Can Trump secure a peace deal in the Russia-Ukraine war?

• March 21, 2025

President Donald Trump came into office with bold plans to secure an end to the Russia-Ukraine war “within 24 hours.” While that timeframe may have been hyperbolic, Trump was clearly very intent on getting a peace deal signed quite early in his second term.

Unfortunately, recent weeks have clearly thrown a wrench into that plan. 

As such, it is now reasonable to ask whether the war is any closer to ending than it was prior to inauguration day. 

That being said, there are strategic steps that Trump can take to bring the fighting to an end.

To Trump’s credit, he is attempting out-of-the box strategies that former President Biden refused. Specifically, Trump directly spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin last Tuesday, whereas Biden and Putin had not spoken since the war began in 2022.

Moreover, Trump’s rhetoric has lit a long overdue fire under European countries, who are finally taking steps to boost the bloc’s military spending and end its dependence on American security guarantees. 

In that same vein, even after the chaotic Oval Office meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, American and Ukrainian officials have remained in contact, including attending a bilateral summit in Saudi Arabia.

However, as the Wall Street Journal reported following the Trump-Putin call, “strip away the diplomatic pieties and the main result is that Mr. Putin didn’t agree to Mr. Trump’s 30-day ceasefire.”

The Journal continued, noting that Putin’s demands for a ceasefire – let alone ending the war – are simply “terms Ukraine can’t accept.”

Namely, Putin is demanding a “complete cessation of foreign military aid” and intelligence sharing, and to negotiate only with the United States, not Europe and more importantly, not Ukraine. 

And while Putin did agree to halt strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, prisoner exchanges, and a willingness to a deconfliction mechanism in the Black Sea, those agreements were superficial at best.

Shortly after Putin and Trump spoke, and following Trump’s call with Zelensky – who agreed to pausing energy infrastructure attacks – Russian drones slammed into civilian areas in Ukraine. 

Similarly, pausing attacks on energy infrastructure is clearly more advantageous to Russia, as is demilitarizing the Black Sea, given Russia’s dependence on the waterway and the Russian Navy’s extreme – and one-sided – vulnerability to Ukrainian attacks.

To that end, while President Trump is pursuing a morally and ethically correct outcome in trying to end a war that has taken too many lives and consumed vast resources, its unclear whether Trump is beginning to lose the political cards.

Indeed, whereas earlier this month, I noted a Gallup poll showing that, for the first time, more Americans supported a quick end to the war (50%) rather than wanting U.S. support to continue until Ukraine regains lost ground (48%), that has now shifted.

A majority (53%) of Americans now want to see support continue until Ukraine can reclaim its territory, versus 45% who prefer a quick end to the war in Gallup’s latest poll.

Further, there are signs that Trump’s efforts are increasingly out of step with the American public.

Asked whether they support Ukraine or Russia, roughly 6-in-10 (61%) registered voters said Ukraine, compared to just 2% who say Russia in a new NBC News poll. 

However, when asked where they believe Trump’s sympathies lie, nearly one-half (49%) of registered voters believe Trump’s lie with Russia, while less than 1-in-10 (8%) said Ukraine.

To be clear, this is not to suggest that Trump actually does favor Moscow over Kyiv. The President has been extremely clear that in pursuit of a peace deal, he wants to see America recoup some of its investment from Ukraine, particularly in a mineral deal. 

Nor is it to say that Trump is necessarily wrong to push for a deal that may leave Ukraine short of everything it wants. 

The reality is that for as much as Biden promised to support Ukraine until it reclaimed all of its territory, that was never realistic given Russian nuclear power and significant manpower advantage.

Rather, it is to say that in attempting to reach a deal at any cost, Trump may be misreading both Putin and domestic American politics. 

Ultimately, Trump must find a way to end the war without leaving Putin emboldened to either try again in a few years, or to invade a NATO country. But he also must do so in a way that preserves America’s standing as the leader of the free world.

In order to achieve that, Trump should do what to this point he has largely shied away from. Specifically, he should make it clear to Putin that continued intransigence and refusal to agree to a deal will be met with continued U.S. military and economic assistance to Ukraine.

