Marcel Rodarte: CEQA reform deserved transparency, not a backroom deal

• July 8, 2025

Californians understand we’re facing a crisis in housing. Our cities are ready to be partners in solving it. But process matters. Transparency matters. And when legislation that dramatically reshapes how California reviews and approves housing developments is rushed through without public input, it undermines trust and risks long-term consequences.

That’s why the California Contract Cities Association (CCCA), which represents 80 cities across Southern California and over 7.5 million residents, was sounding the alarm on how Assembly Bill 130 was pushed through the Legislature. Let me be clear: we were not opposed to AB 130 in its entirety, nor did we oppose the notion of CEQA reform. Our member cities broadly support responsible efforts to streamline housing approvals and reduce red tape that delays desperately needed homes.

What we opposed, firmly was—the last-minute insertion of sweeping CEQA reform language drawn from Assembly Bill 609 (Wicks) into AB 130, a budget trailer bill. This maneuver effectively circumvented the legislative process, bypassing public hearings, stakeholder consultation, and committee deliberation. It was a textbook example of governance done in the shadows.

These CEQA provisions in question were no minor adjustment. They will significantly expand California’s infill exemption by allowing housing developments on parcels of up to 20 acres to skip environmental review under CEQA, so long as they meet certain criteria.For cities and local governments, this change will alter how entire neighborhoods are developed, how infrastructure is planned, and how community voices are heard. But rather than allow AB 609 to proceed through the normal policy process where lawmakers, city officials, housing advocates, environmental experts, and the public could weigh-in, the bill’s language was inserted into AB 130 at the eleventh hour, days before the 2025–26 budget deadline. To make matters worse, the budget itself was made contingent on passage of this policy change through a “poison pill” clause: if the CEQA trailer bill didn’t pass, the state budget would effectively be nullified.

That now sets a dangerous precedent.

As an organization that has worked for more than 65 years to advocate for collaborative governance, CCCA believes that structural changes of this magnitude demand stakeholder engagement. Local governments sit on the frontlines where housing policy meets community reality. They are the ones responsible for implementing these laws. Yet, they and millions of Californians they serve were given no meaningful opportunity to review or shape the policy before it became law.

We recognize the frustration surrounding CEQA. Yes, the law has sometimes been misused to delay needed housing. But it has also protected communities from environmental harm, given residents a voice in development, and ensured thoughtful planning for infrastructure, public safety, and sustainability. To strike the right balance, we need deliberation, data, and public trust.

Lawmakers themselves have expressed discomfort with how this was handled. Legislators criticized the lack of transparency, and union leaders called the process “the most outrageous abuse” they’d seen. Environmental justice groups, housing experts, and local government advocates were all blindsided. That’s not just an optics problem, it’s a substantive failure of inclusive governance.

Moreover, using the budget process as a vehicle for controversial policy shifts undermines legislative norms. It reduces public confidence in government and invites backlash, even on well-intentioned ideas.

We at the Contract Cities Association urge Sacramento to do better. CEQA reform was a conversation worth having—out in the open. We preferred AB 609 proceed through the standard legislative route. Allowing cities to bring their experience to the table. Letting environmental, housing, labor, and community voices be heard.

That’s how we build durable policy. That’s how we build trust.

Marcel Rodarte is the executive director of California Contract Cities Association (CCCA), an organization representing over 80 cities throughout Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire.

​ Orange County Register 

California’s politics drifts rightward while New York’s leans left

• July 8, 2025

The Democratic Party’s eight months of internal debate, recriminations and soul searching that followed Donald Trump’s win and Kamala Harris’ loss in last year’s presidential duel got another jolt last month, when an otherwise obscure 33-year-old state legislator finished first in New York City’s mayoral primary.

Many Democratic leaders have concluded that Trump’s win was rooted in the image of their party reflecting priorities of college-educated coastal elitists rather than everyday issues affecting blue-collar families, such as inflation, crime and immigration.

The remedy, many concluded, lies in turning a bit to the right, downplaying such issues as climate change and paying more attention to bread-and-butter concerns.

However, the surprise primary win in New York by declared “democratic socialist” Zohran Mamdani, making him the favorite to become mayor of the nation’s largest city, creates a new wrinkle in the Democrats’ post-election debate.

Mamdani stressed the cost of living and other working class issues, promising that if elected he would make life easier for New Yorkers. He’s advocated for rent freezes, increases in minimum wages and having the city open its own grocery stores to drive down food costs.

