Taxpayers have funded nearly $1.5M in pro-Trump ads. Criticism is mounting, including from the GOP

• September 28, 2026

By ALI SWENSON

The White House has spent days fiercely defending three taxpayer-funded advertisements that glorify President Donald Trump and are nearing at least $1.5 million in public spending, calling them public service announcements like those used in past administrations.

“Don’t let the Fake News get away with their lies about our epic Public Service Announcements that have been running on tv,” White House communications director Steven Cheung posted on X on Sunday.

But the Republican administration’s ads attracted mounting criticism on Monday, including from members of Trump’s own party.

“It shouldn’t be paid for with taxpayer dollars,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters.

“It would not have been something that I would have done. And I know that the White House is not covered by the same guidance that we are, but it’s not something that I would have done,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, another South Dakota Republican.

Multiple legal experts consulted by The Associated Press said the ads appear to run afoul of federal statutes, including a law against congressionally appropriated funds being used for “publicity or propaganda” and a law that limits the partisan political activities of government employees.

They said the new ads, which are airing on network and cable TV and streaming, differ from other administrations’ PSAs because they aren’t designed to help Americans access any specific program.

“You watch all three ads, they’re sheer propaganda,” said Richard Painter, a former White House ethics czar under Republican President George W. Bush. “This is increasingly looking like what authoritarian governments do to promote their leaders.”

The heightened scrutiny comes as the Trump administration has increased spending on the ads and bought time on popular TV shows, including college football and National Football League programming. It remains unclear which part of the government is supplying the funds.

With both chambers of Congress led by Republicans, any oversight would likely have to come from Trump’s allies, decreasing the likelihood of hearings or other accountability efforts before November’s midterm elections.

Three ads have aired in less than a week, totaling well over $1M

The first ad in the campaign, which began airing last Wednesday, features clips of Trump talking about defeating communism interspersed with onscreen text promoting the “largest tax cuts in history,” “reigniting American manufacturing” and a call to “defend law and order and police.”

Later in the week, a second ad began running, showing scenic videos of Mount Rushmore at night with quotes and clips from Trump’s Fourth of July weekend speech there honoring the country’s 250th anniversary.

The latest of the ads, a spot first aired over the weekend, is virtually identical to an ad for Trump’s Republican reelection campaign in 2024. It shows him walking down a hallway as his voice can be heard warning of a “final battle” against “globalists” and “warmongers.”

All three ads end with a message that says: “Paid for by the U.S. Government.” The White House hasn’t responded to inquiries about which part of the government is paying.

According to AdImpact, which tracks media spending, the spots have so far cost more than $1.4 million and run across a wide range of TV networks around the country. The actual amount spent could be significantly more, depending on whether networks classified the ad as a political ad.

The ads are different from past PSAs, experts say

In defending the campaign, the White House published a list of PSAs from recent Democratic and Republican administrations.

Among the examples it cited were Bush’s Republican administration touting a Medicare law, Barack Obama’s Democratic administration promoting Affordable Care Act subsidies and Joe Biden’s Democratic administration running ads promoting COVID-19 vaccinations.

“The announcements are very clearly not campaign ads; President Trump is not on the ballot and there is no call to action,” the White House wrote. “Instead, the announcements are a reminder for Americans to love their country and know why it’s worth defending — at home, at the border, and abroad.”

Kathleen Clark, a legal ethics professor at Washington University in St. Louis, said in her view the new ads differ from the examples the White House provided because they aren’t aimed at helping members of the public benefit from specific government programs.

“These ads are nothing more than government propaganda, aimed at helping Trump,” she said.

Painter, who joined the Bush administration after the Medicare PSAs went out, said that ad campaign toed the line on appropriateness because it included misleading information about Medicare Part D. But he said Trump’s campaign is a far more egregious violation of the statute that blocks congressionally appropriated money from being spent on publicity or propaganda.

“There’s nothing in here about a particular policy that’s at all focused,” Painter said of Trump’s ads. “One of them is just about the evils of the deep state. Another one of them is about communists and Marxists.”

In its support for the ads, the White House also referenced the administrations of President Woodrow Wilson and President Franklin D. Roosevelt, both of whom used posters, radio and film to rally the country during World Wars I and II.

