What are the most important life lessons learned? These women and men respond

• October 15, 2023

For the past 11 years, men from the Life Transition Group and women from Project Renewment get together yearly to discuss a topic of mutual interest. Both groups focus on transition and change from work to retirement and beyond. The eight men and seven women ranging in age from their 60s to their 80s were asked the following question: “In your current life stage, what have you learned that you consider most important?” 

Both groups have had or have successful careers, are motivated to give back to the community and are open to learning ways to maximize the quality of life in their later years. 

Let’s look separately at the responses of the men and women.

Gratitude and friendships: The majority of men acknowledged they had learned the importance of gratitude, including the value of their relationships.  A doctor of integrative medicine noted, “I rediscovered my wife and a real partnership that has led me “to substitute patience for impulse and to communicate without criticisms, condemnations or defensiveness.” Being grateful for relationships with one’s spouse, family and friends was shared among most. “Acceptance, patience and gratitude carry me through my life each day,” said a former strategic planning consultant. Each night he thinks of five things that occurred that day for which he is grateful. For many, having good friends provides a sense of purpose, meaning and happiness.   

Preparation: Others noted the importance of preparing for the unexpected. “Getting older is not for sissies…nothing can be taken for granted and that means being prepared for physical changes and limitations that might occur,” added a global marketing strategist. An entrepreneur with a heart condition, rotator cuff problem and breathing difficulties said he will be moving to a one-story home, at the insistence of his children, acknowledging the limitations of today and preparing for the possibilities of the future. 

Constant change: Some emphasized they learned in real time that life is dynamic and constantly changes. “We need to embrace it (these changes) and adapt and adjust to them … and strive to accept what we cannot control,” noted an attorney. Change occurs with adult children. “Realizing our (adult) children are independent; we need to create our own lives … even though it hurts when I don’t see them that often.”    

Success: And then there are the components of a successful life that were defined in four words: “Acceptance, patience, gratitude and mindfulness.” Note that money and title did not make the list. 

Now, from the women. 

In love: Two women found they are in love with retirement. As a self-proclaimed ambitious extrovert and accomplished author, this woman said, “I really don’t care what you think about me now.  I am experiencing more contentment, pleasure and relaxation than I ever thought possible.” Another noted that after a significant career driving federal policy changes in Washington, DC, she is surprised how much she enjoys retirement, particularly singing in a rock and roll group. And another expressed that she takes to retirement like a fish takes to water. 

A struggle: “Why can’t I just settle down?” asked a woman who continues to work as a theater producer. She finds herself struggling and in the interim stage of life which she does not find peaceful. Formerly athletic, she is feeling fragile and vulnerable as more things hurt.  

A place: “Before I die, I want to live in a place of beauty… we can recreate our lives by moving and living in a small country community.” She and her husband moved from Los Angeles to the central coast that required personal reinvention and meeting friends with no history.  

The bucket list: “My bucket list is smaller than my chuck it list,” commented a former human resource executive. One item on her chuck-it list is having less concern over her looks; an item on her bucket list is taking advantage of opportunities that come along. Setting priorities is key. For example, one woman said no to a project that could affect state policy.     

Although these men and women have much in common, what they have learned may differ. While women also learned about the importance of gratitude and acceptance, they also related to retirement as a positive, joyous change in their lives, almost a release from the demands of their previous work. Several comments implied setting priorities, and determining what to do or not to do. If there is a gender difference in what is important, perhaps it’s because the men are at a later life stage of retirement while women are at an earlier stage. However, one may wonder: “Is setting priorities, limits or saying no more relevant and perhaps more difficult for women than it is for men or are we relying on stereotypes?      

Dear readers – any thoughts on this?

Stay well, everyone, and know that kindness is everything. 

Helen Dennis is a nationally recognized leader on issues of aging and the new retirement with academic, corporate and nonprofit experience. Contact Helen with your questions and comments at [email protected]. Visit Helen at HelenMdennis.com and follow her on facebook.com/SuccessfulAgingCommunity

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Chargers vs. Dallas Cowboys: Who has the edge?

• October 15, 2023

CHARGERS (2-2) vs. COWBOYS (3-2)

When: Monday, 5:15 p.m.