Of course, he does not have to be as idealistic as Biden was, but Trump uniquely has the ability to make Putin believe that dithering and further aggression will not produce the results Moscow wants, and will only make an eventual deal less friendly to Russia.

Douglas Schoen is a longtime Democratic political consultant.

​ Orange County Register 

Alexander: Aday Mara leads the way for UCLA in NCAA Tournament win

• March 21, 2025

LEXINGTON, Ky. — One thing above all others was apparent in UCLA’s triumphant return to the NCAA Tournament here Thursday night: Good things happen for the Bruins when Aday Mara is in the game.

The 7-foot-3 sophomore from Zaragoza, Spain, had his fingerprints all over the Bruins’ 72-47 first-round victory over Utah State, even after a scare early in the second half when he went limping to the bench to have his left ankle re-taped.

Ordinarily, the plus-minus statistic can be deceptive in basketball. But this one had some significance: Mara was a plus-21 against the Aggies, with the Bruins outscoring Utah State 31-10 when he was on the court. And this was a game that turned in the first half on his actions, some little, some big.

Mara didn’t start. He seldom does, and Coach Mick Cronin has noted that Mara is still building up strength and stamina – and, additionally, has been battling some sort of sinus infection since the team got to Lexington. But Cronin isn’t afraid to bring him in early, and he did so Thursday night, just 3½ minutes in. He wound up playing 20 minutes, with 10 points (on 4-for-5 shooting, all in the first half), six rebounds, two assists and five blocked shots.

Three of those blocks came in rat-a-tat-a-tat succession on consecutive Utah State possessions, and while the Aggies don’t have much of an interior game anyway, this was even more reason for them to keep bombing away – or should we say, flailing away – from the outside.

The Aggies were 2 for 17 from behind the arc in the first half, making their first two and missing their next 15, and finished the game 4 for 31 from 3-point country and shooting 30% overall.

And his visible contributions, like the blocks and a pair of sweet offensive moves for baskets – an up-and-under move for a dunk and a left-handed hook, starting a 16-5 run at the end of the first half – go along with the stuff you don’t see in the box score, like the way he defends screens and makes sure he gets back to his man. Or the passes that indirectly lead to scores, even if they don’t wind up as assists.

They helped the Bruins get past the first round and into a Saturday meeting with No. 2 seed Tennessee, deep in the heart of Southeastern Conference country, for a spot in the Sweet 16.

There is the downside, maybe what was feared when he rolled his ankle against Wisconsin last week in the Big Ten Tournament. Mara checked in briefly to start the second half and limped to the sideline a minute and a half later to have his ankle re-taped. When he returned to the game, the rout was on and not even a 10-0 Utah State outburst in the final minutes could change it.

Part of succeeding at this point of the season, Cronin said, is having that feeling that you belong here, that you can handle the moment and the ebbs and flows of tournament basketball.

For instance, Eric Dailey Jr. faced early foul trouble and sat out a chunk of the first half, but he finished with 14 points and four rebounds and provided a couple of key baskets in the final 10 minutes.

“I knew we had to win this game and stay locked in in the second half,” the transfer from Oklahoma State said. “Just got myself going and some things were falling for me. So that’s all I can say about that, keep playing hard.”

Said Cronin: “Look, it scared me when Eric went out with the second foul (10 minutes in). He’s a guy – him and Sebastian (Mack), they’re not afraid to say something to their teammates. They’re not quiet. And you saw – Eric, in his 22 minutes, he was all over the damn place. You’ve got to have a guy – confidence matters.

“You have to have a confidence about you. … You know, you’ve got to believe that you’re supposed to win in this damn tournament. The (seeding) number next to your name was given to you by a bunch of people that never played basketball, in a room, so what the hell do they know?”

Some already have that air about them. Is Mara developing it?

Yes, his coach said.

“He’s come such a long way in two years. And that’s a credit to him,” Cronin said. “A lot of guys quit. I tell guys, my speech is, guys get to college and it’s really hard unless you’re name is Michael Jordan or Cooper Flagg, Lonzo Ball or Kevin Love. (For) 99.9% of them, it’s harder than they think it’s going to be. And you either quit, transfer, blame others, or you get to work. And that’s what life is about.

