DeMaio’s insurance bill is the wrong solution

• February 23, 2025

Democratic Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara was slow to react to the state’s long-brewing insurance crisis and he’s also recently proposed a few rules that will make matters worse, but overall his plan is on the right track.

Californians are struggling to get property insurance because the state’s regulatory system caps prices and limits insurers’ ability to set rates based on actual risk.

The answer, of course, is to let the market work, which in the short run means allowing insurers to raise prices.

No one likes to pay more for insurance, but it’s better to pay more than to not have insurance — or to rely on the tottering state-created insurer of last resort.

The FAIR (Fair Access to Insurance Requirements) Plan has insufficient reserves and is getting a bailout.

Along comes freshman Republican Assembly member Carl DeMaio of San Diego, who has introduced Assembly Bill 567 to deal with the crisis. DeMaio’s assessment of the current problem is accurate. He’s right to call for reforming regulations and boosting fire-prevention efforts.

But his main “solution” involves price controls and subsidies. He’s even pushing for federal intervention.

Most significantly, the legislation “would cap rate increases at no more than 7% a year for the next 4 years — and would force the state government to cover any insurance costs above the annual cap,” his office explains. Price controls have gotten us into this mess, so more of them will make it worse.

We oppose using public funds to pay insurance costs. It would also be inflationary, as insurers could raise rates knowing taxpayers would pay.

In his pre-MAGA days, DeMaio was a free-market advocate who would have understood this.

He wants “to penalize the politicians for the financial costs of their policy failures by taking funds from the state’s budget.” That’s the worst part of this bone-headed bill. Politicians have failed to act, but voters are the ones who approved 1988’s Proposition 103. This won’t penalize politicians, but taxpayers.

Any lawmaker who is serious about an insurance fix should laugh this one out of the Capitol.

​ Orange County Register 

Paws and claws strut through San Juan Capistrano’s annual pet parade

• February 23, 2025

Furry, feathered and scaly friends marched through Los Rios Park in San Juan Capistrano Saturday afternoon for its annual pet parade.

The parade, featuring animals of all kinds — dogs, cats, ducks, birds and ponies — is one of the kickoff events the San Juan Capistrano Fiesta Association hosts before its annual Swallows Day Parade on March 22.

“This is one of the most fun things we do because of the innocence of the kids and the stuff they come up with is absolutely hysterical,” said Fiesta Association President Jim Taylor.

The Swallows Day Parade celebrates the return of the swallows, a small species of bird, to the San Juan Capistrano Mission.

Taylor said that winners of any of the pet parade categories — best team costume, best barnyard animal and best household pet — are invited to participate in the Swallows Day Parade.

Swallows Day is on March 19, but the parade is held a few days later. That parade is set for 11 a.m.

Find out about more events at swallowsdayparade.org.

​ Orange County Register 

Oaks Christian girls water polo clamps down on Newport Harbor for Open Division title

• February 23, 2025

WALNUT — Newport Harbor’s girls water polo team entered the CIF-SS Open Division final on Saturday with plenty of momentum. But in a postseason marked by surprising results, a current carrying the unexpected seemingly lurked deep in the pool at Mt. SAC.

Oaks Christian and its 2-meter defense jumped on the stream and sprinted to a historic victory.

The fourth-seeded Lions capped a stunning surge the past two weeks by putting the clamps on the vaunted center attack of No. 3 Newport Harbor en route to a 7-5 victory.

Playing a heavy drop defense at center, Oaks Christian (22-7) and coach Jack Kocur became the first non-Orange County team — boys or girls — to win the Open Division crown. The premier division debuted in the 2021-22 school year.

“Five goals, guys. Five goals,” Kocur said of the Lions, who held Newport Harbor to a season-low scoring output. “Five goals. Unbelievable.”

“What’s their strength?” the coach added of Newport Harbor. “Their strength is No. 14 (Gabby Alexson). Their center game. Their strong center game. They’re so disciplined in their front-court offense. (Newport Harbor) is a phenomenal team, program, the history. They are the Lakers. They are the Boston Celtics of our sport, at least in our eyes.”

Oaks Christian, which upset No. 1 Mater Dei in overtime in the semifinals, sometimes surrounded Alexson with three defenders and forced the Sailors to attempt to beat goalie Alexandra Stoddard from the perimeter.

Newport Harbor (24-6), which stunned two-time defending Open champion Orange Lutheran in double sudden-death overtime in the semifinals, scored four goals from the perimeter but it wasn’t enough. The Sailors netted one strike from center, and it came on a counterattack.

