California Crown Stakes draws solid field of 7

• September 24, 2024

The $1 million California Crown Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday has attracted a lineup of seven horses led by Grade I winners National Treasure, Muth, Newgate and Senor Buscador.

The first three are trained by Bob Baffert, an eight-time winner of the 1⅛-mile race for 3-year-olds and up when it was called the Goodwood or the Awesome Again.

Refashioned this year with a new name and bigger purse, the Grade I California Crown will be the ninth race of a 10-race program Saturday. The 12:30 p.m. card will include the $750,000, Grade II John Henry Turf Championship, $750,000, Grade II Eddie D. Stakes and $200,000, Grade II City of Hope Mile. All four graded stakes have implications for races on the second day of the Nov. 1-2 Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar.

Here’s the California Crown field, drawn Monday, from the rail out: Newgate, John Velazquez riding; Subsanador, Mike Smith; National Treasure, Flavien Prat; Katonah, Tiago Pereira; Muth, Juan Hernandez; Senor Buscador, Joe Talamo, and Indispensable, Hector Berrios.

Santa Anita’s one-month fall meet opens Friday.

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Viet America Society non compliant long before county pushback

• September 24, 2024

The red flags were there for months. But First District Supervisor Andrew Do and county staffers continued to pump millions in COVID relief funds into fledgling charity Viet America Society – money officials now allege was then misused to enrich group leaders.

On Tuesday, Sept. 23, the OC Board of Supervisors will consider a series of steps to beef up the county’s oversight of spending and will also decide whether to censure Do.

Beginning in 2021, each of the five supervisor districts was given $10 million in federal COVID relief money and an additional $3 million in general funds with the discretion to spend the funding in their communities without the typical scrutiny given when approving a large county contract. Most of the tax dollars in question came from Do’s First District discretionary fund, which he directed to Viet America Society without having to get a full board vote.

A county lawsuit has accused Viet America Society and some of its leaders of funneling $10.4 million, mostly intended to feed the elderly and disabled, into personal purchases and real estate. Do is not named in the lawsuit.

Voluminous internal emails and county documents reviewed by The Orange County Register revealed county staffers repeatedly let Viet America Society skate on delinquent audits, while keeping the money flowing from Do’s discretionary fund. 

Consider:

• Six months after Viet America Society missed the deadline for conducting a federally required audit on public tax money for fiscal 2021, the county in March 2023 gave the charity another $2 million to continue a pandemic nutrition program.

• With Viet America still past due in delivering the 2021 audit, Do and the county in August 2023 distributed another $3 million to the charity – paid upfront – for a senior meals program and an additional $1 million the next month for a Vietnam War memorial. The Orange County Community Services department and the Office on Aging were supposed to oversee the meals program – but were unaware of it and uninvolved for months, according to county documents.

• The new contracts came while Viet America was on the verge of becoming delinquent on a second audit, this one for fiscal 2022. The county still has not received either audit and the memorial has not been completed.

• The contracts were also inked while Viet America Society was in danger of losing its charity status for being out of compliance with state Department of Justice rules.

• Month after month, Viet America Society submitted incomplete invoices to the county for $166,666 apiece in reimbursement. While documents show that county officials hounded Viet America Society for the proper information and audits, the group was not forthcoming.

• In November 2023, just two months after the county signed its last million-dollar contract with Viet America Society, Renee Ramirez, a director at Orange County Community Services, wrote an email to Elsa Rivera, contract administrator for Orange County Community Resources, asking: “Why would a program manager pay if they weren’t meeting monthly contract requirements?”

Why indeed?

Why were the monthly payments being approved? Why was the county entering new contracts when Viet America Society was delinquent in providing an important accountability audit on the existing contract? Did anybody check Viet America Society’s charitable standing with the state Department of Justice, which sent out warning letters to the nonprofit in April 2023 and February 2024?

A spokesperson for the county said it will no longer answer questions on Viet America Society because of the pending lawsuit. Do did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Viet America Society representatives have said the work was done to feed people, though the organization’s bookkeeping was lacking.

Supervisors on Tuesday will look at four proposals to improve county oversight.

Fifth District Supervisor Katrina Foley is recommending the board direct the county’s internal auditor to conduct risk assessments of all federal American Rescue Plan-funded contracts within 90 days to make sure contract audit and monitoring requirements are being met.

