Gene Hackman, wife and their dog found dead in their New Mexico home, authorities say

• February 27, 2025

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife were found dead in their New Mexico home Wednesday, authorities said.

Foul play is not suspected, however authorities did not release any details of the circumstances of their deaths and said an investigation is ongoing.

Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Denise Avila said deputies responded to a request to do a welfare check at the home Wednesday around 1:45 pm local time and found Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa and a dog dead.

Hackman, 95, was one of the industry’s most respected and honored performers. His dozens of films included Oscar-winning roles in “The French Connection” and “Unforgiven” and had a breakout performance in “Bonnie and Clyde.”

This is a breaking news story. More information will be added as it comes in.

​ Orange County Register 

One hospitalized after traffic collision involving Huntington Beach police officer

• February 27, 2025

One person was hospitalized Wednesday, Feb. 26 following a “traffic-related incident” involving a Huntington Beach police officer, said Huntington Beach Police spokesperson Jessica Cuchilla.

Police said it occurred around 7:20 p.m. on Beach Boulevard and Heil Avenue. Details on the victim, their condition, and the circumstances leading up to their injuries were not released. The California Highway Patrol, which was handling the investigation, on its incident log described it as a traffic collision between a bicyclist and a police patrol unit.

The police officer involved in the collision did not sustain any injuries.

Footage by news video firm On.SceneTV showed a patrol car in the middle of the intersection cordoned off in yellow caution tape as officers examined the area and photographed the vehicle.

As of 10 p.m., all lanes on Beach Boulevard and Heil Avenue had re-opened.

​ Orange County Register 

James Harden, Clippers hold off Bulls to end 3-game skid

• February 27, 2025

CHICAGO — Having two healthy Hall-of-Fame players on the court makes a world of difference for any team, and it’s probably essential for the Clippers if they want to make any kind of postseason run.

James Harden made seven 3-pointers and scored 30 points, and Kawhi Leonard rejoined the lineup after a two-game absence as the Clippers beat the Chicago Bulls, 122-117, on Wednesday night.

Leonard had 17 points and eight rebounds after missing back-to-back games (and three of the previous four) because of a sore left foot, and the Clippers got back to winning after losing three in a row. Wednesday’s game was just the 17th for two-time NBA Finals MVP Leonard, who missed the first nine weeks of the season as he recovered from a right knee injury.

Amir Coffey added 20 points and Derrick Jones Jr. had 16 for the Clippers. Bogdan Bogdanovic shot 4 for 5 from 3-point range to finish with 14 points, and Ivica Zubac had another double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds, two blocked shots) to help the sixth-place Clippers move a half-game ahead of Minnesota in the tightly packed Western Conference standings.

Zach Collins set season highs with 21 points and a career-best 17 rebounds for Chicago, and Josh Giddey had 21 points and 12 assists. Coby White scored 19, but the Bulls lost for the seventh time in eight games. Tre Jones (16), Lonzo Ball (15), and Kevin Huerter (13) also scored in double-digits for Chicago.

Harden shot just 1 for 5 from the field in the first half, but he caught fire in the second half. He scored 20 points and made five 3-point shots in the third quarter as the Clippers grabbed the lead for good. A Giddey 3-pointer had given the Bulls an 85-83 with 4:39 left in the period, but the Clippers scored 19 of the next 27 points.

The Bulls kept it tight until the end. They drew within two points on a Huerter layup with 4:14 left, but the Clippers held them off with a 3-pointer from Bogdanovic and a layup from Harden. White cut the margin to three on a basket with 1:03 left, but he missed an attempt at a tying 3-pointer with 36 seconds left, then Harden secured the win with a pull-up 3-pointer with 14.1 seconds remaining.

Harden wasn’t the only Clipper with a hot hand from long range. The Clippers shot 19 for 37 from deep, with Leonard (three), Jones (two) and Coffey) all joining Harden and Bogdanovic with multiple 3-point baskets. Kris Dunn made the only one he attempted.

