Kings routed by Avalanche in season opener

• October 1, 2026

DENVER — This was not the debut Peter Laviolette was hoping for in his first game as the Kings’ new head coach.

Nathan MacKinnon scored twice during a four-goal second period and capped his night with a rare fight, as the Colorado Avalanche routed the Kings, 8-4, in the season opener for both teams on Wednesday night.

Artturi Lehkonen also had two goals, Brock Nelson had a goal and two assists and Mackenzie Blackwood made 26 saves for Colorado, which scored four times on the power play and allowed two short-handed goals. Cale Makar, Nazem Kadri, Jaden Schwartz and Devon Toews had two assists each and Gabriel Landeskog scored less than a minute after MacKinnon dropped the gloves in the third period.

MacKinnon, who had a career-high 53 goals last season, scored on a 5-on-3 just 23 seconds into the second period and gave the Avs a 4-2 lead with his second at 8:33. The 2024 NHL MVP, whose last fight was four years ago, dropped the gloves with Kings defenseman Brandt Clark with Colorado leading 6-4 late in the third.

Trevor Moore, Joel Armia, Brian Dumoulin and Artemi Panarin scored for the Kings, and Darcy Kuemper stopped just 21 of 29 shots. Alex Laferriere added two assists for the Kings, who were doubled up in each period (2-1, 4-2 and 2-1).

“I felt like a lot of the things that we gave them tonight were, they’re our responsibility,” Laviolette told NHL.com. “They are things that can be in our control: staying out of the penalty box, the execution of what we’re doing, staying behind the rush. We got chances to score offensively and we didn’t connect on them, so we found ourselves chasing the game most of the night.”

Colorado went ahead 1-0 on the power play early in the first on Nelson’s goal off the first of the two assists by Schwartz. Schwartz’s cross-crease saucer pass couldn’t be converted by Lehkonen, but the puck landed on Nelson’s stick, and he scored with a shot that caromed off the left post and the back of Kuemper before going in.

Dumoulin tied it at 15:14 with a wrist shot from the top of the left circle, and the Kings had a chance to get another on the power play.

With time winding down, Josh Manson chipped the puck along the boards to Kelly, who carried it into the Kings’ zone on an odd-man rush and beat Kuemper at 17:58, three seconds after the Kings’ power play expired.

The Kings took penalties 40 seconds apart late in the first. MacKinnon scored on the two-man advantage 23 seconds into the second period, but Armia answered 1:05 later when he skated into the high slot and beat Blackwood under his glove to cut the Kings’ deficit to 3-2.

“That’s a really tough one to assess. I think we took a little step back from maybe the last preseason game,” Kings forward Erik Haula told NHL.com. “I think we took a step forward offensively. It’s just, against that team and when you take that many penalties and make mistakes like that, they can really make you pay. And they sure did today. But offensively, on the road when you score four goals, you like your chances most nights.”

MacKinnon made it a two-score game with his second goal at 8:33, taking a drop pass from Necas inside the left circle then roofing it to the far side over Kuemper’s glove.

The teams combined for three goals in the final 3:59 of the middle frame.

Roy made it 5-2 when he scored while Kuemper was face down on the ice following a scramble in the crease. Moore scored a short-handed goal at 17:50, putting the puck off the left shoulder of Blackwood from the right circle. Lehkonen answered on the same power play 44 seconds later, one-timing a centering pass from Nelson in the high slot to restore Colorado’s three-goal lead.

Panarin cut the deficit to 6-4 at 11:51 of the third period. He came off the bench as the extra attacker during a delayed penalty, took a pass from Drew Doughty at the blue line, then cut toward the middle before scoring over Blackwood’s blocker.

Landeskog and Lehkonen scored 1:03 apart to extend the lead. Landeskog made it 7-4 at 14:03 when he took a rebound off the wall then scored off the skate of Kings forward Quinton Byfield at the left post.

Lehkonen converted on a power-play goal at 15:06 to close the scoring.

