Anaheim Observer Civic affairs in OC's largest city.

The Natural Products Expo West is back at the Anaheim Convention Center after a nearly three year hiatus, marking the return of large convention business to Anaheim after a state government-imposed drought due to restrictive COVID-19 mandates. The shows brings together thousands of exhibitors and buyers from the $300 billion natural and organic products industry. There will be an estimated 60,000 attendees, ...

Hundreds of police officers from all over California gathered at the Honda Center in Anaheim today to honor their fallen comrade Nicholas Vella, the Huntington Beach police officer who died in the line of duty on February 19 when the HBPD helicopter he was flying crashed offshore in Newport Beach. The nearly four-hour memorial service was a homage to Officer ...

A judge has tentatively ruled against a lawsuit filed by a progressive political activist seeking to invalidate the appointment of Trustee Tim Shaw to the Orange County Board of Education and force a costly stand-alone special to fill his seat. Shaw represents the 4th District, which includes most of Anaheim, on the OCBE. The lawsuit was filed by Michael Sean ...

Superstar Gwen Stefani returned to her hometown of Anaheim yesterday to launch her new line of beauty products, GXVE Beauty, at iconic Mama Cozza’s Italian restaurant in west Anaheim. Stefani said Mama Cozza’s is where her parents had their first date. “I feel like every single thing I’ve ever done in my entire life — and I’m speaking from my ...

Mayor Harry Sidhu’s campaign announced he has set a fundraising record for an Anaheim mayoral re-election campaign, reporting more than $325,000 raised and $310,000 cash-on-hand. Sidhu was elected mayor in 2018, edging out attorney Ashleigh Aitken, who outspent him by $60,000. An immigrant from India, he is the first person of color to serve as mayor of Anaheim. “I am ...

Four suspects have been arrested by Anaheim police in connection with the murder of a Garden Grove man in a motel parking lot in central Anaheim last year. Two of the suspects are adults and two are juveniles. The adults are 19-year-old Juan Ramiro Felix and 18-year-old Kevin Moreno-Aviles. Both are from the city of Placentia. They were booked into ...

Even after Disneyland re-opened last year, a major missing element was the trams that shuttled excited and weary (depending on the time of day) guests between the Mickey & Friends and Pixar Pals parking structures and plaza connecting Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure. For the last several months, guests had to trudge the two-thirds of a mile distance on foot. ...

Servite High School President Randy Adams will retire effective June 30 this year, the school announced earlier this week, after four years leading the all-boys Catholic preparatory high school in Anaheim. “After a great deal of discussion with my family, prayer, and discernment, I have made the decision to retire as President of Servite High School at the end of the ...

[Originally published in OC Independent on February 4, 2022] A long-time progressive Democrat activist has filed a lawsuit alleging Orange County Board of Education violated state law when it appointed Tim Shaw to fill the vacancy representing the 4th District on the board. The lawsuit alleges the appointment violates Section 1752 of the state Government Code stating “no person elected ...

[Originally published in OC Independent on February 2, 2022] The Orange County Board of Education is fighting a two-front battle against union-aligned political interests seeking to displace the current board majority, which is noted for strongly supporting charter schools and a return to in-person classroom instruction, as well as for opposing mask mandates and incorporating racially-divisive academic theories into the ...