R. Scott Moxley

Little Saigon Tet Parade Brings South Vietnam Back To Life

​Under a bright blue sky and appreciating warm temperatures despite occasional gusty winds, Orange County's Little Saigon community celebrated the Chinese New Year today with a Tet parade that, if based solely on the number of South Vietnam flags waved, resurrected the long dead Asian nation if on ... More >>

Two Earthquakes Strike Southern California

Feel that? The end is near.​Two 3.0-plus earthquakes rocked Southern California in a recent 14-hour period.According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the last one, a 3.5 "shallow" strike, hit just before 9 a.m. today in the mountains near Coachella.A Palm Springs newspaper is reporting that resident ... More >>

Occupy Orange County's Irvine Protest Inspires Lefty Slogans

Huge lefty crowd in Irvine chanted their belief that they "will win"​Though today's energetic, historic Occupy Orange County protest in Irvine generally tilted liberal, participants didn't all agree on the message they meant to deliver.That's not surprising given that the diverse crowd of perhaps ... More >>

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher Admits He's a "Coward"

Rohrabacher calls himself "chickenshit;" public nods​The Hill newspaper is reporting today that Costa Mesa Congressman Dana Rohrabacher switched a budget vote this week because he feared the political consequences of not voting in lockstep with Orange County's other Republicans in the House of Rep ... More >>

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

Hundreds Protest Fullerton Police Brutality After The Disgraceful Kelly Thomas Killing

R.Scott Moxley / OC WeeklyRon Thomas: The victim's father stood with the protesters​On a beautiful Southern California Saturday more than 250 outraged local citizens ignored the chance to spend a sunny day at the beach, swim in their pools, shop at the mall or sip Mimosas on their porches. Instead ... More >>

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

Reg: Pension Bosses Spent Big Bucks For Secrecy

​Disturbing data continues to pour in about potential government pension abuses including today's OC Watchdog story revealing that the county's employee pension system spent more than $31,000 in hopes of keeping pension records secret from the public. That's according to investigative reporte ... More >>

What Was On Your OC Freeway This Morning?

Better used in a vehicle​Here's what I saw on a short stretch of the 5 and 55 freeways: a rolled-up rug, a metal TV dining tray, an industrial-sized bucket (bouncing like a Ping-Pong ball), tires and tire shreds, a crushed soda can (striking windshields and hoods), a pipe, a beach towel, a box, a ... More >>

Overheard in the Orange County Courthouse

You never know what you'll hear In an elevator rising to a top floor inside Orange County's Central Courthouse in Santa Ana. The following conversation took place today.Veteran public defender to natty, young private criminal defense lawyer: "Hey, how's it going?"Private lawyer: "I'm going to get my ... More >>

Today's UC Irvine Rifle Incident Resolved Officially

Great news at UCIUsing it's emergency text messaging system, UC Irvine officials alerted its students tonight just after 9 p.m. that today's scare over a potential rifleman on campus has been "resolved safely" after a suspect was located with an imitation gun.According to a team of six OC Register r ... More >>

Moderate Earthquake Strikes LA, OC

Crashing PlatesAt 8:39 p.m., an estimated 5.0 magnitude earthquake centered in the Hawthorne/Inglewood area rocked Los Angeles and Orange County, according to me, my neighbors and Caltech. In Santa Ana, the quake felt like it lasted about 15 seconds and seemed determined to topple a bookcase. LA n ... More >>

The Man Who Never Was: Surfing Naked, Football & Drugs

Sports fans (and recovering drug addicts) definitely should checkout a copy of this month's Esquire with George Clooney on the cover. Journalist Mike Sager, formerly of the Washington Post and Rolling Stone, has written a fascinating article about the struggles of a onetime local star football star ... More >>

Witness: Zodiac Killer Was An Orange County Resident

Mystery solved?I've been telling folks we're overdue in Orange County for a sensationally nasty, bizarre crime. You know: something akin to an abused, teenage male goat on a roof and an obviously satisfied ex-sheriff anxious for a party before his freedom is restricted. We're good here for that kind ... More >>

To The Very End, Mike Carona is a Shameless Hypocrite

It's not a crime if the sheriff does itPlease, please, please don't punish me for my criminal activity!--The position ex-Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona is taking with U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Guilford, who will decide on April 27 what punishment is fitting for the former top cop's repeate ... More >>

Power of Laser Beam Attacks on Aircraft Illustrated

It's not just here in Southern California where aircraft pilots are increasingly finding themselves temporarily blinded at nighttime by cheap, store-bought laser pointers--particularly ones with a more devastating green beam.If you're dismissive of the potency of the laser on aircraft cockpits, chec ... More >>

This Week in the OC Weekly

In "Oyster Lovers Unite!" Robb Walsh discusses oysters. Yes, oysters. And R. Scott Moxley takes a look at why the normally stoic DA Rackauckas put his head down and sobbed uncontrollably (Hint: he didn't) in "Moxley Confidential." Plus... The Weekly's standing columns, ¡Ask a Mexican!, H ... More >>

This Week in the OC Weekly

In "Cry-Baby" R. Scott Moxley relays how ex-Sheriff Mike Carona used all the weapons in his arsenal to trick the jury in his federal trial, and still lost.And Spencer Kornhaber takes a look at the problems of the Capistrano Unified School Board in "Political Animals." Have they been solved after th ... More >>

Indicted Sheriff Mike Carona Corruption Trial Quote of the Day!

