Orange County scores and player stats for Monday, Sept. 23

• September 24, 2024

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Scores and stats from Orange County games on Monday, Sept. 23

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The deadline for submitting information is 10:45 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 p.m. Saturday.

MONDAY’S SCORES

BOYS WATER POLO

NONLEAGUE

Orange 11, Sierra Vista 3

FLAG FOOTBALL

COAST LEAGUE

Estancia 20, Loara 6

Passing: (Est) McClure 18-30, 213 yards, 3 TDs.

Receiving: (Est) Avalos 7-129, 3 TDs. Silva 4-32. Jennis 3-20

Defense: (Est) Rodriguez INT,  Avalos INT.

SUNSET LEAGUE

Corona del Mar 27, Marina 25

Newport Harbor 26, Los Alamitos 7

EMPIRE LEAGUE

Westminster 32, Kennedy 7

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Laguna Beach 18, Irvine 6

Rosary 41, Northwood 19

University 22, Portola 12

NORTH HILLS LEAGUE

Sonora 38, Brea Olinda 6

CRESTVIEW LEAGUE

Esperanza 19, El Dorado 18

GOLDEN WEST LEAGUE

Godinez 24, Costa Mesa 6

NONLEAGUE

Fullerton 20, Garden Grove 2

Segerstrom 48, Buena Park 14

Valencia 13, Laguna Hills 12

Savanna 25, Saddleback 0

Santiago 46, Western 6

Sunny Hills 51, Whitney 0

Yorba Linda 20, Ayala 6

GIRLS GOLF

EMPIRE LEAGUE

Valencia 211, Westminster 267

NONLEAGUE

Beckman 195, Canyon 198

GIRLS TENNIS

NONLEAGUE

Santa Margarita 15, Canyon 3

La Habra 15, Whittier Christian 3

Capistrano Valley 11, Irvine 7

Immaculate Heart 15, Rosary 3

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

WESTERN LEAGUE

Bethel Baptist def. Waldorf OC, 3-1

NONLEAGUE

Magnolia Science Academy/Santa Ana def. MSA/Los Angeles, 3-0

Samueli Academy def. Crossroads Christian, 3-0

First Baptist/Long Beach def. Eastside Christian, 3-0

​ Orange County Register 

O.C. officials advise safe practices for helping lost animals from Airport fire

• September 24, 2024

With the Airport fire aflame since Sept. 9, some escaping wildlife may be finding its way into local neighborhoods, authorities warn.

Sparked in Trabuco Canyon, the blaze quickly grew and has engulfed about 23,500 acres in Orange and Riverside counties. Officials said fire crews had achieved about 81% containment as of Monday with personnel using the recent cooler weather to their advantage in controlling the fire.

While fire crews have gained the upper hand, there are still concerns that animals fleeing the blaze may become lost, disoriented or have been injured and officials are warning residents of what to do if they come across the wildlife.

Report to animal officials

If residents discover an injured or displaced animal, they are encouraged to call their local animal care center. Anyone who finds an animal in these conditions should not approach or try to provide assistance – for everyone’s well-being.

Any wildlife encounters in Dove Canyon, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita or Robinson Ranch should contact Mission Viejo Animal Services at 949-470-3045.

For encounters with injured, dazed or deceased animals in unincorporated county areas, such as the canyons, Coto de Caza, Rancho Mission Viejo and Ladera Ranch, local are urged to contact OC Animal Care at 714-935-6848.

Avoid feeding impacted animals

Feeding human meals or pet food is not always the best option for wild animals, officials said. It can lead to more problems as most foods found in homes do not meet the dietary standards the animal needs to thrive. Supplying human food to wild animals may also lead them to be dependent on that diet. It can also cause animals to wander more into cities and urban areas for food.

Secure your home

Animals fleeing areas impacted by fires may be dazed, in search of food and a space to rest. Avoid leaving garage doors open and access to attics available – for the safety of both wild animals and family pets. Closing these spaces, as well as properly securing trash cans prevents animals from coming into homes in search of food.

