Has Scabby the Rat reached the end of his relevance?

• May 14, 2023

NEW YORK (AP) — For decades, a giant, inflatable rat with beady eyes, sharp teeth and a pustule-covered belly has loomed over union protests, drawing attention to various labor disputes.

But in the era of TikTok and influencer culture, middle-aged Scabby faces a new challenge: staying relevant.

“It’s kind of unfortunate, changing times, older members of the public know exactly what the rat is for,” said James Smith, union activity administrator for the NYC District Council of Carpenters. “The newer generation sometimes doesn’t — one person thought that we were protesting a building that needed an exterminator.”

Nevertheless, Scabby isn’t collecting hard-won retirement benefits just yet. Most recently, he has been making the rounds at various picket lines in New York for the Hollywood writers strike organized by the Writers Guild of America East and other unions.

Scabby is the “true rat czar of New York City,” said WGA East communications director Jason Gordon, referencing the more fun title for the city’s new director of rodent migration.

At the picket line near HBO and Amazon’s New York offices on Wednesday, screenwriter Lisa Kron, 61, said she was “thrilled to see that we were being chaperoned by Scabby the Rat.”

She’s seen Scabby out and about during her four decades living in New York, but this was her first time picketing with the rat.

“It’s one of those great enduring symbols, it’s a great piece of visual protest,” she said. “It’s got humor and it’s got a shaming kind of message. And it’s very New York.”

“It’s an attention grabber,” said Benjamin Serby, a professor at Adelphi University who has written about the history of Scabby. “It’s something that just is very effective, for whatever reason, at making people walking by or driving by, stop and ask: ‘What’s going on here?’”

Although having a rat as a mascot seems quintessentially New York, Scabby the Rat was actually invented by a union in Chicago around the late 1980s (several claim credit), and other unions around the country quickly adopted the practice of using inflatables to draw attention to actions (pigs, roaches and cats are other popular inflatables to use as well, although they lack a catchy nickname).

There are many Scabbys. At another union action in March at a Petco, Marty Flash sat in the cab of his truck used to ferry one of the NYC District Council of Carpenters’ eight rats around (most unions have several, or borrow from unions that do). Most of the District Council’s rats, along with a generator and gas can, stay in a locker at union headquarters or in organizers’ trucks so they can be quickly deployed.

Flash, a carpenter for 35 years, has seen many reactions to the 10-foot-tall rat, which, at the moment, was towering over Union Square in the truck’s bed.

“In midtown Manhattan, it’s a tourist attraction. Little children get a real kick out of it. They come over, they want to touch it. Dogs are petrified of it,” he said. Flash said Scabby can inflate in about a minute and a half with a generator and deflate in about 30 seconds. Bigger rats — the rats range from 8 to 20-plus feet — can take 15 minutes to fill up.

Scabby’s name is a play on “scabs,” the derogatory term dating back to the 1800s for strikebreakers who cross picket lines to work. The oozing sores on his belly are a visual reference to the term. But Flash said workers at the sites visited by Scabby shouldn’t take offense, since the rat is protesting against contractors and companies, not the workers themselves.

“Some workers think that we are against them. We’re actually fighting to get them more money, better pay and better benefits,” he said. “But it’s perceived as the rat is calling them a rat or implying that they’re ‘less than.’ Which is not our intention. … It’s to imply that a rat contractor is not paying their workers the fair pay.”

Rats are made of PVC vinyl and cost between $8,000 to $20,000, according to Flash. One company, Blue Sky Balloons outside of Chicago, is responsible for most of the rats found in NYC. But they seem to be distancing themselves from the inflatables, The Guardian reported earlier this year. Blue Sky Balloons responded to an Associated Press query by saying they were new owners who weren’t associated with the rat, and didn’t respond to follow-up queries.

But Flash says his union still sends their rats to Big Sky for repairs, which can cost up to $2,000. Repairs are needed often since most are years or decades old — so the unions try to take good care of their rats.

