Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw ‘not sure’ about his baseball future

• October 12, 2023

PHOENIX — Clayton Kershaw might have pitched the last game of his Hall of Fame career. Or he could be back for a 17th big-league season next spring.

Kershaw said even he doesn’t know which it will be.

“I’m not sure,” he said repeatedly when he was asked about his future following the Dodgers’ shocking elimination from the postseason Wednesday night.

If Kershaw opts for retirement, he will go out on the worst start of his career. He faced eight batters in Game 1 and recorded just one out.

“Just obviously a horrible way to end it personally,” he said. “But that’s ultimately not important. It’s just how I didn’t help the team win the series. That’s the most disappointing part. Letting your guys down and things like that. Process it however best you can. I don’t even know what that means, really. But, yeah, just go from there.”

Kershaw has gone through this process for three years now, opting to sign one-year contracts following the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

The decision was a quick one last fall. He let the Dodgers know in early November that he wanted to return, though a one-year, $20 million contract wasn’t officially finalized until the first week of December.

Things were more complicated in 2021. Kershaw ended the season on the sidelines with a forearm injury that caused him to miss the postseason. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection in October to treat the injury. The MLB lockout allowed him to delay starting a throwing program until January, giving him added time to recover – and contemplate his future.

Within days of the lockout being settled, he re-signed with the Dodgers after also considering signing with his hometown Texas Rangers.

This winter figures to mirror the uncertainty of that offseason, with Kershaw’s shoulder now the issue.

“I’m not sure about that either,” Kershaw said when asked how he will approach this offseason. “I’m not sure how it’s going to look.”

Kershaw left his June 27 start in Colorado after six innings despite having a one-hit shutout going on just 79 pitches. He later acknowledged he was experiencing shoulder discomfort and eventually went on the injured list.

Right before the All-Star break, he underwent an MRI. Kershaw has never discussed the results of the MRI, but Dr. Neal ElAttrache saw enough that Kershaw wound up spending six weeks on the IL.

When he returned, it was as a clearly compromised pitcher. Kershaw’s fastball velocity plummeted to an average of only 88.7 mph in September. His command suffered as well. The Dodgers gave him extra rest between starts – as much as nine days – and limited his pitch count.

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“We’ll see,” he said of his offseason plans. “I’m not sure. I don’t know how to answer that right now.”

Another examination of his shoulder – perhaps by a doctor not associated with the team – is likely Kershaw’s next step. If surgery of some kind is recommended, it is difficult to imagine the 35-year-old Kershaw choosing to go through the long rehabilitation and recovery process it would require to return, perhaps not until 2025.

Asked Wednesday night if there was a decision he needed to make about his shoulder before he could make a decision about retirement, Kershaw repeated, “I’m not sure.” When told that was a confusing answer, he smiled softly and said, “Good,” continuing to keep the details of his health private.

​ Orange County Register 

76% of California’s pandemic pay hikes lost to inflation

• October 12, 2023

Inflation has gobbled up three-quarters of the buying power Californians’ got from pandemic-era pay hikes.

That’s what my trusty spreadsheet tells me when I compare stats from September’s Consumer Price Index report and recent earnings data for four metro areas – Los Angeles-Orange County, San Francisco, the Inland Empire and San Diego.

On average, weekly wages in these four markets rose 24% from the end of 2019 through 2023’s first quarter. Meanwhile, the local cost of living inflated by 19% through September.

That adds up to higher prices cutting the value of recent raises by 76%. It’s no wonder why so many folks in the Golden State are grumpy. It may help explain why we’ve seen a rash of labor unrest such as strikes in Hollywood and at Kaiser health care.

To be fair, inflation has improved modestly. Look at the most recent rate of California pay hikes of 5.7% pay jumps compared to a 4% bump in the cost of living. So that’s only 71% lost to inflation.

ECONOMIC NEWS: What’s the big trend? Should I be worried? CLICK HERE!

