As Promenade on Forest is completed, businesses in the Laguna Beach downtown celebrate

• September 24, 2026

In 1946, a young pharmacist who had just graduated from USC envisioned growing a family business; now, 80 years later, that business, Bushard’s Pharmacy, still serves the community in the same building Joseph Bushard built along Laguna Beach’s Forest Avenue.

The business has watched the city’s downtown and the popularity of Forest Avenue grow. And in recent years, as Bushard’s and its neighbors hung on through the pandemic and thrived in the years since, it was the evolution of the avenue into the Promenade on Forest that helped.

Now, on Friday, Sept. 25, Bushard’s — still in its original footprint with no remodeling — celebrates its milestone anniversary at the same time the city celebrates the ribbon-cutting for the now-permanent Promenade on Forest, an outdoor venue created out of the city street that has remained popular since it was created to give businesses a place for customers during the pandemic.

Together with another nearby business, Moulin, a Parisian-style cafe marking its 10th anniversary, they’re planning a community party that rolls the three celebrations into one large event.

“We thought this would be a good time to include the community to celebrate not only the ribbon cutting but our two anniversaries,” said Marisa Fader, Bushard’s granddaughter who now runs the drug store.

The event, which kicks off at 6 p.m. and will include comments from Laguna Beach Mayor Mark Orgill, will be held close to the two businesses. Food will be available, including authentic free French crepes from Moulin, along with a raffle with opportunities for Bushard’s gift baskets and gift cards.  There will also be live music.

Plans to make the lower part of Forest Avenue a permanent promenade have been in the works for years — it was first set up to support the local economy as a place businesses could still serve customers while distancing during COVID and surrounding restaurants got city permits for temporary outdoor dining parklets.

With the parklets in place, city officials and others decided it made sense to divert cars from the lower section of Forest Avenue, and the promenade began to draw more locals into downtown — a goal city officials have had for some time — while also giving visitors a fun place to congregate and shop. Over time, and through multiple public meetings with locals and business owners, the idea of making the promenade permanent gained ground and construction began earlier this year.

To make it permanent, the roadway, curbs, sidewalks and parking spots have been removed and a brick promenade with artistic features and seating areas replaced them.

The project cost $7.2 million, which City Manager Dave Kiff said is under budget. The temporary plaza opened in June 2020 cost about $250,000, including $10,000 for security.

Some in the community have opposed the permanent venue, saying it reduces needed parking options, takes away from the town’s historic character and could worsen flooding issues.

Right before the Fourth of July, the public got its first glimpse when fences surrounding the perimeter were removed. The plaza area features specialized rustic tumbled brick paving and a kelp-forest-inspired fountain.

Decomposed granite used in construction should help with drainage and flooding concerns, along with new landscaping — unstable and ill eucalyptus trees were removed this summer — better suited for a “saline” environment, Kiff said.

Kiff said some last-minute touches added this week include the placement of more art pieces, the nautilus bench, and bike racks.  Lastly, he said some interior brickwork still needs to be finished, the Wi-Fi speaker system needs activation, and the Coast Highway promenade side still needs a few tweaks.

Orgill said the space will provide a much-needed venue in town and become a gathering spot. He pointed to Vision Laguna 2030, produced at the turn of the millennium, in which 2,000 residents helped map out their idea for the small seaside community’s future, including a gathering place such as the promenade.

“It’s nice to see it starting to come to fruition with different groups trying to use it,” Orgill said. “Reading circles, kids at the high school talked about using it as a meeting space. There are a couple other groups I see meeting there now and it’s becoming a place where people see others they might not run into in a year.”

Fader said that’s also the vision her grandfather had for Bushard’s Pharmacy, which the generations who followed continue to nurture: a homey place where people know each other, can gather and can catch up while picking up essentials.

Bushard’s, which started as a pharmacy in 1946, still looks much the same as when the elder Bushard started it with his brother, Earl. The idea then, Fader said, was to create a local shop where customers were known by their first names and personalized service came first. The soda fountain prepared orders on the spot, employees took customer notes by hand, and some people came in just to hear her grandfather’s stories, she said.

