Top 6 Kings games to watch this season

• October 10, 2023

Kings hockey is back, beginning with Wednesday’s nationally televised season opener on TNT against the Colorado Avalanche at 7 p.m. from Crypto.com Arena.

That’ll be the first must-see match of the campaign with half a dozen more to follow, as the black and silver march toward what they hope will be a third consecutive postseason appearance and their first playoff series victory since 2014.

Nov. 2 at Ottawa Senators

The Kings and Senators have had few common threads historically, playing in different conferences on opposite sides of the Canadian border after entering the NHL a quarter-century apart. But of late their paths have intertwined frequently. Ottawa selected its leading scorer, Tim Stützle, one pick behind where the Kings took Quinton Byfield in 2020. The Senators also snagged a desired trade target for the Kings, Jacob Chychrun, at last year’s deadline. Then, during the summer, the Kings saw their netminder in last year’s playoffs, Joonas Korpisalo, sign with the Sens, and they proceeded to strike a deal with Ottawa’s go-to goalie last season, Cam Talbot.

Dec. 13 vs. Winnipeg Jets

In another whirlwind of arrivals and departures, the Kings will welcome the Jets and the visitors will surely have no difficulty navigating the underbelly of Crypto.com Arena. Former Kings Gabe Vilardi, Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari can surely show their new teammates the way, and, depending which route they take, they might even pass the Kings’ dressing room and one-time Jet Pierre-Luc Dubois on the way. (The Kings will also welcome other former teammates: Sean Durzi and the Arizona Coyotes on Oct. 24, as well as Sean Walker and the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 11).

Dec. 28 at Vegas Golden Knights

The Kings play the defending Stanley Cup champions only three times, not four, during this regular season. This final meeting between the two sides might represent a nice opportunity to sneak off to Las Vegas ahead of New Year’s Eve to boot. On the ice, the Kings and Golden Knights missed out on a second-round series last season, but made up for lost time by intensifying their rivalry a bit during this year’s preseason, thanks to a big hit by since-waived right wing Hayden Hodgson on Vegas captain Mark Stone.

Jan. 20 vs. New York Rangers

This game will represent Jonathan Quick’s first game in the same building where he twice lifted the Stanley Cup and once caressed the Conn Smythe Trophy since he was sent away unceremoniously at last year’s trade deadline. Quick was traded to Columbus and then Vegas, where he got his name on the Cup for a third time. The final Golden Knights-Kings game was in Vegas last season, so Connecticut native Quick’s visit with the object of his boyhood affection, the Rangers, will be Southern California fans’ first chance to let him feel the love on Figueroa.

March 19 vs. Chicago Blackhawks

There won’t be any rematches of conference finals past between the rebuilding Blackhawks and ascending Kings, but this matchup is all about two words: Connor Bedard. This year’s No. 1 overall pick is the odds-on favorite to win the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year and has become the mostly highly touted prospect since …

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March 28 at Edmonton Oilers

Connor McDavid, who turned back the clock to the ’90s with his gaudy scoring numbers, No. 2 scorer Leon Draisaitl and the Oilers have been appreciative and respectful of the opportunity the Kings have provided them to strengthen their resolve and toughen their roster. They have cause and comfort for such magnanimity, because they’ve eliminated the Kings in each of the past two postseasons. This final clash will come after the trade deadline and provide a measuring stick for two teams who could easily end up facing each other in the playoffs for a third consecutive year.

​ Orange County Register 

Biden’s hopes for establishing Israel-Saudi relations could become a casualty of the new Mideast war

• October 10, 2023

By AAMER MADHANI and ELLEN KNICKMEYER

WASHINGTON — Less than three weeks ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sat beside President Joe Biden and marveled that a “historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia” seemed within reach — a diplomatic advance that he predicted could lead to lasting peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Biden was equally optimistic, telling Netanyahu during their meeting in New York, “If you and I — 10 years ago — were talking about normalization with Saudi Arabia, I think we’d look at each other like, ‘Who’s been drinking what?’