“It’s hard to break it all down right now, but again, we get a day to look at everything, figure out what maybe to fix or what we need to work on more,” Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson told NHL.com. “But I thought there were some positives throughout the game. I thought there were some good chances off the rush or from breakouts all the way through. Some O-zone plays were good. Again, just too many breakdowns.”

NEW DEAL

Hours before the game, Colorado coach Jared Bednar was given a four-year contract extension. Bednar, who led Colorado to the 2022 Stanley Cup title, was in the final year of his current contract. The extension ended speculation on his future after being swept by Vegas in the Western Conference finals last spring.

“I didn’t want him to go through the whole year and have those distractions of being asked that same question, especially as the year goes on,” Avs president and general manager Joe Sakic said before Wednesday night’s game.

More to come on this story.

UP NEXT

The Kings play at San Jose on Saturday at 7 p.m.

​ Orange County Register 

Corona del Mar boys water polo holds off Huntington Beach

• October 1, 2026

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HUNTINGTON BEACH — Corona del Mar water polo player William Weir has an excellent source for learning about one of the Sea Kings’ all-time greats.

Weir’s father Ryan tells stories about two-time Olympian Chris Oeding. Ryan Weir and Oeding both attended Corona del Mar and were teammates at Cal.

“That’s my dad’s good friend,” Weir said of Oeding, who helped the Golden Bears win three consecutive NCAA titles in the early 1990s. “He’s a beast.”

Weir offered his rendition of Oeding on Wednesday. He was the Sea Kings’ lone returning starter in a Sunset League showdown at Huntington Beach.

The Cal committed senior scored four goals and added two assists, two field blocks and a steal to lead the Sea Kings to an 11-8 victory.

“He impacts the game in a lot of ways that people with an untrained eye don’t see,” Corona del Mar coach Lucas Reynolds said Weir, a first-team All-County selection last season. “He has defensive intuition that you just don’t teach.”

“(He is) elite with his understanding of what’s in his area and his surroundings,” the coach added. “He’s a very unselfish player so he’s always trying to make the right play.”

The 6-foot-5 Weir is known for his ability to guard center but played mostly left-side attacker for Corona del Mar (12-5, 5-0) against Huntington Beach (11-11, 1-2).

Weir set the tone by scoring three of the Sea Kings’ first four goals, including a slick lob shot for a 4-1 lead early in the second period.

He also united with an emerging group of seniors to answer a surge by the Oilers and JacksonHolmes in the third period.

Early in the fourth, Corona del Mar’s Drew Johnson tipped away an entry pass to center that turned into his strike from 2 meters for a 10-7 lead. Weir recorded the assist.

Moments later, a steal by senior Hudson Castillo led to a counterattack strike by senior Brody Rauth. Versatile junior Blake Jurevich had the assist.

“That’s a big part of our game — transition,” Weir said.

Rauth scored two of his three goals on the counterattack. He also assisted a redirect by Weir in front of the net for the first goal.

Senior goalie Colton Kozlowski made nine saves to help anchor Corona del Mar’s defense. Junior left-hander Jack Jacobson added two goals off the bench.

“We’ve been rapidly improving,” Reynolds said. “It’s very exciting.”

The emergence of the juniors and seniors has been critical for Corona del Mar. The CIF-SS Open Division runner-up from last season lost UC Irvine committed senior Koosha Mirrafati to a season-ending shoulder injury, Reynolds confirmed.

Weir said the Sea Kings have dedicated their season to Mirrafati.

“He’s still extremely involved with our team. He’s one of the smartest players I’ve ever coached,” Reynolds said. “He’s gone into a little bit of coaching role.”

Holmes, a junior attacker, scored a match-high five goals — all on outside shots. He scored with 23 left in the third period to trim the Sea Kings’ lead to 9-7.

“He crushed it,” Oilers coach Nick Graffis said of Holmes. “Very gifted athlete.”