The Clippers opened the second quarter on a 13-6 run to build a 44-32 lead, but Chicago kept chipping away. A Jones running layup with 3:55 to play before the break gave the Bulls a 50-49 advantage, and they held a 60-59 lead at halftime.

Strong ball movement fueled Chicago in the first half. The Bulls had 20 assists on 25 first-half field goals while committing just three turnovers.

Clippers leading scorer Norman Powell (24.2 ppg) missed his fourth consecutive game because of a sore left knee.

Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic sat out his second straight due to right calf tightness, and Ayo Dosunmu missed his third in a row with a sore left shoulder.

UP NEXT

The Clippers play at the Lakers on Friday at 7 p.m. The teams meet again Sunday night as well.

​ Orange County Register 

Lauren Betts, No. 2 UCLA crush Wisconsin ahead of USC rematch

• February 27, 2025

MADISON, Wis. — The rematch can officially take center stage for the UCLA women’s basketball team.

Lauren Betts had 26 points and 10 rebounds and the second-ranked Bruins routed Wisconsin, 91-61, on Wednesday night to set up a showdown with No. 4 USC for the Big Ten title this weekend.

UCLA (28-1 overall, 16-1 Big Ten) moved into a first-place tie with USC (26-2, 16-1) heading into the regular-season finale Saturday night at Pauley Pavilion against the Trojans, who handed the Bruins their only defeat, 71-60 earlier this month at the Galen Center.

Betts made 11 of her 12 shots from the field and all four of her free throws for her 15th double-double of the season. Timea Gardner added 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting (4 for 6 from 3-point range) and 10 rebounds. Londynn Jones added 13 points, shooting 3 for 8 from 3-point range on a night when the Bruins were 10 for 25 (40%) from behind the arc.

After edging Iowa, 67-65, on Sunday to open the two-game trip, the Bruins avoided looking past Wisconsin. They made six of seven shots during a 12-2 run midway through the first quarter to take a 20-9 lead. UCLA shot 10 for 18 in the first period and held a 10-point lead (22-12) when it was over.

Ronnie Porter hit two free throws to pull the Badgers within 27-19 in the second, but UCLA responded with an 8-0 run and the Bruins held a 17-point lead at halftime.

Wisconsin missed its first seven shots of the third quarter as UCLA extended its lead to 55-30 midway through the period. The Bruins led 70-40 entering the final period.

The Bruins dominated the Badgers inside and out, outscoring their hosts 52-32 in the paint and 30-12 from 3-point range. UCLA shot 55% (37 for 67) from the field while holding Wisconsin to 38% (23 for 60).

Serah Williams had 22 points and Porter scored 13 for Wisconsin (13-15, 4-13), which is trying to hang on to a spot in the 15-team Big Ten Tournament. The Badgers are in 14th place, 1½ games ahead of Purdue, which has two games remaining.

FORFEIT WINS

Both UCLA and USC gained forfeit victories on Wednesday because Northwestern chose not to play its pair of January games in California because of concerns over wildfires.

UP NEXT

UCLA returns home to host No. 4 USC on Saturday at 6 p.m.

​ Orange County Register 

Amid the Eaton fire rubble, actor Mel Gibson stumps for recall effort against Gov. Gavin Newsom

• February 27, 2025

Confident that they can get the California governor recalled this time, members of a group called Saving California enlisted some star power to help spread their message.

Mel Gibson, the well-known actor and director who lost his Malibu home in the Palisades fire, went to Altadena on Wednesday, Feb. 26, to show his support for an effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom, who was also in the Los Angeles area.

“Gov. Newsom and (L.A. Mayor) Karen Bass let us all down,” he said, expressing his sympathy for other victims of the fire, some of whom were in attendance.

“California was ill-prepared and had scant resources to deal with the inevitable fires,” he said. “They knew that. So are we supposed to believe our elected officials didn’t know that? Of course they knew that.”

