LA Marathon: How to watch it live Sunday on TV, streaming, or Facebook

• March 14, 2024

The 39th annual Los Angeles Marathon, dubbed the “Stadium to the Stars,” will unfold on Sunday, March 17, starting at Dodger Stadium, winding through the streets of Los Angeles and the cities of West Hollywood and Beverly Hills, and reaching the finish line on Santa Monica Boulevard at Avenue of the Stars in Century City.

Whatever your reason for not attending in person  — you’re not an early bird or you need to get ready for the St. Patrick’s Day party you’re hosting — you can tune in to a live television broadcast thanks to KTLA 5 in Los Angeles.

Their coverage begins at 6 a.m. through 11 a.m. (tinyurl.com/4wvwf3ys).

The local station is also streaming the “Stadium to the Stars” race on KTLA.com; KTLA’s YouTube channel here: tinyurl.com/3sv3vpnu; and KTLA+ streaming app for Apple TV, Fire TV and Roku (ktla.com/watch-ktla-on-roku-apple-tv-amazon-fire-tv/).

The Los Angeles Marathon will also be streaming on facebook.com/LAMarathon

Information about the 2024 Los Angeles Marathon: www.mccourtfoundation.org/pages/la-marathon

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​ Orange County Register 

Third test flight of Hawthorne-based SpaceX’s mega rocket ends with loss of spacecraft

• March 14, 2024

By MARCIA DUNN | AP Aerospace Writer

SpaceX’s mega rocket blasted off on another test flight Thursday and made it farther than two previous attempts, but the spacecraft was lost as it descended back to Earth.

The Hawthorne-based company said it lost contact with the spacecraft as it neared its goal, a splashdown in the Indian Ocean, about an hour after liftoff from the southern tip of Texas near the Mexican border.

Two test flights last year both ended in explosions minutes after liftoff.

Starship, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built, headed out over the Gulf of Mexico after launch Thursday. Minutes later, the booster separated seamlessly from the spaceship and splashed down into the gulf and the spacecraft continued eastward. No people or satellites were on board.

An hour later, SpaceX commentators said contact had been lost with the spacecraft.

“The ship has been lost. So no splashdown today,” said SpaceX’s Dan Huot. “But again, it’s incredible to see how much further we got this time around.”

Earlier during the flight, SpaceX’s Elon Musk had congratulated his team.

“SpaceX has come a long way,” Musk said via X, former Twitter. The rocket company was founded exactly 22 years ago Thursday.

The rocket and futuristic-looking spacecraft towers 397 feet (121 meters), easily exceeding NASA’s past and present moon rockets.

NASA watched with keen interest: The space agency needs Starship to succeed in order to land astronauts on the moon in the next two or so years. This new crop of moonwalkers — the first since last century’s Apollo program — will descend to the lunar surface in a Starship, at least the first couple times.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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​ Orange County Register 

LA Marathon: Here’s what you should know before the 39th race on March 17

• March 14, 2024

The 39th LA Marathon is on March 17, 2024. In the file photo: The elite women runners head out at Dodger Stadium at the start of the 38th LA Marathon on Sunday, March 19, 2023. The race begins at Dodger Stadium and winds through downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood and Beverly Hills before finishing in Century City. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

The 2024 Los Angeles Marathon, also called the “Stadium to the Stars,” is set for March 17 beginning at Dodger Stadium and ending in Century City.

Facts about the LA Marathon on March 17, 2024

More than 26,000 marathon runners – from all 50 United States, and also from more than 70 countries

Oldest runners – an 85-year-old female and a 90-year-old male

How many of the runners are first-timers in this marathon – 40%

The event is presented by Asics, a Japanese multinational corporation that sells athletic footwear, clothing and accessories. Asics, by the way, is an acronym taken from a Latin phrase that may be translated to “sound mind, sound body.”

Here’s more to know about the 2024 Los Angeles Marathon:

Lifestyle Expo

The public is invited to attend the free expo to shop for official Los Angeles Marathon clothing and footwear and take a look at new designs in athletic clothing and footwear.

Also, the expo is where all registered runners must pick up their required marathon bibs.