Related links

Federal agencies have frozen the accounts of Viet America Society and affiliate, lawyer said
Federal investigators raid homes of Supervisor Andrew Do, his daughter and Viet America Society president
Viet America lawyer says OC lawsuit is inaccurate and a ‘hatchet job’
Huntington Beach City Council calls for Supervisor Andrew Do’s resignation
OC Board of Supervisors deadlock on conflict of interest, discretionary spending policy updates

The board will also consider directing Interim CEO Michelle Aguirre to create a policy for the board’s consideration that would require that all discretionary fund contracts be reviewed and approved by the county’s procurement office.

Aguirre may also be directed by the board to review all county contracts and subcontracts to find out if familial connections need to be disclosed in accordance with a new state law.

Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento said more proposed reforms would follow.

“I have directed our CEO to begin to identify key areas needing further reform and am working with the team to bring these items to the board,” he said in a statement.

Three bills inspired by the lack of accountability for millions of dollars sent to Viet America Society were signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this month and will go into effect Jan. 1.

Do directed the funds to Viet America Society from his district discretionary funds without disclosing that his daughter held leadership roles at the nonprofit. That is not a violation of county policy or what the state law was at the time.

One law, AB 3130, will require county supervisors to disclose family ties they have to any contractor, including nonprofits, before allocating any money to the group. Another bill, SB 1111, will make it a crime in California for elected officials to knowingly be involved in awarding contracts to organizations if their child is an officer or director of the vendor, or owns at least 10% of the group.

“The signing of SB 1111 is a huge win for our efforts to root out public corruption and stop the cheating of taxpayers,” State Sen. Dave Min said in a statement. “Whether it’s a county supervisor or the president of the United States, elected officials steering public contracts to their family members is unfair and should not be tolerated.”

A second law, AB 2946, will require a majority vote from the OC Board of Supervisors before awarding discretionary funds. Details of this spending will also have to be posted online.

“With the signing of AB 2946, we are taking a crucial step toward restoring public trust in how district discretionary funds are managed in Orange County,” Assemblymember Avelino Valencia, D-Anaheim, who authored the bill, said in a statement. “This law will provide the necessary oversight and transparency to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly.”

The last action item to be considered by the board on Tuesday is to direct Aguirre to provide the Board of Supervisors with quarterly updates on all contract disputes within the county.

“We need to immediately triage the situation and make sure that all of our contracts that have been issued under ARPA as well as under the board offices are in compliance with our contract policy manual and with federal requirements,” Foley said. “Later down the road, we need to analyze the system in a more in-depth way to create better oversight, so that the board as a whole is notified sooner than we were in this situation.”

Foley said it is unacceptable that Viet America Society has been non-compliant for more than a year.

“We, the board as a whole, not just one board office, should have been informed sooner,” she said. “We need to have a uniform system for all the board office contracts, and they all need to be in compliance with the contract policy manual.

“I think the rules were in place, but there were places where you could avoid following the contract policy manual because it doesn’t specifically say in the contract policy manual that it applies to everything,” she added. “So now we’re tightening that up.”

Fred Smoller, a political science professor at Chapman University, said he was surprised the county hadn’t learned its lesson after its 1994 bankruptcy. The financial collapse came after supervisors put their faith in the bad financial bets of then-county treasurer Robert Citron.

Oversight and accountability were lacking then and are lacking now, Smoller said.

“The county is responsible to voters and voters want their money spent responsibly,” he said. “Something isn’t right if you had warnings and you didn’t take action.”

Jodi Balma, political science professor at Fullerton College, said county contract rules, procedures and “so many red flags” were overlooked when it came to Viet America Society agreements.

“You would like the county, which has rules and regulations, massive numbers of checks and balances in place, to follow their own rules,” Balma said. “The idea that county staff were asking questions, they were bringing this up, and the staff’s concerns were ignored. They were sidelined. That’s another problem that the CEO really needs to address.”

Many have faulted Do, but Balma said some failures go beyond the supervisor.

“Of course, we wish Andrew Do had not done this. Of course, we wish that nepotism did not occur. Of course, we wish that Viet America Society was a legitimate agency that had done the work. However, there are other people that allowed this to happen,” Balma said. “Someone at the county approved the check without any of the receipts, without any of the documentation.”

“We really do in a democracy, rely on the integrity of those elected officials, and when they are caught in a scandal like this, they should have the decency to resign,” Balma added, “and there are so many people calling on him, and he won’t, which is really disappointing.”

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Swanson: Jaden Soong’s super-cool summer – history and Steph Curry

• September 24, 2024

If you haven’t met him yet, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to Jaden Soong. He’s a St. Francis High School freshman, a funny kid and, yeah, something of a golf phenom.

There’s a chance you’ve already met him. Perhaps as an adorable 6-year-old getting buzz from BuzzFeed, which posted a video in 2016 showing off Soong’s perfect miniature swing under the title: “This 6-Year-Old Could Be The Next Golf Phenom.”

