Senate Bill 79 is simply the wrong way to go about solving our housing crisis

• June 4, 2025

In the city of Bellflower, local officials are doing everything they can to meet their community’s housing needs. But a recent fight with the county transit agency over land use serves as a cautionary tale of the rising unchecked power of transit agencies and the diminishing authority of both local governments and the will of the people. 

Bellflower officials are currently implementing their state-approved housing plans and zoning nearly 4,000 new homes over the next five years. This plan has taken years to develop and is grounded in public input, environmental review, and community needs. 

The city has also identified an additional 22 acres of land that can be developed into housing. However, the LA County Metro Transportation Authority (METRO) has initiated an eminent domain proceeding to take over the property and use it as a maintenance yard for the new Southeast Gateway Line Project.

To METRO, this is a plot of land to store their vehicles and equipment. To Bellflower, this could be more than 1,600 new homes in the community, including much-needed affordable housing. And if a Senate bill aimed at increasing construction around major public transportation hubs passes, this scenario could play out in other cities throughout the state. 

Senate Bill 79, introduced by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, would completely disregard state-approved housing plans and give land use authority to transit agencies with limited requirements to build housing, let alone affordable housing. The bill upends the years of thoughtful planning and community input that city officials carry out when developing their housing plans, while giving unilateral power to transit agencies.  

To add insult to injury, SB 79 was recently amended in a political trade-off to carve out certain communities in the wealthy areas of Marin and Sonoma counties from its most onerous requirements. Once again, our lower-income communities are asked to bear a disproportionate burden by increasing the density in our already dense neighborhoods to meet the state’s housing goals.  With the goal of generating funding for transit agencies, SB 79 could result in generating the wrong kind of construction near transit stops, like luxury condos or big box stores. Residents and local officials will be powerless to stop these developments or guarantee they include homes our residents can afford.  

City officials understand the intent of SB 79 and support increased density around transit. The Gateway Cities region is 3.5 times denser than LA County, and many of our cities have population density on par with New York City. Planning for more density is a serious undertaking that, if mishandled, could exacerbate inequalities in our community. Our communities already struggle with access to unaffordable housing, crippling congestion, unhealthy air, overcrowded schools, and a lack of public services like parks and libraries. 

That’s why Paramount has spent three years adopting the North Paramount Gateway Specific Plan, which increases density around transit. This plan was developed through extensive community engagement and ensures the city can provide the infrastructure and services to support the project and meet the needs of the residents. SB 79 undercuts the very approach that has allowed cities like Paramount to be proactive and community-focused in their planning. 

Cities agree with the fundamental problem — there aren’t enough homes being built in California. And we also understand our role in addressing the housing crisis: working with residents to plan for the types of housing we need. But solutions must come through collaboration, not by sidelining local voices or dismissing the community plans already underway.

SB 79 is simply the wrong way to go about solving our housing crisis. We urge the Legislature to reject this measure and work with cities on real solutions that respect community-driven planning, support housing plans already underway, and identify a sustainable state investment that matches the scale of this decades-in-the-making crisis.

Peggy Lemons is mayor of Paramount. Victor Sanchez serves on the Bellflower City Council.

​ Orange County Register 

AB 566: Unnecessary legislation that disrupts customer choice and harms small businesses

• June 4, 2025

Small business owners are being inundated by a cascade of government mandates currently being proposed by the Legislature and state agencies. The mandates cover a variety of business operations but are increasingly focused on regulating or eliminating technological advances that help consumers find products and help businesses increase productivity. These costly policies, introduced as so-called “consumer protections”, are having a particular impact on Latino-owned businesses who rely on the internet for low-cost advertising and customer loyalty programs.

