Megan Rapinoe announces she’ll retire after NWSL season

• July 8, 2023

CHICAGO — Days before heading to her fourth World Cup, Megan Rapinoe announced Saturday she’ll retire at the end of the National Women’s Soccer League season.

Rapinoe, 38, made the announcement on Twitter, saying she “never could have imagined the ways in which soccer would shape & change my life forever.”

“It is with a deep sense of peace & gratitude that I have decided this will be my final season playing this beautiful game,” the Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Cup champion said.

The U.S. team is aiming for a third consecutive title when the Women’s World Cup kicks off on July 20 in Australia and New Zealand.

More to come on this story.

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Kings re-sign center Akil Thomas to 1-year-deal

• July 8, 2023

The Kings have re-signed center Akil Thomas to a one-year, two-way contract with an annual average value of up to $775,000, the team said in a news release Saturday.

This signing extends the stay of Thomas, 23, who has been with the franchise since the Kings selected him in the second round of the 2018 draft. Injuries have marred his past two campaigns, including a shoulder surgery that snipped his most recent season short after just 13 games in which he scored eight points.

The peak moments for Thomas came during his junior career, including captaining the Niagara IceDogs and scoring the gold medal-winning goal for Canada at the World Junior Championships in 2020.

Thomas added to the organizational depth at center and will likely start the year with the Ontario Reign, the Kings’ top minor-league affiliate, where Coach Marco Sturm said he expected Thomas to be a leader last season. The Reign also signed forward Charles Hudon, who spent last season in the Colorado Avalanche organization, to a two-year AHL contract on Monday.

While the focus for Thomas will continue to be on getting healthy and developing his game, he has also developed a persona away from the rink. One of a still limited number of Black players in the ranks of pro hockey (his father and uncle also played minor pro hockey), he has co-hosted the “Soul on Ice” podcast and otherwise been forthcoming about his experience.

Thomas also designed the Kings’ warmup jerseys for Black History Month last season. He was a natural choice not merely because of his identity, but because of his passion for fashion. Thomas began designing shirts at 13 and later co-founded his apparel brand Zale.

“The opportunity to design the Kings jerseys for Black History Month felt like the perfect intersection for me between my hockey career and my passion for design,” Thomas wrote on NHL.com.

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6 killed in fiery crash of Cessna aircraft in French Valley

• July 8, 2023

Six people were killed when a Cessna business jet crashed just north of French Valley Airport Saturday morning, July 8, authorities said.

The crash was reported around 4:15 a.m. in the area of Auld and Briggs roads in Murrieta. Arriving deputies found the plane fully engulfed in flames in a field, Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeret McClellan said.

Six people were on board the Cessna C550 business jet, which took off from Harry Reid Airport in Las Vegas about 3:15 a.m., according to Mina Kaji, spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration.

#FrenchValley Critical Incident Plane Crash Investigation

Please stay out of the area.

Road closures at:
Briggs Road and Sky Canyon
Briggs Road and Auld Road
Auld Road and Industry Way

Closed until further notice. pic.twitter.com/e0RZTpmaPl

— Riverside County Sheriff (@RSO) July 8, 2023

FlightAware, a third-party flight tracking site, showed a plane that took off from Harry Reid Airport around 3:15 a.m. and, for unknown reasons, bypassed the runway at French Valley Airport traveling southbound, then fell short of the runway after attempting to circle back around for a second approach just before 4:15 a.m.

The data show the pilot first attempted to land just before 4 a.m.

Weather data from Ogimet, a website that provides weather conditions at airports in 20-minute intervals, showed mist and fog at French Valley Airport, with clouds roughly 300 feet above the surface and about a half-mile visibility in the interval surrounding the crash.

The cloud ceiling and visibility were below the minimum for pilots to try to attempt a visual landing, said Robert Katz, a Dallas-based commercial pilot with 42 years of experience. Based on the weather and flight data, he said the pilot could have considered landing at another airport with better weather conditions.

He also said the pilot should have been aware of the weather conditions before attempting an approach at French Valley Airport.

“This is what we call in aviation ‘get-there-itis,’” Katz continued. “The crew wants to get there, the pilot is under pressure not to disappoint and not to divert anywhere else. This is what gets people killed.”

The fire burned about an acre of vegetation before Cal Fire firefighters extinguished the flames, officials said.

It was the second fatal crash near French Valley Airport this week. On July 4, a student pilot was killed and three others were injured when a Cessna 172 crashed while departing the airport.

