Niles: Is Universal’s new early entry a good deal or a cash grab?

• March 28, 2023

How many days are there in a year?

If you answered 365 (or 366 in a leap year), allow me to guess that you probably do not run a theme park. Because for the people who run places such as Disneyland and Universal, the answer is, “as many days as we want.”

On a growing number of dates, a theme park ticket no longer buys you admission from the moment a park first opens to the public in the morning to the final moment when it closes that night. These days, parks increasingly are dayparting their schedules with hard-ticket events and mix-ins that run outside their “normal” operating hours.

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The latest? Universal Studios Hollywood is charging $20-30 for one hour of early admission to Super Nintendo World, before the park opens to other guests. That fee is in addition to whatever daily ticket or annual pass you would use to get into the park.

Universal long has extended its days in the fall with Halloween Horror Nights, where the park closes to daytime guests to open to others who buy extra tickets for the evening. Universal’s former theme parks chairman once called Halloween Horror Nights Universal’s “thirteenth month” for all the extra ticket revenue the event generated for the company at its parks around the world.

Knott’s Berry Farm started after-hours, extra-ticketed Halloween events way back in 1973, creating a model that Universal and most other parks in the industry have followed, including even Disney with its Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney California Adventure and Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World.  Disneyland also now runs multiple “After Dark” events in the winter and spring, further showing that parks can use dayparting to grow revenue at any time of the year.

But dayparting can inflict at a cost on park guests who do not buy those extra tickets. When Knott’s started what is now Knott’s Scary Farm, October was a slow month for parks, and they typically closed early from lack of demand. With extra events extending throughout the year, parks are now closing early on much busier dates.

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On the other side of the day, Universal’s early entry for its new Nintendo land means that regular park guests can no longer rope drop into an empty queue for its Mario Kart ride, as the early entrants already have filled the land. In both cases, regular park guests get less than they would have otherwise.

Many other parks, including Disneyland, also have used early admission as a free perk for guests who book a night at the parks’ on-site hotels. If those parks follow Universal’s lead, early entry might become yet another formerly free perk that becomes an upcharge, much like Disney’s free Fastpass turned into the paid Lightning Lane.

I’m happy that parks extended their year by creating events such as Halloween haunts. And many Universal fans love the convenience of guaranteed access to Nintendo with early entry. It’s all about value. If an upcharge delivers that, fans will accept and maybe even embrace it. If not, then parks should not be surprised when fans rebel and complain about cash grabs.

​ Orange County Register 

15th annual Cambodia Town Parade and Culture Festival returns this weekend

• March 28, 2023

The annual Cambodia Town Parade and Culture Festival — a celebration of the Southeast Asian country’s new year, which traditionally takes place from April 14 to 16 — will return to Long Beach this weekend for its 15th iteration.

The free cerebration will kick off at 10 a.m. Sunday, April 2, with a parade that starts between Cherry Avenue and Anaheim Street — and will travel about a half mile to MacArthur Park. The parade will begin after an interfaith program that will include a traditional blessing.

“We are inviting all the great spiritual leaders of Long Beach representing Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and those of the Jewish faith,” said Richer San, a member of the Cambodia Town, Inc. Board of Directors.  “We want to promote peace within the community, and all are welcome.”

The Sunday event will finish with a festival — from noon to 5 p.m. —  that will feature multiple performances, showcase Cambodian cuisine and art, and offer education about the country’s nearly two-millennium old cultural heritage.

Cambodia Town — which is home to the largest population of Cambodians outside of the country itself — is focused around about a one-mile stretch of Anaheim Street between Atlantic and Junipero avenues.

Long Beach became a second home for Cambodians in the early 1980s — when hundreds of thousands of Cambodian refugees flocked to the United States seeking safety from the brutality of the communist Khmer Rouge. The resulting Cambodian Genocide killed nearly 2 million people.

