Brandon Pho

Brandon Pho (he/him) is a reporter covering politics and government in Santa Clara County for San José Spotlight with a focus on the Vietnamese community.

He has experience reporting on law enforcement, homelessness, quality of life and Vietnamese American communities across California. Previously, he reported for the Voice of OC, where his investigative work prompted a push by city leaders to overhaul their police department manual. Before that, he was a news editor for the Daily Titan, a completely independent student newspaper at his alma mater, Cal State Fullerton.

He aims through his writing to explore what it means to be a Californian, and enjoys taking walks for hours on end through different cities and public parks.

Santa Clara County
A crowd of people in the audience in the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors chambers
April 26, 2024April 26, 2024by

Santa Clara County lacks needed translation services

In a region that speaks roughly 100 languages, non-English speakers often find themselves unable to follow Santa Clara County government meetings. That might finally change. The problem was on painful display last week, when the $11 billion agency had no one on hand to simultaneously interpret the April 16 Board of Supervisors discussion about the...

San JoseTechnology
Large office building with glass windows
April 25, 2024April 26, 2024by

Will TikTok leave San Jose if ban takes hold?

The U.S. TikTok ban is raising questions about the app’s future in San Jose, where its Chinese parent company, Bytedance, is expanding its office space. President Joe Biden signed the ban into law on Wednesday, claiming national security risks, which would prohibit the downloading of TikTok from app stores if Bytedance doesn’t sell the app...

Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen speaks outside at a podium
April 24, 2024April 26, 2024by

Domestic violence cases overwhelm Silicon Valley prosecutors

Santa Clara County is experiencing a surge of domestic violence cases, spreading county prosecutors thin and holding up court hearings at a time when a looming budget deficit will cut District Attorney resources. The DA’s office has pulled prosecutors from other teams to handle a 142% increase in family violence cases over the last five...

More news