Where: SoFi Stadium

TV/Radio: Ch. 7/ESPN; 98.7 FM; 105.5 FM/94.3 FM (Spanish)

Line: Cowboys by 1 1/2

Notable injury designations: Chargers: OLB Joey Bosa (questionable, toe), S Alohi Gilman (doubtful, heel), DB Deane Leonard (doubtful, hamstring), TE Donald Parham Jr. (questionable, wrist), DL Nick Williams (questionable, back). Cowboys: T Chuma Edoga (questionable, illness), CB C.J. Goodwin (out, pectoral), S Juanyeh Thomas (doubtful, hamstring), LB Leighton Vander Esch (out, neck/concussion).

What’s at stake: Running back Austin Ekeler said it best as the Chargers prepared to face the Cowboys on Monday Night Football: “We’ve got the world watching us.” The Chargers can take a giant step toward re-establishing their credibility as playoff contenders with a victory over a franchise that travels with some serious cachet everywhere it goes.

Who’s better: The oddsmakers favored the Cowboys slightly in the lead-up to the game, so we’ll go along with them and say Dallas is the better team until the Chargers prove otherwise on the field. The Cowboys have similar star power as the Chargers with Dak Prescott at quarterback, Micah Parsons as a menacing pass-rusher, Tony Pollard at running back and CeeDee Lamb at wide receiver.

Matchup to watch: There are matchups and then there are battles. This one figures to be a battle between a man and his damaged finger. Quarterback Justin Herbert fractured the middle finger on his left, non-throwing hand during the second half of the Chargers’ victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 4. The Chargers’ bye week was just what the doctor ordered, but he’s still expected to wear protective padding beneath a glove on his left hand. It’s also anticipated that he will handle most, if not all, of his snaps in shotgun formation rather than going under center in order to ease the pressure on his damaged finger.

Chargers win if: It’s difficult to ask for perfection from the Chargers, who are not known to play in such a fashion. But they’re going to have to play as cleanly as possible if they hope to beat the Cowboys. That means limiting the pressure on Herbert, avoiding turnovers while forcing them from the Cowboys and halting their practice of committing penalties on key third-down situations while on defense.

Fantasy sleeper: Ekeler is back after sitting out for three games because of a sprained ankle suffered during the Chargers’ season-opening loss to the Miami Dolphins. Joshua Kelley filled in as their lead back for a loss to the Tennessee Titans and victories over the Minnesota Vikings and the Raiders. The Chargers missed Ekeler’s versatility while running and receiving. Expect the Chargers to take full advantage of his return.

Prediction: Will Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore get a measure of revenge by defeating his former team? Will the Chargers avoid the gaffes and goofs that have plagued them this season? Will the Cowboys right themselves after they were outplayed in a humiliating 42-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers? Figure it’ll be close, with the Cowboys pulling out a 24-21 victory over the Chargers.

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Huntington Beach council will consider a children’s library book review board

• October 15, 2023

Huntington Beach city libraries might soon have a community board reviewing children’s library books to determine if materials “meet the community standards of acceptance” and would need to have books containing any sexual content be placed on shelves designated for adults.

Councilmember Gracey Van Der Mark, who has pushed for the city to make it harder for children to access sexually explicit books in city libraries, is proposing the new board and other changes the City Council will consider on Tuesday.

“All of this is to really empower the parent,” Van Der Mark said. “We are simply giving the parents more control over what their children have access to.”

When the council first talked about making it harder for children to access sexually explicit books at city libraries, it pushed many residents to voice their ardent disapproval. The proposed resolution is the clearest sign of what major changes could be coming.

Van Der Mark’s proposal would mandate that no city library allow children to access books or other materials that contain “any content of sexual nature.” It would require a parent or guardian’s consent to access those materials, whether they are intended for children or adults.

Van Der Mark’s resolution also would require city libraries to receive approval from a community/parent-guardian review board to obtain new materials intended for children containing any sexual content or references. She is proposing each of the seven members of the City Council would appoint three people to be on the board, which would meet at least twice a year and could reject by a majority vote material recommended to the library.

Dina Chavez, a board member of the nonprofit Friends of the Huntington Beach Public Library, said the proposed resolution isn’t needed and is an insult to librarians. The library purchases about 9,000 children’s books a year, Chavez said, and the proposal “will absolutely disrupt operations of the library.”

“It’s all based on a completely ridiculous idea that there was pornography in the library,” Chavez said. “There never was and there isn’t now.”

The board would have the power to subject books already in circulation to review and move them to the adult section. Van Der Mark said if the board is created she didn’t think they’d have a whole lot at first to review. She said librarians are already reviewing books, but this would bring the community into the process.

