Dodgers’ Blake Snell gets good news with MRI result

• April 26, 2025

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers found some relief when it came to one of their starters and it did not come from the bullpen.

Left-hander Blake Snell underwent a new MRI this week after experiencing a setback with his left shoulder injury and the results were of the best-case-scenario variety.

Snell remains out indefinitely with what is still being considered inflammation, but the club has returned to visions of the two-time Cy Young Award winner pitching again in the near future.

“He had an MRI yesterday morning and there are no new findings,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “So at some point, I think he will get an injection to kind of calm it down and they will figure out when we pick up the throwing program. But given the findings of the MRI, we dodged a bullet.”

That throwing program was shut down Wednesday after Snell felt additional discomfort while playing catch Tuesday in Chicago.

Added in the offseason on a five-year, $182-million deal, Snell made his Dodgers debut in the home opener on March 27 when he allowed two runs on five hits in five innings against the Detroit Tigers and sent the first hint that something might be off when he walked four.

Snell started again on April 2 at home against the Atlanta Braves and gave up five runs in five innings but none of the runs were earned. Again, Snell walked four batters.

The Dodgers already were set to mix in a sixth starter on occasion to make sure starters like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki stay on a schedule of one start a week. Without Snell, they have been forced to get creative, using starters like Justin Wrobleski, Landon Knack and Bobby Miller, none of whom have shown effectiveness.

Roberts even turned to a bullpen game in Chicago this week, in a strategy that played a massive role in getting through the playoffs last season, but the setup was nowhere near good enough.

The Dodgers do have Clayton Kershaw and Tony Gonsolin nearing their season debuts. Snell might be a little further away, along with Shohei Ohtani, who continues to rehab following his second Tommy John surgery in 2023.

“I don’t know the extent of the length of time, but just knowing that there is no damage is certainly a big relief,” Roberts said when asked to confirm that Snell’s absence will not be long term.

In 10 career seasons, Snell is 77-58 with a 3.18 ERA in 213 starts for the Tampa Bay Rays (2016-20), San Diego Padres (2021-23), San Francisco Giants (2024) and Dodgers.

ON THE WAY

Right-handed reliever Michael Kopech threw a 30-pitch bullpen session during Thursday’s off day, will have another one Monday and might progress to the next stage of his rehab next week.

Roberts said Kopech could move to pitching live batting practice after Monday’s bullpen. A minor-league rehab assignment would follow that step.

Kopech has yet to pitch this season because of forearm inflammation that he pitched through during the postseason last year. His recovery was derailed this spring with the stomach virus that forced players like Mookie Betts and Kiké Hernandez to miss time and he had to restart the entire recovery program.

“I wasn’t wanting to miss any time this year but the priority for me was the end of the season last year and the end of the season this year,” Kopech said about pitching through discomfort in October.

After he was acquired by the Dodgers at the trade deadline, Kopech went 4-0 with a 1.13 ERA and six saves in 24 relief appearances. In 10 postseason relief outings, Kopech was 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in nine innings.

ALSO

Right-hander Blake Treinen (forearm sprain) has yet to start a light throwing program after landing on the injured list last Saturday. … Ohtani skipped his regular bullpen session Wednesday with the team in the cold climate of Chicago, and his next bullpen scheduled for Saturday. … The Dodgers claimed right-hander Yoendrys Gomez off waivers from the New York Yankees. The 25-year-old Venezuela native was 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA in six relief appearances this season and has a 3.09 ERA in 12 appearances for New York over the past three seasons.

UP NEXT

Pirates (RHP Mitch Keller, 1-2, 4.18 ERA) at Dodgers (RHP Roki Sasaki, 0-1, 3.20 ERA), Saturday, 6:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM

​ Orange County Register 

Baseball roundup: Newport Harbor beats No. 1 Huntington Beach for second time

• April 26, 2025

Lucas Perez pitched a complete game and hit a home run for Newport Harbor in a 6-3 victory over Huntington Beach on Friday in a Sunset League game at Huntington Beach High.

The Sailors won two of their three league games this week against Huntington Beach, ranked No. 1 in the Orange County Top 25 that has Newport Harbor at No. 15. Huntington Beach is No. 10 in the MaxPreps national rankings.