Fader’s mother, Sheila Bushard-Jamison, started learning the business when she was still in school and would help out after her homework was done. When Bushard was ready to retire, Fader said her mom took over in 1986 and hired another pharmacist to take his place.

“She was able to run the business, and that’s kind of how it evolved to here,” she said. “Now, she’s on her way to retire, and I’m taking over the business side, and we have a great pharmacist that helps me.”

Getting folks their prescriptions wasn’t the only plan, Fader said. The goal was to be an apothecary where customers could buy specialty items not found at chain drugstores, such as high-end cosmetics and perfumes, she said, adding that many of the items sold now come from France and are not readily found in the United States.

Since July, when part of the new promenade near Coast Highway was unveiled, Fader said she’s seen many more people walking and lounging in the space.

“We’ve seen an uptick in people shopping and eating and enjoying the promenade,” she said. “After seeing the fence and the jackhammer for so long, I’m happy to see people down here.”

​ Orange County Register 

LA lawmakers hopeful that a federal film tax incentive could become law by year’s end

• September 24, 2026

Bipartisan legislation offering federal film tax credit to lure production companies that have moved their operations overseas back to the United States was introduced in both houses of Congress on Thursday, Sept. 24, with Los Angeles County lawmakers projecting optimism that the bill could soon become law.

The so-called Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act would provide a 20% federal tax credit to film and television productions that spend at least $1 million and where at least 75% of the filming takes place within the U.S.

Companies may also be eligible for 5% bonus credits, up to a maximum of 30% tax credit, for productions in rural opportunity zones or disaster-impacted areas or for independent productions, among other factors.

California lawmakers sponsoring the bill noted Thursday that the legislation has bipartisan support in both houses of Congress and that even President Donald Trump has called for a federal tax incentive to bring more film and television projects back to the U.S.

This rare show of solidarity signals a strong probability that the bill could get passed shortly after the midterm elections, the lawmakers said.

U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff also noted that he strategized with actor Jon Voight, Trump’s “special ambassador” to Hollywood, and with Spencer Pratt, a reality TV star who Trump had said he wanted to see “do well” during his unsuccessful bid to become L.A.’s mayor.

“So here you have the (Trump) administration, Democrats in Congress, Republicans in Congress, outside allies associated with both political parties, all pulling in the same direction,” Schiff said during a call with reporters.

“It is rare, and therefore all the more important that we take advantage of this opportunity,” Schiff added as he and others spoke of seizing the momentum to pass the proposed legislation.

The bill is co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina.

On the House side, bill sponsors include Reps. Laura Friedman, D-Glendale; Judy Chu, D-Monterey Park; and Linda Sánchez, D-Whittier. Other sponsors include Reps. Nathaniel Moran of Texas, Brian Jack of Georgia, David Kustoff of Tennessee and Mike Carey of Ohio – all Republicans.

Schiff often spars with Trump, but on the issue of how to make the U.S. competitive to the film industry, both seem to agree on federal tax incentives as one solution.

The president, in a Truth Social post last month, encouraged Republicans and Democrats to get together to craft legislation to save the movie and television industry.

“Congress should approve, immediately, a Federal Production Incentive to create Entertainment Jobs in America. It can be done quickly, accurately, efficiently and, importantly, will benefit ALL of America,” Trump wrote.

Friedman, who represents Hollywood and Burbank, where a number of studios are located, said the U.S. is the only country with major film and television production that doesn’t offer a national incentive to the industry.

Although individual states, including California, may offer tax credits or other incentives, “no single state is going to be able to outbid a foreign government, and that’s why this effort has got to be a national effort,” Friedman said.

Half of all film and scripted series were shot outside the U.S. last year, and between 2022 and 2024, Los Angeles lost more than 42,000 jobs across the entertainment industry, impacting writers, camera operators, set designers and others, Chu, who co-chairs the Congressional Creative Rights Caucus, said.

“It breaks my heart when I see a movie or television series that’s about something in America, located supposedly in America, but where it’s actually shot overseas. That is not right,” she said.