Chavez said if she was asked to be a member of the review board she would refuse so as to not give it legitimacy.

So far in 2023, no books have been challenged for review under the existing process. The Huntington Beach Public Library has denied five requests in as many years to have books in its collection removed – one of which came from Van Der Mark in 2020.

City staffers on Tuesday will also present their research and library policy changes they’ve been working on the last few months. Their recommendations for new policies include a new library card that would require parental permission for checking out books, raising the age for minors needing to be accompanied by an adult in the library and updating processes for book recommendations for children and families.

City staffers formulated their ideas after having research meetings with the publishing industry, other city managers and library systems and the public, officials said.

In their report to the council, staffers said they were told by Penguin Random House, the largest publisher in the U.S., that the publisher wouldn’t release anything that would raise red flags under the Miller Test, a legal test for determining if something can be considered obscenity, and the company has a multi-level review process that includes going over illustrations.

It also uses third-party companies to identify content levels for children’s books.

Van Der Mark said her proposal will allow parents to have more input on what books their children can access and more changes could be made.

“This is the beginning,” Van Der Mark said. “As issues and concerns come up, we could fine-tune it. We have to be flexible about this because it’s never been done before.”

The council is set to review the staff member’s presentation and proposal during a 4 p.m. study session on Tuesday and Van Der Mark’s proposal during the regular portion of the meeting at 6 p.m.

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Left-wing apologists for Hamas terrorism

• October 15, 2023

The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is no doubt complex. There are, indeed, legitimate grievances from the Palestinian people about how they have been treated. And whenever there is conflict, as now, reasonable people can and should be concerned about the loss of innocent life in Gaza.

But there’s a difference between being able to recognize this and defending or even explicitly supporting  the actions of the terrorist rulers of Gaza.

Hamas’ senseless and barbaric attacks on Israel on Oct. 7 are indefensible. Now, those subject to Hamas’ rule in Gaza are facing a humanitarian crisis as Hamas deliberately hides among the civilian population and civilian targets.

Those who empathize with the Palestinians must be very clear in their sympathies. Are they truly concerned about the Palestinian people? Or do they stand with Hamas?

Over the past week, we have seen many organizations and individuals on the wrong side of this issue.

In the immediate aftermath of Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel, the Democratic Socialists of America issued a statement blaming Israel for the attack.

“Today’s events are a direct result of Israel’s apartheid regime — a regime that receives billions in funding from the United States,” the group tweeted. The New York Chapter of the DSA then sponsored a rally in New York City, which saw signs reading “When People are Occupied, Resistance is Justified!” as well at least one protester flashing the Nazi symbol. Likewise, the Long Beach chapter of the DSA issued a statement denouncing  Israel as a “Zionist terror state.”

BLM Grassroots, an independent chapter of the Black Lives Matter movement of which the Los Angeles BLM chapter claims affiliation, issued a statement reading, “When a people have been subject to decades of apartheid and unimaginable violence, their resistance must not be condemned, but understood as a desperate act of self-defense.”

Clearly, these statements show a deeply troubling sympathy not for the ordinary Palestinian, but for terrorists who have abused the plight of the Palestinian people for evil ends. These radical left-wing apologists for terrorists, especially the DSA, must be rejected by all sensible people.

​ Orange County Register 

Now that LA County courts have eliminated cash bail for most offenses, what happens next?

• October 15, 2023

Los Angeles County Superior Court officials are closely watching the rollout of zero-bail to track whether the controversial policy is properly balancing equity for the accused with the need to uphold public safety.

Executive officer David Slayton, in an interview, said the courts plan to publicly release data on the effectiveness of the policy later this month, but early results from the first two weeks appear to suggest the policy is working as intended.

“Individuals who are higher risk to the community are either being released with conditions, or being held for arraignment because there are no conditions where they can be safely released,” he said. “They are being considered not based upon their money, but based upon their risk.”

L.A. County’s “Pre-Arraignment Release Protocols,” commonly referred to as zero-bail, eliminates the financial requirements for release from all but the most serious of offenses prior to arraignment. Police officers will instead cite and release, or book and release, suspects for a majority of misdemeanors and some felonies. Serious and violent crimes, such as murder, kidnapping, robbery and assault with a deadly weapon, are not eligible and still retain previous bail amounts.

Other offenses, such as burglary, will require a magistrate to review the case to determine if someone can be released safely. Police officers also can request what is called an “upward bail deviation” to ask for magistrate review on any felony or in misdemeanor cases involving violation of a domestic violence restraining order, Slayton said.