AB 566 is one of those mandates. This bill will require an internet browser to include an opt-out signal and authorize the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) to adopt regulations to implement and administer the changes in technology, data collection, obstacles to implementation, or privacy concerns. From my experience with CPPA regulations, we can expect higher compliance costs, fees, fines, penalties, and the standard adds of a growing government bureaucracy. Their own economic impact assessment states that for businesses the “first-year direct costs totaling $3.5 billion and average annual ongoing costs of $1.0 billion.”

Costly policies are always controversial. But right now, they’re practically unworkable. This year the state confronts a $12 billion budget deficit, per Gov. Gavin Newsom’s May Revision. Any further loss in economic activity, like AB 566’s first year and ongoing costs, would be even more harmful than usual.

AB 566 is identical to the bill that was vetoed last year by Gov. Newsom who stated in his veto message “most internet browsers either include such an option or, if users choose, they can download a plug-in with the same functionality. To ensure the ongoing usability of mobile devices, it’s best if design questions are first addressed by developers, rather than by regulators.”  The governor’s veto message makes it clear that AB 566 is unnecessary. Consumers who wish to opt out already have multiple browser options and built-in mechanisms to do so. They can make their own choices without government intervention. 

Our community has higher rates of engagement on the internet, using online channels to discover and access information about news, products, and services, and interacting with people who have the same cultural interests. Latino consumers want to receive ads, know about sales and new products, and follow events of interest. Our members use the internet as a tool to build a customer base and a loyal following. We develop marketing programs and operate our business at a much lower cost because of the information, data, and services that are available on the internet. If those products and services go away or become business costs, it will be much harder to compete with larger national businesses.

Many members of the Hispanic Chambers of Commerce are small business owners that are facing higher labor and operational costs and need to expand their customer base to stay open. AB 566 makes it more difficult to identify potential customers and communicate with them on an op-going basis about discounts, menu changes, or special events. Consumers that do not want to be contacted have the ability to limit or eliminate advertising.  Encouraging and facilitating local residents to disengage with small business will be bad for Latino business owners and the communities where they operate.

A general opt-out signal should not override business and consumer relationships. Small business owners should not be denied access to their customers because of the government’s desire to place unnecessary restrictions on commerce. We urge legislators to reject AB 566 and allow consumers and businesses to develop their own relationships.

Julian Canete is president & CEO of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce

​ Orange County Register 

Yucca Valley man accused of threatening Trump’s life in Facebook postings

• June 4, 2025

A Yucca Valley resident on Tuesday, June 3, was charged with three counts of threatening the life of Donald Trump by posting profanity-laced invectives to Facebook before and after Trump was elected president, the U.S. Justice Department said.

Thomas Eugene Streavel, 73, was arrested on Monday and pleaded not guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Riverside. Streavel was released from custody after posting a $10,000 bond. Streavel faces a maximum of five years in federal prison for a conviction on any of the counts.

The name of an attorney who could speak on his behalf was not immediately known. Streavel could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Streavel does not have a documented criminal record in San Bernardino County.

Among the threats he is accused of making is one allegedly posted on Nov. 6, 2024, the day after Trump defeated President Joe Biden: “Trump is a dead man walking for the time being until a patriot like myself blows his (expletive) brains out in the very near future,” Streavel is accusing of writing.

Strevel’s brother, Yucca Valley resident James Streavel, repeated “Oh, my God” in a phone interview when a reporter informed him of the charges, noted they are felony accusations and advised him that the DOJ had announced the allegations to news media nationwide.

“All I want to say is, I know he wouldn’t kill him,” James Streavel said.

Thomas Streavel is also alleged to have posted these threats:

• Nov. 12: That he was “willing to make America great again and blow his (expletive) brains out.”

• Nov. 19: “Let me put a bullet right between the ears of your president-elect…That’s my purpose for living.”

• Nov. 28: “I’m praying for a successful assassination of your president-elect” and “My life’s mission is killing the worthless LOSER (expletive) and my mission starts tonight so watch yourself trump (sic) you are a dead (expletive) and I am your assassin.”