Now, the outbreak of war between Israel and the Palestinians after a devastating Hamas attack on Israeli soil is threatening to delay or derail the yearslong, country-by-country diplomatic push by the United States to improve relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

The so-called normalization push, which began under former President Donald Trump’s administration and was branded as the Abraham Accords, is an ambitious effort to reshape the region and boost Israel’s standing in historic ways. But critics have warned that it skips past Palestinian demands for statehood.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Hamas attacks may have been driven in part by a desire to scuttle the United States’ most ambitious part of the initiative: the sealing of diplomatic relations between rivals Israel and Saudi Arabia. The Middle East’s two greatest powers share a common enemy in Iran, a generous military and financial sponsor of Hamas.

Such a pact between Jerusalem and Riyadh would be a legacy-defining achievement for Biden, Netanyahu and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It’s one that could pave the way for even more Arab and Muslim-majority nations to abandon their rejection of Israel since its 1948 founding in lands long inhabited by Palestinians. Under Trump, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco all signed on to normalization agreements with Israel.

But the startling attack by Hamas — and much of the Arab world’s response to it — has also raised new questions about whether Palestinian ambitions for sovereignty can be put aside while the U.S. tries to help Israel move ahead with improving relations with the rest of its Middle East neighbors.

With Netanyahu vowing to turn all Hamas hideouts in Gaza into rubble, the region is now bracing for even more death and destruction and an expansive military operation by Israel. Biden in an address Tuesday condemned the Hamas operation as “sheer evil.”

“We’re going to see a rather significant operation from air, land and sea that costs many, many, many lives,” said Steven Cook, a senior fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. “I think this dynamic of normalization will likely slow down or come to a halt, at least for a period of time.”

The attacks were a shock to American, Israeli and Saudis officials, who all were riding high on the prospect that an Israeli-Saudi agreement was starting to come into focus.

Netanyahu, in a CNN interview last month, called the potential pact “a quantum leap” for the region. The Saudi crown prince also noted the steady progress, telling Fox News Channel, “every day we get closer.”

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan noted at a recent event hosted by The Atlantic that challenges in the Mideast remained, but the amount of time he was spending on crisis and conflict in the region compared with his recent predecessors was “significantly reduced.”

“The Middle East region is quieter today than it has been in two decades,” Sullivan said.

In a matter of days, that optimism has vanished.

Social media showed crowds take to the streets with Palestinian flags in Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait and elsewhere in the hours after the Hamas attack. A policeman in Egypt’s coastal city of Alexandria opened fire on Israeli tourists, killing two Israelis and one Egyptian.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry in a statement soon after the attacks did not condemn Hamas. Instead, the ministry noted that it had repeatedly warned that Israel’s “occupation, the deprivation of the Palestinian people of their legitimate rights, and the repetition of systematic provocations” led to this moment.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby declined to comment on the Saudi response.

“We still believe that normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia is not only good for the people of those two nations but for the American people and for everybody else in the region, and we have every intention to continue to encourage a process where normalization can occur,” Kirby said.

Yousef Munayyer, who heads the Palestine-Israel program at the Arab Center, a Washington think tank, said the Saudis in their statement were reminding the administration that “we’ve been telling you guys over and over again that if you ignore the Palestine issue the region’s going to explode. And I think there’s just been a tremendous amount of hubris on the part of the Biden administration thinking they could do that.”

To be certain, Biden and U.S. officials have privately made clear to Netanyahu that any deal needed to include significant concessions for Palestinians, although members of Netanyahu’s far-right coalition have made clear that an independent Palestinian state is not something they’d abide.

The Saudis had said they, too, expected Israel to make concessions. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said “there is no other way” to solve the conflict than by establishing a Palestinian state.

Other allies in the region had also underscored that Palestinian concerns could not be overlooked.

King Abdullah II of Jordan, whose country in the early 1990s became the second Arab nation after Egypt to sign a peace deal with Israel, told a global summit last month that the prospect of a normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel offered promise for the Middle East but no guarantee of stability in itself.

“This belief, by some in the region, that you can parachute over Palestine, deal with the Arabs and work your way back — that does not work,” the Jordanian king said then. “And even those countries that have Abraham Accords with Israel have difficulty moving publicly on those issues when Israelis and Palestinians are dying. So unless we solve this problem, there will never be a true peace.”