James Kimble, a communication professor at Seton Hall University who studies domestic propaganda, said it’s true that Wilson’s Democratic administration used propaganda to rally Americans. But he said most Americans no longer view its actions in a positive light.

“By almost any objective measure, looking back, we find what they did pretty repulsive,” he said.

Skepticism of the campaign grows on the Hill

Top Democrats on the Senate and House appropriations committees last week wrote to the White House demanding the ads be taken down and requesting more information on how much money was spent to create and air them.

In the days since, more than a dozen Democrats and a handful of Republicans have spoken up to further criticize the ads. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the latest ad “an absolute violation of what a democracy is supposed to look like.”

“Americans sat down to watch football, not to be force-fed Trump’s propaganda on their own dime,” he said in a Senate floor speech Monday.

Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday that no public official should spend public money on private ads for themselves.

And Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger, had his own harsh words for the administration on Monday.

“Don’t worry, using taxpayer dollars to run ominous campaign ads of the President has been done before and is completely legal… in banana republics,” he wrote in an X post.

The Republican chairs of the Senate and House appropriation committees didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Steven Sloan contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers playoff schedule for 2026

• September 28, 2026

The Dodgers’ pursuit of a third consecutive World Series championship begins Saturday, Oct. 3, at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers finished the regular season 100-62, earning the No. 2 seed in the National League and a first-round bye.

The club secured the bye on Sept. 24, when the Atlanta Braves lost to the Cincinnati Reds, guaranteeing the Dodgers would finish as one of the NL’s top two division winners.

The Dodgers’ loss to the San Diego Padres later that night locked them into the No. 2 seed behind the Milwaukee Brewers (103-59).

Here is what fans need to know about the 2026 MLB postseason schedule:

Who will the Dodgers play in the NLDS?

The Dodgers will face the winner of the Wild Card Series between the No. 3 Atlanta Braves and No. 6 Philadelphia Phillies.

All games in the best-of-three series will be played in Atlanta.

Phillies at Braves

Game 1: Tuesday, Sept. 29Game 2: Wednesday, Sept. 30Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 1, if necessary

Games 1 and 2 are scheduled for 11 a.m. PT on NBC and Peacock. A potential Game 3 is also scheduled for 11 a.m. PT on NBC and Peacock, though the start time could change depending on the other Wild Card Series.

The other NL Wild Card Series features the No. 5 Chicago Cubs at the No. 4 San Diego Padres. The winner advances to face the top-seeded Brewers.

Dodgers NLDS schedule

The Dodgers have home-field advantage in the NLDS and will host Games 1 and 2, along with a potential Game 5.

Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 3, Braves/Phillies at Dodgers, time TBD, FOX/FS1

Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 4, Braves/Phillies at Dodgers, time TBD, FOX/FS1Game 3: Tuesday, Oct. 6, Dodgers at Braves/Phillies, time TBD, FOX/FS1Game 4: Wednesday, Oct. 7, Dodgers at Braves/Phillies, if necessary, time TBD, FOX/FS1Game 5: Friday, Oct. 9, Braves/Phillies at Dodgers, if necessary, time TBD, FOX/FS1

Dodgers NLCS schedule

If the Dodgers advance, the National League Championship Series begins Sunday, Oct. 11.

Their opponent would come from the other side of the NL bracket, with the Brewers facing the winner of the Padres-Cubs Wild Card Series in the NLDS.

Milwaukee would have home-field advantage over the Dodgers if the teams meet in the NLCS. The Dodgers would have home-field advantage against either the Padres or Cubs.

Game 1: Sunday, Oct. 11

Game 2: Monday, Oct. 12

Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 14

Game 4: Thursday, Oct. 15

Game 5: Friday, Oct. 16, if necessary

Game 6: Sunday, Oct. 18, if necessary

Game 7: Monday, Oct. 19, if necessary

The NLCS will be televised on FOX or FS1.

2026 World Series schedule

The World Series is scheduled to begin Friday, Oct. 23.

If the Dodgers reach the World Series, they would have home-field advantage against any American League opponent. The Dodgers’ record was better than every AL playoff team’s, including the AL-leading Tampa Bay Rays (98-64).

That would put Games 1 and 2, along with Games 6 and 7 if necessary, at Dodger Stadium.