Huntington Beach (19-4 overall) is in first place in the seven-team Sunset League with a 12-2 league record. Newport Harbor (19-6 overall) is second at 11-4.

Ryan Williams had two hits including a double and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly for Newport Harbor. Sailors senior third baseman Wyatt Gahm hit his first high school home run.

Jayton Greer homered for Huntington Beach.

Newport Harbor plays three league games against Marina next week. Huntington Beach plays Edison in three league games next week.

Also in the Sunset League:

No. 19 Fountain Valley 6, No. 21 Marina 3: Miles Hiskey drove in two runs for the Barons (14-9 overall, 8-6 league) in their home win over Vikings (9-16, 3-13).

Isaac Grimaldo was 3 for 3 with an RBI for Fountain Valley.

In the Crestview League:

El Modena 4, No. 7 Foothill 3: Weston Abbey’s base hit in the bottom of the seventh inning drove in Logan Honikel with the winning run as the Vanguards (10-15, 1-7) got their first league win.

Honikel hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie the game 3-3.

In the Empire League: 

No. 14 Fullerton 8, Calvary Chapel 3: Christian Robinson homered and had three RBIs for the league-leading Indians (15-8-1, 6-2).

Hudson Hall had two hits and two RBIs for Calvary Chapel.

Ocean View 5, Tustin 4: Mateo Rodriguez had three hits and drove in two runs for the Seahawks (11-13, 7-4).

In the Golden West League:

Costa Mesa 13, Buena Park 5: Wylan Rottschafer had three RBIs for the league-leading Mustangs (18-6, 8-0).

Aiden Comte and Grady Jackson had two RBIs each for Costa Mesa. Comte was 3 for 3.

Katella 7, Kennedy 2: Julian Bustos had two including including a double and drove in three runs for the Knights (18-3, 7-1).

Katella plays first-place Costa Mesa in two league games next week.

— Steve Fryer

In the Trinity League:

JSerra 6, Santa Margarita 1: Freshman Jax Janeski gave JSerra a strong pitching performance in a road win over Santa Margarita.

Janeski allowed two hits and no earned runs in 5⅔ innings with four strikeouts. UC Santa Barbara signee Jordan Marian went 3 for 3 with a double and four RBIs for JSerra (10-12, 5-7). Shane D’Arcy hit a double and Blake Bowen added a double and a stolen base.

UCLA signee Hayden George allowed two earned runs in five innings with five strikeouts for Santa Margarita (13-11, 5-7).

In the South Coast League:

Trabuco Hills 2, Tesoro 1: Daniel Van De Kreeke had two hits and two RBIs for Trabuco Hills (17-7-1, 6-3).

Josh Fitch earned the win with three shutout innings in relief with two strikeouts. Luke Hoffman had two hits and scored a run.

Brandon McKindley pitched well for Tesoro (5-18, 4-5) and allowed two runs in 5⅓ innings with two strikeouts. Eli Martin had two hits and one RBI.

Aliso Niguel 1, Dana Hills 0: Cooper Flemming pitched a one-hit shutout for Aliso Niguel (19-6, 6-3) in a win over Dana Hills.

The Vanderbilt signee had eight strikeouts. Carson Etnire and Austin Hays each had two hits for the Wolverines and freshman Hudson Covington drove in the lone run.

Ben Moulin pitched well for Dana Hills (10-13-1, 5-6-1) with just four hits allowed in five innings with five strikeouts. Brad Lewis hit a double for Dana Hills’ lone hit.

In the Freeway League: 

La Habra 3, Yorba Linda 2: A pair of RBI doubles lifted La Habra (16-8, 6-2) to a win over Yorba Linda.

Bobby Fierro and Fernando Alatorre each had a double with one RBI. Angel Acuna got the win with two hits and two runs allowed in 4⅔ innings with five strikeouts.

Nathan Schneider had a double with a RBI for Yorba Linda (7-18, 2-8).

In the North Hills League:

Brea Olinda 7, Sonora 4: Brea Olinda scored five runs in the third inning in a win over Sonora.

Brayden Robinson went 2 for 4 with a double and a RBI for Brea Olinda (15-6, 9-1). Deacon Britton drove in two runs for the Wildcats and Hudson Sims added a double.