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U.S. officials say they intend to press ahead, but they also acknowledge efforts are unlikely to bear fruit while there is an active conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. The State Department announced Tuesday that Blinken will travel to Israel and Jordan Wednesday through Friday to consult with senior officials.

Analysts note that the Saudis have reason not to walk away from efforts at forging a normalization deal.

Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that in the long term bin Salman is looking to diversify the oil-rich kingdom’s economy and strengthen its security. As part of any pact, Saudi Arabia is pushing Biden for a nuclear cooperation deal and defense guarantees from the U.S.

“He needs normalization and will continue to move forward,” Dubowitz predicted. Of the crown prince, Dubowitz added, “the Saudis had better be careful because they are playing with fire in Washington.”

Associated Press writers Matthew Lee and Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

US Navy sailor from Monterey Park pleads guilty in China secrets case

• October 10, 2023

LOS ANGELES — A U.S. Navy sailor from Monterey Park pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges and admitted taking bribes in exchange for sending sensitive military information to a Chinese intelligence officer.

Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, 26, also known as Thomas Zhao, entered his plea to one count of conspiring with the intelligence officer and one count of receiving a bribe, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Zhao, who worked at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme and held a U.S. security clearance, admitted he engaged in a corrupt scheme to collect and transmit sensitive U.S. military information to the Chinese intelligence officer in violation of his official duties.

Zhao pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner, who scheduled a Jan. 8 sentencing hearing in Los Angeles federal court. As a result of his guilty pleas, Zhao faces up to 20 years in federal prison — five years for the conspiracy count and 15 years for the bribery charge. Zhao has been in custody since his arrest Aug. 3.

Court papers show that, beginning in August 2021 and continuing through at least May of this year, Zhao sent U.S. military information, photographs and videos to the intelligence officer.

In exchange for bribes, Zhao sent the intelligence officer operational plans for a large-scale U.S. military exercise in the Indo-Pacific Region, detailing the specific location and timing of naval movements, amphibious landings, maritime operations and logistics support, according to the indictment.

He also admitted photographing electrical diagrams and blueprints for a radar system stationed on a U.S. military base in Okinawa, Japan.

“The intelligence services of the People’s Republic of China actively target clearance holders across the military, seeking to entice them with money to provide sensitive government information,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen said in a statement.

“When contacted by his co-conspirator, rather than reporting it to the Navy, the defendant chose greed over protecting the national security of the United States. He is now being held accountable for his crimes. To others tempted to put personal profit ahead of patriotic duty, know that we are committed to identifying you and bringing you to justice.”

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Prosecutors said Zhao also obtained and transmitted details about the Navy’s operational security at the Naval Base in Ventura County and on San Clemente Island, including photographs and videos.

The intelligence officer directed Zhao to conceal their relationship and to destroy evidence of the scheme, according to the DOJ.

In exchange for the information Zhao provided — information he accessed as a result of his position within the U.S. Navy — the Chinese intelligence officer paid Zhao nearly $15,000, the indictment states.

A second sailor based in San Diego was also arrested in August on similar charges, but it’s unclear if the cases are related or if the two seamen allegedly were in contact with the same Chinese officials.

​ Orange County Register 

CIF-SS girls volleyball polls, Oct. 10

• October 10, 2023

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The CIF-SS girls volleyball polls, released Tuesday, Oct. 10

CIF-SS GIRLS VOLLEYBALL POLLS

(Selected by the CIF-SS Girls Volleyball Committee)