Maybe you learned of him last year?

Do you remember the Burbank eighth-grader who became the youngest golfer to reach the final round of U.S. Open qualifying? The youngster who made it through the local qualifier Brentwood Country Club after going through a pre-round routine that included watching the short video Kobe Bryant recorded for him in 2018: “If you want to be great, if you want to feel what excellence feels like, you have to put in the work!”

Spent Monday watching 13-year-old @jadenrsoong Soong school the grownups at U.S. Open local qualifying (see below). He shot even to finish T4 – after getting hyped by watching this video Kobe Bryant made him in 2018. Watch and you’ll be hyped too. Thanks for sharing, Chris Soong! pic.twitter.com/96xNN0tuP2

— Mirjam Swanson (@MirjamSwanson) May 16, 2023

Or if you’re just reading about him now, it’s as he’s finishing a summer rampage, win after win after win, so many that it started to feel like every time I logged into Instagram, I was seeing a post about another victory somewhere in the country.

Those successes ranged from impressive to gobsmacking, including the one early this month at the Curry Cup, the final stop on NBA star Stephen Curry’s national Underrated Tour.

Soong shot 2-under 217 at the venerable Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J, where he won a three-man playoff and got to shoot the breeze with Curry, the all-time shooter – which is to say, there was a rumor Curry shot a 66 on that uber-challenging course before the kids showed up.

Soong’s take: “If he shot 66, he should switch to golf. Like, genuinely, he shouldn’t be playing basketball. He might be the greatest 3-point shooter of all time, but he should retire and play golf.”

Seems only fair, then, to let Soong tell you about his own hoops prowess: “I’m not very good at layups,” he said, “but a contested 3-point shot? I can do a full-360-stepback-turnaround-Durant-type stuff and I will make that shot all day long.”

I can’t verify that, but I can tell you that in the past few months, he won on the SCPGA’s Toyota Tour Cup series and at an American Junior Golf Association stop – where he shot a nine-birdie final-round 63 at The Havens Country Club in Vista to rally from three strokes back.

That Soong advanced to the semifinals of the California Amateur, where he played one-on-one match play golf for the first time at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks.

That most notably, he became the youngest winner Southern California Golf Association Amateur Championship’s 125-year history, shooting an unconscious 10-under-par 278 over four days to make history at The Saticoy Club in Somis. That he carded a bogey-free six-under-par 66 on the final day to add his name to the trophy beside the likes of Tiger Woods and Patrick Cantlay, Charlie Wi, Beau Hossler and Sahith Theegala.

That the victory earned Soong entry into the U.S. Amateur in August at Minnesota’s Hazeltine National Golf Club (where he shot 8 over and missed the cut in his first bite at the prestigious event) and walked away with another experience that will go into his “golf DNA,” as dad Chris Soong calls it.

That Jaden shot 65-69 (8 under) to win the third stop of Curry’s Underrated Tour at Notre Dame’s Warren Course, before finally claiming the Curry Cup championship, winning in a playoff, a real show of grit after he’d given back the final-round lead.

“I didn’t really use to believe in myself,” Jaden said recently after returning home from a couple-hour practice, where he’d worked on putting and ball flight and more putting. “Now it’s like I feel like I’m kind of the guy to beat.”

Sure, he has incredible momentum at the moment – despite a sore shoulder from too many pushups, Jaden just teamed with fellow 14-year-old Myla Robinson to win the inaugural SCGA Mixed Team Championship last week (64-65) at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort in Palm Springs – but this is golf and eventually, “golf comes and smacks you in the face,” Chris knows.

So it’s one thing to stack wins, it’s another to stack all these golf lessons.

To figure out how to really read greens and what it’s like to play against golfers like the 6-foot-5 Noah Kent, who was bombing drives 350 yards (only about 50 yards longer than Jaden, who stands, well … “if I can lie, I’ll say 5-6; if a girl’s asking, I’m 5-8, and if you want me to be really real, I’m 5-2.”)

Most importantly, he thinks, is that he’s learning how to handle golf’s best shot on any given day, whether he’s sitting on a lead or getting smacked around.

“Before I’d feel the nerves kick in, and it’s hard to control them sometimes,” said Jaden, who’s been working with Collin Morikawa’s coach Rick Sessinghaus on his mental approach, using his FlowCode system.

“I’ve been able to do way better this year,” Jaden continued, “because, obviously, I’ve made it to some pretty big stages. Like when you’re coming down to the final stretch at the SCGA Amateur and you don’t want to lose it, or you’re on the first tee at the U.S. Amateur and all the nerves start kicking in.