Sánchez, a former labor attorney, said the proposed tax incentive amounts to a jobs bill to protect good-paying jobs for people who work behind the scenes, from make-up artists and carpenters to production assistants.

She and others also spoke about the boost to local economies and small businesses that support film productions.

A number of unions and associations in the film and television industry have endorsed the proposed federal tax incentive, according to the bill sponsors. These include the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), Motion Picture Association (MPA) and Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).

The federal legislation is the latest in ongoing efforts by federal, state and local elected officials to save the film and television industry, especially in and around Hollywood.

California increased its film and television tax credit to $750 million annually last year.

And locally, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order last year to lower filming costs, streamline permits and keep film and television production in the city.

The L.A. City Council also passed a series of motions this year aimed at streamlining the city’s film-permitting process to keep production jobs in L.A.

Now, members of Congress hope they’ll see action on the federal level soon.

Echoing some of Schiff’s sentiments about the strong support she’s seeing come out of Washington for a federal film tax incentive, Sánchez said lawmakers have been working on the issue for years, and now hopes to pass a bill before the end of the year.

“When you see the sign that there is willingness … for the president to work with the Congress to get something accomplished, you have to really strike while the iron is hot,” she said.

​ Orange County Register 

Who really won the Paramount-Warner Bros. spat?

• September 24, 2026

After months of legal warfare, Paramount Skydance and Attorney General Rob Bonta have settled their fight over Paramount’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

So who won?

Paramount gets Warner Bros. Bonta gets a long list of concessions. 

Both sides can declare victory.

But California taxpayers and businesses should be asking a different question: What happens the next time Washington clears a merger, only for Sacramento to demand a second bite at the regulatory apple?

That may prove to be the most important legacy of the Paramount fight. There were signs that Paramount was ready to leave California. It is now committed not only to remain in California, but also to scale a number of hurdles to meet the conditions of the settlement. 

The federal government cleared the deal in June after a “rigorous eight-month investigation” led by the U.S. Justice Department Antitrust Division’s career staff – concluding the merger was unlikely to restrain competition or harm consumers. Overseas regulators representing 68 jurisdictions also approved the merger. 

But that wasn’t enough for Bonta, who opposed the “unlawful merger” of “two entertainment behemoths,” and the 11 state attorneys general who joined the lawsuit. They argued the merger would reduce competition, raise prices, and limit film and television choices. Even as the parties came to terms over the weekend, Bonta declared the agreement wasn’t “a blessing of the broader merger,” and insists that “further consolidation in markets central to American economic life doesn’t serve the American economy, consumers, or competition well.” 

Given the concessions that were extracted by Bonta, he should be happy with the outcome. 

Not only will the company stay in California, it has to release 30 movies in each of the first two years and 32 in each of the following three. If Paramount doesn’t hit the minimum, it will have to pay a $30 million fine for each film below the target. Failing to hit the benchmark could also result in Paramount being forced to sell Miramax, a film and television production company in which it has a 49% ownership stake.

Another reported provision is Paramount’s promise to invest $1.5 billion in domestic U.S. film production. It will have to pay $9.5 million every year into a fund to train and develop the industry’s workforce, as well. 

While it won’t be free to sell its studio lots, Paramount will not have to divest any of its major assets and it was able to avoid the $7 million-a-day “ticking fee” that would have been paid to Warner shareholders for each day the sale dragged on beyond Sept. 30. 

Bonta also leveraged the appointment of “a trustee to monitor Paramount’s compliance” with the requirement that CBS News, already owned by Paramount, and CNN, which comes in the package as a Warner property, will have editorial independence. 

Critics from the left including actor Mark Ruffalo say Bonta gave up on the case even though he was winning, caving “under pressure” and being “too lenient” with Paramount. 

Bonta had to weigh an uncompromising strategy against the probability that Paramount would flee California to avoid the state’s well-known antagonism toward business, and he likely didn’t want to be known as the politician who was responsible for Hollywood losing its last major studio. 

But a win for Bonta isn’t necessarily the same as a win for California or the rest of the country. 

“It’s good that the settlement has been reached,” says PRI senior fellow Wayne Winegarden, “so the merger can go through. There are reasons the companies believe it will create a more competitive environment because it will create a strong competitor.” Markets filled with weak competitors need consolidation to remain healthy. 

