1930s Newport Beach Harbor Island home seeks $74 million

• July 13, 2023

A waterfront home passed down through three generations of the same family has hit Newport Beach’s upscale Harbor Island market for $74 million.

If it gets that amount, the house would shatter Orange County’s all-time sales record set in November 2021 when hedge fund billionaire Joseph E. Edelman bought a Laguna Beach estate for $70 million in an off-market deal.

The six-bedroom, 3,600-square-foot colonial-style home with five bathrooms and an inner courtyard has stood on this nearly half-acre, double lot since its completion in 1937. Surrounded by eucalyptus trees, it backs up to a bayfront terrace and an expansive lawn to the water’s edge with 100 feet of frontage.

There’s a private dock for several yachts.

The home has been in the Shattuck family since 1951.

Seller Leslie Shattuck told the Wall Street Journal, the first to report the listing, that the house originally belonged to her grandparents. Her parents later took up residence. When her mother died in May, Shattuck and her two siblings inherited the property.

But as she told the Wall Street Journal, “rather than one of us getting it, we just decided that it’s best that no one gets it.”

While the house has been well maintained, there is no mention of what the living space offers. The listing, instead, markets it as an opportunity for the next owner to restore, expand or reimagine it as “a larger, more modern house” — not unlike many of the neighboring addresses in this 24-hour, guard-gated island enclave of 29 homes, which fetch top dollar.

In November 2020, a soft contemporary-style home architect C.J. Light designed on a quarter-acre lot with a bayfront pool, spa, terraced garden, and private dock traded hands for $17.68 million.

Chinese tech billionaire Eric Siliang Tang paid $37 million in October 2019 for a French neoclassic-style mansion at the tip of the island that was once the site of a high-profile suicide. Records show he quietly sold the property in April 2020 for $38 million.

“Harbor Island properties like this rarely ever come to market,” said Rob Giem of Compass, the co-listing agent. “Families in this community keep these homes for decades, passing them down through generations. This is an extremely rare opportunity to purchase the last, double, oversized lot on the south side of this island.”

Giem shares the listing with Evan Corkett and Steve High of Coldwell Banker Realty.

Laguna Beach mansion breaks OC record sale price at $70 million

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Laguna Beach mansion breaks OC record sale price at $70 million

​ Orange County Register 

Southern California politicians can’t stay out of jail

• July 13, 2023

Southern California has seen a wave of arrested and charged politicians in the last few months.

Most recently, in the Inland Empire, Riverside Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes was arrested for driving under the influence and San Jacinto City Councilmember Brian Hawkins was arrested on suspicion of assaulting two children. Cervantes was arrested on July 1, Hawkins July 2nd.

Cervantes, who was previously convicted of driving under the influence in 2015, is reportedly seeking treatment for a drinking problem. Cervantes, a Democrat, is running to fill the state Assembly seat of her sister, Sabrina.

Hawkins, a former Republican, announced in May that he would be challenging Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, as a Democrat to represent California’s 41st Congressional District.

“I switched parties,” Hawkins said at the time. “But I didn’t switch my concern for the American people.”

Then came his July 2 arrest for a reported “domestic incident” in which Hawkins was accused of having “committed an assault on two children at the location.” Hawkins has since been charged on misdemeanor charges of child endangerment.

The arrests of Cervantes and Hawkins follow high-profile criminal charges against elected officials elsewhere in Southern California.

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In June, Los Angeles Councilman Curren Price was charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for corruption-related offenses. Word of these corruption charges no doubt helped sink the candidacy of Price staffer Marisa Alcaraz, who was running for a Los Angeles council seat at the time. She was defeated on June 27th.

In May, Orange County state Sen. Dave Min of Irvine was arrested for driving under the influence in Sacramento. Like Cervantes, Min, too, has claimed to seek help and is running for higher office, in his case the House of Representatives.

We recognize all of these elected officials deserve their days in court on their respective criminal charges. In the case of Cervantes and Min, who have both admitted what they did, they should step aside and resolve their problems before seeking political office.