Do not forget that such measurements don’t tell everyone’s story. And that’s why all the chatter about rising prices and what to do about the problem seems so misguided. It’s best to ignore much of the “is inflation cured?” debate – whether it’s expert babble, partisan thinking or some self-serving logic.

It’s important to know that inflation has no simple or pain-free cures. Too much medicine – namely, the Federal Reserve’s higher interest rates – could cost jobs or even cause a recession.

Still, an early exit from the inflation fight will leave many Californians struggling to meet their household budgets.

Look at a map

Ponder the inequalities of inflation’s bite by geography.

Inland Empire: There’s been a 92% loss in buying power to higher prices. That’s 25% raises during the pandemic era vs. 23% inflation. But it’s improved in the past year to just a 63% loss – 7.7% pay hikes vs. 4.9% cost of living.

San Diego: 81% pandemic loss – 26% raises vs. 21% inflation. In 12 months, 91% – 5.2% pay hike vs. 4.7% cost of living.

LA-OC: 77% pandemic loss – 22% raises vs. 17% inflation. In 12 months, 70% – 4.5% pay hike vs. 3.2% cost of living.

San Francisco: 55% pandemic loss – 25% raises vs. 13% inflation. In 12 months, 62% – 5.5% pay hike vs. 3.4% cost of living.

At the core

Next, consider what the CPI says about how inflation has hit different parts of a household budget. Keep in mind that spending habits vary broadly by family.

You don’t need the CPI to know that energy costs ballooned. Driving down the road or staring at a utility bill shows us this ugly trend.

California costs for gasoline, electricity and heating fuel were up 56% in the pandemic era after rising “only” 4.3% in the past year.

And if you eat, you know what’s up with food costs. Prices at the grocery store or dining out were up 23% in the pandemic era vs. 3.4% in a year.

Look, the absurdity within the inflation debate is highlighted by a statistic that economists and the price-watching Fed like to follow – the so-called core inflation rate.

That’s the cost of living minus food and energy. Yes, minus food and energy.

How we live without these purchases is inexplicable, but inflation gurus think they’re too volatile to be good price barometers.

MORTGAGE NEWS: What’s up with rates? Who’s lending? CLICK HERE!

Yet this odd benchmark – dismissive of everyday spending habits – may provide motivation for continued vigilance in the inflation battle.

California’s core inflation was up 15% in the pandemic era but rose a swift 4.3% in the past year. It’s one reason overall inflation increased slightly during the summer.

This recent surge signals lingering and problematic price pressures. The cost of labor-intensive services, for example, is being pushed up by significant pay hikes for workers.

Remember, Fed policymakers target 2% inflation as the norm – and that’s without life’s essentials. California isn’t anywhere near that yet.

Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at [email protected]

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Leaving California?

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What state is the best bargain?

​ Orange County Register 

ArroyoFest is set to close the 110 Freeway for walkers, bikers to enjoy

• October 12, 2023

The idea blew the minds of Caltrans officials.

In 2003, two professors from Occidental College and folks from environmental and cycling groups organized the closure of a section of the 110 Freeway — also known as the Pasadena Freeway — for several hours on Father’s Day so people could walk, push strollers with babies, and ride bikes, skateboards and scooters on the emptied freeway.

” ‘Are you serious?’ they said. ‘Do you really want to shut down the freeway for people to bike ride and walk on it?’ ” said Robert Gottlieb, professor emeritus of Occidental College and one of the organizers of the original ArroyoFest, remembering Caltrans’ initial reaction to the idea.

“They came around,” he said with a chuckle, during an interview on Oct. 10.

Caltrans allowed what was the first-ever closure of a Southern California freeway to make way for pedestrians, skaters and bicyclers. On June 15, 2003, the first ArroyoFest attracted 8,000 participants of all ages who biked, walked and even somersaulted across six freeway lanes between South Pasadena and Northeast Los Angeles on a mid-June morning.

Now, 20 years after the historic closure of a freeway in Los Angeles for use by people on two feet or two wheels, ActiveSGV and LA Metro will do it a second time.