“But I feel like I’ve been really able to figure out my mindset and just tell myself, ‘Hey, I’ve been putting in a lot of work.’ So this summer’s been great, and the confidence I have right now, it’s just how do you keep that and build off that?”

Related Articles

So that’s got to be the best part, right? All the winning? The competing and coming out on top? The confidence that inspires?

Well, sure, Jaden said. And getting to travel; he and his mom, Sandra, had never been to New York City until the Curry Cup brought them there.

“But I think what I’ve realized this year, is that most important is the experiences and the people and the connections that you build playing golf,” said Jaden, who just met NBA all-timer Curry, of course. “It’s just really building those connections that I like the most.”

And so I’m glad I could introduce you to him, or reintroduce you – not for the last time, I’m sure.

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County football season stat leaders through Sept. 21

• September 24, 2024

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

Here are the Orange County high school football stat leaders after the Week 4 games.

The leaderboards are based on season stats published on MaxPreps.com.

To be included, teams must have stats updated on MaxPreps each Monday by 2 p.m.

PASSING: TOTAL YARDS

Name, school  
Yards 
Yds/Gm 
Cmp. 
Att. 
TDs 

Alexander Lundsberg, Canyon
1834
366.8
147
222
22

Cash O’Byrne, Tesoro
1395
348.8
103
173
10

Brady Edmunds, Huntington Bch
1371
274.2
93
154
12

Xzavior Guess, El Modena
1280
256.0
80
122
17

Star Thomas, Orange
1218
304.5
115
175
7

Noah Giddens, Western
1181
295.2
94
165
14

Cullen Doyle, Brea Olinda
1127
225.4
77
120
7

Tommy Acosta, Capistrano Valley
1110
222.0
89
147
15

Tristan Zale, Trabuco Hills
1109
277.2
78
119
13

Dawson Martinez, San Clemente
1081
216.2
80
113
7

Jackson Kollock, Laguna Beach
974
194.8
74
132
10

Diego Perez, Savanna
945
189.0
81
136
6

Travis Frazier, Esperanza
942
314.0
66
91
9

Gino Marchetti, Foothill
936
187.2
69
134
10

Vanden Dugger, Dana Hills
889
222.2
80
117
8

Timmy Herr, San Juan Hills
861
172.2
65
101
9

Rudy Alcala, Troy
849
212.2
53
89
10

Nate Lewis, Villa Park
840
210.0
48
83
13

Quinlan Russell, Calvary Chapel
771
154.2
56
100
7

Tank Britton, Bolsa Grande
766
255.3
72
123
7

John Gazzaniga, Santa Margarita
750
150.0
50
88
5

Noah Nam, Beckman
750
187.5
48
78
5

Garrett Hunnicutt, Marina
739
147.8
48
84
9

Caden Jones, Crean Lutheran
726
181.5
56
70
8

Jesse Lopez, Segerstrom
720
180.0
28
59
12

Carter Vestermark, Aliso Niguel
716
143.2
52
85
6

RUSHING: TOTAL YARDS

Name, school  
Yards 
Yds/Gm 
Yds/Car. 
Att. 
TDs 

Julius Gillick, Edison
772
154.4
10.03
77
7

Jarett Sabol, Aliso Niguel
763
152.6
6.75
113
8

Quentin Pacelli, Garden Grove
751
150.2
7.59
99
6

Khryztopher Entrala, Laguna Hills
733
146.6
8.83
83
9

Jeff Brown, Estancia
722
180.5
8.20
88
6

Xzavior Guess, El Modena
671
134.2
12.90
52
9

Eimesse Essis, Tustin
639
159.8
7.79
82
8

Nathan Gouvion, Foothill
637
127.4
6.57
97
6

Joshua Monroe, Capo Valley Chr.
631
126.2
11.27
56
8

Ethan Mundt, Troy
594
148.5
8.74
68
5

Quaid Carr, Servite
547
136.8
7.10
77
5

Jake Dorsi, Savanna
547
109.4
5.95
92
5

Radley Geiss, Dana Hills
543
135.8
6.87
79
7

Nathan Aceves, Brea Olinda
530
106.0
8.69
61
13

Kevika Martinez, La Habra
530
106.0
7.68
69
5

Anthony Abad, Sonora
522
130.5
6.61
79
7

Malachi Alatorre, Western
507
126.8
6.76
75
5

Gaige Prichard, Ocean View
501
100.2
