Homelessness

Sergio Camacho Gonzalez Guilty of Killing Fellow Homeless Man with Piece of Wood

A jury in Santa Ana today convicted a homeless man of killing another homeless man by beating him in the head with a piece of wood.Sergio Camacho Gonzalez, 39, faces up to 26 years to life in state prison at his sentencing hearing, scheduled for April 5. He was found guilty of murder, with a person ... More >>

Eric Bever, Costa Mesa Mayor, is Fly in Soup Kitchen Bowls

You might say Costa Mesa, California, officially went nuts years ago when the City Council closed a job center it had opened so employers could hire day laborers in a light-industrial zone instead of a city park where such meetings had been taking place. The problem with the job center? Laborers con ... More >>

[UPDATED: Ron Thomas Eases Tensions] Kelly's Army Fracturing Due to Questions of Money Raised and Ron Thomas

[See bottom of post for update.]ORIGINAL POST, Sept. 21, 3 p.m.: After more than a year of police brutality protests that launched a successful city recall election and saw two Fullerton police officers charged with killing mentally ill homeless man Kelly Thomas, Kelly's Army--citizens who banded to ... More >>

Overlooked

Chance Theater

3rd OC Film Fiesta

Artists Village

PAS Gallery's Piggish Kelly Thomas Exhibit

The Fullerton space's show dedicated to the beaten-to-death-by-cops homeless man has some good pieces, but others lack true insight

Slidebar Cafe Hides Behind Veil of Shame On Eve of Kelly Thomas Vigil

While friends and family of Kelly Thomas mourned the one-year anniversary of his brutal beating death at the hands of Fullerton Police at the bus depot on Thursday night, the Slidebar Cafe hid behind a mysterious black curtain.Perhaps they wanted to shield themselves from the sorrowful sobs and crie ... More >>

When a Mentally Ill Child Becomes a Mentally Ill Adult

OC parents find they are out of care options unless Laura's Law is adopted

[UPDATED with New Not Guilty Plea:] Itzcoatl Ocampo, Serial Killer Suspect, Accused of 6 Fatal Stabbings

​UPDATE, FEB. 21, 11:40 A.M.: To give you the proper visual for this post, picture Itzcoatl "Izzy" Ocampo at right with an al Qaeda beard. That's how he appeared in a Santa Ana courtroom this morning when he pleaded not guilty to the stabbing-murders of a mother, her son and four homeless men sinc ... More >>

Itzcoatl Ocampo Aggressively Hunted Last Victim, According to Court Filing

Izzy Ocampo​Anaheim police detectives revealed in a search warrant that suspected Orange County serial killer Itzcoatl Ocampo admitted to them after his arrest that he stalked his fourth homeless victim for three days.The allegation supports statements by District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, who las ... More >>

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

​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 who was so beloved by neighbors and patrons of businesses near where he was murdered at La Palma ... More >>

Kelly Thomas Killing Prelude Didn't Involve Slidebar, Bar Owner Claims

Popoff​The claim that a Slidebar Rock-N-Roll Kitchen employee may have inadvertently helped ignite the brutal, July 5 killing of a homeless man by Fullerton cops is not true, according to Slidebar co-owner Jeremy Popoff.In a Dec. 29 phone message to the Weekly in response to months of seeking an i ... More >>

Kelly Thomas Killing Befuddles The Orange County Register Newsroom

Register: You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll be spoon-fed the official police version!​There's no doubt that Fullerton police officers killed Kelly Thomas last July in an outrageous incident that provoked international focus on police brutality in Orange County.I'm focusing on the word "killed" beca ... More >>

Four Santa Ana Occupiers Face Judge

Kevin Liu​Before Occupiers from Santa Ana were getting arrested in Los Angeles, they were getting arrested...in Santa Ana. Yesterday, the Orange County Register reported that four defendants--Timothy Craven, Anthony Velloza, Shay Palmer and Sam Aresheh, all arrested on Oct. 22--went before Or ... More >>

Armory Emergency Shelters Opening in Fullerton and Santa Ana

​With the brrrrr factor up overnight, the County of Orange has kick started the Armory Emergency Shelter Program that provides up to 400 beds for homeless families and individuals. Not to mention a nutritious meal, warm shower, safe place to sleep, warm clothes and various support services. The Na ... More >>

[UPDATED with Readers Coming Through:] Rescue Mission Seeks Cold-Weather Help for Homeless

​UPDATE, NOV. 11, 5:11 P.M.: Folks from a group called Over the Hill Stitchers were among many people who responded to yesterday's Navel Gazing item on the Orange County Rescue Mission trying to fulfill an "urgent need" for 3,000 jackets, umbrellas and blankets for homeless people. "They received ... More >>

The Occupy Movement's Urban Struggle

While Irvine's is City Council-approved, Santa Ana's encounters resistance

Lost Boys

New research demolishes the stereotype of the underage sex worker—and sparks an outbreak of denial among child-sex-trafficking alarmists nationwide

Kelly Thomas Memorial Concert and Food Drive Last Saturday

Brandon FergusonJulian Porte performing at Kelly Thomas Memorial Concert​Saturday's concert in memory of brutalized Fullerton homeless man Kelly Thomas saw a modest crowd of protesters, local residents and music fans gather in the Fullerton Downtown Plaza to listen to an eclectic mix of local band ... More >>

OC All Over the VMAs

[Mental Notes] Plus, a concert and food drive in honor of Kelly Thomas

[UPDATED with Lawsuit:] Hector Manuel Medina, Mechanic, Sets Transient Ruben Sandoval on Fire