DIVISION 1/2

1. Mater Dei

2. Mira Costa

3. Huntington Beach

4. Sierra Canyon

5. Marymount

6. Alemany

7. Los Alamitos

8. Palos Verdes

9. Redondo Union

10. JSerra

11. Orange Lutheran

12. Oaks Christian

13. Santa Margarita

14. Long Beach Wilson

15. Edison

16. La Canada

Others: None

DIVISION 3

1. Beckman

2. Campbell Hall

3. Long Beach Poly

4. Roosevelt

5. Dana Hills

6. Pasadena Poly

7. Hart

8. Notre Dame Academy

9. Village Christian

10T. Redlands

10T. South Torrance

Others: Saugus, Norco, Crean Lutheran, Trabuco Hills

DIVISION 4

1. Capistrano Valley Christian

2. West Ranch

3. Arcadia

4. Crescenta Valley

5. Thousand Oaks

6. Arrowhead Christian

7. Sunny Hills

8. Paloma Valley

9. Royal

10. Agoura

Others: Flintridge Sacred Heart, Westlake, Yorba Linda

DIVISION 5

1. Ventura

2. La Reina

3. Irvine

4. Northwood

5. Centennial/Corona

6. Flintridge Prep

7. Valencia/Valencia

8. San Dimas

9. Temple City

10. Diamond Bar

Others: Burroughs/Ridgecrest, Culver City, Hillcrest, North Torrance, Oak Hills, Rancho Christian

DIVISION 6

1. Sacred Heart of Los Angeles

2. Linfield Christian

3. Glendale

4. Cate

5. La Mirada

6. United Christian Academy

7. Mayfair

8. Heritage Christian

9. St. Bonaventure

10. Costa Mesa

Others: Gahr, Grand Terrace, Hesperia, Highland, La Sierra, Tarbuh V Torah, West Valley

DIVISION 7

1. Pacifica Christian/Santa Monica

2. Norwalk

3. St. Mary’s Academy

4. Wildwood

5. Southlands Christian

6. Gabrielino

7. Loma Linda Academy

8. Ramona Convent

9. Avalon

10. Indio

Others: CAMS, Excelsior Charter, Pomona Catholic, Cantwell Sacred Heart

DIVISION 8

1. Temecula Prep

2. Orangewood Academy

3. Jurupa Valley

4. Lighthouse Christian Academy

5. Le Lycee

6. Patriot

7. Tahquitz

8. Firebaugh

9. Samueli Academy

10. California Lutheran

Others: Academy for Academic Excellence, Villanova Prep, Liberty, Carpinteria, Sierra Vista, Geffen Academy

DIVISION 9

1. Rosemead

2. Moreno Valley

3. Holy Martyrs

4. Canyon Springs

5. Cornerstone Christian/Wildomar

6. Milken Community

7. Hesperia Christian

8. Academy of Careers & Exploration

9. Acaciawood Academy

10. Shalhevet

Others: Garey, Calvary Baptist, University Prep, Liberty Christian, Edgewood

​ Orange County Register 

Ultimate guide to getting your house — and trick-or-treaters — ready for Halloween

• October 10, 2023

Editor’s note: Digital premium subscribers have unlimited access to every recipe in this roundup, all published on news sites within our network. Subscribe for nationwide coverage from award-winning sites like the Baltimore Sun, New York Daily News, Orange County Register and more.

If you’re ready to start prepping for Halloween, look no further: We rounded up some of the best resources we could find on the spooky holiday.

Need Halloween decoration inspiration? We’ve got it. How about Halloween costume ideas that won’t break the bank? Check. And, of course, we’ve got you covered on horror movies to watch this month. Read on — if you dare.

Halloween decorations

An interesting trend emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, writes Brittany Anas for the Denver Post: “Homeowners began taking an interest in the Hollywood-quality monsters and props and incorporating them into their own front-yard haunts.” In fact, one Colorado company, Distortions Unlimited, saw direct-to-consumer sales in the past few years rise by roughly 200%, co-owner Marsha Taub-Edmunds estimated.

“People weren’t able to go to haunted houses during COVID, and they weren’t handing out candy, so they really got into the spirit of decorating,” Taub-Edmunds told the Post.

Retail stores joined in as well, and the National Retail Federation clocks in Halloween decor as a $3.4 billion annual business, according to Anas. If you’re ready to turn your home into a haunt, here are some expert tips on how to decorate for Halloween.