The preliminary report from the July 4 crash is expected from the National Transportation Safety Board in about three weeks.

The FAA and NTSB are investigating the cause and circumstances of the Saturday morning crash.

This is a developing story. Additional information will be added as it becomes available.

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Angel City interim coach Becki Tweed continues to adjust to new role

• July 8, 2023

Things have moved quickly for Becki Tweed.

In January, she was hired as an assistant coach after three seasons at NJ/NY Gotham FC. Five months later, she was promoted to interim coach, replacing Freya Coombe.

In four games since Tweed took over, Angel City FC has yet to lose heading into Sunday’s home game against the North Carolina Courage (5 p.m., BSSC, Paramount+).

“I’m a very day-to-day person,” said Tweed, whose club has gone 2-0-2 under her watch. “Like, let’s go one day at a time and make sure every day you kind of go through the process of what makes the day brilliant.

“I don’t know if it’s normal. I think you’re never really ready to be anything … to be a head coach, but you adapt. I think the last few weeks have been really eye-opening for me and I think as an individual I’ve learned a lot, but I’ve had incredible support from (assistant coach) Eleri (Earnshaw) and from (goalkeeping coach) Dan (Ball) and from the rest of the staff here. And I think we’re going day to day and we’re in a routine and we’re in a good spot. The players have been fantastic and we’re going to continue to grow and go one day at a time.”

The Courage began the week in first place in the NWSL thanks to a four-game winning streak.

“North Carolina is another team that is in form right now,” Tweed said. “They’re getting results. They’re at the top of the league, organized and well coached.

“They’ve lost players to the World Cup also, but the players that they’ve brought in do similar jobs. We’ve had some time to sit down and watch them and think about where we can hurt them and the threats that we can bring to them.

“This league is wild, right? Anyone can beat anyone on the day. We just need to be the best versions of ourselves and continue to grow from performance to performance.”

Henry update

French star Amandine Henry, signed by Angel City FC on June 1, was expected to join the team after the World Cup, but the midfielder was kept off of the French World Cup roster due to a calf injury.

Henry could be arriving sooner than later, but recovery is first.

“I don’t have a timeline,” Tweed said. “I think obviously, for her right now, it’s disappointing that she’s not able to play in the World Cup … so we just have to respect that and give her time and space and make sure she’s mentally ready to come in when she comes in.”

Notes

Jun Endo, who has been out since May 27 with a knee injury, will be available for Sunday’s game and will then depart to join Japan for the World Cup. …

Defender M.A Vignola earned a spot on the NWSL Best XI team for June. However, she suffered an ankle injury in last week’s scoreless draw at Gotham FC and will not play against North Carolina. …

Sunday is Angel City’s last game before a three-week break. It will return for a Challenge Cup home game July 29 against the Portland Thorns. The next league game is Aug. 19 at Racing Louisville FC.

North Carolina at Angel City FC

When: 5 p.m. Sunday

Where: BMO Stadium

How to watch: Bally Sports SoCal, Paramount+

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LA, Orange County homebuying slumps to 2nd-slowest sales on record

• July 8, 2023

Homebuying in Los Angeles and Orange counties fell 24% in a year as pricey house payments scared away potential buyers.

Sales of houses and condos, existing and new, totaled 7,458 in May in the two counties, according to CoreLogic. That’s up 17% for the month but down 24% for the year.

So just how slow is it?

Second-slowest May for sales in records dating to 1988.
47th-smallest sales total for any month in over 35 years, and only 11% of all months have been slower.
39% below the average May sales pace since 1988.
In the past 12 months, 112,483 sales were 34% below average.
Lowest 12-month sales count since March 2009.
Only 2.4% of all 12-month periods have been slower.

Look, it’s been a year-plus since the Federal Reserve began hiking interest rates to cool an overheated economy. Homes have grown unaffordable as lofty mortgage rates cut buying power by 12% in a year. Economic skittishness also dampened house-hunting enthusiasm.

So in the six-county Southern California region, sales fell 26% in a year to 16,350 as the median sales price decreased 3.8% to $715,000.

The basics

Let’s look inside the L.A.-O.C. market, starting with May’s sales.

Los Angeles County had 5,154 closings, up 18% in a month and 24% lower in a year. Orange County had 2,304 sales – up 16% in a month and 22% lower in a year.