Winegarden is concerned that even with the positives from the settlement, a dangerous precedent has been set. Companies now know they may have to clear Washington and then negotiate separately with Sacramento. With California antitrust law differing from – and in some respects reaching further than – federal law, Bonta has positioned the Golden State as America’s second antitrust capital.

This is troubling. 

Alden Abbott of the Mercatus Center says antitrust enforcement at the state level “should complement federal policy by addressing genuinely local harms and supplying useful evidence.” What it should not do is “operate as a serial veto over firms’ federally sanctioned actions” because it can create uncertainty, delay necessary mergers and increase business’ cost. 

Bonta’s victory might be more than the accommodations he squeezed out of Paramount. He might have pushed California closer to being a monopolist of antitrust threats and enforcement. 

Kerry Jackson is the William Clement Fellow in California Reform at the Pacific Research Institute, and co-author of “The California Left Coast Survivor’s Guide”

​ Orange County Register 

Kings 2026-27 season preview: 8 games to watch

• September 24, 2026

After playing a record number of overtime games last year, the Kings’ campaign gets even longer as the regular-season schedule expanded by two games.

New bench boss Peter Laviolette will seek to not only get the Kings back into the playoffs but get them out of the first round for the first time since 2014, which represents the second-longest playoff series win drought in the NHL.

Here are eight can’t-miss dates on the Kings’ calendar:

Sept. 30: at Colorado Avalanche

The Kings will ignite the new campaign against the opponent that extinguished their hopes last season in a four-game, first-round sweep. The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avs ran out of gas in the conference finals against Vegas, thanks in part to an injury to defenseman Cale Makar. Over the summer, Makar signed the richest deal in league history, an extension worth $163.2 million over eight years.

Oct. 6: vs. Florida Panthers

Not one Tkachuk but two will burst through the Crypto.com Arena doors. The two-time champion Cats added Brady Tkachuk via trade to a roster that already included his brother Matthew, the one-time archrival of Kings captain Drew Doughty. They’re long on agitation with prickly pear extraordinaire Brad Marchand and playoff pest Sam Bennett. Coach Paul Maurice joked to reporters that a line with Bennett and the two Tkachuks would “be in jail before the puck dropped.”

Oct. 26: at New York Rangers

“The Bread Man,” Artemi Panarin, already made his return to New York last spring in a Kings victory, but he’ll be back again to face his old chums in Midtown, including former Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov. Another King who won’t need to be shown any entrances or exits at Madison Square Garden is Laviolette, who guided the Blueshirts in his most recent coaching stint, which ended in 2025.

Nov. 7: vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

The band is back together in Pittsburgh with the 40-something leadership group of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang returning for what could be the final season for that trio. Former King Blake Lizotte re-upped in Pittsburgh, who will only have one date in Los Angeles as an interconference opponent.

Jan. 6: vs. Washington Capitals

Another potential curtain call for a generational talent, Alex Ovechkin is back for one more year and ready to add to his NHL career goals record. Alongside him are former Kings Matt Roy and Pierre-Luc Dubois, the latter of which continues to live infamy after a disastrous campaign wearing black and silver in 2023-24. Dubois had a major rebound year in his first season with the Caps, but he was injured for most of last year, including both meetings with the Kings.

Feb. 24: vs. Montreal Canadiens

While the Habs have an electric young nucleus and former King Phil Danault back in the fold, this night will be all about the ultimate King, Anže Kopitar. He will see his No. 11 raised to the rafters and his form immortalized in bronze with a statue in Star Plaza, where he’ll join Kings icons Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille, Dustin Brown and Bob Miller. The ceremony promises to be equal parts ebullient and emotional.

April 8: vs. Vegas Golden Knights

April 10: at Vegas Golden Knights

The Kings have made a habit of clinching late in the campaign dating to their 2012 Stanley Cup run and persisting last season. Their final two clashes of 2026-27 will be against the defending Pacific Division and Western Conference champs, the Golden Knights, who could dictate which side of the playoff bubble the Kings end up on this year.

