Alleged sexual misconduct, cover-up at Redlands Police Department triggers FBI probe, sources say

• April 2, 2023

Persistent allegations of sexual misconduct at the Redlands Police Department, culminating with a new claim alleging three ranking supervisors attempted to cover up evidence, have triggered an administrative investigation by the city and an FBI probe.

In a claim for damages filed against the city on March 16, forensic specialist Geneva Holzer alleges that in December 2019, now retired Deputy Chief Mike Reiss, then a lieutenant, and Sgt. Kyle Alexander attempted to destroy physical evidence of sexual misconduct by Reiss.

Holzer found what she believed to be a semen stain on an office chair of a former employee who sued the city last August, alleging she was coerced into engaging in sexual acts with Reiss to advance at the department.

In her lawsuit, former property and evidence technician Julie Alvarado-Salcido alleged, among other things, that she was coerced into performing oral sex on Reiss in her office in August 2019.

Holzer was not aware of Salcido’s specific allegations at the time, but says in her claim that she nevertheless tested the stain. Tests returned positive for semen, but it was unclear whether Reiss was the source of it.

Holzer, who earlier this year was recognized as Employee of the Year for exemplary service to the department, reported her discovery of the semen-stained chair to Alexander. The following day, she alleges in her claim, he told her to dispose of the chair.

When Holzer hesitated, according to the claim, Alexander told her to cut the semen sample from the fabric, dispose of the chair, to “not be descriptive” in her report and to send the report and photos of the chair directly to him via email.

“He told me not to put anything in our evidence system photo wise and don’t put the report into our reporting system,” Holzer said in her claim. “What Sgt. Alexander told me to do was done this way so no one would know about it, and it would never be discovered by anyone else.”

In February, Holzer said in her claim, she became aware of an encounter colleague Ruth Samano had with Reiss and Alexander in the department’s forensic office in 2019. Samano told Holzer the two entered the office and started “looking around.”

Samano, according to the claim, asked Reiss and Alexander if they were looking for the chair. Reiss replied, “You know about the chair?” to which Samano replied, “Yes, and it’s not here.” Reiss and Alexander then abruptly left the office, according to the claim.

Discovery of the evidence, according to Holzer, was reported to Cmdr. Stephen Crane, but never made it further up the command chain to Deputy Chief Travis Martinez, whom Crane reported to.

Holzer alleges Crane also was complicit in the cover-up.

Redlands Police Chief Chris Catren, who retired in March, speaks to residents during Coffee with the Chief on Feb. 22, 2018.(Stan Lim, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

“Through the chain of command my discovery of evidence of sexual assault was covered up and ordered destroyed by Deputy Chief Reiss then carried out by Sgt. Alexander and Commander Crane,” Holzer alleges in her claim.

Department scuttlebutt

In January, Sgt. Patrick Leivas, acting on scuttlebutt swirling within the department, confronted Holzer about the evidence, which she disclosed to him, according to department sources and the claim.

“I believe Sgt. Leivas reported it to multiple law enforcement authorities and an investigation was started into what happened,” Holzer said in her claim.

Sources within the department, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Leivas presented the evidence to Martinez and Redlands City Councilmember Paul Barich. Martinez subsequently took the evidence to the FBI’s public corruption unit, which launched the federal probe.

Martinez declined to comment.

FBI spokesperson Laura Eimiller said she could neither confirm nor deny whether the agency was investigating the Redlands Police Department. But department sources and attorneys representing current and former employees confirmed as much, saying investigators already have interviewed several current and former employees, including Holzer and Salcido.

Barich declined to comment on the investigation or his role in it, other than to say, “All parties are presumed innocent until proven guilty, but it always has been a standard policy that the city of Redlands would not put up with any sexual harassment. So if allegations do come true, then we will take appropriate action.”

Barich said he has not been interviewed by FBI investigators, who sources said now have the forensic evidence from the chair.

Department retirements

Reiss, according to Holzer’s claim, was placed on administrative leave on Jan. 30, then subsequently retired. A spokesperson for the California Public Employees’ Retirement System said Reiss retired on March 4 and is receiving a gross monthly pension payment of $15,728.

Reiss could not be reached for comment.

Reiss’ retirement occurred about the same time as that of Police Chief Chris Catren, who unexpectedly announced on March 2 that he would step down due to a work-related back injury.