– 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday, March 15

– 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, March 16

Free parking is available through Gates A and E.

Dodger Stadium, Lot G, 1000 Vin Scully Ave., Los Angeles.

Information about the expo, including the vendor list and map of the expo: www.mccourtfoundation.org/event/los-angeles-marathon/expo-bib-pick-up/o

LA Big 5K and the LA Kids Run

The LA Big 5K race is held on March 16 beginning at Dodger Stadium. General entry registration sold out on Feb. 29 and Team TMF, a fundraising program for the McCourt Foundation, sold out on March 2. The all-ages event 5K begins at 8 a.m. with a course that winds through Elysian Park. Details for the 2024 LA Big 5K: www.mccourtfoundation.org/event/la-5k/

The LA Kids Run is also held on March 16 at Dodger Stadium. The 1/2 km (1/4 mile) event sold out as of March 2 and begins at 9:45 a.m. The run, recommended for ages 3-8, begins at the LA Marathon start line and ends at the LA Big 5K finish line. Details for the 2024 LA Kids Run: www.mccourtfoundation.org/event/la-5k/la-kids-run/

If you missed out registering for these races this year — they usually sell out early — take a look at the above links to make a plan for registering for the 2025 races.

Charity Half Marathon

This fundraising race, 8:15 a.m. March 17, begins at Dodger Stadium. Registration is sold out. Learn about this event: www.mccourtfoundation.org/event/charity-half/

Marathon schedule

This year’s marathon schedule

– 6:30 a.m. pro wheelchair participants

– 6:35 a.m. handcycle participants (using a cycle that is propelled by hand cranks) and all other all-wheel drive  participants

– 6:40 a.m. pro women and elite age group women

– 7 a.m. pro men and the full field

See the schedule on LA Marathon 2024 FAQs and Rules: tinyurl.com/4a8czrj7

If you’re planning to see the professional runners in person as they rush by, try calculating your street position location by reviewing the March 19, 2023 LA Marathon winners finish times. Those times from last year may help you spot the elites in 2024.

The halfway point, at about mile 13 on the course, is on “Sunset Strip,” the eastbound gateway to the City of West Hollywood.

In 2023, Stacy Ndiwa from Kenya was the women’s group winner at 2 hours, 31 minute and 02 seconds. The men’s group winner Jemal Yimer from Ethiopia came in at 2 hours, 13 minutes and 15 seconds.

The Marathon Chase Challenge

Ndiwa took home the $10,000 bonus in 2023 by holding off a late charge by Yimer to be the first person to cross the finish line in the “marathon chase challenge.”

The time differential between the two of them for the marathon chase challenge was set at 18 minutes and 19 seconds. (Read the story: tinyurl.com/bdcp28dn).

LA Marathon course entertainment

A variety of entertainers – bands, lion dancers, taiko drummers, DJs – at this year’s mile marker locations will help boost the spirits of participants and spectators. In addition, there are also charity and run club “cheer” zones to encourage participants to “keep going and you can do it!”

Details on entertainers and their locations on the course and a map: tinyurl.com/4r7sapby

Finish Line for spectators

Family and friends of marathon participants and the public will be entertained by a DJ as they sit in the bleacher seating  or the first-come, first-served seating on top of double decker Starline buses, from 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Location, Santa Monica Boulevard at the corner of Avenue of the Stars, Century City.

Finish Line Festival

The LA Marathon’s official post-race event, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. A beer garden presented by Heineken 0.0 is open 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (minimum age 21). Location, Century Park, 2000 Avenue of the Stars, Century City.

Spectator parking includes the Century Park parking garage, 2049 Century Park East (parking garage is only accessible from westbound Olympic Avenue). Check for other parking structure options here: www.mccourtfoundation.org/event/los-angeles-marathon/finish-line/

Details on the finish line for spectators, the festival, a map of the finish line and a map of the festival and beer garden: www.mccourtfoundation.org/event/los-angeles-marathon/finish-line/

Race 2024 results and photos will be posted here: www.mccourtfoundation.org/pages/la-marathon-results-and-photos

Details on the LA Marathon: www.lamarathon.com/pages/la-marathon

Get ready to register for the March 16, 2025 LA Marathon

Registration opens on March 15, 2024 for those who want to register for the 2025 Los Angeles Marathon.