Huntington Beach started only one senior in Connor Hatfield.

The Oilers played the second half without junior center Kyle Sturdy due to injury, Graffis said. Starting goalie Van Johnston had six saves before yielding to Landon Hobson, who had three.

“I thought we did really well,” Graffis said. “CdM is a really good team.”

Corona del Mar is seeded eighth for the Elite 8 tournament this week at Harvard-Westlake. The Sea Kings open with rival Newport Harbor on Thursday and faced JSerra and Santa Margarita on Friday to close out pool play.

“We’re going to go out there and compete,” Weir said. “It’s all for November (and the playoffs).”

​ Orange County Register 

Medical helicopter crashes off Catalina Island; 4 pulled from the sea

• October 1, 2026

Four people were pulled from the sea as officials continued to search for one other possible victim after a medical helicopter crashed near Avalon on Wednesday night, Sept. 30., authorities said.

Officials were searching for others who may have been aboard the REACH Air Medical Services aircraft when it crashed around 7:40 p.m. after taking off from Catalina Island, according to Deputy Tracy Koerner with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Koerner said sheriff’s officials don’t yet know how many people were on the copter but believe it could have been as many as five.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department said four helicopters arrived to search for victims in the crash. Of the people pulled from the water, two were transported to a hospital and listed in stable condition with minor injuries and two others were listed in unknown condition as officials searched for a potential fifth victim, fire officials said.

Sheriff’s officials couldn’t confirm where the helicopter was going or the cause of the crash.

The Federal Aviation Administration didn’t immediately respond to a request for further information.

​ Orange County Register 

Yankees complete sweep of Red Sox, advance to ALDS

• October 1, 2026

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer

NEW YORK — Max Fried dominated Boston in the playoffs for the second straight year, Cody Bellinger and Luis García Jr. homered, and the New York Yankees romped over the Red Sox, 9-2, on Wednesday night for a two-game sweep of their American League Wild Card Series.

Clinging to a 2-1 lead after Willson Contreras homered to end Boston’s 26-inning postseason scoreless streak, the Yankees broke the game open with a six-run sixth after Spencer Jones reached on a wild pitch while striking out leading off – with the help of a video review.

García, acquired at the trade deadline, had three hits in his first postseason start, and Bellinger had four RBIs that included a three-run homer capping the sixth-inning burst that put New York ahead 8-1.

New York will face AL East champion Tampa Bay in a best-of-five AL Division Series starting Saturday in Florida.

“Step one,” Bellinger said. “Now we got to go into Tampa and play against a tough team.”

Boston, which reached the playoffs after rebounding from a 32-46 start, was eliminated by the Yankees in the first round for the second straight year.

“Regardless of all the special things that happened this summer, and there was quite a few, the goal is to win the World Series and that ended for us tonight, so it’s frustrating,” Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said. “There’s a lot of things you can say, but in the moment right now, I think the guys only care that we lost. And it’s going to take some time to get over that.”

Boston was held to a .117 batting average in the series (7 for 60) with 18 strikeouts and was outscored 18-2.

“That was very satisfying to play that well in these two games,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “They played great and beat a really good team that deserves a lot of credit for, was down and out in the middle of the season and fought their way back to being a no-doubt into the playoffs by the end.”

A day after Cam Schlittler pitched New York to a 9-0 win, Fried pitched three-hit ball over six innings to win a postseason game for the first time since the 2021 World Series clincher with the Atlanta Braves.

New York started eight left-handed hitters against Sonny Gray, back on the mound where his career derailed during a dismal Yankees stretch in 2017 and ’18.

García’s fourth-inning homer put the Yankees ahead and Bellinger, one of the top lefty-on-lefty hitters in the major leagues, added a fifth-inning RBI single against left-handed Erik Miller, who had just relieved. Bellinger caught the ceremonial first pitch from his dad, Clay Bellinger, who won a World Series with New York in 2000.