6.26
80
5

Gavin Garza, Costa Mesa
495
123.8
6.78
73
4

Isaac Galindo, Los Amigos
468
117.0
12.00
39
10

Makya Chee, El Toro
442
110.5
10.28
43
6

Cooper Starnes, La Quinta
424
141.3
16.31
26
9

Brandon Figueroa, Irvine
413
103.2
6.88
60
4

RECEIVING: TOTAL YARDS 

Name, school  
Yards 
Yds/Gm 
Yds/Rec. 
Rec. 
TDs 

JJ Amezcua, Western
670
167.5
15.23
44
8

Connor Smith, El Modena
627
125.4
21.62
29
7

Troy Foster, Huntington Beach
614
122.8
18.61
33
5

Kellen Rommelfanger, Canyon
559
111.8
13.31
42
8

Trent Mosley, Santa Margarita
557
139.2
16.38
34
5

Fabrissio Ramirez, Savanna
551
110.2
14.50
38
7

Vander Ploog, Troy
511
127.8
17.03
30
6

Talon Spencer, Capistrano Valley
486
97.2
16.76
29
6

Gianni Porfilio, Orange
482
120.5
13.77
35
8

Nicholas Cervantes, Segerstrom
480
120.0
32.00
15
4

Campbell Schamel, Tesoro
480
96.0
15.00
32
4

Ryan Luce, Trabuco Hills
454
113.5
14.19
32
5

Noah McClary, Canyon
422
84.4
12.79
33
2

Matthew Peters, Calvary Chapel
396
79.2
18.00
22
4

Braiden Vaca, Tesoro
394
78.8
9.85
40
1

Carl Oldham, University
385
96.2
14.81
26
3

Armando Torres, Anaheim
378
94.5
19.90
19
3

Shane Cassidy, Marina
368
73.6
23.00
16
8

Parker Brown, Orange
366
91.5
9.63
38
1

Kaden Hunter, Capistrano Valley
352
70.4
15.30
23
4

James Leicester, Dana Hills
347
86.8
11.57
30
3

Edward Khutshivili, Esperanza
340
113,3
22.67
15
4

Vance Spafford, Mission Viejo
338
67.6
16.10
21
6

Max Kotiranta, San Clemente
338
67.6
12.52
27
1

Tanner Silber, Tesoro
333
66.6
17.53
19
5

Steel Kurtz, Huntington Beach
329
65.8
14.30
23
3

TACKLES: TOTAL

Name, school  
Tackles 
Tackles/Game 
Solo 
Assist 
TFL 

Carter Jones, Crean Lutheran
64
12.8
36
28
1

Thompson Foulger, Dana Hills
62
15.5
35
27
3

Maxwell Mapstone, Portola
59
11.8
11
48
1

Alek Camaj, Foothill
58
11.6
33
25
8

Brady Holcomb, Foothill
58
11.6
33
25
8

Madden Faraimo, JSerra
56
11.2
20
36
3

Matt Lopez, Edison
55
11.0
22
33
2

Isaac Real, Savanna
54
10.8
18
36
4

Weston Port, San Juan Hills
53
10.6
29
24
5

Michael Vukich, Capo Valley Chr.
51
10.2
27
24
1

Jeremiah Ross, Edison
47
9.4
18
29
3

Matteo Picou, Godinez
46
9.2
30
16
0

Chris Bucio, Savanna
46
9.2
11
35
2

Davis Post, Newport Harbor
46
9.2
33
13
0

Gavin Blum, San Juan Hills
45
9.0
27
18
8

Chris Villalobos, Godinez
44
8.8
28
16
0

James Munro, Canyon
44
8.8
20
24
4

Max Krosky, Capo Valley Chr.
44
8.8
30
14
1

Jovohn Cruz, Woodbridge
43
10.8
30
13
3

Reily Walker, Capistrano Valley
43
8.6
27
16
2

Kaden Raymond, San Clemente
42
8.4
23
19
0

Wyatt Owens, Tesoro
42
8.4
30
12
4

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Crean Lutheran football’s Jacob Maiava denied temporary restraining order against CIF

• September 24, 2024

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

SANTA ANA — A request for a temporary restraining order by Crean Lutheran football player Jacob Maiava to restore his CIF eligibility was denied Monday in Orange County Superior Court.

After a brief hearing, Judge David Hoffer denied the request against the CIF State and CIF Southern Section “without prejudice” because he said “administrative remedies” such as Maiava’s pending appeal with CIF officials have not been “exhausted.”

CIF State attorney Diane Marshall-Freeman, who appeared at the hearing via video, stated that the decision in Maiava’s appeal of his denied transfer eligibility case is due “on or before” Oct. 4. She added that the deadline for the decision is following the same calendar — a maximum of 15 business days — for all appeals.

