Orange County girls water polo Top 10 rankings, Dec. 19

• December 20, 2023

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GIRLS WATER POLO

O.C. TOP 10

(Records through Dec. 18)

1. Orange Lutheran (4-0)

Reigning O.C. player of the year Lauren Steele posted a “see ya” on social media to high school. The stellar goalie is headed to UCLA.

2. Foothill (3-1)

Deirdre Murphy scored four goals in the Knights’ 11-10 loss in overtime against San Marcos last week. The reigning SoCal champion struggled with exclusions but Coach Paden Mitchell praised his team’s effort.

3. Newport Harbor (5-1)

Freshman Gabby Alexson scored the winning goal as the Sailors opened the Surf League with an 11-10 win against Laguna Beach last week.

4. Mater Dei (4-1)

Senior Hadley Harbilas, one of the Monarchs’ top field players, announced her commitment to Princeton. Goalie Sophia Bunnell, a transfer from Santa Margarita, committed to Michigan.

5. Laguna Beach (3-4)

The Breakers lost to Newport Harbor and Oaks Christian by matching scores of 11-10 last week. Ava Knepper netted four goals against Newport Harbor.

6. Corona del Mar (6-0)

Sea Queens’ coach Marc Hunt encounters his first Battle of the Bay match at Newport Harbor on Saturday.

7. JSerra (3-2)

The Lions handled Huntington Beach 13-2 last week.

8. San Clemente (4-3)

The Tritons take on Division 1 foe Schurr in a nonleague match Friday.

9. Santa Margarita (7-3)

The Eagles don’t return to action until Jan. 10 against Orange Lutheran in their Trinity League opener.

10. Beckman (5-3)

The Patriots enter the Top 10 after placing second to fellow Division 2 contender Alta Loma at the Chino Hills tournament. Beckman lost 9-8.

Please send water polo news to Dan Albano at [email protected] or @ocvarsityguy

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Orange County scores and player stats for Tuesday, Dec. 19

• December 19, 2023

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Scores and stats from Orange County games on Tuesday, Dec. 19

Click here for details about sending your team’s scores and stats to the Register.

The deadline for submitting information is 10:45 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 p.m. Saturday.

TUESDAY’S SCORES

BOYS BASKETBALL

CITY OF PALMS CLASSIC (SUNSHINE SERIES)

Ft. Myers, FL

Mater Dei 71, Windermere Prep (FL) 47

MD: Davidson 16 pts, 9 rebs. Barnett 16 pts. Martinsen 15 pts. Verna 11 pts, 12 rebs.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

NIKE TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

Phoenix, AZ

IMG Academy 58, Mater Dei 52

Cotton 22 pts. Deal 13 pts.

Other TOC scores

Campbell County (WY) 69, Crean Lutheran 65

​ Orange County Register 

Trinity League girls basketball looms tougher with improvement of Santa Margarita and JSerra

• December 19, 2023

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Santa Margarita’s girls basketball team reached the finals of the Sunny Hills Showcase by playing without a major transfer who will soon be eligible. JSerra’s four starting freshmen combined to sink 11 3-pointers in a quality victory on the road.

If the performances last week by the Trinity League’s two bottom-finishing teams a year ago were any indication, the Eagles and Lions are vastly improved.

And that makes the Trinity League as tough as ever.

“It’s going to make for a fun and interesting Trinity League,” Santa Margarita coach Seyram Bell said. “But that’s what it’s all about, right? There’s some tough competition. Every game is going to be a battle. Nothing is guaranteed.”

Mater Dei, Orange Lutheran and Rosary are all ranked in somewhat familiar spots in the Orange County Top 10. But the Trinity League will have two other teams to watch when it tips off in early January.

No. 21 Santa Margarita (9-4) is expected to have speedy, sophomore point guard Sydnie Lendsey, who has observed the sitout period since her transfer from Buena Park.

She’ll join a lineup led by high-scoring and physical senior forward Lea-Line Romain and improved senior Emma Tijanich.

The Eagles showed progress at the Sunny Hills Showcase by defeating the host Lancers and Capistrano Valley Christian before pushing No. 11 Portola in a 42-38 loss in the finals.

It was a strong showing for a program that finished 7-17 last season and missed the playoffs.

“We’ve been progressively getting better every tournament we’ve been in,” said Bell, whose team will play in the SoCal Holiday Prep Classic in San Diego after Christmas.

“We’ve got a lot of young kids on our team … and our seniors are stepping up. Emma and Lea are doing a very good job in carrying us.”

“(Lendsey) will open up things for everybody else because she’s so good off the dribble,” the coach added.

JSerra freshmen Rosie Santos, Shae Talleur, Addie Nolan and Eden Hoff flashed their shooting abilities in a 65-58 victory at Pacifica Christian last week. They combined for 11 3-pointers against the Tritons, a team to watch in the challenging San Joaquin League.