Gibson said California has the highest levels of taxes in the country, a state where high wage earners have long paid the country’s highest state income tax rate of 13.3%.

“Now, for that kind of money, we deserve much more and much better,” he said. “And there is absolutely no adequate excuse the governor or mayor can make for this gross mismanagement and failure to preemptively deal with what they knew was coming.”

About 100 people, many wearing Trump merchandise, stood in the hot sun in the Altadena foothills at the fire-burned property of Marylee Blueford, a 98-year-old woman who had lived there since 1970.

Randy Economy, the chair of Saving California, who served as senior advisor during a 2020 effort to recall Newsom in response to the pandemic, said, “We’ve been working on this recall effort for six months. It’s not just about the fires, it’s about the political firestorm that has erupted over this whole situation.”

Economy, a radio host and media professional, said this effort is different from the Recall Gavin 2020. “I was the senior advisor of that recall. It’s totally different (now) than it was then.”

He said Newsom had an approval rating of 53% during that recall effort, and claimed that Newsom’s approval rating had fallen to the 20’s. A poll last June by Public Policy Institute of California found 44% approved of Newsom’s performance as governor.

Economy called the wildfires “emblematic of the whole situation.”

Nathan Click, a spokesman for Newsom, criticized the group and its efforts.

Nathan Click, a spokesperson for Newsom, said in a statement that the governor “is focused on leading the state and the recovery from the L.A. fires – not politics.”

Many of the same people were involved in other unsuccessful recall attempts against Newsom in the past, “each of which have failed spectacularly,” Click said.

Economy and Gibson, meanwhile, implied that Newsom could not be trusted with the $40 billion he’s requested in federal aid.

The failed recall against Newsom was only the second attempt to recall a sitting governor in California history to reach the ballot after voters recalled Democrat Gray Davis in 2003. Voters then replaced him with Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Recall proponents must conduct some preliminary steps, such as filing a notice of intention, then prepare a petition. For statewide officeholders, the petition must be signed by registered voters equal in number to 12% of the last election for governor. That means petitioners are seeking 1.5 million signatures within a 160-day period of the secretary of state’s certification.

On Wednesday, fans in the crowd called out to Gibson that he should run for governor.

“We love you, Mel,” they called.

He claimed that Newsom had made it too costly to film movies in Los Angeles, and questioned the governor’s handling of money.

“Why would we trust him with that kind of funding?” Gibson said. “Along with that federal money should come a federal investigation.”

Following comments by Gibson and Economy, Bishop Juan Carlos Mendez, founder of Churches for Action — a group supporting the recall — spoke in support of their cause, but was apparently overcome by the heat. The press conference ended and an ambulance was called to help Mendez.

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

​ Orange County Register 

Huntington Park City Hall, home of mayor among 11 locations raided in public corruption probe

• February 27, 2025

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office executed search warrants Wednesday at Huntington Park City Hall, the home of Mayor Karina Macias and nine other locations as part of a public corruption probe involving a controversial $23 million aquatic center slated for the city’s Salt Lake Park.

Dubbed “Operation Dirty Pond,” the probe began in November 2022 and focuses on the potential misuse of millions of dollars in public funds allocated to build the indoor pool, District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement. The proposal called for a 30,000-square-foot, two-story, state-of-the-art aquatic center with an Olympic-size pool.

“My office is committed to ensuring that public officials uphold the highest standards of honesty, integrity and transparency,”  Hochman said. “When concerns arise about the use of public funds or the actions of those in office, it is our duty to  investigate thoroughly and protect the public’s trust.”