Mamdani’s emergence as a new party leader with a pronounced left-of-center campaign resonates a continent away in California, a one-party state whose dominant Democrats are often divided along ideological lines, pitting Mamdani-like progressives against business-oriented moderates.

In the main, progressives have been losing ground to the mods, even in the San Francisco Bay Area, the bluest region in a deep-blue state. Daniel Lurie’s recent election as mayor of San Francisco, on pledges to balance the city’s deficit-ridden budget and crack down on street crime, is one indication of that trend. The recall or rejection of other Bay Area progressive officeholders in recent elections is another.

As the political website Politico noted recently, “Zohran Mamdani’s rise in New York enraptured progressives across the country. But for activists in San Francisco, it’s a sobering reminder of just how far they’ve fallen in this onetime bastion of progressivism.”

The conflict is also very evident in the state Capitol, with the political arc of Gov. Gavin Newsom a pithy example.

While running for governor in 2018 Newsom — the former mayor of San Francisco — paddled his political canoe to the left, embracing such leftist iconic causes as single-payer health care.

However, over the next six years Newsom slowly drifted rightward in policy terms, calling for tougher attitudes toward encampments of homeless people, dispatching Highway Patrol officers to fight street crime and, most recently, opposing transgender women competing in women’s sports.

Newsom even dropped his advocacy of single-payer health care in favor of wider coverage by the state’s Medi-Cal program, then sought to cut back on that coverage to close a state budget deficit this year.

As Newsom distanced himself from the progressive agenda — perhaps to make himself more viable as a presidential candidate in 2028 — its advocates found that the Legislature became less amenable as well. Progressive agenda bills could often gain passage in one legislative house only to die, almost always without any formal votes, in the other house.

Last year’s election also indicated that while California is a blue state, it’s nowhere close to embracing the democratic socialist program. Not only did Trump do surprisingly well against Kamala Harris in California’s presidential voting, but voters passed Proposition 36, an anti-crime measure that most Democratic leaders, including Newsom, opposed as a regression from criminal justice reforms.

Last week’s passage of two Newsom-backed bills to overhaul the California Environmental Quality Act over the opposition of major environmental groups was another indication that, if anything, California’s politics are drifting slowly rightward.

Dan Walters is a CalMatters columnist.

​ Orange County Register 

Angels beat Rangers on Nolan Schanuel’s walk-off walk

• July 8, 2025

ANAHEIM — Nolan Schanuel now knows the feeling of coming through with a big swing, and coming through with a big take.

The Angels first baseman drew a bases-loaded walk to drive home the winning run in their 6-5 victory over the Texas Rangers on Monday night, giving him a walk-off walk to go with a walk-off hit last month.

“It’s just as exciting,” Schanuel said, comparing the two. “It’s awesome.”

The victory was full of clutch moments for the Angels (44-46), who needed a palate-cleanser after losing three one-run games in a frustrating weekend in Toronto. They were 4 for 30 with runners in scoring position against the Blue Jays, and could have won each of the games with a late hit.

“The last series, we weren’t getting those big hits, but we were still getting runners on the base and still having the opportunities, which I think is important,” said catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who had a couple of clutch hits on Monday. “We were in every game right till the end in Toronto. We’re still going to fight to the last out and and today we were able to prevail, which is a huge step for us.”

The Angels overcame deficits to take the lead in the second and sixth innings, but each time the Rangers came back, sending the game to the bottom of the ninth with the score tied.

Luis Rengifo led off the bottom of the ninth with a double, his second hit of the game. An out later, Kevin Newman punched a single into left, sending Rengifo to third. The Rangers intentionally walked Zach Neto to load the bases for Schanuel. They then brought in left-hander Hoby Milner to face the left-handed hitting Schanuel.

Schanuel quickly fell into an 0-and-2 hole after two foul balls. He took a couple of pitches in the dirt and then fouled one off, working the count full. The final pitch was a couple of inches outside. Schanuel excitedly tossed his bat toward the dugout as the Angels celebrated their first walk-off walk since 2008.

“First two pitches, I was swinging early, and then after that, I kind of had to take a deep breath, calm down and kind of let him come to me,” Schanuel said. “You don’t want to get too amped up. Try to slow everything down a little bit, because as a hitter, you’ve still got to get your pitch. That’s just kind of what I did.”

