New Democrats in OC’s swing districts break from party majority on immigration bills

• February 4, 2025

Since returning to the White House, President Donald Trump has wasted no time pushing forward his aggressive immigration agenda, delivering on one of his key campaign promises.

For Orange County’s newest House Democrats, Reps. Dave Min and Derek Tran, that means being thrown into the political deep end, facing tough votes on immigration enforcement right out of the gate.

In their first weeks in office, Min and Tran have had to navigate a series of high-stakes votes, including legislation that expands immigration enforcement powers and makes it easier to deport noncitizens convicted of certain crimes. These measures, part of a broader Republican push on border security, have divided Democrats and put lawmakers in swing districts in a tough spot.

That includes Min and Tran, who broke with most of their party to support the Laken Riley Act, which gives ICE the power to detain undocumented immigrants accused of theft-related crimes and allows states to sue the federal government over immigration enforcement decisions.

It’s one of the most controversial measures of Trump’s second term yet, and the first bill to receive his signature since he retook office. Experts say it’s just the first of many immigration-related bills to come.

Tran attributed his “yes” vote on the bill last month to concerns from constituents.

“My neighbors’ concerns on issues of public safety and immigration reform are my concerns, too,” Tran said. “I voted to ensure that those committing crimes, no matter their immigration status, are held to a standard of justice under the law — including individuals who assault law enforcement officers or violently harm others.”

When asked why Min supported the bill, his spokesperson, Hannah Rehm, simply said, “In Congress, he is going to continue to prioritize the safety of his Orange County constituents.”

But when it came to a bill that makes it easier to deny entry to or deport noncitizens convicted of crimes like sex offenses, domestic violence, stalking, child abuse or violating protection orders, called the Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act, Min and Tran split. Min voted against it, while Tran supported it.

When pressed, Tran said he is “proud to be supported by law enforcement and proud to stand with them in keeping our communities safe.” And during a press conference last month to discuss the potential fallout from the Trump administration’s recent actions, including a freeze on federal grants and loans, Tran, again, said it’s important to hold people accountable, regardless of their immigration status.

“My parents were Vietnamese refugees, so the situation that our immigrant community is going through is something I deeply care about,” Tran said. “But at the same time … we’re going to hold those individuals accountable for crimes that they committed, whether they’re documented or undocumented.”

But Min, who voted no, said the bill could make all noncitizens, even those here legally, vulnerable to deportation and ineligibility to enter or remain in the U.S.

Nearly 73% of Democrats voted against the Laken Riley Act and 67% against the Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act, including Reps. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, and Linda Sánchez, D-Whittier — both in safe Democratic districts.

Rep. Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, who represents a competitive district, supported both measures. Rep. Young Kim, R-Anaheim Hills, also voted “yes” on both.

Min and Tran represent districts with large immigrant populations. In the 45th District, nearly 40% of residents are immigrants, while in the 47th District, about 27% are foreign-born.

While early in their Washington tenures, their votes reflect the political realities they face in competitive districts, said Louis DeSipio, professor of political science and Chicano/Latino studies at UC Irvine.

Beyond immigration, the two have also weighed in on other contentious bills, including a measure to sanction the International Criminal Court over its warrants for Israeli leaders and legislation restricting transgender women and girls from participating in school athletics programs designated for females. On both issues, Min and Tran voted “no,” in step with the majority of the House Democratic Caucus.

On immigration, however, DeSipio said Min and Tran may, at least for now, be focused on appealing to moderate and swing voters.

“I think there was a constituency consideration, or a campaign consideration, in that these are very competitive districts,” DeSipio said. “The signal that they are sending is that they’re concerned about immigration and hear the anger that President Trump is articulating.”

The 47th Congressional District is nearly evenly split between registered Republicans (34.87%) and Democrats (34.83%), with nearly 24% registered as having no party preference. In the 45th District, Democrats (37.07%) outnumber Republicans (33.05%), and just over 24% registered as no party preference. Tran won by only a razor-thin margin over Republican Michelle Steel in the 45th District in November.

A UC Irvine poll released just before Inauguration Day showed that a majority of Orange County residents support a pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants.

Nearly 60% of those surveyed back the idea, but almost half of White respondents said they prefer deportation, while nearly 75% of Latinos support legal status. The poll, conducted from Nov. 12-18 online, surveyed 838 adults living in Orange County and has a margin of error of 5.5%.

