Hotter temperatures expected mid-week before a cooler fall weekend

• October 17, 2023

Yes, we’re nearing the end of October – but summery weather is still on the horizon.

In Los Angeles County, temperatures will be well above normal over the next few days, with Thursday likely to be the hottest day of the week, said National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Sirard.

Temperatures in most coastal areas will remain in the mid-70s, including 78 degrees in Santa Monica on Thursday and Friday. For downtown Los Angeles, expect mostly clear and sunny skies with highs in the 80s and near 90s before the weekend.

The valleys will see highs in the 90s before Friday, with Woodland Hills in San Fernando Valley nearing the 100s on Thursday, according to Sirard. By Friday, temperatures will drop to the lower 70s near the beaches and low to mid-90s in valley areas, as the weather will continue to cool off quite a bit through the weekend.

In inland parts of Orange County, and the Inland Empire, temperatures will remain toasty in the middle of the week until Friday, when folks can expect cooler weather through the weekend and early next week, said National Weather Service meteorologist Casey Oswant.

A heat advisory in Riverside and San Bernardino County will remain in effect from Wednesday morning to Thursday evening, with temperatures anticipated to reach near the 100s, including 97 degrees in Perris and 98 in San Bernardino. By Saturday, mostly sunny skies will be met with highs in the 80s before cooling down into the high 60s and mid-70s come Monday next week.

Coastal areas in Orange County may see highs in the mid-70s and 80s, such as 83 degrees in Huntington Beach on Thursday, while inland regions will see a spike in temperature in the middle of the week, ranging from high 80s to mid-90s.

Those planning on enjoying Knott’s Scary Farm’s selection of haunted mazes and spooky scare zones in Buena Park can expect hotter temperatures in the 80s during the day, with cooler weather in the low 60s during the evening.

By Sunday, fall weather approaches Orange County with overnight patchy fog, partly cloudy skies, and cooler temperatures in the low 70s come Monday and Tuesday next week.

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​ Orange County Register 

Lakers’ Darvin Ham gives Anthony Davis the green light on 3-pointers

• October 17, 2023

EL SEGUNDO — Lakers coach Darvin Ham wants to see Anthony Davis let it fly from behind the arc more.

To the point where Ham recently publicly made a request when it comes to Davis’ 3-point shooting.

“I know he won’t do it – maybe he’ll shock me – but I’ve requested to see six 3-point attempts a game,” Ham recently said. “Three per half, at least. I wouldn’t put that on him if I didn’t think he was capable.

“He’s more than capable and I just think once he calibrates his mind to have that focus, he’ll do it. Amongst all the other things, the great things that he does.”

Although Davis’ play during the preseason suggests he’ll take more 3-point shots, Ham had good reasons for saying he’d be surprised if Davis took as many as he requested.

Lauri Markkanen (2021-22 and 2022-23) and Michael Porter Jr. (last season) are the only players listed as 6-foot-10 or taller who took at least six 3-pointers per game in the past two seasons.

Davis attempted 1.3 3-point shots per game last season, his lowest output from behind the arc since the 2014-15 season. His career-high mark for 3-point shots per game in a season is 3.5 (2019-20), which is the only time he took more than three.

Davis is shooting the 3-ball during this preseason at a significantly higher frequency (5.29 3s per 36 minutes) than he did during the 2022-23 regular season (1.4 per 36 minutes). But he took an even higher frequency of 3-pointers – 5.55 per 36 minutes – in last year’s preseason before dialing it back significantly when the games started to count in the standings.

Davis doesn’t have a specific number of 3-point shots in mind he wants to take per game.

“It’s based on the style of play, the flow of the game,” Davis responded when asked what aggression looks like for him from long range. “Some games, I might take one, some I might take none. Some I might take six. I don’t want to come in like ‘I need to shoot six’ and start thinking about that and start shooting bad shots, right?

“If I’m open, I’ll shoot it. Or if I’m in rhythm, I’ll shoot it, but I don’t want to be hovering around the 3-point line too much all game. But, I just go out and shoot with confidence. And if that’s six of them, four, three, one, none, whatever the flow of the game is telling me, that’s how many I’ll shoot.”

This is the bigger-picture point Ham wants Davis to embrace: Be aggressive and don’t hesitate from anywhere on the floor.

“I want him to be aggressive from all three levels,” Ham said after Tuesday’s practice. “I don’t want him to think ‘OK, man,’ and second-guess his shot. He catches it and no one’s in front of him or his defender is off of him, I want him shooting the ball from three.