How to help

Local animal shelters such as Mission Viejo and OC Animal Care Center are working to provide treatment and assistance to animals impacted by the fire. Visit their websites for more information and how you can help.

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​ Orange County Register 

Bidding tempo quickens for Laguna Niguel’s Ziggurat as price tops $164 million

• September 24, 2024

The tempo of the bidding for Laguna Niguel’s Ziggurat has accelerated.

The government auction’s price hit $164.4 on Monday, Sept. 23 for 89 acres of land with the pyramid-shaped Chet Holifield Federal Building. That’s 135% above the government’s initial $70 million ask.

A new bidding pace began late Friday afternoon, breaking a string of 17 days when the only activity were a pair of bids: one made just minutes before the deadline, followed by an instant response to that move.

Friday morning, an entity dubbed “Bidder #02” on the General Services Administration site increased price by the $300,000 – the minimum increment – just 29 minutes before the auction would have ended. Within seconds, “Bidder #01” responded by boosting the price by another $300,000.

But at 4:55 pm on Friday, Bidder #02 broke what had become their routine and bid a second time in a day. That move bumped up the price another $300,000. Bidder #01 instantly replied with a $300,000 increase.

This was the first time since Aug. 26 that more than two bids had been made in a day. This week also started differently.

Six hours before deadline – not minutes – Bidder #02 at 8:33 a.m. upped the price by $300,000. Bidder #01 countered with another similar increase. Seven hours later, the same back and forth – adding another $600,000 to the price.

This four-bid day made the deadline, 3:03 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 24. It’s all part of an auction which opened June 5. It’s drawn three bidders who have been battling largely with these $300,000 moves.

The original deadline was July 31 – unless the current high bid was topped on a deadline day. If that happens, the auction remains open for another 24 hours. That extension requirement was met July 31, plus all 37 business days afterward – with 26 of those extensions coming through bids entered within one hour of the deadline.

This competition for the Ziggurat site comes as a rare opportunity for large-scale real estate development in south Orange County. The land comes with an eye-catching, million-square-foot office structure designed by the late famed architect William Pereira. The US government no longer needs it.

This is the Ziggurat’s second auction. The first, which required the buyer to preserve the structure, drew no bids. This auction – without that restriction on development – will likely mean demolition of the seven-story, 1-million-square-foot office facility.

Yet any developer will have to win the support of the city of Laguna Niguel to proceed with the Ziggurat site’s next chapter.

Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com

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​ Orange County Register 

Rams look to build off exhilarating first win

• September 24, 2024

He might have been holding his breath at the Rams’ facility on Monday, but head coach Sean McVay got some good news after speaking with VP of sports medicine Reggie Scott after Sunday’s 27-24 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

“By the grace of god we came out fairly clean,” McVay joked. “That’s a very positive thing where we can now start to establish somewhat of a continuity with the same groups being able to work together two weeks in a row.”

The first two morning afters for the Rams (1-2) this season were full of devastating news. Receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua; offensive linemen Steve Avila, Jonah Jackson and Joe Noteboom; and safety John Johnson III all were staring at lengthy absences one or two games into the year.

Those players still are sidelined, but as they prepare for next weekend’s road game against the Chicago Bears (1-2), the Rams have some consistency to hang their hat on entering practice.

After three different arrangements in as many weeks, the Rams will start the same five offensive linemen in Chicago as they did against the 49ers. And after two straight weeks of sorting through the receiving room, adjusting roles and snap counts, quarterback Matthew Stafford’s targets will be preparing for the same work load for the second consecutive game.

“We can start to develop some continuity,” McVay said. “If you were to say what’s been the most frustrating thing – really the second-most, first thing is for the players – the second thing is that, we talk about a process, there hasn’t been a process when we can’t work together. … So I’m very glad we came out of this clean, and now I want to see us continue to improve so that we can play better quality football.”

That goes for the Rams’ defense as well.

Last week, linebacker Troy Reeder spoke about how the unit was discovering how to play with each other on the fly with so many new faces and young players asked to play bigger roles in 2024. That was evident through a couple of uneven performances to start the season.