Prior to Schanuel’s clutch walk, the Angels came up with a few big hits, starting with d’Arnaud’s two-run homer against two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom in the second inning, which put the Angels ahead, 3-2.

“If you watch the replay, I got lucky and got a pitch to hit,” said d’Arnaud, who was deGrom’s primary catcher when they were with the New York Mets.

The Angels worked deGrom hard and got him out of the game after just five innings, trailing 4-3. One of their more productive innings was one in which they didn’t even score. They saw 35 pitches from deGrom in the third, and the last one was a bases-loaded 3-and-2 pitch to Jorge Soler which was called a strike even though it was barely outside.

(The frustration from that pitch bubbled over a few innings later, when interim manager Ray Montgomery was ejected after arguing a called third strike on Mike Trout.)

Once deGrom was out, the Angels were able to take the lead against the Rangers’ bullpen.

Rengifo singled in the sixth and scored on d’Arnaud’s two-out double, tying the score. LaMonte Wade Jr., who slumped in his first weeks with the Angels and now barely plays, then lined a single into center to knock in d’Arnaud with the go-ahead run.

The Angels needed another rally because they gave up that lead in the eighth.

Sam Bachman seemed to have the final out of the inning on a strikeout, but the ball got away from d’Arnaud far enough that he couldn’t throw out Jake Burger at first. Bachman then gave up a game-tying double to Josh Smith.

The Angels took Bachman off the hook in the same way that they bailed out starter Yusei Kikuchi on a night when he wasn’t sharp. Kikuchi gave up a two-run homer to Corey Seager in the first inning, and he needed 31 pitches to get the first three outs of the game.

In the third, Kikuchi gave up three hits and a walk, allowing another two runs. Third baseman Chad Stevens got a glove on two of the hits, with dives to each side, but he couldn’t make either play.

Kikuchi still managed to tack on two more scoreless innings after that, getting through five innings on 97 pitches.

“I didn’t have my best stuff,” Kikuchi said through his interpreter, “but the team really picked me up today. Big win overall.”

​ Orange County Register 

Doctor accused of abusing patients treated Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach like a ‘sexual playground,’ attorneys allege

• July 8, 2025

Hoag Hospital officials should have been aware that Dr. William Moore Thompson IV — a pioneering infectious-disease expert accused of sexually abusing patients — was committing sexual misconduct in their facilities, attorneys for the accusers allege in a filing meant to consolidate numerous civil lawsuits against the doctor.

More than 160 individuals have filed 21 separate civil lawsuits in Orange County Superior Court against Dr. Thompson, 57, who made his name caring for men living with HIV and AIDS before getting accused of sexually assault patients under the guise of medical checkups.

Patients allege that Thompson performed aggressive prostate exams without gloves, fondled them while commenting on the appearance of their genitalia, subjected them to sexual innuendo and advances and at times showed his own erect penis during exams. Along with the civil lawsuits, Thompson is also facing criminal sexual assault charges, for which he has pleaded not guilty. He lost his medical license, state records show.

Attorneys representing Thompson in the civil lawsuits have declined to comment on the allegations.

The criminal case and initial civil lawsuits focused primarily on Thompson’s alleged conduct with his patients. But, as the court has moved to consolidate the lawsuits into a single master complaint, or case, attorneys for the accusers have taken increased aim at Hoag Hospital, where Thompson had access to patients.

Thompson had staff privileges at Hoag facilities from 2007 until late 2023, according to court filings, when he was arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing his patients.

“Hoag is committed to providing world-class care defined by respect, integrity, compassion, and excellence for all patients,” Hoag officials wrote in a statement in response to questions by the Southern California News Group about the new allegations contained in the master complaint.

“Hoag condemns the conduct alleged against Dr. William Thompson and recognizes the courage it takes for his former patients to come forward,” it said. “Dr. Thompson had clinical privileges at Hoag Hospital, which were summarily suspended by its medical staff after his arrest, and he operated a private medical practice that was not located at a Hoag facility.”

Hoag officials previously noted that Thompson was a private doctor, not an employee of the hospital, and said they had not received any complaints about him while he had the clinical privileges.

But the consolidated master complaint — filed by attorneys representing the accusers in late June — alleges that Thompson’s “sexual misconduct with not only patients, but Hoag employees, staff and/or agents was so blatant and overt that it is simply inconceivable that Hoag was not aware of the outrageous antics taking place within its own facility.”