“I baby this one with my life,” Flash said. “We have a pool of rats and generators that you take when you need. I just always keep mine with me because I’m familiar with this operation.”

Not everyone likes Scabby. Sometimes the inflatable rat gets slashed or attacked by anyone from random passersby to disgruntled workers at sites. The rat has often been the subject of legal challenges by the companies Scabby targets. If he blocks the sidewalk or street, police can boot him. But Scabby is a survivor, winning its most recent legal challenge in 2021, when the National Labor Relations Board ruled that it was a protected form of expression.

These days, Scabby also has to contend with new technology and social media. Its Facebook page, run by a retired union organizer, lets various unions post photos of Scabby at protests around the country, and some rats feature QR codes that give people information about campaigns. But Mike Piccirillo, president of Local 20 Carpenters Union, said a more recent addition to the union’s arsenal might overshadow Scabby.

“Our LED sign truck is a lot more effective than the rat,” he said. “I’ve been in construction for 25 years, and most New Yorkers are numb to the rat. They just walk by it. Now the LED sign with its flashing lights actually gets their attention.”

Yet — much like the currently surging rat population in New York — Scabby is unlikely to completely disappear anytime soon, as long as the rat keeps conveying his message of fair pay for workers.

“People are drawn to it in part because it’s like an ironic symbol of defiance,” Serby said. “Something about this giant, ugly, toothy kind of scary-looking rat makes people feel permitted to express anger and defiance and outrage at employers.”

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County scores and player stats for Saturday, May 13

• May 13, 2023

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

Scores and stats from Orange County games on Saturday, May 13

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

SATURDAY’S SCORES

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

CIF-SS PLAYOFFS

Finals

DIVISION 3

El Segundo def. St. Margaret’s, 20-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-9

GIRLS LACROSSE

CIF-SS PLAYOFFS

Finals

DIVISION 3

Huntington Beach 12, Portola 9

Goals: (HB) Pilkington 4, Hazan 3, Ford 2. (Por) Zdanavage 6

Saves: (HB) Levine 3. (Por) Bebawy 5

SOFTBALL

CIF-SS PLAYOFFS

Semifinals

DIVISION 5

Irvine 5, Santa Paula 4

​ Orange County Register 

Shepherd Asta is a charmer who’s sweet as they come

• May 13, 2023

Breed: German shepherd

Age: 2 years

Sex: Neutered male

Size: 79 pounds

Asta’s story: Asta is sweet as honey. He has been featured at adoption events and is nothing but a gentleman around his furry friends, large or small! Not only is he a social butterfly, but he’s also incredibly smart. Asta knows how to sit and shake, and he’s excited to learn more tricks from his forever family. Although Asta is quick to befriend other dogs, he takes an old-school approach when it comes to humans. He prefers to go on several play dates before calling anyone his best friend, so we think he’ll do best in a home with very patient adults.

Adoption fee: Throughout May, adoption fees are waived for dogs 25 pounds and over. Those adopting dogs 25 pounds and over will not have to pay for microchipping, vaccinations, spaying or neutering and an anti-parasite treatment. Waived adoption fees do not include licensing fees or puppies six months of age or younger.

Adoption procedure: Call OC Animal Care at 714-935-6848 to pre-schedule your adoption visit. While pre-scheduled visits are available for convenience, walk-ins are welcome on a first-come, first-served basis at the  shelter, 1630 Victory Road, Tustin.

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​ Orange County Register 

Abortion fight: North Carolina governor vetoes 12-week limit, launches override showdown

• May 13, 2023

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — In front of an exuberant crowd, North Carolina’s Democratic governor vetoed legislation Saturday that would have banned nearly all abortions in his state after 12 weeks of pregnancy.

About 1,000 abortion-rights activists and voters watched on a plaza in the capital of Raleigh as Gov. Roy Cooper affixed his veto stamp to the bill in an unconventionally public display.