But despite some hiccups and another slow start, the Rams’ defense came through in key moments on Sunday to help secure the win. Whether it was a third-down run stuff by Reeder to hold the 49ers to a field goal in the fourth quarter or the secondary giving Brock Purdy nowhere to pass late in the game, there was something for the unit to build off of and move forward with.

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“OTAs, training camp, you really get to know the guys on a personal level, earn that trust. But then the games come and it’s different. It’s kind of a different beast,” linebacker Christian Rozeboom said. “It’s just seeing the successes, kind of the practice and the preparation that we’re going through, kind of seeing the fruits of our labor a little bit. I think it just builds confidence as a whole.”

Smith to continue to return punts

After his 38-yard punt return to set up Sunday’s game-winning field goal, receiver Xavier Smith will continue to return punts for the Rams, McVay said on Monday.

“He’s really put a lot of work in,” McVay said. “It’s a cool reflection of the work paying off, him continuing to just stay steady and then being able to have the opportunity to deliver in an important moment for the team. So, he will be the punt returner moving forward.”

Smith was a practice squad call up this week after the undrafted free agent spent over a year waiting for the opportunity to make his NFL debut. But he still kept working to be ready for that moment.

“Even not being up for a game, he’s in there asking about punter keys, he’s asking about what types of punts we’re getting,” Rozeboom said. “Just seeing his success after being on practice squad for a year and then coming in and getting his opportunity and how he made the most of it, it’s pretty cool.”

​ Orange County Register 

In rapper PnB Rock’s South LA robber/shooting death, 1 man gets 31 years to life, another 12 years

• September 24, 2024

By TERRI VERMEULEN KEITH

COMPTON — A man convicted in connection with the robbery and shooting death of rapper PnB Rock at a South Los Angeles restaurant was sentenced Monday to just over 31 years to life in state prison.

Superior Court Judge Connie R. Quinones denied the defense’s motions for a new trial for Freddie Lee Trone or to vacate the jury’s murder verdict against the 42-year-old defendant involving the rapper’s Sept. 12, 2022, slaying.

The judge noted that Trone was “not the shooter” and that he didn’t go inside Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles on West Manchester Avenue, but said that “does not mean that you’re not accountable.”

This image released by the Los Angeles Police Department shows Freddie Lee Trone. Los Angeles police on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, named Trone the suspect in the fatal shooting of rapper PnB Rock. (Los Angeles Police Department via AP)

Trone was convicted Aug. 7 of one count each of murder and conspiracy to commit robbery, along with two counts of second-degree robbery involving the 30-year-old rapper and his fiance, who were robbed of jewelry.

Co-defendant Tremont Jones, 46, who was convicted of two counts of second-degree robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery — but who was not charged with murder in the case — was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

The defendants were charged along with Trone’s then-17-year-old son, whose case is currently in juvenile court.

The rapper’s mother, Deannea Allen, called her son “a shining light in our family,” saying “he was our Michael Jackson.”

“We’re all suffering, everybody, your family as well,” the victim’s mother told the defendant, who stood behind his attorney in the Compton courtroom. “I just really, really hope that you repent, and that you’re sorry for what you’ve done.”

The rapper’s aunt, Aqueelah Brown, called her nephew’s death a “devastating loss,” saying that “his life was taken in an act of senseless violence.”

“We are heartbroken, and our lives will never be the same,” she said.

In a statement read by Brown on her behalf, Brown’s niece wrote, “I truly hope that these thugs get everything they deserve … I truly hope that you suffer as much as we have.”

PnB Rock, whose real name is Rakim Allen, was shot once in the chest and two times in the back by an assailant in a ski mask who demanded jewelry as the rapper and his girlfriend ate lunch.

Deputy District Attorney Timothy Richardson told the jury that Trone “sent his son out on a coordinated act to rob watches, rings and chains off of a person,” while defense attorney Winston McKesson countered that Trone’s teenage son acted independently from his dad and that the “only conclusion that is consistent with justice is that Freddie Trone is not guilty of these charges.”