"Yes . . . yes"--Indicted ex-Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona's defense team tried to prove in trial today that a wealthy Carona campaign contributor's relative, serving a jail sentence, had not received preferential treatment, but Kim Markuson--onetime assistant sheriff for OC jails--provided the ... More >>

A Glimpse Into the Mind of Sheriff Mike Carona

"So, unless there was a pinhole [camera] in your ceiling that evening, it never happened, because it never happened, Don. It never fucking happened. And, that part is why I sleep real well at night." --Then-Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona working out a story in August 2007 for Don Haidl to tell a ... More >>

Mike Carona Corruption Trial Quote of the Day!

"Unless they can figure out the conspiracy." --Then-Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona in a secretly recorded August 2007 conversation with multimillionaire Don Haidl on ways the FBI might be able to extend the criminal statute of limitations on him accepting bribes from five years to nine. (R. Sco ... More >>

But Mike Carona Cried on Robert Schuller's Hour of Power. . .

“Cocksucker . . . He can suck my dick . . . Bob McDonell’s a lying cocksucker. Uh, most of what he’s done is illegal and my guess is that at some point in time, um, he’ll either get the shit sued out of him or he’s gonna get indicted on something, so you can tell him I said that.” --In ... More >>

Cocky Carona Dared the FBI To Arrest Him

"They just enjoyed having fun and, you know, probably liked hanging out with the sheriff, thought that was cool . . . You wanna put me in jail for that, put 12 people in the box and let's rock and roll." --A cocky Mike Carona said to Don Haidl in a secretly recorded 2007 conversation about all the ... More >>

Perhaps Mike Carona Only Meant to Order More Crab Cakes

"Okay." --Inside a Newport Beach restaurant in August 2007, then-Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona's secretly recorded response to a co-conspirator's plan to "burn" a document concerning a federal grand jury's corruption probe. (R. Scott Moxley / OC Weekly)

Sheriff Mike Carona Gave A Badge to His Favorite Restaurant Owner

"Nobody was going to admit anything." --Ex-Assistant Sheriff Don Haild testifying today in the federal corruption trial of indicted Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona, who allegedly ordered silence about the department giving badges, guns, concealed weapon permits and police powers to unqualified i ... More >>

Crime Made Sheriff Mike Carona Hungry

"Crab cakes sounds good. How about that French brie too?" --Then-Sheriff Mike Carona pausing temporarily in August 2007 from plotting how to foil a federal grand jury corruption probe during a meeting at a Newport Beach restaurant with Don Haidl, his onetime assistant sheriff who is secretly wearin ... More >>

Doozy of the Day at The Sheriff Mike Carona Corruption Trial

"I'm the sheriff. I can do whatever I want." --Prior to his arrest on federal bribery charges, Mike Carona confided his view of the world to a law enforcement colleague concerned about the Orange County sheriff's close friendship with Ed Grech, a local businessman whom the FBI had secretly recorded ... More >>

If You're Going To Be A Crook, It's Nice To Be Polite, No?

"He thanked me very much." --Newport Beach businessman Don Haidl in testimony today about indicted Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona's reaction to 48 secret monthly $1,000 cash bribes that won the untrained Haidl full California police powers as assistant sheriff of the nation's fifth largest sheri ... More >>

Carona Corruption Trial Quote Of The Day

"He had no problem being corrupt. He just didn't want to be stupid about it." --Former Orange County Sheriff's Department Assistant Sheriff Don Haidl testifying this afternoon in Santa Ana about FBI indicted ex-Sheriff Mike Carona's private views on taking bribes, lying to the public and illegally ... More >>

This Week in the OC Weekly

Voter Registration Deadline Puts Smiles on Some Faces

If you want to vote in this historic election and haven't registered, the deadline is tonight. If you don't get the registration in today's mail (it must have today's postmark on it), you can drop off the form at the parking lot for Orange County Registrar of Voters until midnight. The registrar' ... More >>

This Week in the OC Weekly

Mile High Sanchezism

"It's really an important issue to acknowledge that women are important." --Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Santa Ana) tells the New York Times today what she wants from Barack Obama before she'll switch from backing Hillary Clinton's already defeated campaign. — R. Scott Moxley / OC Week ... More >>

This Week in the OC Weekly

This Week in the OC Weekly

This Week In The OC Weekly

Dirty Deputies? Where have you read that before today?

'I Lit the Fire': Jared Petrovich claims he was just following orders when his words sparked a fatal jailhouse beating; April 3, 2008, By Nick Schou An Open Letter to DA Tony Rackauckas Regarding the Jailhouse Murder of John Chamberlain; March 13, 2008, By Nick Schou Tased and Not Confused: To ... More >>

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

Top Ten Kicks In The Sack

"Just how many people did OC Weekly kick in the balls last year?"

Has It Been a Year Already?

2007: A year to remember

Letters

'I hold an ASS'

Letters

'He is smart enough to realize if he didnt get out then, he may have awoken a fortysomething with crazy-colored hair and a tattoo of dragons circle jerking'

Calamity Mike

This is Dave Lopez Reporting

Surely it pales in comparison to being named by the Weekly as Orange County's best television reporter , but KCBS veteran Dave Lopez, who has in particular raked from the same muck patch as our own R. Scott Moxley when it comes to covering the oh-so-corrupt OC Sheriff's Department, will be presented ... More >>

Haidl Gang Rape Archive

Dr. K KOd

OC Weekly series leads to federal indictment of celebrated AIDS doctor

Letters

Letters