Plan for temporary longer commutes on 405 as carpool lanes close for final construction push

• October 27, 2023

Orange County Transportation Authority leaders are warning of longer commutes on the 405 Freeway over the next few weeks as the agency shuts down carpool lanes and connectors in the run up to completing the massive widening project on Dec. 1.

The northbound 405 carpool lanes at the 73 closed Wednesday night. The carpool lanes in both directions along the 405 – between the northern county line and the 73 – will close at night on Nov. 1, including the connector lanes between the 22 Freeway and the 405 and between the 605 and 405. When the lanes reopen in a month the $2.16 billion project that started in 2018 will be completed.

“There should be some plans for a longer commutes,” OCTA CEO Darrell Johnson said. “Maybe leave a little bit early, look ahead at traffic on all the (apps), whether it’s Waze or Apple Maps, but at the same time also recognize there will be some changes in the freeway system coming forward. A little bit of extra time now should help you later after Dec. 1.”

The lanes are closing to do final testing of the new tolling equipment, and will reopen as express lanes.  All travelers will need a FasTrak transponder to use the new 405 Express Lanes.

FasTrak Flex transponders, where you set the number of passengers in the car from 1 to 3+, will be needed to take advantage of the free tolls for carpoolers.

In Santa Ana, a 24/7 staffed traffic operations center will monitor the freeway’s express lanes. The room has large video boards with real-time traffic data and toll pricing. Workers there will have access to 50 cameras filming the freeway.

Johnson said if there’s an accident or some other incident on the express lanes, depending on the severity, the center would be able to close the lanes to new traffic. And if there was a significant incident on the freeway’s general lanes, they could also move traffic to the express lanes and not charge people.

The 405’s new express lanes are modeled after the 91 Express Lanes. There will also be tow trucks dedicated to servicing the 405 in Orange County.

The 16-mile expansion of the 405 is the largest single freeway investment in the county’s history, Johnson said.

The project also two new general lanes and two express lanes (on top of the converted carpool lanes), one for each direction. The 405 is one of the most congested freeways in the county, carrying more than 300,000 vehicle trips daily in parts, according to OCTA.

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Daughters of Palestinian Americans trapped in Gaza plead for humanitarian aid and families’ safe return

• October 27, 2023

Three daughters of the Kaoud family made an emotional plea Thursday for help getting their family members trapped in the Gaza Strip back home to Southern California.

As the Israel-Hamas war rages on, the Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR-LA, hosted a press conference in Anaheim with family members of six Palestinian American citizens who haven’t been able to leave Gaza. Officials from Muslim and Palestinian American communities in Southern California called for an immediate ceasefire by all parties in Gaza – and for President Joe Biden to make bringing trapped family members home at priority.

“The situation is dire… we feel abandoned, unimportant and unheard. We need our father back home safe, and every U.S. citizen back home safe,” said Shamiss Kaoud, who lives in Moreno Valley. “No one is listening. No one is helping. It’s as if nobody cares. Shouldn’t being a U.S. citizen matter?”

CAIR-LA says an estimated 600 Palestinian American citizens are currently stranded in the war zone, where there have been deadly air strikes and food, medicine and supplies are becoming increasingly scarce.

Kaoud’s father, Jamal, was born in a Gaza refugee camp. He came to the U.S. to pursue civil engineering and went on to build many Orange County buildings with his company, she said. Jamal Kaoud was visiting Gaza with his brothers on vacation before the war broke out, his daughter said, adding the 68-year-old wears a pacemaker and defibrillator, and is “running out of his daily medication.”

“Not only is he worried about surviving the air strikes, he is worried about whether or not his medication will last,” she said. “It is imperative that he gets back home.”

Kaoud said that she and family members have reached out to federal and state representatives, U.S. embassies and government offices, saying there has been zero aid or urgent actions in response – she said they have even been hung up on.

To help drive awareness, the family created a social media page. Her trapped cousin and uncles have done interviews from inside the home they are sheltering in.

“Growing up we thought we’d always be protected. Where is that said protection now? Why are we having to beg for things that should be promised?” Kaoud asked.