​ Orange County Register 

Ducks 2026-27 season preview: 8 games to watch

• September 24, 2026

After an offseason of twists, turns and upheaval, the Ducks will settle in for a newly expanded, 84-game schedule, putting Joel Quenneville’s high-octane offense on display once more.

Here are eight can’t-miss dates on the Ducks’ calendar:

Oct. 2: at Vegas Golden Knights

This season-opening joust pits the Ducks against the foe that eliminated them from the playoffs in the spring. The Ducks swept the regular-season series from Vegas last season with a pair of overtime wins and a third one-goal victory. But they were wiped out in six games with all the chips on the table, with Vegas playing a ruthless series en route to the Stanley Cup Final.

Oct. 24: at Philadelphia Flyers

This interconference rivalry has layer after layer of intrigue. First, Cutter Gauthier spurned the Flyers and, after contentious contract negotiations and recovering from an injury, Jamie Drysdale was packaged up with a draft pick to get him to Orange County. Then, it was Trevor Zegras heading East before last year – Drysdale and Zegras signed contract extensions in Philly this offseason – for a package that included Ryan Poehling. Most recently, it was the Flyers injecting chaos into the Ducks’ organization with a massive offer sheet for Leo Carlsson that had a far-reaching ripple effect. In Gauthier’s career as a Duck, he’s 0-3-1 against the Flyers.

Dec. 29: vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

This will be the Buds’ only visit to Honda Center and Ducks fans’ chance to see No. 1 pick Gavin McKenna in action. The Leafs also still boast established stars Auston Matthews and William Nylander, having added Tampa Bay’s breakout defenseman Darren Raddysh as well. Locking horns with McKenna in the Calder Trophy race could be a handful of Ducks rookies like Tristan Luneau and Nikita Klepov.

Jan. 14: vs. St. Louis Blues

The recent history of the Ducks and Blues is less controversial but equally interwoven as that of the Ducks and Flyers. Cam Fowler was dealt to the Blues in 2024, and this past offseason he was joined by Mason McTavish via trade and Ross Johnston in free agency. Former Ducks bench boss Greg Cronin also came aboard as an assistant coach for St. Louis, which has beaten the Ducks in 12 of the past 13 meetings.

Feb. 27: vs. Montreal Canadiens

The Habs will bring a familiar face, Chris Kreider, who plied his trade on Katella Avenue last season after spending his entire career with the New York Rangers. In addition to Kreider’s return, the Habs and Ducks played two of the most entertaining games of their respective campaigns against each other last season, both won by the Ducks, including a 6-5 overtime thriller at home.

March 5: vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning and their magician on the flank, Nikita Kucherov, will come into town just once, but could be shown around capably by former Ducks Jeffrey Viel and John Carlson. There won’t be any pomp and circumstance for those two, as both spent only part of last season with the Ducks before bolting for Tampa in free agency.

March 22: vs San Jose Sharks

March 24: at San Jose Sharks

Another Ranger-turned-Duck who departed over the summer was Jacob Trouba as part of an effort by San Jose to beef up and acquire veterans. While other non-playoff qualifiers in the Pacific Division – Seattle, Vancouver and Calgary – seemed to be looking to the future, the Sharks are a team with upward momentum and designs on pushing teams like the Ducks and Kings out of the postseason picture. These two late-season meetings could shape the playoff field.

​ Orange County Register 

Horse racing notes: Santa Anita puts wagering-menu changes in place

• September 24, 2026

ARCADIA — Santa Anita is bringing a multi-race place bet back to its wagering menu for the fall meet that opens Friday, with a 15% takeout rate that’s lower than it was for the similar place bet at Del Mar this summer and the last time Santa Anita offered one more than a decade go.

The “place pick-eight” wager, costing $1 per combination, challenges players to pick first- or second-place finishers in the last eight races each day. It’s easier to hit but predictably has lower payoffs than the pick-six, which has a $2 minimum and requires connecting the winners of the day’s last six races.