Second ArroyoFest on Oct. 29

626 Golden Streets ArroyoFest 2023 will take place on Saturday, Oct. 29, when six lanes and six miles of the Arroyo Seco Parkway will be closed to cars from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. The freeway-turned-open-streets stretches from Glenarm Street in Pasadena to Avenue 26 in Lincoln Heights, a community in Los Angeles. People can begin their stroll or ride by entering via the freeway on-ramps.

The southbound lanes will be reserved for pedestrians, including walkers, runners, wheelchair users and small children with their parents or guardians, sort of like a giant sidewalk. Northbound lanes are for those riding wheeled devices including bikes, skates, scooters, e-bikes and skateboards. ActiveSGV, which has organized several open streets rides, says faster riders must yield to slower riders and all should keep to the right because the lanes will be bi-directional.

This is not a race. There are no trophies. Everyone rides or walks for pleasure, at their own pace, and can enter the freeway at any of the car-free sections. Entertainment, food and games are offered at three street hubs: Mission Street in South Pasadena, which is car-free for one mile to Garfield Park; Sycamore Grove Park in Highland Park; Lacy Street Neighborhood Park in Lincoln Heights (at Avenue 26, which will be car-free at the Pasadena Freeway).

About 3,000 runners are expected to hoof it on the freeway lanes in a 10K that starts in South Pasadena and finishes in Lincoln Heights. They will be given loaded TAP cards to ride the Metro A Line train back, which parallels the Arroyo Seco.

“In terms of the Arroyo Seco Parkway, it will only be the second time the public will be able to walk and bike on it,” said Wes Reutimann, deputy director and founder of ActiveSGV, the event’s organizer. “It is not only legal, but it will be enjoyable. This is really a unique opportunity to experience the Arroyo Seco in a different way.”

What’s it like to walk on a freeway?

Gottlieb said his inbox is filling up with emails from people who remember the first ArroyoFest and want to be there on Oct. 29. Some wrote they’re bringing family members who missed it the first time or weren’t born yet.

“People said how quiet it was,” he remembered. “You are really experiencing a transformational moment. You don’t have the noises of the normal aspects of driving a freeway.”

The effect of walking or riding a bike or scooter on lanes of a freeway where cars usually went 60 mph was a treat for the senses. “You are walking, or biking and seeing places around you in a very different way than when driving. It was magical for people,” Gottlieb said.

Walking on the 110 Freeway (Arroyo Seco Parkway) during the first ArroyoFest in 2003 was a people jam. There were also bicyclers and people on scooters, skateboards and the like. A new ArroyoFest: takes place on Oct. 29, 2023. (photo by Brian Biery)

This is similar to a closure of city thoroughfares for cyclists and pedestrians known as a CicLAvia. The 2003 ArroyoFest sparked the idea, seven years before the first CicLAvia was held on Oct. 10, 2010. Reutimann said this is the perfect freeway for a CicLAvia-type event. It wouldn’t be the same if held on the 210 Freeway, he said.

Arroyo Seco: Past, Future?

The Arroyo Seco Parkway (110 Freeway) was built in 1940 and follows an ancient dirt trail used by indigenous Tongva people to travel from the birthplace of Los Angeles to the San Gabriel Mountains.

In modern times, it became the first freeway in the West. Built in 1940, it connected Los Angeles’ first suburbs located along the Arroyo Seco, both a canyon and a tributary fed by mountain runoff that empties into the Los Angeles River, now hidden by concrete flood control walls.

The freeway, known as a parkway, was designed by architects Frederick Law Olmstead, Jr. and Harland Bartholomew in 1930, and was supposed to be a pleasant ride between suburban towns and downtown Los Angeles, allowing drivers to feel the curves of the river bed and view the peaks of the San Gabriel Mountains. Its curvy, sinuous alignment — which at segments has maximum posted speeds of 35 mph and 45 mph — was part of a roadway designed as a scenic drive.

