Orange County girls win championships at CIF-SS Masters wrestling

• February 22, 2025

Orange County girls wrestlers who were champions at the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet on Friday at Sonora High (the top four placers in the Blue Division and the top four in the Gold Division advance to the CIF Stae Championships, Feb. 28 and March 1 at Bakersfield):

(Full results are here)

100 pounds, Blue Division: Angelica Serratos, Santa Ana

105 pounds, Blue Division: Alicia Serratos, Santa Ana

110 pounds, Blue Division: Aubree Gutierrez, Marina

120 pounds, Blue Division: Kylee Golz, Trabuco Hills

125 pounds, Blue Division: Lilyana Balderas, Anaheim

115 pounds, Gold Division: Maggie Cornish, Tesoro

155 pounds, Gold Division: Eva Garcia, Marina

170 pounds, Gold Division: Angela Salazar, Santa Ana

​ Orange County Register 

See all 18 holes of Disneyland’s Pixar Putt mini-golf course

• February 22, 2025

A Pixar-themed miniature golf course touring the United States has made a tour stop at the Disneyland resort for a limited-time run with holes paying tribute to Toy Story, Coco, Inside Out and the Incredibles.

The Pixar Putt mini-golf course at the Pixar Place Hotel will run through June 1 with daily tee times from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

ALSO SEE: Pixar Putt brings miniature golf back to Disneyland

You don’t have to stay at the Pixar Place Hotel to play the Pixar Putt course.

Disneyland resort hotel guests and Magic Key annual passholders get a discount on tickets with prices starting at $25. Tickets for the general public are $28 on Monday through Thursday and $33 on Friday through Sunday. Advanced reservations are recommended.

Let’s take a closer look at all 18 holes — each themed to a Pixar animated film.

Hole 1: ‘Monsters Inc.’

The “Monsters Inc.” hole features a maze of children’s bedroom doors just like the ones seen on the Laugh Floor.

Hole 2: ‘Elemental’

Two golfers play at the same time on the fire and water sides of the “Elemental” hole.

Hole 3: ‘Turning Red’

The red panda incarnation of Mei Lin Lee towers over the “Turning Red” hole.

Hole 4: ‘Wall-E’

The “Wall-E” hole challenges golfers to trace a spiral stream of fire extinguisher dust.

Hole 5: ‘Toy Story’

Golfers must putt through the mouth of Benson the ventriloquist dummy from the Second Chance Antiques shop on the first of two “Toy Story” holes.

Hole 6: ‘Inside Out 2’

Golfers have to time their putt to coincide with a spinning wheel on the “Inside Out 2” hole.

Hole 7: ‘Luca’

Golfers play through the hilly streets of Porto Rosso on the “Luca” hole.

Hole 8: ‘Incredibles’

Golfers encounter the Omnidroid robot on the “Incredibles” hole.

Hole 9: ‘Ratatouille’

Remy’s chef hat and oversized kitchen utensils form the obstacles on the “Ratatouille” hole.

Hole 10: Finding Nemo

Golfers aim for the gaping beak of Nigel the Australian brown pelican while putting along a pier dotted with seagulls on the Finding Nemo hole.

Hole 11: ‘Onward’

Golfers must drive their ball through the Guinevere van on the “Onward” hole.

Hole 12: ‘Soul’

Golfers drop their balls down a curving staircase of piano keys on the “Soul” hole.

Hole 13: ‘Toy Story’

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger armor serves as the centerpiece of the second hole based on “Toy Story.”

Hole 14: ‘A Bug’s Life’

The deceptively difficult “Bug’s Life” hole is placed at the top of a sloping ant hill.

Hole 15: ‘Coco’

Golfers try to putt their ball along the strings of Miguel’s guitar on the “Coco” hole.

Hole 16: ‘Cars’

A looping track through Lightning McQueen’s 95 racing number offers a challenging route for golfers on the “Cars” hole.

Hole 17: ‘Inside Out’

Golfers drop their ball into one of five holes on the top of memory shelf at the “Inside Out” hole.

Hole 18: ‘Up’

The 18th hole is the most complex — with Carl Fredrickson’s balloon house “flying” to the top of Paradise Falls with the help of an attendant.

