Category: Southern California OC News

Lyft Driver Accused of Attacking Teen in Santa Ana

SANTA ANA, Calif.—A Lyft driver was behind bars May 11 on suspicion of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl last month. Fredi Rojas, 30, of Orange, was arrested Wednesday and booked on suspicion of kidnapping and sexual assault, according to Santa Ana police Sgt. Maria Lopez. He was being held on $1 million bail, according to…


Cheerleader Coach Accused of Molesting 6 Girls in Orange County

SANTA ANA, Calif.—A cheerleader coach made his first appearance in court on May 10 on charges of molesting six girls in Orange County. Erick Joseph Kristianson, 44, of Antioch, Tennessee, was booked into the Orange County Jail on May 8 on multiple charges of molesting girls from 2002 through 2006, according to court and jail…


Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified Requires School Board Approval for Classroom Books

Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District teachers looking to test new books in their classrooms will now need such books approved by the district’s board. The board voted 3-2 on May 9 to approve a new policy that requires board approval of a book before it is piloted in classrooms and requires that parents be notified…


California’s Orange County Hospitals Receive Safety Grades

Six out of 21 hospitals in Orange County, California received “A” grades for hospital safety while two received “Ds,” according to a report released May 3 by The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit healthcare watchdog organization. Those receiving A grades were: Kaiser Permanente Orange County-Irvine Medical Center in Irvine Kaiser Permanente Orange County-Anaheim Medical Center in…


Search for 3 Continues After Aircraft Went Missing Near San Clemente Island

SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND, Calif.—U.S. Coast Guard search and rescue personnel continued their search May 11 for three people whose plane went down about one mile southwest of San Clemente Island. The Coast Guard was notified shortly before 8 a.m. Wednesday by the air traffic control tower on the island regarding the possible plane down, and…


Newport Beach Asks Residents to Not Give to Homeless

Newport Beach officials are asking residents and visitors to refrain from giving money or goods to the homeless and to donate to the city’s own services instead. City Manager Grace Leung wrote in a May 7 column in the Newport Beach Independent newspaper that good-intentioned donations such as cash, food, or camping equipment may “inadvertently…


Man Dies After Being Struck by Metrolink Train in Irvine

A 64-year-old man was killed May 8 after being struck by a train in Irvine, according to authorities. Irvine Police and the Orange County Fire Authority responded to the area of 170 Technology Dr. at 7:36 a.m. Monday after a report of a pedestrian being struck by a northbound Metrolink train, according to a statement…


Orange Unified Board Cleared of Brown Act Violation Allegations, Except for One Trustee

The Orange County District Attorney’s office determined the Orange Unified Board of Education did not violate California’s open meeting laws when it voted to fire its superintendent in January—though one trustee was found in violation of the rules for disclosing closed session information to the media. The DA launched a two-month investigation into multiple complaints—filed…


Man Gets 6 Years in Attack on Former ‘RHOC’ Cast Member

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—An ex-boyfriend of Elizabeth Lyn Vargas pleaded guilty May 9 to attacking the former “The Real Housewives of Orange County” cast member and was immediately sentenced to six years in prison. Ryan Matthew Geraghty, 34, was arrested in February 2022 following a roughly two-hour standoff with Newport Beach police at Vargas’s home in…


Embattled Orange County Green Energy Agency Replaces CEO

The board of the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) selected an interim CEO on May 8 to replace the recently fired Brian Probolsky, whose last day is May 31. Joe Mosca, the agency’s director of communications and external affairs, was unanimously chosen for the role during a closed session meeting. His new position is effective June…