That conduct, the lawsuit alleges, includes Thompson having sexual intercourse with multiple Hoag nurses and “housekeeping” employees at Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach, including in staff locker rooms and bathrooms. The lawsuit also alleges that Thompson “engaged in sexual talk and innuendo” with Hoag employees. The master complaint includes alleged text messages in which Thompson appears to write, in explicit terms, that he had sex with nurses and a “housekeeping boy” in the locker room.

“I would describe it as a frat house environment,” said Morgan Stewart — an attorney with Manly, Stewart & Finaldi, a high-profile, Irvine-based law firm specializing in sexual-abuse cases. “He essentially treated the hospital as his own private sexual playground, and he was allowed to do it.”

Allegations involving Thompson were made with the Newport Beach Police Department and the California Medical Board more than a year before his arrest, the master complaint says, and the lawsuit alleges that men reported Thompson’s conduct to other Hoag physicians.

“The guy was a loose cannon,” Stewart added. “And if you didn’t see that, I don’t know what you were looking at.”

Previously, the allegations against Thompson from more than 100 of the accusers were not directly linked to Hoag, attorneys for the hospital argued. A judge agreed, record show, but left the door open for the accusers’ attorneys to amend their allegations to potentially tie them to the hospital.

A jury trial has not yet been scheduled for either the civil cases or the criminal case against Thompson.

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers move Kiké Hernandez to injured list with elbow injury

• July 8, 2025

MILWAUKEE — During the final game of their three-game series in Cleveland at the end of May, Kiké Hernandez raced home from third base to score on a wild pitch by Guardians left-hander Tim Herrin.

As Hernandez dove for home plate on the seventh-inning play, Herrin tried to reach for a throw from the catcher and tumbled onto Hernandez, landing on Hernandez’s left elbow.

Almost six weeks later, that play landed Hernandez on the injured list. He was moved there Monday with left elbow inflammation.

“At that point in time, he kept it to himself,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, adding that he didn’t know Hernandez was trying to play through the injury until two days ago. “He just wanted to be out there to compete, and it just continually got worse and really impacted his offense and the swing. And so just a couple days ago, it just really reached a head where it was pretty much intolerable.”

In 29 games after the play at the plate, Hernandez was 8 for 59 (.136).

After an MRI revealed the inflammation, Hernandez received a cortisone injection for the pain. Roberts said the expectation is the utility man will be ready to return “shortly after the All-Star break.”

While Hernandez went to the IL on Monday, two other injured players remain on the active roster, playing through their own injuries.

Utility man Tommy Edman is playing with a fractured small toe on his right foot (suffered when he was hit by a pitch) and outfielder Teoscar Hernandez suffered a contusion on his left foot when he fouled a ball off it during Saturday’s game. Neither were in the lineup Monday but Roberts said both could be used as pinch-hitters and “potentially” be back in the lineup on Wednesday.

Outfielder James Outman was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City to replace Kiké Hernandez on the active roster.

In another roster move Monday, right-handed reliever Julian Fernandez was promoted from Triple-A and left-hander Justin Wrobleski was sent down.

“Definitely not performance,” Roberts said of Wrobleski’s demotion. “I think with Justin, it was more about the timing of the (All-Star) break, his not being available for the next couple days (after pitching 4⅔ innings on Saturday), to have some availability. Certainly the role as not seeing him as a short-burst reliever, keeping him built up, so those things. Tough conversation. It’s kind of part of having options, but he’s done a great job these last handful of outings.”

Fernandez, 29, returns to the major leagues for the first time since making six appearances with the Colorado Rockies in 2021. He had a 4.08 ERA in 24 appearances for OKC this season.

PITCHING PLANS

Roberts confirmed Monday that right-hander Tyler Glasnow will return from the IL and start Wednesday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers. Glasnow has been out with a shoulder injury since April 27.

Glasnow’s return to the rotation will push Dustin May’s next start back to Friday in San Francisco (the Dodgers are off Thursday). Setting up a rotation of May, Emmet Sheehan and Yoshinobu Yamamoto against the Giants.

If Yamamoto pitches on Sunday, he would be ineligible to pitch in the All-Star Game on Sunday. Roberts, who will manage the National League team, acknowledged that Yamamoto will “probably not” pitch in the All-Star Game.

Also in question is whether Shohei Ohtani will make another start before the All-Star break.

“We’ll see,” was all Roberts would say.

The most likely scenario is for Ohtani to pitch as an opener on Sunday with Sheehan following.