Lincoln Webster had two hits with one RBI for Sonora (13-9, 4-3) and Tucker Hunnicutt had two hits.

In the Sea View League:

San Clemente 7, Mission Viejo 4: San Clemente scored seven runs in its final two innings at bat to clinch a series sweep of Mission Viejo.

Kai Cesare had a double and drove in two runs for San Clemente (15-9, 7-2). Joaquim Baumgardner had two hits with two RBIs and Stanford signee Mike Erspamer had a double and two RBIs. Luke Acuna pitched 6⅔ innings and had three strikeouts.

Jack Boucher went 3 for 4 with a double, stolen base and one RBI for Mission Viejo (11-14, 3-6). Max Osika added a double and drove in two runs.

Beckman 4, San Juan Hills 2: Nick Molina hit a home run and had two RBIs for Beckman in a win over San Juan Hills.

The win completed a three-game sweep for Beckman (15-13, 5-7) over the Stallions. Gus Powell went 3 for 3 and scored two runs and Sean Franco added two hits.

Carter Head allowed two runs in five innings with four strikeouts. Ricky Schoeffler pitched two shutout innings to earn the save.

Ethan Meeker hit a home run for San Juan Hills (12-11, 4-5) and Tanner Kessler drove in a run.

In the Pacific Coast League:

St. Margaret’s 4, Woodbridge 3 (10 innings): Charlie Allen had the game-winning hit in the 10th inning for St. Margaret’s.

Allen had three hits and drove in two runs for St. Margaret’s (3-15, 2-10).

Kyle Underwood had seven strikeouts in six innings for Woodbridge (17-9, 6-6). Nevan Namgong had two hits with a double and a stolen base. Alex Johnson had two hits with one RBI.

Laguna Beach 10, Portola 1: Becker Sybirski had a big day on the mound and at the plate for Laguna Beach (21-3, 11-1).

Sybirski allowed just two hits, no earned runs and had seven strikeouts in the win and had three hits with a double and two RBIs. Parker Moore had three hits with a double and five RBIs. Lincoln Adams went 3 for 3 with a double and one RBI.

Northwood 2, University 1: Paul Grossman had nine strikeouts and allowed no earned runs in six innings for Northwood (11-14-1, 7-5).

Colin Carlson had two hits with a RBI for the Timberwolves and Koji Yoshimizu had one RBI.

Andrew Shean allowed one earned run in six innings with four strikeouts for University (12-2, 5-7). Chase Nguyen had a double and one RBI.

In the Orange League:

Bolsa Grande 13, Santiago 7: Bolsa Grande had a stellar offensive game in a win over Santiago.

Junior Rizo went 3 for 4 with three RBIs and Tank Britton added three hits with one RBI. Nick Vazquez hit a triple and drove in three runs. Mikey Haley Jr. had two hits and stole three bases.

Britton got the win on the mound for Bolsa Grande (13-6, 8-2) with seven strikeouts in five innings.

Daniel Thomas Romero had two doubles with three RBIs for Santiago (6-13, 6-6). Isaiah Cortez had two hits with one RBI.

In the Coast League:

Savanna 11, Anaheim 5: Aiden Perez went 4 for 5 with a triple, stolen base and three RBIs in Savanna’s win over Anaheim.

Jesus Lopez had two hits and drove in two runs for Savanna (15-9, 6-4). Josh Eich got the win with four strikeouts in 3⅔ innings.

Randy Rojas had two doubles with one

RBI for Anaheim (6-15, 2-10). Andrew Tabita went 3 for 3 with a double and one RBI.

— Michael Huntley

​ Orange County Register 

La Habra softball beats Sonora one day after claiming Freeway League title

• April 26, 2025

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LA HABRA — The league title was clinched. The ace pitchers from the previous duel weren’t in the starting lineups. And a steady wind was knocking down drives toward the fence.

La Habra’s softball team could have let any of the conditions Friday zap momentum as it played rival Sonora for the second consecutive day.

The Highlanders had other ideas.

One day after securing the Freeway League championship, La Habra continued its playoff push by defeating host Sonora 5-1 behind home runs by Alyssa Hernandez and Eliana Corona and the pitching of juniors Samantha Cervantes and Madison Payne.