Game 1: Friday, Oct. 23

Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 24

Game 3: Monday, Oct. 26

Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 27

Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 28, if necessary

Game 6: Friday, Oct. 30, if necessary

Game 7: Saturday, Oct. 31, if necessary

All World Series games will be televised on FOX, with SportsNet LA broadcaster Joe Davis expected to be on the call.

Dodgers postseason tickets

Tickets for Dodgers postseason games are on sale through the team’s official postseason ticket page.

(This page will be updated with the latest information on the Dodgers’ schedule)

​ Orange County Register 

OC coast largely spared from Hurricane Polo damage, but threats still loom

• September 28, 2026

The Southern California coast was spared the big damage from Hurricane Polo many worried about, as the tropical system stayed to the south and was heading toward the middle of Baja.

While surf was elevated from the tropical storm into Monday, especially in northern Orange County, and a high tide of about 6 feet in the morning hours posed even more threat, the coast seemed to be spared the big damage Hurricane Marie wreaked earlier in the month.

“I think the outcome is that Polo is a no-show,” Newport Beach surfer Bill Sharp said as he looked out at the lake-like water Monday morning. “We’ve got a dribbly, 2-foot swell suffering under a high tide … no one was injured, no houses appeared to be falling in today. So that’s a win.”

Surfline.com forecaster Kevin Wallis said the hurricane swell was still filling in through the afternoon and evening on Monday, but “has also been underwhelming,” he said.

Hurricane Polo got smaller as it moved into the region’s swell window late Friday and Saturday. On Monday, waves in the Huntington Beach and Newport areas were about 3 to 5 feet, maybe adding another foot or two by the evening, Wallis said.

National Weather Service meteorologist Paul Steward said Hurricane Polo’s latest track moved to the east. “It’s going to be Arizona and New Mexico’s problem now,” he said of the rain expected to pour down in those regions due to the storm.

While the NWS had a flooding and erosion warning issued through Monday, the threat was easing by the afternoon.

“The system is moving off, so hopefully the seas will start to abate a bit,” Steward said.  “It’s not much of a threat to us anymore, because of the trough helping to push the system out of the area and push Polo further to the east and keep it away from us.”

Coastal cities had been busy ahead of the hurricane, building up sand berms to keep the ocean from doing further damage — stretches of Dana Point, Laguna Beach and Newport Beach have experienced severe erosion issues from the ongoing series of tropical storms.

Hurricane Marie was a “direct hit” to beaches that are southerly facing, including the shoreline in front of Beach Road in Dana Point where several homes were red-tagged.

Beach Road residents were still safeguarding their homes on Monday as waves crashed onto the beachfront properties.

“We’re getting beat up, it’s bad,” said Donal Russell, general manager of the Capistrano Bay District that oversees the community. “There’s continued erosion; the contractors are stacking rocks in front of the homes as best we can. Unfortunately, they can’t do everybody’s house first, somebody has to be last. There’s people who are suffering damage.”

The California Coastal Commission has been cooperative with the efforts to safeguard the homes, Russell said, and the rock revetments that have been built up are doing a good job of absorbing the wave run-up energy, he added.

There are now only seven red-tagged homes, down from nine, with two torn down by the owners. Four yellow-tagged homes went green-tagged, Russell said. “Green doesn’t mean you’re off the hook and it’s over. It’s a temporary evaluation of the structure, and it could easily go back to yellow or red, in the near future.”

Though Hurricane Polo didn’t leave behind the damage many had feared, the worry isn’t over. Tropical Storm Rachel is churning down south and the National Hurricane Center is expecting it to turn to hurricane status by mid-week.

“I’ve heard nothing but bad news about hurricane Rachael,” Russell said. “So we’ll see in the next couple of days. … I hope they are wrong and it fizzles out into a tropical storm.”

​ Orange County Register 

NY Times executive Jonathan McKinsey killed in California shooting; in-laws arrested

• September 28, 2026

A New York Times executive who works with the media organization’s games department was killed in Northern California over the weekend.

Victim Jonathan McKinsey’s elderly in-laws are suspected of gunning down the 40-year-old director of engineering for the New York Times Games section.

Authorities in the San Francisco bay area town of Dublin say a police sergeant spotted a man lying on the ground in the middle of a parking lot at the Dublin Sports Grounds shortly after 3 p.m. on Saturday.

RELATED STORY: Details emerge in deadly shooting at Dublin sports complex

Dublin Police Service (DPS) cops were beginning their investigation when multiple 911 calls about the apparent shooting were received. Additional officers and medical personnel were dispatched to the scene.