Here’s how to decorate for Halloween, according to scare professionals

Halloween costumes

Instead of buying brand-new Halloween costumes or decorations this year, consider secondhand. There are numerous benefits to shopping this way, writes Liz Ohanesian for Southern California News Group. “Choosing a pre-owned item over something new is an environmentally friendly option since you’re extending the lifespan of a good and potentially saving it from a landfill,” Ohanesian says. “Depending on when, where and how you shop, it can be easier on your wallet, too. But perhaps the most attractive benefit of shopping secondhand is the knowledge that you’ll find something far more interesting than the seasonal products at big box stores.”

Shopping secondhand for Halloween can be tricky, though, so you should start early. Here’s how to create scary Halloween costumes and decorations from secondhand stores.

How to create scary Halloween costumes and decorations from secondhand stores

Halloween recipes

Pumpkin spice latte season started early this year, but you may only now be getting in the mood to start baking with autumnal spices.

As Jack-o’-lanterns appear at grocery stores and on front porches — and pumpkin spice latte and pumpkin beer options abound — consider celebrating autumn with a different type of treat. We sourced pumpkin spice recipes from food connoisseurs and cookbooks from across the country, and none of them are your traditional pumpkin pie (though we have a recipe for that, too).

Pumpkin spice dessert recipes that aren’t your traditional pie

Halloween movies

There are plenty of new horror movies ringing in October on your favorite streaming sites. For one, there’s a comedy called “Totally Killer” launching on Prime Video plus a new “Exorcist” film out in theaters, according to Tribune News Service’s Katie Walsh.

What to stream: New horror movies and more to ring in October

If you’re ready for a Halloween movie marathon, look no further than this list of 2023’s top horror films from Bay Area New Group’s Jim Harrington. “All 10 of my picks were released widely in 2023, although some may have premiered earlier, most likely at film festivals,” Harrington writes. “So, try mixing some of these new offerings in with your old favorites.”

Top horror films 2023: Our No. 1 pick ranks among best horror movies of all time

Halloween gardening

Don’t stop at home decorations — take Halloween into your garden, too! “Spooky-looking garden and house plants have become increasingly popular,” writes The Press-Enterprise’s Alex Groves. “More than 17,000 posts on Instagram include the hashtag #gothgarden and plants such as the Raven ZZ (aka  Zamioculcas zamiifolia) and Alocasia Black Velvet are hot commodities in plant shops.”

Here are some expert picks for spooky — but striking — Halloween plants.

Halloween gardening: Experts suggest some spooky season plants

Halloween pet care

“Spooky season comes with plenty of potential pitfalls for our four-legged friends, wild birds and more,” writes Julia Lamont for Marin Independent-Journal.

For example, “Jack-o’-lanterns and other candles are a burn risk if a curious pet comes too close,” Lamont says. “Opt for battery-operated, flameless candles if you crave that telltale flicker on your front porch.”

Here are a few more tips protecting animals this Halloween, without sacrificing the fun.

Don’t let animals get spooked this Halloween

Contributing: Jim Harrington, Bay Area News Group; Brittany Anas, Denver Post; Julia Lamont, Marin Independent-Journal; Alex Groves and Liz Ohanesian, Southern California News Group; Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service

​ Orange County Register 

GOP appears no closer to picking a new House leader

• October 10, 2023

By Lisa Mascaro and Kevin Freking | Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The House Republican majority is stuck, one week after the ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy, with lawmakers unable to coalesce around a new leader in a stalemate that threatens to keep Congress partly shuttered indefinitely.

On Tuesday evening, two leading contenders for the gavel, Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, were scheduled to address colleagues behind closed doors at a candidate forum, but they appeared to be splitting the vote.

McCarthy, meanwhile, was openly ready to reclaim the gavel he just lost, but was seen by many as a longshot option unlikely to win back the handful of hardliners who just ousted him.

“This has been going on for days. Members want to come together,” Scalise said late Monday at the Capitol. “We’ve got to get back on track.”

House Republicans took the majority aspiring to operate as a team, and run government more business-like, but have drifted far from that goal. Just 10 months in power, the historic ouster of their House speaker — the first in U.S. history — and the prolonged infighting it has unleashed is undercutting the Republicans’ ability to govern at a time of crisis at home and abroad.