But we’d just like to ask, on behalf of all Californians: can you, elected officials, at the very least stay out of jail?

​ Orange County Register 

San Clemente’s sand erosion study shows ‘critical’ beaches

• July 13, 2023

Not all beaches in San Clemente are equal.

Some are so sand starved they are considered in critical condition, at risk of being reclaimed by the ocean. Meanwhile, other stretches of San Clemente’s coast seem stable, or even growing, with ample sandy space for beachgoers.

The beach town recently released a report, titled “Critical Erosion Hot Spots,” that aims to identify the most-troubled areas and find solutions to address short-term and long-term coastal erosion. The report, part of the city’s Nature Based Resiliency Project Feasibility Study, notes that erosion already is threatening infrastructure in some areas and limiting opportunities for coastal access and recreation.

Jorine Campopiano, who recently served on the Beaches Park and Recreation Commission and spent five years on the city’s Coastal Advisory Committee, said the study is important to better understand the areas most vulnerable to erosion, and to help planners pinpoint where to direct the city’s restoration efforts.

“To date, we haven’t had any sort of ranking on the eroded state of our beaches so this study is an important milestone, helping us gain a better picture of what is happening along our shoreline so the city can make more informed decisions in the future,” said Campopiano in an e-mail.

Some of Orange County’s most popular beaches are disappearing as waves swallow up the sand. Above, North Beach during high tide in San Clemente, CA, (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The loss of sand along the city’s shoreline is concentrated in “erosional hotspots,” while other areas are relatively stable or are even accreting sand, according to the report, which was written by consulting firm Moffatt & Nichol. The city hopes to develop coastal resiliency solutions aimed at reducing erosion where needed, and to stabilize and widen beaches by using nature-based or ‘green’ pilot projects as a first priority, according to the report.

The width of the shoreline varies throughout San Clemente. Some areas are significantly wider than others and the narrowest stretches have nearly no beach at all during mid-to-high tides.

Also, this year, a series of storms battered the coast, leaving the ocean-front rail line vulnerable and, for several months, inoperable.

City officials in recent years have focused on the dire sand situation — which could hurt the coastal economy — by conducting studies, creating an erosion-focused subcommittee, and trying to find creative solutions to keep local beaches sandy.

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Last year, after a 15-year hiatus, the city re-established its Beach Monitoring Program. The first survey was conducted in October 2022 and will be done twice a year through 2025 by Coastal Frontiers Corporation.

At the same time, the Army Corps of Engineers has been working on a massive, $15-million sand replenishment program. That project, scheduled to start next year and repeated periodically over the next five decades, will fill in 250,000 cubic yards of sand between T-Street, around the pier, and north to Linda Lane.

According to the report, erosion is primarily concentrated at the southern city boundary and north of San Clemente Pier at Mariposa Point, Capistrano Shores, and Shorecliffs.

That “critical” beach on the south end of town is just down the cliff from the private community Cyprus Shores, which in recent years has lost its beach. It’s the area where the railroad was battered by waves and where waves undermined the toe of the bluffs, triggering a landslide.

The study shows that area has lost about 5.5 feet of sand a year since 2001 and it is considered the most critically eroded portion of the city’s shoreline.

The Orange County Transit Authority has constructed a slope stabilization project to try and stabilize the hillside and placed boulders on the beachside to try and stop the wave action.

“While a steadily decreasing trend in the width of this beach has been recorded over the past 25 years, there has been a dramatic drop off or complete disappearance of the majority of the subaerial beach over the past five to eight years,” the report reads.

Another severely eroded sections of coast is the Shorecliffs area on the north end of the city. That area has been eroding at an average of 1.5 feet a year since 2001.

“Along the northern half of the reach, the Shorecliffs Beach Club and amenities have suffered from increased narrowing of the shoreline fronting the property,” the report reads, noting that the vegetated dune system on the south end of Shorecliffs beach is retreating.