“They’re fighters,” first-year La Habra coach Vince Peralta said of his team. “We have goals. We got to stayed focused.”

“They’ve been playing really hard,” the coach added. “We’re definitely excited and we’re ready to make a push.”

La Habra (19-7, 10-0), ranked No. 10 in Orange County this week, hopes to make an impact in CIF-SS tournament after missing the playoffs the past two seasons.

The Highlanders started only one senior Friday — Concordia-bound shortstop Crystal Alatorre — and feature a strong junior class and some impact freshmen.

“I think we’re going to go far (in CIF),” said Alatorre, one of the team’s captains. “I believe in these girls and how we’ve been playing, undefeated (in league).”

“We kept going (today),” she added. “I just told the girls ‘Keeping pushing ourselves and we’re almost there.’ “

Payne pitched six innings Thursday as the Highlanders sealed their first league title since 2022 with a 3-1 victory against Sonora. On Friday, she pitched two scoreless innings in relief of Cervantes.

Sonora (15-7, 4-6), which is in third place in league, loaded the bases with one out in the seventh to bring the tying run to the plate but Payne retired the next two batters.

Cervantes, who earned the save Thursday, scattered seven hits in five innings on Friday.

“Both of them are doing very well,” Peralta said of his pitchers.

In the third, Hernandez drove a ball to left through the wind for a go-ahead, solo home run and 2-1 lead. The junior right fielder, who is committed to Siena College, leads La Habra with eight home runs.

Corona, a freshman catcher, delivered again in the sixth inning. She belted the first pitch to center for a two-run home run for a 4-1 lead.

On Thursday, Corona hit a two-run home run in the sixth. She has six home runs.

“She’s very athletic,” Peralta said of Corona, who played flag football and basketball. “She loves the game.”

Alatorre helped lead La Habra’s defense by making a diving stop on grounder up the middle with two outs and the bases loaded in the second inning. She tagged second base for the out.

La Habra freshman second baseman Andrea Langenberg added two bunt singles from the No. 8 spot in the lineup.

Sonora, ranked No. 21 in the county, received three hits from Arizona State committed catcher Brooke Piwowar. The Raiders also turned three doubles plays, including two started with sophomore Samantha Jaimes snagging line drives at shortstop.

“So proud of them,” Sonora coach Michelle Rodriguez said of her team. “(We) had chances.”

​ Orange County Register 

South Bay man pleads guilty to trafficking, admits he raped woman before leaving her in a forest

• April 26, 2025

A South Bay man accused of sex trafficking a woman addicted to fentanyl pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of sex trafficking by force and coercion on Friday, March 25, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

33-year-old Leslie Anthony Bailey of Wilmington also admitted in his plea agreement that he raped the woman and abandoned her in the Angeles National Forest.

Bailey messaged the woman, who was receiving treatment for fentanyl addiction at a facility in Los Angeles, on social media in February 2022 and offered to pick her up and give her fentanyl after she mentioned going through withdrawal symptoms, accorrding to his plea agreement.

He picked her up on Feb. 5, purchased fentanyl pills and then took her to Long Beach, where he lived at the time, and gave her some of the pills, according to his plea agreement.

On Feb. 6, Bailey drove her to an area in Anaheim expecting the victim to engage in sex acts for money and to give him the money received, telling her that he would provide her with more fentanyl after. After she engaged in multiple transactional sex acts, Bailey gave the victim more fentanyl and brought her back to his home in Long Beach, according to the plea agreement.

The next day, Feb. 7, Bailey stopped the victim from leaving his residence and told her he would beat her if she tried to leave again. He drove her to Anaheim again, for prostitution, once again promising fentanyl afterwards, according to the U.S. DOJ.

When the victim asked Bailey to return her to the drug treatment facility on Feb. 8, he agreed to drive her back. But, he instead drove to the Angeles National Forest, ordering the victim to get out of the car in a remote area. Bailey then beat and raped the victim and drove away, leaving her in the forest, according to the plea agreement.

In Bailey’s plea agreement, he also admitted to trafficking another woman a year later, in 2023, once again using social media to contact the victim and then having her work for him as a prostitute in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties, using force and threats of force to control her in some instances.