CAIR-LA officials criticized Biden for emphasizing the evacuation of nearly 300 Americans from Israel, saying little effort has been put into getting the path paved for Palestinian Americans to leave Gaza, which would happen through the Rafah border with Egypt.

Muslim, Arab and Palestinian Americans are “always made to feel like ‘second class citizens’ in their own country,” CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush said. “Is it too much to expect that our government should and will care for all Americans, regardless of their race, religion, ethnicity or national background?”

The State Department said Tuesday the United States’ recently appointed special envoy for humanitarian issues in the Mideast had been engaging in negotiations with Israel, Egypt and the United Nations to get Rafah to open for U.S. citizens, other dual nationals and employees of international organizations. But they also said the Hamas has blocked access to the crossing.

The Kaoud family was planning the “trip of a lifetime” to visit relatives,” said Dina Chehata, CAIR-LA’s civil rights managing attorney. “All six men are now trapped in Gaza in what has become nothing short of a hellscape for them.

“What is happening today in Gaza is apocalyptic,” she said, “and the Kaoud family are trapped in it.”

Chehata said the family tried to reach the Rafah border to cross, “only to be turned back — a journey that puts their lives at risk.”

Helal Kaoud, from Riverside, said her father Esam Kaoud, Jamal’s brother, was visiting Gaza for the first time in more than 20 years. Knowing the risks, he had promised his wife he would be safe and home in a month.

Related links

Local OC leaders respond to Israeli-Hamas war
Muslims come together in Orange County to mourn boy stabbed to death in Illinois
OC Jews, Palestinians mourn those killed following surprise Hamas attack
Harassment against Jews, Muslims on the rise since Hamas attacks
US developing plans to evacuate Americans from Mideast
US presses Gulf allies to help stem fresh fundraising for Hamas
Hamas frees two Israeli women as US advises delaying ground war to allow talks on captives

“On Sept. 25, my dad, my 20-year-old brother and four of my uncles, who are all U.S. citizens, went to visit our family in Gaza,” Helal Kaoud, 28, said through tears. “Two weeks into their vacation, the attacks started. They are no longer safe. Now, our conversations have shifted from daily vacation updates to proof-of-life updates.

“We hold our breath every day waiting to hear from our family, to hear that they made it through Israel’s airstrikes, to see another day,” she said.

Helal Kaoud said their family here can briefly check in with their family members when the electricity is turned on in Gaza. She called for a ceasefire to “save our family … and prevent more innocent lives from being taken away.”

“We are watching a genocide unfold before our very eyes, with our families in the middle of it,” she said.

Shamiss Kaoud said her family will continue to call on U.S. leaders daily for answers.

“We don’t have much faith, but we have to hold on to our faith that something will be done. Every time we feel we need to reach out, a part of us knows deep down we may not get help,” she said. “We have no other options at this point.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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​ Orange County Register 

Running a red light on a freeway ramp is indeed a moving violation

• October 27, 2023

Q. Hi Honk: Would running a red light on freeway on-ramps be considered a moving violation? I see people doing this quite often on the 5 Freeway.

– Carl Cheng, Irvine

A. Carl, you are talking about what are called ramp meters, deployed to even out the flow of freeway traffic.

“It is still considered a moving violation,” said Sergio Rivera, an officer and spokesman for the California Highway Patrol out of the Santa Ana station house. “However, in courtrooms the judge doesn’t always penalize (offenders) the same way – they have some leeway.”

Rivera compared the violation to that of running a stop sign.

Honk, for one, wouldn’t want to take a chance – he would prefer doing many things over sitting in traffic school to keep his insurance bill from rising.

Truthfully, it is a difficult violation for officers to cite.

The ramps often don’t have enough room for a patrol car to safely sit and watch – and how could a driver possibly miss seeing a black-and-white there on the shoulder?

But on the back of a few ramp meters are other lights that turn on and off. Officers can sit down the roadway a bit and peer into their rearviews to spy any driver blowing through a red.

Honk loves the name of this nifty device: a tattletale light.

