Santa Ana rent registry becomes legal liability

• October 17, 2023

In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act extending protections in housing to everyone regardless of race, religion, national origin or sex.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development created standards for how many people should be able to occupy a rental unit.

The 1974 Consumer Privacy Act was passed to protect the privacy rights of consumers when it comes to how data is collected and used.

California’s 2018 Consumer Privacy Protections were established to prevent the misuse of personal data.

Despite this, the city of Santa Ana has put the rights of tenants at risk.

Rent registries are not new, but typically they are limited to information about rent levels and increases associated with each unit being provided by the rental housing provider. Santa Ana’s registry, however, requires disclosing much more intrusive information. Under the penalty of perjury, rental property owners and operators must disclose to the city specific details about each unit – and their tenants.

The city of Santa Ana is mandating submission of all documents that a rental property owner or operator provides to their tenant as part of their private business transactions – including the actual lease agreement, addenda, notices, and any other documents the city deems necessary.

The city also wants to know the names, phone numbers, email addresses, and other contact information for each resident in each rental unit – regardless of whether they are on the lease agreement.

Possibly, most shocking of all, the city of Santa Ana is also requiring rental property owners or operators to disclose – again, under penalty of perjury – the preferred language of the individual(s) in each unit.

In other words, the city wants to create a registry that asks tenants and property owners to provide evidence of potential violations:

The Fair Housing Act by asking for information related to the tenant’s race, ethnicity, or nationality.
The Housing and Urban Development standards by collecting information on every tenant or occupant.
The Consumer Privacy Act by providing private contracts between property owners/operators and tenants.
The California Consumer Privacy Protection Act by providing personally identifying information.As problematic as this policy is, considering how it could be used – or abused – is even more troubling.

The Guardian exposed in 2022 how interagency sharing of data between local, state, and federal jurisdictions is one of the key ways that law enforcement tracks their cases – agencies that include U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Use of the Patriot Act has long been a concern of the American Civil Liberties Union – and so has the expansive use of data collection such as this.

More poignantly, in 2021 the Harvard International Review examined the use of AI and public and private databases as a method for identifying and tracking down suspects. The city of Santa Ana is feeding right into this practice with its rent registry.

Governing, the journal for municipal government, covered this issue extensively as far back as 2017, identifying the liability that municipalities face when government data breaches occur. These liabilities quickly run into the millions of dollars, not to mention the impact of individuals being exposed to identity theft.

The city of Santa Ana is assuming a great deal of financial liability if its rent registry database is breached and/or its contents exposed or shared inappropriately. American Express, United Airlines, Amazon, Microsoft, Bank of America and countless other major and minor corporations have all had to pay millions upon millions of dollars in settlements when their data was exposed – and consumers were hurt.

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You may also recall the Orange County Transportation Authority and the Transportation Corridor Agency paying out approximately $200 million in a 2021 class action lawsuit settlement stemming from their improper sharing of customer’s personal information with third parties, including debt collectors and other public agencies.

What is worse is that if you go back and read or watch the testimony given by members of the public at the time the city’s rental stabilization and just cause eviction ordinances were being considered, you will hear these very same concerns being raised.

Santa Ana tenants, housing providers, and taxpayers deserve better from their government. Tenants have a right to have their private information protected. Rental property owners and operators should not be compelled to provide their or their tenants’ personal data to the city. And taxpaying residents and businesses should not be on the hook for hefty penalties, fines, and financial settlements resulting from poorly prepared policies.

Chip Ahlswede is Vice President of External Affairs at the Apartment Association of Orange County.

​ Orange County Register 

Chargers’ comeback attempt picked off as Cowboys hold on to win

• October 17, 2023

INGLEWOOD — The Chargers had one final chance to pull out a third consecutive victory, a third consecutive narrow victory, but a two-minute drill went haywire and the Dallas Cowboys held on for a 20-17 victory on Monday night at SoFi Stadium.

Stephon Gilmore intercepted Justin Herbert’s desperation pass with a little more than a minute to play.

The Cowboys then ran out the clock on the Chargers’ comeback hopes.

Dallas broke a 10-10 tie with Dak Prescott’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks with 11:19 left in the fourth quarter. Herbert connected with Gerald Everett for a 1-yard touchdown pass with 7:11 remaining, tying the score again, after taking advantage of a successful coach’s challenge.

Upon review, the Chargers recovered a fumbled punt at the Cowboys’ 20-yard line and Herbert drove them for the tying score. The drive was aided by a defensive holding penalty that moved the ball to the Dallas 5. Herbert then converted a fourth-and-goal from the 1, hitting Everett.