“… So, Aday, he put his head down and he has really, really worked hard, for a young kid that never really worked hard until he got to UCLA. He was just a prodigy of size and skill.

“I’m really proud of him. Look at his numbers – five blocks, 10 points, six rebounds in 20 minutes. And I’m telling you he is sick. He was our high deflection guy (in the team’s internal statistics) because of the blocked shots.”

But here’s the thing: Once you do it, you have to keep doing it. If Mara can pull that off, starting Saturday and continuing over the next two weeks, this could be a story that goes down in Bruin lore. And that is saying something.

Because, as Cronin noted:

“They’re the only one in this tournament that practices under 11 banners, championship banners, only one. And when we walk out there with them uniforms on, everybody knows them uniforms. So you have to have an air about you.”

[email protected]

​ Orange County Register 

Republicans may regret undermining judicial independence

• March 21, 2025

Under the U.S. Constitution, federal judges “hold their Offices during good Behaviour” and receive salaries that “shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office.” Like other “civil Officers of the United States,” they can be removed from office by Congress only if they are impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate of “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

Those provisions aim to protect judicial independence, which is essential to the rule of law. But Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur who unofficially runs the federal cost-cutting initiative known as the Department of Government Efficiency, seems to think “good Behaviour” precludes any ruling that obstructs his efforts, which he views as an impeachable offense.

That attitude jibes with President Donald Trump’s longstanding resentment of judicial interference with his agenda, which he reflexively portrays as politically motivated. It is especially troubling in light of Vice President JD Vance’s suggestion that the Trump administration would be justified in defying court orders that arguably impinge on “the executive’s legitimate power,” a position that is blatantly at odds with the judicial branch’s vital role in making sure that government officials respect statutory and constitutional limits on their authority.

“We are witnessing an attempted coup of American democracy by radical left activists posing as judges!” Musk complained on X, his social media platform, last month. “There need to be some repercussions above ZERO for judges who make truly terrible decisions,” he added later that day. “Judge not, lest ye be judged.”

In other posts, Musk spelled out what he had in mind. “When judges egregiously undermine the democratic will of the people, they must be fired or democracy dies!” he declared on Feb. 25, referring to a temporary restraining order that U.S. District Judge Amir Ali had issued against Trump’s 90-day freeze on foreign aid.

As Musk sees it, “the only way to restore rule of the people in America is to impeach judges.” Congress must “Impeach the CORRUPT judges,” he says, because “the people have spoken.” When judges “repeatedly abuse their authority to obstruct the will of the people via their elected representatives,” he thinks, they “should be impeached.”

Musk seems oblivious to the fact that judges are supposed to “obstruct the will of the people” when it is inconsistent with the law. In the foreign aid case, for example, aid recipients argued that Trump had violated the separation of powers by unilaterally deciding not to spend money that Congress had appropriated.

In granting a preliminary injunction on Monday, Ali concluded that the plaintiffs were likely to prevail on that claim. The appropriate response to that “terrible decision” is an appeal arguing that Ali got it wrong, a question that the Supreme Court may ultimately resolve.

The response that Musk prefers, firing any judge who dares to disagree with him, is a naked attempt to intimidate the judicial branch. Musk applauded when Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tennessee, announced that he was drafting articles of impeachment against Ali, and he hopes that threat will deter other judges from ruling against the Trump administration.

For good reason, that strategy has provoked objections even from reliable Trump allies. “You can’t always get what you want,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina. “I’m not a big fan of impeaching somebody because you don’t like their decision. They have to actually do something unethical.”

Since Republicans hold thin majorities in the House and Senate, such vindictive impeachments are unlikely to get far. But as Chief Justice John Roberts warned in December, threatening judges with impeachment based on unpopular decisions is one facet of a broader attempt to delegitimize judicial review.

Although Republicans routinely rely on that principle to challenge the policies of Democratic presidents, they may view it as dispensable now that their team is in charge. But since “the democratic will of the people” can change from one election to the next, they may have cause to regret that calculation.