Now as House Republicans push ahead toward snap elections Wednesday aimed at finding a new nominee for speaker, the hard-right flank coalition of lawmakers that ousted McCarthy has shown what an oversized role a few lawmakers can have in choosing the successor.

“This is a hard conference to lead,” said Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., “A lot of free agents.”

Both Scalise and Jordan are working furiously to shore up support. Both are easily winning over dozens of supporters, but it’s unclear if either can amass the 217 votes likely needed in a floor vote that could come as soon as Wednesday.

Both conservatives from the right flank, neither man is the heir apparent to McCarthy.

Scalise as the second-ranking Republican would be next in line for the gavel and is seen as a hero among colleagues for having survived severe injuries from a mass shooting during a congressional baseball practice in 2017. Now battling blood cancer, the Louisianan is not a clear lock.

Jordan is a high-profile political firebrand known for his close alliance with Trump, particularly when the then-president was working to overturn the results of the 2020 election, leading to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Trump has backed Jordan’s bid for the gavel.

Several lawmakers, including Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who engineered McCarthy’s ouster said they would be willing to support either Scalise or Jordan.

“I think it’s a competitive race for speaker because we’ve got two greats,” said Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky.

Barr said he was working to help secure votes for Scalise, but would be comfortable with either candidate.

Others though, particularly more centrist conservative Republicans from districts that are narrowly split between the parties, are holding out for another choice.

“Personally, I’m still with McCarthy,” said Rep. David Valadao, a Republican who represents a California district not far from the former speaker’s district.

“We’ll see how that plays out, but I do know a large percentage of the membership wants to be there with him as well.”

For the interim, Speaker Pro-Tempore Rep. Patrick McHenry is effectively in charge. He has shown little interest in expanding his power beyond the role he was assigned — an interim leader tasked with ensuring the election of the next speaker.

The role was created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack to ensure the continuity of government. McHenry’s name was at the top of a list submitted by McCarthy when he became speaker in January.

While some Republicans, and Democrats, are open to empowering McHenry the longer he holds the temporary position, that seems unlikely for now as the speaker’s fight drags on.

McHenry told reporters it’s “my goal” to keep to the schedule to have hold a House speaker election on Wednesday. He quickly gaveled the House in and out of a brief session on Tuesday, with no business conducted.

​ Orange County Register 

Cal State Fullerton men’s soccer counting on balance, depth to make a difference

• October 10, 2023

George Kuntz is acutely aware of the nuances. He’s conscious of what victories mean beyond the simple and immutable fact that wins and losses are what he and his program are ultimately judged by.

Kuntz is aware that certain victories, even certain victories in the early stages of what could be the best season in his nine years coaching the Cal State Fullerton men’s soccer team, are more equal than others.

Beating Mercer, 6-1? Nice. Taking down Air Force, 2-1? Again, nice. Tying a ranked Washington team, 1-1, in Seattle? Well, yes, that’s nice too – but hardly transcendent or attention-grabbing.

But taking down UCLA – yes, that UCLA – 4-1?

To quote Leonardo DiCaprio’s Calvin Candie in “Django Unchained” on behalf of the greater collegiate soccer world, “You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention. …”

“That was a statement win. I can tell you that UCLA is just another team, but to these guys and to the public, it was something different. It was more than that,” Kuntz said. “You can beat almost anyone and there’s not a blip or a word about it. But when we beat UCLA, I was getting texts and getting attention from all over the world. Everyone was texting me, and everyone was aware of it, and it was a huge spike in the awareness of our program.

“I told them that until you beat teams like this, you’re not relevant. You have to be able to knock down those teams and compete with them straight up. And we did that.”

These Titans are indeed relevant. They are more than a curiosity, and yes, they have the attention of the West Coast collegiate soccer world through an 8-2-2 start. That start not only includes victories over UCLA and Air Force and that gutsy tie with a 25th-ranked Washington team but wins over Loyola Marymount (1-0) and conference foes Cal State Northridge (5-4) and UC Davis (1-0).