Catren was president of the California Police Chiefs Association when he retired, and his departure came at a time of major changes in the department, including moving forward on a new police headquarters at the former Kmart building at Redlands Boulevard and Alabama Street.

Reached by telephone Friday, Catren said his retirement was in no way connected to the sexual misconduct and evidence-tampering allegations. It was solely medical related and at the recommendation of his doctor, he said.

“The two have nothing to do with each other. Nobody asked me to leave,” Catren said. “The timing is an unfortunate coincidence, but they have nothing to do with each other.”

Administrative investigation

Around the time Reiss was placed on leave, the city commissioned Laguna Niguel-based JL Group to conduct a “limited scope legal services workplace investigation,” according to a Feb. 3 letter from JL Group attorney/principal Jeffrey Love to City Attorney Yvette Garcia, obtained via a Public Records Act request.

City spokesperson Carl Baker said in an email that JL Group is conducting a “full and comprehensive investigation into each of the allegations of misconduct raised recently to determine the facts in this matter.” He said the investigation is still in its preliminary stages and should take three to four months.

“The City of Redlands takes all allegations of misconduct very seriously. While the recent allegations are significant, the City is committed to a thorough process that will determine the facts and is fair to all parties involved,” Baker said, declining further comment.

History of sexual harassment

Holzer alleges that as a result of her allegations that the semen evidence was suppressed, she became a target of continued sexual harassment by Reiss for more than two years. Two lawsuits filed against the city in the past two years by current and former employees allege a similar pattern of sexual misconduct by Reiss.

In April 2021, former police Officer Laurel Falconieri and Leslie Martinez, a 23-year veteran of the department and crimes against children detective, sued the city alleging a hostile work environment for women in the department as a result of “pervasive sexual favoritism.”

Falconieri alleged Reiss often told her how good she looked, invited her out for drinks and to his condo in Carlsbad, and sent her a picture of himself shirtless, but she immediately deleted the picture and did not respond to him out of fear, according to the lawsuit.

Like Falconieri before her and Holzer after her, Salcido alleges in her suit that Reiss targeted her for sex after she was hired as a fingerprint technician in August 2015. But unlike Falconieri and Holzer, Salcido was compliant with Reiss’ alleged demands for sex, feeling scared and pressured because he was her immediate supervisor, her lawsuit alleges.

Salcido alleges Reiss followed a similar grooming pattern of predatory behavior, regularly inviting her out for drinks and to his condo in Carlsbad. He also requested she send him nude photos of herself.

The sexual misconduct was so prevalent, not only with Reiss but department-wide, that the alleged victims say it fostered its own lexicon of female subordinates having ranking superiors “in their pocket,” meaning they engaged in sexual activity with them in exchange for favorable working conditions and other perks.

In the interview with Catren, the former chief said the allegations advanced by Falconieri, Martinez and Salcido were all investigated and findings were made, but he could not disclose what those findings were.

​ Orange County Register 

Los Alamitos softball wins Michelle Carew Classic with boost from Taryn Clements’ bat

• April 2, 2023

The Los Alamitos softball team showed its versatility and toughness during this week’s Michelle Carew Classic, and that included the way it won the tournament’s Gold Bracket final Saturday night.

The Griffins defeated No. 1 seed St. Francis of Mountain View 4-2 in the championship game at Peralta Canyon Park in Anaheim.

They struck early for two runs using aggressive base running, but the key hit was a solo home run by catcher Taryn Clements in the fourth inning that put the Griffins ahead 3-2.

The Griffins went 4-0 in the tournament, and each of their victories showcased different strengths.

They shut out Mission Viejo 3-0 in the first round, used a grand slam by Clements to beat Orange Lutheran 4-2 in the quarterfinals and as a group pounded the ball in a 12-3 win over Huntington Beach in the semifinals Saturday afternoon.

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Los Alamitos entered the week ranked No. 1 in Orange County and No. 2 in CIF-SS Division 1.

Because of rain on Wednesday and Thursday, tournament organizers created two different brackets, Gold Bracket and Silver Bracket, and all of the games were played Friday and Saturday.

Rio Mesa defeated Vista Murrieta 1-0 in the Silver Bracket final.

​ Orange County Register 

Southern California has a paramedic shortage. What’s being done about it?