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“If he happens to be in the corner, he catches it, I want him to shoot the ball from three. While still being aggressive in the low post and the midrange. It’s not like I just want him to become this exclusive stretch big all of a sudden. I just want him to be aggressive from each and every spot on the floor.”

That’s what Davis has shown so far during preseason, with the final exhibition coming Thursday night against the Phoenix Suns at Acrisure Arena in Thousand Palms.

Davis hasn’t hesitated when defenders have sagged off of him from behind the arc. He’s either attempted 3-point shots quickly, used the extra space given to him to drive into the paint or quickly flowed into another action.

“Once we see you working, we’re gonna encourage our guys to be aggressive in places where we know they can be successful,” Ham said. “It’s no different with A.D. Just seeing how he’s worked this summer. The way he’s attacking his individual game, as well as figuring out ways to enhance the team and make them more effective with his presence, it just makes it easy for me to encourage them to be aggressive and assertive and have that trust.”

​ Orange County Register 

31 stores in California on Rite Aid closure list

• October 17, 2023

Rite Aid has marked 31 stores in California for closure in its restructuring plan, which was filed Monday, Oct. 16 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey.

The chain, which previously said it might close 500 stores, wrote that at least 154 stores would close.

The troubled retail pharmacy chain is facing slumping sales and several opioid-related lawsuits. To make ends meet, the company is looking to reduce its debt while resolving “litigation claims in an equitable manner,” Rite Aid reps said Sunday.

At least 10 stores will close across Los Angeles County. Another six will shutter in Orange County and just two in the Inland Empire. Only one, a store on South Archibald Avenue in Ontario appears to have closed already.

“Many of the stores on this list have already closed and received ample notice of the closure, while some will close in the coming weeks,” Rite Aid said via email Tuesday.

Here’s the list of stores Rite Aid has marked for closure in California. The store number precedes each address:

LA County

5448 — 4044 Eagle Rock Boulevard, Los Angeles

6288 — 959 Crenshaw Boulevard, Los Angeles

5457 — 4046 South Centinela Avenue, Los Angeles

5466 — 7859 Firestone Boulevard, Downey

5521 — 4402 Atlantic Avenue, Long Beach

5571 — 935 North Hollywood Way, Burbank

5585 — 139 North Grand Avenue, Covina

5593 — 13905 Amar Road, La Puente

5611 — 920 East Valley Boulevard, Alhambra

6333 — 15800 Imperial Highway, La Mirada

Orange County

5735 — 24829 Del Prado, Dana Point

6717 — 8509 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine

5753 — 30222 Crown Valley Parkway, Laguna Niguel

5757 — 19701 Yorba Linda Boulevard, Yorba Linda

5760 — 1406 West Edinger Avenue, Santa Ana

6213 — 3029 Harbor Boulevard, Costa Mesa

Inland Empire

6318 — 3000 South Archibald Avenue, Ontario (marked closed on Yelp)

5730 — 25906 Newport Road, Menifee

North of LA

5772 — 2738 East Thompson Blvd., Ventura (marked closed on Yelp)

5780 — 720 North Ventura Road, Oxnard

San Diego County

5635 — 3813 Plaza Drive, Oceanside

5638 — 1670 Main Street, Ramona

5657 — 6505 Mission Gorge Road, San Diego

5661 — 8985 Mira Mesa Boulevard, San Diego (marked closed on Yelp)

Northern California

5967 — 20572 Homestead Road, Cupertino

5976 — 2620 El Camino Real, Santa Clara

5979 — 901 Soquel Avenue, Santa Cruz

6001 — 571 Bellevue Road, Atwater

6045 — 5409 Sunrise Boulevard, Citrus Heights

6080 — 1309 Fulton Avenue, Sacramento

6769 — 499 Alvarado Street, Monterey

The 60-year-old Rite Aid operates 2,100 stores in the U.S., mostly in coastal states, and has posted annual losses for several years. The company reported that its revenue fell to $5.7 billion in the fiscal quarter that ended June 3, down from $6.0 billion a year earlier, logging a net loss of $306.7 million.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

High school football: Orange County stat leaders through Oct. 14

• October 17, 2023

Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

Here are the Orange County high school football stat leaders after the Week 7 games.

The leaderboards are based on season stats published on MaxPreps.com.

To be included, teams must have stats updated on MaxPreps each Tuesday by 2 p.m.

