Words can mean life or death for ballot measures, including a November one in Santa Ana

• February 23, 2024

A Verity Scan device at the Orange County Registrar of Voters (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Officials are notorious for sticking their thumbs on the scales as Election Day approaches. But how much is too much? It’s a question Santa Ana officials might do well to ponder.

We’re not talking Venezuelan manipulation of voting machines or fake ballots stuffed in suitcases or other fantastical flights of fancy here. We’re talking about the comparably mundane use of language, and how officials crafting ballot measures (and titles and summaries) can bless, or curse, an idea with words and words alone.

A rose is a …

Remember the Republican-backed attempt to repeal gas taxes in 2018?

Drivers hated the gas tax and registration fee hikes (which aimed to raise some $5 billion a year for much-needed infrastructure work), but officials loved them. Proposition 6 would have repealed them and, like all statewide ballot measures, it had to traverse officialdom before reaching the great unwashed masses at the ballot box. When the Attorney General’s office wrote the title and summary for the measure, it didn’t simply say “repeals recently enacted gas and diesel taxes and vehicle registration fees.” It said, “Eliminates Recently Enacted Road Repair and Transportation Funding by Repealing Revenues Dedicated for Those Purposes. Requires Any Measure to Enact Certain Vehicle Fuel Taxes and Vehicle Fees Be Submitted to and Approved by the Electorate.”

Huh? Prop. 6 failed.

And who can forget all those pension reform attempts?

Orange County Registrar of Voters staffer James Wight, right, reads names and numbers to Danyette Sayles, as they check the accuracy of scanned test ballots (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

As the cost of generous public worker retirements gobbled more and more of state and local budgets, reformers circulated some pretty logical plans to get future costs under control. These plans would not have impacted current public workers; only workers hired in the future. But you couldn’t tell that from the title and summary from the AG’s office.

“Reduces pension benefits for current and future public employees … including teachers, nurses, and peace officers ….”

TEACHERS, NURSES AND PEACE OFFICERS?! Reformers went ballistic, calling the language “provably false or grossly misleading” — but, well, here we are, sans pension reform.

Enter now the extremely interesting measure from the city of Santa Ana for the fall general election that raises all sorts of tremendous questions.

Who votes?

On Nov. 5, Santa Ana voters will decide if noncitizens will get to vote in city elections.

The measure says, “Shall the City of Santa Ana City Charter be amended to allow, by the November 2028 general municipal election, noncitizen City residents, including those who are taxpayers and parents, to vote in all City of Santa Ana municipal elections?”

Staff members of the Orange County Registrar of Voters scan test ballots on Feb. 9 as part of state-mandated logic and accuracy testing. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A conservative Orange County attorney threatens legal action over this — but not for the noncitizen voting part.

“‘Taxpayers and parents?’” said Laguna Niguel attorney James V. Lacy, one eyebrow raised.

Which is to say, just as no decent human being would claw pensions away from righteous teachers and nurses and peace officers, who’s going to deny righteous taxpayers and parents the right to weigh in on local governance?

Of course, Lacy points out, the measure would also allow non-taxpayers and non-parents — which is to say, just about exactly everyone of legal voting age — the right to vote on local governance. So the words do nothing except try to tip the scales in the measure’s favor.

“That language is jimmying with the ballot,” Lacy said. “It’s election interference.”

If “taxpayers and parents” isn’t dropped from the measure, Lacy — who served in the Reagan administration and has filed similar suits before — will ask an Orange County Superior Court judge to step in.

We asked the Santa Ana folks their thoughts. City spokesman Paul Eakins said the city attorney’s office will be providing an impartial analysis of the ballot measure at a later date, and referred us to the city clerk’s website for more election information at www.santa-ana.org/elections/.

No idle threat

Lacy has worked in this space before.

The Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco skyline from the Marin Headlands above Sausalito are shown in 2015. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

A few years ago, voters in San Francisco amended the city’s charter to allow noncitizen parents and guardians of school-aged children to vote in school board elections. Lacy took the city to court, citing Article II, Section 2, of the California Constitution: “A United States Citizen 18 years of age and resident in this state may vote.”

The city violated the constitution by allowing non-U.S. citizens to vote, he argued. The court agreed.