Bailey is scheduled to be sentenced on July 18, when he will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and up to life in prison.

​ Orange County Register 

Angels’ Mike Trout says he’s not looking for any breaks right now

• April 26, 2025

MINNEAPOLIS — The Angels arrived at their Minneapolis hotel around 5 a.m. on Friday, after playing a night game on Thursday in Anaheim.

That difficult travel turnaround could have been viewed as a reason to give Mike Trout his first day off of the season.

“He is off; he’s DH-ing,” Manager Ron Washington said with a smile.

Trout has been injured so much in the past few years that there is always concern about his health. However, Washington and Trout both said on Friday that it was an easy decision for him to play the series opener against the Twins.

“I told Wash, ‘I took a lot of games off last year. I want to play every game as much as I can,’” Trout said. “Obviously, when I need a day, we’ll talk about it. But we have a good little rotation going of DH-ing. Even back-to-back DH has been good because it refuels the legs.”

Trout has started all 25 of the Angels’ games this season, including 18 in right field and seven at DH.

“Don’t get me wrong, we’re going to pick days to get Mike off his feet totally,” Washington said, “but right now, the way our offense been going, we can’t afford to not have him in there. Like I said, there’s two things that he brings, presence and performance. We need his presence every day. Eventually he’s going to start performing, but his presence we need every day and tonight it’s his presence.”

Trout’s performance has been sporadic so far this season. His .172 batting average is low, but he’s hit eight homers that have contributed to a .757 OPS that is above average. His 28.4% strikeout rate is worse than the major league average of 22.4%.

Defensively, the metrics have shown Trout to be below average in right field, his new position. He’s had some rough moments, like when he collided with center fielder Jo Adell on Tuesday or when he failed to call off second baseman Kyren Paris, allowing a ball to drop in the ninth inning on Thursday.

But he also made a diving catch on Thursday. He said he didn’t even remember the last time he made a diving catch.

“I felt like a little kid again,” Trout said.

The point of Trout moving from center field to right was to reduce his workload and keep him healthier. While Trout hasn’t gotten hurt, it’s too early to know if there will really be less wear on his legs from playing right.

“Some games I feel like I run way more (in right field) and some games I don’t,” Trout said. “It’s a mix.”

TALK IT OVER

The Angels normal hitters’ meeting including a little extra before Thursday’s game.

Washington spoke, as did a few players, as they tried to get the team out of its funk. The Angels had averaged 2.4 runs and hit .186 over the previous 11 games. After the meeting they performed a little better, scoring four runs on six hits in a victory.

“We had a good meeting, and then we went out there and performed according to the meeting,” Washington said. “We were a lot more aggressive.”

Washington said when he spoke, it was not about the mechanics of hitting, but about the mentality.

“Having the wrong mental state can snowball you more than the fact that we’re not getting base hits,” Washington said. “So it was mainly about our mental state, and they came out last night and checked their mental state.”

NOTES

Right-hander Ben Joyce (right shoulder inflammation) has begun some light throwing. …

Third baseman Yoán Moncada (sprained right thumb) still hasn’t hit from the left side. He has been hitting from the right side and doing defensive drills. …

Right-hander Sam Bachman (thoracic outlet syndrome) has been facing hitters in Arizona. The Angels still view Bachman as a starter in the long-term but they are more likely to bring him back to the majors as a reliever this season. …

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Tommy Pham was suspended for one game because of an obscene gesture he made toward fans at Angel Stadium on Wednesday night. Pham is appealing the suspension. …

Washington said he was not anticipating any residual affect of Thursday night’s travel to hinder their performance this weekend. The buses to Target Field left the Angels’ hotel at 3 p.m., about 10 hours after their arrival. “In baseball there’s no excuses,” Washington said. “Just like there’s no crying in baseball, there’s no excuses in baseball. We’ll be ready to go.” …

The Twins are hitting .157 against lefties, which is the worst average in the majors. The Angels are starting left-hander Yusei Kikuchi on Saturday.