One exhibit that will be on display during the festival will showcase pictures taken by photographer Colin Grafton from Cambodian refugee camps in the early 1980s — where many who had experienced the horrors of war went to apply for resettlement in other countries after the Khmer Rouge fell in 1979.

“As many of them came to the United States with nothing, these photos will allow both first-generation Cambodian Americans and their children to connect with the homeland they were forced to leave,” an announcement about the exhibit said. “Cambodian and Cambodian American memories were destroyed by nearly three decades of war and genocide. These photographs will help connect the Long Beach community to their past.”

Long Beach is home to nearly 500,000 Cambodians.

The first Cambodian New Year Parade was hosted in April 2005 after years of advocacy from community members, who wanted to ensure their culture and heritage wouldn’t be forgotten in America, according to the event’s website.

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The event draws thousands to Cambodia Town every year — and offers a way for the community to celebrate the new year, honor and carry on Khmer culture and traditions, and share it with others. The organizers are expecting about 3,000 attendees this year — with millions of others expected to watch the celebrations virtually.

“Last year, we had more than 5 million viewers watching,” San said. “This year, we anticipate there will be even more people because we are really trying to get the word out early.”

This year, the event’s theme is to “Stop Hate With Love” — a mantra that calls for the coming together of Long Beach’s diverse communities.

“This means a lot to us,” San previously told the Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We want to share our culture with Long Beach. So many good things come from this.”

The blessing starts at 9 a.m., with the parade following at 10 a.m. on Sunday, April 2, between Cherry Avenue and Anaheim Street. The festival will begin at noon at MacArthur Park, 1321 E Anaheim St.

Contributing writer Enrique Rodriguez contributed to this report. 

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County softball stat leaders through March 25

• March 28, 2023

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Orange County softball stat leaders through Saturday, March 25.

To be included, teams must have their stats up to date on the MaxPreps.com leaderboards.