The place pick-eight becomes the fifth wager confined to Santa Anita races that has a 14% or 15% takeout rate. Santa Anita and Del Mar both have been offering so-called “player friendly” takeout on the early pick-five, late double, late pick-three and all-turf pick-three. By comparison, straight win, place and show bets have a 15.43% takeout, and the corresponding number for other multi-horse and multi-race bets is 20% or higher, including 23.68% for the pick-six.

Takeouts remain higher at racetracks than in many other forms of sports gambling. One guess which forms are more popular.

One more change in the Santa Anita wagering menu sees pick-four minimums rise from 50 cents to $1.

• FanDuel TV still will show Santa Anita races during the fall meet, but now the network will be using the track’s in-house video and analysts instead of its own. This is the biggest effect yet on California racing fans from FanDuel’s decision, announced in March, to phase out racing coverage and eliminate it by the end of 2027. Santa Anita race video can also be watched on santaanita.com and wagering platforms.

• Forever Young rose from No. 2 to No. 1 in the official ranking of contenders for the Breeders’ Cup Classic after he won last Friday’s Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park, while Sovereignty slipped to No. 2 after missing the race because of a foot abscess. The Puma jumped into the rankings at No. 7 after holding off Further Ado last Saturday’s Pennsylvania Derby. The rest of the top 10: Knightsbridge, Magnitude, Golden Tempo, Nitrogen, Napoleon Solo, Renegade and Baeza.

• The Classic is returning to its proper place as the last of the 14 Breeders’ Cup races on Oct. 30-31 at Keeneland, in Lexington, Ky., after being run earlier in the Saturday card the past three years at California tracks. The schedule announced this week has the five Breeders’ Cup races on the Friday beginning at 11:55 a.m. PT and featuring the Juvenile at 1:55 p.m., and the nine Breeders’ Cup races on the Saturday starting at 10:10 a.m. PT with the Classic at 3:16 p.m.

• Antonio Fresu’s move from California to New York paid a quick dividend when he rode Lisa Joy to victory in a $150,000 maiden race Sept. 18, the very first race held at the “new” Belmont Park. Fresu faces tough competition back east after leading the Santa Anita Hollywood Meet in wins and finishing third to Joel Rosario and Juan Hernandez at Del Mar.

• Stewart Elliott recorded his 6,000th victory on Sept. 17 in an allowance-level sprint at Remington Park in Oklahoma City. Best known for riding 2005 Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones, the Toronto-born Elliott, 61, became the 23rd North American jockey to reach 6,000. For perspective, 23rd on baseball’s all-time hits list is Alex Rodriguez (3,115).

• Florent Geroux went home from the hospital in Louisville last Saturday after nine days of treatment for broken ribs and monitoring for internal injuries following a Sept. 10 fall at Churchill Downs. “Recovery starts now,” Geroux said on X. The horse, the maiden 2-year-old colt Flip Flop Freak, was euthanized.

• The sport is mourning the death of breeder and owner Arthur Hancock III Sept. 18 in Paris, Ky. Hancock became the first in his illustrious racing family to win the Kentucky Derby with Gato del Sol in 1982, and did it again with another California-based horse, Sunday Silence, in 1989.

• Safety watch: A fatal injury to Scam Alert, a maiden 2-year-old California-bred gelding, in training last Saturday at Santa Anita marked the 12th death in racing and training at Santa Anita and 23rd at the three active California tracks in 2026. The Santa Anita number is above the average of 9.6 deaths from Jan. 1 to Sept. 19 for the years 2021 to 2025, and the total is slightly above the average of 22.4 for those five years, according to an unofficial count based on California Horse Racing Board data.