Hoffer expressed concern about making a ruling before the results of the appeal are known but left open the possibility that Maiava and his attorney could file another request for a temporary restraining order.

The schedule for Crean Lutheran’s next football game was discussed at the hearing. The Saints have a bye this week and next play Oct. 4 against visiting Foothill in the teams’ Epsilon League opener.

“(Hoffer) is very cautious in allowing the CIF to do the right thing … because we have the luxury of the bye week,” said Michael Caspino, the attorney representing Maiava. “Otherwise, we’ll be back (in court). Absolutely. Right away. The problem is, is CIF going hand us that ruling at 4:59 (p.m.) on the day of the game?”

Maiava, who transferred to Crean Lutheran from Santa Margarita in the offseason, had what the CIF Southern Section called in court documents an “expedited appeal hearing” on Sept. 12. The All-County offensive lineman is appealing a ruling by the section that makes his him ineligible this season due to pre-enrollment contact between him and Crean Lutheran assistant coach Ryan Porter “prior to the enrollment” at Crean Lutheran.

Porter coaches quarterbacks at Crean Lutheran.

The section, according to court documents, also stated that it found evidence Maiava’s transfer was “athletically motivated.”

The senior, who is committed to SMU, stated in his court filing that he departed Santa Margarita for academic reasons.

Southern Section attorney Ronald Scholar didn’t hold back his thoughts on the court case in a filing before Monday’s hearing.

“On his third school transfer in as many years and looking to cut to the front of the line ahead of his fellow students,” Scholar wrote, “injunctive relief should be denied.” He then cited the pending appeal and the schedule of Crean Lutheran’s next football game among reasons.

Maiava, who is 6-foot-2 and 290 pounds, played at Liberty of Nevada before transferring to Santa Margarita. He earned second-team All-County honors last season for the Eagles.

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Newsom signs law to teach Mendez v. Westminster in California schools

• September 23, 2024

A landmark court case involving an Orange County family and local school districts that helped bring about the end of segregation laws in schools around the country will be a mandatory element of history and social science classes in California public schools.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Friday, Sept. 20, requiring public schools in the state to teach Mendez v. Westminster. The passage of AB 1805, introduced by Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana and Assemblymember Tri Ta, R-Westminster, is considered important recognition of Latino discrimination and the role that one Orange County family played in fighting against it.

The 1947 federal court case centered on events that began in 1943, when Sylvia Mendez and her brothers were turned away after attempting to enroll at Seventeenth Street School in Westminster. Instead of accepting the students, district officials told the Mexican-American children to attend a “Mexican school.”

In response, their parents, Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez, along with four other Mexican-American families, filed a class-action lawsuit against four school districts in Orange County. Their efforts proved successful, with the U.S. district court deciding in 1947 that the segregation of Mexican and Mexican American students into separate schools was unconstitutional.

In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a similar ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which involved discrimination against Black students, declaring racial segregation in education to be unconstitutional.

Language in the California bill signed by Newsom spells out how the two cases are connected, saying Mendez “represents the beginning of the end of legal school segregation and signifies the important role of California in the civil rights movement.”

Supporters of the new law say the Mendez story will have value for current and future students in California.

“Today marks a historic moment for California’s educational system and our commitment to justice and equality,” said Ta. “The signing of AB 1805 is a testament to the importance of remembering our history and ensuring that future generations understand the significant strides California has made in the fight for civil rights. I am proud to see this crucial piece of legislation become law, and I extend my deepest thanks to Governor Newsom, my legislative colleagues, and all the advocates who supported this effort.”

Other efforts have already been made to shed light on the Mendez case. In Westminster, a park and a trail at Westminster Boulevard and Olive Street bear the name of the Mendez family.

Umberg, who helped secure funding for the Mendez Historic Freedom Trail and Monument in Westminster, said he believes in “the power of the Mendez v. Westminster story,” and that the story is an important part of Orange County history.

The legislation, which passed both chambers of the state legislature with bipartisan support, was also backed by the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, California Charter Schools Association, California State PTA, California Federation of Teachers and the cities of Fountain Valley and Westminster.

​ Orange County Register 

Gunman who killed 10 at Colorado supermarket found guilty of murder

• September 23, 2024

By COLLEEN SLEVIN

BOULDER, Colo. — A mentally ill man who killed 10 people at a Colorado supermarket in 2021 was convicted Monday of murder and faces life in prison.