Dallas went in front 20-17 on Brandon Aubrey’s 39-yard field goal with 2:19 left.

Herbert played with a white glove to protect the fractured left middle finger on his non-throwing hand and completed 22 of 37 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns. He misfired on a couple of throws, but any difficulty he might have had was due to the Cowboys’ pressure rather than an injured finger.

Running back Austin Ekeler played his first game since spraining his ankle in the Chargers’ season-opening loss to the Miami Dolphins. Edge rusher Joey Bosa joined his teammates after skipping most of the past week’s practices because of a toe injury. Safety Alohi Gilman couldn’t play because of a heel injury.

Mayhem erupted well before the opening kickoff, with some members of the teams yelling and pushing and shoving each other as they went through their respective pregame warmup period. A group of Cowboys players ran through the Chargers’ defensive backs as they were doing a drill.

Cowboys backup defensive linemen Sam Williams and Mazi Smith were soon surrounded by a group of Chargers that included safeties Derwin James Jr. and Dean Marlowe and cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor and were soon joined by running backs Isaiah Spiller and Joshua Kelley, among others.

Cooler heads prevailed and the fracas didn’t escalate as assistant coaches and game officials separated the players from each other quickly. The remainder of the warmup was uneventful and everyone returned without incident to their proper locker room to begin final preparations for the game.

When the action began for real, it looked as if it might be a high-scoring game with the teams trading touchdowns in the opening minutes. Herbert threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Keenan Allen to put the Chargers in front. The Cowboys countered with Prescott’s 18-yard touchdown run.

It then turned into a test of wills, with an occasional flurry of effective offense followed by an ill-advised penalty or two and some sound defense. The Chargers had trouble protecting Herbert from the Cowboys and the Cowboys struggled to keep the Chargers’ pass-rushers away from Prescott.

Neither team could break the 7-7 tie until Aubrey kicked a 32-yard field goal on the final play of the first half. The Cowboys’ drive was aided by an unnecessary roughing penalty on James after a 15-yard completion from Prescott to tight end Jake Ferguson, giving Dallas a first down at the 17.

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The Chargers were penalized four times for 45 yards in the first half; the Cowboys were penalized six times for 45 yards, including once for an illegal formation on a punt. The Chargers accepted the penalty and forced Bryan Anger to punt from his own end zone. He boomed the next one 53 yards.

It was a little chippy, but also very sloppy.

Herbert could have given the Chargers a 14-7 lead, but he missed an open Allen sprinting down the sideline for what looked like a certain touchdown. Herbert’s pass sailed out of bounds, the Chargers’ drive stalled and then Prescott led the Cowboys on a drive that resulted in Aubrey’s last-season field goal.

The Chargers would tie it 10-10 on Cameron Dicker’s third-quarter field goal.

​ Orange County Register 

CIF-SS girls tennis polls, Oct. 16

• October 17, 2023

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The CIF-SS girls tennis polls, released Monday, Oct. 16

Selected by the CIF-SS Girls Tennis Committee.

DIVISION 1

1. Mater Dei

2. Westlake

3. Palos Verdes

4. Mira Costa

5. Peninsula

6. Portola

7. Harvard-Westlake

8. Corona del Mar

9. Los Osos

10. ML King

Others: Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, University, Woodbridge, Beckman, Santa Margarita, Foothill/SA, Yorba Linda

DIVISION 2

1. Calabasas

2. Santa Barbara

3. Great Oak

4. Agoura

5. Temecula Valley

6. Laguna Beach

7. San Clemente

8. Orange Lutheran

9. Crescenta Valley

10. Crossroads

Others: Dos Pueblos, The Archer School for Girls, Vista Murrieta

DIVISION 3

1. Oaks Christian

2. Cerritos

3. Mark Keppel

4. Cate

5. Pasadena Poly

6. Dana Hills

7. St. Margaret’s Episcopal

8. Canyon/Anaheim

9. Notre Dame/SO

10. Bonita

Others: Ayala, Fullerton, Marymount, Riverside Poly, Redlands, Roosevelt, South Pasadena

DIVISION 4

1. Crean Lutheran

2. Oxford Academy

3. Laguna Blanca

4. San Dimas

5. Arlington

6. Buckley

7. Carpinteria

8. La Quinta/Westminster

9. Webb

10. Mayfair

Others: Garden Grove, Malibu, Louisville, Hillcrest, Serrano, Thacher, Warren

DIVISION 5

1. CAMS

2. Valley View

3. Citrus Hill

4. Century

5. Western

6. Mission Viejo

7. Patriot

8. Rim of the World

9. Indian Springs

T10. Indio

T10. Oakwood

T10. Quartz Hill

Others: Bolsa Grande, Brea Olinda, Diamond Bar, Lancaster

DIVISION 6

1. Liberty/Winchester

2. Western Christian

3. Woodcrest Christian

4. Estancia

5. Linfield Christian

6. Summit

7. Silverado

8. Los Amigos

9. Garey

10. Twentynine Palms

Others: Village Christian, Workman, Hueneme, Colton, Rubidoux, Paramount

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County scores and player stats for Monday, Oct. 16