BATTING AVERAGE

Name, school
Avg.
Hits
AB

Malaya Majam-Finch, Fullerton
.688
11
16

Kileah Lologo, Bolsa Grande
.650
13
20

Kayden Connaty, Garden Grove
.647
22
34

Aleena Garcia, Whittier Christian
.644
38
59

Zoe Prystajko, Huntington Beach
.632
12
19

Nevaeh Gomez, La Quinta
.609
14
23

Mickayla Galaviz, Anaheim
.607
17
28

Jocelyn Aguilar, Westminster
.596
28
47

MacKenzie King, Ocean View
.583
14
24

RUNS BATTED IN

Name, school
RBI
PA
GP

Riley Laygo, Whittier Christian
35
63
17

Makenzie Butt, Fountain Valley
25
40
12

Jocelyn Aguilar, Westminster
23
56
15

Jailyn Paderez, Whittier Christian
21
59
17

ChaCha Miranda, Westminster
20
55
15

Kayden Connaty, Garden Grove
19
37
10

Kori Villeneuve, Newport Harbor
17
42
12

Mikayla Varela, Garden Grove
17
34
10

Sofia Hernandez, Whittier Chr.
16
70
17

Kaylee Layfield, JSerra
16
56
15

Ariana Magallanes, Westminster
16
52
15

Anaya Togia, Marina
16
50
14

SLUGGING PERCENTAGE

Name, school
Slugging %
AB
TB

Zoe Prystajko, Huntington Bch
1.579
19
30

Kileah Lologo, Bolsa Grande
1.500
20
30

Makenzie Butt, Fountain Valley
1.313
32
42

Malaya Majam-Finch, Fullerton
1.250
16
20

Navaeh Gomez, La Quinta
1.130
23
26

Kayden Connaty, Garden Grove
1.088
34

Aleena Garcia, Whittier Chr.
1.017
59
56

Sophia Rylaarsdam, Troy
1.000
19
19

Jocelyn Aguilar, Westminster
.957
47
45

EARNED-RUN AVERAGE

Name, school
ERA
IP
ER

Brianne Weiss, Orange Lutheran
0.72
48.2
5

Kayden Connaty, Garden Grove
0.86
32.2
11

Navaeh Gomez, La Quinta
0.95
29.1
4

Mia Valbuena, Marina
0.97
65.0
9

Brynne Nally, Pacifica
1.35
46.2
9

Mckenzie Wanner, Kennedy
1.54
36.1
8

Lexany Alcantar, Anaheim
1.68
25.0
6

Nathalie Gonzalez, Los Amigos
1.96
25.0
7

Kylie Loertscher, El Toro
1.97
42.2
12

Riley Laygo, Whittier Christian
2.05
92.0
27

Mia Gonzalez, Buena Park
2.08
40.1
12

Bayle Hunnicutt, Sonora
2.09
47.0
14

Eva Hurtado, JSerra
2.12
82.2
25

Kaitlyn Kenobe, Ocean View
2.25
28.0
9

Peyton May, Orange Lutheran
2.27
24.2
8

Serena Barragan, Garden Grove
2.56
27.1
10

STRIKEOUTS

Name, school
K
BF
IP

Brianne Weiss, Orange Lutheran
91
201
48.2

Mia Valbuena, Marina
83
268
65.0

Katia Wiklem, Laguna Hills
82
323
64.1

Eva Hurtado, JSerra
64
353
82.2

Brynne Nally, Pacifica
64
180
46.2

Kayden Connaty, Garden Grove
61
139
32.2

Bayle Hunnicutt, Sonora
53
206
47.0

Lauren Mendez, Foothill
51
383
86.1

Kylie Loertscher, El Toro
49
187
42.2

Nevaeh Gomez, La Quinta
47
118
29.1

Riley Laygo, Whittier Christian
43
405
92.0

Loula McNamara, Tesoro
40
269
63.1

Zoe Prystajko, Huntington Beach
38
79
22.0

Bella Goulet, Valencia
37
190
33.2

​ Orange County Register 

Tyler Anderson leads Angels past Dodgers, Noah Syndergaard

• March 28, 2023

ANAHEIM ― Noah Syndergaard and Tyler Anderson arrived at Angel Stadium with similar goals Monday: to use their final exhibition start to prepare for a new season with a new team.

Coincidentally, each pitcher’s new team was the other’s old team. That familiarity seemed to benefit the Angels’ lineup more than the Dodgers’.

Syndergaard allowed five runs in five innings, including home runs by Mike Trout and Taylor Ward, in the Angels’ 5-4 victory. The right-hander allowed 11 runs across his final two spring training starts to finish with a 5.79 ERA.

“I feel like I’m really close,” Syndergaard said. “I’m tinkering with things every day just to see what works for me. I look at other pitchers and I see how their bodies move. Sometimes I’ll try to apply that to me, which doesn’t necessarily work for me. I watch a lot of video from 2019 and previous years, just trying to get to that comfort and those positions. At that point, I’ll have a lot of confidence and conviction.”

The Dodgers signed Syndergaard, 30, to a one-year, $13 million contract in December to effectively take Anderson’s spot in their starting rotation. After signing a $21 million free agent contract with the Angels a year ago, Syndergaard went 5-8 with a 3.83 ERA before he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies at midseason. He then appeared in 14 games with the Phillies, who made a surprising run to the World Series.

When he signed with the Dodgers, Syndergaard expressed his desire to regain the triple-digit velocity that defined his career with the New York Mets, before Tommy John surgery wiped out nearly all of his 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Syndergaard only threw 10 four-seam fastballs among his 85 pitches against the Angels, touching 95 mph. His sinker touched 94 but also yielded some of the Angels’ hardest hits, including the 414-foot homer by Trout in the first inning.

“If I don’t throw 100 again, that’s fine,” Syndergaard said. “I’m not going out there trying to throw 100. I’m going out there trying to get outs. If I just trust my delivery, which I did for the most part tonight, I’ll be in pretty good position.”