The link for the 2025 registration is the same link that was used to register for the 2024 LA Marathon, according to the 2024 FAQs and Rules page under “Registration”; see tinyurl.com/4a8czrj7) is here: tinyurl.com/mw8anxx2

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​ Orange County Register 

Former ‘first lady’ of Cal State Fullerton honored

• March 14, 2024

In honor of their accomplishments in their respective fields and their service and support of the university, Cal State Fullerton recognized four Distinguished Alumni and two Honorary Alumni on Feb. 24 as the 2024 CSUF Vision & Visionaries Award recipients. Established in 1994, the biennial awards are the highest honors presented by CSUF to alumni and community supporters.

As former dean of the College of Extended and International Education and professor of anthropology at Cal State Dominguez Hills from 1998 to 2012, Margaret Faulwell Gordon introduced several innovative programs that left a legacy of prioritizing access to higher education.

But the Titan community knows her best as former first lady to Cal State Fullerton for more than two decades, serving alongside her husband, President Emeritus Milton A. Gordon, during his time as the university’s fourth president from 1990 to 2011.

In honor of her time at CSUF, which left an indelible mark on the campus community and helped to move the institution forward, Gordon has been named a 2024 CSUF Vision & Visionaries Honorary Alumni award winner.

Gordon was born in San Diego and later moved with her family to Los Angeles. She earned her bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees from UCLA before heading to Chicago where she accepted a teaching position at Chicago State University. There, she met her husband, Milton, who served as the university’s dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

The couple headed west to California as Gordon’s husband became the vice president for academic affairs at Sonoma State University in 1986 and then president at CSUF in 1990. While serving as first lady at CSUF, she held her roles as dean and professor at CSUDH.

Michael Faulwell Gordon accepts a 2024 Vision & Visionaries award on behalf of his mother, Margaret. (Courtesy of CSUF News Media Services)

Gordon’s passion for anthropology was rooted in a love for language and linguistics, and when her grandmother became ill, she became interested in the way in which she was being treated. While in Chicago, she went back to school for her master’s degree in public health and brought curiosity and enthusiasm for topics around aging and health care with her to CSUDH.

An esteemed leader in higher education, and specifically within CSU, Gordon loved her roles at CSUDH. But she had an equal commitment to her responsibility as first lady at CSUF. She joined her husband at events whenever possible, from athletic games to arts performances – anything that celebrated the students and faculty on campus.

The pair hosted many events at their home during this time, including welcoming the Titan students in the Guardian Scholars and President’s Scholars programs, gatherings that Gordon recalls as “special moments.” All of the CSUF events were meaningful, but her favorites were the graduation ceremonies.

“I really enjoyed graduation,” Gordon said. “It was very special. You see all these students, many of them first-time graduates, and their families here. It was just a very exciting time.”

Gordon felt that the visibility of the university’s president to students and staff was of crucial importance, and she accompanied her husband every chance she could to help make that possible.

“My particular role probably was mostly the events at Cal State Fullerton that I could attend, along with my husband, and it was so wonderful,” Gordon said. “I think it was good that the president’s family is visible, so the campus knows the president is an actual person. I think it makes a big difference.”

The Gordons have made several gifts to CSUF in support of a variety of organizations, including MAMM Alliance for the Performing Arts, the African American Faculty and Staff Association and the President Milton A. Gordon and Dr. Margaret Faulwell Gordon Endowed Scholarship at CSUF, established in 2018 to honor her husband’s legacy.

“I think education and accessibility to education is extremely important,” Gordon said. “Neither Milton or I would have gotten where we were without it, and I think that insofar as is possible, it feels good to give back.”

Gordon was widely loved and respected by the Titan community and could often be seen talking to students and staff during her time on campus. She is humbled to be named a 2024 CSUF Vision & Visionaries Honorary Alumni award winner.

“I’m extremely honored by it,” Gordon said of the award. “To me, Cal State Fullerton holds such a special place in our lives. And now to have received that reward … it was quite meaningful. I can’t really express it. I was not expecting it.”