Jacob Sullum is a senior editor at Reason magazine. Follow him on Twitter: @jacobsullum

​ Orange County Register 

NCAA Tournament: UCLA men dominate Utah State in opener

• March 21, 2025

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The UCLA men’s basketball team kicked off the NCAA Tournament by showing off its depth.

Skyy Clark and Eric Dailey Jr. each scored 14 points and seventh-seeded UCLA got contributions from up and down the roster, routing 10th-seeded Utah State, 72-47, on Thursday night to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five seasons.

Aday Mara, a 7-foot-3 reserve center, shook off an injury scare and added 10 points for Coach Mick Cronin’s Bruins (23-10), who will face second-seeded Tennessee on Saturday at 6:40 p.m. PT in the Midwest Region as they seek their fourth Sweet 16 appearance in the past five editions of March Madness. The Volunteers also cruised to an easy win, 77-62 over Wofford.

UCLA – which was coming off a blowout loss to Wisconsin in a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal – broke this game open by holding its Mountain West Conference opponent to just two free throws during a 12-2 run for a 39-27 halftime advantage. Then the Bruins had a 17-7 surge early in the second half to build a 20-point lead.

The Bruins finished at 48% from the field after shooting 55% in the first half. They shot 10 for 24 from 3-point range, eight of 10 players scored, and they had 22 assists on 26 baskets.

“The guys just did a great job,” Cronin said. “And it helped us to have three days because against a matchup zone defense you have to score on passing and cutting. You can’t dribble your way into it. They’re going to steal the ball. So guys just did a great job.”

Dylan Andrews had eight points and eight assists with just one turnover, while playing lockdown defense on Utah State’s Ian Martinez (two points on 1-for-11 shooting). Tyler Bilodeau added nine points and seven rebounds, Kobe Johnson scored eight points and Lazar Stefanovic had seven points and four assists for the Bruins.

UCLA turned in one of its best defensive efforts of the season.

“Defensive effort was awesome,” Cronin said. “Their spirit and their mind to be a great defensive team tonight just took Utah State out of their comfort zone. And uncomfortable teams shoot a low percentage.”

Indeed. Utah State (26-8) shot 30% while committing 11 turnovers, leading to 20 UCLA points. The Aggies outscored UCLA 17-10 in second-chance points, 28-22 in the paint and 16-9 on the fast break, but none of that could offset their 4-of-31 shooting from 3-point range.

“I thought in the first half, they made shots,” Calhoun said. “So much this time of year is about shot-making, right? And when you don’t make shots, it affects your defense.”

Mason Falslev scored 17 points and Deyton Albury had 12 for Utah State, which reached its third consecutive NCAA Tournament – this time under Jarrod Calhoun, the Aggies’ third coach in that span.

UCLA guard Sebastian Mack left midway through the second half with what Cronin said was a groin injury. The Bruins were safely ahead by then but stayed aggressive to put away an offense that ranked 14th in the country in shooting at nearly 49%.

“If you just let them come back in the game, they will,” said Clark, who shot 4 for 7 from 3-point range when not aiding the defensive effort. “And so just doing everything we could to try to get them out of rhythm and not let them run their offense, that was the key.”

The Bruins won for the 12th time in 16 games and edged Utah State 38-35 on the glass, including a 29-19 advantage on the defensive end.

Cronin was happy with his team’s effort but knows they need to raise their level against one of the SEC’s top teams this weekend.

“We’ve been preparing all year to play Saturday,” he said. “We don’t get to take any of these points with us. Whole new ball game. It’s different when you change weight classes. We’ll see. They used to say everybody thought they were tough until they walked in the ring with Mike Tyson. Everybody had a lot to say until the guy with no socks walked in and crushed him.

“It’s a different animal. Hopefully a lot of the Big Ten battles we’ve had will prepare us, because my respect for Coach [Rick] Barnes is off the charts. Because he does it the right way. He cares about kids. He’s not a phony. He is who he is. And Tennessee got really lucky when somebody else let him go.”

​ Orange County Register 

John Gibson, Trevor Zegras lead Ducks past Predators

• March 21, 2025

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Ducks got John Gibson back in goal and found their way back into the win column.

