Angel City FC hosts Gotham FC in final game before Olympic break

• July 6, 2024

The NWSL regular season is moving quickly and, just like last season, Angel City Football Club is in a fight for the playoffs.

This season, instead of six of 12 teams qualifying, there are eight headed to the playoffs in what is now a 14-team league.

Angel City (4-8-3, 15 points) enters the final week before the Olympic break in 11th place, but just three points behind Bay FC for the final playoff spot.

Angel City has 11 games remaining, including Saturday’s second meeting against defending champion NJ/NY Gotham FC.

“You have to set yourself up going forward with momentum,” ACFC defender Merritt Mathias said after Sunday’s 3-0 loss against Orlando. “We have to show up in our best form. That is what we’re signed up for as professional athletes. If you drop points against teams you shouldn’t drop points against, then you find yourself in a really tough position and that’s where we are now. I think we have to buckle up and get ready for the ride that’s to come.”

Of the final 11 games, Angel City has six at home (Gotham, Chicago, Seattle, Portland, Washington and Utah) and five on the road (San Diego, Racing Louisville, Seattle, North Carolina and Portland).

“I think there’s an understanding that at some point people will stop investing if you don’t win games,” Matthias said. “That’s what we’re in the business of. … We want to win, it’s not for a lack of trying, a game like this (last Sunday) and then next against Gotham, it becomes evident that you have to pick up points against Bay … you have to win those games and set yourself up going forward with momentum.

“It puts a lot of pressure on us as a team, but we have to show up. We’re halfway through and we have to start putting points on the board.”

International duty calls

The NWSL has a mandatory break starting Monday through July 14. It will be a busy one for several Angel City players due to international call-ups.

Ali Riley will be departing to join New Zealand for the upcoming Olympics. Alyssa Thompson (USWNT), Claire Emslie (Scotland) and Rocky Rodriguez (Costa Rica) will be joining their respective national teams during the break. Also, Gisele Thompson will join the U.S. U-20 team for games against Mexico and Kennedy Fuller will be with the U.S. U-17 team for a camp in Atlanta and games against Brazil.

Summer Cup upcoming

Angel City will soon turn its attention toward the inaugural NWSL-Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup.

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The competition will run from July 18 until Aug. 24, with NWSL play on a break. All 14 NWSL teams will compete, along with six Liga MX clubs (Tigres, America, Chivas, Monterrey, Pachuca and Tijuana)

Angel City is in Group B, along with San Diego Wave FC, Bay FC and Club America. Angel City will open July 20 against Club America at Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Stadium. The second game will be on the road against Bay FC on July 26. The final group stage game is Aug. 1 back at Titan Stadium against San Diego Wave FC.

NJ/NY GOTHAM FC at ANGEL CITY FC

When: Saturday, 7 p.m.

Where: BMO Stadium

TV: ION

​ Orange County Register 

Wisconsin Supreme Court changes course, will allow expanded use of ballot drop boxes this fall

• July 6, 2024

By TODD RICHMOND

MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Friday that officials can place ballot drop boxes around their communities in this fall’s elections, overturning its own ruling two years ago limiting their use in the presidential swing state.

The court limited the use of drop boxes in July 2022, ruling then that they could be placed only in local election clerks’ offices and no one other than the voter could return a ballot in person.

Conservatives controlled the court at that time, but Janet Protasiewicz’s election victory in April 2023 flipped the court to liberal control. Seeing an opening, Priorities USA, a progressive voter mobilization group, asked the court in February to revisit the decision.

At least 29 other states allow for absentee ballot drop boxes, according to the U.S. Vote Foundation, and expanded use in Wisconsin could have major implications in the presidential race.

Wisconsin again figures to be a crucial swing state after President Joe Biden barely won it in 2020 and Donald Trump narrowly took it in 2016. Democrats believe that making it easier to vote absentee will boost turnout for their side.

The justices announced in March they would review the ban on drop boxes but wouldn’t consider any other parts of the case. The move drew the ire of the court’s conservatives, who accused the liberals of trying to give Democrats an advantage this fall. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in April urged the court to again allow drop boxes.