Ciaran McEvoy, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, declined to comment beyond the indictment that was unsealed Tuesday, including whether officials believe Streavel planned to act on the alleged threats, whether authorities had searched Streavel’s home, and what evidence, if any, they discovered.

“The type of rhetoric and threats made by this defendant are similar to those that led to an attempt on the President’s life last year,” U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli wrote in a Justice Department news release. “There is no place for political violence or threats of violence in the United States. We will not hesitate to arrest and charge others who engage in similar criminal conduct.”

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department had not had any contact with Streavel before assisting with the arrest, spokeswoman Mara Rodriguez said Tuesday.

“In December 2024, personnel from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Morongo Basin Station responded swiftly to assist the United States Secret Service in investigating a series of violent online threats made against President-elect Donald Trump. Working closely with our federal partners, we helped identify the suspect, gather evidence, and support his indictment,” Rodriguez wrote in an email.

​ Orange County Register 

Thunderstorms trigger lightning, hail and flood warnings around Southern California

• June 4, 2025

Booming thunderstorms, lightning strikes, bursts of heavy rain and even pea-sized hail hit parts of Southern California on Tuesday afternoon, prompting flash flood warnings around the region and temporarily closing beaches.

The National Weather Service warned of life-threatening flooding, dangerous driving conditions, and the risk of lightning near the coastline.

Most areas in Los Angeles, Orange, and southern Riverside counties recorded about a quarter inch of rain, though heavier downpours hit parts of the Inland Empire, where radar showed 0.5 to 1.75 inches in areas under advisories and up to 2 inches in isolated spots under flash flood warnings.

Los Angeles County

A flash flood warning was in effect until 7 p.m. for Santa Clarita, Granada Hills, and Sylmar, where isolated thunderstorms brought heavy rain, gusty winds, and possible hail. Most of the county saw around a quarter inch of rain, but some areas experienced only trace amounts.

Eastern Los Angeles County saw pea-sized hail, NWS meteorologist Todd Hall said.

“We actually have a broad area of central and southern Los Angeles County in the flood advisories,” said NWS meteorologist Ariel Cohen. “That’s because we have numerous areas that have experienced moderate to heavy rainfall in isolated spots of heavy rain.”

Cohen said light to moderate showers and thunderstorms were expected to taper off between 7 and 8 p.m.

Orange County

Rainfall totals along the Orange County coast hovered around a quarter inch, with lingering thunderstorms continuing into the evening. A flash flood warning was issued for northern Orange County, and a flood advisory would remain in place through 8 p.m., warning of minor flooding in low-lying and poorly drained areas.

Cities affected by the advisory included Anaheim, Santa Ana, Huntington Beach, and Fullerton, where some areas saw 0.5 to 1 inch of rain. Other parts of the region saw less than a tenth of an inch of rain, according to NWS radars.

A beach hazards statement also remained in effect through Tuesday night, with elevated surf between 3 to 5 feet, occasional 6-foot sets, strong rip currents, and lightning risks along the coast.

Inland Empire

The heaviest rainfall Tuesday hit parts of the Inland Empire, especially in northern Riverside and San Bernardino counties, where a flash flood warning was in effect until 7:15 p.m.

The warning covered cities such as Riverside, San Bernardino, Fontana, Moreno Valley, Rancho Cucamonga, and Chino Hills. Rainfall rates ranged from 0.25 to 0.75 inches per hour, with radar indicating 1 to 2 inches in some locations. Forecasters warned that flash flooding was ongoing or imminent, with an additional 0.5 to 1.5 inches possible.

Radar data estimates showed almost 1.75 inches near Fontana and Rialto and more than 1.5 inches in San Bernardino as of Tuesday night.

There were also reports of hail in some inland areas, meteorologist Paul Steward said. NWS confirmed penny-sized hail falling in Hemet in the afternoon.