But the city appealed, arguing that the state constitution doesn’t expressly say “only” U.S. citizens may vote and doesn’t prohibit expanding the electorate to noncitizens. You might recall that, once upon a time in America, women were denied the vote, as were Black Americans and “natives of China.”

It’s important that San Francisco is a “charter city” — operating under its own voter-approved set of rules and regulations — as opposed to a “general law city,” operating under the general laws of the state. The appeals court reversed the lower court and handed the city a victory.

City Hall (Courtesy City of Santa Ana)

“(W)e agree with the City that the plain language does not restrict the Legislature’s discretionary power to expand the electorate to noncitizens,” the appeals court said. “(I)t makes sense to confer on charter cities the authority to expand the electorate where, as here, the city’s voters determine that doing so would better serve local needs. Conversely, where a charter city’s electorate determines expanding the electorate would not serve its local needs, it need not do so.”

Down the road, Lacy fears Santa Ana’s measure would dilute the voting power of minority citizens, thus running afoul of the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution. Santa Ana is 77% Latino, 12% Asian, 9% White and 1% Black, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The overwhelming majority of noncitizens are presumed to be Latino.

But that’s not the issue now. Santa Ana is a charter city, just like San Francisco. The state Supreme Court isn’t likely to have a very different take on the noncitizen voting question than the appeals court did.

It’s the language Lacy is concerned with at the moment. So consider this a public service announcement that might save Santa Ana “taxpayers and parents”  — and everyone else — what they might wind up spending in legal fees. Those words don’t seem germane to the question at hand, and might be too darn expensive.

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​ Orange County Register 

Plant, prune, prepare: 5 things to do in the garden this week

• February 23, 2024

Five things to do in the garden this week:  

1. Sample citrus fruit from now until they achieve the level of sweetness you desire. The longer citrus fruit stays on the tree, the sweeter it gets; ripening ceases once fruit is picked. Some like their citrus a little on the tart side and some demand it to be sugary sweet. Navel oranges should be just about at their peak sweetness now as are Satsuma tangerines. Tangleos and grapefruits, however, will need more time to ripen. Two practices will ensure longer shelf life once citrus is picked. First, make sure a small bit of stem remains on the fruit when picking or twisting it off. Second, immediately refrigerate your citrus fruit in a bag. Adopting these practices will result in your citrus fruit remaining fresh for a month or longer following harvest.

2. Get ready for gophers. Gophers have begun to mate and births will occur from March until June. Gophers, which belong to the rodent family, typically live for one to three years. Females generally give birth to one or two litters per year, with about five offspring per litter. Males take no part in gopher family life, and the young disperse as soon as they are weaned from their mother’s milk. Gophers are extremely territorial, which is good news if you have a gopher problem. You may see a dozen mounds in your backyard, but it is probably the work of a single animal, since one gopher will inhabit an area as large as 1,000 square feet. The many crisscrossing burrows made by the gopher form an elaborate underground network. In fact, the word gopher comes from the French gaufre, which means honeycomb. Lately, the Cinch and Gopherhawk traps seem to be getting the best reviews. 

3. One of the easiest herbs to grow is borage (Borago officinalis). Plant a few seeds and within a few years you will have hundreds of plants popping up each spring. Borage foliage and stems are covered with a mysterious silvery down and scads of star-shaped celestial blue flowers appear on plants that quickly grow up to three feet tall before dying in late spring or early summer. Dead plants are easily removed and tossed onto the compost heap. Meanwhile, seeds will have already been deposited all over the garden, waiting to sprout next year without any outside help. Too many borage seedlings in your yard? Not a problem. Uproot them when they are an inch tall and consume them like any other edible sprout. Alternatively, detach borage flowers – which have a cucumber taste – before they can set seed and toss them into your salad or use them to decorate your cakes.

4. Prune hibiscus now. This is a plant that flowers on current season’s growth so you do not need to be concerned about sacrificing flowers whose buds formed last fall, as is the case with hydrangeas and deciduous fruit trees, for example. Other plants you can prune now with a clear conscience would be those whose flowers — like those of hibiscus, roses, butterfly bushes (Buddleia spp.) and crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia spp.) — form on the terminals of shoots that start growing now or in the weeks to come.