UP NEXT

Angels (LHP Yusei Kikuchi, 0-3, 3.38 ERA) at Twins (RHP Simeon Woods Richardson, 1-2, 4.74 ERA), Saturday, 11:10 a.m. PT, FDSN West, 830 AM

​ Orange County Register 

Five Orange County boys volleyball teams in Division 1 for CIF-SS playoffs

• April 26, 2025

Five Orange County boys volleyball teams are among the eight teams in Division 1 for the CIF Southern Section playoffs that begin next week.

The county teams in the elite division are Sunset League champion Huntington Beach (31-3 overall, 12-0 in league); Sunset League second-place Corona del Mar (21-5, 10-2); Sunset League third-place Newport Harbor (13-16, 7-5); South Coast League co-champion Beckman (28-7, 7-1); and South Coast League co-champion San Clemente (19-8, 7-1).

Huntington Beach is seeded No. 2, behind Mira Costa (28-2). Loyola (27-4) is seeded No. 3 and Corona del Mar is No. 4.

Mater Dei, the Trinity League champion, was eighth in the CIF-SS rankings that were released April 15. If the Monarchs had stayed there then they would be in Division 1.

But they lost to St. John Bosco on Tuesday in four sets, 24-26, 25-23, 22-25, 23-35, in their final Trinity League match, and dropped to No. 9 in the final rankings.

Mater Dei is the No. 1 seed in the 16-team Division 2 bracket.

Divisions 3-9 are 32-team brackets.

Orange County teams occupy the top four seeded positions in Division 2. After top-seeded Mater Dei (22-12-2 overall) is No. 2 Santa Margarita (18-4), which finished second in the Trinity League; No. 3 St. Margaret’s (18-4), the Pacific Coast League champion; and No. 4 JSerra, which tied Servite for fourth place in the Trinity League and qualified as an at-large team.

All six Trinity League teams are in the playoffs. JSerra, Mater Dei, Santa Margarita, Servite and St. John Bosco are in Division 2. Orange Lutheran is in Division 3.

Six of the seven Sunset League teams are in the playoffs: Corona del Mar, Huntington Beach and Newport Harbor in Division 1; Edison and Fountain Valley in Division 2; and Los Alamitos in Division 3.

Division 1 has a pool-play format. The winners of Pool A and Pool B meet in the championship match.

First-round pool-play matches in Pool A are Beckman at Mira Costa and San Clemente at Corona del Mar on Wednesday. The Pool B first round has Newport Harbor at Huntington Beach and Redondo at Loyola. Huntington Beach beat Newport Harbor twice in the Sunset League.

Huntington Beach coach Craig Pazanti likes the pool-play format, which has been in place for a few years in boys volleyball, more than the single-elimination format.

“If you have a bad night you can still make your way back into contention,” Pazanti said. “All of the Division 1 teams have pretty much played each other. I think we’ve played teams in our pool seven times this season.”

The boys volleyball playoffs have expanded to nine divisions from seven divisions in 2024.

Tesoro is the No. 1 seed in Division 3. The Titans (14-13) have a first-round bye.

Ocean View (15-8) is the No. 1 seed in Division 7.

First-round matches are Tuesday, April 29, for Divisions 3, 5, 7 and 9. First-round matches are Wednesday, April 30, for Divisions 2, 4, 6 and 8.

Division 1 pool play begins Wednesday, April 30.

Championship matches are May 16 and 17. The Division 1 final is at Cerritos College on May 16 or 17.

Other division finals could be at Cerritos College while others are at home-team sites. The CIF-SS office will announce the specifics after the semifinals are completed.

Spectator admission to the playoff games through the semifinals is $6 for children of ages 5-13 and for students, $12 for adults. GoFan.co is the exclusive ticket source for CIF-SS playoff events.

Admission to the boys volleyball finals is $7 for children and students and $14 for adults, again via GoFan.co.

Last season’s CIF-SS boys volleyball champions: Division 1, Loyola; Division 2, Santa Margarita; Division 3, St. Margaret’s; Division 4, West Ranch; Division 5, Sage Hill; Division 6, Samueli Academy;  Division 7, Ontario Christian.

​ Orange County Register 

OC judge who killed his wife suspended without pay following murder conviction

• April 26, 2025

An Orange County Superior Court judge who shot and killed his wife during an argument at their Anaheim Hills home has been formally suspended from office without salary, days after a Santa Ana jury convicted him of second-degree murder.