The court ruled 4-3 on Friday that drop boxes can be utilized in any location.

Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, one of the court’s four liberal justices, wrote for the majority that placing a ballot in a drop box set up and maintained by a local election clerk is no different than giving the ballot to the clerk, regardless of the box’s location. Local clerks have great discretion in how they administer elections and that extends to using and locating drop boxes, she added.

“Our decision today does not force or require that any municipal clerks use drop boxes,” Bradley wrote. “It merely acknowledges what (state law) has always meant: that clerks may lawfully utilize secure drop boxes in an exercise of their statutorily-conferred discretion.”

All three conservative justices dissented. Justice Rebecca Bradley wrote that the liberals are simply trying to advance their political agenda and criticized them for ignoring the precedent set by the 2022 ruling.

“The majority in this case overrules (the 2022 decision) not because it is legally erroneous, but because the majority finds it politically inconvenient,” Bradley wrote. “The majority’s activism marks another triumph of political power over legal principle in this court.”

The popularity of absentee voting exploded during the pandemic in 2020, with more than 40% of all voters casting mail ballots, a record high. At least 500 drop boxes were set up in more than 430 communities for the election that year, including more than a dozen each in Madison and Milwaukee — the state’s two most heavily Democratic cities.

Trump and Republicans have alleged that drop boxes facilitated cheating, even though they offered no evidence. Democrats, election officials and some Republicans argued the boxes are secure and an Associated Press survey of state election officials across the U.S. revealed no cases of fraud, vandalism or theft that could have affected the results in 2020.

Republicans who control the Wisconsin Legislature intervened in the case, arguing that the justices should leave the 2022 ruling alone. Their attorney, Misha Tseytlin, didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment Friday.

Matt Fisher, a spokesperson for the state Republican Party, called the decision a “setback.”

“This latest attempt by leftist justices to placate their far-left backers will not go unanswered by voters,” he said in a statement.

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Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley weighed in as well, saying in a statement that the decision “gives Democrats a green light to dismantle election security safeguards and invite election fraud.”

Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell, who administers elections in the state’s most Democratic county, called drop boxes a “common sense tool.” He said they make the election process more convenient and easier for rural and disabled voters and help reduce that number of ballots that arrive after election day too late to be counted.

“Having drop boxes in place for the 2024 elections in August and November will encourage civic participation in our democracy,” McDonell said in a statement.

​ Orange County Register 

Alexander: What are the Lakers, Clippers, Kings and Ducks doing?

• July 6, 2024

The world according to Jim:

• It is fortunate that this region’s NBA and NHL teams play on courts or rinks. If the games were played on paper, judging from the opening salvos of those leagues’ respective free-agent periods, the Lakers, Clippers, Kings and Ducks would be in trouble.

They might already be, if the pundits know what they’re talking about. (That’s always iffy, so these teams’ true believers should keep that in mind.) …

• The Lakers’ two big deals so far have been to give LeBron James a two-year deal after his opt-out, and to sign the No. 55 pick of the draft to a four-year, $7.9 million deal, a kid by the name of Bronny something. …

• The biggest takeaway here? Rich Paul and Klutch Sports run the place, not Jeanie Buss or Rob Pelinka or anyone else in the front office. …

• The second biggest? Most of the targets that could actually have made the Lakers better quicker went elsewhere – including a guy who grew up around the team, wanted to be a Laker badly at one point, and whose dad works for the club. When Klay Thompson went to Dallas instead in a sign-and-trade, what did that say about the Lakers’ readiness to contend for their own Banner No. 18? …

• Meanwhile, remember this moment five summers ago? Steve Ballmer took over an introductory news conference at a rec center in South L.A., new Clippers Kawhi Leonard and Paul George sitting beside him, and declared, “From now on, it’s all about the Larry O’B.”