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5. Prune any plants damaged in our recent heavy rains. As temperatures warm and the danger of frost passes, you do not have to worry that new growth, stimulated by pruning, will be burnt in a cold snap. Be prepared for more weeds than usual, however, as the soaking rains will bring up seeds that would otherwise have remained dormant. A scuffle hoe is a handy tool to have around as it easily dispatches young weeds by cutting them off at ground level as soon as they emerge. A heavily mulched garden, of course, will also depress weed seed germination from the simple fact that the sunlight needed for seeds to sprout cannot penetrate the mulch.

​ Orange County Register 

Huntington Beach’s Sowers Middle School unveils new campus

• February 23, 2024

The Huntington Beach City School District on Thursday, Feb. 22, unveiled its new $72 million campus for Isaac L. Sowers Middle School, giving more than 750 students new classrooms with updated technology to learn in.

The new campus sits next to the old one on Indianapolis Avenue in southeast Huntington Beach. Gone is the hexagonal design of the old campus building, replaced by rows of classrooms, with ample natural lighting, that face a large courtyard.

“This new campus is a dream that I thought could never ever have happened,” said school board president Diana Marks while fighting back tears during a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Construction work isn’t entirely done yet. The first construction phase built 27 new classrooms and a science, technology, engineering and mathematics building. The second phase will tear down the old campus and build a new gym, locker rooms and basketball and volleyball courts. That work won’t be done until early next year.

The district’s board approved reconstructing the school back in 2021. Construction was funded by a combination of a local bond measure and money from selling the land where the old Gisler Middle School was.

Before the district came up with the additional funding, it was going to have to try to modernize the existing campus facilities, Marks said. “Not ideal, but affordable.

“It was the sale of Gisler that made the difference in creating the new campus we see here today.”

Extensive work went into securing the land to prevent liquefaction during earthquakes, officials said, with 178 poles, each 90 feet long, drilled into the earth and connected with a network of beams.

The new classrooms have touchscreens, microphones and adjustable natural lighting. Most of the classrooms were built in an off-site factory before being brought over for installation.

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A resident in the area said there has been a problem during pick-up times with people starting to park in the neighborhood, causing frustration for many. District officials said the main parking lot is expected to be completed by summer.

Paul Morrow, a school board member and former principal at Sowers, said the school’s opening signified the beginning of a new era.

“The old Sowers is gone,” Morrow said. “The new Sowers is here.”

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County sheriff’s shooting ranges get $10 million upgrade to save lives

• February 23, 2024

Deputy Tim Ott was given this scenario on Thursday, Feb. 22, inside the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s revamped firearms training center:

A woman called dispatch and said she saw an unknown man rummaging through her trash cans and she believed he had a handgun.

Ott stood 10 yards away from a black partition with a photo of a man’s head peeking above it. Ott identified himself. Seconds later, the target moved to the left side of the barrier, revealing an object in the man’s hand.

Ott, with his service weapon pointed at the man, flinched but did not fire.

The object was a cellphone.

Deputies and other Orange County police officers can practice here when not to shoot and how to de-escalate tense situations with suspects who might be armed.

“My deputies know me, I have one rule: Number one, everyone goes home,” Sheriff Don Barnes said. “That’s not just everyone wearing a uniform, that’s everyone we deal with in the public as well.

“If we all go home, that’s a good day for us.”

The center, which sits along Katella Avenue in Orange across from the Honda Center, has been around since the early 1960s. Over the last three years, it was renovated with $10 million to, among other things, take out individual lanes and booths and create an open space for law enforcement officers to not only practice their aim, but to test in dynamic situations and to train their eyes to watch multiple spots.

“Our deputies face … dynamic and real-world circumstances that we want to train for,” Barnes said.

The facility offers two indoor ranges, one 50 feet in length and a second at 25 feet.

The larger range allows for multiple squad SUVs so deputies can re-enact calls from the moment they get out of their vehicles. Lights can be adjusted to simulate calls to poorly lit areas, and flashing red and blue lights can be brought in overhead to simulate a squad car’s lights. Deputies and officers can now fire in the direction of one wall and part of another — instead of just one like before.

“We’re teaching them to move,” Barnes explained. “Fire and move. Get cover, don’t stand in a door frame, which we taught for many years. We’ve undone all the bad tactics.”

Deputy Darwin Nip demonstrated an ambush call.

He stepped out of a SUV, used it for cover and deployed a flashlight on his service weapon to more clearly see targets in the dim lighting, some of which portrayed suspects with firearms.