Jones struck out both to start and end the bottom of the sixth, a weird half-inning that included a wild pitch, throwing error, stolen base, bunt single and intentional walk to Ben Rice that preceded Bellinger’s homer.

“Baseball can be a wacky sport,” Bellinger said.

Garrett Crochet, who beat the Yankees in last year’s Wild Card Series opener, hadn’t pitched since April 25 because of left shoulder inflammation when he bounced a sweeper off catcher Adley Rutschman’s chest. Rutschman picked up the ball and threw to first, where umpire John Libka signaled that Jones was out. The Yankees appealed and the call was reversed by the video umpire at the commissioner’s office.

“I couldn’t believe he was there,” Boone said. “I saw the ball squirt away a little bit. I didn’t think that much of it, and looked up and I was, like, ‘Oh, he’s safe.’”

Jones, who debuted in May, scored three runs in the series to tie fellow rookie George Lombard Jr. and Rice for the team lead.

“It’s a great thing to be able to get on the bases I guess anyway possible,” Jones said. “I was always told if you run hard, good things are going to happen and that turned out to be the case.”

Jones swiped second and kept going to third when Rutschman’s throw skipped into center. Lombard singled for his first postseason RBI, Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled and Trent Grisham loaded the bases with a bunt single.

Austin Wells’ sacrifice fly against Garrett Whitlock increased the lead to 4-1, Ryan McMahon hit an RBI groundout and Rice, who had four hits and six RBIs in the opener, was intentionally walked. Bellinger reached down and pulled a changeup into the right-center field seats.

Fried, a former Harvard-Westlake star, struck out six and walked one. He has allowed one run over 12⅓ innings in the two Wild Card Series against the Red Sox.

“Definitely wasn’t sharp from the get-go but just wanted to challenge them, not try to give any free passes, especially in the first inning,” Fried said.

Nick Sogard hit a solo homer off Will Warren in the seventh.

UP NEXT

New York right-hander Gerrit Cole (10-9, 3.61 ERA), who would have started a third game against Boston, is likely to start Game 1 against the Rays.

​ Orange County Register 

Padres sweep Cubs in Wild Card Series behind Gavin Sheets’ pinch-hit homer

• October 1, 2026

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer

SAN DIEGO — Pinch-hitter Gavin Sheets blasted a two-run homer, five Padres pitchers combined on a five-hitter, and San Diego swept the Chicago Cubs out of the National League Wild Card Series with a 4-1 victory in Game 2 on Wednesday night.

Xander Bogaerts drove in the first run for the surging Padres, who followed up their 8-0 victory in Tuesday’s opener with another dominant mound performance. The Cubs led the majors in runs and the NL in homers this year, but they managed just eight hits – seven singles – over 18 innings against San Diego’s inspired staff.

Ethan Salas drove in a run while becoming the youngest player to catch a postseason game in major league history for the Padres, whose 20-3 surge since Sept. 5 has them looking like a threat in the NL.

One year after the Cubs eliminated the Padres in three tough Wild Card games at Wrigley Field, the Padres reversed the result in two romps before frenzied sellout crowds at Petco Park.

With their fifth playoff series victory in the past seven years, the Padres advanced to face the MLB-best Milwaukee Brewers in an NL Division Series that begins Saturday night in Milwaukee.

Nico Hoerner had half of the Cubs’ hits in the series, and he drove in Chicago’s only run in the fourth inning. He also got their only extra-base hit of the series with a ninth-inning double off Mason Miller, but the Padres’ vaunted closer calmly finished the save and set off another massive celebration on the field.

Probable NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong and veteran slugger Alex Bregman struggled mightily atop the Cubs’ lineup in San Diego, going a combined 0 for 15 with a walk and eight strikeouts over these two games. Bregman played just over a week after he was hit in the face with a foul ball.

After hitting two homers in the first inning of Game 1, the Padres waited until the second inning of Game 2 to take a 2-0 lead. Ty France led off with a double off Kevin Gausman and scored on Bogaerts’ single before Salas hit a line-drive flyout to center, scoring Jackson Merrill.