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Q. The 5 Freeway in south Orange County has been undergoing construction since 2019 – more than four years now. Traffic attempting to enter and exit the freeway is completely disrupted at all hours. The on-ramps are nearly always backed up, and traffic is forced into two or sometimes one ramp lane. The original signs posted said, “Construction from 8-2019 to 9-2023.” Now we see a new completion date: 8-2024. So the original FOUR-YEAR completion time frame has now been pushed back ANOTHER year. In contrast: After the Northridge earthquake, the 10 Freeway’s bridges were rebuilt in a little over two months. Why does it take FIVE YEARS to complete this project? This entire situation is a FIASCO! (Thanks for letting me vent!)

– John Guth, Aliso Viejo

A. No problem on the venting, John – but, ah, well, the project is actually going to take perhaps six years.

The Orange County Transportation Authority is overseeing that $580 million freeway-widening project, which covers six and a half miles from El Toro Road on the Lake Forest-Laguna Hills border to the 73 Toll Road near the Laguna Niguel-Mission Viejo dividing line.

Two interchanges are being reconstructed, lanes will be added and the ramps all modified.

“When the project broke ground in 2019, it was announced that the project would be complete in 2025 and the project, which is nearly 80% complete, remains on track,” said Eric Carpenter, an OCTA spokesman.

Honk isn’t sure about the signs and their dates … maybe they were for particular ramps?

In 1994, the Northridge quake closed the 10 in spots by crumbling bridges at La Cienega Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in the Los Angles-Culver City area, giving construction crews total access to the freeway there. For sure, those repair jobs were amazing fast, with state and federal officials cutting red tape and spending way more than it would otherwise take, in part because of contractor bonuses.

To Honk, six years does seem like an awfully long time. He asked Joel Zlotnik, another OCTA spokesman, about that.

“We have to balance the construction period with making sure the freeway is still operating and folks have access to the local community,” he said.

Officials never considered just shutting down the 5, which in that stretch handles 360,000 vehicles a weekday, to speed up construction.

“It’s important to note … we have worked with Caltrans and the cities involved to keep all pre-existing freeway lanes open during daytime and peak hours throughout construction, and, similarly, all off- and on-ramps have (mostly) remained opened,” Carpenter said.

To ask Honk questions, reach him at [email protected]. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com/tag/honk. X, formerly Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk

​ Orange County Register 

Thomas Elias: California could again be key to determining control of the House

• October 27, 2023

Never has it been more clear than today that a majority of just a few, even one or two, votes in the House of Representatives can have massive effects on national policy and priorities.

Republicans, with help from a few California districts, took over the House last year and essentially retired former Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who remains in Congress but as a mere rank-and-filer.

Does anyone, for example, believe that President Biden’s possible impeachment would be the subject of hearings in the House today if Republicans were not in charge? That is, they’re in charge when they can choose a leader. If Democrats were still running the House, there would have been no dispute about expanding the federal debt ceiling, or preventing a government shutdown, and so on.

A swing of just five votes toward the Democrats would change the status quo quickly, giving them a one-vote margin.

The results almost exactly one year from today might hinge on a few seats won by narrow margins last year by candidates in California.

For example, the GOP scored key wins in two Central Valley districts that some expected to go Democratic. Without those victories by John Duarte of Modesto and David Valadao of Hanford, today’s GOP margin would be far slimmer.

Both those Republican wins were mild surprises, as the two districts involved, the 13th and 22nd, feature pluralities of Latino voters. Their failure to turn out in numbers comparable to 2018, when Democrats easily won the House, was one key to today’s Republican majority.

In the 13th, Duarte won by just 600 votes out of 133,000, far less than 1 percent. He will again face former Democratic Assemblyman Adam Gray of Merced, who will try to make up those 600 votes not only among Latinos, but from students at the burgeoning UC Merced campus.

Just down Highway 99, Valadao won in the 22nd district by 3 percent over another former Democratic state legislator, Rudy Salas. Like the 13th, this district voted for Biden, but here too, the Latino turnout cost the Democrats.

Elsewhere, some count Democrat Dave Min, an Orange County state senator under fire since his May arrest for drunk driving, as a sure loser. Min, a labor union ally in the Legislature, admitted to his violation. Said Min, “… To my family, constituents and supporters, I am so deeply sorry. (But) I will not let this…distract from our work…”

It’s unknown whether voters in the very tight 47th District, won in the last three elections by Democrat Katie Porter, will forgive Min. Porter, running for the seat long held by the late Democrat Diane Feinstein in the U.S. Senate, has not withdrawn her endorsement of Min.