Gibson returned after missing seven games with an injury and made 33 saves, and Trevor Zegras had a goal and an assist on his 24th birthday to lead the Ducks to a 4-1 victory over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night.

Jackson LaCombe, Troy Terry and Alex Killorn also scored, and Mason McTavish had two assists as the Ducks (30-31-8, 68 points) won for just the second time in six games – both coming against the Predators.

It was just Gibson’s fourth appearance since a 26-save performance in a 2-1 victory over Dallas on Feb. 4 and his first since suffering a lower-body injury in a March 5 road loss to Vancouver.

“Amazing,” Zegras told NHL.com when asked about Gibson’s performance. “Mr. Orange County. He’s got that nickname for a reason. I don’t know how much time he missed, but it looked like none at all tonight. We’re always very happy to have him between the pipes.”

The Ducks are nine points behind the St. Louis Blues for the second wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference with a game in hand.

Steven Stamkos scored and Justus Annunen made 30 saves for the Predators (25-35-8, 58 points), who have managed only three goals while going 0-3-1 in their past four games.

The Ducks were getting outshot 4-0 when Nashville went on its first power play at 6:18 of the first period. Stamkos scored 49 seconds into the man-advantage on a one-timer from the top of the left circle, off a feed from Filip Forsberg. It was the 578th goal of Stamkos’ career, passing Mark Recchi for 22nd place in NHL history.

The Ducks evened the shot totals at 10-10 entering the second period and then tied the score at 7:29. McTavish took a sharp-angle shot off a rush, and the rebound came out to the front of the crease, where LaCombe was there to shoot it into the net.

“It was kind of an even hockey game in the first period, and then I think we capitalized on our chances in the second,” McTavish told NHL.com. “Just kind of hung on to the lead in the third. It was a big win for us.”

At 13:19 of the second period, Terry received a pass from Zegras above the left circle, cut into the middle and scored with a wrist shot from above the hash marks for a 2-1 lead.

“I think when we’re on our game and we’re getting pucks back on the forecheck, it leads to offensive zone time, which as I’ve shared with you guys has been a process with this group,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin told NHL.com. “They’re getting more comfortable with it. And then we built off of that throughout the game.”

The Ducks kept the pressure on, and Zegras knocked in a rebound in front of the crease to stretch the lead to 3-1 at 15:36.

“I thought we got it in behind them and kind of just wore them down a bit,” Zegras told NHL.com. “(Ducks forward Brett Leason and McTavish), they’re big bodies and they’re great on the forecheck. I just tried to help out as much as I can.”

Killorn scored into an empty net with 36 seconds left to make it 4-1.

After scoring in each of the previous two games, Ducks rookie forward Nikita Nesterenko sat out with an illness and defenseman Oliver Kylington made his Ducks debut in a lineup of 11 forwards and seven defensemen.

The Ducks swept Nashville for the first time since 2015.

UP NEXT

The Ducks host Carolina on Sunday at 5 p.m.

​ Orange County Register 

Darcy Kuemper remains stingy as Kings beat Blackhawks

• March 21, 2025

CHICAGO — Darcy Kuemper is doing his best to strengthen the Kings’ playoff position.

Kuemper made 17 saves and Trevor Moore, Alex Turcotte and Joel Edmundson scored to lead the Kings to a 3-1 victory over the struggling Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night, their sixth win in the past seven games.

Kuemper has surrendered just five goals in his last six games (two shutouts), after a 10-game run in which he allowed 31.

The Kings (37-21-9, 83 points) are in third place in the Pacific Division, two points behind second-place Edmonton but with two games in hand in their race for home-ice advantage in another potential first-round playoff series.

“I thought it was a really mature win because two goals early, and then that’s it until the empty net (goal late in the game),” Kuemper told NHL.com. “We didn’t change the way we were playing, made sure we were defending hard all game. That’s a big road win for us.”

Connor Bedard scored for the second straight game (his 19th goal of the season) and Spencer Knight made 30 saves for the Blackhawks (20-40-9, 49 points), who have lost a season-high six in a row (0-5-1). Chicago has been outscored 25-9 during its slide.

The Kings outshot Chicago 19-7 in a dominant first period and took a 2-0 lead on goals by Moore and Turcotte 59 seconds apart.