Anderson limited the Dodgers to two runs in 5⅓ innings in his first home start as Angel, both coming on solo home runs by Mookie Betts and Miguel Vargas.

The left-hander, who enjoyed a career year with the Dodgers in 2022, walked one batter and struck out five. Anderson finished spring training with a 1.35 ERA in three starts, not including an exhibition game against the United States’ World Baseball Classic team in which he allowed four runs in two-plus innings.

“I feel good,” Anderson said. “I think I got enough innings out. I finally feel like I’m in a better spot with my delivery and kind of ready to go compete.”

Anderson and Syndergaard crossed paths in coincidental fashion.

Anderson rejected the Dodgers’ qualifying offer to sign a three-year, $39 million contract just down the 5 Freeway, while Syndergaard hand-picked the Dodgers for their reputation for rebuilding careers like Anderson’s.

Anderson is already earning the respect of his teammates, Manager Phil Nevin said.

“One thing about him is his leadership qualities to our other young lefties out there,” Nevin said. “He’s great by example for one, but he also kind of has just taken those guys under his wing, if you will. It’s about preparation, what he does leading up to his start. You can already see it. They all have been bonding together, they’ve been working together. If you notice when they come in from the bullpen, all the starters are together. I really like what that group is becoming. And he’s a big part of that. He’s kind of the leader of that pack.”

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The Dodgers used solo home runs by Chris Taylor and Luke Williams in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively, to make the final score close. Right-hander Cesar Valdez closed the door with a perfect ninth inning.

Anthony Rendon went 3 for 3, and Brandon Drury, Shohei Ohtani and Taylor Ward each had two hits for the Angels.

Alex Vesia, Yency Almonte, Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol and Caleb Ferguson did not allow a run in relief of Syndergaard. Betts had two of the Dodgers’ eight hits.

​ Orange County Register 

Jake Pilarski’s rapid ascent caught Dodgers pitcher by surprise

• March 28, 2023

ANAHEIM ― The Dodgers’ hardest-throwing pitcher hasn’t had a locker in their major league clubhouse for most of spring training. He won’t have one after the exhibition season ends Tuesday, either.

For Jake Pilarski, that’s OK.

When he signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers in December, he said, “I did not think I’d be standing in the Dodgers’ clubhouse (Sunday) and the Anaheim clubhouse today.”

At 24, Pilarski’s journey in professional baseball is just beginning. An undrafted free agent out of The Citadel, Pilarski spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons pitching in the independent Frontier League. Last season with the Washington (Pennsylvania) Wild Things was his first as a relief pitcher. With a new role, Pilarski said, came a new mentality that brought him one step closer to the big leagues.

“It really helped,” he said. “Instead of navigating 100 pitches, it was ‘throw 25 as hard as you’ve got.’”

Last year, the hardest Pilarski’s fastball could muster with regularity was 95 to 97 mph. Occasionally, he said, it would reach 98. Pilarski posted a 4.30 ERA across 23 appearances for Washington, unhelped by issuing 23 walks across 28⅓ innings.

After the season, Pilarski paid his own way to Tread Athletics, a training facility in North Carolina. The next step beckoned.

“I got to a point in my career where, with my lifting experience, I didn’t know where to go,” he said.

Listed as a sturdy 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, strength was less of an issue for Pilarski than mobility. His relative inability to bend at the waist was preventing him from unlocking pitch velocity. Exactly how much velocity wasn’t clear at the outset. By the time he left Tread, he had established a new radar gun record at the facility: 101.4 mph.

An amateur scout for the Dodgers, Jonah Rosenthal, was among those who were impressed. He and Will Rhymes, the Dodgers’ director of player development, worked quickly to hammer out a minor league contract. Exactly what they were getting wasn’t clear, particularly given Pilarski’s short track record as a pro.

“He’s had an excellent camp,” Rhymes said. “(Fastball velocity of) 99-101, improved slider, changeup is a weapon. Probably one of the biggest surprises in camp.”