ALSO

Veteran reliever Luis Garcia has signed with the Washington Nationals, pending a physical. Garcia, 38, was designated for assignment by the Dodgers, cleared waivers and was released last week. Garcia had a 5.27 ERA in 28 appearances for the Dodgers. …

The Dodgers designated infielder C.J. Alexander for assignment in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for Fernandez. Alexander was claimed on waivers from the New York Yankees on Thursday and went 1 for 8 in two games for OKC.

UP NEXT

Dodgers (LHP Clayton Kershaw, 4-0, 3.43 ERA) at Brewers (RHP Jacob Misiorowski, 3-1, 3.20 ERA), Tuesday, 4:40 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM

​ Orange County Register 

Angels reliever Robert Stephenson encouraged by start of throwing program

• July 8, 2025

ANAHEIM — A week after Robert Stephenson began to throw, he felt well enough to try again.

The Angels relief pitcher said the beginning of his throwing program last Monday didn’t go as well as hoped, so he took another week off. After trying again seven days later, the right-hander was encouraged.

“It definitely feels a lot better, especially today,” Stephenson said. “Just from from last Monday, it feels a lot better, and I’m really encouraged by it. So I feel like I can actually fully start to ramp up now. Before I was kind of nervous about even throwing, but it feels good today.”

Stephenson was out only 13 months from Tommy John surgery before returning to the mound for two games in late May. A few pitches into his second game, he felt something wrong, which was diagnosed as a stretched nerve in his bicep. Stephenson let it rest for more than a month before getting back on the path to a return.

He said he threw “super light” on Monday.

“Start building up slowly,” Stephenson said. “I don’t think it’s going to be a quick process. At least I can start building up.”

MONCADA UPDATE

Yoán Moncada, who has been out with right knee inflammation, played nine innings at third base on Monday night in the Arizona Complex League. He also had three hits, including a homer. If he reports that he feels good after that, his return to the big leagues could be imminent.

“I don’t have a timetable,” interim manager Ray Montgomery said. “I would like him to be here at 6:40.”

Montgomery added that Moncada does not need to go to Triple-A or any other higher minor league level to see a higher caliber of pitching. He simply needs “reps.” Moncada was set to play his third game in Arizona on Monday.

“We’ll see how he comes out of it every day,” Montgomery said. “Obviously he’s kind of dictating to us how he feels. That’s the most important thing. And as much as we need him here, he knows he’s got to be careful too.”

The Angels have been struggling to put together quality situational at-bats, so the addition of a player like Moncada – a switch-hitter who works counts and puts the ball in play – could be a boost to the lineup.

STRICKLAND OUT, MEDEROS IN

Right-hander Hunter Strickland was placed on the injured list because of right shoulder inflammation. Strickland was set to undergo an MRI exam on Tuesday.

“Just hoping for the best,” Strickland said. “We’ll see what they say.”

Strickland said he began to feel some discomfort on Sunday during his pregame work, and it continued during a perfect, 15-pitch inning against the Toronto Blue Jays.

“It was just kind of bite your lip and grind through it,” Strickland said.

Strickland, 36, has a 3.27 ERA in 19 innings since joining the Angels in May.

The Angels called up right-hander Victor Mederos to take Strickland’s spot in the bullpen. Mederos has a 9.53 ERA in 11⅓ major league innings in his career, with 12 walks. His numbers in the minors had also been unspectacular until a notable improvement in the past couple of months.

In 11 games this season at Triple-A, all starts, Mederos had a 4.09 ERA with 47 strikeouts and 23 walks in 61⅔ innings.

“I think the biggest difference is just been able to learn who I am as a pitcher and learn what I do well,” Mederos said. “Being able to just be in the zone, get guys out early, and just be able to keep the ball on the ground and let the defense work.”

UP NEXT

Rangers (RHP Nathan Eovaldi, 5-3, 1.75 ERA) at Angels (RHP José Soriano, 6-5, 3.72 ERA), Tuesday, 6:38 p.m., FDSN West, 830 AM

​ Orange County Register 

Despite being ‘broken,’ an ICE detainee from Diamond Bar believes Trump is ‘doing the right thing’

• July 8, 2025

When Arthur Sahakyan of Diamond Bar received an anonymous call on his cellphone late Monday morning, June 30, telling him they were coming to arrest his wife, he thought it was a fake prank of harassment — something he said he often experiences in relation to a large Trump American flag the family displays outside their home.