The following locations were raided by the district attorney’s Bureau of Investigation:

• Huntington Park City Hall, 6550 Miles Ave.
• Huntington Park Public Works, 6900 Bissell St.
• Salt Lake Park, 3401 E. Florence Ave.
• Residence of Edvin Tsaturyan and Sona Vardikyan, owners of JT Construction Group in Glendale.
• Residence of Efren Martinez, a former Huntington Park city official who lives in Los Angeles.
• Business office of Unified Consulting Services, LLC in Huntington Park.
• Residence of Huntington Park City Manager Ricardo Reyes, who lives in Downey.
• Homes of former City Councilmembers Graciela Ortiz and Marilyn Sanabria.
• Home of Mayor Karina Macias.
• Residence of Councilmember Eddie Martinez.

Numerous items were seized from each location, including public records maintained by the city, financial paperwork, computers, tablets, cellphones and various forms of electronic equipment, said Hochman, who did not provide specific details of corruption allegations.

While the construction of an aquatic center was approved several years ago, it’s been tied up in legal issues ever since, Huntington Park Vice Mayor Arturo Flores told the Southern California News Group.

Lawsuits were filed after a formal bidding process for the project was bypassed, and the Local Enforcement Agency responsible for ensuring the operations and closure of solid waste facilities issued a cease-and-desist order because the aquatic center was set to be built on a landfill, said Flores, who joined the City Council in 2022.

“The project has gone nowhere,” he added, describing it as “dead in the water” and “never feasible.” “The city has never gotten any signals that they were going to get any approvals to build.”

Satellite images of Salt Lake Park show an empty, fenced-off area covered in dead grass where the aquatic center was set to be built. A graffiti-covered, slumping sign proclaiming that the aquatic center is “coming soon” is visible on Google Street View in February 2021, but is nowhere to be seen by June 2024.

About a month ago, Flores publicly called for an investigation into the aquatic center, contending millions of dollars connected to the project have been unaccounted for. And then last week, Flores was served with a petition to recall him from office by the nephew of one of the former councilmembers whose homes were raided.

Additionally, four former Huntington Park employees have sued the city alleging they faced discrimination and retaliation for raising concerns about financial impropriety in connection with the aquatic center, said their attorney, Annette Harings.

The complaint, filed in 2020, accused the city of going on a “spending spree” that included entering into a “no-bid contract to build an unnecessary public pool which will cost a staggering $40,000,000.”

Huntington Park entered into the original contract, initially valued at $23 million, with JT Construction in 2019, records show. A resume provided to the city by JT Construction showed the company had not completed any projects similar to the proposed aquatic center in the previous 20 years.

The lawsuit alleges city officials colluded with Efren Martinez, owner of Unified Consulting Services, to use the “coffers of Huntington Park as their own personal piggy bank.” Martinez, during an unsuccessful run for state Assembly in 2020, listed JT Construction as one of Unified Consulting’s clients.

The employees, all of whom had significant experience in City Hall, allegedly were replaced by “younger employees who did not have the same in-depth knowledge of how a finance department is supposed to work,” Harings said.

Three of the employees later settled with the city. A fourth is heading to trial next month.

Harings, who is no longer involved in the case, said she is pleased the District Attorney’s Office is finally taking action.

“I am happy to see the district attorney has moved forward with the information that they received and, hopefully, the people that have had their homes and businesses visited today will come to justice,” she said.

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County scores and player stats for Wednesday, Feb. 26

• February 27, 2025

Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

Scores and stats from Orange County games on Wednesday, Feb. 26

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.