That soon changed and 120,000 drivers a day now speed through the curves, passing small parks, towering sycamore trees and stone bridges, flying by the green space with a tunnel vision of simply getting to their destinations. It became the most accident-prone freeway in Los Angeles County, Gottlieb said.

Nonetheless, 20 years ago, Gottlieb, who headed the college’s Urban and Environmental Policy Institute, and Marcus Renner, co-organizer also from the faculty of Occidental and resident of East Pasadena, chose the Pasadena Freeway to demonstrate the need for a more walkable, bike-friendly Los Angeles County.

Renner also credited the late Dennis Crowley, who headed the California Cycleways group, who pushed for closure of the freeway for bikes. He advocated for a bikeway to be built along the Arroyo Seco connecting L.A. with Pasadena. Crowley died in 2008.

“All of us liked the idea of shutting down a freeway in L.A. — the heart of car culture,” Renner said on Oct 10. “It would make an imaginative powerful statement.” In a magazine article by Renner, he wrote: “We viewed the act of shutting down L.A.’s first freeway as a symbolic gesture to stimulate discussion about how to create livable urban communities.”

De-commissioning freeways

The first ArroyoFest was what Gottlieb described as “making hope possible.” That can still happen on Oct. 29: “You can be at this event and think about the possibilities that can be pursued,” he said, namely more connecting bike paths, safer walking spaces and less freeway congestion.

One “possibility” is the de-commissioning of existing freeways.

Streets For All and an urban planning architectural group have drafted a plan to turn the three-mile Marina Freeway (CA-90) into a 128-acre park, with 4,000 homes served by bike lanes and bus rapid transit. The idea has gained publicity on social media and other media outlets during the last few weeks.

.@streetsforall and @SWAgroup team up on a proposal to turn the three-mile Marina Freeway/CA-90 into “Marina Central Park,” a 128-acre green space with nearly 4,000 homes, bus rapid transit, and bikeways https://t.co/sZY0dA6nY8 pic.twitter.com/Q5H5ITQeKI

— Urbanize LA (@UrbanizeLA) August 17, 2023

Gottlieb suggested planners look at the southern edge of the 2 Freeway, which fades out onto the streets of Echo Park, for a transformation into bikeways and green space.

More to come?

Besides such aspirational goals, Gottlieb said both the original and the second ArroyoFest emphasize taking mass transit. The Gold Line from L.A. to Pasadena was about to open up in June 2003 and was part of the message. “We wanted to highlight public transit as a real alternative,” he said.

Metro awarded ActiveSGV $496,000 to plan and pull off the second ArroyoFest, hoping that many will notice the A Line (formerly Gold Line) along the 110 Freeway and even use it to get back from the hubs in the afternoon, after the freeway reopens to car traffic.

Renner, who is finishing a Ph.D on “Arroyo Seco placekeepers” at Occidental College, wants to make ArroyoFest a regular event.

“We need to start talking about having it on a regular basis,” Renner said. “What happens in a parkway? Well, we use if for cars, but sometimes we open it for bicycles.”

At a Glance: 626 Golden Streets ArroyoFest 2023

• Saturday, Oct. 29. Freeway lanes closed to cars 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. from Glenarm Avenue to Avenue 26. Opening ceremony at 6:40 a.m. at Mission Street in South Pasadena. Open streets activities hubs continue until 3 p.m.

• Allowed on route: Scooters, strollers, skateboards, wheelchairs, bicycles, tricycles, unicycles, rollerblades, roller skates, penny farthings, and more.

