Co., Declares Bankruptcy

  published Jan 12, 2012

  Last month, the Irvine Co. accused Leigh Steinberg of being a deadbeat. Wednesday, the super-sports agent made it official.The 62-year-old, who was touted as an inspiration for the titular character i... More >>

• Judge Richard W. Stanford Removed from Bench for Playing Favorites

  published Jan 12, 2012

  The state Commission on Judicial Performance has ordered Orange County Superior Court Judge Richard W. Stanford Jr. to step down after determining he waived traffic fines for family and friends. Nine ... More >>

• [UPDATED with Cause:] Homeless Man Found Dead in Santa Ana IS NOT 4th Victim of Serial Killer

  published Jan 11, 2012

  UPDATE, JAN. 11, 6:23 P.M.: An autopsy determined that 49-year-old homeless man Antonio Ruiz Martinez, whose body was found Monday morning in Santa Ana, next to an auto shop's pickup truck with a la... More >>