The LMU victory came on the road against a previously undefeated Lions team. Beating CSUN also came on the road, via an offensive free-for-all that involved the Titans coming back from a 4-3 deficit via goals from Roberto Ordonez in the 77th  minute and Erick Serrano’s 88th-minute, right-place, right-time game-winner. Ordonez’s shot was parried by CSUN goalkeeper Cooper Wenzel right to Serrano, who buried the rebound.

This would be a good time to explain one huge reason why this Titans’ hot start differs from last year’s hot start, when Fullerton opened the season 5-2-2. The Titans couldn’t sustain that start, going 0-2-2 in their last four and finishing a disappointing 3-3-3 in the Big West Conference. Lack of goal-scoring played a huge part; the Titans failed to find the net in four of their last six games and scored only once in the other two. That came via a wave of injuries to most of Fullerton’s offensive talent.

And as the injuries piled up and the goals dried up, all Kuntz could do was wistfully look at the wispy figure standing near him in street clothes every game – Ordonez.

A transfer from West Texas College, Ordonez was a gem that Kuntz knew he was lucky to find. Assistant coach Irving Garcia unearthed this gem after watching him at a national community college tournament, and then Kuntz worked his recruiting magic getting Ordonez to Fullerton.

All good – until Ordonez somehow injured his back during the 2022 preseason. Test after test turned up nothing, and Kuntz said he was so frustrated the training and medical staff couldn’t find the source of Ordonez’s pain. Kuntz said they believed it was a pinched nerve, and an offseason of strength and core training helped get Ordonez back on the field. But nobody to this day knows what kept Ordonez picking up cones instead of picking up goals.

“He couldn’t play last year, which really hurt us last year,” Kuntz said. “We had a decent team, but we didn’t have Roberto. Everyone would ask me, ‘What happened to that guy you got from West Texas?’ I’d say, ‘He’s over there, picking up cones like a coach.’

“In the spring, he showed flashes of how good he could be. We knew he was excellent on set pieces: corners, free-kicks, dead balls. But his touch, his ability to hold the ball, his ability to possess the ball were things over and above anything that we thought he could do.”

Now, Ordonez is making up for lost time with a vengeance. That 77th-minute goal against Northridge gave him a hat trick. His assist on Serrano’s game-winner gave him two assists – and eight points that night.

Scoring the lone goal in that 1-0 victory over UC Davis gave Ordonez nine goals this season. That and his 25 points lead the Big West.

They also lead the nation.

“I don’t think he’s hit his ceiling yet,” Kuntz said. “I think he has more ability than he thinks he has. He wants to get better. I’ve had a lot of guys go to MLS and I think he has better feet than a lot of those guys who went to MLS. I’ve had a lot, and he would be up there with the best, if not better.”

The good news for Kuntz and the Titans is that Ordonez has regular and frequent company on the scoresheet. Ordonez is one of five Titans with multiple goals, with Sulaiman Bah (four), Mario Carlos (three), Serrano (two) and Marci Killeen (two). Five others have one.

Bah, a junior forward from Sierra Leone who claimed the California Collegiate Athletic Association record for points in a season when he played at Cal State Dominguez Hills, tallied in three consecutive games and scored the opener in a 2-0 victory over University of San Diego. Serrano – a junior midfielder and another product of the Coachella Valley pipeline opened by assistant coach and area native Enrique Cardenas – scored five points (three assists and a goal) last year.

“He’s a tremendous workhorse who is coming into his own,” Kuntz said. “It’s like ‘Who’s that guy?’ He’s been with us two years, but playing in the shadow of (former Titan star) Sebastian Cruz. Now, he’s emerged into his own person.”

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Along with that depth, Kuntz learned something about last season’s fadeout. He realized he needed to manage his players’ bodies better. That meant better understanding of when to work them hard physically and when to back off and do more tactical and technical work. Heart monitors and distance monitors chart the work rate, and the distance players run every practice and game. Kuntz and his staff turn that information into better player management.

“We ran out of gas during league season last year. That’s probably the biggest thing,” he said. “Again, also having talent. We have more talent than last year. I have the ability to put in a guy where there’s no drop-off. When you have guys who can run at people just like the athlete who left the field, it makes a huge difference. There’s no letdown at all.”