The prosecutor told jurors that the motive for the crime was “about a half a million dollars worth of jewelry,” arguing that Trone drove his son to and from the restaurant but never set foot inside the business himself while the rapper was there.

The prosecution alleged that Jones fist-bumped the rapper at the restaurant and then passed information on to Trone about what jewelry the entertainer was wearing.

Richardson noted “how difficult it is to accept that a father would put his son up to this.”

The prosecutor told jurors that Trone, his son and Jones had “coordinated actions” that were “not a coincidence.”

Trone vigorously proclaimed his innocence from the witness stand, telling jurors, “I wasn’t there. I didn’t tell nobody to do nothing.”

Trone testified that his son and his own vehicle went missing, and that he subsequently found his son in the vehicle with three other “youngsters.”

Trone’s attorney told jurors that there was “no evidence of a conspiracy” to rob the rapper and accused investigators of making up their minds about “who they thought was guilty” and “looking only for evidence that pointed to guilt” while ignoring anything that pointed to his client’s innocence.

“You have no evidence that my client planned anything,” McKesson said, telling jurors that the prosecution’s goal was to get them to “dislike” Trone.

The defense attorney told reporters outside court that he believes his client wouldn’t have been charged with murder had he not lived in the area and been African-American, saying that he would have been charged with being an accessory after the fact if it had happened in Beverly Hills.

After the verdict, McKesson told City News Service that he was “disappointed” with the trial’s outcome and vowed that Trone would appeal his conviction.

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The defense attorney said that when the panel returned with a verdict after deliberating for just 90 minutes, “I knew they didn’t even listen to my argument or my client’s testimony.”

Before the verdict, Jones’ attorney called the case “so thin,” saying that the idea that his client was aiding and abetting the crime “doesn’t hold.”

Trone’s son was arrested in September 2022, and his father was subsequently arrested in Las Vegas and returned to Los Angeles County in October 2022, while Jones was taken into custody in May 2023, according to jail records.

PnB Rock, from Philadelphia, gained initial recognition for his 2016 single, “Selfish,” which sold more than 2 million copies.

​ Orange County Register 

AAC spurns Pac-12 expansion advances, leaving SDSU and new league to settle for Utah State

• September 24, 2024

The conference realignment carousel continued to turn Monday. This time, only one school got off.

Sources said Utah State will join San Diego State in the Pac-12, which amounted to a disappointing concession on a wild day when the reformed conference with ambitious plans was spurned by one school after another.

The day started with Memphis, Tulane, South Florida and UT-San Antonio all announcing that they’re staying in the American Athletic Conference. Air Force and UNLV, the prize of the remaining Mountain West schools, reportedly signed financial agreements to stay. Then everyone else in Mountain West inked them as well.

That left Utah State, which means the Pac-12 now has three members — Oregon State, Washington State and Utah State — in cities under 70,000.

It also means the Pac-12 is up to seven, one shy of the mandated eight required for NCAA certification by the 2026-27 academic year: SDSU, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Oregon State, Washington State and Utah State.

And expansion options are evaporating like rain puddles in Las Vegas in July.

“Convos ongoing,” one Pac-12 source said.

The league could try to establish a foothold in Texas, but that would mean adding less desirables like Rice, North Texas and Texas State. After that, you’re picking through the remainder bin with the UTEPs, New Mexico States and Sacramento States of the college football world.

The initial plan was to add three football-playing members to reach nine, allowing for an eight-game conference schedule, and then get Gonzaga, which doesn’t play football but has a powerhouse basketball program, for an even 10.

One media outlet said Monday that the Gonzaga deal was done. Shortly after, another reported it was not, presumably amid the sudden uncertainty about the Pac-12’s viability.

The biggest blow came from the AAC, which posted a statement on social media with the four universities’ logos and the heading: “We are the American Athletic Conference.”

“While we acknowledge receiving interest in our institutions from other conferences,” the joint statement from Memphis, Tulane, USF and UTSA said, “we firmly believe that it is in our individual and collective best interests to uphold our commitment to each other.”