A flood advisory was also active through 8 p.m. for cities including Corona, Temecula, Hemet, Lake Elsinore, and Perris, where 0.5 to more than 1.5 inches had fallen. The Corona area saw around a quarter inch, with less intense storm activity compared to the north. In Temecula, 1.67 inches fell, and there was around 2 inches in the Estelle Mountain area, south of Lake Mathews, according to radar estimates.

“We’ll be seeing some light rain and thunderstorms over the next few hours,” NWS meteorologist Adam Roser said of the region. “It looks like by tomorrow, the storm chance will be pretty low.”

By Wednesday, forecasters expect calmer, drier weather, with temperatures reaching the low to mid-70s across most of Southern California.

Staff writer Andrea Klick contributed to this story.

​ Orange County Register 

Crespi baseball holds off Mater Dei to move on in regional playoffs

• June 4, 2025

ENCINO — Crespi infielder Mikey Martinez is a sophomore, but his character exceeds his year in school to head coach Mike Glendenning.

“There’s a lot of times I look at him,” Glendenning said, “and the way he carries himself, the maturity, sometimes I look at him as a 22-, 23-year-old man.”

So it was with little surprise that Martinez laced a three-run home run to left field to score over half of the runs needed for the Celts to beat Mater Dei 4-3 in the first round of the CIF SoCal Regional Division I playoffs.

Crespi, which was eliminated in the CIF Southern Section Open Division quarterfinals, will have to wait to learn their regional semifinal opponent. Tuesday’s game between Santa Margarita and Patrick Henry was rescheduled due to inclement weather and will be played at noon on Wednesday.

Santa Margarita shut out the Celts 12-0 to knock them out of the CIF-SS playoffs. Even though that game was nearly two weeks ago, it’s still on the Celts’ minds.

“The loss was really hurtful to us with all of our seniors leaving,” Martinez said, “so it kind of left something in me, a little drive to go back out there. It motivated me to do better.”

Martinez made his first start at shortstop on Tuesday and caught a fly ball to end the top of the second inning before stepping up to hit his home run in the bottom of the third.

Leadoff hitter Troy Miller was walked and three-spot Josh Stonehouse was hit by a pitch before Martinez drove them in.

Usual leadoff Landon Hodge is preparing for the MLB Draft and did not participate in Tuesday’s game. Nate Lopez and Diego Lopez did not play due to prior college obligations.

“What we do as a program trickles down into the guys who got the opportunity to play today,” Glendenning said. “And I think that showed on the field. We play a lot of small ball and execute. That younger group that’s following those guys are bought into that, and it proved to be successful for us.”

Freshman Nathan Toscano is one of those players. Tyler Walton singled and advanced to second base on an error and a single by Toscano gave him enough time to reach home plate for the go-ahead run.

“We believe in our guys,” Martinez said. “Everybody trains for their moments and when it’s time to come through, I know everybody will come through.”

Jackson Eisenhauer closed out the final two innings on the mound and struck out the side in the bottom of the sixth to set Crespi up for the win.

Walton, a UC Santa Barbara commit, provided a quality start and gave up four hits while striking out five hitters and walked three. But his start wasn’t easy to come by.

“He wanted to pitch, so I gave him the rock,” Glendenning said. “I had my concerns — the last thing I want to do is jeopardize a kid’s future. But he begged me and begged me and begged me. I gave him the rock, and he came out and gave us a good outing.”

Mater Dei scored two runs in the top of the fourth inning off a single by Austin Gerken and Ezekiel Lara stole home in the top of the fifth inning.

Other scores from Tuesday’s regional playoffs: 

Division II

Point Loma 6, El Camino Real 4

Division III

Venice 5, Trinity Classical Academy 2

University City 5, Birmingham 2

​ Orange County Register 

Santa Margarita and Mater Dei’s Brayden Jones place high at state boys golf

• June 4, 2025

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Santa Margarita’s boys and Mater Dei’s Brayden Jones each finished in the top three at the CIF State boys golf championships at Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach on Tuesday.