• April 2, 2023

An ambulance’s flashing lights are a welcome sight in a medical emergency.

But a different light — a warning one — has been flashing in Southern California, which like the rest of the nation is struggling with a shortage of paramedics and emergency medical technicians that’s had a ripple effect on public safety and patient care.

The shortage delays how long it takes an ambulance to get to a scene, and sometimes, ambulances arrive with no paramedic, Riverside County Supervisor Kevin Jeffries wrote in a newsletter to constituents.

When that happens, a fire engine paramedic rides with the patient to the hospital, taking that fire engine out of service until the paramedic gets back, Jeffries added.

American Medical Response, Riverside County’s emergency medical transport provider — which also is active in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties — cited the paramedic/EMT shortage in a discussion of why it failed to meet response time benchmarks.

That failure led Riverside County officials this month to deny a one-year extension of AMR’s contract, which runs through mid-2026.

Besides Riverside County, Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties reported dealing with a shortage of paramedics and EMTs, who offer emergency care but have less advanced training than paramedics.

“We do have a shortage of both EMTs and paramedics,” Orange County EMS Medical Director Carl Shultz said via email. “We really don’t have much input into this situation, as there is not much we can do to expedite a remedy of the situation.”

In an emailed statement, LA County’s Department of Health Services acknowledged the shortage, but said it is “actively recruiting highly talented paramedics and EMTs to serve our county through incentives such as competitive benefits package and commitment to career development.”

Tracey Martinez, a spokesperson for the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District, said via email that the district has “thought outside of the box with creative solutions such as adjusting deployment models and hiring EMTs, and then sending them to paramedic school.”

“The shortage was much more prevalent at the end of 2021 and early 2022,” Martinez wrote. “With our adjustments to our business practices, we have minimized the effects it has had on our fire district.”

Nationwide, the turnover rate for paramedics in 2021 was 27% while the rate for EMTs, who have less advanced training than paramedics, was 36%, the American Ambulance Association reported.

The turnover rate increased in 2022, “meaning that EMS agencies are experiencing a full turnover of all staff every 3 (to) 4 years,” the association reported.

“Greater than one third of all new hires (leave) within their first year of employment. Not surprisingly, this converted into a relatively high rate of currently open positions, especially for EMTs and paramedics at EMS agencies around the country.”

Like shortages of nurses and other healthcare providers, the paramedic/EMT shortage has its roots in the COVID-19 pandemic, which put paramedics and EMTs in routine contact with COVID-infected people before vaccines were available.

The pandemic led many in the field to reconsider their career choices, AMR Director of Regional Operations Jeremey Shumaker said in an emailed statement.

Citing federal Bureau of Labor Statistics data, Shumaker said that between 2020 and 2030, EMTs and paramedics were projected to leave their professions at a higher rate than all other occupations in the U.S. economy.

“The cancellation of EMT and paramedic training programs and drastically reduced class sizes during the onset of the pandemic only further exacerbated the crisis,” Shumaker wrote.

“The number of new paramedics entering the EMS industry in 2020 and 2021 was dramatically reduced from previous years,” he added. “Compounding that problem is the reduced number of EMTs entering the EMS industry is now resulting in fewer EMTs being eligible to begin paramedic school.”

Besides limiting the number of EMT students who could be in a class due to coronavirus protocols, the pandemic also restricted students’ access to hospitals where they get hands-on clinical training, said Joyce Johnson, vice president of career education, counseling, nursing, and allied health at Mt. San Jacinto College in Riverside County.

Starting this fall, the four-campus college, which has 32 students enrolled in its EMT program, is expanding its one-semester EMT course offerings, Johnson said.

“You essentially can come in and within 18 weeks be trained to take the national registry exam and to go right into the workforce.”

Shortages in other healthcare fields also affect response times. A lack of hospital emergency room staff means paramedics and EMTs have to wait at the hospital until they can hand off their patients, meaning they can’t respond to other 911 calls until they leave, Jeffries and AMR said.

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Ambulances across Southern California feeling strain of coronavirus surge
Slow ambulance response times cause concern in Riverside County
Turf war brewing between OCFA and county over medical calls, grand jury says
Laguna Beach leaders opt to start city ambulance service
San Bernardino County ambulance drivers, sheriff’s employees are getting raises

Riverside County’s shortage is easing, said Dan Bates, EMS administrator with the county’s EMS Agency.