That’s likely code for financial incentives. The conference’s legacy members currently receive about $9 million each in annual distributions, about $3 million more than Mountain West schools. AAC commissioner Tim Pernetti is known to have pursued private equity investments that could provide additional money to get them to stay.

Another factor, sources said, was the prospect of increased travel in a conference that would stretch across all four time zones and 2,276 miles between Washington State in Pullman, Wash., and South Florida in Tampa, Fla.

Yet another factor: With less than the required 27 months’ notice of departure, any AAC defectors would face an estimated $25 million in exit fees.

The Pac-12 had presented potential members with a proposal estimating annual payouts in the $12 million to $15 million range, but that’s pure conjecture in an increasingly volatile and unpredictable media rights market. In the end, the four AAC schools did something the four Mountain West defectors did not: contact their commissioner to cut a better deal.

At the news conference announcing SDSU’s move to the Pac-12, which was so secretive that it caught Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez and the other eight members off guard, president Adela de la Torre was asked why they didn’t seek a counteroffer from the Mountain West.

“I would say within that context, we have to maintain our decision-making within a confidential manner,” de la Torre said. “I don’t think it’s like other business deals, where they’re offering me this, hey, what are you going to give me? This is (not) really how presidents operate. You have to understand the constraints that we live in, and they are different than the constraints that (athletic directors) live in. We did what we thought was important, and we got the job done.”

The question now becomes whether the Pac-12, without AAC or other Mountain West targets, can command a large enough TV rights deal to offset the $18 million exit fee in a reasonable amount of time. The Pac-12 is understood to be covering the separate “poaching fee,” which is part of the 2024 football scheduling agreement between the Mountain West and Pac-12 remnants Oregon State and Washington State (and applies until Aug. 1, 2027).

“We had very good data available to us about best- and worst-case scenarios,” de la Torre said Sept. 12. “We did our due diligence. We looked at the context of potential media (rights) deals. … Without giving any strategy out, we were able to move forward understanding that all of us would be taking shared risks.

“That risk was far less than the opportunity.”

UNLV and Air Force also played the negotiating game, receiving what one source said was an offer of $12 million plus other considerations in exchange for staying in the conference at least through 2032, which covers the remaining two years of the current TV deal and a new five-year contract starting in 2026-27. That figure is believed to be slightly higher than what other remaining Mountain West schools were offered.

Nevarez, the commissioner, reportedly gave schools until 5 p.m. Monday to sign it and all did except for Utah State, also leaving the Mountain West with seven members – one below the NCAA minimum for football.

That money would come from the poaching and exit fees due the conference from the four defectors – $55 million for former and between $90 and $100 million for the latter. The exit fees, with more than 12 months’ notice, are three times the conference’s annual average payout per school. That’s expected to be between $6 million and $6.5 million next year.

SDSU, Boise State, Colorado State and Fresno State have already signed “long term” agreements to join with the Pac-12, according to Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes, making it harder for them to reverse course now.

Utah State was not a charter member of the Mountain West, which broke away from the Western Athletic Conference in 1999. The Aggies jumped from the WAC in 2013-14 and, while having some success in football and men’s basketball, didn’t move the television needle in remote Logan (population 53,200).

​ Orange County Register 

California Crown Stakes draws solid field of 7

• September 24, 2024

The $1 million California Crown Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday has attracted a lineup of seven horses led by Grade I winners National Treasure, Muth, Newgate and Senor Buscador.

The first three are trained by Bob Baffert, an eight-time winner of the 1⅛-mile race for 3-year-olds and up when it was called the Goodwood or the Awesome Again.

Refashioned this year with a new name and bigger purse, the Grade I California Crown will be the ninth race of a 10-race program Saturday. The 12:30 p.m. card will include the $750,000, Grade II John Henry Turf Championship, $750,000, Grade II Eddie D. Stakes and $200,000, Grade II City of Hope Mile. All four graded stakes have implications for races on the second day of the Nov. 1-2 Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar.