The Kings opened the scoring at 8:45 of the first when Moore brought the puck into the Chicago zone before pulling up above the right circle. He skated into the high slot and banked his screened shot off the inside of the left post for his 14th goal of the season.

The Kings doubled their lead less than a minute later, when Vladislav Gavrikov took a shot from above the left circle and along the wall and Turcotte deflected it into the net. Turcotte’s eighth goal of the season snapped a 24-game drought. He hadn’t scored since getting a pair in a 5-1 win in Vancouver on Jan. 16.

“The ‘D’ were doing a great job getting the puck to the net,” Turcotte told NHL.com. “I knew (Gavrikov) was shooting, kind of scoped (it) out, got a stick on it. Yeah, good bounce. Right place, right time.”

Chicago went on its second power play of the game when Gavrikov was called for interference on Teuvo Teravainen, and the Blackhawks scored during the man-advantage to cut their deficit to 2-1 at 10:50 of the second period.

Knight made a save on a short-handed chance by Drew Doughty, leading to a rush the other way. Tyler Bertuzzi carried the puck into the Kings’ zone and dropped a pass for Teravainen, who sent the puck to Bertuzzi on the right side of the net. Bertuzzi fed the puck to Bedard for a one-timer from the right circle.

Kuemper made a point-blank pad save on Lukas Reichel’s one-timer 2:45 into the third to keep the Kings ahead.

The Blackhawks pulled Knight for the extra skater, but Edmundson fired from deep in the Kings’ zone and scored into the empty net to extend the lead to 3-1 with 19 seconds remaining to ice the victory.

“I would like to have got three or four, make it a little bit easier, but we hung in there,” Kings coach Jim Hiller told NHL.com. “First period was good. If you go back to the first period the last time we played here (a 5-1 loss on March 3), we had way more quality chances in that period and came up with (one). So it was nice to see a couple go in. I think that was really important. If we would have come out of there without any after playing that well again, it would have been hard for us. So it was just good to see the puck go in.”

The Kings salvaged a win in their final game this season against the Blackhawks after losing 4-3 in a shootout on Nov. 2 at Crypto.com Arena and losing a game in Chicago earlier this month.

“Obviously these can be challenging games,” Kuemper told NHL.com. “They’ve given us some trouble this year. They got a lot of skill, and they kind of wait for you to make mistakes. You’ve got to be patient. Their goalie was making a lot of saves, so you’ve got to stay patient offensively and not take too many chances because that’s what they’re waiting for.

“We definitely owed these guys. They’ve given us trouble, so we wanted to come out and give them our best tonight.”

UP NEXT

The Kings host Carolina on Saturday at 1 p.m.

​ Orange County Register 

Tesoro softball moving in the right direction, knocks off No. 8 JSerra

• March 21, 2025

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – The Tesoro softball team won a South Coast League title last season but graduated all but three starters. The Titans were going to rebuild. Going to need to mature. Going to need time.

But the time might be now.

For the second time in two games, Tesoro ventured into Top 10-level competition in Orange County and more than held its own. Riding the left arm of pitcher Loula-Rae McNamara, Tesoro knocked off No. 8 JSerra, 3-1, in a nonleague game Thursday

Ranked No. 21 in the Register’s Top 25, Tesoro improved to 5-3 while JSerra dropped to 8-5 overall.

The programs are not dissimilar, with plenty of underclassmen being called upon to contribute. But they have vastly different appreciations for how they have handled their respective situations.

“A big senior class graduated, so this is a really young team,” Tesoro coach Sara Higgins said. “We’re filling spots with freshmen and sophomores, but we’re just as competitive as we were last year. Having not played together as a unity previously, I could not have envisioned how well they have played, how super competitive they are with some of the best teams out there.

“I’ve been joking with my staff and athletic director that I actually have to earn my salary, my stipend. In previous years, the girls were on top of their game – three of them are playing DI college softball as we speak. I was more of a rah-rah coach previously, where I would be their mental assistant. … This year, we have had to really do the fundamentals, go back to the drawing board, really develop players again. It feels like I’ve gone back to the root of coaching, which has been fun and inspiring.”