​UPDATE, AUG. 10, 8:38 A.M.: Over the objections of prosecutors, who wanted Hector Manuel Medina sentenced to 11 years in prison, the mechanic got five years for setting a 64-year-old transient on fire last year.But victim Ruben Sandoval, a military victim who suffered third-degree burns to&n ... More >>

"Justice For Kelly" Chanted at Vigil For Fullerton Police Brutality Victim

Protester Jon Hansen says he isn't the protesting type but this cop killing was murder​A little after 8 p.m. tonight, scores of people holding candles and representing a  cross section of society gathered around the flag pole in front of the Fullerton City. They chanted "Justice for Kelly!" T ... More >>

UC Irvine's Controversial Muslim Student Union Wins Anteater Award

​Disrupting a speech on campus by an Israeli government official. The suspension, probation and criminal prosecution that followed the incident. The annual teach-ins on the Israel-Palestine issue some have dubbed "Hate Week."Yep, headlines involving the Muslim Student Union at UC Irvine have been ... More >>

Orange County Homeless Advocates Urging Board of Supervisors to Allow Homeless to Use Food Stamps at Restaurants

Flickr user Eric__I_E​Feeding the homeless is always a tough proposition given their transitory nature. Anyone who visits downtown SanTana knows that various angels provide them with free meals in the Civic Center complex, but those donations only go so far. But now a group of advocates have start ... More >>

[UPDATED:] Local Emergency Declared in Soggy OC

​Update, December 21, 10:59 a.m.: The county just announced that as a result of the local emergency proclamation issued due to the weather, two emergency shelters will now be open 24/7. They are the National Guard armories at 612 E. Warner Ave., Santa Ana, and 400 S. Brookhurst Rd., Fullerton. Cou ... More >>

What Do You Get When You Mix Dodgeball and Homeless Kids?

​Since Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story hit movie theaters in 2004, the once forgotten childhood game has made a comeback.  In September, a dodgeball world record was set at UC Irvine. Perhaps hoping to steal some collegiate thunder, Cal State Fullerton is holding an event where dodgeballs wi ... More >>

Publicist Announces Imperial Stars' Arraignment; Leaves Us Scratching Our Heads

There are so many things wrong with this press release, I don't even know where to start. Well, I kind of do; but first, a snapshot, just in case you forgot who you were dealing with:www.imperialstars.com​Is it just me or is it wrong that Imperial Stars now actually have a publicist? And, well, t ... More >>

[UPDATED:] Andrew Pieatrucat, OC Homicide No. 45: Conked in Head in Alley

​UPDATE: The victim is identified (see end of post) . . . Fullerton Police were called the morning of Sept. 27 about the body of a man found in the alley of an industrial area, in the 1800 block of West Commonwealth Avenue between Brookhurst Road and Gilbert Street.

[UPDATED:] Marco Rojo Nieto, OC Homicide No. 31: Beaten to Death

Jorge Alejandro Lopez​UPDATE: DA's statement on Jorge Alejandro Lopez's arraignment paints a much more senseless killing, reveals victim was a married father (see end of post) . . .Witnesses called Santa Ana Police around 4:30 p.m. Saturday regarding a homeless man lying on the sidewalk in the 30 ... More >>

Ben and the Magic Paintbrush

South Coast Repertory

[UPDATED:] Santa Ana Civic Center's New Solution to the Homeless Problem

UPDATE: After hearing the Catholic Workers concerns, Santa Ana city officials contacted the contractor who agreed to move the fence between the benches and the grass. Ta da!Have a seat.​Santa Ana's Civic Center is picking on the homeless again, according to Orange County's best Catholic, Dwight Sm ... More >>

Looking for a Hot Christmas Date? Feed the Homeless

More gruel, please.​Got nothing to do Christmas Day. Head out to the Special Christmas Feed the Homeless Event 2 p.m. Friday at the Walk of Honor in Santa Ana's Civic Center complex. Bring along healthy food to help serve the homeless who live, gather and share meals with their families at the Civ ... More >>

Christmas Can Be Worst Day of the Year

​Christmas can be the worst day of the year.That's not the opinion of atheists, al-Qaida or the last reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh after Mrs. Claus serves chili but the Orange County Rescue Mission.When you're living on the streets, Christmas can be the worst day of the year. Unless you've been ... More >>

Crime Time: F-Bombers, Tiki Takers, Beatles Fans, Creepy Molesters and Tawny Kitaen on the Loose

FACES OF TAWNY Actress, ex-Anaheim Angel wife, car hood buffer, supposedly reformed druggie and all-around hot mess Tawny Kitaen is shown on a February 2004 Weekly sex issue cover (left); in a booking photo from her April 2002 assault on then husband Chuck Finley in Newport Beach (top right); and wr ... More >>

Something Smells at the Chance's Theater's 'The Giant and the Pixie'—But It's Not the Blood of an Englishman

There's Something About Pacific Health

Remember the wandering homeless patient we wrote about a few months back who had been shipped from an Orange County hospital to L.A.'s Skid Row and dumped there? Well such incidents have been the subject of a federal investigation initiated in 2006 after the LAPD began looking into reports of hospi ... More >>

Eviction Blues

Homeless musician vows crusade against landlords

First Person

Howard Stern kept me sane

Politics

Peter Torres, City Council District 9

Diary Of A Mad County

The Plight of Dwight

High Cost of Freedom

Patriotism means opening your wallet

Happy Homeless Christmas

Running With Scissors

Long Beach's dangerous but gentle performance art

Eek! A Female Of Mice and Men

Letters