“Trends are currently moving in the right direction that we’re starting to see more enrollments (in paramedic and EMT schools),” he said. “So that’s a positive note.”

“We hope to continue to see increased enrollment, which will minimize that gap,” he added. “But that’s the hard part, right? Like it takes (as long as two years) to produce a paramedic.”

Riverside County also is changing its emergency medical services model to ease the strain on paramedics and EMTs. One way is through an emergency medical dispatch system that can handle more minor calls, like less-severe cuts on fingers, without the need for an ambulance.

“We’re trying to find all these different innovative solutions and really collaborate … to ensure that we are getting the right resources to those in the community when they call 911,” Bates said.

​ Orange County Register 

L.A. Parks and Rec lets its parks get wrecked

• April 2, 2023

Two weeks ago, a small band of creaky old ballplayers dragged ourselves out of bed and through gridlocked traffic to plead our case. The event was the bimonthly Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks Commissioners meeting. The case? How is it the city of Los Angeles can’t manage four lousy softball fields?

And L.A. can’t.

For years, the 200-plus players who participate in L.A.’s Senior Softball Leagues (at $40 a player) try to snag grounders and run down fly balls without killing ourselves on diamonds that are nobody’s best friend.

Sprains, contusions, broken fingers, noses, ankles and jawbones abound, with multiple players requiring surgery to repair injuries sustained as the direct result of negligence by the Department of Rec and Parks.  Or should that be Wreck and Parks?

Problem No. 1: The Sepulveda Basin and Hjelte Sports Complexes in the San Fernando Valley were built in a flood basin. Guess what happens when it rains? Very good. This winter, the senior softball fields could double as rice paddies.

Of course, in the summer, when it’s 112 in the Valley, these same fields will become parched sandboxes, petri dishes for the spread of Valley Fever.

Problem No. 2: Winter or summer, the Sepulveda Basin Sports Complex is home to a colony of ground squirrels that have dug more tunnels than Elon Musk’s Boring Company, creating a pockmarked no man’s land of ankle-breaking holes that would have been an excellent location to shoot “All’s Quiet on the Western Front.”  Problem No. 3: And this is the biggie: nobody cares.

For years, Senior League players and managers have phoned, written, emailed and petitioned those in charge of maintenance for help. These efforts produced zero results. When poor drainage after rainstorms doesn’t turn the fields into unplayable mud baths, leaking sprinklers do.

After months of pleading for repairs, one player paid his own plumber to go to the fields and fix the leaks at his expense. The lights at the Hjelte Complex were out of service for a year before a work order finally was issued. The bathrooms at Hjelte have been locked for years, with the port-a-potties twice burned to the ground.

At the Basin you need a hazmat suit to use the bathrooms. Out of necessity, volunteers have purchased rakes, shovels, buckets, brooms, squeegees, pumps, bags of chalk and other supplies to perform the jobs of Department of Recreation and Parks employees. It shouldn’t be this hard to play softball in Los Angeles.

As a player/manager, I have written to the top executives of the Department of Recreation and Parks to detail these issues with accompanying photographs to illustrate the problems. I am not alone. City officials have been invited to meet players at the fields for a tour. Nothing has worked.

The L.A. Senior Softball program is one of the largest, if not the largest, senior league in North America. It’s a community within the larger community, encompassing the spirit of inclusion L.A. is justifiably proud of. Men from 54 to 90 — yes, 90! — and women 45 and up compete and enjoy the fellowship that comes with teamwork. Seventy-five-year-old Larry Kirby, a cancer survivor, took a crazy hop to the face off an undragged infield resulting in two hours of surgery to implant a plate in his shattered cheekbone. Players routinely armor themselves with shin guards, helmets, chest protectors and catcher’s masks to play the field. We look like Grumpy Old Ninja Turtles playing softball.

The L.A. Department of Recreation and Parks budget for 2022-2023 is north of $300 million. Wouldn’t it be better to spend a tiny portion of that on rehabilitation and maintenance rather than litigation?

As we get older, it’s easier to pull or break something. And injuries are part of sports. Still, no mandatory liability waver will protect the city when a class action suit is filed for gross negligence. Before L.A. spends millions to host the world’s Olympic athletes, we should spend a few grand on our own older athletes.

Doug McIntyre can be reached at [email protected]. His debut novel, “Frank’s Shadow,” will be published in July.

