Labors New Face

Photo by Jeanne RiceFor the first time in California history, a Latina will head a county labor council. And the odd thing is it's happening here. On March 25, Linda Sanchez, a 31-year-old labor attorney and the younger sister of U.S. Representative Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove), becomes the Orange County Central Labor Council's secretary/treasurer—the top …

How the F Was Won

Photo by Jeanne RiceWhen the political history of Orange County is written, the overwhelming victory of Measure F is likely to loom large. In approving Measure F—also known as the Safe and Healthy Communities Act—local voters asserted for the first time their right to vote on huge developments, including the El Toro International Airport. When …

Garry Quite Contrary

Photo by Keith May Orange County CoastKeeper Garry Brown, who recently announced he’s seeking contributions to outfit the waterway-protection group’s patrol boat, has a judgment of more than $120,000 against him in connection with a Boy Scouts boat-donation program that he allegedly mismanaged four years ago. “Mr. Brown did not serve the Boy Scouts well,” …

Juvenile Justice

Photo by Joy BastOrange County's Superior Court judges can't seem to avoid controversy. Three years ago, a judge was disciplined for telling off-color jokes during a sexual-harassment trial and encouraging jurors to buy a book he wrote. Earlier this month, a state appeals court unanimously rejected a Newport Beach-based judge's decision to allow open discrimination …

Vein of Pain

ALVIN YOUNGBLOOD HART is one of the best things to happen to the blues since people first started singing about how their sex organs tended to complicate their lives. In other words, he understands the emotional heart and traditional soul of this music rather than merely imitating what came before, as so many of his …

The (Imaginary) Plague

My vision of ultimate justice is a scorching rotisserie in hell where I'd roast grant-hungry academics who dress up popular bigotries in scientific white coats. More than the Universal Soldier, the Universal Scholar is crucial to the never-ending battle for mistruth, injustice and the American rake-off. Early in the century, it was scientific studies on …