Nip maneuvered around the car to get the flashlight on six different targets, firing only at those with firearms, while giving verbal commands to pretend suspects.

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Barnes said the types of training used at the facility paid off when an armed retired Ventura police sergeant showed up on Aug. 23 at Cook’s Corner, a rustic bar and restaurant in south Orange County. The ex-sergeant killed three and injured six. Deputies hustled to the scene and immediately were in a battle with the 59-year-old gunman as he tried to get more weapons from his truck; he was killed.

Barnes said those involved in that call have since thanked the training staff at the training center for preparing them for that call.

In addition to reopening the center, Barnes also dedicated the facility to a late sheriff: Now, it is called the Sandra Hutchens Regional Law Enforcement Training Center.

A painting of Hutchens hangs just inside the front door, and there’s a bust of her, several photos and a video display of rotating photos of the former sheriff, who died in January 2021 from cancer. Hutchens served as sheriff from 2008 to 2019.

“What she focused on, first and foremost, and why I think it’s so apt this facility is named after her, is training,” Barnes said. “Preparing our personnel and preparing our teams for the inevitable. Giving them the tools, the training and trusting them to do their jobs.”

The department plans more construction on the grounds.

The sheriff said the Sheriff’s Advisory Council was attempting to fundraise $15 million for an addition that would help create “the most dynamic training environment west of the Mississippi, if not the United States.”

To date, Barnes said, $6.3 million had been raised and he hoped the rest would be collected by the end of summer for a 7,400-square-foot, two-story building with an interior that could be reconstructed in a matter of minutes to create six different settings, including a school, a church, a motel, and a business park.

“It’ll be the most instrumental and valuable tool to make sure our people train the right way and to bring them home safely at the end of their shift,” Barnes said.

​ Orange County Register 

CSUF alumna honored for her work creating low-income housing

• February 23, 2024

In honor of their accomplishments in their respective fields and their service and support of the university, Cal State Fullerton is recognizing 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 a freshman at Cal State Fullerton, Laura Archuleta came in with an undeclared major, unsure of which career path she should take.

She credits her time at CSUF and the guidance of her professors for helping her discover a passion for serving some of the most vulnerable around us.

And now, for more than 30 years, Archuleta has worked to bring housing, resources and hope to lower-income residents in California.

In recognition of her commitment to helping improve the lives of many in our communities, including those at CSUF, Archuleta has been named a 2024 CSUF Vision & Visionaries Distinguished Alumni Award winner.

Growing up in Whittier, Archuleta knew she wanted to attend college, and she was the first in her family to do so. Although she had several options coming out of high school, CSUF was the best financial fit for her family and allowed her to commute from home.

Archuleta’s first exposure to the Titan community beyond academics was when she pledged a sorority, Alpha Delta Pi, a decision that had a significant impact on her college career.

“I learned leadership through the sorority,” Archuleta said. “I learned philanthropy … and had just a ton of fun getting to know a lot of young college students.”

In her sophomore year, Archuleta began exploring career options and ended up taking a criminal justice course. At the time, the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program was prominent, and significant attention and focus was on Southern California youth gangs. She chose to pursue a degree in criminal justice and developed a strong interest in wanting to help people improve their lives, although at the time, she was not sure how she would put this into action.

She connected with one of her undergraduate professors, Jill Rosenbaum, who provided Archuleta the opportunity to conduct research with her on females and crime through what is now known as the California Division of Juvenile Justice.

“Doing research with (Rosenbaum), I got exposed to a whole other world of where education could take you,” Archuleta said.

Not only did Archuleta earn her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 1986, but Rosenbaum encouraged her to pursue her master’s degree in public administration, which she completed in 1991.

Her education took Archuleta on a career trajectory that first landed her an internship with Garden Grove’s Housing and Neighborhood Improvement Department. This was the start of a 12-year career working for cities in the affordable housing sector, including stops in Cypress, Palmdale and Anaheim.

Archuleta then took a step back from city government and began consulting work when she came upon Jamboree Housing, a local nonprofit with the mission of delivering, “high-quality affordable housing and services that transform lives and strengthen communities.”

She joined Jamboree Housing as the company’s assistant executive director, and within one year, she moved into her current role as president and CEO, a position she has held for nearly 25 years.