JSerra improved to 10-1 after not winning a game last season.

“Going from not winning a game to winning, it’s really a blessing,” Lions coach Chyanne Butler said. “I think we can place well in Trinity League. I have high hopes for them because I believe in them and they play hard. Anything can happen.”

JSerra is playing the San Pedro tournament this week and the Savanna tournament after Christmas.

NOTES 

The all-tournament team from the Sunny Hills Showcase included Portola’s Kira Watanabe (MVP), Romain, Kiana Graham of Sonora and Andrea Rico of Capistrano Valley Christian. …

Sonora boys and girls are hosting a showcase on Jan. 6 to benefit Children’s Hospital of Orange County. The games will be played at Sonora and Sunny Hills. …

Sunny Hills coach Jae Byun is being assisted by John Wooldridge, who coached him during his playing days at the school. “It’s kind of full circle (for me),” Byun said. “It’s awesome.”

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OCYSF to honor Ann Meyers Drysdale, Janet Evans and April Ross

• December 19, 2023

The Orange County Youth Sports Foundation will honor Orange County Olympians Ann Meyers Drysdale, Janet Evans and April Ross at its annual banquet Jan. 10 at the Hyatt Regency Irvine.

The OCYSF has awarded more than $1 million in scholarships and financial aid to Orange County high school athletes.

Meyers Drysdale was a multisport athlete at Sonora High School. She went on to become a four-time All-America basketball player at UCLA and played for the USA team in the 1976 Olympics. Meyers Drysdale has had a long career as a broadcaster and as a pro basketball executive.

Evans of El Dorado High School won four Olympic gold medals in swimming, competing in the 1988 and ‘92 Summer Games. She set multiple world records including in the 400-meter, 800-meter and 1,500-meter freestyle. Among her post-swimming career work is as a leader of the LA28 Olympic Committee.

Ross was a girls volleyball national player of the year at Newport Harbor High. She has won Olympic gold, silver and bronze medals in beach volleyball and had a long and successful pro beach volleyball career. Ross was the national college volleyball player of the year at USC.

Veteran sportscaster Bob Costas is the master of ceremonies.

For information on table purchases or sponsorship opportunities email OCYSF board member Mark Todd at [email protected] or call 949-514-000. Information about the foundation is available at ocysf.org.

​ Orange County Register 

War memorials carry the blood and pain of history into the present. They should never be removed.

• December 19, 2023

A 71-year-old Vietnam veteran today is about the same age as a Civil War veteran was in 1914.

Certainly no one in public office today would entertain a suggestion to tear down the Vietnam War memorial. The deeply affecting monument is made up of two black granite walls inscribed with the names of over 58,000 service members who didn’t come home from that controversial war. The memorial was completed in 1982, just over 40 years ago. Imagine, if you can, that 60 years from now, politicians might decide that the Vietnam War memorial is inappropriate or offensive, and then take a wrecking ball to it.

That would be a desecration. Nothing could be more dishonorable than to erase an earlier generation’s recognition of the terrible costs of a horrific war.

But on Monday, the U.S. government began to tear down a century-old Civil War memorial in Arlington National Cemetery. The demolition work was halted hours later when a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order, an action that resulted from a lawsuit filed by a group called Defend Arlington. Their complaint charged that the U.S. Army, which runs the cemetery, rushed its decision to remove the monument without first completing an environmental impact report, and that the demolition risked damage to nearby graves and headstones.

The monument is the Confederate Memorial, also known as the Reconciliation Monument. It was dedicated in 1914, when a veteran who was 18 years old at the start of the Civil War would have been 71.

The well-known and respected sculptor was Moses Jacob Ezekiel, born in Richmond in 1844. Ezekiel was a cadet at the Virginia Military Institute during the Civil War (the first Jewish cadet ever to attend VMI), and as a cadet he fought on the Confederate side in the 1864 Battle of New Market. Ezekiel died in 1917 and is buried at the base of the monument he created.

Reconciliation after the Civil War took many decades. In 1900, when the war and its casualties were within the memory of any American older than 40, Congress authorized the burial of Confederate remains at Arlington National Cemetery in a special section. In 1906, Secretary of War William Howard Taft authorized the United Daughters of the Confederacy, an organization of Southern women, to raise money for a memorial in that section of the cemetery. That’s the monument now slated for removal.

The Confederate Memorial stands accused of showing “a nostalgic, mythologized vision of the Confederacy, including highly sanitized depictions of slavery.” There are 32 life-size figures on the towering bronze pedestal. According to the final report of “The Naming Commission,” chartered by Congress in 2021 to remove names and symbols of the Confederacy from “assets” of the Department of Defense, “Two of these figures are portrayed as African-American: an enslaved woman depicted as a ‘Mammy,’ holding the infant child of a white officer, and an enslaved man following his owner to war.”