Rhymes wouldn’t say where among the Dodgers’ minor league affiliates Pilarski would begin the regular season, but he suggested the right-hander might not be there long.

“We’re going to give him a chance to get off to a good start, and because of his age he’s a guy who could move quickly depending on how he’s performing,” Rhymes said. “We’ll let his performance dictate it.”

Already, Pilarski has been impressed by how quickly his career has accelerated. He appeared in two Cactus League games in spot appearances with the Dodgers, faced four batters, and struck out three.

“A lot of my friends from college are like ‘dude, what the hell?’” he said.

MINOR MATTERS

Pilarski is one of 14 players who are expected to begin the season in the minor leagues who have had a locker for the first two games of the Freeway Series.

Why are they here?

“It’s a great opportunity for these guys,” Rhymes said. “It’s a nod to their hard work and to the springs they’ve had. It’s just a great experience for them to feel what it’s like to be in a major league stadium, to feel that environment.”

INJURY UPDATES

Pitcher Tony Gonsolin (sprained left ankle) threw a bullpen session, Manager Dave Roberts said. Via pitching coach Mark Prior, Roberts relayed hope that Gonsolin can throw another in the days to come. Gonsolin is on track for a late-April return.

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The timeline isn’t as clear-cut for relief pitcher Daniel Hudson (knee), who remains at the Dodgers’ Camelback Ranch facility in Arizona. He continues to experience discomfort after pitching, Roberts said.

“We didn’t shut him down – we tapered, backed off a little bit, and even when we did that there was that feeling that he wasn’t recovering well,” Roberts said.

Pitcher Jimmy Nelson, who will begin the season on the injured list, is with the team through Opening Day but will return to Arizona afterward, Roberts said.

UP NEXT

Dodgers (RHP Ryan Pepiot) vs. Angels (LHP Reid Detmers) at Angel Stadium, Tuesday, 6 p.m., Bally Sports West, SportsNet LA, 830 AM, 570 AM

​ Orange County Register 

Camp Pendleton is latest agency to find PFAS chemical in drinking water

• March 28, 2023

Camp Pendleton leaders on Monday sent a public notice to thousands of service members and civilians who live and work on the base’s north end alerting them that recent testing revealed their drinking water contained a higher-than-desired level of PFAS, a potentially carcinogenic chemical that has been found in much of Southern California’s groundwater supply.

PFAS, or per- and polyfluorinated substances, can be found in cleaning products, water-resistant fabrics, grease-resistant paper and non-stick cookware, as well as in products such as shampoo, dental floss and nail polish. The state only set requirements to test for the chemicals in the last few years and has lowered the threshold for when their detection needs to be reported to the public by water agencies.

Water districts throughout Southern California have been struggling to get PFAS levels down. Base officials believe their water supply was likely impacted by groundwater that seeped in from inland and uphill Orange County.

For example, of the roughly 200 wells managed by the Orange County Water District in the north and central parts of the county, 61 have had to be closed. A water treatment plant in Fullerton to remove PFAS contaminants went into service in 2021.

The letter sent by Brig. Gen. Jason Woodworth, the base commander, alerted about 18,000 people at the San Onofre housing area, where Marines live with their families, as well as the Fifth Marine Regiment and the School of Infantry that results on Feb. 14  from the base’s northern water treatment plant tested at 23.5 parts per trillion in the drinking water, which is higher than the reporting threshold the state’s Department of Drinking Water set in October at 20 parts per trillion.

One part per trillion is about the same as four grains of sugar in an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

The base is blending the water in several wells – one of the approved options for reducing PFAS levels – and are awaiting new testing results.

“The main point is to let folks know of the current condition and steps we’re taking to ensure safety,” Woodworth said. “We remain in compliance with all the guidelines.”

Base officials on Monday said they have taken steps to ensure that the water at the base’s north end is safe for drinking and said they are not recommending the community “go to household filtration at this time.”