PASSING: TOTAL YARDS

Name, school                                         Yds.      Yds/G.   Comp. Att.    TD

Jackson Kollock, Laguna Beach             1949       278.4      130     208     26

Max Ruff, St. Margaret’s                         1911       238.9       158     240     21

Alonzo Esparza, Los Alamitos                1906       238.3       191     125     21

Anthony Luna, Western                          1900       271.4      131     194     24

Nate Bento, El Dorado                            1729      247.0       107     168     16

Elijah Brown, Mater Dei                          1674       239.1       114    156      25

Nate Richie, Capo Valley Christian         1669       278.2       125    185      20

Cash O’Byrne, Tesoro                             1573       224.7       109    174      11

Ryan Reger, Fullerton                             1527       218.1       101     170     15

Rudy Alcala, Troy                                    1508       215.4         77     137     21

Jacob Perry, Trabuco Hills                       1476      184.5        129     194    12

Jaden O’Neal, Newport Harbor                1462      208.9        126     20      17

Nicholas Miali, Foothill                             1430       204.3       112     180     13

Noa Banua, Fountain Valley                    1425       237.5        113     176     18

Sergio Torres, Santa Ana                         1414      176.8          89     154     15

Corin Rynders, Canyon                            1373      196.1        126      243    10

Jeremiah Finaly, Crean Lutheran              1355      193.6        114      168    17

Austin Shepard, Beckman                         1313     187.6          92      133     20

Cullen Doyle, Brea Olinda                         1300      185.7           99      173   12

Brady Edmunds, Huntington Beach           1294      184.9          78      156    15

Devin Almazan, Kennedy                           1282      183.1        102      155    14

Annett Kaleb, Corona del Mar                    1240      177.1        117      205    13

Timmy Herr, San Juan Hills                        1238      176.9        100      146    12

Holden Nagin, Yorba Linda                         1202      171.7         94       127     17

MJ Fernandez, Anaheim                             1201      171.6         84       151      8

Koa Saito, University                                   1198      199.7         72       134     19

Rocky Palacio, Portola                                1189      169.9         87       169       9

Leo Hannan, Servite                                    1113      159.0         81       130       6

RUSHING: TOTAL YARDS

Name, school                                         Yds       Yds/G     Yds/Car    Att     TD

Ardwon Morris, Orange                          1499        187.4        8.47       177      20

Aiden Rubin, San Clemente                   1175        167.9        7.99       147      16

Aaron Forsgren, Esperanza                    1138       189.7        9.98        114      15

Julius Gillick, Edison                               1039        148.4       7.70        135      13

Eimesse Essis, Tustin                              1025       146.4      11.14         92        8

Nathan Aceves, Brea Olinda                     943        134.7        6.33       149      12

Matthew Peters, Calvary Chapel               936        117.0       11.56         81       7

Aaron Mitchell, Foothill                              904         129.1        6.75       134     14

Charles Hughes, Santa Ana                      903         129.0        7.59       119     17

Tatum Ramos, Woodbridge                       863         123.3        8.22       105       8

Brandon Figueroa, Irvine                           853         121.9        6.27        136     10

Charles Denny, Valencia                            852         106.5       5.88         145     13

Carter Christie, Villa Park                           847         121.0      11.45         74      13

Travis Wood, Tesoro                                  811          115.9         5.44       149       7

Taylor Bowie, Trabuco Hills                       776            97.0         5.46       142       8

Pablo Reyes, Garden Grove                     761          126.8         5.68       134       5

Jonathan Rodriguez, Century                    738           105.4       6.77        109       4

Tommy Acosta, Capistrano Valley             726            103.7       7.48         97     12

Anthony Abad, Sonora                               719           102.7       7.49         96      12

Steve Chavez, Orange Lutheran                700           100.0        5.26       133       9

Justin Dominguez, Crean Lutheran            688             98.3        7.09          97       7

Sullivan Land, San Juan Hills                     657             93.9        6.77         97        8

Jake Martinez, Whittier Christian                655           109.2        7.62         86       11

RECEIVING: TOTAL YARDS

Name, school                                        Yds       Yds/G     Yds/Rec    Rec     TD

Cristian Ramos, Santa Ana                    812        101.5          19.80       41        9

Vander Ploog, Troy                                 768        109.7          20.76       37      11

Ryan Luce, Trabuco Hills                        721         90.1           13.11       55       5

Max Krosky, Capo Valley Christian         702        117.0          14.94       47      10

Nolan Olivares, Fountain Valley              686        114.3          15.59       44        8