Defense attorneys did not dispute that Ahmad Alissa, who has schizophrenia, fatally shot 10 people including a police officer in the college town of Boulder. But he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, with the defense arguing he couldn’t tell right from wrong at the time of the attack.

In addition to 10 counts of first-degree murder, the jury found Alissa guilty on 38 charges of attempted murder, one count of assault, and six counts of possessing illegal, large-capacity magazines.

Alissa did not visibly react as the judge began reciting the guilty verdicts against him. He sat at a table with his attorneys and appeared to trade notes with members of the defense team, speaking quietly at times with one of his attorneys.

In this image taken from video provided by the Colorado Judicial Branch, Ahmad Alissa, third from left, stands for the verdict in his trial for the 2021 Colorado supermarket shootings, Monday, Sept 23, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. (Colorado Judicial Branch via AP)

Judge Ingrid Bakke had warned against any outbursts. There were some tears and restrained crying on the victims’ side of the courtroom as the murder convictions were read.

The courtroom was packed largely with victims’ families and police officers, including those who were shot at by Alissa. Several members of Alissa’s family sat just behind him.

Alissa started shooting immediately after getting out of his car in a King Soopers store parking lot in March 2021. He killed most of the victims in just over a minute and surrendered after an officer shot him in the leg.

Prosecutors had to prove Alissa was sane. They argued he didn’t fire randomly and showed an ability to make decisions by pursuing people who were running and trying to hide from him. He twice passed by a 91-year-old man who continued to shop, unaware of the shooting.

He came armed with steel-piercing bullets and illegal magazines that can hold 30 rounds of ammunition, which prosecutors said showed he took deliberate steps to make the attack as deadly as possible.

Several members of Alissa’s family, who immigrated to the United States from Syria, testified that he had become withdrawn and spoke less a few years before the shooting. He later began acting paranoid and showed signs of hearing voices, they said, and his condition worsened after he got COVID-19 in late 2020.

Alissa was diagnosed with schizophrenia after the attack and experts said the behaviors described by relatives are consistent with the onset of the disease.

State forensic psychologists who evaluated Alissa concluded he was sane during the shooting. The defense did not have to provide any evidence in the case and did not present any experts to say that Alissa was insane.

Despite the fact that he heard voices, the state psychologists said, Alissa did not experience delusions. They said his fear that he could be jailed or killed by police revealed Alissa knew his actions were wrong.

Alissa repeatedly told the psychologists that he heard voices, including “killing voices” right before the shooting. But Alissa failed during about six hours of interviews to provide more details about the voices or whether they were saying anything specific, forensic psychologist B. Thomas Gray testified.

The defense pointed out that Gray and and his partner, Loandra Torres, did not have full confidence in their sanity finding, largely because Alissa did not provide more information about his experiences even though that could have helped his case. Gray and Torres also said the voices played a role in the attack and they didn’t believe it would have happened if Alissa were not mentally ill.

Mental illness is not the same thing as insanity. Colorado law defines insanity as having a mental disease so severe that it’s impossible for a person to tell right from wrong.

Family members of the victims attended the two-week trial and watched graphic surveillance and police body camera video. Survivors testified about how they fled and in some cases helped others to safety.

Prosecutors did not offer any motive for the shooting. Alissa initially searched online for public places to attack in Boulder, including bars and restaurants, then a day before the shooting focused his research on large stores.

Related Articles

On the day of the attack, he drove from his home in the Denver suburb of Arvada and pulled into the first supermarket in Boulder that he encountered. He shot three victims in the parking lot before entering the store.

An emergency room doctor said she crawled onto a shelf and hid among bags of potato chips. A pharmacist who took cover testified that she heard Alissa say “This is fun” at least three times as he went through the store firing his semi-automatic pistol that resembled an AR-15 rifle.

Alissa’s mother told the court that she thought her son was “sick.” His father testified that he thought Alissa was possessed by a djin, or evil spirit, but did not seek any treatment for his son because it would have been shameful for the family.

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County football Top 25: Servite, Santa Margarita switch positions in Week 5

• September 23, 2024

ORANGE COUNTY FOOTBALL TOP 25 POLL

Notable this week: Servite moves up from No. 6  to No. 5 this week, trading places with Santa Margarita, which lost to Leuzinger of Lawndale by one point. … Yorba Linda moves up to No. 8 after a win over Tustin. … La Habra advances two spots after a 48-21 win over La Mirada.

1. Mater Dei 4-0 (75 points)

The defense of Mater Dei, No. 1 in the MaxPreps national rankings, created four turnovers in a 25-14 win over national No. 22 St. Frances of Maryland. Senior linebacker Nasir Wyatt caused a fumble and had three sacks. The Monarchs have this week off before opening Trinity League play Oct. 4 against Santa Margarita at Trabuco Hills High.