• October 17, 2023

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

Scores and stats from Orange County games on Monday, Oct. 16

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

MONDAY’S SCORES

GIRLS FLAG FOOTBALL

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

University 32, Irvine 6

SUNSET LEAGUE

Newport Harbor 25, Marina 12

EMPIRE LEAGUE

Kennedy 13, Cypress 6

Valencia 19, Tustin 8

GOLDEN WEST LEAGUE

Orange 27, Ocean View 13

BOYS WATER POLO

NONLEAGUE

Kennedy 10, Katella 2

GIRLS TENNIS

605 LEAGUE

Whitney 14, Oxford Academy 4

​ Orange County Register 

17 again: USC’s London Wijay is starring as the youngest kid on the court

• October 17, 2023

LOS ANGELES – London Wijay, for all intents and purposes, was not supposed to be sitting here, feet planted on the $275,000 volleyball court at USC’s Galen Center, the court that enticed her to make the most daunting decision of her young life.

She was supposed to be walking the halls, instead, at Alemany High, 17 years old and clutching the pearls of a last year of youth like her own personal coming-of-age movie. Not here, not calling a collegiate dorm home, all of 135 pounds and choosing voluntarily to skip senior year of high school to compete on collegiate courts with girls four years older.

What about senior prom? What about senior sendoff?

Eh, she shrugs. Never really her thing.

As she speaks this September afternoon, a stark reminder of her youth walks into the Galen Center. Utah volleyball, players older and bigger and wiser than her, coming to warm up for practice before USC-Utah volleyball in a couple days. She’s asked, looking across the court at them – does she still feel 17, now, when she’s going head-to-head against collegiate teams.

“I love being the youngest – I love being the youngest,” Wijay repeats, grinning. “It’s underrated.”

After Wijay made the decision in late July to commit to USC and simultaneously skip the last year of a standout career at Alemany High, she had just a few weeks – half the time for everyone else – to get acclimated before the Trojans’ first game. She barely played for the first two weeks of the season, and Wijay’s mood sagged, a homesick kid who felt in over her head.

Why did I do this?

And then Keller subbed her in in the middle of a tight third set against Illinois in mid-September, no time to prepare or even think, and Wijay instantly knocked a kill. And then another. A few days later, she led USC with 24 kills – on a team with AVCA All-American Skylar Fields – in a rivalry game against UCLA. On the year, albeit missing a couple weeks recently with a minor injury, the freshman is second on the team in points per set.

“She’s fearless,” Keller said. “She legitimately is fearless. She’s not afraid of anything … and for that age, for her to have that ability is almost a superpower.”

Naturally impulsive, too. Comfort zones don’t exist. Have never existed.

Around 4 years old, Wijay would gather up rocks from the family’s backyard, put them in a little box, and bring them to club volleyball games coached by mother Morgan. There, she’d stroll the sidelines and peddle said stones for cash, hoodwinking innocent moms who couldn’t possibly say no. She’d take home upwards of $20, Morgan remembered.

In high school, Wijay told her mother she was running for class president. Morgan, who was her coach at Alemany, knew who Ms. Popular was. Knew she wasn’t going to win. She didn’t.

So the next day, Wijay came back and announced she was running for vice president. She didn’t win that either. She pivoted to secretary.

“That’s London,” Morgan said. “She just puts herself in these environments, that’s, like, she doesn’t care about rejection. She’s a kid. She doesn’t care about failing.”

And it was in such an environment in early June, at the airport flying out for a match with club team Munciana – a nationally-renowned program based out of Indiana – when Keller called to not only recruit Wijay, but propose she enroll right away.

“At the beginning of it, we thought, ‘Brad, this is ludicrous,’” Morgan said.

But it was an opportunity. And Wijay didn’t often say no to opportunity. So she made a decision – she’d boot-camp her way through online classes, see if she could finish over the summer to be eligible, and make a decision.

At the end of July, sitting down with Keller and her parents, Wijay opened her mouth and the decision just kind of … slipped out.

“It was like, ‘I came all the way here,’” Wijay said. “Might as well.”