​ Orange County Register 

Staffie mix Brooklyn’s got kisses for everyone

• February 22, 2025

Breed: Staffordshire terrier mix

Age: 4 years

Sex: Spayed female

Size: 49 pounds

Brooklyn’s story: This sweet Staffie mix gal ended up at the shelter after she had been used for breeding. Brooklyn is a sweet soul who is full of kisses and tail wags. She’s so grateful to be rescued! Brooklyn is dog-, people- and kid-friendly. She’s short and compact, making her the perfect co-pilot and cuddle partner. Brooklyn will do great in just about any type of home, but especially with a family who loves Staffies. Brooklyn was diagnosed with a heart defect and had a procedure to fix it on Feb. 6. Her surgery was a success and she shouldn’t have any long-term issues as a result.

Adoption fee: $400, includes spay, microchip, vaccines and worm and flea treatments

Adoption procedure: Fill out Lovebugs Rescue’s online application.

​ Orange County Register 

UCLA gymnastics reaches No. 2 but it’s ‘just a ranking’

• February 22, 2025

The UCLA women’s gymnastics team has crept up the national rankings, rising from its dismal 195.250 team score that marked the start of the season.

The Bruins are now the No. 2 team in the country after hitting 197.675 – but head coach Janelle McDonald knows her team has more to give.

“It shows that we’re a team that can compete with anybody in the country,” McDonald told reporters Thursday. “But it’s just a ranking.”

“Each and every week we reset, we focus on what’s next, not what’s behind us. And get excited about what’s ahead and and what we can do that following weekend.”

A trip to Michigan, the only Big Ten team aside from UCLA (8-2 overall, 5-0 Big Ten) to win a national title, is on deck for Sunday. The Wolverines (8-2, 4-1) are ranked in the Top 20 nationally in every event and their No. 7 balance beam squad boasts an average score of 49.211.

The Bruins’ beam team is slightly ahead of that mark at 49.329 and Emma Malabuyo is the second-highest-rated individual beam worker.

Vault is where UCLA will look to make its next jump in progress. The Bruins have the top-ranked floor team, beam is ranked third and bars is fifth, but vault is their lowest-standing event at No. 7.

The event’s scores have dipped over the past two meets and the Bruins are adding more 10.0 start values to the lineup to help boost their numbers. However, chasing a perfect 10 on vault isn’t necessarily a priority.

“If you have a Chae (Campbell) vault and you stick it, I don’t care if it’s a 9.95 start value,” McDonald said. “I care less about the start value and more about the execution, because at the end of the day, it’s a half 10th (of a point). Ideally, we’d love to have everybody do 10.0 start value and stick, but that’s what we’re working for.”

Three freshmen compete on vault – Riley Jenkins, who led off in the last meet against Penn State, Mika Webster-Longin and Macy McGowan. Webster-Longin and McGowan have also appeared on beam and floor exercise.

One of the biggest challenges that gymnasts experience in the transition from elite to college gymnastics is the physical demand of competing on a weekly basis.

“It’s pretty cool to see them starting to get comfortable competing week after week and owning their role on the team in that way,” McDonald said. “I’m excited about how they can continue to grow throughout their NCAA career, and I know that they’re going to have a lot of really special moments ahead of them.”

No. 2 UCLA (8-2, 5-0) at No. 15 MICHIGAN (8-2, 4-1)

When: 4 p.m. Sunday

Where: Crisler Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan

TV: Big Ten Network

​ Orange County Register 

Chihuahua mix Piper is a calm, gentle girl

• February 22, 2025

Breed: Chihuahua mix

Age: 11 years

Sex: Spayed female

Size: 10 pounds

Piper’s story: Piper loves people, car rides, walks on quiet streets, snuggling and giving hugs and kisses. She is gentle and calm with an amazing personality. She definitely would prefer to be the only pet in the home, but lots of laps would make this girl very happy. She’s house-trained and crate-trained and dreams of a yard of her own so she can soak up the sun. She’s healthy, microchipped and up-to-date on vaccines.

Adoption cost: $100

Adoption procedure: Go to K9 Spirit Organization’s website and complete an application. You can also email Stacy at [email protected].

​ Orange County Register 

What can be done about the grasshoppers in your garden

• February 22, 2025

Q: What can I do to keep grasshoppers out of my garden? They are really destructive!