The veto launches a major test for leaders of the GOP-controlled General Assembly to attempt an override vote after they recently gained veto-proof majorities in both chambers. The bill was the Republican response to last year’s U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

“We’re going to have to kick it into an even higher gear when that veto stamp comes down,” Cooper told the crowd. “If just one Republican in either the House or the Senate keeps a campaign promise to protect women’s reproductive health, we can stop this ban.”

Andrea Long, a 42-year-old mother of three from Cary, said she was honored be part of an “electric” crowd on what she called a “historic day for freedom” in North Carolina.

“I couldn’t stop crying tears of joy seeing the governor hold up the veto stamp, but I know it’s an uphill battle to keep this momentum going,” Long said.

Cooper, a strong abortion-rights supporter, had until Sunday night to act on the measure that tightens current state law, which bans most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The legislation passed along party lines last week in the House and Senate. Override voting could begin next week.

Cooper spent this week on the road talking to North Carolinians about the bill’s lesser-known impacts and urging them to apply pressure upon key Republican lawmakers who were hesitant about further restrictions during their campaigns for office last year.

Republicans have pitched the measure as a middle-ground change to state abortion laws developed after months of private negotiations between House and Senate GOP members. It adds exceptions to the 12-week ban, extending the limit through 20 weeks for rape and incest and through 24 weeks for “life-limiting” fetal anomalies.

Senate leader Phil Berger accused Cooper on Saturday of “feeding the public lies” and “bullying” members of his party to block the legislation. “I look forward to promptly overriding his veto,” he said in a statement.

Cooper has said repeatedly the details contained in the 47-page bill show that the measure isn’t a reasonable compromise and would instead greatly erode reproductive rights. He cites new obstacles for women to obtain abortions — such as requiring multiple in-person visits, additional paperwork to prove a patient has given their informed consent to an abortion and increased regulation of clinics providing the procedure.

Cooper and allies have said those changes in practice will shut down clinics that cannot afford major upgrades mandated by new licensing standards and make it nearly impossible for women who live in rural areas or work long hours to access abortion services.

Compared to recent actions by Republican-controlled legislatures elsewhere, the broad prohibition after 12 weeks can be viewed as less onerous to those in other states where the procedure has been banned almost completely. But abortion-rights activists have argued that it’s more restrictive than meets the eye and will have far-reaching consequences. Since Roe was overturned, many patients traveling from more restrictive states have become dependent on North Carolina as a locale for abortions later in pregnancy.

Republicans call the legislation pro-family and pro-child, pointing to at least $160 million in spending contained within for maternal health services, foster and adoption care, contraceptive access and paid leave for teachers and state employees after the birth of a child.

Cooper has called out four GOP legislators — three House members and one senator — whom he said made “campaign promises to protect women’s reproductive health.” Abortion-rights activists passed out fliers in the crowd Saturday with their names and office phone numbers. Anti-abortion groups accused Cooper of trying to bully them.

“The way he’s been showing up in their districts and harassing their constituents, it’s disgusting,” said Wes Bryant, one of about 70 anti-abortion protesters gathered across the street from Cooper’s rally for a prayer event.

One of the House members Cooper singled out is Rep. Tricia Cotham of Mecklenburg County, who voted for the bill mere weeks after she switched from the Democratic Party to the GOP. The move gave Republicans a veto-proof supermajority if all of their legislators are present and voting.

Cotham has spoken out for abortion rights in the past and even earlier this year co-sponsored a bill to codify abortion protections into state law. Rep. Ted Davis of Wilmington — another targeted legislator — was the only Republican absent from last week’s initial House vote. The Senate margin already became veto-proof after GOP gains last November.

Davis said last fall that he supported “what the law is in North Carolina right now,” which was a 20-week limit. Davis has declined to comment on the bill, but House Speaker Tim Moore said recently that Davis is a “yes” vote for an override.

​ Orange County Register 

Man, woman dead after being hit by car while crossing Anaheim street

• May 13, 2023

A man and woman were killed after they were struck by a car while attempting to cross an Anaheim street Friday night, May 12, authorities said.