• Website: 300 volunteers are needed. To volunteer, and for more information about the event, go to: 626goldenstreets.com

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Related links

Arroyofest feature on KCET – YouTube
Photos: The streets were devoid of cars in South Pasadena, Alhambra and San Gabriel
How 626 Golden Streets ciclovia-type event this Sunday is an argument for a car-free LA County
California Art Club: Arroyo Seco culture never goes out of style
Organizers say 100,000 biked or walked ‘626 Golden Streets’ event from South Pasadena to Azusa

​ Orange County Register 

 US announces Israel evacuation flights for Americans as Hamas war rages

• October 12, 2023

By MARY CLARE JALONICK, SEUNG MIN KIM and MATTHEW LEE

WASHINGTON — The White House announced that the U.S. government will begin operating evacuation flights to help Americans leave Israel as Israel prepares to escalate retaliatory action against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

The evacuation flights are expected to begin Friday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. The U.S. government is arranging for at least four charter flights a day out of Israel, according to people familiar with the planning.

The announcement came as the White House confirmed that the death toll in the fighting now includes at least 27 Americans. The war has claimed at least 2,600 lives on both sides since Hamas launched its attack on Israel last Saturday.

Fourteen U.S. citizens in Israel remain unaccounted for. The White House has said a “handful” of Americans are among the dozens of people that Hamas took hostage.

U.S. officials estimate 160,000-170,000 Americans are in Israel, as residents, tourists or in some other capacity. An estimated 500 to 600 American citizens are in Gaza, including people who have been working as humanitarian workers or visiting relatives. Egypt and Israel have closed all exits from the blockaded territory.

The State Department said in a statement it anticipated it will initially facilitate the departure of thousands of U.S. citizens per week out of Israel. The overall security situation, availability and reliability of commercial transportation, and U.S. citizen demand will all influence the duration of this departure assistance. The department asked U.S. citizens in need of evacuation assistance to complete the crisis intake form at travel.state.gov.

There are still some commercial carriers flying in and out of Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport, and ground routes are open to leave Israel. White House officials, however, have voiced concern that those options may not be feasible or affordable for some Americans in Israel who want to leave.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Israel on Thursday to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli citizens. He was joined by the deputy special representative for hostage affairs, Steve Gillen, who will stay in Israel to to support the efforts to free the hostages.

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Blinken said Thursday that Americans would continue pushing regional countries for a safe passage in and out of Gaza, which could help the hundreds of American civilians trapped in the blockaded enclave.

Israeli defense officials have yet to order a ground invasion of the pummeled territory, but have been planning for the possibility. The military has called over 300,000 reservists into action in preparation.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who joined from Air Force 2 en route to Las Vegas, Nevada, met on Thursday with senior administration officials to discuss efforts to safeguard the U.S., including Jewish, Arab and Muslim communities, following the Hamas attacks in Israel.

Lee reported from Jerusalem.

​ Orange County Register 

Festival Pass: Why Power Trip with AC/DC, Judas Priest, Metallica and more was a perfect festival

• October 12, 2023

Festival Pass is a newsletter that lands in your inbox weekly. But during prime festival season you get bonus editions, too! Subscribe now.

Happy Thursday!

This week’s edition of Festival Pass is going to be short and sweet. I’ll be honest, I’m tired!

Goldenvoice’s three-day Power Trip fest out at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on Oct. 6-8 kicked my butt. My ears are still ringing after taking in sets by Iron Maiden, Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Tool and Metallica.

It was just two bands playing extended sets each day on a single, yet massive, stage. So, it wasn’t nearly the grind of other multi-stage festivals at that venue, including Coachella and Stagecoach. But if you were there or live in the Coachella Valley, you know we were blessed — or cursed — with temperatures in the 100s all weekend long and we weren’t lucky enough to experience the typical nighttime desert cool down. So the heat mixed with the long walking trek into and out of the venue each day finally got to me, after managing to survive a total of four three-day festivals out there in 2023.

However, Power Trip was awesome.

Each day had a slightly different vibe, but that back-to-back Saturday lineup with Judas Priest and AC/DC felt so incredibly special. Just witnessing these giants of metal and rock and roll crushing it with hits and fan favorites felt historical. Overall, it was a celebration of these often overlooked genres with acts in peak form. Also the fans, who were from all over the world, were incredible. They were so nice and this particular festival seemed to lack all the social media influencers that typically flock to the Empire Polo Club for other events — these were true fans through and through.