Newport Harbor coach Ross Sinclair, whose team beat Oaks Christian twice in three regular-season matches, said he wasn’t surprised by Oaks Christian’s defensive strategy.

“We just didn’t execute,” he said. “Didn’t follow the game plan unfortunately. It’s frustrating. We got to push the ball down line, and we didn’t. Our transition, we’re pulling up at half.”

“I just don’t think we came out with any urgency,” added Sinclair, who guided the Newport Harbor boys to the Open Division title in the fall. “Oaks came out and played really hard from the get-go. We were very reactionary and hesitant.”

Newport Harbor’s offensive production was a striking contrast to the semifinals. Alexson dominated at center with three goals, including the winner, and drew numerous exclusions.

Stoddard, a junior, proved difficult to beat from the perimeter with 11 saves.

She forecasted a strong match by blocking a penalty shot in second period. In the semifinals, she blocked two penalties against Mater Dei, including one to seal the win.

Oaks Christian’s biggest defensive stand came leading 6-5 in the fourth period and Newport Harbor on the power play coming out of a timeout with 3:06 left.

Stoddard made the save and the Lions capitalized with a perimeter strike by sophomore Makena Bygrave that blasted in off the far post with 2:12 remaining.

Oaks Christian’s defense held Newport Harbor scoreless for almost 13 minutes during one stretch and 0 for 4 on the power play.

The Lions went 4 for 9 with extra attacker and didn’t trail for the final three periods.

Left-hander Mia Fabros paced Oaks Christian with three goals. Nicole O’Neill added two.

Sophomore attacker Madison Mack scored three perimeter strikes to pace Newport Harbor.

​ Orange County Register 

Aiming to catch ’em all, thousands gather at Pasadena’s Rose Bowl for Pokémon GO

• February 23, 2025

There was a lot more to find at the Rose Bowl Stadium this weekend than met the eye, as the second-largest Pokémon GO get-together in the country wooed some 30,000 players to a happy hunt for virtual pocket monsters.

Pokémon GO Tour: Unova-Los Angeles began Friday morning and ran through Sunday at a location that, until recently, was clustered with activities related to the Eaton fire.

This weekend, however, fans of the virtual scavenger hunt-type augmented reality game app traveled from around the real world to scour an imaginary one for cartoon critters, as well as to connect with old and new friends alike.

“You can almost think of it as treasure hunting, but it’s not competitive,” said Christian Sabella, who traveled from Berkeley Heights, N.J., to attend his first tour. “Everyone’s helping each other … Everyone’s here for the same purpose (and) people tell people where the rare Pokémons are.”

By Friday afternoon Sabella had already captured an exclusive White Kyurem, one of the rare creatures that, at this point, was only available to “trainers” attending the Pasadena event.

While there were thousands of visitors at the stadium and surrounding area, it was a noticeably quiet crowd. People enjoyed the chance to take photos with some Pokémon characters, explore the virtual habitats spread throughout the adjacent Brookside Golf Club, have a bite to eat at one of the many vendor shops, and catch up with people they’ve only otherwise had contact with through the game app.

Mostly people walked around the stadium and fields, many wearing hats with the likeness of favorite Pokémon critter Pikachu, focused on their phones, looking for pocket monsters that were hiding in and around the area.

The Pokémon GO Tour also expanded throughout the city this weekend, with “Field Research” opportunities affording chances for encounters with the likes of Joltik, Tympole, Woobat, and other critters inhabiting the virtual world.

Andrew and Emily Acklin of Olmsted Falls, Ohio, started with the game when it first came out in July, 2016.

“We both got into the game and we’ve been traveling ever since,” Andrew said. “This is our 10th or 11th in-person event. We’ve traveled internationally, to Montreal, to Mexico City, all across the United States.

“We’ve met so many great people and we’ve made so many friends,” Emily said, “and we’ve gone to places that we probably never would have been because of this game, so it’s been worth it. It’s been a lot of fun.”

In between virtual searches for characters, the couple was circling the stadium holding up a sign asking if anyone wanted to trade a Shiny Safari Hat EeVee.

“He’s an extremely rare one that most people don’t have,” Andrew explained, only making intermittent appearance at some international get-togethers. “It’s only available in very limited quantities in Safari Zones, which are currently only international.”

Jee Young is a broadcast journalist who traveled from her home in Seoul, Korea, to be at her first U.S. Pokémon GO event.