Salas, the prized 20-year-old prospect recalled Sept. 1, also became the youngest player to appear in a postseason game for the Padres.

Chicago finally scored when Seiya Suzuki singled and eventually came home on Hoerner’s ground ball to center off starter Nick Pivetta. Rookie manager Craig Stammen immediately yanked Pivetta in favor of his intimidating bullpen, and Bradgley Rodríguez escaped a bases-loaded jam.

Rodríguez also pitched the fifth to earn the victory in his postseason debut.

After Bogaerts’ double chased Gausman in the fourth, Sheets blasted a 100.8 mph fastball from Daniel Palencia into the right field bleachers. Sheets, the fan favorite outfielder who is playing with a nagging plantar injury in his left foot, delivered his second career postseason homer and his first since 2021 as a Chicago White Sox rookie.

The shot was the Padres’ first pinch-hit postseason homer since 2005, and their long-suffering fans’ cheers rattled the park.

UP NEXT

Game 1 of the NLDS is Saturday at 5:30 p.m. PT in Milwaukee. The Padres took four of six from the Brewers this season, even sweeping a three-game series at Petco Park in August.

More to come on this story.

​ Orange County Register 

‘Building who I am as a person’: USC’s Jahkeem Stewart reflects on missed games

• October 1, 2026

LOS ANGELES — The stop-and-go process of getting cleared to play in a game was starting to get to USC defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart.

It had even gotten as far as him suiting up for the Louisiana game and going through warm-ups, only to be relegated to the sidelines when the coaching staff decided he wasn’t recovered enough from a foot injury to play in the game.

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“It messed with my mind a little bit, knowing that I couldn’t be there,” Stewart told reporters. “I feel as though it’s a challenge, not knowing that you can go make a game-changing play for your team, but you can also uplift your brothers.

“It was building my mentality and just building who I am as a person.”

Stewart spoke with reporters for the first time since early August on Wednesday evening. He had just come off of his first game of the season – a 41-27 loss to Oregon – after missing the Trojans’ first four games.

The 6-foot-5, 295-pound sophomore is listed as “questionable” on the official Big Ten Conference availability report that was released on Wednesday afternoon, but his status for Saturday’s game against Washington could change as the week goes on.

Stewart had two tackles in Saturday’s game and he feels that he’s almost back to 100% healthy. Just getting back on the field was motivating.

“I’ve been playing football since I was three years old,” Stewart said, “so I don’t like the game being taken away from me. It was great, man, just being out there with my brothers and playing the game we love.”

Other USC defensive players who are questionable for Washington include safety Alex Graham, linebacker Taylor “Taybo” Johnson and defensive tackle Alex VanSumeran.

Graham, who has played at nickel back this season, missed the Oregon game due to an undisclosed injury, and VanSumeren left the same game early due to an apparent lower-body injury. He returned to the sidelines wearing street clothes.

USC’s defense has struggled this season, allowing an average of 354.8 yards per game – including Oregon’s 446. Each USC opponent, with the exception of Fresno State, has scored at least 26 points.

The Trojans (4-1 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) slipped from No. 12 to No. 18 in the AP Top 25 poll after the loss to the Ducks (3-1, 1-0).

“We’ve got to play as one,” Stewart said. “I feel as though we’re slowly getting there. In the game of football, you’re slowly elevated. You don’t come out the gate together. It just takes a few ups and downs, and I feel like that’s what we’re getting.

“Coach (Skyler) Jones, Coach (Shaun) Nua are always preaching, just playing as one, and when we don’t, bad stuff will happen. There’s a lot of pressure, but we’ll handle the pressure for sure.”

Players showing support for Stephens

Trojans safety Prophet Brown told reporters that the team is offering support to middle linebacker Desman Stephens II, who was suspended for one game after delivering a hit that hospitalized Oregon quarterback Dante Moore and celebrating after.