Five seasons later, there are still no banners to transport to the Intuit Dome and the “213” era is over, George having departed for the Philadelphia 76ers. And if he thought the pressure to win with what is still the No. 2 team in L.A. was difficult, just wait until he gets to Philly and realizes what a demanding fan base really is. …

• That said, the Clippers are still potentially better than the Lakers, contingent on Kawhi’s health, and they’ve made enough other moves to shore up the infrastructure around Leonard. And they’re by far the more professional front office. …

• Yet I am surprised there hasn’t been more of an outcry over the Clippers’ signing of Kevin Porter Jr., who played in Greece last season after being waived by Oklahoma City because of a domestic violence charge. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and harassment in January in a plea agreement that involves, according to Yahoo Sports’ Jason Owens, “a 26-week Abusive Partner Intervention Program or an equivalent program with a private counselor.”

Beyond some social media reaction, there’s been hardly a peep about this signing. …

• As for SoCal’s hockey clubs and their navigation of free agency, I’m not surprised. …

• Ducks GM Pat Verbeek made some on-the-fringes acquisitions, adding a couple of guys who have won Stanley Cups, defenseman Brian Dumoulin from Seattle and forward Robby Fabbri from Detroit – the latter acquisition pushing Anaheim above the salary cap floor – but passed on a full-scale free-agent plunge. That’s sort of the Ducks’ DNA – the club’s last truly high-profile free-agent signing was Scott Niedermayer, by Brian Burke coming out of the lockout in 2005 – and anyway, it’s time for the team’s young talent to step up. …

• As for the Kings’ Rob Blake, he cut his losses by finding a sucker – I mean, taker – for Pierre-Luc Dubois in Washington. But then he turned around and gave a four-year, $15.4 million deal to Joel Edmundson, a significant overpayment for a 31-year-old defenseman with no offensive presence and significant injury history (and, additionally, ties in Montreal to Marc Bergevin, a Kings front office advisor). …

• Are the Ducks better than they were a year ago? Probably, though maybe still shy of playoff contention barring additional moves. Are the Kings better? Ehhhhhh …

• Baseball’s All-Star Game a week from Tuesday will again feature generic uniforms, and can we get the hashtag #BlameNike trending? It’s now been four years since MLB abandoned the wonderful custom of players wearing their own team’s uniforms at the Midsummer Classic.

Can’t they just wear their regular uniforms? Why does everything have to be like this? https://t.co/m501JjjyhO

— Wayne Randazzo (@WayneRandazzo) July 3, 2024

And this quote from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred before the 2022 game in L.A., as reported by The Athletic (and former Press-Enterprise) baseball writer Tyler Kepner, explains a lot: “I never thought that a baseball team wearing different jerseys in a game was a particularly appealing look for us.” …

• So is the commissioner out of step, tone-deaf or simply in Nike’s pocket? Wednesday afternoon, the question was posed on the platform formerly known as Twitter: “Do you want the MLB to go back to having players wear their regular uniforms during the All-Star Game?” The response, as of 12:45 p.m. Friday: 196 yes, 2 no, 1 “don’t care.”

As one respondent put it: “Yes, I need a reason to watch it again and this might do it.” …

• The recent passing of Willie Mays reminded me of one of the charming moments of All-Star Games past: Mays and Ernie Banks would swap batting helmets, with Mays wearing the Cubs’ “C” and Banks the Giants’ “SF.” …

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• The consensus is that Gregg Berhalter’s tenure as coach of the U.S. men’s soccer team is about to come to an end, possibly some time next week according to a Fox Sports report, after the team’s flameout in Copa America. It’s a good time for a reminder that before the last World Cup to be held in the U.S., in 2004, the U.S. Soccer Federation opted for the best foreign coach it could lure, Bora Milutinovic. He got Our Boys – then primarily a collection of college players – through the group stage, and attempting to play rope-a-dope with eventual champion Brazil in the Round of 16 almost worked. …

• It’s different now. The U.S. didn’t have a First Division league then, and the national team was a bunch of guys with no expectations and nothing to lose. Today the stakes are higher, and what was termed the country’s “Golden Generation” of players is, in reality, a bunch of guys who are employed in Europe’s top leagues but don’t see a lot of playing time with their clubs. I’m not sure that’s much of an improvement.