The Eagles capped a strong postseason by tying De La Salle for second place in the team competition.

The Trinity League co-champion tallied a 7-over-par score of 362 to finish nine shots behind champion Stevenson (353), a private school in the Monterey Peninsula.

Santa Margarita’s tie for second marked its highest finish at the state finals.

Senior Hudson Vedder led the way by shooting a 3-under-par 68 to place sixth as an individual.

The Eagles’ scoring lineup also included sophomore Ronin Banerjee (73), junior Alex Sheehan (73), freshman Anthony Wu (74) and junior Landon Frank (74).

Jones, a sophomore, carded a 5-under-par 66 to take third.

He recorded six birdies and one bogey while playing in a pairing that included winner Jaden Soong of St. Francis.

Soong, a freshman, carded a 9-under-par 62, a record for the lowest score in the state finals.

With seven birdies and an eagle, Soong outdistanced runner-up Evan Liu of Torrey Pines by two strokes. Liu, a sophomore, posted a 64 to match the previous record low score at the state finals.

Corona del Mar’s Matthew Hull shot an even-par 71 to tie for 12th.

​ Orange County Register 

Sentnor, Biyendolo score 2 each as USWNT cruises past Jamaica

• June 4, 2025

ST. LOUIS — Ally Sentnor and Lynn Biyendolo each scored two goals and the United States beat short-handed Jamaica, 4-0, in an exhibition match on Tuesday night after the team honored longtime defender Becky Sauerbrunn.

Sentnor scored in the 19th minute, then formed a heart with her hands in celebration. She scored her second off a deflection 10 minutes later.

The 21-year-old 2024 U.S. Soccer Young Player of the Year, who now has four international goals, credited her teammates.

“They’re really easy to play with at moving the ball,” Sentnor said. “I’m still trying to work to get better for them.”

Biyendolo scored in the 60th minute, three minutes after coming into the game as a substitute. She added a second in the 88th minute off a cross from Avery Patterson. Biyendolo has 24 career goals.

“I do feel like, there is so much more to us than there was 12 months ago. And that’s how you have to look at progress,” Coach Emma Hayes said. “With Ally Sentnor, unbelievable finisher. Lynn Biyendolo, to come into a game and close it out, (it’s) really good for us to have both those options.”

Phallon Tullis-Joyce made her second consecutive in goal for the United States as Hayes looks for a successor to longtime goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, who retired last year. It was her third straight clean sheet.

While Tullis-Joyce didn’t face any shots on goal, it has been important for her to build connections with her teammates, Hayes said.

“When you play in goal for this team, your behaviors have to be that you wait for one moment, and you have to be alert to that. I can see the progress is being made in Phallon’s game, and I’m quite happy that she had a really quiet evening,” Hayes said.

Jamaica, which has never beaten the U.S, started two sets of sisters – Allyson and Chantelle Swaby, and Kalyssa and Amelia Van Zanten.

The U.S. was coming off a 3-0 exhibition victory over China on Saturday in St. Paul, Minnesota. The national team was originally scheduled to play a pair of matches against China, but Chinese officials in April pulled out of the second game and Jamaica filled the spot.

Before the game, the United States honored Sauerbrunn, who retired from soccer late last year.

The St. Louis native, whose international career spanned 16 years, is a two-time Women’s World Cup winner and an Olympic gold medalist. Fans, who received a bobblehead in her image, gave her a standing ovation and chanted her name during a pregame ceremony.

Sauerbrunn, who recently announced that she is expecting her first child with partner Zola Short, also served in her new role as a television commentator for the match.

The U.S. squad next plays a pair of matches against Ireland, the first on June 26 in Commerce City, Colorado, and the second on June 29 in Cincinnati. The U.S. will also play Canada on July 6 in Washington D.C.

​ Orange County Register 

Angels hang on for extra-inning victory against Red Sox

• June 4, 2025

BOSTON — The Angels’ bullpen is coming together.