Grasshoppers are tremendously destructive and difficult to control. In late fall or early winter, the female lays her eggs in undisturbed ground (open fields or grasslands, mostly). Once the weather warms up, the eggs hatch and the hungry nymphs start eating whatever they can find. After about 5 or 6 molts, they become bigger, hungrier adults. The mature grasshoppers live for 3 months and produce only a single generation per year. Every 8-10 years, usually after a particularly wet winter, you will see a really bad infestation that can last several years.

Unfortunately, there is no pesticide available to homeowners that is completely effective against grasshoppers. Carbaryl-containing bait formerly was widely used but is now only available to licensed pest control operators. The protozoan Nosema locustae, also used in baits, is only effective against one species of grasshopper, and only effective against the young nymphs.

Mechanical barriers, such as row covers, are only effective if placed before the grasshoppers arrive. Hand-picking is tricky (unless you do it in the morning when they are still cold and sluggish).

In this case, relying on natural predation is probably your best bet. Many birds, such as the Western bluebird, robins, kestrels, owls, roadrunners, chickens, quail, and many songbirds will eat grasshoppers. They are also a favorite snack for cats, dogs, and other mammals.

Q: Something is eating my lettuce. My backyard is fenced in, so I don’t think it’s rabbits.

It still may be rabbits. Check your fence and gate for any gaps — critters can squeeze through some surprisingly small spaces.

Is lettuce the only crop being eaten? If you have tasty things growing on a trellis and they are being eaten as well, you probably have rats (which are worse).

Do you see rabbit pellets in the garden? (That’s one of two things that rabbits do best.) Other possible culprits would be opossums or racoons. If you’re certain that your nighttime visitors are rabbits, a chicken wire fence may be sufficient to exclude them.

Sometimes you may be surprised. We thought the local scrub jays were eating all our grapes until my daughter heard rustling in the grapevines late one night. We shined a flashlight in the direction of the noises and seven little masked faces popped out.

Another year, we were puzzled because we had a beautiful pear tree that was producing fruit but was bare when it was time to harvest. We thought it might have been a neighbor (or raccoons again). One evening I heard a crunching sound coming from the tree. I retrieved my handy flashlight and saw about a dozen opossum tails hanging straight down, like icicles, out of the tree canopy.

Moral of the story—make sure you know for sure who the culprit is before taking corrective action.

Los Angeles County

[email protected]; 626-586-1988; http://celosangeles.ucanr.edu/UC_Master_Gardener_Program/

Orange County

[email protected]; http://mgorange.ucanr.edu/

Riverside County

[email protected]; 951-955-0170; https://ucanr.edu/sites/RiversideMG/

San Bernardino County

[email protected]; 909-387-2182; http://mgsb.ucanr.edu

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County restaurants shut down by health inspectors (Feb. 13-20)

• February 22, 2025

Restaurants and other food vendors ordered to close and allowed to reopen by Orange County health inspectors from Feb. 13 to Feb. 20.

Maravilla’s, 10401 Beach Blvd., Suite B-176, Stanton

• Closed: Feb. 19
• Reason: Cockroach infestation

AT230 Cars & Coffee, 230 E. La Habra Blvd., La Habra

• Closed: Feb. 18
• Reason: Insufficient hot water
• Reopened: Feb. 19

BB Lounge, 13135 Brookhurst St., Suite 8, Garden Grove

• Closed: Feb. 18
• Reason: Rodent infestation

Pho May, 16400 Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 117, Huntington Beach

• Closed: Feb. 18
• Reason: Cockroach infestation
• Reopened: Feb. 19

Efren’s Bakery, 24601 Raymond Way, Suite 7, Lake Forest

• Closed: Feb. 18
• Reason: Sewage overflow
• Reopened: Feb. 18

Alohana Acai Bowls & Coffee, 360 Camino De Estrella, San Clemente

• Closed: Feb. 14
• Reason: Insufficient hot water
• Reopened: Feb. 14

MasalaCraft, 575 W. Chapman Ave., Anaheim

• Closed: Feb. 14
• Reason: Rodent infestation
• Reopened: Feb. 15

This list is published weekly with closures since the previous week’s list. Status updates are published in the following week’s list. Source: OC Health Care Agency database.

​ Orange County Register 

Susan Shelley: Your power bill is so high, thanks to the state

• February 22, 2025

A majority of California voters have not yet realized that the people they’re electing are causing the problems they’re having.