And should the U.S. federation react by hiring a Jürgen Klopp, a Pep Guardiola or another big-name coach from overseas, how much will really change? In other words, U.S. soccer fan, are you confident the people in charge really know what they’re doing?

[email protected]

​ Orange County Register 

Euro 2024: France knocks out Portugal on penalty kicks

• July 5, 2024

HAMBURG, Germany — France ended Cristiano Ronaldo’s bid to win the title at his last European Championship by beating Portugal 5-3 in a penalty shootout to reach the semifinals on Friday.

After the game finished 0-0 following extra time, Portugal substitute Joao Felix hit a post with the only miss in the shootout and Theo Hernández converted the clinching kick.

It was a record sixth and last European Championship for the 39-year-old Ronaldo, who scored Portugal’s first penalty in the shootout and ended up consoling fellow veteran Pepe afterward as the 41-year-old defender cried on his captain’s shoulder.

Ronaldo’s career in the Euros included the title in 2016 — when Portugal beat France in the final — and it remains to be seen if the five-time world player of the year will continue playing for his country through to the 2026 World Cup.

The victory ended Kylian Mbappé’s and France’s heartbreak in shootouts, having lost in them at their last two major tournaments — in the last 16 at the Euros in 2021 and in the 2022 World Cup final.

Mbappé didn’t even take a penalty in the shootout, having been substituted after the first half of extra time following a couple of knocks to his broken nose that was covered by a protective mask.

France will play Spain in the semifinals after its extra-time win over Germany in Stuttgart.

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​ Orange County Register 

Lakers sign Blake Hinson, Armel Traore to two-way deals ahead of summer league

• July 5, 2024

On the eve of the Lakers’ start to summer league play, the franchise officially signed two players who were already featured on their summer league roster to two-way contracts.

The Lakers announced on Friday that they signed forwards Blake Hinson and Armel Traore to two-way deals.

Michael Scotto of USA TODAY Sports’ Hoops Hype reported that Hinson’s contract is for two years.

The 6-foot-8, 230-pound Hinson averaged 18.5 points (42.1% from 3-point range) and 4.4 rebounds last season at Pittsburgh, earning All-ACC first-team honors.

Traore (6-8, 210 pounds) averaged 10.8 points and 7.3 rebounds in 25.5 minutes per game in 33 games last season for ADA Blois of LNB Élite in France.

Two-way contracts are deals intended for development, with players going back and forth between a franchise’s NBA team and G League affiliate.

Only players with three or fewer years of NBA experience can sign two-way contracts. Two-way players have a 50-game limit in the regular season to be on their NBA team’s active roster.

Hinson and Traore join big man Colin Castleton as Lakers’ players signed to two-way deals. All three are on the team’s summer league roster, headlined by Dalton Knecht and Bronny James, the franchise’s selections in last week’s NBA draft.

The Lakers’ summer league team will begin play on Saturday against the Sacramento Kings at Chase Center in San Francisco (1:30 p.m.; ESPN) in the smaller California Classic that runs from Saturday-Wednesday before heading to Las Vegas for the league-wide summer league (July 12-22).

The Lakers will also play the Golden State Warriors on Sunday (3:30 p.m.; NBA TV) and the Miami Heat on Wednesday (4 p.m.; ESPN2) in the California Classic.

Lakers coach JJ Redick said South Bay Lakers head coach Dane Johnson will be at the helm of the Lakers during summer league before saying that he’ll be “heavily involved in practices” and “in some capacity during the games, during film.”

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After being introduced in a news conference at the Lakers’ El Segundo practice facility on Tuesday, Knecht, the No. 17 pick in the draft, signed his rookie scale contract with the Lakers. Knecht, 23, signed a four-year, $14.48 million deal. The former Tennessee All-American guard has a $4.01 million salary for 2025-26, with the third ($4.2 million) and fourth ($6.4 million) years of the contract being team options.

“It’s gonna be a lot of fun,” Knecht said of summer league. “Just get out on the court with all the guys.”