After starter Yusei Kikuchi struggled again with his command, failing to get an out in the sixth inning, five Angels relievers each worked a scoreless inning to allow them to pick up a 4-3, 10-inning victory over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night.

Since May 18, Angels relievers have a 2.78 ERA in a 16-game span.

“It’s been fun,” said left-hander Reid Detmers, who picked up his first career save. “That’s kind of one thing we take pride in: going out there and getting zeros. Yeah, we’ve had some bumps in the road, but just you just gotta get over the hump.”

For much of the season’s first two months, the Angels’ bullpen was one of the worst in baseball. Detmers has been at the center of the improvement, allowing one run in his last 11 innings.

He took the mound in the 10th with a one-run lead, because that’s all the Angels could muster from their automatic runner in the top of the inning. The Red Sox never even moved their automatic runner to third. Detmers struck out the first two hitters and then ended the game with a pop-up.

Nolan Ryan, Mike Witt and Detmers are the only Angels pitchers to have a no-hitter and a save since it became an official stat in 1969.

Between Kikuchi and Detmers, Brock Burke, Connor Brogdon, Hector Neris and Kenley Jansen each put a zero on the scoreboard.

They helped the Angels (28-32) win the first two of a three-game series in Boston. They had lost seven out of eight before their arrival at Fenway Park.

This victory was about the Angels getting good pitching and doing fundamental things well, in contrast to the Red Sox.

In the third inning, the Angels hit only one ball hard, but they still scored three runs.

Jo Adell was hit by a pitch and then stole second. Chris Taylor drew a walk. Zach Neto punched a single up the middle, and Adell scored. When center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela’s throw sailed over the head of catcher Connor Wong, the two runners each moved up 90 feet. That drew in the Boston infield, and then Nolan Schanuel hit a soft grounder through the left side, driving in two runs.

For the rest of the night, the Angels came up empty on numerous opportunities to expand the lead. In the 10th, though, the Red Sox cracked the door again.

Schanuel started the inning by dropping down a bunt, simply trying to give up an out to get their automatic runner to third. Red Sox pitcher Zack Kelly mishandled it, for an error. Thanks to that extra out, Taylor Ward’s subsequent double play pushed home what proved to be the decisive run.

By contrast, the Angels’ defense was solid, which it hasn’t been for most of the season. The Angels turned three double plays. The outfielders flawlessly handled each of the Boston hits, prevented any extra bases. Adell and Neto collaborated on two perfect throws to nail a runner at the plate in the second inning.

“The good thing is, we didn’t make any errors tonight,” Manager Ron Washington said. “We kept putting the pressure on them, and, they made some mistakes, and we took advantage of it.”

The biggest negative on the night for the Angels was Kikuchi’s control. He issued five more walks, and the game-tying two-run homer he allowed to Rafaela came after he fell behind 3-and-0 and hung a slider.

Kikuchi has a 3.23 ERA, but he has walked 40 in 69⅔ innings. That’s prevented him from getting deep into games. He still hasn’t thrown a pitch past the sixth inning.

Pitching coach Barry Enright believed the Angels might have figured out the answer last week. Enright said they realized Kikuchi had changed the grip on his fastball and slider. Kikuchi said through his interpreter that the grip wasn’t a significant issue.

“I tried to make some tweaks, but not really,” he said.

Asked what he has to do to limit his walks, Kikuchi said: “I think my stuff’s been good. The velo has been up with the heater too. Just a few adjustments here and there. I think I’ll be back to where I was before.”

In the meantime, he’s at least keeping the Angels close enough. While he has only one victory, the Angels have won five of his last six starts.

“Very tough matchup today,” Kikuchi said. “Had to grind out there. I’m glad I was somehow able to keep the team in the game. … The bullpen was really great. They picked me up today. They’ve been pitching really well recently. So yeah, just keep going.”

​ Orange County Register