A key factor will be how far immigration enforcement is actually pushed — whether that includes raids in schools and churches or the military’s involvement in detention efforts.

“I think there, Min or Tran will be unlikely to support those sorts of efforts and would use the power that they have as appropriators to stop those efforts,” DeSipio said.

Rehm, Min’s spokesperson, said while the Irvine Democrat supports a strong border, he “opposes ICE raids in our communities and the use of military personnel in our civilian society.”

Tran, in a statement, said he is “closely monitoring ICE activity across Southern California.” He said he is concerned the Trump administration “appears to be focused on indiscriminately targeting innocent families that have lived and contributed to our communities for decades instead of rightfully focusing on deporting individuals who have committed violent crimes and actually threaten our public safety.”

Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, said Democrats, including Min and Tran, are united in wanting a secure border but also an immigration system that works, which includes ensuring public safety.

House Democrats’ focus, Clark said during a recent trip to Orange County, is on “having safe communities and also making sure that our immigrant population is not allowed to be demonized, and that while all of us say if there are criminals in our immigrant population, nobody is arguing with deportation.”

“But that does not allow people to redefine communities of people who are hardworking and taxpaying as all being criminals,” Clark added.

Tracy La of VietRISE, a progressive organization that advocates for the Vietnamese immigrant community, expressed sharp disappointment, specifically with Tran’s decision to vote in support of the two measures.

“It contradicts what he ran on. We are counting on him to have a more nuanced understanding of the working-class communities he represents,” she said.

However, DeSipio said these early votes won’t define their stance on immigration.

“Though an important sort of benchmark,” these early votes on immigration “isn’t going to be the final word,” he said.

“Congress will be talking about immigration repeatedly. A pattern will develop one way or another about how they’re addressing the concerns of their immigrant constituents, and, for that matter, their native-born constituents,” he said.

​ Orange County Register 

Irvine to invest millions of dollars in concert equipment for Great Park Live

• February 4, 2025

The city of Irvine is investing millions of dollars to purchase and rent concert equipment for its 5,000-seat amphitheater, Great Park Live.

Officials say purchasing $1.5 million of equipment this year will ultimately save the city $2 million compared to renting what is needed to produce shows through 2027.

In 2028, the city expects to replace its temporary amphitheater with a permanent concert venue.

Officials plan to rent an additional $3.4 million of equipment this year directly from vendors — rather than working through a middleman as the city did a year ago.

They say this will save the city another 10% in management fees.

For the inaugural Great Park Live season in 2024, Irvine rented its concert equipment through PSQ Productions as it hosted a range of Pacific Symphony, tribute and commercial concerts and community events. The production company charged Irvine a 10% management fee for all equipment rentals.  

While the summer season began with cover acts, it culminated in October with a performance by three-time Grammy winner Ludacris, showcasing the city’s ambition to operate a popular music venue.

From 2025 through 2027, the city aims to host six commercial music shows each season, according to a staff report.

Officials have said Irvine expects to lose between $2 million and $3 million annually to operate Great Park Live by subsidizing the Pacific Symphony performances and due to capital costs.

 But, after the abrupt closure of the privately owned and operated FivePoint Amphitheater in 2023, city leaders saw the establishment of a new popular music venue in Irvine as a long-term investment in the city’s brand.

And, by investing in concert equipment, City Manager Oliver Chi said he sees an opportunity for the city to save some money in the years ahead.

The city has a long history with PSQ Productions and the council has directed staff to extend the city’s contract with PSQ Productions to manage Great Park Live concerts.

The production company complained publicly in November the city owed it $1.6 million in outstanding expenses. City leaders said an internal audit of those expenses raised some “red flags that warranted a further review,” but there were “no financial irregularities” and committed to paying up. 

However, the city also said that it would begin to purchase or rent its concert equipment directly, without working through the vendor, to avoid the management fee. 

The City Council’s recent approval for the purchase and rental of concert equipment – totaling $4.9 million – is intended to eliminate the middleman and that fee.

 The city expects to spend an additional $3.8 million on concert equipment in 2026 and another $4.2 million in 2027.   