“I love to travel for Pokémon GO festivals,” she said. “Last year I traveled to many countries.”

She said this particular event was great because it was being run in a large, roomy area, unlike some others she has gone to that were more crammed and noisier.

“Many people are here, but it’s very peaceful, very calm,” Young said, noting how much she values a chance to meet new friends from around the world at these gatherings.

This is the second year the event has been held in Los Angeles. Previously held virtually and in Las Vegas two years ago, it’s now likely to be an annual get-together in L.A., second in size only to Pokémon GO Fest in New York City, which is held in July and last year saw about 70,000 participants.

“They know that people like the big in-person events because they know people like playing with people,” explained Damian Mercado of Salinas, who has been playing off and on since the game first came out, but has never gotten to attend a festival before.

He said that, while he enjoys the game itself, the connections that come about with fellow players is a subtle and welcome addition to the experience.

“I didn’t really just expect to be with a big group of adult friends again,” he said, noting how the game becomes an excuse to socialize. “At first you’re focusing on the catches and the game and stuff, but halfway through you realize you guys are just chatting … It’s kind of cool.”

Mercado got his friend Chimene Minshew of Sacramento into the game.

“It’s a good connection point for building relationships, new relationships, especially post pandemic,” she said. “It’s kind of harder to get out and do things with people, so this makes it easier and it’s fun. We like it.”

Dan Smith, who traveled down from Puyallup, Wash., said that many of the gamers use an app called Campfire that allow them to socialize in relation to Pokémon GO.

“You end up with a bunch of new friends,” he said. “I come to every major event and it’s been fun to see some of the same people over the last three, four years.”

Smith said he has encountered visitors from several other countries, including Japan and Korea. “It’s cool that they make it all the way out here for this,” he said. “It’s super fun.”

Chris Eilertson of San Diego has met and become friends with several people in his area through the game. While they don’t regularly see one another in San Diego, a group of them drove up to L.A. together to attend the gathering.

“It gives us a fun field trip,” Eilertson said, commending the game and gathering.

“It’s a fun game and it gives you something where you can all come together,” he said.

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

​ Orange County Register 

El Dorado girls water polo dominates Division 5 final to win first CIF-SS title

• February 23, 2025

WALNUT — The El Dorado girls water polo team seemed able to score at will during the second period of the CIF-SS Division 5 championship match against Santa Paula on Saturday at Mt San Antonio College.

As it turned out, the seven-minute flurry of goals propelled the Golden Hawks to a dominating effort as they beat the Cardinals 16-4 and won their first CIF-SS championship.

In the second period, the Hawks scored on almost every possession, winding up with seven in the period.

Sophomore Hayden Sparks, who Hawks coach Karly Carazo calls a “lefty wizard,” led El Dorado (16-12) with seven goals and two assists.

“We work on it all the time,” said Carazo, who guided El Dorado to a title in her first year as coach. “She goes in there and she knows if the ball is open with her, it’s her shot to take. We trust in her.”

The Hawks got the ball to Sparks as often as possible, usually with a lead pass as she was swimming fast toward the goal.

Sparks scored three goals in the second period, three in the third and one in the fourth.

“This is really exciting,” Sparks said. “I work with my goalie and other teammates with passing and taking shots during practice. I practice on all kinds of shots and it really helps me in the game.”

Senior Kaleyna Chun finished with five goals and an assist for El Dorado.

Chun scored two in the second, two in the third and one in the fourth.

“It means a lot,” Chun said of the victory. “Especially being a senior in my last season. All the work that I’ve put in all these three years, like summer practices, morning practices, late afternoon practices, late evening practices, it feels like it’s all paying off. This game, I just knew the adrenaline was going. I knew that we put in the work, so I went into this game full confidence.”

Carazo said Chun is the “backbone” of the team.

“She carries the energy and the passion,” the coach said. “We wouldn’t be here without her.”

Coming into the match, all the Hawks knew about the Cardinals (17-13) came from whatever statistics they could find, Carazo said.

“We just wanted to play our game first and adjust from there,” the coach said.

Carazo also credited the success to the hours spent in the pool.

“The girls would tell you we do a lot of swimming,” she said, “and this year I think it paid off, and they were able to counterattack and finish the shot.”

Gisselle Ramirez, El Dorado’s sophomore goalie, said she was growing more and more confident as the match went on.