“We get this every single day, day in and day out,” Sahakyan said, describing myriad threats they’ve received warning that something was going to happen to them as a result of their support for President Donald Trump.

On Monday, June 30, at 11:30 a.m., the two callers who would not identify themselves ended up being from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and they promptly took Arpineh Masihi into custody as her children watched.

• Also See: First came the immigration agents, then came the text. Pomona family’s day turns into a nightmare

Masihi, 39, who came from Iran with her family at age 2, is now being held indefinitely at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in Victorville — scared and confused, but still a staunch supporter of Trump and his immigration policies.

“Of course I am,” Masihi said by phone on Thursday, speaking from the facility during a call with her husband, who let a reporter speak to her. “I vote Trump all the way. I’ll never take it back. He did the right thing … He’s doing the right thing. I would never take it back. And a lot of people hate me in here for that.”

Most of the people she has encountered in what she described as the “humongous” facility where she’s being detained, don’t speak English and, Masihi observed, are “all from the border.”

Masihi herself is of Armenian descent, but she and her family fled Iran when she was two, in the late 1980s, ultimately finding their way to California.

Masihi said she committed what both she and her husband describe as a petty crime more than 17 years ago, before Sahakyan met her, involving what he indicated was a check-fraud incident of less than $200. As a result, Masihi lost her Green Card and has been unable to clear the incident from her record.

He said the couple has regularly met with legal counsel and Masihi has kept up regular contact with immigration authorities throughout the years. Most recently she met with them in April, where she was assured everything was fine and would ultimately be resolved.

The Department of Homeland Security, however, presented a different picture, describing Masihi as “a criminal illegal alien from Iran.”

“She was convicted of burglary and sentenced to two years in prison in 2008,” a senior DHS official stated on Saturday, July 5. “Following her criminal conviction, she was placed into immigration proceedings.”

“A judge issued her a final order of removal on June 24, 2009,” the official said via email. “She had more than 15 years to self-deport and leave the U.S.”

“Under President Trump and (DHS) Secretary (Kristi) Noem, if you break the law, you will face the consequences,” they said. “Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.”

A background check confirmed the burglary, plus some lesser offenses, some which have since been dismissed.

Sahakyan acknowledged “something” in 2008 but “we couldn’t find a charge like that,” adding that she came to the U.S. legally as a refugee.

“She made mistakes,” he said. “But we all make mistakes.”

The couple largely accepts the situation, although Masihi places some of the blame on previous Democratic administrations and not on Trump, whose immigration crackdown since early June has blanketed Southern California.

“To be honest with you, if I’d never made the mistake when I was young,” she said, this never would have happened. “It’s mine, but I blame the Democrats for allowing people in, because Trump would never have done this.”

Sahakyan concurred. “We kind of had a feeling inside ourselves that it might happen to us,” he said, noting that war between Iran and Israel — including U.S. bombings of Iranian nuclear complexes — put them on alert.

Masihi said the process could have been handled much better on the part of ICE.

“They could have let me go,” she said, after 48 hours, and perhaps ordered an ankle monitor following the posting of a bond.

Sahakyan described how flustered he was during the arrest, which began while the family was having lunch. The agents, who were not wearing masks, as has often been the case in public incidents, did not show any identification, they said.

“Give me your badge number,” Sahakyan said he told them. “Give me your credentials. Give me something so I can verify you.”

Sahakyan phoned the Sheriff’s Department and he said deputies quickly drove out to the house. They, in turn, assured an emotional Sahakyan that these were, in fact, ICE agents and that the Sheriff’s Department was powerless to stop them from arresting Masihi.

Ironically, Sahakyan described the two ICE agents as being “very nice” under the circumstances.

“Emotions were very high,” he said. “You have to understand that (but) I apologized to them … I told them, ‘I’m sorry, but what do you expect from a husband who this was happening to.’”

While Sahakyan has not changed his allegiance to Trump, he explained how this incident has brought him great sympathy for families that are going through similar events, especially those with no money to get help.

Fortunately, because the family is able to afford what Sahakyan said is about $50 a day in reverse-charge phone calls, Masihi is able to speak with her husband and kids every hour or two.

“The only thing she cares about are her kids,” Sahakyan said. “She just wants to know how her kids are doing.”

While he described his wife as being very emotional and tearful during phone calls, Sahakyan himself grew tearful as he described the situation following the arrest.