It would be appropriate and decent to inform visitors to Arlington National Cemetery that the Confederate Memorial was constructed during a period of time in the first half of the 20th century when certain offensive characterizations and stereotypes were widely seen in popular culture. The Naming Commission’s report mentions “Gone With the Wind.” The list is much longer than that.

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What’s never appropriate or decent is to drive a crane over the hallowed ground of a national cemetery to tear down a war memorial.

The Naming Commission recommended that the Army “should consider the most cost-effective method of removal and disposal of the monument’s elements,” as if it was a pile of trash.

That’s a revolting way to refer to a monument to war veterans, regardless of what anyone thinks of the war or the monument.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, who has opposed the removal of the monument, said he plans to move it to the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park in the Shenandoah Valley. But the monument belongs where it is, in Arlington National Cemetery, standing somberly above the graves of the fallen in our reunited country.

War memorials carry the blood and pain of history into the present. They should never be removed.

Write [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @Susan_Shelley

​ Orange County Register 

Alaska flight attendants picket John Wayne Airport, LAX over wages

• December 19, 2023

Alaska Airlines flight attendants picketed John Wayne Airport and LAX on Tuesday, Dec. 19, saying they’re underpaid and not being compensated for the time they spend boarding, deplaning and waiting between flights.

The employees, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, announced they will begin gathering strike authorization votes on Jan. 8 amid stalled contract negotiations.

Tuesday’s pickets and announcement are happening in conjunction with similar events at Alaska Airlines hubs across the country. Thousands of flight attendants were expected to turn out for a “nationwide day of action.”

United Airlines flight attendants, also represented by AFA-CWA, picketed LAX last week for the second time over the same issues. Their rally was also part of a nationwide day of action demanding that United management negotiate a “fair” labor contract.

Nearly 970 Alaska flight attendants are based out of LAX, although many fly in and out of John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Ontario International Airport and Hollywood Burbank Airport.

“The mood is not good,” Alaska AFA President Tim Green said. “We’re tired of this disrespect from airline management. We’re committed to fight for our fair share.”

Green said Alaska flight attendants earn a starting wage of $26,946 a year — about 20% less than competing airlines pay. And they’re not getting paid when they’re not flying but are still on the clock, he said.

“Most of us live in Southern California, and it’s not enough to keep up with the high housing costs,” Green said. “Our wait between flights can sometimes be two to four hours. We need to be paid, whether we’re in the air or on the ground.”

They’ve been in contract negotiations with the airline for more than a year, but talks have stalled over management’s “inadequate economic proposals,” flight attendants said.

Just months after saying the flight attendant proposals were not “economically feasible,” Alaska management announced plans to purchase Hawaiian Airlines for $1.9 billion, the union said.

“The truth is, Alaska management can afford an industry-leading contract,” said Jeffrey Peterson, president of the Alaska chapter of AFA-CWA. “We will not accept terms that leave us falling even further behind the industry for years to come.”

In a Tuesday posting on its website, Alaska Airlines said it provided an updated economic offer in October that would put its flight attendants at or near the top of the industry in most areas, including pay.

The proposal includes an immediate 15% pay increase and market rate adjustments to keep them in line with new contracts at other airlines, management said.

“Contrary to union narratives, we do pay flight attendants for boarding time through a pay mechanism that was negotiated with the union in previous contract cycles,” the airline said. “We remain open to alternative pay structures proposed by the union during negotiations.”

Alaska added that its acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines “does not impact our ability or desire to reach an agreement.”

Timothy Trueman, AFA-CWA’s council vice president for Los Angeles and San Diego, said flight attendants are putting in lots of hours they’re not being paid for.

“Even though their wages might seem high, they only get paid once the door closes on takeoff to when the plane rolls into the gate,” he said. “So at the end of the day, they might have worked 13 hours, but only gotten paid for seven.”

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Lakers head back on the road looking to get out of post-tournament slump

• December 19, 2023

Anthony Davis stopped short of calling the Lakers’ play from over the last week a “championship hangover.”

“I mean, we’re not losing by 20,” he said after Monday’s home loss to the New York Knicks. “We’re in every game. We’re fighting. Competing. Playing hard.”

Added Davis: “I don’t think that it’s one of those.”

But after the defeat to the Knicks – putting the Lakers (15-12) at 1-3 since winning the In-Season Tournament last weekend in Las Vegas – there was an awareness that they haven’t been as sharp as they were during the tournament, which they went undefeated in (7-0) to win the inaugural NBA Cup.

And they aren’t alone, with the Indiana Pacers – the team they beat to win the tournament – being 1-4 since leaving Las Vegas.

While Coach Darvin Ham made clear he isn’t one to make excuses, there was an acknowledgment of the factors that have provided his team with adversity.