LOS ALAMITOS LEADERS

Thoroughbred meet, final

Jockeys / Wins

Kazushi Kimura / 7

Armando Aguilar / 5

Edgar Payeras / 5

Kyle Frey / 4

Tiago Pereira / 4

(Four tied) / 3

Trainers / Wins

Peter Miller / 4

Bob Hess Jr. / 3

Ryan Hanson / 3

Genaro Vallejo / 3

Jesus Uranga / 3

(Five tied) / 2

UPCOMING STAKES

SANTA ANITA

Saturday

• $300,00, Grade I Goodwood Stakes, 3-year-olds and up, 1⅛ miles

• $200,000, Grade II John Henry Turf Championship, 3 and up, 1¼ miles on turf

• $200,000, Grade II City of Hope Mile, 3 and up, 1 mile on turf

• $200,000, Grade II Eddie D Stakes, 3 and up, about 6½ furlongs on turf

• $100,000, Grade III John C. Harris Stakes, 3-year-old fillies, about 6½ furlongs on turf

Sunday

• $200,000, Grade II Santa Anita Sprint Championship, 3 and up, 6 furlongs

• $200,000, Grade II Zenyatta Stakes, fillies and mares, 3 and up, 1-1/16 miles

​ Orange County Register 

Metrolink must do safety audit after having trouble finding parts for its locomotives, orders LA Metro

• September 24, 2026

Metrolink, the regional passenger rail hurting from reduced ridership and budget shortfalls, is having difficulties finding parts to repair some of its locomotive fleet that my be compromising safety, said LA Metro Board Member Tim Sandoval on Thursday, Sept. 24 at the Metro board meeting.

Sandoval, also a member of the six-county Metrolink passenger train agency, led a motion approved for LA Metro to perform a comprehensive audit of Metrolink’s problems obtaining parts for locomotives as well as “safety concerns” at the regional heavy-rail passenger train agency.

“Metrolink is facing serious structural challenges and is having difficulty getting parts for locomotives,” said Sandoval, who is also mayor of Pomona. Downtown Pomona has a Metrolink station for 10 Riverside Line trains, five each way on weekdays. “We must address this supply chain issue. Safety is not negotiable.”

Metrolink declined to discuss the action by LA Metro, which oversees Metrolink’s budget and operations, along with the Orange County Transportation Authority.

However, It released a statement on Thursday afternoon that read:

“Metrolink welcomes the opportunity to provide information responsive to the Metro Board’s request and demonstrate the rigorous work underway every day to support the safety of our passengers and employees. Safety is foundational to everything we do, and we remain focused on strengthening the reliability of our rolling stock and providing service our passengers can depend on.”

L.A. County Supervisor and LA Metro board member Kathryn Barger agreed with Sandoval. She was part of an 11-0 vote that approved Sandoval’s audit, and also gave a boost to Metrolink for funding a fare decrease on its San Bernardino to Los Angeles line.

“I know that catastrophic mechanical issues have plagued Metrolink trains and have seriously undermined the safety of the Metrolink system. This requires Metrolink to take a closer look at what is going on,” she said.

Metrolink commuter train service that began in 1992 serves six counties: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura. The agency has lost about 40% of its riders since the COVID pandemic hit six years ago. Simply put, workers are not commuting to the office as often, and many are working for home instead of riding Metrolink.

As ridership has dipped, so have fare revenues. Metrolink riders paid $35.1 million in fares in 2016; now, annual fare revenue is down to about $17 million, according to the Orange County Transportation Authority.

Metrolink has an operational deficit of between $30 million and $35 million, Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle said in an interview with the Southern California News Group in May.

It cut train service in March by eliminating many trains. And there is talk of further train service cuts.

On Oct. 5, fare increases will be in place, marking the first increase in fares for the agency in 13 years. This is an effort to raise cash and cut into the deficit.

One-way fare tickets will increase by 14%. The SoCal Day Pass will increase from $15 to $19 on weekdays and from $10 to $12 on weekends and holidays, according to Metrolink. The day pass price increase is 27% on weekdays and 20% on weekends. However, the price of the LA Zone Pass will remain $5.

To attract riders and keep those they have, the agency cut fares on the most used San Bernardino to Los Angeles Line. This line runs from San Bernardino, into Rancho Cucamonga, Montclair, Pomona, Claremont, Baldwin Park, El Monte, Covina, Cal State Los Angeles and reaches L.A. Union Station, a transportation hub that also has L.A. Metro rail lines, buses and other transit services, such as the Flyaway Bus to LAX and the Dodger Stadium Express.

LA Metro also awarded Metrolink $365,202 for what it called “Metro’s share” of the San Bernardino Line 25% fare reduction. The extra funding extends the reduced fare program on that popular line from June 30, 2025 to June 30, 2030, LA Metro reported.