“I got pretty confident we would win during the fourth quarter,” Ramirez said. “We still had the energy to persevere and we were up by a lot. It was a lot of fun that last quarter.

The Hawks last reached the finals in 2002, losing11-6 against Corona del Mar in the Division 4 championship.

​ Orange County Register 

Parents, kids navigate loss and tragedy as they return home after LA County fires

• February 23, 2025

By JAIMIE DING, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ceiba Phillips, 11, couldn’t believe what he saw when he returned to his Altadena neighborhood a month after a wildfire reduced it to rubble.

The ruins of his best friend’s house and his beloved school. His house survived, but the backhouse where his grandparents lived and packed him lunch every morning was reduced to ashes and a silver pool of melted aluminum. His favorite cozy diner, Fox’s, was decimated.

Seeing it in person — after seeing it through photos — brought shock and tears.

“There’s not even a word created for it,” Ceiba said. “It’s sad, it’s heavy, somewhat angry. Why did this have to happen?”

The Eaton fire that tore through Altadena on Jan. 7 left parents and children alike to deal with the trauma of one of the most destructive fires in California history. As people return to their neighborhoods, many kids are navigating the grief of losing everything that was familiar. Their parents, meanwhile, are learning how to help them cope.

Children thrive on routine, and reestablishing one as quickly as possible is key to helping kids cope, said Lori Peek, a sociology professor at the University of Colorado Boulder who studies the impact of natural disasters. It’s essential for kids to stay connected with their friends, and for parents to have honest conversations with them about the difficulty of what they are facing.

“Being honest about our own emotions and opening up, but then being very inviting for children to share what they’re feeling, what they’re grieving, what they’re experiencing, that can be one way to start those really important conversations,” Peek said.

It’s this kind of space that Chiara Angelicola, who works in early childhood education, was trying to create when she organized a Kids Town Hall event for families affected by the fires. Children had the opportunity to share how they felt and participate in art and somatic therapy exercises, which focus on how trauma can affect the body. Ceiba’s 4-year-old sister, Quoia, went with their mother, Alyson Granaderos, along with more than 100 other kids and parents.

“A lot of these kids had a lot to say … and some of it even made the adults uncomfortable,” Angelicola said. “I think that exercise in learning how to be uncomfortable experiencing certain feelings is very necessary for children because we’re modeling for them that feelings won’t hurt us.”

Hundreds of therapists and non-profits also have offered their mental health services for free to victims of the fires.

A last normal day

Ceiba’s home was one of about six on his street that wasn’t destroyed, but it sustained so much smoke damage it’s not livable right now. On a recent day, the family carefully entered wearing respirator masks and protective equipment.

Ceiba looked out his bedroom window and said he didn’t care that his house had survived. “I’d rather have all of Altadena,” he said.

Ceiba remembers every detail of his last normal day.

School let out early due to intense Santa Ana winds that fueled the fires. He and his sister went to Ceiba’s best friend’s house. They played on a trampoline, drew comics, and chucked LEGO figurines off the balcony.

“I’ve probably been to his house more than 2,000 times,” Ceiba said.

That evening, the family received a text message from Ceiba’s grandma asking if they saw the fire that had broken out nearby. They ran to their window and saw the whole mountainside ablaze.

“I was on the floor like praying, please protect my house and my family. And you know, mom’s like, ‘Come on, you got to get up, pack your stuff,’” Ceiba said.

The 11-year-old sprang into action, dumping his clothes and quarters into his bag and packing for his younger sister.

They sheltered in their dad’s office in neighboring Pasadena. Ceiba could barely sleep. By the morning, much of his neighborhood was gone.

Finding a rhythm again

Ceiba’s days have taken on a rhythm again, even at his new school in Pasadena.

When he greeted his mom on a recent afternoon, he shared a fun fact he’d learned that day: In 1846, a future president, Abraham Lincoln, had almost joined the ill-fated Donner Party as it set out from Springfield, Illinois, on its infamous journey out West, only to get trapped in California’s Sierra Nevada.

Ceiba has decided to play the saxophone in band class, and his state project will be on Michigan, where his mom is from. Granaderos said her son already seems to be adapting.

But his conversations with friends now veer into unusual topics for 11-year-olds.

“The insurance isn’t covering us and how’s your house? How’s this person’s house?” Ceiba said, sharing what he and his friends discuss.

He wonders what will become of his community. He’s optimistic though.

“I know Altadena and I know that it’s going to stick together,” Ceiba said.