Mariposa beach also was identified as a “critical” area, which results in the restriction of beachside emergency access for lifeguard vehicles, reduced use of multiple pedestrian coastal access points, and a complete loss of beach along most of the area, according to the study.

Suzie Whitelaw, a geologist with the community activist group Save Our Beaches San Clemente, said the study clearly shows how the north and south ends of the town have almost completely eroded away.

The group has been communicating with the county’s public works department to rebuild the area with sand from the Santa Ana River, much like the county project happening just north at Capistrano Beach and Doheny State Beach, an area also suffering from severe erosion.

The first truckloads of sand are unloaded and compacted at Capo Beach in Dana Point, CA on Thursday, June 15, 2023. The sand replenishment project is being done between Capo Beach and south Doheny State Beach. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

“There is plenty of sand available, we just need to get our permits in place,” she said. “I rode my bike along the Santa Ana River Channel, and there’s about a mile of sand, piled 30 feet high, that needs to go before the El Niño storms hit.”

Another point in the study: erosion and lack of sand is hurting wave quality at most surf spots throughout city, and recreational loss appears to correspond with the lack of beach along the coastline over the past five-to-10 years.

Campopiano also noted the report shows the T-Street surfing reef acts as a sand retention structure and helps stabilize the sand in that location. A potential nature-based solution could be to mimic the T-Street surfing reef in another location, she noted.

Campopiano said the study is important to better understand the areas that are the most vulnerable to erosion, as well as to help the city better focus where to direct their restoration efforts.

“This study reports that the northern and southern ends of our town are critically eroded while our middle city and state beaches are more stable,” Campopiano wrote in an email response. “So the northern and southern beaches probably need more attention, at the minimum more sand, and would likely benefit from a nature-based, sand-retention solution.”

​ Orange County Register 

Chipotle Mexican Grill tests robot that can skin avocados

• July 13, 2023

Chipotle Mexican Grill is working on a way to split the work of making guacamole between humans and machines.

The Newport Beach-based chain is partnering with an El Segundo-based company called Vebu Labs to develop a cobot, or collaborative robot, that can slice in half, core and peel avocados before a staff member takes over to mash them and prepare the guac.

The prototype robot is called Autocado, according to a news release, and it is being tested at Chipotle’s test kitchen in Irvine, according to a news release.

The hope is that Autocado will cut the roughly 50 minutes it takes to make guacamole in half, the news release said, by processing 25 pounds of avocados at a time and collecting the waste.

Chipotle has a history of testing cobots. Last year it tested a machine named Chippy that could fry and season tortilla chips. The goal, chief restaurant officer Scott Boatwright said at the time, was to farm out some of the more repetitive kitchen duties to machines and leave humans with the more satisfying ones.

Boatwright also said that Chipotle is devoted to hand-mashed guacamole.

In 2019, the chain made a commercial with Oscar-winning filmmaker Errol Morris that featured a demonstration on how to mash guac by the manager of a Chipotle restaurant in Temecula.

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​ Orange County Register 

Can Dodgers play deep into October while relying on so many rookies?

• July 13, 2023

LOS ANGELES — At one point in their game on June 17, the Dodgers had five rookies on the field – Bobby Miller, James Outman, Michael Busch, Miguel Vargas and Jonny DeLuca.

It was both a high point of the season in terms of the Dodgers’ incorporation of young players – and a low point of their season competitively. The Dodgers lost 15-0 that day, part of a three-game sweep by the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium that dropped L.A. into third place in the National League West.

It was a temporary setback. The Dodgers won 12 of their next 17 games and will open the second half of the season on Friday in New York tied for first place in the division, percentage points (.573 to .571) ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks. It is the seventh time in the past nine full seasons that the Dodgers reached the All-Star break with at least a share of first place.

They have gotten to their accustomed place atop the division relying on an unaccustomed number of rookies.

Eight rookie pitchers have combined to throw 155⅓ innings so far this season (four have combined to make 23 starts) with a combined ERA of 6.26 and a 1.54 WHIP, both numbers helping to drive up a staff ERA that ranks an unsightly 23rd in the majors.