Note: An average May sees one-month sales with 6.1% growth in L.A. and 6% growth in O.C.

Next, consider how prices moved.

In Los Angeles County, the $800,000 median was flat in a month and 6% lower in a year. It’s also 7% off the $860,000 record high set in April 2022.

Orange County’s $1 million median was up 1.2% in a month but 4.8% off the $1.05 million peak of May 2022.

Since 1988, the average May had prices gain 1.1% in L.A. and 1.7% in O.C.

Payment pain

Pricier financing is a factor in the slump: The 30-year mortgage averaged 6.43% in May vs. 5.23% 12 months earlier.

My trusty spreadsheet tells me Los Angeles County buyers got an estimated house payment that’s 7% pricier – $4,016 per month on the $800,000 median vs. $3,764 on a year ago’s $854,000 home. And that assumes having $160,000 for a 20% downpayment.

In Orange County, buyers got an 8% bigger payment – $5,020 monthly on the $1 million median vs. $4,628 on a year ago’s $1.054 million home. The downpayment was $200,000 or 20%.

Single-family homes

Sales: L.A.’s 3,597 transactions were up 15% in a month and 24% lower in a year. O.C.’s 1,426 closings were up 19% in a month and 24% lower in a year.

Prices: L.A.’s $865,000 median was up 2% in a month and 7% lower in a year. O.C.’s $1.2 million median was up 4% in a month and flat in a year.

Condos

Sales: L.A. had 1,263 sold —  up 25% in a month but 26% lower in a year. O.C. had 714 sold —  up 24% in a month but 18% lower in a year.

Prices: L.A.’s $666,000 median was up 1% in a month but 5% lower in a year. O.C.’s $724,000 median was down 1% in a month but 3% lower in a year.

New homes

Sales: L.A. builders sold 206 units —  up 26% in a month but 27% lower in a year. O.C. had 163 new residences sold —  down 19% in a month and 25% lower in a year.

Prices: L.A.’s $858,500 new-home median was down 13.3% in a month but 6% higher in a year. O.C.’s $1 million median was down 12% in a month and 24% lower in a year.

Builder share: L.A. new homes were 4% of all closings last month compared to 4.2% 12 months earlier. O.C.’s 7.1% share last month compares to 7.3% 12 months earlier.

Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at [email protected]

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One year later, a persistent garden problem persists

• July 8, 2023

Q. It happened again! I wrote last year about a white coating on my grapes which you diagnosed as fungus. Lost all the grapes. This year there are many bunches of grapes, all covered with the same white coating. I sprayed with copper but to no avail. The leaves and vines are involved with spots on the vines and rust-colored spots on the leaves. Any hope for the vine or should it be removed?

I’m sorry to hear that your grape troubles are still with you.

Powdery mildew is very common in grapes, especially in our Mediterranean climate. The spores will spread during rainy weather (which we’ve had a lot of this year), then establish when the temperatures rise. Powdery mildew, unlike most other fungal diseases, doesn’t need moist conditions to grow. It favors shade and mild temperatures, so if your grapes are not getting full sun that could increase the likelihood of powdery mildew.

If the infection is caught early, prune out the affected branches and spray every ten days until daytime temperatures reach 90. Sulfur, neem oil, horticultural oil, jojoba oil, and Serenade are all approved treatments for powdery mildew.

Since you report rust-colored spots on the leaves and fruit loss, I suspect your grapes may be infected with another, additional, disease. Measles (in grapes this is a fungal disease), Pierce’s disease, or (less likely) Phomopsis.

The likelihood of saving your grapevines depends on the extent of damage and your ability to improve the growing conditions. First, remove any affected branches and dispose of them in the trash. If all the branches are affected, you’ll probably just want to remove the whole plant. Is the vine getting full sun? Is it in a location that allows for good air circulation? Will you remember to spray it every 10 days? I would recommend starting over with a new grapevine in a new location.

Q. We have had one passion fruit vine for about 4 years that has never borne flowers. The vine grows long branches every year and we live in the Corona area. We have had other passion fruit vines that bore flowers and produced fruit.

Can you tell us why this vine doesn’t produce flowers?

If the vine is otherwise healthy (and yours seems to be), the plant may not be old enough to produce flowers. Most of our fruit-bearing plants haven’t produced fruit before they were 4 or 5 years old. It might just be taking its time.

Passion vines are not fussy about soil or growing conditions, but they do need full sun to flower. Give it a fence or trellis to climb so it can get more sun exposure.