Previous ranking: 1

2. Mission Viejo 5-0 (72)

Vance Spafford caught two touchdown passes and blocked two punts for the Diablos in a 31-28 win over Basha of Arizona. Mission Viejo edge rusher Jaden Williams had two sacks to give him 13.5 sacks over the team’s five games. Mission Viejo is home against 4-0 Chaparral of Temecula on Friday.

Previous ranking: 2

3. JSerra 5-0 (69)

The Lions stayed undefeated with a 49-21 win at Damien. Quarterback Ryan Hopkins got JSerra off to a great start, passing for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. The Lions do not play this week. They play their Trinity League opener at home against Servite on Oct. 4.

Previous ranking: 3

4. Orange Lutheran 4-1 (66)

The Lancers made a great second-half comeback to win at Sierra Canyon 33-26 on Saturday night. They trailed 26-7 at halftime and scored 23 points in the final quarter. Orange Lutheran receiver Tyler Hennessy had 12 catches for 163 yards and linebackers Talanoa Ili and Christian Panapa forced fumbles that led to points in the fourth quarter. Orange Lutheran has a bye this week before opening Trinity League action at St. John Bosco on Oct. 4.

Previous ranking: 4

5. Servite 4-0 (63)

The Friars did not play last week. They play St. Paul, a long-ago Angelus League rival, on Friday at Orange Coast College. The Friars start the Trinity League portion of their schedule at JSerra on Oct. 4.

Previous ranking: 6

6. Santa Margarita 3-2 (59)

The Eagles gave up a touchdown in the final minute of their 14-13 loss in a nonleague game against Leuzinger. Santa Margarita had a couple of players unable to participate, including injured receiver Trent Mosley who was All-Orange County first team last year as a sophomore. The Eagles play their Trinity League opener Oct. 4 against Mater Dei at Trabuco Hills High.

Previous ranking: 5

7. Los Alamitos 4-1 (58)

Griffins senior quarterback Alonzo Esparza completed 16 of 18 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-14 win at Clovis North of Fresno. Los Alamitos’ challenging schedule continues Friday with a nonleague home game against Serra of Gardena.

Previous ranking: 7

8T. San Clemente 3-2 (51)

Tritons quarterback Dawson Martinez threw for 223 yards and a touchdown and Cole Herlean and Max Kontiranta both had more than 100 yards receiving in a 35-28 home win over Chino. San Clemente plays at 3-1 Murrieta Valley on Friday.

Previous ranking: 8

8T. Yorba Linda 5-0 (51)

Yorba Linda does it again, another fourth-quarter comeback for a victory. This time the Mustangs rallied to beat Tustin 35-31, scoring the winning points on Vaughn Sharp’s third rushing touchdown of the game. Yorba Linda has a bye this week before playing a Bravo League opener on Oct. 3 against Villa Park at Yorba Linda High.

Previous ranking: 9

10. Edison 3-2 (48)

The Chargers got a third straight victory with a 49-6 triumph over Fountain Valley in their annual “Battle for the Bell” game. Edison lost its first two games by one point in each contest before stringing together wins over Lakewood and Palos Verdes before the win over the rival Barons. The Chargers play La Serna of Whitter on Friday at Huntington Beach High.

Previous ranking: 10

11. San Juan Hills 4-1 (46)

Previous ranking: 10

12. Tustin 4-1 (44)

Previous ranking: 10

13. Villa Park 3-1 (39)

Previous ranking: 13

14. Crean Lutheran 4-1 (36)

Previous ranking: 15

15. La Habra 4-1 (30)

Previous ranking: 17

16T. Corona del Mar 2-2 (29)

Previous ranking: 14

16T. El Modena 5-0 (29)

Previous ranking: 15

18. Tesoro 3-2 (26)

Previous ranking: 18

19. Trabuco Hills 4-0 (21)

Previous ranking: 19

20. Huntington Beach 3-2 (18)

Previous ranking: 20

21. Capistrano Valley 4-1 (15)

Previous ranking: 21

22. Foothill 3-2 (11)

Previous ranking: 22

23. Laguna Beach 5-0 (10)

Previous ranking: 23

24. Aliso Niguel 4-1 (5)

Previous ranking: 24

25. Troy 3-1 (3)

Previous ranking: 25

Also receiving votes: Marina 5-0 (1)

About the poll: Dan Albano, Steve Fryer and Michael Huntley vote each week for the Orange County Top 25.

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register