Along with her team and a volunteer board of directors, Jamboree Housing has over 10,000 units of affordable housing throughout the state, with more than 24,000 Californians calling one of their properties home. Through development and construction, and by working with various affordable housing financing entities, Jamboree Housing makes finding a place to live possible for many low-income families. The organization also provides support services for their residents who are dealing with mental health issues or special needs.

“It was just an incredible opportunity to bring together my background and passion for improving communities and neighborhoods, along with giving kids, those with special needs, veterans and seniors, hope that they could live in high-quality housing that they can actually afford,” Archuleta said. “It’s been an incredible journey, and it absolutely would never have happened without me going to Cal State Fullerton.”

Archuleta is now giving back to the Titan community, having recently joined the CSUF Board of Governors. Being selected as a 2024 Vision and Visionaries Award honoree leaves her “speechless” and with a heart full of gratitude, as she feels the education that she and so many other first-generation students received from Cal State Fullerton has opened doors and provided opportunities she never could have imagined.

“To me, being a Titan means that you can do anything,” Archuleta said. “We have Titans all over the world doing amazing things, and here at Jamboree (Housing), we are full of Titans. They are super-smart folks who come out of CSUF ready to get their hands dirty and dive into some of the most difficult and pressing issues facing California. Cal State Fullerton gets them ready to be a full-fledged Titan by the time they graduate.”

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​ Orange County Register 

Long Beach State tops Cal State Bakersfield for 5th straight win

• February 23, 2024

LONG BEACH — Long Beach State has been stacking up wins lately, looking more and more like the kind of team that intends to be a serious threat in next month’s Big West Tournament.

AJ George provided a spark with 18 points and seven rebounds off the bench Thursday night to lead a gritty effort as Long Beach defeated Cal State Bakersfield, 79-66, at the Walter Pyramid for its fifth consecutive win.

LBSU (18-9 overall, 10-5 Big West) scored 25 points off of Bakersfield turnovers, scored 30 points in the paint and shot 25 for 28 from the free-throw line to remain a half-game behind third-place UC Davis (16-11, 11-5) in the conference standings with five games left in the regular season.

Bakersfield (10-17, 5-11) took a 15-8 lead early, but LBSU chipped away, first tying the score at 23-all and then taking the lead at 26-25 on a 3-pointer from Messiah Thompson.

The Roadrunners regained a 35-32 edge in the second half, but back-to-back 3-pointers from Jadon Jones and Thompson gave Long Beach the lead for good. Two straight baskets from George extended the lead to 50-43, but Bakersfield made one more push and got within 56-55 with 6:45 left.

Lassina Traore answered with a timely three-point play and Long Beach quickly pushed the advantage to 11 points at 70-59 with 2:40 remaining and closed out the win at the foul line.

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Lassina Traore finished with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists. Marcus Tsohonis also had 15 points, and Aboubacar Traore scored all 11 of his points on free throws. Jones had seven points, five rebounds and five assists.

Kaleb Higgins paced the Roadrunners with 23 points and four assists, and Corey Stephenson added 10 points.

UP NEXT

Long Beach plays at Hawaii on Saturday at 9 p.m. PT.

​ Orange County Register 

Cal State Fullerton tops Cal Poly to end 5-game skid

• February 23, 2024

FULLERTON — DJ Brewton and Tory San Antonio scored 20 points apiece to lead Cal State Fullerton to a 68-50 victory over Cal Poly on Thursday night at Titan Gym, ending the Titans’ five-game losing streak.

“I thought our group came out focused tonight,” Fullerton coach Dedrique Taylor said. “We set the tone the way we played defense. We guarded well, we rebounded and were able to get out and score in transition.”

Brewton shot 9 for 14 from the field to go with four rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals, while San Antonio shot 7 for 15, making a career-high five 3-pointers, to go with six rebounds. Antwan Robinson added 10 points and seven rebounds for Fullerton (12-15 overall, 5-10 Big West).

The Titans shot 40.3% from the floor and went 12 for 27 from 3-point range (44.4%) while holding the Mustangs (4-23, 0-15) to 34.7% shooting. Fullerton scored 14 points off of 14 Cal Poly turnovers and outscored the Mustangs 31-5 in bench points.

The Titans held a four-point lead before Grayson Carper hit a pair of 3-pointers, including one following an emphatic John Mikey Square blocked shot, to kickstart an 11-3 Fullerton run to close the first half. Zachary Visentin completed a three-point play and Brewton added a jumper as the Titans took a 31-19 lead into the locker room.