WEDNESDAY’S SCORES

BASEBALL

NONLEAGUE

Katella 8, Valley Christian 5

Orange 5, Katella 2

Laguna Beach 9, Brea Olinda 4

Mission Viejo 3, Edison 2

St. John Bosco 8, La Habra 4

Irvine 8, Newport Harbor 3

Sonora 11, El Toro 0

Crean Lutheran 5, Diamond Bar 0

Fountain Valley 7, Capistrano Valley 4

San Clemente 4, Marina 0

Cerritos 5, Portola 3

Sage Hill 11, St. Anthony 9

Whittier Christian 4, Calvary Chapel 3

Garden Grove 4, Anaheim 3

University 16, Beverly Hills 0

SOFTBALL

NONLEAGUE

Fountain Valley 1, Sunny Hills 0

FV: (Kols, WP, 7IP, 2K), Kim 2-3, RBI

SH: Gomez 2-2

Other scores

Anaheim 4, Pioneer 1

San Clemente 10, Garden Grove 0

Dana Hills 12, Edison 2

Oxford Academy 13, South Gate 4

Calvary Chapel 15, Orange 4

University 20, Century 0

Valencia 13, Westminster 4

BOYS GOLF

NONLEAGUE

Crean Lutheran 200, Foothill 225

Corona del Mar 186, Beckman 195

Oxford Academy 245, Santa Fe 269

BOYS TENNIS

NONLEAGUE

Cypress 10, Kennedy 8

Tustin 14, Rancho Alamitos 4

Woodbridge 16, Valencia 2

JSerra 11, Los Osos 7

​ Orange County Register 

Tony Strickland maintains his lead in the 36th State Senate District special election

• February 27, 2025

The first batch of post-Election Day results are in, and they indicate Huntington Beach Councilmember Tony Strickland could avoid a runoff as he leads the race to succeed Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen in Sacramento.

In California’s 36th State Senate District special election, Strickland maintained his lead at the end of counting Wednesday, Feb. 26, after taking an early advantage shortly after polls closed on Tuesday.

“The voters of this district want the California government to go back to the basics; putting public safety first, letting taxpayers keep more of their hard-earned money, and growing our economy,” Strickland said after Wednesday’s update. “The people want to make California golden again, and reject the failed policies coming from Gov. Gavin Newsom.”

If Strickland or any candidate secures more than 50% of the vote in the primary, they will win the seat outright, canceling the runoff election scheduled for April. The district includes communities in both Los Angeles and Orange counties.

Strickland sat at 51.06% on Wednesday following updates released by both counties.

Elections officials in Los Angeles and Orange counties have until Thursday, March 6, to finalize and certify the results.

On Wednesday, Democrats Jimmy Pham and Julie Diep, along with Republican John Briscoe, trailed behind Strickland in that order.

Pham, who had 27.41% of the vote as of Wednesday’s update on counting, did not take a stance on the vote itself.

“While the vote counting continues, I’m staying focused on the fight to protect Medicaid, our schools and lower the cost of living for every Californian,” he said.

The Orange County Registrar of Voters estimated there were 14,597 ballots left to process. While it’s unclear how many ballots remain in Los Angeles County, it accounts for only about 8% of the district’s registered voters.

“We are confident that Tony Strickland’s lead will continue to grow and win outright to avoid a runoff,” said Republican Party of Orange County spokesperson Randall Avila. “We are actively assisting Republican voters to cure their ballots and ensure that their voices are heard loud and clear by Sacramento.”

While it’s still a bit early, Republicans probably have good reason to be bullish on Strickland’s chances of avoiding a runoff, said Rob Pyers, research director for the California Target Book, which analyzes political races in the state.

The special election was triggered after Nguyen vacated the seat to join the OC Board of Supervisors, replacing Andrew Do, who was termed out. She won the post in November’s election, but was seated a little early after Do resigned following a guilty plea to federal bribery charges.

If Strickland wins, the Huntington Beach City Council will be able to appoint his replacement.

The 36th Senate District stretches from Seal Beach to San Clemente along the Orange County coast to a small portion of Los Angeles County. It includes parts of Buena Park, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Stanton and Westminster in Orange County, as well as Artesia, Cerritos and Hawaiian Gardens in Los Angeles County.

Republicans make up the largest share of registered voters in the district, at 37.11%. Democrats follow with 33.93%, while 22.61% of voters are registered with no party preference.

Whoever is elected — either in Tuesday’s primary or the general election in April — will serve a term that runs through Dec. 7, 2026.

Staff writer Michael Slaten contributed to this report. 

​ Orange County Register