During Gordon’s time at CSUF she not only served as a support to her husband in his role as president but she gave selflessly of her time and energy, investing in the campus and inspiring the community. And she remained dedicated to moving the university forward in the areas of accessibility and diversity.

“I think being a Titan means that you are involved,” Gordon said. “It’s more than just wearing ‘Titan’ across your sweatshirt. It means that you share your life. I think Cal State Fullerton embodies that in a way that I don’t necessarily see in every university. … It just seems so special there.”

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​ Orange County Register 

Who’s to blame for high gas prices? California’s Democratic politicians should look in the mirror.

• March 14, 2024

Gas prices at the pump are rising again. But should you blame Big Oil, as Gov. Gavin Newsom does? A new study finds the real culprit is California’s own government.

“Pain at the Pump: Blame Politicians, Not Producers, for High California Gasoline Prices” is by Robert J. Michaels, an economics professor at Cal State Fullerton, and Lawrence J. McQuillian, a senior fellow at the Independent Institute.

The study explains how crude oil, which is refined into gasoline, is a vast global market. For California, just 29% of crude comes from our own state, a percentage that’s declining. Another 15% comes from Alaska. And most, 56%, comes from countries such as Iraq, Ecuador and Saudi Arabia. The point is the state’s environmental laws, which discourage drilling for more oil, are irrelevant to the price at the pump. We just get the black gold elsewhere.

Indeed, when compared to the other 49 states, the price of crude oil here contributed just 2 cents more to the price, after refining, of gasoline at the pump.

So, why does the price of a gallon cost $1.20 more at the pump than the U.S. average? The main higher cost drivers for drivers: We pay 32 cents more for the higher California excise tax, 42 cents more for higher California refinery costs and 51 cents more for higher California environmental regulatory costs and local taxes.

It’s true California is what’s called a “fuel island” because of the special summer and winter blends of gas needed to fight smog. No other state uses those blends. The study notes we’re “cut off from adjustment mechanisms that are available in other regions of the country.” Price spikes last longer. But the authors also note the average disparity in prices with other states didn’t exist two decades ago when the “fuel island” also existed. We remember that in the late 1990s gas cost just 99 cents a gallon, similar to the rest of the country.

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Unfortunately, a year ago Newsom pushed the Legislature to pass Senate Bill SBX1-2, under the long bureaucratic name the California Gas Price Gouging and Transparency Law. Taking effect in June, it established yet another new bureaucracy, the Division of Petroleum Market Oversight. Promised the governor, “California is serious about holding Big Oil accountable.”

Michaels and McQuillian predict the new bureaucracy “will come up empty because oil and gasoline producers are price takers in a largely competitive market.” The real causes of California’ higher prices are the “policy choices by Gov. Newsom and other officials over the years.”

If Newsom and the Legislature really wanted to help Californians at the pump, they could start by repealing Senate Bill 1 from 2017, a 50-cent gas tax increase. Inflation pushed that up to 58 cents a gallon last July 1; another increase likely will hit July 1.

But that would mean taking responsibility themselves, instead of shifting blame to non-existent price fixing in a highly competitive market.

​ Orange County Register 

California ska-punk band Mad Caddies drop a new record this week, announce several local shows

• March 14, 2024

After entertaining the crowds at the reggae-driven Cali Vibes festival in Long Beach back in February, ska and punk rock veterans Mad Caddies are set to return to the area on tour in May with a whole lot of brand new songs to perform.

“I’m feeling really good about where we’re at. We just can’t stop smiling and it’s contagious and everyone sees it. Our whole mission statement is we came here to throw a dance party,” said Chuck Robertson, guitarist-vocalist and founding member of the Solvang-born band.

The six piece band, which formed in 1995, have several local shows scheduled in the coming months. They’re heading out on tour in support of the new album, “Arrows Room 117,” which comes out on Friday, March 15.