If Min wins the primary, he will likely face Scott Baugh, 61, who once represented a coastal Orange County Assembly district. This could be one of California’s tightest races.

The difference in outcomes in the Central Valley districts and the 47th demonstrates why Democrats must turn out Latino voters. Porter did this in 2022;  Gray and Salas did not.

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Another threatened Democrat is Josh Harder of Tracy, challenged by Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln. But Harder has beaten opponents seemingly stronger than Lincoln.

Some have expressed doubts about the political survival of first-termer Kevin Kiley in the 3rdDistrict and two-termer Mike Garcia in the 27th.

But Kiley, who won by more than 6 percent last time after running poorly as a potential replacement candidate in the 2021 recall election against Gov. Gavin Newsom, now looks safe in this district centered on the GOP stronghold of Placer County. Garcia, meanwhile, easily beat a challenge from former Democratic Assemblywoman Christy Smith last time out. But voter registration in his 27th district, centered on Santa Clarita, grows steadily more Democratic.

Republicans, as usual, think they can beat three-term Democrat Mike Levin in the 49thDistrict, mainly in north San Diego County. But the GOP has run stronger-seeming candidates against Levin in other years than those now opposing him.

If all goes according to form elsewhere, it could take just one or two Democratic takeaways here to swing the House back to their side. But nothing is certain in any of these swing districts.

Email Thomas Elias at [email protected].

​ Orange County Register 

Gardening: Why the four guiding principles of pruning apply throughout the year

• October 27, 2023

Five things to do in the garden this week:

1. A while ago, I featured Sedum Harvest Moon (Sedum spathulifoium) as the California native of the week, lamenting that I could not find it in the nursery trade. John Lewallen sent me two online sources for this species. One is Earth and Jungle (earthandjungle.com) and the other is Bluestone Perennials, The succulent Sedum genus is replete with species showing off a variety of leaf forms. Foliage is often colorful and may be variegated, too, and the species in question has leaves that show off a captivating blend of silvery gray and and purple. Sedum flowers may appear in white, yellow, pink, or red, depending on the species. 

2. At Bluestone Perennials (bluestone perennials.com), three species of Bergenia, also known as “pigsqueak,” are available for fall planting. This is probably the toughest flowering perennial you can find for partial sun to shady locations. It can grow in virtually any kind of soil and most species are extremely hardy, capable of withstanding Alaska winters. Its large, cabbage leaves are an instant attraction. Flower color is a mix of pink, rose, and magenta although a type with red flowers is also available. The name “pigsqueak” refers to the sound made when rubbing a leaf between two fingers after a rain, a phenomenon which invariably endears this plant to kids.

3. Fran and Bill Arrowsmith, horticulturists in the South Bay, saw a toyon in their garden (Heteromeles arbutifolia) die from fireblight. This is a disease caused by bacteria that enter a plant through the nectaries at the base of its flower petals during wet weather in late winter or early spring. Leaves turn a fiery orange or red before wilt begins and the plant slowly dies. The question was raised as to what would be a good alternative plant for “front and center in our front yard.” Plants susceptible to fireblight are confined to the rose family, including apple, quince, and pear trees, pyracantha, toyon, and photinia shrubs, and others. So long as long as the replacement plant is not in the rose family, there is no concern that this disease will be a problem. I suggested a Howard McMinn arctostaphylos, commonly known as manzanita, variety. I have one that is nearly 20 years old and is almost a perfect sphere with a diameter of eight feet. It is a slow grower so you will want to plant the biggest specimen you can find. The flower display of pinkish-white urn-shaped flowers during winter to early spring is unmatched.