Here’s the California Crown field, drawn Monday, from the rail out: Newgate, John Velazquez riding; Subsanador, Mike Smith; National Treasure, Flavien Prat; Katonah, Tiago Pereira; Muth, Juan Hernandez; Senor Buscador, Joe Talamo, and Indispensable, Hector Berrios.

Santa Anita’s one-month fall meet opens Friday.

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​ Orange County Register 

Viet America Society non compliant long before county pushback

• September 24, 2024

The red flags were there for months. But First District Supervisor Andrew Do and county staffers continued to pump millions in COVID relief funds into fledgling charity Viet America Society – money officials now allege was then misused to enrich group leaders.

On Tuesday, Sept. 23, the OC Board of Supervisors will consider a series of steps to beef up the county’s oversight of spending and will also decide whether to censure Do.

Beginning in 2021, each of the five supervisor districts was given $10 million in federal COVID relief money and an additional $3 million in general funds with the discretion to spend the funding in their communities without the typical scrutiny given when approving a large county contract. Most of the tax dollars in question came from Do’s First District discretionary fund, which he directed to Viet America Society without having to get a full board vote.

A county lawsuit has accused Viet America Society and some of its leaders of funneling $10.4 million, mostly intended to feed the elderly and disabled, into personal purchases and real estate. Do is not named in the lawsuit.

Voluminous internal emails and county documents reviewed by The Orange County Register revealed county staffers repeatedly let Viet America Society skate on delinquent audits, while keeping the money flowing from Do’s discretionary fund. 

Consider:

• Six months after Viet America Society missed the deadline for conducting a federally required audit on public tax money for fiscal 2021, the county in March 2023 gave the charity another $2 million to continue a pandemic nutrition program.

• With Viet America still past due in delivering the 2021 audit, Do and the county in August 2023 distributed another $3 million to the charity – paid upfront – for a senior meals program and an additional $1 million the next month for a Vietnam War memorial. The Orange County Community Services department and the Office on Aging were supposed to oversee the meals program – but were unaware of it and uninvolved for months, according to county documents.

• The new contracts came while Viet America was on the verge of becoming delinquent on a second audit, this one for fiscal 2022. The county still has not received either audit and the memorial has not been completed.

• The contracts were also inked while Viet America Society was in danger of losing its charity status for being out of compliance with state Department of Justice rules.

• Month after month, Viet America Society submitted incomplete invoices to the county for $166,666 apiece in reimbursement. While documents show that county officials hounded Viet America Society for the proper information and audits, the group was not forthcoming.

• In November 2023, just two months after the county signed its last million-dollar contract with Viet America Society, Renee Ramirez, a director at Orange County Community Services, wrote an email to Elsa Rivera, contract administrator for Orange County Community Resources, asking: “Why would a program manager pay if they weren’t meeting monthly contract requirements?”

Why indeed?

Why were the monthly payments being approved? Why was the county entering new contracts when Viet America Society was delinquent in providing an important accountability audit on the existing contract? Did anybody check Viet America Society’s charitable standing with the state Department of Justice, which sent out warning letters to the nonprofit in April 2023 and February 2024?

A spokesperson for the county said it will no longer answer questions on Viet America Society because of the pending lawsuit. Do did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Viet America Society representatives have said the work was done to feed people, though the organization’s bookkeeping was lacking.

Supervisors on Tuesday will look at four proposals to improve county oversight.

Fifth District Supervisor Katrina Foley is recommending the board direct the county’s internal auditor to conduct risk assessments of all federal American Rescue Plan-funded contracts within 90 days to make sure contract audit and monitoring requirements are being met.

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Federal agencies have frozen the accounts of Viet America Society and affiliate, lawyer said
Federal investigators raid homes of Supervisor Andrew Do, his daughter and Viet America Society president
Viet America lawyer says OC lawsuit is inaccurate and a ‘hatchet job’
Huntington Beach City Council calls for Supervisor Andrew Do’s resignation
OC Board of Supervisors deadlock on conflict of interest, discretionary spending policy updates

The board will also consider directing Interim CEO Michelle Aguirre to create a policy for the board’s consideration that would require that all discretionary fund contracts be reviewed and approved by the county’s procurement office.