James, the son of Lakers star LeBron James who was selected with the 55th overall pick after one season at USC, reportedly signed a four-year, $7.9 million contract with a team option on the final season. The 19-year-old guard will have a $1.6 million salary for 2024-25.

“Just getting a feel for the game, especially at a next level,” the younger James said of summer league. “just excited to go out there and compete with some great players. And being able to take this time to get ready for what’s to come.”

​ Orange County Register 

Here’s a look at how U.S. territories became states

• July 5, 2024

U.S. expansion

On July 7, 1846, the U.S. officially annexed California. Here’s a look at our nation’s territorial expansion.

Notable events

1803: Louisiana Purchase

Napoleon Bonaparte had a huge impact on Europe, but he altered the course of history in North America as well. The French general was waging an expensive war in Europe and began to view the Louisiana Territory as a burden – as well as a potential source of income. In 1803, he offered up all 828,000 square miles for the famously low price of $15 million (about $416 million today).

1819: Adams-Onís Treaty

Spanish explorers established a presence in Florida as far back as 1565, but 250 years later, Spain had done little to cement its foothold in the region. The Spanish realized they were in a poor position to defend Florida should the U.S. decide to seize it. In 1819, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams negotiated the signing of the Florida purchase treaty, which officially transferred the area to the U.S. after years of negotiations.

1845: Texas annexation

The newly created Republic of Texas, which broke away from Mexico in the Texas Revolution, was peacefully annexed by the United States in 1845. The U.S. acquired 389,000 square miles of former Mexican territory.

1846: Oregon territory

When Britain and the United States signed the Oregon Treaty, it extended the international border between the U.S. and what would become Canada along the 49th parallel to the Strait of Georgia, and then out the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

1846: California annexation

Following the Bear Flag Revolt on June 14, 1846, California existed as an independent nation until July 7, when annexation by the U.S. was proclaimed in Monterey after the surrender of a Mexican garrison. Commodore John D. Sloat, commander of U.S. naval forces in the Pacific, publicly announced that a state of war existed between the U.S. and Mexico, and the U.S. intended to occupy California. California became the 31st state Sept. 9, 1850.

1848: Mexican Cession

Shortly after the Texas annexation, tensions between Mexico and the U.S. intensified. Congress declared war on Mexico over a boundary dispute in 1846, and after a relatively brief armed conflict – known as the Mexican-American War – the two countries signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The treaty recognized Texas as a U.S. state, and the United States took control of a huge expanse of land that includes the present-day states of California, Nevada and Utah as well as portions of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming. Mexico received $15 million in the arrangement but saw the size of its territory halved.

1854: The Gadsden Purchase

The Gadsden Purchase, or Treaty, was an agreement in which the United States agreed to pay Mexico $10 million for a 29,670 square mile parcel that later became part of Arizona and New Mexico.

1867: Alaska Purchase

In the aftermath of the Crimean War, Russia’s Alexander II began exploring the possibility of selling Alaska. The U.S. wrote a $7.2 million check to pay for it (equivalent to about $129 million today). For the 586,412 square mile territory, it came out to 36 cents per acre. Alaska became the 49th state in 1959.

Other territories

The U.S. has 16 territories in areas of the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean. People living in U.S. territories are citizens of the U.S. and receive defense and economic support. They have territorial resident commissioners or delegates who can serve on congressional committees but are not allowed to vote on final disposition of legislation.

The five populated territories

1. Guam, in the western Pacific Ocean, has an established civil government, a population of 161,785 and an area of 210 square miles. It is the largest of the Mariana Islands. Guam is a popular destination for tourists, especially from Japan. The U.S. took charge of the island in 1898, but residents were not granted U.S. citizenship until 1950.

2. Puerto Rico is the most populated U.S. territory with 3.7 million people. Puerto Ricans were granted U.S. citizenship in 1917. The island covers 3,420 square miles, and the commonwealth includes approximately 2,000 more square miles of water.

3. The Northern Mariana Islands are a U.S. commonwealth consisting of 15 islands and cover about 183.5 square miles. Of the population of 77,000, the vast majority are on Saipan and Tinian. Territorial status was approved in 1975 through a referendum.