How much of a difference? Kuntz coached three Big West Tournament winners and a conference regular season champion. He’s taken three Titans’ teams to the NCAA Tournament and between Fullerton and his previous stop at UC Irvine, entered the season with 123 victories in 10 years – the most of any coach in that time period.

And this Titans team has already made an impact.

“I told our team this. When you’re talking about Fullerton, this is one of the best groups we’ve had,” Kuntz said. “Overall, I think it’s the best group we’ve ever had collectively. We’ve had some good teams, but this one has good balance. There’s depth at every position and that leads to consistency.”

​ Orange County Register 

Kaiser unions lay groundwork for another strike in November

• October 10, 2023

Executives at Kaiser Permanente have received notice of another potential strike just days after 75,000 employees ended a three-day walkout.

The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions issued a 10-day strike notice Monday, Oct. 9, warning of a possible strike Nov. 1-8 if the healthcare giant fails to address “an acute and dire” staffing crisis and continues to outsource jobs.

Union contracts expired Sept. 30 and bargaining between the two sides is set to resume Thursday, Oct. 12 and Friday, Oct. 13.

Frontline healthcare workers say they’ll wait until Nov. 1 for any potential strike action, when an additional contract covering workers in Seattle expires. The delay is intended to give Kaiser executives more time to craft viable proposals.

The Seattle contract’s expiration Oct. 31 would enable another 3,000 healthcare workers also affected by the Kaiser short-staffing crisis to join strike lines.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Kaiser said it is “committed to reaching an agreement that is good for our employees, our members and our organization,” adding that it “will continue to bargain in good faith with the coalition.”

Kaiser said it will keep all hospitals and emergency departments open. It operates three dozen hospitals and more than 500 medical offices throughout California.

The unions say outsourcing has emerged as a major sticking point in negotiations, as Kaiser executives have refused to place limitations on subcontracting and outsourcing. Limits would keep experienced healthcare workers on the job, the unions contend, providing continuity of care for patients.

Caroline Lucas, the coalition’s executive director, said Kaiser has failed to listen to employees who have long complained of being short-staffed and overworked — a situation that has led to burnout among workers and higher turnover.

“This week, Kaiser executives will have another opportunity to listen to frontline staff, to follow the law in formal discussions and to begin investing in ways that will solve the Kaiser short-staffing crisis,” Lucas said.

Jessica Cruz, a licensed vocational nurse at Kaiser Los Angeles Medical Center, said employees are stretched thin.

“I see my patients’ frustrations when I have to rush them and hurry on to my next patient,” Cruz said last week. “We’re burning ourselves out trying to do the jobs of two or three people, and our patients suffer.”

Kaiser workers say company executives have refused to adequately address the staffing crisis and place limitations on subcontracting and outsourcing. (File photo by Gene Blevins/contributing photographer)

Kaiser said it recently finished hiring 10,000 people, adding to the 51,000 workers the hospital system has brought aboard since 2022.

In regard to wages, Kaiser workers are asking for a $25 hourly minimum wage, as well as increases of 7% each year in the first two years and 6.25% each year in the two years afterward.

Kaiser, which turned a $2.1 billion profit for the quarter, has offered minimum wages of $23 an hour in California and $21 an hour elsewhere.

Last week’s walkout among nurses, ER techs, respiratory therapists, x-ray technicians and scores of others has been called the largest healthcare strike in U.S. history. It impacted operations at 23 Kaiser facilities in Southern California, along with others throughout Colorado, Oregon, southwest Washington, Virginia and Washington.

Workers say they hope to avoid another strike but are taking the legal steps necessary to prepare for that possibility.

Kaiser is not the only healthcare chain grappling with staffing issues.

An estimated 1,800 workers across four local Prime Healthcare facilities plan to wage a five-day strike Monday, Oct. 9, claiming management refuses to address unsafe working and patient-care conditions caused by a short-staffing crisis.

The unfair labor practices strike will affect operations at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood, Garden Grove Hospital and Medical Center and Encino Hospital Medical Center if the two sides fail to reach a labor agreement.

​ Orange County Register