The tour will bring them to the Echoplex in Los Angeles on Thursday, May 2, then to the Holding Company in San Diego on Saturday, May 18. They’ll also spearhead the 1st Annual Caddielina Wine Mixer at House of Blues Anaheim on Sunday, May 19 alongside The Sidekicks, Chase Long Beach, La Pobreska, 8 Kalacas and more. Mad Caddies are playing a date on the Punk in Drublic Festival in San Pedro, scheduled for Friday, Oct. 4-Sunday, Oct. 6, but the daily schedules have yet to be released. The fest will serve as Los Angeles-based punk band NOFX’s final shows ever.

“We’re going to play a little bit of everything. We do our old-school songs, new songs off the new records. It’s a good time,” Robertson said of the tour.

In its nearly 30-year history, the band has released seven full-length albums, one live album, two EPs and sold more than 500,000 albums total.

“It’s surreal. You look back and think it’s been 30 years and it’s pretty neat to look back and think we’re still doing it. We’ve matured on an organic path. We started off real manic with the hard ska and punk, angry at the world teenage angst, the standard California punk rock vibe,” he said.

“But then we got more into different styles of music, bringing in reggae, Dixieland jazz and rock and some world music aspects. We never wanted to make the same record twice,” Robertson added.

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He describes the new album, which is the first since the band’s 2018 release “Punk Rocksteady,” as showcasing pain, love, loss and “the bright light of new beginnings,” with the recognizable Mad Caddies mix of reggae, rock, ska and this time, a little bit of country, too.

“It’s definitely the most personal for me,” he said. “The story of the album is kind of me and my travels through California to see my son up in Lake Tahoe who is about to turn nine.”

The title track was written in room 117 of the motel he stays at when he goes to see his son. But the it’s more about small town drama and gossip rather than his son.

“We come from a small town, Solvang, and I’m still living there. And people in small towns, they talk,” Robertson said.

He also pays homage to his girlfriend in the single “Green Eyes,” a reggae love song sparked by their travels. The catchy groovy cut features accordion by Brian Mann, who has been on records by Oingo Boingo, Kenny Loggins and David Lee Roth.

“What can I say, she’s beautiful and she has green eyes,” he said with a laugh. She was sitting next to him in the car during a phone interview.

The band explores the country music genre with the single “Baby,” which starts off with a very country rock vibe as horns kick in.

“I feel like there’s this old school, Elvis ’70s, vibe to it,” he said. “I listen to everything, country and reggae and rock and indie, folk, hip-hop. So I can’t tell you exactly where that song came from. It’s just kind of a honky tonk, we were just riffing in the studio and we were like, ‘Yeah, that’s cool, let’s do that.’”

The band’s other love song is to their home state of California titled “Palm Trees and Pines.”

“It’s the quintessential California song. We know what our state is and how beautiful it is, but other people in the world think California is just L.A. and San Francisco. But no, we have the palm trees and pines, we got the beautiful forest, the lakes, the rivers, the deserts, we have it all,” he said.

While they’re looking forward to their upcoming show dates, Robertson said the band is still riding high from its set at Cali Vibes, though they were a little worried before hitting the stage.

“It went really well and I was really surprised because we went on at one o’clock in the afternoon on Saturday and I was thinking no one was going to be there,” he recalled. “But it was a really good crowd and everyone was really super cool and my girlfriend and I had a great time watching the other bands.”

Mad Caddies

With: Bad Cop/Bad Cop, La Pobreska and Shock Therapy

When: 7 p.m. Thursday, May 2

Where: Echoplex, 1154 Glendale Blvd., Los Angeles

Tickets: $35.25 at LiveNation.com

Also: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18 at Holding Company, 5046 Newport Ave., San Diego. $30 at the door; $25 in advance at theholdingcompanyob.com. The 1st Annual Caddielina Wine Mixer at 5 p.m. Sunday, May 19 at House of Blues Anaheim, 400 Disney Way, Anaheim, with The Sidekicks, Chase Long Beach, La Pobreska, 8 Kalacas, Bad Cop/Bad Cop, Urethane and Taken Days. $13 at LiveNation.com.