It was spectacular fun and left diehard metal heads wondering if there will be a Power Trip II. We shall see.

Here’s a look back at our coverage:

Day 1: Power Trip: Guns N’ Roses, Iron Maiden kick things off in the desert

Day 2: Power Trip: AC/DC and Judas Priest do it right in Indio

Day 3: Power Trip: Metallica and Tool close out the festival with fiery performances

Power Trip bassists weigh in on the rock and metal event before it hits Indio

Here’s what else is going on in the Southern California music scene.

Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” movie hits theaters on Friday

Movie theaters across the country are preparing for the Swiftie takeover as Taylor Swift‘s “The Eras Tour” concert film hits screens on Friday, Oct. 13. Filmed during her first three out of a total of six sold-out evenings at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood back in August, Swift’s tour — which is still ongoing — is a record-setting pop cultural phenomenon that has broken Ticketmaster twice now with initial on sales.

The demand was so overwhelming that going to see the action in a theater is probably the best and most affordable way to get in on the fun, or to relive the event if you’re already missing having experienced Taylormania live.

Here’s where to watch “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” in Southern California this weekend

 ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ film premiere shuts down The Grove shopping center — is Taylor coming?

 Why Taylor Swift, Beyoncé concert films are ineligible for Oscars documentary category

Danny Elfman reveals ‘Nightmare’ special guests

Singer-songwriter, producer and composer Danny Elfman will be back at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Tim Burton‘s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” with a live-to-film concert event on Oct. 27-29.

He just announced he’ll be joined by some very special guests including singer-songwriter Halsey and actress Catherine O’Hara sharing the role of Sally and Ken Page resuming his part as Oogie Boogie. Find out who else is performing and how to get tickets here.

Until next week, thanks for reading and keep rockin’!

Read previous editions of the Festival Pass newsletter

Festival Pass: Power Trip brings rock, heavy metal to the desert this weekend

Festival Pass: Ohana Festival: What you need to know before you go

Festival Pass: BeachLife Ranch: What you need to know before you go

Festival Pass: Stagecoach 2024: A closer look at the eclectic three-day lineup

Festival Pass: After a four-year hiatus, Coastal Country Jam returns to Southern California

​ Orange County Register 

What time is the solar eclipse? Check this site to know when to look up

• October 12, 2023

In advance of an annular “ring of fire” solar eclipse occurring this Saturday, NASA has set up an interactive eclipse explorer so people can see when they should look up, and what phase of the eclipse they will experience from their location.

Most of the contiguous United States will experience a partial eclipse this Saturday, Oct. 14. The eclipse is expected to begin at 9:13 a.m. PST in Oregon, and pass through Northern Nevada, Utah, and New Mexico, before reaching Texas just before noon CST. Only the communities along this path will experience totality, when the moon will align with the sun at its farthest point from the Earth, creating a ring of fire effect in the sky.

RELATED: What to look for and where to buy solar shades for safe eclipse viewing

Even without totality, a partial eclipse is still a sight to see with a pair of solar eclipse glasses that adhere to the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard, of course. This is where NASA’s interactive eclipse explorer comes in handy – it loads as a map of the mainland United States, with the path of the eclipse clearly marked from Oregon to Texas. It also gives the viewer a chance to compare the paths of past and future solar eclipses – including the one that will occur in April 2024. The explorer also shows which areas will experience the least and most amount of eclipse in terms of totality and time.

Several national parks are preparing for an influx of visitors looking to experience the eclipse in an open area. National parks in the path of totality include Crater Lake in Oregon, Great Basin in Nevada, and the Padre Island National Seashore along the coast of Texas. Several national parks in the Four Corners region where Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Colorado meet are in the path of totality.

RELATED: “Ring of Fire” solar eclipse headed to Colorado. Here’s everything you need to know.

Saturday’s annular solar eclipse will be the last one visible in the contiguous U.S. until June 21, 2039, when the celestial sight will only be visible from Alaska, according to NASA. 