​ Orange County Register 

First military flight to send migrants to Guantanamo Bay is set to depart, official says

• February 4, 2025

By TARA COPP and LOLITA C. BALDOR

WASHINGTON (AP) — The first U.S. military flight to deport migrants from the United States to Guantanamo Bay was set to depart Tuesday, a U.S. official said. It is the first step in what is expected to be a surge in the number of migrants held at the Navy base in Cuba, which for decades was primarily used to detain foreigners associated with the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

President Donald Trump has eyed the facility as a holding center and said it has the capacity to hold as many as 30,000.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was assigned to Guantanamo Bay when he was on active duty, has called it a “perfect place” to house migrants. Additional U.S. troops have arrived at the facility in the past few days to help prepare the site.

In addition, the U.S. flew Indian migrants back to India on Monday and that flight was still in progress as of midday Tuesday, the U.S. official said. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public.

There had previously been seven deportation flights, to Ecuador, Guam, Honduras and Peru. In addition, Columbian officials flew to the U.S. and took two flights of migrants back to their country.

CNN was first to report on the flights.

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County girls athlete of the week: Allison Cohen, Orange Lutheran

• February 4, 2025

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

The Orange County girls athlete of the week:

Name: Allison Cohen

School: Orange Lutheran

Sport: Water polo

Year: Junior

Noteworthy: The U.S. national team member scored a team-high four goals to help lead the Lancers past No. 1 Mater Dei 10-9 for the Trinity League title. Cohen scored the go-ahead goal with 2:58 left in the fourth period and netted the eventual game-winning strike about 50 seconds later.

Send nominees for girls athlete of the week to Dan Albano at dalbano@scng.com or @ocvarsityguy on X or Instagram

​ Orange County Register 

China launches an antitrust probe into Google. Here’s what it means

• February 4, 2025

By ZEN SOO, AP Business Writer

HONG KONG (AP) — The Chinese government’s move to open an antitrust probe into Google is the latest development in a long and tangled relationship that goes back to the early 2000s.

The investigation was one of a flurry of Chinese retaliatory measures announced Tuesday in response to a 10% tariff imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on imports from China.

Others included tariffs on American liquified natural gas and other products, and the placing of two other American firms on an unreliable entity list that could bar them from investing in China.

Here is a look at Google’s history in China and what the antitrust probe could mean for the company:

What is Google’s relationship with China?

Google launched the Chinese-language search engine google.cn in 2006. It was censored to comply with Beijing’s laws, and in 2009, was a major search engine in China with about 36% market share.

In 2010, in response to a cyberattack and an increasing unwillingness to comply with censorship rules, Google said it was no longer willing to block search results and shut down its Chinese search engine, redirecting users to its Hong Kong site instead.

Beijing later blocked Google services under its Great Firewall censorship system, including the email service Gmail, as well as the Chrome browser and search engine, making them inaccessible to users in mainland China.

China typically blocks most Western internet platforms, such as Google, as well as social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram.

Does Google still operate in China?

Although Google services are not accessible in China, the company still maintains a presence in the country, primarily focused on sales and engineering for its advertising business. It also has employees working on services including Google Cloud and customer solutions.

Google maintains offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.

Why is China investigating Google?

China’s State Administration for Market Regulation said Tuesday it was investigating Google on suspicion of violating antitrust laws.

While regulators did not provide further details, the announcement came minutes after the new U.S. tariffs came into effect.

What does this mean for Google?

With few details on what exactly Google is being investigated for, the impact on its operations is unclear, although its immediate status is unlikely to be affected by the probe, which could takes months.

Google did not immediately comment on the investigation.

Some experts believe that the antitrust investigation is likely to center around Google’s Android operating system for smartphones and to be used as a bargaining chip in the U.S.-China trade war.

John Gong, an antitrust expert at the University of International Business and Economics, said that Chinese smartphone makers have long complained about Google’s market practices.

Virtually all brands apart from Apple and Huawei pay licensing fees to Google to use the Android system on their devices.

“Now, this time, Google is put on the chopping board. But I think it’s still an investigation, right? It hasn’t reached a decision yet,” said Gong, adding, “I think it’s very much negotiable.”

Huawei developed its own HarmonyOS operating system after it was placed on the U.S. entity list — foreign individuals, companies and organizations deemed a national security concern — in 2019, which prevented it from doing business with U.S. firms including Google.

Google has been accused of violating antitrust law in other countries, including those in the European Union, South Korea, Russia, India and Turkey, for allegedly abusing its market dominance.

Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

Some US businesses close in a ‘day without immigrants.’ But many say they can’t lose income

• February 4, 2025

By GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO and MELISSA PEREZ WINDER

Several businesses from day cares to grocery stores and hair salons closed Monday across the U.S. in a loosely organized day of protest against President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

But participation in the “day without immigrants” faced headwinds from employees and business owners who said they need the income — especially as rumors of widespread raids, often false, are leaving many migrant communities afraid to venture outside, affecting even some schools. Monday’s event also came on the heels of street protests Sunday in California and elsewhere.

Noel Xavier, organizing director for the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, said that while it’s important to remind the country of the value migrant workers bring to the communities they toil in, many workers couldn’t afford to take a day off.

“If I don’t go to work today, that’s one day less that I have, you know, to be able to pay for my next rent,” Xavier said of the prevailing sentiment among the workers he organizes. “I didn’t see this big rallying around being able to do that, or having the luxury to be able to do that.”

Jaime di Paulo, president of the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, noted that small restaurants and retailers in Chicago’s biggest Latino neighborhoods closed, but most major employers as well as those in construction and other industries were operating normally.

“This is only hurting our own community,” he said.

Andrea Toro decided to close her hair salon in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. She added that many of her clients are teachers and have seen children missing school since Trump took office last month because they fear it may not be safe to go. In Chicago, as in San Diego, school districts said some students and families were participating in Monday’s protest.

“If we don’t have immigrants, we don’t have anything work around here,” said Toro, who is from Puerto Rico. “If we’re mute, we’re in silence, then they’re going to do whatever they want.”

El Burrito Mercado, which boomed from a small Latino market in the 1970s to one of the most widely recognized restaurant, catering and grocery businesses in St. Paul, Minnesota, shut for the whole day in 2017 — when the latest major such event was held at the beginning of the first Trump administration.

But on Monday, it stayed open for a few hours with a skeleton crew, said co-owner Milissa Silva.

Her parents emigrated from Mexico, and most of the 90 employees have Mexican roots. But many staffers expressed concern about losing a work day and about depriving people in the neighborhood of access to groceries.

Similarly, the Spanish-immersion day care provider Tierra Encantada kept its 14 locations open. But many parents decided to keep their children home Monday in solidarity with the mostly first and second-generation immigrant workforce, said CEO Kristen Denzer.

Families — most of them not immigrants — pulled some 450 children from day care and preschool, about 70% of those enrolled in Minnesota alone, where most of the organization’s centers are, Denzer said. Several staffers who had been on the fence decided to take the day after the show of support.

In Utah, several Latino-owned stores, restaurants and supermarkets closed their doors.

“The movement today, it’s more about being compassionate,” said state Sen. Luz Escamilla, a Democrat and Senate minority leader. “A lot of companies and communities are coming together in the state just to raise awareness of how much this has created a fear.”

Asked about the day of protest at his Monday media availability, Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, a Republican, defended Trump’s immigration policies and said law-abiding immigrants should have nothing to worry about.

“The only people that are being talked about being deported (are) those that are criminals, those that are on probation, those bad people who have committed difficult crimes,” Adams said.

While immigration enforcement officers continue to target for deportation migrants considered public safety and national security threats, a big change from the Biden administration is that officers can now arrest people without legal status if they run across them during operations.

Dell’Orto reported from Minneapolis and Perez Winder from Chicago. Contributing to this story were AP reporters Cedar Attanasio in New York, Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City and Julie Watson in San Diego.

​ Orange County Register 

Recipe: How to make a tasty meatloaf without the meat

• February 4, 2025

Nut loaf recipes became popular in the United States during World War I, when meat was scarce. They became popular again when food was rationed during World War II. How can you make a vegetarian dish that is meaty? Oxymoron, you say? Try this recipe. I think you’ll be surprised.

My family and visiting omnivore friends love it. The next day, I like to cut a one-inch slice off the leftover loaf and make sandwiches.

Meaty Nut Loaf

INGREDIENTS

1½ cups walnuts

½ cup unsalted cashews or almonds

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 yellow onion (finely chopped)

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1½ cups cooked brown rice (it works with white, but brown is tastier)

2 tablespoons parsley (chopped)

1 tablespoon fresh marjoram (chopped)

2 tablespoons fresh thyme (chopped)

1 teaspoon fresh sage leaves (chopped)

4 eggs (lightly beaten)

8 ounces Gruyere cheese (grated)

1 cup cottage cheese

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan (you can use shortening, cooking oil, or butter). A round 9-inch springform pan works well, also. Set aside.