Punk in Drublic Festival at Berth 46, 3011 Miner Street, San Pedro on Friday, Oct. 4-Sunday, Oct. 6 with MXPX, Bouncing Souls, Buzzcocks and more. $125 single-day general admission (Friday or Saturday); $249 single-day VIP admission (Friday or Saturday); $225 general admission (Sunday); $325 VIP admission (Sunday). $350 weekend (three-day) general admission; $750 weekend VIP; $999 Bro Package VIP passes (Friday and Saturday only). All passes are available at punkindrublicfest.com/losangeles.

​ Orange County Register 

California lawmakers must act now to reverse the state’s insurance crisis

• March 14, 2024

Have you been dropped by your homeowner’s insurance company? You are not alone, California is in the grip of a home insurance crisis, with insurers abandoning the state’s market at an alarming rate. Daily headlines announce the withdrawal of major insurance companies from California, leaving homeowners scrambling for coverage. USAA, Allstate, and State Farm have either stopped writing new homeowner’s policies altogether or they have drastically limited coverage for policies they offer. But why are these insurance giants fleeing the nation’s largest insurance market?

The answer lies in the state’s extreme losses, particularly stemming from the severe wildfires that ravaged California in recent years. According to the 2021 California Property & Casualty Market Share Report, insurance companies saw their losses skyrocket, exceeding $15 billion in 2017 and $13 billion in 2018. These losses far exceed previous years’ losses, highlighting the severity of the situation.

The most recent example is the Camp Fire of 2018. Triggered due to negligence on the part of PG&E, the fire ignited by a spark from an electric transmission line, and engulfed parched land for more than two weeks, destroying nearly 19,000 buildings, causing $16.5 billion in damages, and claiming the lives of at least 85 innocent people. This tragic incident stands as the costliest, most catastrophic, and deadliest fire in California’s history. And it underscores the dire consequences when there is inadequate maintenance and oversight within the utility sector.

Why were these losses so staggering, especially considering that wildfires have long been a part of California’s landscape? The crux of the issue lies in the state’s inadequate forest management practices. For decades, California’s leaders have neglected essential measures such as tree pruning, vegetation clearance, and controlled burns, leaving forests vulnerable to catastrophic wildfires, particularly during periods of prolonged drought.

While state leaders have sought to deflect blame onto factors like poorly maintained electrical equipment and adverse weather conditions, the underlying issue remains clear: California’s failure to properly manage its forests set the stage for the unprecedented scale and intensity of recent wildfires.

In a free market, insurers facing mounting losses and increased risk would naturally respond by raising premiums. This, in turn, would prompt homeowners to demand better forest management practices to mitigate the risk of wildfires. However, California’s leaders have opted for more interventionist measures, exacerbating the crisis.

Under California’s regulatory framework, insurance rate hikes exceeding 7% require approval from the state’s elected Insurance Commissioner. Additionally, Proposition 103, passed in 1988, imposes stringent requirements on insurers, hindering their ability to adjust rates to reflect the escalating wildfire risk.

As a result, insurers find themselves grappling with insufficient rate increases to cover losses and future risks, leading to desperate measures such as policy cancellations and stringent property inspections to identify non-compliance issues.

Enter the “FAIR Plan,” California’s state-managed insurer of last resort for homeowners unable to secure coverage from private providers. Despite its ironic name, the FAIR Plan offers minimal coverage for wildfire-related losses at exorbitant premiums, leaving homeowners with few options.

The surge in FAIR Plan applications, reaching 270,000 in 2022 alone, has overwhelmed the system, causing severe delays and leaving homeowners without coverage as they await processing. Meanwhile, mortgage companies impose costly forced insurance plans, further exacerbating the financial burden on homeowners.

Ricardo Lara, California’s insurance commissioner, is proposing reforms allowing insurers to implement rate increases faster. He says these changes are needed to stabilize the market and ensure long-term sustainability. While homeowners understand the need to address the mounting risks posed by wildfires and other natural disasters, naturally they are worried that allowing insurers to quickly raise rates is a burden they cannot afford.

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So, what can California do to address this crisis? The most effective solution lies in mitigating fire damage through proper forest management. Additionally, preferential tax treatment for homeowners affected by government failures could provide much-needed relief. Failure to take decisive action exposes Californians to unsustainable costs and the risk of being uninsured. As California continues to face severe wildfires, urgent measures are needed to protect homeowners and ensure the state’s long-term resilience.