Four rookie position players – Outman, Vargas, Busch and DeLuca – have combined for a .215/.307/.381 slash line and .688 OPS.

It might be accurate to say the Dodgers reached the midsummer break in first place despite the best efforts of their rookies.

“I think the pitchers we’ve used or are using are getting real experience and I just feel like they’re only going to get better,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of the crop of rookies. “I think the pitching, I think that’s something that is an easier bet if the stuff is good. And I think both guys (Miller and Emmet Sheehan) have the talent. We were all surprised (how much Gavin Stone struggled). But it was his first couple goes at it. I still believe he’s going to be a top-end guy.

“And then on the hitting, with James and Miguel, specifically the learning curve, experience or lack thereof, has shown itself. And we’re going to keep running these guys out there until otherwise. I refuse to put pressure on these guys to say that there’s a timeline. It’s just going to be – it is until it’s not. The bet is that these guys are going to find it.”

“Otherwise” arrived for Vargas on Sunday. Batting .195 and sinking in a 5-for-63 slump, he was demoted to the minors. After being handed the second base job this spring, he lost it to an outfielder – Mookie Betts will likely continue to figure prominently in the infield mix in the second half along with Chris Taylor, who is expected back from a knee injury this weekend.

The efforts of their four All-Stars (Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and J.D. Martinez) have allowed the Dodgers to absorb the lack of contributions offensively from their rookies. So, like Roberts, President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman focuses on the pitchers when asked if the Dodgers can get where they want to be in October while relying on contributions from so many rookies.

“I think the experience that Michael, Bobby and Emmet have gotten has been incredibly helpful – not only for their long-term development but also the short term,” Friedman said. “I know that there are takeaways after outings that they are learning from and knowing those guys I’ll bet on them to incorporate as we go.

“So I can see those guys being a part of a strong October pitching staff. In what role, we’ll figure out based on getting in and based on what our pitching looks like.”

That could change significantly in the next month – or beyond if you buy into the optimism that injured players like Walker Buehler, Blake Treinen, J.P. Feyereisen, Jimmy Nelson and/or Ryan Pepiot can return to throw impactful pitches for the Dodgers this season. Friedman will say only that there is “a very realistic chance” that “a number of guys” from that group will pitch for the Dodgers this season.

The alternative is what it always is at this time of year – spin prospects into immediate help.

From Manny Machado to Yu Darvish to Trea Turner and Max Scherzer, when there has been a difference-maker available in a mid-summer trade, Friedman has usually found a way to land him for the Dodgers.

The overriding question this year, however, is what difference-maker – if any – will be available. The addition of a third wild-card playoff spot in each league (plus the mediocrity raging through both Central divisions) has made it more difficult to sort the buyers from the sellers as the deadline approaches.

“The clouded playoff situations around the league have made it challenging to get into much substance on the trade front at this point. Most are taking a wait-and-see approach after the All-Star break and see where they’re at,” Friedman said.

“I think the new (postseason) rules definitely enhance that. But I think this year even within those new rules is especially harder. Just because of the way it’s played out (in various divisions).”

Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the “murky trade market,” as Friedman described it, comes in a season when they might need help more than they have in previous years.

“I think that’s a fair question,” Roberts said. “Every year’s different. Every roster is different.

“I think if you look at the track record of our guys. Whenever there’s been a need, a void, a hole, a weakness – whatever it might be – we’ve done a great job of filling those holes.”

Those holes are more readily identifiable this season – pitching, pitching and, oh yeah, also pitching. Even if the Dodgers’ front office might have more difficulty filling them from the outside this year, it’s hard to imagine them remaining this reliant on rookie contributors through the second half and into October.

“From our standpoint, we’re going to assess what’s available and we’re going to pursue what’s available and if things make sense we’re going to do them and if they don’t we’re not,” Friedman said.

“But, again, so much of it is going to be who’s available. … It’s great to want something. But if it’s not available or it doesn’t line up, that doesn’t do us much good.”