Fullerton continued to cruise in the second half, with San Antonio hitting a 3-pointer while being fouled and Brewton scoring from the baseline to extend the lead to 43-24. Brewton later converted a driving layup before San Antonio added another 3-pointer off a Square assist. Square then stole a Cal Poly pass and raced up the court for a one-handed dunk while being fouled, giving Fullerton a 53-38 lead.

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San Antonio hit two more 3-pointers late before Robinson added one of his own for a 65-50 lead. Brewton added one last 3-pointer to close the scoring and send the Mustangs to their 15th consecutive loss.

Quentin Jones paced Cal Poly with 14 points and two steals. Kobe Sanders added 10 points and seven rebounds, while Justin Page had nine points.

UP NEXT

Fullerton hosts Cal State Northridge on Saturday at 6 p.m.

​ Orange County Register 

UC Irvine dispatches UCSB ahead of Big West showdown with UC San Diego

• February 23, 2024

IRVINE — UC Irvine beat UC Santa Barbara to the punch on Thursday night.

The Anteaters shot 60% from the floor in the first half to build a double-digit lead and then held off a second-half push from the Gauchos to win, 81-69, in a Big West Conference basketball game at the Bren Events Center.

UCSB came into the game ninth in NCAA Division I in field goal percentage (49.5%), but the Anteaters held the visitors to 42.1%.

Justin Hohn scored 19 points, Derin Saran contributed 16 points off the bench and Andre Henry finished with 15 points for UCI (20-7 overall, 13-2 Big West), which improved to 11-0 at home this season and remains a game ahead of UC San Diego (18-9, 12-3) for first place in conference play.

The Anteaters will try for a season sweep of UCSD when the teams square off on Saturday afternoon at UCSD.

“We know we’ve set up a championship-type game for Saturday,” UCI coach Russell Turner said.

Yohan Traore scored 22 points to lead the Gauchos (14-12, 7-9), who were picked to finish first in the Big West by nine of the 11 conference coaches after finishing second or better in five of the past six seasons.

“They’re a team that hasn’t performed as well as a lot of people thought, but they are a talented team, they are a prideful team,” Turner said of UCSB. “I thought they played that way tonight.”

Ajay Mitchell, the reigning Big West Player of the Year, picked up two fouls in the first 90 seconds and went to the bench shortly afterward before playing sparingly the rest of the first half.

He stayed on the court in the second half, however, scoring 15 of his 17 points.

UCI beat the Gauchos by 15 points on Feb. 8 in Santa Barbara, outscoring them 27-4 in bench points, 44-24 in the paint and 14-2 in second-chance points.

In the rematch, the Anteaters owned a 27-14 advantage in bench points, 36-28 in the paint and 10-6 in second-chance points. The biggest margin was in fast-break points, where UCI owned a 19-6 edge.

“Pleased with the overall performance tonight,” Turner said. “I thought we were really ready. All 12 guys who hit the rectangle, I thought had the right level of competitiveness and intensity and focus. It was good to see. That’s what I expected tonight.”

UCSB stayed close for the first 12 minutes, even while Mitchell was on and off the floor.

The Anteaters made their first run with seven straight points that extended their lead to 31-22 with 6:40 remaining in the half.

Mitchell scored his first basket with 4:20 left to cut the lead to 33-27, but UCI came back with an 11-0 run that included a four-point play by Hohn, pushing the advantage to 44-27 with 1:32 to go.

Traore helped pick up the scoring slack for Mitchell in the first half by scoring 14 points.

UCI cooled off in the second half, shooting 36%, but the Anteaters still managed to extend their lead to 22 on two occasions in the first four minutes.

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A 13-0 run pulled the Gauchos back within single digits at 56-47 with 12:24 left, however.

Saran followed with four straight points for UCI and UCSB couldn’t get any closer than eight until Mitchell hit a 3-pointer with 47 seconds remaining to cut it to 75-69.

The Anteaters shut the door by making four of six free throws, and Henry capped the scoring with a dunk with three seconds left.

“When a game gets spread like that in a 22-point range, like it did, it makes some sense that there’s a natural drop in intensity,” Turner said. “We’ve seen that with this team a lot, but we were able to maintain control and assert ourselves when we needed to.”

​ Orange County Register