However, skywatchers won’t need to wait 16 years for another spectacular sight in the sky. A total solar eclipse, in which the moon will completely block the sun from Earth’s view, occurs on April 8, 2024, less than six months from Saturday.

​ Orange County Register 

Jay-Z’s Champagne maker is planning an even more exclusive brand

• October 12, 2023

Tara Patel | Bloomberg News (TNS)

The small French winemaker behind Jay-Z’s Champagne is laying the groundwork for the launch of another luxury brand, aiming to replicate the success of the rapper’s Armand de Brignac “Ace of Spades.”

Family-owned Maison Cattier has stored bottles to age in its cellars of what will be called Champagne de Lossy, according to Alexandre Cattier, the 13th-generation head of the firm that traces its roots back to 1625. Sales are still at least a couple of years away, he said.

Yet even at this early stage, promotion of the high-end label is gearing up. A bottle was featured inside a custom-built Rolls-Royce Droptail that costs upwards of $30 million and was unveiled in August in Carmel, California. Champagne de Lossy now also has a website and an Instagram page.

“The brand will be even more exclusive than Armand de Brignac,” Cattier said in a telephone interview. “Sales will be more targeted.”

He declined to provide details about the identity of his business partner in the endeavor, saying only that the owner of the Rolls-Royce wanted a Champagne brand to match the car’s dark red finish. Photos show an opaque red bottle with a black and silver label.

Cattier’s plans for Champagne de Lossy are part of a trend for higher-end labels in the French region, with an increasing number backed by celebrities. In addition to Jay-Z’s Armand de Brignac, Brad Pitt has the Fleur de Miraval rose and Leonardo DiCaprio backs Champagne Telmont. Actor Morgan Freeman is promoting Laurent-Perrier’s Grand-Siecle cuvee, while former NBA star Tony Parker reportedly invested in Champagne Jeeper.

Cattier will be competing in a more crowded market than in 2006 when it introduced the Armand de Brignac brand. First sold in opaque gold bottles and nicknamed the “Ace of Spades” for the shape of the label, it was promoted by Jay-Z, who had started boycotting another brand called Cristal.

The rapper eventually acquired the Armand de Brignac brand, although Cattier still makes the Champagne inside the bottles. In 2021 Jay-Z sold a 50% stake to luxury juggernaut LVMH. The Brut Gold version is listed by online distributors at around $400 a bottle.

The region east of Paris where Champagne is produced has about 370 maisons and 16,200 grape growers. LVMH is the biggest producer, owning such brands as Dom Perignon, Moet & Chandon, Ruinart and Veuve Clicquot.

Cattier, a minnow compared with LVMH in terms of production, is based in the village of Chigny-les-Roses. That’s about a mile away from a grand manor called Chateau de Rilly, the contours of which are featured on the “de Lossy” label.

The links between the brand, the chateau and the family date back around half a century, Cattier said.

In the 1970s, his grandfather bought buildings in the village of Rilly near the chateau and where Champagne de Lossy was originally produced. While the brand was passed on to another producer at the time, it hasn’t been used for at least a decade. Cattier has now acquired it for a revival, he said.

©2023 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

​ Orange County Register 

House speaker nominee Scalise tries to sway skeptical GOP colleagues, gain 100+ votes

• October 12, 2023

By LISA MASCARO, FARNOUSH AMIRI and STEPHEN GROVES

WASHINGTON — Nominated to be House speaker, Rep. Steve Scalise is heading straight into a familiar Republican problem: Skeptical GOP colleagues are reluctant to give their support, denying him the majority vote needed to win the gavel.

The House opened its Thursday session at midday in anticipation of floor action to elect a speaker, but quickly gaveled to a recess. Scalise must peel off more than 100 votes, mostly from those who backed his chief rival, Rep. Jim Jordan, the Judiciary Committee chairman favored by hard-liners, as lawmakers dig in for a fight to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy after his historic ouster from the job. No votes were scheduled.

“Time is of the essence,” McCarthy said when he arrived at the Capitol.