Jordan Anderson, Newport Harbor         677          96.7           13.54      50        7

Kamran Jahromi, Portola                        659          94.1           17.81       37       7

Vance Spafford, Mission Viejo                646          92.3           15.02       43       9

Trent Mosley, Santa Margarita                643          91.9           16.08       40       6

Russell Frye, St. Margaret’s                    621         77.6            11.50       54       6

Davon Mitchell, Los Alamitos                  619          77.4           18.21       34       7

Dylan Gardner, Yorba Linda                    614          87.7           14.28       43       5

Hunter Gray, Huntington Beach               607         86.7            26.39       23      9

Jason Robinson, San Juan Hills              594         84.9             15.63       38      7

Will Viola, St. Margaret’s                          582         72.8             14.55       40      7

Declan Kai Healey, Troy                           580         82.9             23.20       25     10

Josiah Lamarque, Newport Harbor           569         81.3            12.93        44      8

Deacon Moss, Irvine                                 562         80.3            16.53        34       4

Jack Zerkel, Foothill                                  551         78.7            15.31        36       6

Russell Weir, Corona del Mar                   549         78.4            14.08         39      5

Desmin Joshway-Fairley, Western           543          77.6            14.68        37      6

Blaine Anderson, University                      531         75.9             12.95        41      9

Noah Kucera, Dana Hills                           526         75.1             15.94       33       4

Xavier Cadena, El Dorado                        509          72.7             18.18        28      6

Lucas Raya, El Dorado                             506          72.3             19.46        26      6

Lance Guerrero, Tesoro                            503          71.9             13.60        37      3

Ryner Swanson, Laguna Beach                491          70.1             15.84        31      8

Devin Bell, Kennedy                                  487          69.6              13.53        36      4

Carson Clark, Los Alamitos                       483          60.4              16.65       28      4

Sean O’Rourke, Beckman                         477          68.1              17.67       27      7

TACKLES – TOTAL

Name, school                                          Tackles      Tck/G      Solo      Asst        TFL

Hoi Hansen, Edison                                     102          14.6           25         77            2

Jackson Sievers, Capistrano Valley               96          13.7          69         27             9

Carter Jones, Crean Lutheran                       94           13.4          68         26            7

Tanner Muir, Newport Harbor                        91            13.0         54         37            3

Gabriel Jimenez, La Habra                            85           12.1          43         42            0

Battle Gideons, St. Margaret’s                       83            10.4          43        40            5

Clayton Corbett, Western                               80           11.4          49         31            9

Johnny Rojas, Whittier Christian                    77            11.0          30        47            7

Rocco Burdett, Cypress                                 72             10.3         56        16            8

Evangelino Salud, Westminster                     71             11.8         29        42            4

Jesse Vargas, La Habra                                71              10.1        39        32             5

Gavin Ghahsayi, Calvary Chapel                   69               8.6         30        39            4

Jake Javorsky, San Juan Hills                        68               9.7         50        18          19

Nathan Nieves, Calvary Chapel                     68               8.5          28        40          25

Brandon Soleau, Huntington Beach               67               9.6          46        21          11

Joel Clemente, Fullerton                                 67               9.6         27        40            3

Mac Wolf, El Dorado                                       67               9.6         16        51           13

Dalton Hurd, Tesoro                                        66               9.4         20        46            4

Chris Villalobos, Godinez                                66               9.4         40        26            0

Noah Sulick, Santa Margarita                         65               9.3          25       40            5

Eddie Zarate, Bolsa Grande                            65              9.3          35       30            1

Jack Klausner, St. Margaret’s                          64              9.1          29       35          10

Jacob Johnson, Villa Park                               64              9.1            5       59          8.5

​ Orange County Register 

Andrew Friedman: Dodgers ‘need to figure out’ October problems

• October 17, 2023

LOS ANGELES — Booted from the postseason in four games by the San Diego Padres last fall, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman called it “an organizational failure.”

So how would he characterize a second consecutive first-round exit, this time after a three-game National League Division Series sweep by the Arizona Diamondbacks?

“I think those words ring true,” Friedman said. “We’ve talked about this a lot, and I would hope that our actions demonstrate this – our goal each and every year is to win a championship. In our opinion, putting ourselves in the best position to do that in the regular season, is to win the division, which then puts us in the best position to win a championship. And when we don’t do that, I think it’s fair to say it’s an organizational failure.