​ Orange County Register 

Moving beyond financial survival for the single parent

• April 2, 2023

Single parents face unique financial challenges and money management issues that can impact their ability to provide for themselves and their children.

Some top issues single parents often face include:

—Limited income: Less income makes it difficult to cover basic expenses like housing, food and childcare. Get creative and resourceful and find ways to increase income or reduce expenses.

—Childcare costs: Finding reliable providers and paying for this significant expense can be challenging. Explore alternative childcare options, such as sharing childcare responsibilities with other parents or family members.

—Medical expenses: Covering a child’s medical expenses can be costly. See if you qualify for Medi-Cal to help cover expenses.

—Debt: Limited income and higher expenses often amount to debt. Prioritize paying down debt and develop a plan to manage debt effectively.

—Lack of financial support: Without the financial support of a partner, it can be more difficult to plan for the future. Consider seeking financial support from family, friends or community resources.

—Lack of time: With limited time to manage kids and the budget, develop an efficiency plan such as setting up automatic bill payments or using budgeting apps to track expenses.

Single parents face a host of issues when it comes to money management. They most often need to be proactive and creative in finding ways to manage their finances effectively, such as seeking out resources and support from community organizations, creating a budget and developing a long-term financial plan.

Managing these issues not only impacts the lifestyle of the single parent, but it also carries a heavy weight emotionally. In order to cope with the stress that accompanies this, people affected will create stories that help them deal with the situation, such as, “This is my life, so I just need to get used to it,” or “I have been dealt a poor hand and that’s just the way it is.”

Such stories most often hold single parents – as well as any other human being – back. Certainly, derailing circumstances such as divorce and related situations have a negative impact not only on one’s immediate finances. However, the future belongs to those who can envision a different future and work toward it in the right way and with the right help.

Through his well-established Intentional Change Theory, organizational theorist Richard Boyatzis offers five steps, when used together, that can help lead to successful change:

— the ideal self (where you would like to be)

— the real self (where you are now)

— a learning agenda and/or plan to determine how you move from real self to ideal self

— experiment with the new behaviors, thoughts and actions (practice helps to refine and integrate)

— supportive relationships that allow the person undertaking change to experience and process their discoveries during the change journey

Most people quickly touch base on the real self and then jump straight to the plan with a cloudy vision of the ideal self (where they want to be). Why?

When someone such as a single parent is in a relatively long-term situation that places them in a vulnerable financial and lifestyle state, it’s difficult for them to think or vision beyond.

In other words, it’s tough to think about a desired future with any great detail or belief when one is struggling. And this is the very thing that needs great attention before developing a plan. If the vision is not something that is crystal clear and exciting to the single parent, the motivation for working on the plan will grow weak in challenging moments.

The other step most people gloss over is Number 5 – supportive relationships for the journey. The single parent should take every advantage of their team in this regard, including a trusted financial planner, an estate attorney (yes, even those who feel they don’t have anything to leave need a trust), a CPA and perhaps a coach, if you need someone to serve as an accountability partner and support in the master journey through the five steps.

There are many who seek help from these professionals and after a while, cease to touch base. This is a pity and a waste. It is proven that a good support system makes all the difference, and this step must be heeded seriously. Moreover, when you have a challenge in creating a clear vision, the team can help.

It is said that no one achieves success by doing it alone. If you are a single parent, or if you know one, review the five steps above, take good time and thought in developing your plan and reach out to get a team around you. You deserve it.

Patti Cotton serves as a thought partner to CEOs and their teams to help manage complexity and change. Reach her via email at [email protected].

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​ Orange County Register 

Huntington Beach beats JSerra in nine innings in National High School Invitational final

• April 2, 2023

The Huntington Beach and JSerra baseball teams were locked in a pitching duel for eight innings Saturday in the final of the National High School Invitational, which featured 16 of the top high school teams in the country battling for the title in the prestigious tournament.

The Oilers eventually broke through in the ninth inning, scoring seven runs to beat the Lions 8-1 at the USA Baseball Training Complex in Cary, N.C.

CHAMPIONS. pic.twitter.com/PYjwg3V4ZW

— USA Baseball Events (@USABEvents) April 2, 2023

It is the second time the Oilers have won the event, the first time was in 2016, and it continued the dominance of Orange County teams in the NHSI. It was the eighth time in 10 years a county team has won.