Los Angeles County

[email protected]; 626-586-1988; http://celosangeles.ucanr.edu/UC_Master_Gardener_Program/

Orange County

[email protected]; 949-809-9760; http://mgorange.ucanr.edu/

Riverside County

[email protected]; 951-683-6491 ext. 231; https://ucanr.edu/sites/RiversideMG/

San Bernardino County

[email protected]; 909-387-2182; http://mgsb.ucanr.edu

​ Orange County Register 

For MLB’s top draft picks, the minor-league trail is getting shorter

• July 8, 2023

In 2011, Ryan Brasier was pitching for the Double-A Arkansas Travelers when their parent club, the Angels, promoted him to Triple-A on July 4. Four days later, the Angels promoted Arkansas’ center fielder directly to the majors. Twelve years later, Mike Trout and Brasier are the only two players from that club still active in the major leagues.

Brasier was unsurprised by how quickly Trout reached the big leagues, or by how long he’s persisted.

“The best player on the club by far,” Brasier said of Trout. “Everybody could just tell. The ball coming off his bat, how he ran the bases – whatever it was, you could tell he was a level above everybody else.”

Trout, the 25th pick in the 2009 draft, needed two years to reach the major leagues, debuting at age 19. Fast-tracking players to the majors was uncommon then and uncommon now. But at least some teams – especially the Angels – seem less afraid to try it.

Angels shortstop Zach Neto, the 13th overall pick in last year’s amateur draft, has spent most of this season in the majors. He was recently joined by pitchers Ben Joyce, the Angels’ third-round pick, and ninth-round pick Victor Mederos.

Last year, pitcher Chase Silseth debuted one year after the Angels drafted him. He’s since been joined by 13 other 2021 draft picks in the major leagues, including teammate Sam Bachman.

The basics of this year’s Major League Baseball amateur draft, which begins Sunday in Seattle, are unchanged from a year ago. But the expectations are accelerating for how quickly a high-end player can reach the majors. You don’t have to be the next Mike Trout to be wearing a big-league uniform two years after your name is called at the draft.

“The top five is a very clear top five,” ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel said on a conference call with reporters earlier this week. “It is the best top five in a dozen years.”

Those five: LSU’s Dylan Crews and Paul Skenes; the University of Florida’s Wyatt Langford; Walker Jenkins, a high school outfielder from North Carolina; and Max Clark, another high school outfielder from Indiana. The three college players are among the early favorites to reach the majors first.

Paul Skenes was one of the top players in the country as a pitcher and catcher for El Toro High in 2019. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Skenes, who arrived at LSU via the Air Force Academy and El Toro High School, has been called by some scouts “the best college pitcher in 20 years.” The right-hander finished the season 12-2 with a 1.69 ERA and 209 strikeouts in 122 2/3 innings for the Tigers, who won the College World Series title.

The Pittsburgh Pirates draft first, the Washington Nationals second. The consensus is that Skenes will not be available by the time the Detroit Tigers pick third. The draft will begin on MLB Network, ESPN and MLB.com at 4 p.m.

The Angels draft 11th and won’t pick again until the third round Monday, when coverage will shift exclusively to MLB.com.

The Dodgers pick 36th. Their first pick was docked 10 spots when they exceeded the competitive balance tax threshold by more than $40 million last year. The Dodgers will also draft 60th, at the end of the second round.

While the top five players might be more polished than usual, polish is not the determining factor in a major-league promotion it once was. Teams are not merely more willing to promote young players quickly because they are more developed now than when Trout debuted in 2011, or because they are more willing to teach at the major-league level. The consensus is that both things are true.

“I don’t think development stops when you get to the major-league level,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said recently. “That’s our job, to keep making them better – and their teammates, really, teaching them how to learn.”

Other local players to watch on Day 1 of the draft:

Grand Canyon University shortstop Jacob Wilson, from Thousand Oaks
Mississippi shortstop Jacob Gonzalez, from Glendora
Huntington Beach High School catcher/first baseman Ralphy Velazquez, who is committed to Arizona State
Aquinas High School third baseman/shortstop Eric Bitonti, who is committed to Oregon

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Which Orange County members of Congress can you find on Threads?

• July 8, 2023

Social media giant Meta launched Threads a day after the Fourth of July holiday, and the brand-new Twitter alternative app has already picked up steam, becoming the most rapidly downloaded app.