Aguirre may also be directed by the board to review all county contracts and subcontracts to find out if familial connections need to be disclosed in accordance with a new state law.

Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento said more proposed reforms would follow.

“I have directed our CEO to begin to identify key areas needing further reform and am working with the team to bring these items to the board,” he said in a statement.

Three bills inspired by the lack of accountability for millions of dollars sent to Viet America Society were signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this month and will go into effect Jan. 1.

Do directed the funds to Viet America Society from his district discretionary funds without disclosing that his daughter held leadership roles at the nonprofit. That is not a violation of county policy or what the state law was at the time.

One law, AB 3130, will require county supervisors to disclose family ties they have to any contractor, including nonprofits, before allocating any money to the group. Another bill, SB 1111, will make it a crime in California for elected officials to knowingly be involved in awarding contracts to organizations if their child is an officer or director of the vendor, or owns at least 10% of the group.

“The signing of SB 1111 is a huge win for our efforts to root out public corruption and stop the cheating of taxpayers,” State Sen. Dave Min said in a statement. “Whether it’s a county supervisor or the president of the United States, elected officials steering public contracts to their family members is unfair and should not be tolerated.”

A second law, AB 2946, will require a majority vote from the OC Board of Supervisors before awarding discretionary funds. Details of this spending will also have to be posted online.

“With the signing of AB 2946, we are taking a crucial step toward restoring public trust in how district discretionary funds are managed in Orange County,” Assemblymember Avelino Valencia, D-Anaheim, who authored the bill, said in a statement. “This law will provide the necessary oversight and transparency to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly.”

The last action item to be considered by the board on Tuesday is to direct Aguirre to provide the Board of Supervisors with quarterly updates on all contract disputes within the county.

“We need to immediately triage the situation and make sure that all of our contracts that have been issued under ARPA as well as under the board offices are in compliance with our contract policy manual and with federal requirements,” Foley said. “Later down the road, we need to analyze the system in a more in-depth way to create better oversight, so that the board as a whole is notified sooner than we were in this situation.”

Foley said it is unacceptable that Viet America Society has been non-compliant for more than a year.

“We, the board as a whole, not just one board office, should have been informed sooner,” she said. “We need to have a uniform system for all the board office contracts, and they all need to be in compliance with the contract policy manual.

“I think the rules were in place, but there were places where you could avoid following the contract policy manual because it doesn’t specifically say in the contract policy manual that it applies to everything,” she added. “So now we’re tightening that up.”

Fred Smoller, a political science professor at Chapman University, said he was surprised the county hadn’t learned its lesson after its 1994 bankruptcy. The financial collapse came after supervisors put their faith in the bad financial bets of then-county treasurer Robert Citron.

Oversight and accountability were lacking then and are lacking now, Smoller said.

“The county is responsible to voters and voters want their money spent responsibly,” he said. “Something isn’t right if you had warnings and you didn’t take action.”

Jodi Balma, political science professor at Fullerton College, said county contract rules, procedures and “so many red flags” were overlooked when it came to Viet America Society agreements.

“You would like the county, which has rules and regulations, massive numbers of checks and balances in place, to follow their own rules,” Balma said. “The idea that county staff were asking questions, they were bringing this up, and the staff’s concerns were ignored. They were sidelined. That’s another problem that the CEO really needs to address.”

Many have faulted Do, but Balma said some failures go beyond the supervisor.

“Of course, we wish Andrew Do had not done this. Of course, we wish that nepotism did not occur. Of course, we wish that Viet America Society was a legitimate agency that had done the work. However, there are other people that allowed this to happen,” Balma said. “Someone at the county approved the check without any of the receipts, without any of the documentation.”

“We really do in a democracy, rely on the integrity of those elected officials, and when they are caught in a scandal like this, they should have the decency to resign,” Balma added, “and there are so many people calling on him, and he won’t, which is really disappointing.”

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