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​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers midseason report: Offense can’t conceal serious pitching concerns

• July 13, 2023

FIRST-HALF REVIEW

HOW THEY GOT HERE: The Dodgers haven’t reached the All-Star break with fewer wins than their current 51 since 2013 when they were .500 (47-47) at the midsummer pause. But they got there with at least a share of first place in the division for the seventh time in the past nine full seasons. They didn’t do it with pitching this year. They have had the lowest staff ERA in the majors the past four seasons, no lower than fifth since 2014. But this year’s 4.50 mark ranks 23rd. Injuries have played a large factor. Seven starting pitchers have been or are on the injured list – Julio Urias, Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, Noah Syndergaard, Michael Grove and Ryan Pepiot – forcing the Dodgers to turn to rookies Bobby Miller, Emmet Sheehan and Gavin Stone with mixed results. An offense carried by four All-Stars – Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and J.D. Martinez – has made up for it by averaging 5.55 runs per game (second in the National League) and hitting 149 home runs (second in the majors). While rookies Miguel Vargas and James Outman have struggled, role players Jason Heyward and David Peralta have been positive additions.

SECOND-HALF PREVIEW

KEYS TO SUCCESS: It certainly looks like the Dodgers’ offense will need to continue carrying them. Betts (26 home runs and a .965 OPS, third in the majors) and Freeman (a .320 batting average and .952 OPS) are having MVP-level seasons. It would help to get more from Max Muncy (21 home runs but a .198 average) and Outman (NL Rookie of the Month in April but just a .205 hitter with a .595 OPS since) to help lengthen the lineup. The Dodgers could probably make the playoffs limping along with the sub-standard pitching staff they currently have. But their goals are annually higher – a division title and a deep playoff run – and that might require a midseason makeover of the pitching staff.

BIGGEST CONCERN: If it isn’t already clear – it’s the pitching staff. As the starting rotation stands now, it’s hard to envision who would start a Game 3 in the playoffs behind Kershaw and Urias. Would it be Gonsolin, who has resembled last year’s All-Star only in his affection for cats? Would they go with a rookie, Miller or Sheehan? The shortcomings of the starting rotation – only five teams have gotten fewer innings from their starters (although one is the AL-leading Tampa Bay Rays) – have exacerbated the struggles of the bullpen. Daniel Hudson’s return was supposed to stabilize that group. After three appearances, he was back on the IL and the relief corps seems far from October-caliber.

TRADE POSSIBILITIES: A month ago, Andrew Friedman said this about the possibility of trade acquisitions, “I feel very confident that with the depth of our system that we can be in any conversation we want to be in.” Those conversations will almost certainly center on pitching, pitching and more pitching – and maybe a right-handed bat to make up for the lack of contributions from Vargas, Chris Taylor and Trayce Thompson. But who will they have those conversations with? The addition of a third wild card in each league has made it easier for teams to fool themselves into thinking they are in contention, thus muddying the waters of the trade market. In the American League, for example, 11 teams reached the break within five games of a playoff spot. Of the teams currently clearly out of contention, the St. Louis Cardinals could make Jack Flaherty, Jordan Hicks or Geovanny Gallegos available. The Chicago White Sox could offer up Dylan Cease, Lucas Giolito or Kendall Graveman. And then there is the big prize – Shohei Ohtani. The injury-depleted Angels could change everything about the trade market – and potentially their future – by making Ohtani available.

SCHEDULE: As usual, the Dodgers have been an outstanding team at home. Their 29-16 record at Dodger Stadium is topped only by Tampa Bay and the Atlanta Braves – the two teams that reached the break with the best records in each league. But the Dodgers have been mediocre on the road, posting a .500 record (22-22) and losing series to inferior teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cardinals and Kansas City Royals. If the NL West race continues to be close, it might not be decided until the final week of the season. The Dodgers will spend that on the road in Colorado and San Francisco.