Beauty, sadness and destruction

Ceiba had clamored right away to go back home after the fire, but Granaderos was hesitant. After the dust settled, she knew that allowing her kids to see and experience what happened was part of the healing process.

“You’re facing this realization of certain conversations you have to start to have with your kid, right?” Granaderos said. “There’s beauty in the world, and there’s also a lot of sadness and destruction.”

Quoia burst into tears when the family drove past what was left of The Bunny Museum in Pasadena dedicated to rabbits. She loved seeing the giant inflatable bunnies that loomed over the street corner nearly every day. Ceiba cried along with her.

“I just couldn’t really take it,” he said.

But not all is lost.

Granaderos named both of her children after trees — Ceiba, the tree of life, and Quoia after the Sequoia. She planted a sapling of the iconic Sequoia — which is extraordinarily resilient to fire, insects and disease — in the home’s backyard when Quoia was a baby.

After the fire, it is still standing.

​ Orange County Register 

DeVito, Ferrell, Vaughn to headline hockey event benefiting fire relief effort

• February 23, 2025

Danny DeVito, Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn will headline a celebrity hockey event Sunday at Crypto.com Arena to benefit fire relief efforts.

Hosted by the Los Angeles Kings in partnership with the NHL, Skate for LA Strong will raise funds for the LA Fire Relief Fund. The event will be highlighted by a single-elimination hockey tournament featuring teams made up of celebrities, NHL alumni and first responders, organizers said.

Hockey legends set to take the ice include Mark Messier, Rob Blake, Cammi Granato, P.K. Subban, Dion Phaneuf, Jeff Carter, Matt Greene and Jarret Stoll.

“We have seen so much being done to help but the work doesn’t stop,” Kings President Luc Robitaille said in a statement. “We all believe we must keep doing everything in our power to help these victims and displaced families recover and rebuild their lives.”

Tickets for the event are being distributed to firefighters, first responders, fire victims and their families, organizers said.

The event will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, and it will be broadcast across multiple platforms, including ESPN2, ESPN+, Disney+, Hulu, truTV, Sportsnet, FanDuel Sports Network, KCAL9, Pluto TV and Samsung TV Plus.

​ Orange County Register 

Lakers value Markieff Morris’ leadership, experience

• February 23, 2025

DENVER — When the Lakers made the three-team trade that landed them Luka Doncic three weeks ago, all of the attention, understandably so, went towards the 25-year-old five-time All-Star they acquired.

But in Markieff Morris, who also came to L.A. as part of the trade, the Lakers acquired something they didn’t have before his arrival – a veteran presence whose impact goes beyond what on the floor.

Morris, a 14-season NBA veteran, became the Lakers’ second-oldest (35) and second-most experienced player behind LeBron James, the 40-year-old four-time MVP in his 22nd NBA season, when he was acquired by the team.

“He’s been awesome,” Coach JJ Redick said pregame ahead of Saturday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. “It’s very valuable to have a guy like that, a voice, an older voice, someone who’s seen it all in the NBA, someone who’s won a championship, obviously that helps as well.

“He’s been great on the bench with talking with guys, making sure our bench energy is good. I told him the other day, we see it and we appreciate it and we all just value what he’s doing right now from that aspect in leadership.”

Morris was part of the Lakers’ 2019-20 NBA championship-winning team, which garners respect in the locker room.

“It’s important that he’s been through it with LeBron and our guys know that,” Redick added.  “LeBron respects him, our guys respect him. And again, it’s something I talked about maybe a month ago. There’s so many different forms of leadership and we need Kieff’s leadership.”

IMPROVED DEFENSE

The Lakers entered Saturday with the league’s third-best defensive rating (106.8) in their previous nine games going back to Jan. 30 – all of which came without Anthony Davis, who they sent to the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 2 as part of the trade for Doncic.

Davis sat out two games because of an injury before being traded.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone offered his insight into why the Lakers have been able to perform at a high level defensively despite losing an All-Defense honoree in Davis, in addition to Max Christie.

“They can play big, which they’ve done, really big,” Malone said. “They have a number of different bigs they can use. Obviously behind Jaxson Hayes they have Alex Len, [Christian] Koloko, different players – [Trey] Jemison has played for them.

“But then they also can play small and they’ll play Rui [Hachimura] or LeBron at the 5 and switch everything. So, I think just all five guys are operating on the same page, they’re playing well and obviously you lose a guy like AD, other guys have to step up and I think that’s what you’re seeing.

​ Orange County Register