Anaheim police were called to the 1000 block of South Anaheim Boulevard and found the two pedestrians in the roadway, Sgt. Jon McClintock said.

The man died at the scene and the woman was treated, but died of her injuries at a hospital, McClintock said.

The pair was not in a crosswalk and was hit by a car traveling southbound, McClintock said. The driver of the car was not driving under the influence and was not arrested.

Further information about the pedestrians was not immediately available. They were not identified pending family notifications.

Video from OC Hawk, a freelance news videographer, showed a silver Toyota sedan with damage to the front right side.

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​ Orange County Register 

Blood stem cell donor meets 15-year-old whose life he saved in Los Angeles

• May 13, 2023

It was a heartfelt meeting, as San Jose resident Chuck Woo met the 15-year-old with blood cancer whose life he saved.

Woo met Darrian Lu for the first time Thursday in downtown Los Angeles. Lu, an Alameda teen on the autism spectrum, had been battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia for two years. Woo was his blood stem cell donor.

“As soon as I knew I was a match, I said, absolutely, there’s no question about it. As a parent, I wanted to help potentially save a life,” said Woo.

In November 2021, Lu had his life-changing transplant at the Oakland Children’s Hospital. He said he was excited and grateful to meet Woo for the first time.

The emotional reunion was made possible by nonprofit Be the Match, which helps patients with life-threatening blood cancers find bone marrow and stem cell donors, increasing access to cellular therapy.

Nearly half of the registry’s Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander patients currently do not have a matching blood stem cell donor on the Be The Match registry.

Organizers say eligible donors can help increase those odds by joining the free registry, with a health history form and a cheek swab sample, through a kit sent to their home. Anyone who meets healthy guidelines is welcome, and more donors of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, and between the ages of 18 and 35, are most urgently needed.

As part of its campaign effort to reach more donors during Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Be The Match hosted a special live-streamed concert in Little Tokyo with singer-songwriter AJ Rafael, who is also a blood stem cell donor.

There are upcoming swab drives and donor events in L.A. and the Inland Empire. Visit BetheMatch.com for details and a list of events.

Related links

Where to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in Los Angeles County
‘Ten Thousand Things’ podcast finds stories in objects owned by Asian Americans
Michael Milken urges medical, science communities to speed up cures
City of Hope bone marrow recipients virtually meet their donors, both German residents
City of Hope opens on-campus hotel in Duarte for patients, families

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County restaurants shut down by health inspectors (May 4-11)

• May 13, 2023

Restaurants and other food vendors ordered to close and allowed to reopen by Orange County health inspectors from May 4 to May 11.

Anytime Hawaiian, 1650 S. Harbor Blvd., Suite C, Anaheim

Closed: May 10
Reason: Cockroach infestation
Reopened: May 11

Champagne Bakery at Asian Garden Mall, 9200 Bolsa Ave., Suite 116, Westminster

Closed: May 9
Reason: Rodent infestation
Reopened: May 10

Food sales at 98c Jumbo Dollar, 410 W. La Habra Blvd., La Habra

Closed: May 9
Reason: No water supply
Reopened: May 10

Grand Teriyaki Roll & Sub, 1704 S. Grand Ave., Santa Ana

Closed: May 9
Reason: Rodent infestation
Reopened: May 10

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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 

Swanson: Austin Reaves showing Lakers what a wise investment he’ll be

• May 13, 2023

LOS ANGELES —Far be it for me to tell Rob Pelinka what to do: The Lakers’ general manager just orchestrated a from-13th-place-to-Western Conference-finals maneuver like he was a jet pilot doing a barrel roll.

But shucks, man. I don’t need a 50,000-foot view to see it: The Lakers better hang on to Austin Reaves. They found him, they gotta keep him.

Reaves, a 24-year-old undrafted free agent – and soon-to-be restricted free agent – from tiny Newark, Arkansas, just wouldn’t look right in any colors but purple and gold.