4. The U.S. Virgin Islands cover 133.73 square miles and have a population of 106,105. The islands are U.S. territories, but their citizens are not eligible to vote in U.S. presidential elections.

5. American Samoa consists of five mainland and coral atolls in the South Pacific. It is the southernmost U.S. territory and one of two below the equator. It has a population of 55,500 and covers 76.8 square miles.

The unpopulated territories

6. Wake Island was annexed as empty territory by the U.S. in 1899.

7. Navassa Island is uninhabited and is between Jamaica and Haiti.

8. Midway Islands are an atoll covering 2.4 square miles.

9. Kingman Reef came under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Navy in 1934.

10. Johnston Atoll was under the control of the American military for 70 years and was used for nuclear weapons testing.

11. Jarvis Island is the other U.S. territory south of the equator.

12. Howland Island is halfway between Hawaii and Australia.

13. Baker Island was claimed by the U.S. in 1857 under the Guano Islands Act.

14. Palmyra Atoll is south of the Hawaiian Islands.

Disputed territories

Territories the U.S. claims but other nations do as well:

15. Bajo Nuevo Bank, also claimed by Colombia, Jamaica, Nicaragua

16. Serranilla Bank, also claimed by Colombia, Honduras, Nicaragua

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Fair Vote, World Book Encyclopedia, The Associated Press, U.S. Department of State

​ Orange County Register 

Laguna Beach’s first drone show delights some, others miss blasts and tradition

• July 5, 2024

An inaugural drone show that replaced decades of exploding splendor from pyrotechnics is getting mixed reviews a day after its debut, city officials said.

The 300 drones were staged on the Laguna Beach Lawn Bowling Club greens, ready to launch for the city’s Fourth of July festivities. At 9 p.m., they lifted off, piloted by an FAA-certified operator with help from a computerized program that coordinated their movements in the sky over Heisler Park and the ocean for 15 minutes. Synchronized to music on the local radio stations, the show included patriotic images, such as the American flag, and iconic Laguna Beach images, such as the lifeguard tower at Main Beach.

“Everyone sitting around me seemed to like it,” said Laguna Beach Mayor Sue Kempf, who was at Las Brisas, a restaurant close to where the drones lifted off. “They did some cute images. But, unless you were tuned in to the radio station, it was quiet.”

Kempf said she and the city manager had heard positive feedback on Friday, as well as from residents who were not so happy.

“Some people said they couldn’t see it, and some didn’t like that there were no booms,” she said, adding that the drones were visible for miles, but, in some locations, they were obscured by the coast’s natural geography.

Patsee Ober, a local photographer who lives about two miles from where the drones rose, was perched on the Oak Street viewing platform and got some great shots, she said.

She appreciated the drones’ environmental benefits, but thought the show was “a little bit anti-climatic, small, and kind of corny.”

“They have a lot of work to do if they want to bring it back,” she added.

Monica Prado, a longtime resident who lives in Laguna Canyon, said she and her family decided to head into town rather than hiking up a trial where, in the past, they’ve been able to catch glimpses of Laguna Beach’s fireworks, along with those from other cities along the coast.

“I’d never seen a drone show, so I didn’t know what to expect,” she said, adding that she and her group walked down one of the paths at the park to get away from the crowds. “I was thoroughly enchanted. I thought it was wonderful. It was 15 minutes and didn’t need to be longer.”

Kempf agreed that the show seemed less dynamic and spectacular than fireworks, partly because there was lag time as the drones flew into place to form their images.

“Even though the fireworks show is only five minutes longer, it seems much longer,” Kempf said. “It takes a while to form the images, and with the fireworks, there is no gap.”

The show cost the city $75,000 compared to $45,000 for the usual pyrotechnics.

Considering a drone show was prompted this year by the city’s Environmental and Sustainability Committee, and when the City Council approved the change, councilmembers said it was a way to be “more forward-thinking” and to have less impact on pets and local wildlife, to avoid smoke and to have a celebration that was more accommodating of veterans who may be sensitive to the loud booms and blasts.