Tracking rearrest rates

The courts are tracking rearrest rates and failures to appear and will use that and other data to inform future adjustments to the zero-bail policy, he said. Technical changes already have been made based on requests from law enforcement agencies.

Proponents say the county’s elimination of cash bail will alleviate instances where someone is held, potentially for days, solely because of their financial ability.

Even a single day in jail can cost people their jobs, their children and even their lives, supporters argue. A 2022 report by the UCLA School of Law’s Bail Practicum and Berkeley Law’s Policy Advocacy Clinic found that roughly 80% of jail deaths in California occur during pretrial detention. The poor state of Los Angeles County’s jails have led to consent decrees and settlements.

“They’re really horrific conditions that people are being held in,” said Alicia Virani, co-founder of the bail practicum and co-author on the UCLA report, which reviewed the impact of a 2021 California Supreme Court ruling concluding it is unconstitutional to set bail at unaffordable amounts.

More than 30 people have died in Los Angeles County jails so far this year, she said.

The pretrial incarceration of a primary breadwinner “can destabilize an entire family and an entire community network,” Virani said.

Criminals emboldened, critics say

The new policy’s detractors, meanwhile, worry that zero-bail is emboldening criminals, reducing the faith police officers and victims have in the judicial system, and leading to upticks in crime by putting suspected criminals back on the streets immediately.

More than a dozen Los Angeles County cities have joined a lawsuit attempting to reverse the policy. Attorneys for the cities, including Whittier, Downey, Beverly Hills and Arcadia, argue the Superior Courts have balanced the system too heavily in the favor of offenders, so much so that “victims and public safety are given a zero value.”

That case was transferred to Orange County Superior Court earlier this month and is still pending.

Zero-bail policies discourage law enforcement officers and do not make neighborhoods safer or reduce crime, said prosecutor Eric Siddall, the former vice president of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys, which represents about 800 Los Angeles County prosecutors.

“If they arrest someone, it is the equivalent of a parking ticket,” said Siddall, among a slate of prosecutors campaigning to unseat reform-minded District Attorney George Gascon in the 2025 election. “They tell the suspect to come to court in three months or six months. It’s not a deterrent.”

With an existing backlog of about 13,000 felony cases that have yet to be filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Siddal said, most defendants arrested for nonviolent and nonserious crimes will never appear before a judge.

The policy might alleviate jail overcrowding, but the trade-off is more criminals on the street, he said.

“Criminals generally know the legal system better than law enforcement officers and prosecutors,” he added. “They know if they commit certain types of crimes they will be released.”

No clear link on crime rates

While studies have shown that rearrest rates were unaffected when the state implemented the Emergency Bail Schedule, which similarly eliminated bail for most offenses during the pandemic, Siddall said there is no clear link between the policy and any declines. Crime dropped in general in certain jurisdictions and officers might simply have stopped rearresting suspects who were released into the public because of the lack of consequences, he said.

“We don’t know,” he said. “But to suggest that releasing criminals back onto the street somehow decreases crime defies logic and prior studies.”

Last year, the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office produced its own study showing that 420 of 595 of the individuals released on zero bail there were subsequently rearrested, with 20% committing a violent crime. A follow-up study earlier this year once again pointed the finger at zero-bail when it declared that Yolo County saw increases in every category of crime as a result.

Proponents of zero-bail argue that Yolo County was not an empirically rigorous study. Report from courts and state agencies throughout the country, including in California, have found the opposite.

“The new policy isn’t a radical change, it builds off of similar policies that were in place in Los Angeles during the pandemic over the last three years,” said Claire Simonich, associate director of Vera California, an advocacy group fighting over-criminalization and mass incarceration. “If you look at other jurisdictions, we have every reason to believe this is not going to result in an increase in rearrests.”

In July, the Judicial Council of California found that similar policies during the pandemic resulted in a 5.8% decrease in rearrests for misdemeanors and a 2.4% decrease in felonies. Those same categories remained at, or below, historic averages in Los Angeles County, too, according to Slayton, the county courts’ executive officer.

“We were not surprised by the judicial council’s overall findings, because the data was consistent with what we’ve seen locally,” he said.

Rearrests in Los Angeles County dropped from 40% in 2020 to 29% in 2022, the year the emergency bail schedule ended.