Lawmakers should approach insurance reform thoughtfully and prioritize solutions that protect the interests of homeowners while effectively addressing the underlying challenges facing our state. Any reforms need to strike a balance between stabilizing the insurance market and ensuring affordability and accessibility for Californians. It is time for California’s leaders to seize the opportunity to address the root causes of the insurance crisis and safeguard the state’s future.

Melissa Melendez previously served as a California State Senator and Assemblymember. She is now Executive Director of the California Chapter of the America First Policy Institute.

​ Orange County Register 

5 ways to make your vegetable garden a pollinator destination

• March 14, 2024

As the weather warms, anticipation grows in people eager to grow vegetable gardens. Gardening daydreams become a canvas of plump tomatoes, colorful dangling peppers, and sprawling squash vines covered in sunny blooms.

The secret to making these bountiful dreams come true is simple: Create a welcoming space for pollinators in and around your vegetable garden. Once that neon welcome sign is turned on, your garden will burst with the activity of these winged workers. Their presence will sweeten the success of your garden by boosting pollination, yield, resistance to pests, and local biodiversity.

While you might notice insects like flies, beetles and butterflies casually moving from flower to flower, bees are the ones doing most of the pollination work.

The image of honeybees clasping at squash flowers might suggest a simple exchange in pollination services. The reality is that pollination can be complex and nuanced, depending on the flower to be pollinated. Honeybees, introduced to North America in the Colonial era, tend to steal the spotlight in pollinator discussions. Their generalist and nondiscriminatory pollination behavior benefits farmers and a wide range of crops, making them highly desirable.

But they are not, as many people assume, the quick fix for our pollination problems — including loss of habitat and species diversity, and overuse of chemicals — that have cut the population of pollinators and, thus, pollination itself. The assumption about honeybees is how the vital work of native bees is overlooked.

A goldfinch — a pollinator — among sunflowers.

The life cycles and behaviors of native bees are in sync with the blooming periods and pollination requirements of native plants — a perfect, more efficient pairing. When populations are healthy, native bees are active in weather that honeybees avoid, and they tend to be more adaptable to local climate challenges. Bumblebees, for example, have a unique pollination behavior valued by crops like blueberries, peppers and tomatoes. The flowers of these plants have pollen grains that do not loosen or transfer easily, resulting in less-than-ideal pollination by most insects. Bumblebees, though, can release stubborn pollen using buzz pollination, vibrating their wings while gripping the flower.

About 20% of our native bees are specialists, using only the pollen from one species or plant genus. The squash bee, for instance, relies solely on pollen from cucurbits (squash, pumpkins, cucumbers) to feed its offspring. Although the spiny texture, low nutritional value and chemical defenses of squash pollen repel many generalists, squash bees flourish on it.

Supporting these specialized pollinator relationships leads to efficient, well-rounded pollination in flower beds and vegetable gardens. Here are a few easy tips to turn on that neon welcome sign and invite biodiversity into your garden.

1.  Plant pollinator-attracting plants in and around your vegetable plot.

Include perennials such as:

Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
Aster (Symphyotrichum species)
Beebalm (Monarda species)
Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Goldenrod (Solidago species)
Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium species)
Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum species)

… and annuals such as:

Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
Borage (Borago officinalis)
Dill (Anethum graveolens)
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

Coneflower is a perennial great for attracting pollinators, such as this monarch.

2. Plant so that you can offer a continuous food source — and continuing pollinator activity: Choose plants that flower at different times through the growing season.

3. Delay garden cleanup: Leave dead stems, sticks and limbs that are valued nesting sites for native bees.

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4. Instead of regular mowing, consider using strategic string trimming to maintain neat garden edges and allow central areas to stay wild. This adds flexibility and structure to a space without compromising habitat.

5. Implement careful pesticide practices. Avoid broad-spectrum and systemic pesticides; apply in the morning, when fewer pollinators are active; and educate yourself about your garden’s common pests and diseases. This will minimize the chemical impact on the environment and allow pests and natural predators to thrive.

Meredith Simmons is the greenhouse manager for the Norfolk Botanical Garden.

​ Orange County Register