McKinsey, whom authorities said was shot “multiple” times, was pronounced dead at the scene.

“With help from witnesses, within minutes, DPS officers located and detained two suspects who had remained nearby,” police said.

Dublin couple Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 77, were arrested on murder charges and booked into the Santa Rita jail.

A New York Times spokesperson confirmed that McKinsey had been one of its employees since 2023. He was based in Dublin.

It’s unclear what led to the shooting. Police said their investigation is ongoing, though there are no remaining suspects. Circumstances indicate that there’s no threat to the public.

NBC News reported that McKinsey and his wife Candice Jang were involved in a child custody dispute when he was killed. She reportedly filed for a temporary restraining order against him last year alleging domestic violence. Jang filed for divorce in December. The couple has was scheduled to soon meet in court.

Witness Assad Razawi and his daughter Mal Razawi told ABC News they were leaving a nearby market when they heard gunshots. The girl said that her dad saw the suspects “casually walk away from the shooting” together.

McKinsey’s LinkedIn page states that he received his masters in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley in 2015.

​ Orange County Register 

Santa Ana College receives multi-million dollar transformational gift that will benefit students

• September 28, 2026

Santa Ana College is taking a major step toward expanding career opportunities for its students, thanks to a $2.21 million gift from the Samueli Foundation. The investment will increase access to paid internships and strengthen pathways to living-wage careers in the college’s Culinary Arts, Automotive Technology and Diesel-Electric Transportation Technology programs.

The gift is the largest private philanthropic contribution in the SAC Foundation’s history and reflects a shared commitment between the college and the Samueli Foundation. It also aligns with the SAC Foundation’s major gift initiative, which focuses on advancing the connection between education, experience and economic mobility.

“When a student can receive an internship in the career that they’re already getting trained for in the classroom, they’re going to receive the social capital, the experience and the ability to build their resume,” said SAC Foundation Executive Director Christina Romero. “When they’re more competitive, they’re much more likely to land a position in the career of their choice.”

For the Samueli Foundation, workforce development is closely tied to its vision for expanding opportunity throughout Orange County. Its research found that thousands of well-paying, mid-skill positions were going unfilled, pointing to a disconnect between the region’s workforce and the needs of local employers.

To help address that gap, the Samueli Foundation began investing in community colleges and programs that equip students with the credentials and training needed to pursue in-demand career opportunities. The gift to SAC marks the foundation’s seventh investment in six Orange County community colleges over the past two years.

“We’re so thrilled to be partnering with Santa Ana College,” said Samueli Foundation President Lindsey Spindle. “We found a perfect combination of vibrant enrollment, a high percentage of students receiving financial aid and programs that help people ladder up into well-paying jobs. For us, that was a home-run combination where our resources could make a difference.”

The investment will be used to expand opportunities in three key areas: $750,000 for paid internships through SAC’s Career Center, giving Culinary Arts and Automotive Technology students hands-on experience with local employers; $1.16 million for new automotive equipment that will modernize instructional labs and expose students to electric, hybrid and alternative-fuel technologies; and $300,000 for faculty and staff support to coordinate employer engagement, student services, grant administration and outcome tracking.

The funding will help ensure students have the training and real-world experience needed to enter the workforce while expanding existing partnerships and creating opportunities to engage new industry partners.

“By augmenting investments in technology and faculty with paid internship money, it means that people who were financially disadvantaged and therefore couldn’t take an unpaid internship now have the money they need to get real experience,” Spindle said. “And that gives them a huge leg up toward future employment.”

That emphasis on career preparation extends into the classroom. Automotive equipment funded by the Samueli Foundation will give students hands-on exposure to advanced technologies, including advanced driver-assistance systems, while expanding the number of courses and sections offered each semester.

“The biggest impact will be updating everything with modern equipment, so students can work on current vehicles, engines and components,” said SAC Automotive Technology Chair David Roper. “It shows them the latest technology and prepares them for the dealerships, where many of our graduates are hired.”

After studying information technology at SAC and pursuing a career in the field, Arash Madjd returned to campus to follow his passion for cars through SAC’s new Bachelor of Science in Automotive Technology program. He is grateful to the Samueli Foundation for supporting his education and helping create opportunities for future students.