2. Toast walnuts and cashews on a baking sheet until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Do not burn. Let cool. Finely chop and set aside (I use a blender to chop the nuts). Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees.

3. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook until translucent, about three minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and add toasted nuts, rice, parsley, marjoram, thyme, sage, eggs, Gruyere, cottage cheese, salt, and pepper. Mix well.

4. Pour mixture into prepared pan, cover with foil, and bake until golden brown and firm to the touch, about 50 to 55 minutes. Serve with mashed potatoes, gravy, and your favorite side dishes.

Randy Graham is a private chef and author whose cookbooks include “The Ojai Valley Cookbook,” “The Ojai Valley Vegetarian” and the “The Ojai Valley Vegan.” He has been a vegetarian since 1975 and enjoys cooking for friends and family using ingredients from backyard vegetable and herb gardens.

​ Orange County Register 

Rubio says El Salvador’s offer to jail violent American criminals faces ‘legalities’

• February 4, 2025

By MATTHEW LEE, AP Diplomatic Writer

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that El Salvador’s offer to accept and jail violent American criminals raises clear legal issues but described it as “very generous” and said that President Donald Trump would make a decision on whether to accept it.

A day earlier, Rubio reached an unusual agreement with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele to accept U.S. deportees of any nationality, including American citizens who are imprisoned for violent crimes.

“There are obviously legalities involved. We have a Constitution,” Rubio said at a news conference Tuesday in San Jose with Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves. “But it’s a very generous offer. No one’s ever made an offer like that. And to outsource, at a fraction of the cost, at least some of the most dangerous and violent criminals that we have in the United States. But obviously, the administration will have to make a decision.”

Rubio met Chaves and discussed immigration — a Trump administration priority — as America’s top diplomat also faces major upheaval at the U.S. Agency for International Development that has left many at the aid agency and the State Department uneasy and fearful for their jobs.

It comes a day after he met with Bukele, who confirmed the offer in a post on X, saying El Salvador has “offered the United States of America the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system.” He said his country would accept only “convicted criminals” and would charge a fee that “would be relatively low for the U.S. but significant for us, making our entire prison system sustainable.”

The State Department describes El Salvador’s overcrowded prisons as “harsh and dangerous.” Its country information webpage says, “In many facilities, provisions for sanitation, potable water, ventilation, temperature control, and lighting are inadequate or nonexistent.”

El Salvador has lived under a state of emergency since March 2022, when the country’s powerful street gangs went on a killing rampage. Bukele responded by suspending fundamental rights like access to lawyers, and authorities have arrested more than 83,000 people with little to no due process.

In 2023, Bukele opened a massive new prison with capacity for 40,000 gang members and cut prisoners’ meals to twice a day. Prisoners there do not receive visits, and there are no programs preparing them for reinsertion into society after their sentences and no workshops or educational programs.

El Salvador, once one of the most dangerous countries in the world, closed last year with a record low 114 homicides, a newfound security that has propelled Bukele’s soaring popularity in the country of about 6 million residents.

Migration has been the top issue for Rubio’s five-nation Central American tour spanning Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic following stops in Panama and El Salvador.

While Rubio was out of the U.S. this week, USAID staffers and Democratic lawmakers were blocked from its Washington headquarters Monday after Elon Musk, which is running a budget-slashing Department of Government Efficiency, announced Trump had agreed with him to shut the aid agency.

Thousands of USAID employees already had been laid off and programs worldwide shut down. Rubio told reporters in San Salvador that he was now the acting administrator of USAID but had delegated that authority so he would not be running its day-to-day operations.

In a letter Rubio sent to lawmakers that was obtained by The Associated Press, he said the State Department would work with Congress “to reorganize and absorb certain bureaus, offices and missions of USAID.”

He said the processes at the agency, which has been hit by Trump’s freeze on all foreign assistance, are not well coordinated and that “undermines the President’s ability to carry out foreign relations.”

“In consultation with Congress, USAID may move, reorganize, and integrate certain missions, bureaus and offices into the Department of State, and the remainder of the Agency may be abolished consistent with applicable law,” Rubio wrote.

AP reporters Christopher Sherman in Mexico City and Farnoush Amiri in Washington contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register