4. Although fall is generally regarded as the best month to prune, the four D’s, or guiding principles of pruning, apply throughout the year. The first of these is “Dead,” and concerns the removal of dead stems and branches, which can be done in any season and rightfully so, since dead wood is a source of interest to certain pathogens and insect borers that may be passing by and could cause further damage. The second D is “Diseased” growth which, as in the case of Dead, can seriously endanger the life of a tree or plant by being left in place. The third D is for “Damaged.” A branch that spits away from the trunk of a tree, for example, but is still attached to it, is a problem. Insects and/or fungi may use the area that opens up between branch and trunk, where water is likely to collect, as a safe haven, causing havoc as they later proliferate throughout the tree. The last D is for “Deranged” and refers to growth that is not healthy, especially for a tree. Such growth includes two branches rubbing together, one of which must go since the point of contact is also likely to be visited by fungi or insects. Suckers that come up from the base of a plant and water sprouts – the vertical shoots that you see on fruit trees in particular – are also considered to be Deranged, having no useful purpose and divert energy that could otherwise be used for flowering and fruit production.

5. Orchard floor management, which anyone with a few fruit trees should consider, is necessary to ensure the health of your trees. Never allow rotting fruit, leaves, or branches to remain on the ground since these can harbor fungi and insect eggs that can lead to the establishment of the pest in question when growth resumes next spring. Weeds around trees should also be removed since they can attract insects that carry pathogens in their saliva which, injected into the leaves of trees, and can bring about disease. Consider planting a cover crop among your trees. An aggressive grower like tansy leaf Phacelia (Phacelia tancetifolia) will not allow weeds to develop and will serve as green manure, enriching the soil around your trees when it matures and is turned under. 

Send questions and comments to [email protected].

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High school football: All of the scores from Thursday’s Week 10 games

• October 27, 2023

The scores from the high school football games played Thursday, Oct. 26.

THURSDAY’S RESULTS

CIF-SS

605 LEAGUE

Artesia 28, Glenn 20

BASELINE LEAGUE

Etiwanda 51, Damien 36

Upland 17, Rancho Cucamonga 14

BIG WEST—LOWER LEAGUE

Corona Santiago 55, Corona 6

Murrieta Mesa 31, King 14

Great Oak 49, Temecula Valley 21

BIG WEST—UPPER LEAGUE

Corona Centennial 55, Norco 0

Chaparral 59, Eastvale Roosevelt 57

Murrieta Valley 35, Vista Murrieta 21

CITRUS BELT LEAGUE

Cajon 34, Beaumont 30

COTTONWOOD LEAGUE

Bermuda Dunes Desert Christian 36, Anza Hamilton 14

DESERT SKY LEAGUE

Granite Hills 52, Barstow 35

IVY LEAGUE

Riverside North 34, Heritage 7

MESQUITE LEAGUE

Capistrano Valley Christian 45, Arrowhead Christian 6

MOJAVE RIVER LEAGUE

Oak Hills 56, Ridgecrest Burroughs 0

MOORE LEAGUE

Long Beach Poly 56, Long Beach Jordan 14

MOUNTAIN PASS LEAGUE

San Jacinto 64, Perris 12

MOUNTAIN VALLEY LEAGUE

San Bernardino 39, Pacific 12

MOUNTAIN WEST LEAGUE

Bonita 27, Charter Oak 18

MT. BALDY 4 LEAGUE

Hacienda Heights Wilson 23, Baldwin Park 0

NORTH HILLS LEAGUE

El Modena 48, Anaheim Canyon 14

PACIFIC—LOWER LEAGUE

Hoover 44, Glendale 14

RIO HONDO LEAGUE

Monrovia 29, San Marino 24

RIVER VALLEY LEAGUE

Patriot 49, La Sierra 14

SAN ANTONIO LEAGUE

West Covina 35, Chaffey 0

SIERRA LEAGUE

Covina 41, Rowland 7

VALLE VISTA LEAGUE

Diamond Ranch 36, Northview 28

L.A. CITY

WEST VALLEY LEAGUE

Granada Hills 48, Chatsworth 28

8-MAN

SOUTHERN SECTION

Santa Clarita Christian 40, Lancaster Baptist 12

Milken 62, Southlands Christian 28

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​ Orange County Register 

Los Amigos football earns share of second straight league title with win over Santiago

• October 27, 2023

GARDEN GROVE — The Los Amigos football team secured a share of its second consecutive Garden Grove League title with a 24-8 win over Santiago on Thursday night at Garden Grove High.