You have to be careful, Keller said, to make sure a kid’s makeup is appropriate for such a transition. And it wasn’t as if Wijay had raw, physical tools that made the transition seem natural; she was an outside hitter standing 5-foot-10, the shortest non-libero-or-setter on USC’s roster.

But Wijay had been playing at 17-plus levels since she was 12 years old. Was a two-time CIF Southern Section Player of the Year at Alemany in a deep Southern California talent pool. And Keller wanted an all-around volleyball mind – someone with adept ball control who could, as mom-turned-high-school-coach Morgan said, play a clean game to enable players like Fields to “take bigger risks on swings.”

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Keller didn’t quite anticipate, though, the kid’s ability to put plays away.

“Every time you look up, and she’s already swinging, you’re like, ‘You’re not gonna score here, it’s gonna be like a zero or keep the ball in play or recycle,’” Keller said. “And she finds ways to score, and every time I turn around, I go, ‘I don’t know how she did that.’”

She still feels young on this team, Wijay admits, back that September afternoon after practice. But she does young things. Just part of who she is. She gestures with jet-black-painted fingernails, a practice she started in high school, feeling it was sort of an “alter ego” that gave her strength.

“I feel like my 17-year-old self is for sure in me, and I don’t think it will leave until I actually start to grow up a bit.”

Makes sense. She is still 17, after all, believe it or not.

​ Orange County Register 

ALCS: Rangers take 2-0 series lead over Astros

• October 17, 2023

By KRISTIE RIEKEN

HOUSTON — Jonah Heim homered, Nathan Eovaldi pitched six effective innings and the Texas Rangers beat Framber Valdez and the Houston Astros 5-4 on Monday for a 2-0 lead in the AL Championship Series.

Adolis García, Mitch Garver and Nathaniel Lowe each hit an RBI single during Texas’ four-run first inning against Valdez, and José Leclerc closed it out for the Rangers after Yordan Alvarez powered an Astros rally.

Eovaldi struck out nine, including two in a row after Houston loaded the bases with none out in the fifth. He was charged with three runs and five hits in his third win this postseason.

The Rangers improved to 7-0 in the playoffs, including six wins on the road. They swept the Rays in the Wild Card Series and the Orioles in the Division Series, and then posted a 2-0 win at Houston in the ALCS opener.

Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is Wednesday night in Arlington.

Alvarez hit two solo home runs to become the sixth player in MLB history to have two multihomer games in one postseason. The second one was off Aroldis Chapman, trimming Houston’s deficit to 5-4 with two out in the eighth.

Leclerc then came in and walked José Abreu and Michael Brantley, but Chas McCormick grounded out to end the threat.

Jeremy Peña flied out to deep right field for the first out in the Houston ninth. Yainer Diaz then grounded out and Jose Altuve flied to center, giving Leclerc his second save of the series.

The Astros, who went 39-42 at home in the regular season, continued to struggle at Minute Maid Park. The defending champions fell to 1-3 at home in the playoffs this season.

The Rangers jumped all over Valdez. Semien smacking the first pitch to center field for a single. Corey Seager sent his next pitch to left field for another single before Valdez made two errors on the same play on a ball hit by Robbie Grossman.

Valdez bobbled a chopper hit by Grossman for an error that allowed him to reach first and Semien to score. His second error occurred when he badly overthrew first to move Grossman to second and Seager to third.

Valdez put his hands on his knees and shook his head at the end of the play.

García then hit a liner to right field to score Seager. Garver singled home another run before Valdez finally got his first out when he struck out Heim.

The Rangers weren’t done yet.

Lowe singled on a ground ball to left to make it 4-0. Valdez retired the next two batters to end the inning.

Alex Bregman also connected for the Astros, who went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position. Alvarez, who is dealing with an illness, looked much better than he did in Game 1 when he went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts.

Valdez (0-2) allowed seven hits and five runs — four earned — in 2 2/3 innings in his second loss this postseason. He also took the loss in Game 2 of the Division Series against Minnesota.

The Astros missed a huge opportunity in the fifth. Brantley and McCormick hit back-to-back singles to open the inning before Peña reached on an error by third baseman Josh Jung.

But Eovaldi escaped the jam by striking out pinch-hitter Diaz and Altuve before Bregman grounded out.

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Alvarez walked with one out in the sixth before scoring on a two-out double by Brantley. Alvarez also hit a leadoff homer in the second into the second deck in right field.

Heim homered high off the wall in left field to push the lead to 5-1 with no outs in the third.

UP NEXT

Max Scherzer will start for Texas in Game 3 after sitting out since Sept. 12 because of a muscle strain in his shoulder. It will be the fifth different team that the three-time Cy Young Award winner has pitched for in the postseason.