As an elected judge, Jeffrey Ferguson, 74, had continued collecting a more than $220,000 yearly salary ever since his August 2023 arrest for fatally shooting his wife, Sheryl, with a Glock .40-caliber pistol he constantly carried in an ankle holster. In light of his conviction, members of the Commission on Judicial Performance — an independent state agency tasked with investigating allegations of judicial misconduct and disciplining judges — voted to suspend Ferguson.

Prosecutors said Ferguson intentionally shot his 65-year-old wife after she mocked him while the couple and their adult son were watching the television show “Breaking Bad” in their living room. Immediately after the shooting, Ferguson texted to his courtroom staff “I just lost it. I shot my wife,” and hours later, he was recorded saying to himself “I killed her. Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, convict my ass. I did it.”

Ferguson claimed the shooting was accidental, telling jurors that he was trying to place the firearm on a coffee table when his shoulder gave out and he fumbled the firearm, inadvertently firing the fatal gunshot.

A jury last month deadlocked after deliberating for nine days. A second jury, following a retrial last week, convicted Ferguson after less than a day of deliberations. Ferguson faces up to 40 years to life in prison when he returns to court for sentencing on June 13.

Ferguson’s arrest and his wife’s death shocked the local legal community. He spent decades as a prosecutor and a judge, while she worked for both the Santa Barbara and Orange County probation departments before focusing on raising their son.

During his trials, Ferguson admitted to repeatedly breaking the law by consuming alcohol while carrying a concealed weapon. He also admitted to regularly drinking during lunch breaks while serving as a judge before going back to court to hear criminal cases. And leading up to his trial, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Eleanor J Hunter — who presided over Ferguson’s criminal case — doubled Ferguson’s bail after determining he lied to cover up consuming alcohol while awaiting trial. Hunter was also angered at what she described as Ferguson’s attempts to improperly garner sympathy from jurors both leading up to and during his retrial.

If Ferguson’s conviction is upheld on appeal, he will be fully removed from the bench. If the conviction is overturned, the suspension would be lifted and he would receive back pay.

​ Orange County Register 

Southern Californians remember Pope Francis at Memorial Mass in downtown L.A.

• April 26, 2025

Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez celebrated a Memorial Mass on Friday, April 25, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angeles in downtown to honor the life and ministry of Pope Francis.

The liturgy was held in anticipation of the pope’s funeral in Rome on Saturday. It drew auxiliary bishops, local clergy, elected officials, consul generals, interfaith leaders and parishioners, who gathered to pray for the late pontiff and give a final farewell from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

“We come together with hearts full of both sorrow and gratitude as we celebrate this Memorial Mass for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis,” Gomez said.

Francis, the first pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit to serve as pontiff, led the Catholic Church from 2013 until his death earlier this week at age 88 from a stroke and heart failure.

He’s remembered for his focus on mercy, care for the poor, and efforts to make the Catholic Church more responsive to modern social issues from human rights to climate change. Francis’ funeral Mass will take place Saturday in St. Peter’s Square in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

With a capacity of about 3,000, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angeles was nearly full, and more than 1,200 people joined the celebration via livestream.

“It has been powerful and emotional to see so many people in Rome coming out to pray and pay respect to the Holy Father,” Gomez said. “And it’s moving to be here with all of you as we remember his legacy and his many gifts to the church.”

Gomez recalled how Francis chose the Italian island of Lampedusa for his first pastoral visit outside Rome — a small, remote island in the Mediterranean that had become a symbol of the migrant crisis, with many refugees risking their lives to reach its shores.

His visit reflected the pope’s call for people to look beyond their own comfort and recognize their responsibility toward others, Gomez said.

“For these past 12 years, Pope Francis has been urging us to recover our common humanity. He told us that we are responsible for one another, that we have the duty to care for one another,” Gomez said. “He gave us a beautiful vision of the world as God intends it to be.”

Pope Francis’ funeral Mass on Saturday will begin the traditional nine days of mourning and prayer known as the Novendiales. A large gathering of world leaders, church officials and mourners is expected to attend.

In Los Angeles, Catholic churches will join the worldwide Catholic community in offering prayers for the late pope, with special prayers at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels before each Mass from Sunday, April 27, through May 4.

​ Orange County Register