There’s plenty of reason to be inspired. In their previous outing, the Titans lost to No. 1 El Modena, 1-0, in the bottom of the 11th inning. They should be playing with confidence.

McNamara, whose next stop will be Boise State, was fantastic against the JSerra lineup, which is also young. She gave up an infield single – a swinging bunt that trickled off her outstretched glove. Ava Van Heerde took second on Ava Geoghegan’s sac bunt, and an out later scored from third on Brook Stephens’ double to right-center field. McNamara hit Zena Edwards to put runners at first and second, but got a grounder to third base from cleanup hitter Melia Munoz, who had singled sharply off McNamara’s shin an inning earlier.

Tesoro answered immediately in the fourth inning to tie the score. Reese Fraser was hit with one out, took second on Chloe Gillis’ sacrifice, reached third on a wild pitch, and scored on McNamara’s double off the glove of the diving shortstop.

“If we hadn’t gotten that run, we would have been in a deficit,” Higgins said, “probably would have lost momentum emotionally and physically. It kept our hearts in it, kept our confidence up. That first run was the most significant run we created.”

But there were two more runs that decided the outcome. In the sixth, Fraser reached on an error, took second on Gillis’ bunt that turned into a single, and reached third on McNamara’s third hit of the game. With the bases loaded, Sami Macchiaroli bunted home Fraser, and then Bella Barley bunted home Gillis.

“I’m really big on manufacturing runs by any means possible,” Higgins said. “If I feel like we’re not reading a pitcher, I will turn to small ball. … Our bats weren’t on, so we had to make something happen. Even our hits were not solid contact. But you have to find a way, right? You’ve gotta find a way by any means possible.”

And so Tesoro is feeling good about itself. Performances by Macchiaroli at shortstop – after playing second base last season – Harlow Higgins at catcher, and Chloe Gillis at first base, have mitigated the losses of the Titans’ graduated core. McNamara especially praised Harlow Higgins, who had to fill the shoes of Kennedy Hobson, who is now the starting catcher at North Idaho.

“I thought we were going to have some missing pieces because we lost so many seniors, but kids have stepped up,” McNamara said.

In the other dugout, JSerra is also trying to fill holes. But the Lions aren’t feeling as good about it as Tesoro.

“Errors, unfortunately, have been an Achilles heel for us,” JSerra coach Katie Stith said. “We know we need to eliminate that, but ultimately we have to be able to score runs. All I’m looking for at this point is preparing for Trinity League, which starts on Tuesday. I’m looking to mesh well as a team.

“I think because I have four freshmen starting right now, there’s a huge amount of pressure on them to perform, and I think they’re feeling that. But we just need to relax. They’re trying to do more than they need to because they’re trying to fill bigger needs for the team. They’re playing not to make mistakes, and when you do that, you tend to make mistakes.”

It seems there’s such a small margin for error in softball. Much like soccer, every run can be an achievement. Missed opportunities can be killers. A couple of one-out singles from the No. 8 and 9 hitters, Van Heerde and Geoghegan, gave the Lions a final rally opportunity. But McNamara responded with a strikeout and grounder back to the circle to complete the performance.

McNamara (4-3) gave up six hits, no walks, and had eight strikeouts. She bettered JSerra’s Liliana Escobar (7-1), who gave up one earned run on five hits, two walks, a hit batter, and had eight strikeouts.

For a fourth-year varsity pitcher like McNamara – who had never beaten JSerra – this game was special. This season is special.

“I want to leave everything I’ve worked for the last four years on the field,” McNamara said. “I want to leave a legacy here and show we’re just as good as anybody, any other team we step on the field with.”

On Thursday, they were. They were better.

​ Orange County Register 

At an Altadena apartment complex, tenants say they’ve gone without gas, electricity since Eaton fire

• March 21, 2025

At 403 Figueroa Drive in Altadena, a large, tan apartment complex sits, the building spared by the Eaton fire. But the fire’s devastation stretches well beyond structure losses, and every day the tenants at the complex feel the lingering effects of the long-extinguished blaze, along with the scent of its smoke, in their apartments.