“I see it as an investment in not only the students, but the community as well,” Madjd said. “The more cars we have the opportunity to get our hands on, the better equipped we will be for the future.”

With planning underway and equipment purchases scheduled for next spring, the gift serves as a catalyst for the students, programs and partnerships that will create lasting benefits for the college and the community.

“There are a wide variety of opportunities at Santa Ana College, and partnering with the Samueli Foundation through this gift will help us leverage resources and support,” said SAC Foundation Board President and alumnus David Valentin. “Greatness happens at Santa Ana College. We’re changing the lives of students and families every day.”

The news and editorial staff of the Orange County Register had no role in this post’s preparation.

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers’ Kyle Tucker can salvage his season with strong October

• September 28, 2026

LOS ANGELES — October can be a powerful stain remover.

How much of a disappointing regular season can be washed away by a productive postseason – or just a key contribution at a pivotal moment?

“Everything,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I think we’ve seen it with Kiké (Hernandez). I think we’ve seen it with other guys … Chris Taylor has done it. We’re about winning championships, so I think the media, the fan base, if you perform at the right time, all is forgotten.”

Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman agrees.

“Oh, for sure,” Friedman said. “Like if you said, Player X can have a down regular season as compared to his previous performance but a really good October – I couldn’t pick it across the board because then we wouldn’t get a bye. But with one-offs, I would absolutely take that.”

This is an expensive one-off. Neither Hernandez nor Taylor carried the weight of a four-year, $240 million contract before emerging as postseason heroes.

Kyle Tucker signed that contract with the Dodgers last winter with the second-highest annual average value in MLB history behind teammate Shohei Ohtani. Then he went out and had the worst season of his career. Across the board, his slash line of .233/.330/.385 and OPS of .715 were the lowest since he played just 22 major-league games with the Houston Astros in 2019. His home run total (17), RBIs (70) and total bases (208) were the lowest in his five full seasons in the majors.

It’s the kind of performance when tied to that salary that would have made Tucker the target of fan vitriol and constant negative coverage by the media in many other MLB cities. It’s the kind of mistake that has sunk front offices in the past. With the Dodgers, though, Tucker just receded into the background of another 100-win season.

“I don’t know,” Tucker said when asked if he realized how differently his season would have landed had he signed with another team. “If I signed somewhere else and had a great year, everything could have been a different situation so I don’t really think or worry about what could have been. I just worry about where I’m at.”

And Tucker maintains that $60 million price tag on his season never weighed on him.

“I just show up and try to do my job,” he said. “I don’t really think about what I’m getting paid or what anyone else is getting paid.

“I guess (he was subject to less scrutiny on the Dodgers’ star-filled roster). I just show up. I don’t worry about all the other stuff. I just show up and play for the Dodgers and try to win for us.”

With few exceptions, Tucker showed up with no outward signs of the struggle or disappointment he might have been experiencing over the course of a season that didn’t meet anyone’s expectations. His low-key nature left reporters probing for signs that Tucker was affected by his performance, turning post-game interviews into mental health checks filled with questions about how Tucker was handling the disappointment, what he felt was behind his dismal home-and-road splits, who he turned to for support or where he found signs of hope in the darkness of a sub-.230 batting average.

“I don’t know,” Tucker said, laughing at that suggestion and turning the questions back on the reporter. “‘I’m good. How are you doing?’”

On the field, Tucker has been doing much better – a positive sign for a redemptive postseason as the team begins preparations for a best-of-five National League Division Series against Atlanta or Philadelphia that will begin Saturday at Dodger Stadium.

September was by far Tucker’s best month of his first season with the Dodgers. He hit .262 with an .889 OPS and six home runs.

“My recent play is more what I expected from myself,” said Tucker, crediting work with the hitting coaches to stabilize and improve his swing path for the September success.

“I just feel like my swing path and my approach and everything is in a really good spot. I just try to keep that going every single day and not really steer away from it. Whatever works works and try to keep doing it,” he said.

“Just trying to keep my swing path in the zone early and long. I’ve just been able to maintain that for awhile now. It’s just been hit and miss throughout the year and I wasn’t able to find something consistent that works.”

Before he discovered that and had his most productive month, there were questions about whether Tucker might be platooned or even benched during the postseason. In late August, Roberts said he addressed that speculation head on with Tucker, telling him “I’m going to ride or die” with you.