“Des is around, and with us,” Brown said. “We’re supporting him, praying for him in this situation. It’s really tough as a student-athlete, and he’s been going through a lot, but I just support him. We’re all here from him, and we love him.”

Head coach Lincoln Riley said on Tuesday that he believes Stephens wasn’t fully aware of the seriousness of the situation as he celebrated.

Moore was diagnosed with a concussion with no additional injuries and posted a message in an Instagram post on Monday.

“To my team, the community, and to the world, thank you,” he wrote. “These past 2 days have been very difficult, but through all your prayers, I have made progress…I can only worry about today, and making sure I give today its full attention. I’ll be back soon. Go Ducks.”

Former USC and current Houston Texans safety Kamari Ramsey showed support by commenting “Love fam” on the post.

​ Orange County Register 

Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton face off in first — and perhaps only — gubernatorial debate of general election

• October 1, 2026

In what could be their only face-to-face matchup before Election Day, California gubernatorial candidates Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton took to the debate stage Wednesday night, Sept. 30, mere days before most voters will receive their ballots in the mail.

Given that it’s the only general election debate scheduled so far in the governor’s race — and potentially the only opportunity for the candidates to put themselves in front of voters, at least in this format — Wednesday’s showdown was a high-stakes moment for the campaigns.

While sparks flew throughout the evening, there was little in the way of surprises as both men largely stuck to their usual talking points.

For Becerra, that meant attacking Hilton as President Donald Trump‘s endorsed candidate while reminding voters that he — the only Democrat in the race — would stand up to Trump. Becerra has previously noted that he sued the first Trump administration over 120 times when he was California’s attorney general.

Becerra — who’s also held elected office in the California Legislature and served as U.S. health and human services secretary under the Biden administration — also framed himself as the candidate most prepared to govern, saying he’s worked on tax cut policies and balanced large budgets.

“We fight to keep the ‘California dream,’ but you can’t do it with someone who’s never served, who’s never balanced a budget the size of California, who’s never been there to defend people against the tyrant like Donald Trump,” Becerra said. “You can’t expect a guy who has never been in office like this to go in there and do the right job. … There aren’t training wheels in the governor’s office.”

Hilton, a former Fox News host and once a senior adviser to U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, in turn criticized his opponent’s track record as health secretary – particularly his handling of migrant children – and tied Becerra to the Democratic establishment.

Seeking to appeal to independent and moderate Democrats, Hilton continued to cast himself as a vote for change. For months, he’s been campaigning on the message that one doesn’t need to support Trump, or even be a member of the GOP, to vote for him if they want something different in California.

While Becerra blamed California’s woes on Trump policies, Hilton spent the evening blaming the Democratic Party for the state’s problems and urged voters to vote for him to end the status quo.

“They (Democrats) take you for granted, and I just want to ask every Californian: Aren’t you tired of that? It’s time to try something different instead of the same thing over and over again,” Hilton said.

Wednesday’s hourlong debate — moderated by CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash and broadcast from the network’s studio in Burbank — covered topics ranging from California’s affordability and housing crises and regulating the artificial intelligence industry to immigration and healthcare policies and how to keep the film and television industry in California.

On housing, Hilton said that he would cap government and regulation fees for the construction of a home at $50,000, a savings of $150,000 off the current average cost of building a new home, he said.

Becerra said he would enforce laws requiring local governments to build their fair share of new homes, as he did when he was attorney general, noting that he successfully sued the city of Huntington Beach.

On the issue of immigration, Hilton noted that his parents emigrated from Hungary to England, and that he himself moved from the U.K. to California.

“I want to make sure that we protect our legal immigrant communities, and we enforce the law. Everybody agrees that we need secure borders, and then we’ve got to make sure that people who are in this country illegally who’ve committed dangerous crimes should be removed,” Hilton said.

He accused current California leaders of “playing politics with the issue.”

That prompted Becerra, whose parents immigrated to California, to once again tie Hilton to Trump.