“After that, she went to L.A. for two days,” Sahakyan said, though he never learned exactly where the downtown facility was.

Masihi described it as horrible.

“The other facility I was in was the worst facility in the world,” Masihi said. “We had no showers for three days … we had no blankets, anything.”

After having spent a great deal of money in trying to fix the situation over the years and get Masihi her citizenship status back, the couple has finally been able to retain a new attorney.

“I just found one today,” Sahakyan said on Thursday. “I’ve been doing about 50 calls a day to attorneys. It’s unfortunate that they’re all booked. Every attorney is booked because June, I guess, was a very big month for immigration.”

The next step will be for Masihi to hopefully receive a court date on the matter.

“I just have to see,” she said. “They are not giving me a bond.”

“It’s gonna mark my kids forever,” Masihi said, describing how she would miss the Fourth of July holiday.

“Emotionally, I’m broken,” Masihi said. “Mentally, I don’t even know who I am.”

Jarret Liotta is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and photographer.

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw ‘super honored’ to be Legend Pick for All-Star Game

• July 8, 2025

MILWAUKEE — When Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stood up in front of the team on Sunday to announce the players chosen for the National League All-Star team, Clayton Kershaw didn’t expect to hear his name.

But Roberts congratulated Kershaw for making his 11th All-Star team, this time as the commissioner’s Legend Pick. It’s an honor given to a player for an extraordinary career – maybe not so much for his performance that season.

“I didn’t even know that was a thing,” Kershaw said Monday. “I played in the All-Star Game that (Derek) Jeter was in in 2014. I forget who else he said – Miggy Cabrera and Albert (Pujols). I didn’t actually know that was a thing.

“At the end of the day, it’s weird but it’s cool so I’m just going to enjoy it.”

Jeter, Cabrera and Pujols were all given the honor in their final seasons before retiring. Kershaw (who became just the 20th pitcher in baseball history to record 3,000 strikeouts in his most recent start) has not said anything about 2025 being his final season – even if the celebration of his 3,000th strikeout had the feeling of a farewell ceremony.

“Not to be not appreciative of moments like that because that was a really special night in L.A. I wouldn’t change anything that that night was. That was so special,” Kershaw said. “But I don’t know what is going to happen in the future. I really have no idea when it comes to the years beyond this one. So I’m just trying to enjoy it, be part of a really good team this year. We still have a lot to accomplish. We still have October. It’s really hard to look at stuff individually when you’re trying to accomplish something as a team.

“Maybe when it’s all said and done I’ll look back. I’m not a big look-back guy. Just enjoy where you’re at.”

For the first time in years, Kershaw is enjoying good health this season. He ended 2021 with elbow and forearm issues. Following the 2023 season, he had shoulder surgery. Last season, he made just seven starts due to a foot issue that required surgery after the season (along with knee surgery).

“I think the biggest thing is just the mental toll,” he said of the injuries. “I think anyone that has been dealing with stuff – I think it’s always in the back of your head. You wake up and you test it and you move around and you test it to see if it hurts, see how bad it hurts.

“(When you’re healthy) instead of wondering if you can pitch, it’s just a matter of how you’re going to pitch. I don’t think I took into appreciation the mental toll that takes over time. So to just worry about pitching is nice, for sure.”

For the most part, the 37-year-old Kershaw has pitched well in his 18th season. He will take a 4-0 record and a 3.43 ERA into his 10th start of the season on Tuesday in Milwaukee.

“Mixed. I think it’s mixed,” he said when asked to assess his season so far. “There’s some good and some bad. I think it’s helpful to be able to get the reps and go back out and be able to feel okay in between starts to work on some stuff, figure out some different things mechanically and pitch-wise and stuff.

“I’d say overall – I wouldn’t say happy but I wouldn’t say disappointed either. I would say kind of right in the middle.”

Kershaw, who started the 2022 All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium, said he is “super honored” by the All-Star pick, whether he pitches in the July 15 game in Atlanta or not.

“You never take for granted getting to go to an All-Star Game, regardless of the circumstances,” he said. “Obviously, I don’t deserve to get to go this season. Haven’t pitched very much. But everything that it encompasses to go to an All-Star Game, I get to take my family – I’ll never pass up that opportunity.

“It’s a tremendous honor. Super thankful to get to go. Regardless of the situation or how I maybe snuck into the All-Star Game, it’s pretty cool to get to go.”

​ Orange County Register