Since Thanksgiving, the Lakers have played nine of 12 games outside of Los Angeles – including the tournament championship victory over the Pacers on Dec. 9 that didn’t count in the regular-season standings.

“Las Vegas wasn’t a long flight for us, but it’s just, obviously being within your normal schedule, it’s going to have an effect, be it positive or negative,” Ham said. “I thought it was more positive than negative for sure. But that said, there is a travel schedule.

“No one’s going to feel sorry for you. Everybody goes through it, man. It’s a marathon of a league.”

And with the Lakers’ upcoming three-game road trip, which starts on Wednesday in Chicago against the Bulls (11-17) before matchups against the Minnesota Timberwolves (20-5) on Thursday and Oklahoma City Thunder (17-8) on Saturday, more road-weariness is expected.

“It’s tough,” Davis said. “For the whole month of December, we’ve really been on the road – and are gonna be on the road for probably the rest of December. But there’s nothing we can really do about it. It’s the schedule. Just gotta take care of our bodies and get some guys back hopefully within the next couple of games. But it’s definitely a mental challenge going on the road as much as we are right now.”

The Lakers have also been beset by health problems.

Davis, LeBron James and Jarred Vanderbilt have all missed a game because of injury in the last week. D’Angelo Russell and Christian Wood have recently missed a game because of a non-COVID illness. Ham also wasn’t at Sunday’s practice because of a non-COVID illness.

The Lakers are still waiting on the return of guard Gabe Vincent, who has only played in four games and hasn’t played since Oct. 30 because of a left knee effusion (swollen joint).

Ham said before Monday’s loss that Vincent “has come a long way” and that there are “a few more conditioning boxes” to be checked before the team makes the decision to make him active.

“We got to get some rest and get healthy,” James said. “We want to finish out December the right way. There is no rest for the weary. We just got to mentally stay locked in and get ready for Chicago first, who got a big win [Monday] against Philly in Philly.”

But the adversity they’re facing – road-heavy stretches and varying player health/availability – is life in the NBA.

And it’s on the Lakers to figure out how to navigate the next 1½ weeks before a home-heavy stretch in January.

“We’ve seen what we can do when we’re 100 percent healthy,” Davis said. “Just gotta get there. Just keep fighting, honestly. I mean, there’s nothing more we can say or do. Just take on the challenge. Every team is battling something. And we still have to find ways to win.”

LAKERS AT BULLS

When: Wednesday, 5 p.m. PT

Where: United Center, Chicago

TV/Radio: Spectrum SportsNet, 710 AM

​ Orange County Register 

Does California have a right-to-die law? Ask the Lawyer

• December 19, 2023

Q: Dad is still of good mind. He can reason, make decisions, but has been very depressed and is physically in a bad way. He has an illness that is gradually depriving him of motor control and he is expected to die within 6 to 12 months. He has expressed a desire to end his life. Is there a right to die in California?

R.G., Carson

Ron Sokol

A: My thoughts are with you, your family and your dad. It is difficult, if not impossible, to grasp what all must be involved in that decision.

What I can indicate is that in 2016, the California End of Life Option Act went into effect and was then revised in 2022. The law permits a terminally ill adult, who is a California resident, to request a medication from his or her physician that will bring an end to his or her life. There is a form for the individual to fill out, which is to be witnessed and which requires certain information. In addition, there are attending physician forms that must be submitted.  A very helpful link online about the process and the forms is available through the California Department of Public Health: cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CHSI/Pages/End-of-Life-Option-Act-.aspx. I encourage you to review that link. Further, consultation with counsel or another qualified professional is prudent as well.

Q: I am having an operation that probably is not life threatening, but among the items they ask me to answer is whether I have an advanced health care directive. Please explain what this is and why I am to answer.

Y.A., Lakewood

A: There invariably is quite a bit of paperwork for you to sign, and in some instances initial, before undergoing surgery. Part of this relates to risks attendant to the surgical procedure (including if you are anesthetized). Some, like the advanced health care directive, tie into those risks, but also provide useful and very critical information to the facility, staff and physician(s).

The advanced health care directive is addressed at California Probate Code 4701. Here is a quote from that section which speaks for itself: “You have the right to give instructions about your own physical and mental health care. You also have the right to name someone else to make those health care decisions for you. This form lets you do either or both of these things. It also lets you express your wishes regarding donation of organs and the designation of your primary physician.”

The Advanced Health Care Directive Form at Section 4701 can be utilized by you as is, or modified, or you can use a different form, but bottom line it covers “directives” about your health, both physical and mental. The surgery facility, staff and physician want and need to know (if not be assured) you have that in place.

Ron Sokol has been a practicing attorney for over 40 years, and has also served many times as a judge pro tem, mediator, and arbitrator. It is important to keep in mind that this column presents a summary of the law, and is not to be treated or considered legal advice, let alone a substitute for actual consultation with a qualified professional.

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