Lobos coach Melo Guess, in his third season at the helm, was ecstatic and noticeably soaked after receiving a celebratory ice bath from his players.

“It feels great. I just heard it’s been 20 years, give or take, since Los Amigos has gone back-to-back,” Guess said, “so you talk about that type of stuff, there’s a lot of history involved, so that feels great and it feels great to do it with a great group of guys.”

Rancho Alamitos also won Thursday to clinch a share of the Garden Grove League title, its sixth consecutive league title.

Los Amigos (6-4 overall) and Rancho Alamitos (7-3) both finished 4-1 in league.

Los Amigos quarterback Maysen Navarro, left, and running back Isaac Galindo helped the Lobos beat Santiago 24-8 and clinch a share of back-to-back league titles Thursday, Oct. 26. (Photo by David Delgado)

La Quinta (6-3, 3-1) will attempt make it a three-way tie for the league title with a win over Bolsa Grande on Friday. It would be La Quinta’s first league championship since 1990.

Los Amigos quarterback Maysen Navarro threw three touchdown passes, each to a different receiver, Miguel Radilla, Isaac alindo and Chris Flores.

“He’s getting healthy and getting more in rhythm,” Guess said of Navarro. “We got Chris Flores back today, which is another target and no one has seen us throw the ball this much all year.”

Santiago went on an opening drive but it ended with a turnover as quarterback James Gonzalez was intercepted by Marcelito Aviles on third-and-goal.

Los Amigos’ run-heavy approach was temporarily ditched for passes on the first three plays of the game.

“Every game we try to throw a wrinkle out,” Guess said. “We knew empty (backfield) would come out and catch them off guard.”

Los Amigos got on the board first with a 25-yard field goal by Miguel Radilla on the first play of the second quarter. The drive started with 7:42 left in the first quarter.

“They hold on to the ball and they’ve got a great running game and they’re very well coached.” Santiago coach Doug Ozsvath said.

At one point in the second quarter, there were back-to-back-to-back turnovers by the two teams.

Santiago (4-6, 1-4) threw an interception to Jacob Aguilar, then Navarro was picked off by Cavaliers defensive back Juan Valadez on the next drive.

Lobos defensive end Alejandro Carrillo sacked Gonzalez on the next possession, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Aviles.

“Three turnovers in the first half makes it difficult for us to come back from,” Ozsvath said.

The Lobos scored a touchdown with 32 seconds left before halftime when Maysen Navarro found Radilla for a 6-yard pass and a 10-0 lead.

Galindo made it 17-0 midway through the third quarter with his 44-yard TD on a screen pass.

Guess dialed up a nice play call after a timeout just before Galindo’s score.

“We knew they would load the box on us, which was going to give us some opportunities down the field, especially with the game plan this week for us to stretch the field,” Guess said. “And sure enough, we got Galindo and snuck him by everyone.

“That was just a money and a timing play, you know what I mean, and timing is everything.”

Navarro connected with Flores late in the third quarter for a 3-yard TD pass to make it 24-0.

Victor Garcia scored the Cavaliers’ only touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter on an 11-yard pass from Gonzalez.

“I’m super happy with my boys, my boys came out and fought every single week.” Ozsvath said.

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​ Orange County Register 

Alexander: For LeBron James, rest is good … but winning is better

• October 27, 2023

LOS ANGELES — If you’re old enough, you know what they say about good intentions. And Darvin Ham’s intentions were pure and logical: Keep 38-year-old LeBron James’ minutes under control, thus keeping him fresh and healthy and available for more of the season.

In Game 2 of the season, those plans underwent some revision on the fly.

James played 35 minutes, exactly, including the entire fourth quarter in the Lakers’ 100-95 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night. This was a Suns roster that was shorthanded, with Bradley Beal still dealing with tightness in his lower back and Devin Booker tweaking his left foot Tuesday in the late stages of the Suns’ opening night victory over Golden State.

But it was also a Suns roster that, thanks to Kevin Durant, had the Lakers by the neck for much of the night, leading by 12 points going into the fourth quarter. Through three periods, James had played 23 minutes, and the Lakers were outscored by 16 points when he was out of the game.