The second-year wing with the wispy brown bangs has already gotten a playoff “Bang!” from broadcaster Mike Breen. Long a Kobe guy, he’s nicknamed “Hillbilly Kobe” and he’s proving himself the perfect pairing with LeBron James.

The young man’s 54-footer at the halftime buzzer not only brought down the house, but it went down as the the longest shot by a Laker in the past quarter-century of playoff action.

The guy who, as Anthony Davis put it, “wants to take big, big shots, and makes big shots,” he ought to be a Laker for a good, long while.

What he’s done these playoffs cements it. What he’s doing these playoffs will make it pricier too.

For now, the 6-foot-5 Reaves is earning $1.5 million. A bargain! But by piling up performances like Friday’s – 23 points on 7-for-12 shooting, five rebounds, six assists in a 122-101 closeout victory over the dynastic Golden State Warriors – he’s clearly due for a raise. And dude’s about to drive a real hard bargain.

The Lakers can, of course, match any offer Reaves gets this offseason. And from what I’m reading, the most another team can offer him in starting salary projects to be $11.4 million for 2023-24. The Lakers, via Reaves’ Early Bird rights, will be able to offer $11.9 million.

That seems like a no-brainer, except there’s always a catch, as Bleacher Report’s salary cap expert Eric Pincus has reported. In this case, it’s the Arenas Rule, by which other teams with sufficient cap space could offer Reaves as many as four years, with the last two as high as a maximum salary.

So … as much as $36-38 million for the final two seasons of a four-year deal. I don’t know if a team will put that amount on the table, but I’m certain every bucket Reaves gets that pushes the Lakers closer to a title also ups his price, which could mean sacrificing someone else from the roster in the name of luxury taxes.

But Maya Angelou knew the play: When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.

So, say, when Jalen Brunson stepped up and averaged 21.6 points for the Dallas Mavericks in their Western Conference finals run last season, it was an accurate indicator of what else he had in the tank: 27.8 points per playoff game this year for his new team, the New York Knicks.

And when Reaves, in his first run under the NBA’s intense playoff lights, shows you what he’s capable of, believe him.

When he gives you 23 points, including 14 in the final quarter in your postseason opener in Memphis, believe him when he yells in his wonderful Arkansas twang, as he did that afternoon, “I’m HIM!!!”

‘I’M HIM”

Austin Reaves letting the world know pic.twitter.com/9y15iGbAh0

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 16, 2023

And when he figures it out on the fly against the four-time champion Warriors, believe he’s got more of that in him, too.

Believe what you beheld: After looking out of his depth in the first three games against Golden State, averaging nine points on 32.1% shooting, Reaves found his bearings.

He averaged 19.7 points on 48.7% shooting in the final three games of the series.

And that’s what Reaves wrought on offense while chasing around all-world scorers Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on the other end, efforts that coincided with a most significant, severe slump for Thompson: A career 43.6% postseason shooter who’s averaged 19.2 points per postseason contest, he shot just 19 for 39 (21.4%) in Games 4-6, and averaged just nine points.

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But believe this too: You’re not the only one seeing what Reaves can do.

Other franchises and their fans who are paying closer attention in the playoffs are coming to realize that Reaves’ shine isn’t the byproduct of the Lakers’ omnipresent spotlight. It’s not a matter of him standing in the golden hue that surrounds LeBron.

He’s not some token character in a blockbuster plot.

He’s, well, he’s “Him!” He really is.

He’s a Laker. And so he should remain.

Austin Reaves in Game 6:

23 PTS, 5 REB, 6 AST, 4/5 3PM

Lakers advance to the WCF #NBAPlayoffs presented by @GooglePixel_US pic.twitter.com/6pgdhM1qpo

— NBA (@NBA) May 13, 2023

Austin Reaves on his buzzer beater at the end of the first half, playing in the LeBron-Steph rivalry and his experience so far in the #NBAPlayoffs. pic.twitter.com/p0fNiDW9fK

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) May 13, 2023

​ Orange County Register