For more than two months, tenants say they have been living with no gas or electricity, or both, as difficulties abound with the rental management. The fire burned the carports at the complex as well as several nearby structures, leaving ash and debris everywhere. Many of the tenants are immigrant workers, and suffer from not only a difficult living situation, but also loss of income as their places of work and clients lost homes and businesses.

“Solo el pueblo salva el pueblo,” a group of over a hundred tenants and supporters chanted as they gathered outside the building on Thursday, March 20 to share their stories: “Only the village saves the village.”

Brenda Lopez’s family has lived in the building for 29 years; Lopez has resided there since she was 6 months old. Since they returned home after the Eaton fire, Lopez says there has been no gas in their unit and that others in the complex have been living with no gas or electricity.

“If we have to take a shower we heat up water on our electric stove that we have and we shower that way,” Lopez said. “It’s stressful because it’s one big community and because of how long its taken to address the situation, so many people have left.”

The tenants have been told by Southern California Edison that the issue is with the rental management, not the utility company, Lopez said. But, the management company has not given them any answers, even after some tenants showed up to their office in person.

Request for comment placed with the management company late Thursday were not immediately returned.

“Put yourself in our shoes. We are very conscious that we are not able to stay here, but many of us do not have anywhere else to go,” Lopez said. “This is our home and we are going to fight until we have our basic necessities back.”

Maria Mares, another longtime resident who lives at the complex with her children and grandchildren, will also stay at the complex, but she wants to live in peace and safety, which is not the current state of the complex.

“It has affected her and her family, living in this type of inequality and this type of situation, because the employees of the landlord harass them,” a translator for Mares, who spoke of her experience in Spanish, said. “They threaten to call immigration, they threaten to call the police upon them just for fighting for their rights.”

Mares said she and her family are asking for humanity and to not be ignored. They have looked for other places to live, but with high costs of rent and large security deposits required, it has been difficult to find an affordable place to live, so they will remain.

Lopez and other tenants have banded together to form the Tenants Committee 403, calling for the return of utilities, compliance with tenant protection ordinances and for the cleaning of affected areas to be prioritize.

The National National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) joined in supporting the tenants committee.

“People need to have the materials that they need to protect them from the toxins so that they can clean their homes and do it in a way that is safe and not get cancer,” Pablo Alvarado, co-executive director of NDLON said in Spanish.

While Lopez, Mares, their families and many other families are staying at the complex, some are leaving, feeling that it is simply too unsafe to remain.

Maria Dolores Funes lived in the complex for 35 years with her sister and other family members. Her unit has been cleaned out and she will not return. Though she did not want to have to leave her home, she felt that the smoke has made the apartment unsafe to live in. She wears a mask anytime she enters the apartment. It got on everything, her television, clothes, family photos. Instead, she and her family prefer to live in a nearby city, further from the damage.

Those that are staying at the complex, as well as many who are involved in the cleanup effort both at the complex and elsewhere in the burn zone, have fears about the long term affects of the smoke and rubble on their health.

Andrea Morales is another tenant who will not be able to return to the complex.

“I can’t come back because there is no gas and electricity for my kids,” Morales said in Spanish. “The walls are burnt… they’re covered in ash and toxins and one of my children has asthma, it’s not safe for them.”

Morales said management gave her paint and told her to paint over the smoke damaged walls when she asked about what could be done.

As fears of health compound the difficulties of daily life with no gas and electricity, many tenants have been relying on the Pasadena and Altadena community to help them. As tenants and community organizers called upon the rental management to reinstate utilities to the Figueroa Drive residents, they also called for community solidarity.

Cesar Saucedo is one of the many volunteers with the Pasadena Community Job Center who have been helping cleanup in Altadena overall, as well as at the 403 Figueroa Drive complex. He and other volunteers donned hazmat suits and cleaned Funes’ apartment, which now shows no signs of the smoke damage seen in photos from after the fire.

Some residents will seek out the assistance of Job Center employees, trusting their thoroughness over companies hired by management. According to signage posted on apartment doors, the rental management began the necessary cleaning processes on March 10.

“Only through love and solidarity will we continue to be Altadena,” Jose Madera, director of the job center, said.

​ Orange County Register