Today, a one-way ticket between Los Angeles and San Bernardino is $9.75. That price reflects the 25% discount currently in place (without that adjustment, it would go up to $13), explained Meredith Yeoman, a Metrolink spokesperson in an email Thursday.

Some have called LA Metro board members to demand full funding for Metrolink. But making up the regional passenger line’s operational funding gap may not be in the cards.

“We are working with Metrolink,” said LA Metro board member Ara Najarian, who also serves on Metrolink’s board. “We are facing some very difficult financial times. We have to be strict and disciplined on how we do this. We will have to tighten our belts but we are not abandoning working with you (Metrolink),” he said during Thursday’s LA Metro board meeting.

Kettle said in a statement that his agency is facing “rising operating and maintenance costs, reduced post-pandemic ridership, and declining state and federal funding support.”

The agency must pay a 31% increase in diesel fuel, as well as rising wage costs.

LA Metro will continue working with Metrolink on revising is fiscal year 2027 budget proposal so that it matches Metro’s operating subsidy. Once the agency submits a final 2027 budget, the LA Metro staff will return to the Board with a recommendation on funding.

Metrolink told the Southern California News Group in May that it is also seeking additional state and federal funding to stave off additional service cuts as it prepares for an influx of riders for the LA Summer Olympics in 2028.

​ Orange County Register 

FBI employees in Trump Mar-a-Lago case seek clarity on subpoenas in Florida ‘grand conspiracy’ probe

• September 24, 2026

By ERIC TUCKER and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former FBI employees involved in the criminal investigation into President Donald Trump’s retention of classified documents have been subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury in a broad Florida-based conspiracy probe, their lawyers revealed Thursday as they asked a judge to clarify whether they can testify without violating an order restricting the release of information.

The subpoenas issued this month require the former FBI employees to testify in Fort Pierce, Florida, as the Justice Department pursues an ill-defined theory of a “deep state” conspiracy to deprive Trump of his civil rights and keep him from power.

The investigation so far has been focused largely on former government officials who examined ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, but the subpoenas disclosed Thursday hint at the far-reaching nature of an investigation that is also scrutinizing the FBI’s 2022 search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida for classified documents.

Justice Department officials are pressing ahead with the investigation after the resignation this month of Joseph diGenova, a Trump ally who had been brought in to help lead the probe that has animated right-wing commentators who have long alleged former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired against the Republican president.

The filing on behalf of the subpoenaed employees tees up a fresh legal question for U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, the Trump-appointed judge who not only dismissed the classified documents prosecution of Trump but also sits in the Fort Pierce courthouse where the Justice Department has centered its yearlong conspiracy probe of Trump’s perceived foes.

Cannon last February issued an order blocking the release of a report on the classified documents investigation prepared by special counsel Jack Smith, whose team in 2023 brought dozens of felony charges against the then-Republican candidate, and barring the release of information about the case to non-Justice Department employees.

Now, lawyers for the subpoenaed former employees are asking Cannon to clarify whether that order precludes their clients from being able to testify before the grand jury since they’ll be asked about the investigation. Without clarity, they say, they may be forced to decide between being in contempt of the order if they testify, “not providing full, unconstrained testimony” if they choose to comply with the order or invoking their constitutional rights against self-incrimination.

“Specifically, Clients seek to confirm that they can freely discuss non-public information related to their work on the investigation with individuals outside the DOJ, including but not limited to the grand jury and Client’s own counsel, without running afoul of the terms of the order,” the lawyers wrote.

The filing reveals new details about the scope of the investigations and negotiations with the government.

Submitted on behalf of a group of current and former agents and analysts who participated in the Mar-a-Lago investigation, the filing says that the FBI in July and August reached out to request voluntary interviews and told the attorneys that grand jury testimony would follow those interviews.

The lawyers say newly issued subpoenas to a small group of witnesses seek testimony next week and the following week. They say the Justice Department has broached the possibility of giving immunity to the witnesses but has not formally offered that yet.

​ Orange County Register