“Steve, you’re running for governor of California, and you’ll enforce Trump’s laws at the federal level, but you won’t enforce state laws at our level,” Becerra said.

Hilton, in turn, accused his opponent of bringing up Trump in every answer because he couldn’t offer solutions to issues plaguing California.

By most accounts, Becerra had greater momentum heading into the debate. Several recent independent polls had him ahead of Hilton by 18 to 25 percentage points among likely voters.

And in a deep blue state like California, where registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by nearly 2-1, and where it’s been two decades since voters last elected a Republican as governor, the odds are strongly in Becerra’s favor.

Hilton, meanwhile, lamented what he called 16 years of one-party rule in the state.

As Election Day draws closer, Hilton has been busy on the campaign trail, holding rallies and unveiling proposals such as giving cities more control to regulate street vendors so that they don’t hurt brick-and-mortar small businesses; abolishing the California Department of Motor Vehicles and reducing annual vehicle registration fees to $73; and requiring schools to discourage smartphone use until high school.

Becerra, meanwhile, recently met with Altadena community leaders and survivors of last year’s Eaton fire before unveiling his plan to address wildfire preparedness. He’s also scheduled to speak at a campaign event Friday for Clarissa Cervantes, a Riverside City Council member and a Democrat seeking to flip an Assembly seat this November.

Becerra and Hilton were the top two vote-getters to emerge from a crowded field of candidates in the primary election. The winner will succeed termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom and become California’s 41st governor.

Whether Wednesday’s debate moved the needle for either candidate will be dissected by analysts in the days ahead.

In the meantime, local election offices are preparing to mail out ballots to all registered voters. The L.A. County registrar’s office will send out ballots beginning Thursday, Oct. 1. By law, all local election offices in the state must begin sending them out by Monday.

Voters have through Nov. 3 to cast their ballots.

​ Orange County Register 

Immigration officials target psychology professor convicted in killing of a man she says raped her

• October 1, 2026

U.S. immigration officials are moving to revoke the citizenship of a former psychology professor who was imprisoned for her role in the killing of a man she says raped her three decades ago in an Orange County case that angered sexual assault victims worldwide.

Norma Patricia Esparza, 52, was released from prison in 2018 after serving a six-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter in the 1995 meat cleaver attack on Riverside resident Gonzalo Ramirez by her then boyfriend — a case that remained unsolved for 17 years.

Esparza’s case became a cause celebre among rape victims and their advocates, who argued she should be treated like a victim and not a criminal. An international petition to keep Esparza from being criminally prosecuted generated more than 6,000 signatures.

Now, U.S. officials are trying to strip the daughter of Mexican immigrants of her citizenship, alleging she failed to divulge the slaying in 1996 on naturalization papers.

In a civil complaint filed Sept. 22 in federal court, the U.S. Department of Justice’s immigration litigation denaturalization unit said Esparza “willfully misrepresented and concealed her criminal conduct throughout her naturalization process. Had she disclosed her criminal conduct, it would have clarified that she was ineligible to naturalize.”

Esparza applied for citizenship in 1996, a year after the killing.

The immigration form asked: “Have you ever knowingly committed any crime for which you have not been arrested?” She answered “no.”

Esparza later was interviewed under oath by an Immigration and Naturalization Service examiner. She again was asked if she had committed a crime for which she had not been arrested. Esparza again answered no, according to the complaint.

“Defendant illegally procured her naturalization and obtained her naturalization through willful misrepresentation and concealment and the United States brings this civil action to revoke and set aside the order admitting defendant to U.S. citizenship,” said the complaint by federal attorney Jacob Max Weintraub.

Citizens who are unnaturalized are eligible for deportation, but immigration officials have not disclosed whether that’s their plan for Esparza. Weintraub referred a request for comment to a DOJ spokesman in Washington, D.C., who declined to talk about the case.

Esparza’s attorney, Shuting Chen, did not respond to a request for comment.