The Astros haven’t announced their starter.

​ Orange County Register 

Fire temporarily closes Vine in San Clemente

• October 17, 2023

A small fire broke out at Vine in San Clemente on Saturday, Oct. 14, effectively closing the casual fine-dining restaurant temporarily. The fire broke out in the 200 block of El Camino Real shortly after 1 p.m.

“The fire was put out immediately and nobody was injured,” the owners of Vine wrote in message posted to the restaurant’s Instagram page. “We are currently making some needed repairs so we can be open for service very soon. We appreciate everyone who reached out to check in on us at Vine. We look forward to opening up shortly and will keep everyone updated.”

According to the Orange County Fire Authority, crews found smoke inside the venue “from a fire in a wall.” Capt. Sean Doran, public information officer for the fire department, explained that the fire, which was accidental, started in the kitchen. People were immediately evacuated and the blaze was under control before spreading to nearby businesses.

No injuries were reported.

​ Orange County Register 

President Biden will travel to Israel on Wednesday

• October 17, 2023

By Matthew Lee, Colleen Long and Aamer Madhani | Associated Press

TEL AVIV, Israel — President Joe Biden will travel to Israel and on to Jordan Wednesday to meet with both Israeli and Arab leadership, as concerns increase that the raging Israel-Hamas war could expand into a larger regional conflict.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Biden’s travel to Israel as the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip grows more dire and as Israel prepares for a possible ground attack on the 141-square-mile (365-square-kilometer) territory to root out Hamas militants responsible for what U.S. and Israeli officials say was the most lethal assault against Jews since the Holocaust.

Biden is looking to send the strongest message yet that the U.S. is behind Israel. His Democratic administration has pledged military support, sending U.S. carriers and aid to the region. Officials have said they would ask Congress for upward of $2 billion in additional aid for both Israel and Ukraine, which is fighting Russia’s invasion.

Blinken made the announcement early Tuesday after more than seven hours of talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials.

“He is coming here at a critical moment for Israel, for the region and for the world,” Blinken said.

Shortly after in Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby announced that Biden would also go to Jordan to meet with King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

“We’ve been crystal clear about the need for humanitarian aid to be able to continue to flow into Gaza,” Kirby said. “That has been a consistent call by President Biden and certainly by this entire administration.”

Truckloads of aid idled Monday at Egypt’s border with Gaza, barred from entry, as residents and humanitarian groups pleaded for water, food and fuel for dying generators, saying the tiny Palestinian territory sealed off by Israel after last week’s rampage by Hamas was near total collapse.

Biden had been scheduled to travel to Pueblo, Colorado, on Monday but decided to postpone the visit so he could consult with his aides and speak with fellow leaders about the unfolding situation in the Middle East.

The announcements came after Biden consulted with a trio of world leaders and his own national security team on Monday amid growing global concern about the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip and fears that the Israel-Hamas war could metastasize into a broader regional conflict.

Biden spoke by phone with Egypt’s el-Sissi, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz about the fallout from Hamas militants’ surprise attacks on Israel that left 1,400 dead and retaliatory strikes that have killed at least 2,778 Palestinians.

European Union leaders will hold an emergency summit on Tuesday as concern mounts that the war between Israel and Hamas could fuel tensions in Europe and bring more refugees in search of sanctuary.

Biden’s call with the Egyptian leader came one day after el-Sissi met with Blinken in Cairo. Egypt’s state-run media said el-Sissi told Blinken that Israel’s Gaza operation has exceeded “the right of self-defense” and turned into “a collective punishment.”

Kirby declined to comment on el-Sissi’s concerns about how Israel is conducting the war.

“The humanitarian situation was high on the list of the discussion with President el-Sissi,” Kirby said.

Earlier Monday, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed in the Oval Office by their national security team on the situation on the ground in Israel and Gaza. White House chief of staff Jeff Zients joined the briefing led by national security adviser Jake Sullivan, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and Central Intelligence Agency Director Bill Burns, according to the White House.

Blinken was in Israel on Monday for his second visit in less than a week for talks with Israeli leaders. He has been crisscrossing the Middle East with stops in Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Blinken, in talks Monday with Netanyahu and other Israeli officials, carried back some of the feedback he received from Arab leaders. He also “underlined his firm support for Israel’s right to defend itself from Hamas’ terrorism and reaffirmed U.S. determination to provide the Israeli government with what it needs to protect its citizens,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

Long and Madhani reported from Washington. AP writers Jon Gambrell in Jerusalem and Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington contributed.

​ Orange County Register