More than 30 million people signed up within the first few hours of the launch, said Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg — and that includes many members of Orange County’s congressional delegation. Others, though, are still relying on more familiar platforms to communicate with their constituents.

Here’s a look at who is on Threads, so far, and what social media platform each lawmaker prefers.

Rep. Linda Sánchez

While Sánchez doesn’t have a platform she prefers, she’s on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and as of this week, Threads, she said. According to her official Instagram page, Sánchez was the 37,483,870th person to make a Threads account.

“Looking forward to connecting with folks across #CA38 here,” her first Threads post says.

Sánchez, D-Whittier, also has a Medium account where she’s written several blog posts on topics ranging from the Jan. 6 Capitol attack to holiday happenings around her district.

Additionally, she regularly does town halls, both in-person and virtual, and hosts “Coffee with the Congresswoman” events where she meets with constituents at coffee shops and senior centers to chat about their concerns.

And while social media is useful for getting news out to her constituents, she said, she also has a weekly newsletter. Folks on the list get updates on local events and happenings in Washington, D.C.

Rep. Young Kim

Kim, who has not yet signed up for a Threads account, said she is “open to it if it can help reach more constituents.” The Anaheim Hills Republican is on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram — and uses Facebook most often to keep in touch with constituents.

Aside from social media, Kim said she’s held dozens of town halls, webinars, roundtables and other public events and encourages constituents to subscribe to her weekly e-newsletter for “regular updates on upcoming events … and her work in Congress.”

Rep. Michelle Steel

Instagram is Steel’s social media app of choice because it’s a “fun way of sharing great moments with constituents,” spokesperson Claire Nance said. Steel is sticking to Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to get news out to her constituents and hasn’t made a Threads account, Nance said.

Like her colleagues, Steel meets with constituents in-person in the district so she can answer questions and directly hear about the challenges they are facing, according to Nance.

Rep. Lou Correa

The Anaheim Democrat joined Threads in its early days, with his first post about immigration reform.

“I’m on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. And I’ve already added Threads to that list,” said Correa. “The more ways to get information out there to the folks who need to hear it, the better.”

Hey everyone! You can now also officially find me over on Threads—where I will continue to not stop talking about immigration reform. pic.twitter.com/7xte5ShNoG

— Rep. Lou Correa (@RepLouCorrea) July 7, 2023

Out of the now-four social media platforms he’s on, Correa said he prefers Facebook: “I’ve used Facebook for years. I know that’s where the majority of my constituents get their information, and I like to meet them where they are.”

And while he loves to let his constituents know what’s going on via social media, Correa uses old-school methods, too.

“I also like to make sure my office is sending out e-blasts to our newsletter subscribers and letting our local press … know what I’m working on, and what’s on the minds of my constituents,” Correa said. “And, of course, I like to make my rounds at neighborhood events as well.”

Correa, who lives a short distance away from his childhood neighborhood, said constituents could simply find him “out and about in the neighborhood, oftentimes at Costco or Home Depot.”

Rep. Katie Porter

Porter, who’s active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Threads, is the only member of Orange County’s congressional delegation who is on TikTok, where she has hundreds of thousands of followers.

And Porter, who’s had many viral social media moments in her career, has TikTok videos that each have accumulated millions of views.

@repkatieporter

Bigger corporate profits account for OVER HALF of the higher prices people are paying. #congress #pricegouging #corporategreed

♬ original sound – Rep. Katie Porter

“To get news out, she believes in meeting people where they are, which means a combination of events, emails, letters, social media and more,” spokesperson Jordan Wong said.

On Threads, Porter recently praised President Joe Biden’s plan to curtail surprise medical bills and shared her own work to “protect patients from the long-term harms of medical debt.” (Porter has two Threads accounts: one is her congressional page and the other is for her U.S. Senate campaign.)

Rep. Mike Levin

Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, is on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and now Threads, said spokesperson Raymond Rodriguez.

“We want to connect with constituents on various social media platforms,” Rodriguez said.

He has two Threads accounts — one is his personal page and the other is his government account — and in his first post, Levin shared a photo of him and his wife, Chrissy.

Like his Democratic colleague Correa, Levin prefers Facebook because “it allows direct communication with constituents and supports different types of media like videos, photos, live town halls and more,” Rodriguez said.

Levin also uses a variety of methods to get news out to his constituents, including monthly town halls, direct meetings with constituents, monthly e-newsletters and mass texts.

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