Voice of OC Receives a Dozen Awards at 2024 OC Press Club Awards

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The celebration of Voice of OC’s 15th Anniversary continues this week, with 12 awards from our peers in the Orange County Press Club, along with a shout-out from LA Times Columnist and local legend Gustavo Arellano, who co-hosted the event.

Competing alongside large newsrooms like the LA Times, LAist, and the Orange County Register, Voice of OC journalists took First Place in Environmental reporting for Noah Biesiada’s story, Something’s In the Air: Irvine Residents’ Yearslong Battle For Breathable Air.

Biesiada’s dogged reporting about an issue that has plagued Irvine residents for close to 30 years finally resulted in the closure of the Irvine Asphalt plant this past year with city plans to turn the former site into open space.

As Arellano noted in his remarks about Voice of OC during the ceremony, the newsroom, which came out for the Press Club Gala, is known for its meticulous reporting.

Yet this year, Press Club judges also acknowledged the deft writing and storytelling skills of Brandon Pho and Hosam Elattar with a First Place award for News Feature Story for their story, Fear and Loathing at Anaheim City Hall: Working Under the Gun of Retribution — detailing the fallout and retribution face by Anaheim city employees, whose testimony became public with the publication of an independent corruption probe released last summer.

Founder, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Norberto Santana, Jr. took second place for Best Columnist. Photography Director, Julie Leopo nabbed second place in Best Feature Story for her writing, telling the stories of the vendors displaced by Santa Ana’s streetcar project.

Tracy Wood Fellow, Erika Taylor, took home an honorable mention for Best Photo Essay or Slide show.

And students from Chapman University and Santa Ana College also received acknowledgement for their collaborations with Biesiada on his stories, These Community College Retirees Say Bad District Leadership Put Their Healthcare in Peril and Homes Atop Former Tustin Air Base May Have Toxic Groundwater.

Here’s the complete list of all of Voice of OC’s awards:

Best Environmental News Story 1st Place

Something’s In the Air: Irvine Residents’ Yearslong Battle For Breathable Air, Noah Biesiada

Best News Feature Story 1st Place

Fear and Loathing at Anaheim City Hall: Working Under the Gun of Retribution, Brandon Pho and Hosam Elattar

Best Health/Wellness Story 3rd Place

‘Becoming a Civilian Again,’ Veterans Use Equine Training to Combat Mental Stress, Julie Leopo Voice of OC

David McQuay Award for Best Columnist 2nd Place

Norberto Santana, Jr.

Best Feature Story, 2nd Place