Judge sparked policy change

In May, a judge issued an injunction that effectively reinstated the emergency schedule for both the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the LAPD. Roughly two months later, the Superior Court’s Executive Committee adopted the zero-bail policy that ultimately went into effect Oct. 1.

Other states and counties have not seen increases in crime either after implementing similar policies. New Jersey, which implemented bail reform in 2017, found that “nearly all defendants released successfully completed their pretrial period without acquiring a new charge, with the rate of rearrest for very serious crimes at less than 1% annually since 2018,” according to a report to the legislature.

New York, Kentucky and Harris County, Texas, boasted of similar successes.

“I think the data, when we have it, shows the opposite of what the fear-mongers would like us to believe,” said Virani of UCLA’s bail practicum. “All of this together shows that we do know how to do this.”

Political backlash

Regardless, politicians in New York and New Jersey have faced fierce backlash for those policies. New York, in particular, has dialed back its reforms several times in response to widespread concerns that it has led to upticks in crime. California’s own attempts to implement bail reforms have fared even worse. After the Legislature passed SB 10, which would have eliminated cash bail in 2018, voters dismantled it through a referendum, Proposition 25, just two years later.

Though local lawmakers have little to do with the Superior Court’s implementation of zero-bail, they already are feeling that heat as well.

“I can’t be the only one that’s having my office inundated with calls, and, when I’m out publicly, I have people approaching me very concerned about this,” county Supervisor Janice Hahn said during the board’s Sept. 26 meeting.

Sheriff Robert Luna, who spoke out on behalf of victims at the same meeting, explained the fears.

“If your child was poisoned by fentanyl and you found that someone was caught selling it in your neighborhood, and they’re released a few hours later without bail, you might question if the system is fair or not,” he said. “If you’re the victim of organized retail theft, and, you know, even if the individuals who stole from your businesses are caught, they will not be held or even required to post bail, you are also going to question the system, and probably get very angry at a lot of us sitting in this room, because they think we’re not holding people accountable.”

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and the LAPD both have spoken out against the policy. In a statement, LAPD Chief Michel Moore explained that law enforcement is averse to zero-bail because “that approach offers little to no deterrence to those involved in a range serious criminal offenses.”

The imposition of higher bail amounts achieved the goals of safety, deterrence and prevention, he said.

“We will continue to speak with the L.A. County Judicial Council as they strive to strike the appropriate balance in protecting community safety and victims from further harm, without unduly withholding an individual from their release back into the community,” Moore stated.

Gascon supports zero-cash bail

The District Attorney’s Office, in a statement, said prosecutors have yet to see data from the first few weeks of zero-bail, but that concerns raised by Chief Deputy District Attorney Sharon Woo at the Sept. 26 meeting haven’t been addressed by the courts. At the time, Woo said her boss, Gascón, supports the idea of eliminating cash bail for 80% to 90% of the offenses in the new policy, but he is against the inclusion of certain offenses, such as burglary, and worries about the county’s ability to impose specific conditions of release, such as electronic monitoring and substance abuse treatment.

Though crime ticked up overall in Los Angeles from 2021 to 2023, it has largely stayed flat, or decreased, in the past year. As of Sept. 30, the LAPD has reported a 6.8% decrease in violent crime and a 1.6% increase in property crime compared to the same period last year. The Sheriff’s Department, meanwhile, as of Aug. 30, saw a similar 6% decrease in violent crime and roughly 1% decrease in property crime year to date.

Yet, brazen crimes, such as organized retail smash-and-grabs, have become so prolific that the state issued $267 million in grants to assist law enforcement just this year.

Under the new zero-bail policy, organized retail theft is classified as a “book-and-release” offense. The Los Angeles Police Protective League blamed the elimination of cash bail for a series of flash-mob style thefts in August, saying criminals were emboldened because they knew they’d be out of jail immediately if they got caught.

Slayton scoffed at the idea that zero-bail removes consequences. The policy just removes money as a determining factor.

Someone arrested for a smash-and-grab, for example, will be booked and the crime will be visible to police departments through the county’s booking system. Officers can always request a bail deviation from a magistrate if they believe the individual poses a higher risk of committing more crimes, or if they are aware of other pending charges, he said. All information provided by law enforcement is considered.

Once arraignment is held — up to 30 days later for released defendants — a judge can remand a defendant to custody, or impose  monetary bail, he said.

“We believe that an individualized assessment of the individuals is constitutional, complies with the judges’ statutory responsibility and is better for the community,” he said.