The teams Saturday were tied 1-1 after eight innings. JSerra had forced extra innings with a run in the seventh on Charlie Navarro’s sacrifice fly.

The big hits for Huntington Beach (12-6) in the ninth inning were Aidan Espinoza’s bases-clearing triple that made it 5-1 and Bradley Navarro’s two-run triple that extended the lead to 8-1.

The game included outstanding pitching from both sides.

Huntington Beach junior right-hander Tyler Bellerose started and pitched into seventh inning, struck out six and allowed four hits. He was named MVP of the tournament.

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He was replaced in the seventh by Colin McNiven, and Otto Espinoza went the final two innings to earn the win.

Brodie Purcell started for JSerra and went three innings. He gave up one run and struck out three. Mcallister Zawistosk, Andrew Padova, Josh Hollis, Jayden Graves and JJ Hollis handled the final six innings. JJ Hollis pitched the final 1 1/3 innings and suffered the loss.

The NHSI All-Tournament Team included: Tyler Bellerose, Huntington Beach, MVP; Dean Carpentier, Huntington Beach; Trent Caraway, JSerra; Matthew Champion, JSerra; Colin Clarke, Santa Margarita; Ralphy Velazquez, Huntington Beach.

​ Orange County Register 

Mission Viejo’s Jada Gatlin sets state-leading mark at Trabuco Hills Invitational

• April 2, 2023

MISSION VIEJO — Jada Gatlin of Mission Viejo was already the top triple jumper in Orange County heading into the Trabuco Hills Invitational on Saturday at Trabuco Hills High School.

Gatlin is now the best triple jumper in the state and among the best in the nation.

Gatlin, a senior, won the triple jump with a season best jump of 40-feet, 8-inches, more than four feet longer than the second-place finisher and one inch shorter than her personal best, which she hit at the CIF State Prelims last season.

The USC signee was named the Field Athlete of the Meet Saturday and is now tied for the eighth-best triple jump distance in the nation this spring.

“I always start the season not doing super well and then over time it gets better,” Gatlin said. “I’ve just been practicing more on technique lately and I think it helped.”

Gatlin also credited her performance, in part, to the good weather, which was better than the cold rainy conditions she contended with during some invitational meets earlier in the season.

Gatlin will be competing in the triple jump and long jump at next week’s prestigious Arcadia Invitational, as will several other winners Saturday.

Sophomore Devin Bragg of Los Alamitos posted a time of 10.56 seconds in the 100 meters, fast enough to finish first in most top-tier high school track meets. But Bragt was in the same race with Serra of Gardena’s Roderick Pleasant, who won the 100 in I0.40 with Bragg taking second.

“It was fun,” Bragg said. “I didn’t expect to be that close to him, to be honest. This is only my second meet. The first meet I ran 10.70 so I’m happy with a 10:56.”

Rodrick Pleasant of Serra/Gardena goes 10.40 wind legal in the 100. pic.twitter.com/NnNAU7fvNU

— Steve Fryer (@SteveFryer) April 1, 2023

Bragg was looking forward to racing against Pleasant again in the 200 later in the meet.

However, Pleasant dropped out of the race, clearing the way for Bragg to win the event in 21.57.

Santa Margarita’s Roman Mendoza, the state’s top 300 hurdler, won that event in 38.43, a bit short of his PR of 37.91, which he set at the Pasadena Games on March 25.

“I was just too far from the first hurdle so I landed all off balance,” Mendoza said. “After that I think I recovered nicely.”

Orange County athletes swept the top three spots in the boys invitational high jump with Alan Vong of Cypress, Griffin Schwab and Edison’s Eli Kaltreider finishing first, second and third, respectively.

The boys 4×400 relay, won by the Fountain Valley quartet of Alan Martinez, Jack Todd, Jonathan Yu and Luke Dias, was one of the more exciting races of the day.

The Barons had a comfortable lead over second-place Santa Margarita going into the final leg, when Mendoza closed the gap on Dias over the final 200 meters.

Dias said that when he saw Mendoza’s shadow, he knew he had to turn it on down the stretch.

“I heard people saying, ‘you got to go faster, man,’” Dias said. “Then I noticed he was actually right behind me. I said, OK, I got to start trying now.’ “

Yu won the triple jump shortly before taking the track for the 4×400.