Immigrated at age 5

Esparza had been in the United States since she was 5, immigrating with her mother from El Taray, Mexico, to Santa Ana.

Growing up, Esparza was a brilliant student, surviving what she said were sexual assaults by a relative.

By 15, she had earned a merit-based scholarship to the prestigious Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. The school sent her through a special study program to Barcelona, Spain. Another scholarship brought her to Pomona College in Claremont, where she majored in psychology.

When she was arrested, Esparza had been living in France with her husband and 4-year-old daughter, teaching psychology at an academy in Geneva and vacationing in the Swiss Alps. Police picked her up in 2012 after she came back to the United States for a professional conference.

How it started

Esparza met Ramirez, 24, at the El Cortez bar in Santa Ana. The two hit it off and the next day he invited her to breakfast. After eating, he drove her back to her Pomona College dorm, where Esparza said he raped her.

Esparza was interviewed in 1995 by a Santa Ana police detective investigating Ramirez’s death. According to a transcript of Esparza’s interview, Ramirez had asked her to have sex with him. When she declined, he said he was tired and she allowed him to lie on her bed.

She sat on the bed next to him and they continued to talk. Ramirez told her he hadn’t had sex in a long time and tried to pull her pants off. Esparza, at 4-foot-9 and 95 pounds, struggled to keep her clothes on, she said.

“After struggling with him for several minutes she finally decided to quit struggling because she felt that he was determined to have sex with her and felt that to resist him any longer would be futile,” said the report.

Esparza told police that she didn’t tell her family anything, but told a Pomona College school nurse the next day. Medical records show she was given Ovral, an emergency contraceptive.

According to police reports, Esparza told one other person about what happened — her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Gianni Van.

Van became enraged and forced her and a group of friends weeks later to go back to the bar where she met Ramirez to identify him. Esparza testified that she believed that Van only wanted to confront Ramirez in public, not kill him.

Chained, tortured, hacked

After Esparza allegedly pointed Ramirez out, the group staged a car accident — crashing their van into Ramirez’s vehicle — and kidnapped him. Ramirez was chained up, tortured and hacked to death at a Costa Mesa transmission shop that was closed for the night.

At one point, Esparza was brought in from another room and forced to look at Ramirez, who she said was bloody but still alive.

Ramirez’s body, wrapped in green shop towels, was ditched on the dirt shoulder of Sand Canyon Road in Irvine. He was found on April 16, 1995, Easter Sunday.

‘Feared for my life’

Esparza explained her side of the situation on her blog.

“I was trapped. I was outnumbered by four older and bigger people. … I was miles away from home, late at night in a non-residential area. I had no car and I didn’t even know how to drive. I feared for my life and felt that the only thing I could do was submit.

“I had to stay quiet.”

In court testimony, Esparza said she didn’t feel morally responsible for Ramirez’s death, although she admitted her actions unintentionally led to his murder.

After her arrest, Esparza cooperated with prosecutors and testified against her co-defendants in a Santa Ana courtroom. Despite proclaiming her innocence, Esparza accepted a plea deal to a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter.

Van, who masterminded the slaying, was sentenced to life without parole. Also convicted were Shannon Gries, who received 25 years to life, and Diane Tran, who received four years. Her husband, Kody, who also was present, killed himself in an unrelated police standoff.

Helping others now

Since her release from the California Institution for Women in Chino eight years ago, Esparza has been working for a nonprofit that helps men and women transition from prison to society. She also has published on the subject of incarcerated women, spoken at conferences and colleges and become a certified trainer for professionals treating addiction.

“She has, in other words, devoted herself to helping others. In particular, she has devoted herself to helping people in desperate need of assistance — women dealing with incarceration, substance abuse, trauma, violence and the challenges posed by release from prison,” wrote her criminal attorney Jack Earley, who is trying to get Esparza’s conviction overturned under a new law that more narrowly defines what can be charged as murder.

​ Orange County Register