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​ Orange County Register 

Manhattan Transfer’s ‘last concert ever’ will be Dec. 15 in Los Angeles

• July 13, 2023

The jazz vocal group Manhattan Transfer will perform what is being called its “last concert ever” Dec. 15 at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

That description appears in a news release from the venue, which is the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Manhattan Transfer’s official website describes it as a final concert.

The four-part harmony group was founded in 1972 and has won 11 Grammy Awards. It is known for the songs “The Boy From New York City,” “Operator” and “Java Jive” as well the 1985 album “Vocalese.”

The lineup includes original members Janis Siegel and Alan Paul; Cheryl Bentyne, who joined in 1979; and Trist Curless, who replaced late founder Tim Hauser in 2014.

The group is currently in Europe on a “50th Anniversary and Final World Tour.” It will return to the United States next month.

According to its website, it will perform three concerts at the SFJazz Center in San Francisco, Sept. 29-30, and once in the Haugh Performing Arts Center at Citrus College, Glendora on Oct. 1.

The Manhattan Transfer was added to the LA Phil’s 2023-24 season in late May. Tickets are currently available by subscription. Individual tickets will go on sale Aug. 22.

Information: laphil.com

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​ Orange County Register 

Tony Thurmond makes a pointless run for governor after many years as a failed politician

• July 13, 2023

Although the election to succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom still is more than two years away, the field to replace him already is getting crowded.

Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and former Controller Betty Yee announced their campaigns for governor months ago.

The latest to join them is Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, who said he is “seriously considering” a run at the top state job. But he’s going to have a hard time explaining the state’s sharp decline in test scores since he was elected in 2018 – even as per-pupil K-12 spending has soared above $23,000 per student.

He tweeted in his announcement he was focusing on “taking on MAGA extremists who want to ban books” and “defending classroom teachers and students against the constant assault on our democracy.”

Thurmond certainly seems to have the talking points of a Twitter-addicted-Democrat down. But to anyone of even slight political sophistication, Thurmond’s substance-free talking points mask his record of abysmal failure.

Thurmond failed to lead when Newsom and school officials allowed aggressive school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. As late as April 30, 2021, according to an EdSource analysis, 55% of students were still learning, or not learning, at home. For low-income students, the number was a staggering two-thirds.

Predictably, resulted in sharp declines in learning and by extension test scores. A December 2022 analysis by the Public Policy Institute of California of 2022 scores found “the share of fourth graders meeting state standards fell from 42% pre-pandemic to 33% in math and from 48% to 42% in English Language Arts.”

A generation has been devastated academically on the watch of Tony Thurmond.

“I can’t think of one single thing he did to improve education in California as superintendent,” said Lance Christensen, who lost to Thurmond in the superintendent’s race last November and now is the vice president of education policy and government affairs at the California Policy Center. “Fight MAGA? California is owned by the public-employee unions and the environmentalist groups. MAGA has no standing in California when it comes to governing.”

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Christensen said the only 2018 campaign promise Thurmond kept was “kneecapping charter schools.” Indeed, after growing rapidly for 30 years, charter school enrollment under Thurmond’s tenure stagnated at 11% of enrollment statewide.

Thurmond also came under fire in 2021 for hiring Daniel Lee, a buddy from his Philadelphia social-worker days, as the Department of Education’s superintendent of equity at $179,832 a year, without posting the job for others to apply. Lee also still lived in Philadelphia and “has a separate job there,” Politico reported. That report led to Lee’s resignation in December 2021.

All of this said, we believe this is a unique opportunity for Thurmond, whom we found to be a pleasant candidate during our interview with him last year. Thurmond could, for example, finally lead on education in California and be a voice for the majority of Black and Latino parents who support school vouchers in California. Thurmond could, if he cared about underserved students failed by the K-12 government school system, use his bully pulpit the next two years to advocate for school choice, including backing Arizona-style universal school vouchers, to help students get out from under a failed and failing system.

Otherwise, his candidacy and his time in public service is utterly pointless.

​ Orange County Register