The Woodbridge foursome of Gabriela Arce, Hannah Wilber, Garryn Forde and Saniya Ali won the girls 4×400.

Trabuco Hills’ Jessica Davis, the county leader in the pole vault, cleared 11 feet, 3 inches to win the event.

Davis cleared 12-4 at the Irvine ASICS Track and Field Invitational earlier in the season, giving her the county’s top mark.

The Rosary 4×100 relay team finished second, but their time of 47.80 is tops in the county this season.

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In the meet’s distance carnival Friday:

Canyon senior Taylor DeBarros and junior Makena Oliva were first and second, respectively, in the 800.

Junior Makenzie McRae of Huntington Beach won the invitational 1,600 in 4:57.19 to earn distance runner of the meet honors.

Junior Jayden Hernandez of Godinez won the boys invitational 1,600 Friday in 4:19.40.

Senior Jimmy Dominguez of Santa Ana won the boys 3,200 invitational in 9:26.28 and sophomore Marley McCullough of Newport Harbor won the girls 3,200 invitational in 11:10.44.

​ Orange County Register 

Ducks lose 7th straight as Oilers clinch a playoff berth

• April 2, 2023

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Leon Draisaitl scored three goals to reach 50 for the season, Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Anaheim Ducks 6-0 on Saturday night to clinch their fourth straight playoff berth.

Zach Hyman also had a goal and an assist, and Darnell Nurse also scored, and Mattias Ekholm had two assists to help Edmonton win its fourth straight and earn at least a point for the 10th straight game (9-0-1).

“It was a good night. There were lots of great plays by the guys around me, looking for me. I am proud and very fortunate to have done it,” said Draisaitl, who scored his third goal short-handed to become just the 12th player in NHL history to have three seasons with 50 goals and 50 assists.

“I was probably being a little too selfish in the third, I was shooting it from everywhere. I think that is all right. Usually, I tend to overpass it so for once in my life it is OK. There were some great plays. I didn’t think it was going to happen on the kill, but I will take it.”

Jack Campbell stopped 36 shots for his 10th career shutout — first since last April 26 against Detroit.

“I thought that Soup (Campbell) made some really big saves, especially early in the first,” McDavid said. “I thought we were a little bit sloppy at the beginning of the game, but he was solid and gave us a chance to get our feet under us.

“I am really, really happy for him. Obviously it has been an up-and-down year for him and he has battled so hard, so to be rewarded, the boys love that.”

The Oilers, who beat Los Angeles 2-0 on Thursday night, got their second straight shutout after not having one for the first 75 games of the season.

John Gibson was pulled in the third period after giving up five goals on 36 shots for Anaheim, which has lost seven straight and nine of 10 (1-8-1). Lukas Dostal came on and finished with eight saves.

“Edmonton has a top-notch explosive team,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. “I thought we had a really good first period, maybe one of our best periods of the year. But I think the discrepancy is finish on the two teams, they’re loaded with guys that can finish and we’re challenged with it.

“I think the differential of shots was four, they had 36 we had 32, we just couldn’t get anything past their goaltender tonight.”

Ryan Strome had Campbell cleanly beat 3 1/2 minutes in, but hit the post. With eight minutes left Frank Vatrano had a couple of opportunities in tight, but was stoned by the Oilers’ goalie.

Hyman deflected Mattias Ekholm’s long shot off Gibson and in with 2:04 left in the first to get the Oilers on the scoreboard. It was his 34th of the season.

Draisaitl got a pass from Evander Kane, skated in and lifted a backhander into the top right corner to double Edmonton’s lead at 2:03 of the second.

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Nurse fired a shot from the slot through Gibson’s five-hole and in for his 11th at 5:05 to make it 3-0.

After McDavid’s point shot hit Hyman, standing on the left doorstep, the puck landed on the right side and Draisaitl quickly knocked it in for a power-play goal with 8:16 left in the middle period.

McDavid got his league-leading 62nd to make it 5-0 at 4:25 of the third, and Draisaitl completed his second hat trick of the season and seventh of his career with about five minutes remaining.

Draisaitl reached the 50-goal mark for the third time in his career.

“This one is very exciting to me because it was at home and the other two were on the road,” Draisaitl said. “It was great to do it in front of our home fans.”

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​ Orange County Register