Bail review ‘cursory’

The cities suing to stop zero-bail, however, argue most cases will not involve a magistrate and, when they do, it is a “cursory review of electronic records only, by an on-call judge, relying on rote risk assessment factors, based solely on the bare nature of the charges — without additional facts of the actual crime committed or victims harmed — and based on an arrestee’s criminal history, which does not include repeat offenses that are not convictions,” according to their petition.

The lawsuit highlights an incident in Whittier where a man arrested for having a loaded firearm was released following a magistrate’s review and then went on to assault a police officer, unprovoked, hours later.

Proponents generally support the idea of more eyes on cases before arraignment, but they say it remains to be seen how the magistrates, who are Superior Court judges, will wield that power. Court decisions that expanded judges’ discretion often have led to more holds, not less, they said.

Still, for those who have been pushing for reforms for years, the Superior Court system’s strong stance against cash bail is a positive sign, said Brian Hardingham, senior attorney for the Debtors’ Prison Project at Public Justice, the nonprofit legal advocacy group that sued Los Angeles County and won the injunction that reinstated zero-bail earlier this year.

“A lot of this is going to come down to the details,” he said. “We’re encouraged by the general direction this is going in and paying close attention.”

​ Orange County Register 

Enlisting a friend to spread the word that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

• October 15, 2023

“You’ve had such a busy month that I was worried you wouldn’t have time to drop by,” I said to the moon as it tucked in outside my garden window.

It was a few slices less than full this visit, but what with the Blood Moon in early October and the upcoming Hunter’s Moon at the end of the month, who could blame him for being exhausted?

“I’m so glad you are here, Mr. Moon,” I said as I put the kettle on for tea. “I need your help.”

“More deliveries?” he asked referring to the lemon seeds he dropped off for me last year to friends in two different states and one in Hamburg.

But this year’s request was a little different.

“Remember 25 years ago when I told you that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month?”

I had been watching the Rosie O’Donnell talk show and she had come up with a little lyric she sang to remind women of the importance of getting yearly mammograms. Go with a friend and then you can both sing …

“I’m great. You’re fine. Let’s go have a glass of wine.”

That was the year I found out I wasn’t fine and I was home recovering from breast cancer surgery when I heard Rosie sing those words. The catchy tune and her enthusiastic delivery has stayed with me all these years. Every time I got good news at a check-up I would find myself singing it.

“So how can I help?” Mr. Not-Quite-a-Full-Moon asked as I set two cups of tea in the garden window.

“You can spread the word about the importance of awareness.”

Get yearly mammograms.

Be vigilant about breast self-exams.

Make them part of your shower routine. That’s how I found my lump that turned out to be cancer.

See a doctor immediately if you find anything suspicious.

That’s how lives are saved.

“Everyone watches you, Mr. Moon. You are nature’s internet. You have the power to be seen and heard everywhere without ads interrupting your message.”

A sliver of a smile spread across the face of the moon as we sang Rosie’s song together.

Email [email protected]. Follow her on X @patriciabunin and patriciabunin.com

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Runners speed past sea life during Aquarium of the Pacific 5K

• October 15, 2023

The Aquarium of the Pacific has plenty of “athletic” animals: fast-moving sharks, contortionist jellies, acrobtic otters and … running humans?

Yep, at least on Saturday morning, Oct. 14, when the popular tourist attraction hosted the annual Aquarium of the Pacific 5K, as part of Long Beach Marathon weekend.

While the main 26.2-mile event is on Sunday, hundreds of people, including families, participated in a 5-kilometer jaunt that took them through the Aquarium of the Pacific and past all of the facility’s lovable sea creatures. Participants received some swag for running in the 5K, including an aquarium-themed finishers medal.

The 5K began at the aquarium, with participants then making their way around Shoreline Village Park, past the lighthouse in ShoreLine Aquatic Park and over the Queensway Bridge. After that, they turned around and finished the race by running through the aquarium.

As the participants made their way through the aquarium and toward the finish line, the facility’s staffers and mascots — and, one would hope, at least a couple of supportive otters — cheered them on.

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Santa Anita horse racing consensus picks for Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023

• October 15, 2023

The consensus box of Santa Anita horse racing picks comes from handicappers Bob Mieszerski, Art Wilson, Terry Turrell and Eddie Wilson. Here are the picks for thoroughbred races on Sunday, October 15, 2023.

Trouble viewing on mobile device? See consensus picks

Enjoy the consensus horse racing picks online? Subscribe

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register