“He’s not much for reaction, so I think that he processed it. I think he was pleased,” Roberts said.

“It’s been fun to watch Kyle build some confidence (in September). … You can see him just freed up a little bit. He’s been working hard this whole year, and he’s been in it. And I give him a lot of credit for continuing to persevere and (I) expect the best of him to be at the end of the season.”

If that season ends with a World Series championship, Tucker expects that to be all anyone remembers about his first season as a Dodger.

“I mean, that’s why we play, to try and win a World Series,” he said. “Obviously the fan base expects that out of us. We expect that out of ourselves too.

“If you win a World Series no one cares. As long as you win the last game of the year, that’s all that matters.”

​ Orange County Register 

NFL asks Homeland Security to take down video of Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins

• September 28, 2026

NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL has asked the Department of Homeland Security to take down a video on social media showing highlights of Hall of Fame safety Brian Dawkins in reference to a purported caravan of immigrants approaching the U.S. border.

The video posted on Sunday shows Dawkins’ pregame walkout as he chants “The time has come,” followed by a series of big hits. The DHS post includes the caption “Our time has come.”

“The league has requested the DHS take down the video,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Monday.

Dawkins was a nine-time Pro Bowler and five time All-Pro safety during 16 NFL seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos before retiring in 2011.

DHS released a statement saying the United States Border Patrol “is actively tracking” a group of migrants coming from Honduras and used football jargon to add the department “is playing lockdown defense” at the border.

The statement did not address the NFL’s request to take down the video.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

​ Orange County Register 

What is a Kelvin wave, what does it have to do with El Niño, and should we be worried?

• September 28, 2026

If Hurricanes Odalys and Polo along with extreme high tides weren’t enough to make Southern California coastal residents nervous about crashing waves and rising waters damaging homes and other property, add one more thing to that destructive list:

A Kelvin wave.

So what exactly is a Kelvin wave, and should we be worried about it?

A Kelvin wave is a warm-water anomaly expected to show up any time now that could add to extreme high tides of nearly 6 feet by pushing waves even higher, up to a foot, experts said.

And those higher water levels could mean greater concern for the area’s already struggling coastline.

A Kelvin wave has caught the media’s attention, peppering headlines for the last several weeks. But they are actually something that happens all the time, said Andrew Leising, a research oceanographer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

TODAY: High tide, waves crash against Long Beach boardwalk from Hurricanes Odalys, Polo

“You can expect the sea level will be higher than it usually is,” said Leising, noting that small Kelvin pulses have already arrived along the Southern California coast. “They always happen; it just depends on what else is going on whether we pay attention or not.”

Kelvin waves aren’t so much a wave, but more of an underwater pulse traveling about 6 mph that happens when warm water sits on the ocean’s surface, causing the water to thicken.

Kelvin waves travel deep in the ocean along interfaces between surface warm water and deeper cold water. The ocean energy works its way around the equator and then up the coast toward Southern California, Leising said.

“That’s probably just reaching us now,” he said last week.

ALSO SEE: Hurricane Polo, high tides and Kelvin wave bring worry to the coast

It’s not physically moving warm water up the coast, he explained. It’s like a whip crack that makes the ocean’s warm surface thicker.

“As that whip-cracking wave works its way up the coast, it’s thickening the top layer that is warm. That lets the whole surface area be warmer,” he said. “We can see it from a satellite; it looks like it’s moving.”

Whether it will cause damage depends on the force of the swells, and how high tides are — and if it is indeed arriving now, it will coincide with the 6-foot tides and hurricane swell already churning up the ocean’s force.

“Worst case? It will be even worse, you’ll get more (impact),” he said of the erosion troubles and damage plaguing the region from the last hurricane remnants to sweep along the coast.

“The Kelvin wave coming — this is the big one coming in now,” Leising said. “Anytime now, any moment, it could have already gotten here. The thought is, as of (last week), it is just coming up from Baja.”

Once the wave comes through and disturbs the mixed layer, it can be weeks or months for conditions to rebound as colder water moves in during the fall or spring.

The phenomenon is associated with the El Niño-fueled warming of ocean waters and the dying down or reversal of the trade winds that normally blow from South America toward Asia, leading to the massive but slow moving wave of warm water heading west across the Pacific Ocean, according to scientists.

​ Orange County Register