Asked if it was still possible for Scalise, R-La., to find enough support, McCarthy said: “It’s possible — it’s a big hill, though.”

The House is entering its second week without a speaker and is essentially unable to function, so the pressure is on Republicans to reverse course, reassert majority control and govern.

Action is needed to fund the government or face the threat of a federal shutdown in a month. Lawmakers also want Congress to deliver a strong statement of support for Israel in the war with Hamas, but a bipartisan resolution has been sidelined by the stalemate in the House. The White House is expected to soon ask for money for Israel, Ukraine and the backfill of the U.S. weapons stockpile.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Scalise said after Wednesday’s private balloting by Republicans when he fell short of expectations.

A steady stream of some of the more hard-line Republicans filed into Scalise’s office late into the evening, bringing their complaints, criticisms and demands as he worked to shore up support.

The situation is not fully different from the start of the year, when McCarthy faced a similar backlash from a different group of far-right holdouts who ultimately gave their votes to elect him speaker, then engineered his historic downfall.

But the math this time is even more daunting. Scalise, who is seen by some colleagues as hero for having survived a 2017 shooting on lawmakers at a congressional baseball game practice, won the closed-door Republican vote 113-99. But Scalise now needs 217 votes to reach a majority that likely will be needed in a floor battle with Democrats.

The chamber is narrowly split 221-212, meaning Scalise can lose just a few Republicans in the face of opposition from Democrats who will most certainly back their own leader, New York Rep, Hakeem Jeffries.

McCarthy, R-Calif., noted that Scalise, a longtime rival, had indicated he would have 150 votes behind closed doors, but missed that mark. At midday, GOP lawmakers convened another private meeting.

Jordan, a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus who was backed by Donald Trump in the speaker’s race, said he did not plan to continue running for the leadership position.

“We need to come together and support Steve,” Jordan told reporters before the closed session.

It was the most vocal endorsement yet from Jordan who had earlier offered to give his rival a nominating speech on the floor, and privately was telling lawmakers he would vote Scalise is encouraging his colleagues to do the same.

But it was unclear whether enough whether lawmakers who backed Jordan will throw their support to Scalise. Handfuls of hard-liners announced they were sticking with Jordan, McCarthy or someone other than Scalise.

Veteran lawmakers said Scalise was not deal-making, as McCarthy did, to win votes.

Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, reaffirmed his support for Trump as speaker; the position does not need to go to a member of Congress.

Trump is expected to take a hands-off approach to the internal GOP fight now that Scalise, rather than his choice of Jordan, is the nominee, according to one person familiar with Trump’s thinking who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Trump, the front-runner to 2024 GOP presidential nomination, repeatedly discussed Scalise’s health during a radio interview that aired Thursday.

Scalise has been diagnosed with a form of blood cancer known as multiple myeloma and is being treated.

“Well, I like Steve. I like both of them very much. But the problem, you know, Steve is a man that is in serious trouble, from the standpoint of his cancer,” Trump said on Fox News host Brian Kilmeade’s radio show.

“I think it’s going to be very hard, maybe in either case, for somebody to get,” Trump said. “And then you end up in one of these crazy stalemates. It’s a very interesting situation.”

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Many Republicans want to prevent the spectacle of a messy House floor fight like the grueling January brawl when McCarthy became speaker. Usually, the majority needed would be 218 votes, but there are currently two vacant seats, dropping the threshold to 217 — and absences heading toward the weekend would drop the majority bar even lower.

Exasperated Democrats, who have been watching and waiting for the Republican majority to recover from McCarthy’s ouster, urged them to figure it out.

“The House Republicans need to end the GOP Civil War, now,” Jeffries said.

“The House Democrats have continued to make clear that we are ready, willing and able to find a bipartisan path forward,” he said, urging that the House reopen and change GOP-led rules that allowed a single lawmaker to put in motion the process to remove the speaker. “But we need traditional Republicans break from the extremists and partner with us.”

Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in New York and Kevin Freking contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register