And all that stuff Ham had said before the game, about trying to protect LeBron? Sometimes you’ve just got to adjust.

“It’s an ongoing thing,” he said before the game. “Obviously, all the miles that he’s logged in this league over the last 20 years and going into his 21st season, we have to be careful. And, again, he makes it easy by how well he takes care of himself. But you tend to forget, again, the wear and tear that he’s had to endure.

“And, you know, you want to prevent any chance of injury by being careful on the front end and not just saying, ‘Oh, he looks fine, he’s playing great. He still has that pop, that energy, that twitch,’ and run him out there too long. And before you know it, you know, things happen. So to avoid all of that, we proactively came up with a plan beforehand, with the medical team, with him, starting with him, our medical team, Mike Macias, myself, Rob (Pelinka), we all put our heads together to see what was the best course of action. And that’s what we landed on.”

The magic number seemed to be 30 minutes a game, and LeBron played a tick over 29 in Tuesday’s opener at Denver. But, as we saw Thursday night, there can be wiggle room.

We saw why. The Lakers outscored Phoenix 28-11 in the fourth quarter, holding the Suns to 5-for-20 field goal shooting (and 1-for-9) from three-point range in the fourth with eight turnovers. James accounted for 11 points, five rebounds, seven assists and a steal in those 11 minutes.

And here’s the other number Laker observers will be watching as long as this minute control experiment goes: When LeBron was on the floor, the Lakers outscored Phoenix by 23 points. When he wasn’t, they were outscored by 16.

You’d probably ignore the limits, too.

“We were dragging our feet there for the better part of the first half,” Ham said. “And, you know, things weren’t clicking. We weren’t making shots, especially from three.

“He has that that spirit, that intensity to put the team on his shoulders. And I had timeouts to play with. And so I went to him. I said, ‘How we feeling? What do we want to do?’ And he answered my question and I saw the result.”

Ham had three timeouts available to him going into the fourth quarter, using two of them and getting another stoppage when the Suns challenged a foul call on Kevin Durant late in the game. And James had the biggest plays of the night, driving the lane on back-to-back possessions, sandwiched around a Durant miss, for baskets that gave L.A. a 95-91 edge with 41 seconds left.

“He (Ham) asked me if I could go the quarter,” James said. “I look at the time and score and what was going on in the game. And it was an easy answer for myself. I know how much work I’ve put in to be able to play quarters or whatever the case may be. And I understand that we definitely have a system put in place, but tonight called for me to try to go outside of the box.

“I felt very fresh going on the stretch, not long as so many minutes beforehand, before the fourth quarter. The coach trusted me, and I had to go out and prove it.”

The great ones are easy to trust. Sometimes, of course, you have to make sure they don’t talk you out of what makes the most sense.

“When you get the competitive juices flowing, and you’ve got two all-time greats on the floor battling and going back and forth like that, it’s hard to sit out on something like that,” Ham said.

“He never ceases to amaze us. And he cares. He cares. That’s why you see this type of stat line. He’s laying it all out for his team, in year 21. I just hope a lot of these young pros out here are looking and seeing what he’s doing off the court, pre-game preparation, in-game impact, post-game recovery and his own private sessions of making sure his body is functioning and not just functional but functioning at a high level.”

The Lakers don’t play again until Sunday in Sacramento, which was a factor in rolling the dice with this one. And the suspicion is that instead of a hard and fast minutes limit, James’ usage might depend in part on the surrounding schedule.

It may also depend on his teammates, and how well they pull their weight. This, right now, is an issue. Anthony Davis provided 30 points and 12 rebounds Thursday night and D’Angelo Russell added 14 and five assists. But the Lakers are still searching for cohesion continuity with a roster that does have a lot of new parts.

“That’s okay,” James said, “because I know there’s no way we should be where I want us to be right now.”

But this may be a delicate balancing act. The victories do matter early in the season, especially if you take the new in-season tournament seriously. But the objective is to make sure James, and Davis as well, are fully functional when the games mean the most.

[email protected] 

​ Orange County Register