“It shouldn’t be in the water, but it’s not something that is acutely dangerous,” said Navy Cmdr. Stephen Ramsey, an engineer who is in Public Works on the base. “If it’s acutely dangerous, you shut the water system down, but this is not the case.”

Camp Pendleton operates mainly with two water systems, one serving its south end and one on the north end. There is a smaller system that supplies water to the Las Pulgas area of the base, but that’s not affected. The only water system presently impacted is the one on the north end, which produces about 1.2 million gallons a day.

Ramsey said back in October, after the state’s guidelines were issued to monitor for specific PFAS levels, officials checked all their wells. Five of the wells showed high levels, and those were immediately taken offline, he said.

Three more wells on the north end continued to be in use and in January, there was a pump failure in one of the three wells used to dilute the water.

“That’s when our blending was no longer clean enough to stay under the guidelines,” Ramsey said. “Two of the wells were significantly below the numbers and one was above.”

At that point, Ramsey said a reverse osmosis system was put in place to work on the well that exceeded the state’s recent guidelines. The system, which uses high water pressure to force water through microfilters, put it well below the EPA’s guidelines, but not below the California guidelines, Ramsey said. Officials are now awaiting testing results from this month and are hopeful the water will come back clean.

In the meantime, the base has been working on a $63 million pipeline project that will carry water about 17 miles from Camp Pendleton’s south end to the north end. That system should be up and running in a couple of weeks, officials said.

“That will allow us to flow the water from the south that’s gone through reverse osmosis and is considerably cleaner,” Ramsey said.

The base also has two Liquid-Phase Granular Activated Carbon (LGAC) filtration systems in the works that are expected to eliminate the PFAS entirely. The south water filtration system will come online in about two months, and then all the water from those wells will feed both the southern and northern systems.

In six months, the LGAC system is expected to come online in the north, and Ramsey said the northern wells can then be used again.

“One of my greatest responsibilities is the safety, security and well-being of the Marines, military families, and employees that live and work on Camp Pendleton,” Woodworth said. “Ensuring we provide safe drinking water is critically important to me and to our team at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.”

​ Orange County Register 

CIF-SS girls lacrosse polls, March 27

• March 28, 2023

The CIF-SS high school girls lacrosse polls, released Monday, March 27

CIF-SS GIRLS LACROSSE

(Selected by the CIF-SS Lacrosse Committee)

Division 1/2

Foothill

Marlborough

Redondo Union

Mira Costa

Edison

San Clemente

St. Margaret’s

Murrieta Mesa

Oak Park

Palos Verdes

Others: Newport Harbor, Newbury Park, Santiago/Corona, Mater Dei, Royal

Division 3

Huntington Beach

Chaparral

Simi Valley

Northwood

San Marcos

Orange Lutheran

Portola

El Toro

Santa Monica

Murrieta Valley

Others: ML King, Notre Dame/SO, Temecula Valley. Rosary

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​ Orange County Register 

Man fatally stabbed during argument in Garden Grove

• March 28, 2023

A 25-year-old man is suspected of fatally stabbing a man and injuring a teenage girl at a home in Garden Grove, police said Monday.

The suspect, Juan Carlos Fernandez Bustos of Garden Grove, was hospitalized Monday for injuries sustained in a fracas Sunday night at a Garden Grove home, Garden Grove police Sgt. Nick Jensen said.

Police were dispatched just before 10:30 p.m. Sunday to the 10300 block of Lampson Avenue.

Bustos, who previously dated someone living at the residence, got into an argument with family members that escalated into a physical conflict, Jensen said.

A 43-year-old man, whose name was not immediately released, intervened to stop the struggle and got stabbed in the upper body, Jensen said. He was rushed to an area hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

A 16-year-old girl who also attempted to quell the conflict suffered a non-life-threatening injury to her hand, Jensen said.

The family identified the suspect, who was later tracked down at a nearby hospital, where he was being treated for injuries, Jensen said.

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​ Orange County Register