There have been a few signs that the word may be getting out. You may remember the eruption of fury in the spring of 2023 over a new plan to charge electricity rates based on household income. The rage was directed at the investor-owned utilities that announced the new pricing, but the income-based rates were mandated by a provision in a state law, Assembly Bill 205 in 2022.

AB 205 was a lengthy budget trailer bill. Let me tell you about those. Every year, the Assembly and Senate each pass a stack of blank bills, containing only a bill number and one sentence about the intent to pass a bill later.

Lawmakers vote on the blank bills in the budget committee and on the floor. Then the blank bills go on the shelf until after the budget is passed. When deals are made in a back room at the eleventh hour, the text of every deal goes onto one of these blank bills as an “amendment.” There are no policy committee hearings, no debate, just an up-or-down vote to approve the “amendment” and then straight to the governor’s desk for his signature.

This is how they do it in California. AB 205 was the “energy trailer bill” in 2022. It went from a one-sentence bill on June 25 to 18,817 words on June 26. It was signed into law on June 30.

Months later, when the public found out about the income-graduated rates, some Democrats rushed to the microphones to denounce the idea, even though they had voted for it less than a year earlier.

Republicans had opposed the income-based rates and voted against AB 205, but in Sacramento, Republicans don’t have enough votes to block a sidewalk.

That may change. Californians are furious about their utility bills. The California Public Utilities Commission pushed off the income-graduated rates and substituted a higher fixed charge for most customers. Then last year, the CPUC approved six rate hikes within 12 months for customers of Pacific Gas & Electric. Public anger boiled over.

Gov. Gavin Newsom responded by ordering reports. On Oct. 30, he directed the CPUC and the California Energy Commission to report back to him by Jan. 1 with a list of ways to lower electricity bills for state residents.

Those reports were not made public at first, but Sacramento’s KCRA 3 Capitol Correspondent Ashley Zavala pried them out of the administration.

Essentially, the reports say electricity rates are high because California laws require it.

The reports read like a catalog of stupid choices and inevitable consequences. For example, the CPUC report says ratepayers are responsible for California’s “climate goals in the energy sector,” meaning your electricity bill goes up to pay for green mandates. At the same time, you have to pay to maintain access to the more reliable power that’s needed every day when the sun goes down.

Ratepayers are footing the bill for laws that require utilities to sign costly long-term contracts for solar, wind and miscellaneous technologies that meet the state’s Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS). The long-term contracts are no bargain. “In 2024, ratepayers paid an estimated $1.2 billion more than they would pay today for RPS contracts signed between the years 2000 and 2016,” the CPUC reported.

The report actually boasts that “electricity bills have been the vehicle to fund the incubation and commercialization of technologies.” That’s another way of saying ratepayers are getting the bill for research and development costs that will make somebody else rich, or not. Either way, they’re gambling with your money, and all you get out of it is a rate increase.

The report from the California Energy Commission brags about the Statewide Codes & Standards Program, which is paid for by customers of PG&E, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. At great expense, the program continuously determines and eventually mandates the latest “efficiency” standards in buildings and appliances. This, we are told, will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prevent climate change.

According to the CEC’s report, the 2025 efficiency code updates will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 4 million metric tons over 30 years.

For perspective, wildfires in California released an estimated 127 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2020 alone.

Why are wildfires so much worse in the last 15-20 years? Is it because not enough Californians bought new energy-efficient dishwashers? Or is it because land management practices were changed 25 years ago due to new “smoke management” regulations from the California Air Resources Board, which decided that controlled burns for wildfire mitigation caused unhealthful air pollution?

Meanwhile, the cost of wildfires and wildfire mitigation is another reason electricity rates are high in California. Ratepayers get the bill. And everybody’s rates are higher due to cost-shifting that results from customers with rooftop solar panels not buying as much electricity from the grid.

The reports demonstrate that California’s laws are causing California’s problems. The regulators are just the bearers of bad news. So it was almost comical to see state senators grilling regulators in a hearing this week about the high rates, as if the lawmakers had no idea they had caused the problem themselves.

“The Legislature can also take statutory action to repeal or significantly revise mandated electricity programs that result in ratepayer costs that are higher than necessary for safe, reliable, clean electricity,” the CPUC report gently suggested.

Don’t hold your breath. California Democrats are determined to lead the world on climate policy, even if it takes every cent you have.

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

​ Orange County Register