“It was an innovative way to celebrate the 4th of July,” said Mike Beanan, a co-founder of the Laguna Bluebelt Coalition, complementing the council for its environmental awareness. He said he could see the drones from his home about 4 miles away.

“From reducing air and ocean pollution to protecting sea life and local dogs from fireworks explosions, the drone show is a step forward in matching Laguna’s environmental commitments,” Beanan said. “For many combat veterans like myself, the light show is likely superior to turning the coast into a war zone.”

Those yearning for the booms and blasts could catch glimpses of other fireworks shows along the coastline from Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and even Long Beach, all in the backdrop of the drone show.

“It was a great juxtaposition,” Ober said, “Seeing the clean drone show and the smoke-filled air from the fireworks.”

On a local Facebook page, other residents weighed in, with some agreeing they were happy not seeing animals and veterans in distress. In contrast, others weren’t impressed and complained that the city spent more money on a show lacking tradition and flair.

One person criticized it for having “logos in the sky,” a reference to a “City of Laguna Beach” image; another person compared it to watching a “Windows screensaver from 1997; ” another person called it “non-celebratory;” and one other said it was a “marketing ploy.”

Kempf said she agreed the city image wasn’t necessary and wouldn’t be repeated if the drones appear again next Fourth of July.

However, that decision will be made with community input and follow-up on this year’s show, she said.

“I thought it was good,” she said, “but we’ll see what the community thinks.”

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​ Orange County Register 

San Bernardino County supervisors ask state to declare emergency over homeowners insurance

• July 5, 2024

San Bernardino County supervisors are asking the state to declare a statewide state of emergency as it’s becoming harder for homeowners to get affordable insurance in areas considered high-risk.

The Board of Supervisors unanimously voted June 25 to adopt a resolution that asks California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature to declare a state of emergency and to take action to strengthen and stabilize the homeowners and insurance marketplace.

“We’re trying to get the Legislature, the executive branch and the governor on board with the insurance commissioner to direct regulatory change,” said Supervisor Dawn Rowe, who introduced the resolution.

Rowe said she did so because county residents frequently complain about their ongoing lack of insurance options.

“San Bernardino has a lot of mountain and desert communities, and both communities are struggling to get homeowners insurance,” she said. “Buying a house and getting insurance is much more expensive and difficult if you live in an area considered to have a higher risk for fire and disaster.”

Frequent wildfires and earthquakes across the region, along with a blizzard in the San Bernardino mountains last year, are all likely factors that drive higher rates among insurers.

Last year, two of the state’s largest insurance carriers – which represented more than 27% of the state’s market – announced they would stop issuing new homeowners and commercial property insurance policies in California, according to Rowe.

Several others, representing more than an additional 36% of the market, also announced plans to limit the issue of new policies.

Insurance providers are leaving, Rowe said, largely because the state requires them to set rates based on an area’s history of losses for the previous 20 years.

Meanwhile, most states are shifting to a “catastrophic” model, which evaluates rates based on history of losses as well as future forecasts and the likelihood of fires, floods, and other natural disasters.

The state’s insurance commissioner, Lara, introduced new regulations earlier this year to let insurance companies use catastrophe modeling; however, those regulations won’t take effect until at least 2026.

Rowe and the rest of the county supervisors are calling for immediate action.

If the governor declares a state of emergency, insurance providers will not be allowed to drop current insurance policies.

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Because providers are leaving the state, homeowners are often left with a single option for coverage: The California Fair Access to Insurance Requirements, or FAIR plan, which was established by a group of insurance companies to insure California homeowners who can’t find traditional coverage.

Brenda Meyer, owner of Cozy Cabins Realty near Lake Arrowhead, said the FAIR plan currently covers about 1 million homeowners.

The FAIR plan, which is described as a “temporary safety net” on its website, was never meant to be the main insurer of so many people, Meyer said.

“The FAIR plan covers basic hazards,” she added, “but homeowners will need to get a wraparound policy that covers things like theft, liability and water damages.”

​ Orange County Register