“Our goal was to win 11 games in October and we didn’t win one. So we need to figure out what we can do differently and how to go about it.”

But Friedman’s answers to 30 minutes’ worth of questions at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon sounded very familiar and made it unclear what – if any – significant changes the Dodgers will make to address their October problem.

“Because organizational failure means it’s on all of us. We all have a hand in it,” he said to that. “If this were one person or a small collection of people – in my estimation – then we would make changes. We just wouldn’t do it to say, ‘Look, we’ve made changes’ and try to cover up what has happened. Instead, we have a lot of extremely disappointed, angry people who are all gonna work really hard together to avoid being in this position next year.

“With the talent, with how much they care, with their work ethic, how much they care about these fans and doing everything we can to win a championship in 2024, it felt like making a change would be for the sake of it instead of actually bringing better, more talented people here.”

Friedman made it clear that he did not feel staffing changes were called for and said Dave Roberts will return for a ninth season as manager in 2024. Roberts agreed to a contract extension last spring that runs through 2025.

“The one thing I can say with absolute certainty – and there aren’t a lot of things I can do that about, as we post-mortem – is it was certainly not from a lack of effort, watching the way these guys prepared, cared, did everything they could to put themselves in the best position to go out and have success,” Friedman said. “We didn’t do it and that is ultimately what matters most. .. But I think Doc and our coaching staff did an incredible job this year. And none of us did a good job for those three games against Arizona.”

Friedman also would not blame the playoff format, which gives the top two seeds in each league a first-round bye and five days off before starting postseason play – even though the 100-win Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles were eliminated in the division series round.

“I certainly would not use that as an excuse,” Friedman said. “And our goal next year is to win the division and have those five days off again.”

Ultimately, it was the players who failed in the postseason for the second consecutive year.

Starting pitchers Clayton Kershaw, Bobby Miller and Lance Lynn gave up 13 runs while recording 14 outs against the Diamondbacks. Friedman acknowledged that shoring up a starting rotation that dissolved over the course of the season will be a priority this offseason.

But Friedman called the disappearance of an offense that scored more than 900 runs during the regular season – led by Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, who combined to go 1 for 21 in the NLDS – was “our bigger issue … because it was unexpected.”

It was unexpected in 2022 as well. And yet, the Dodgers have followed up 211 regular-season wins with back-to-back first-round playoff exits.

“I don’t know the answer,” Friedman said. “For our offense to be an issue this year was really surprising to us. We scored over 900 runs for the first time in Los Angeles Dodger history. It’s the best offensive team we’ve had in this run. So that was surprising to us. Obviously, there are three-game snippets throughout a year where our offense doesn’t perform. How much of it is that? How much of it is other things? I don’t know the answer.

“A lot of these things, it’s hard to know the answer to. There is an element that is October theater, and just what plays out on a daily and nightly basis. And there’s other things that we can do a better job on. And how to separate those, it’s incumbent upon us to figure out.”

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The Dodgers’ search for answers this winter could lead to some big expenditures – to restore their stock of starting pitching or to renew enthusiasm among a fan base no longer excited by 100-win seasons or division titles. Shohei Ohtani would do one of those immediately (and the other perhaps down the line).

“Who?” Friedman joked when asked about Ohtani’s pending free agency.

“Obviously, we can’t talk about free agents or pending free agents. … For us, obviously we’re extremely angry, disappointed with how these last two offseasons have gone. We’re going to do everything we can to put ourselves in position for it not to happen next year. What that means exactly, I’m not sure yet. But I do feel very confident that when we show up in Arizona in February, we’re going to have a team that has very, very legit championship aspirations and then it’s about going out and taking care of that first part of the goal in the regular season and then doing whatever we can to make sure we’re not sitting here in this exact setting a year from now.”

​ Orange County Register 

Rare monster-looking fish with sharp teeth washes up at Crystal Cove

• October 17, 2023

The deep-sea creature is an image horror films are made of: Dark black flesh, teeth sharp as glass and an antenna that glows to entice prey in the ocean’s depths.

It’s quite fitting that the spooky-looking angler fish washed up on Friday the 13th, just weeks before Halloween.

It is the second angler fish to washed up at Crystal Cove State Park in recent years.  Another of the deep water fish, also dubbed the Pacific Football Fish, was found on the shore by a park visitor in 2021, making international news.

The fish found last week was picked up by California Department of Fish and Wildlife for further research, according to a social media post by State Parks officials.

The angler fish that washed up two years ago was such a rarity it is now housed at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.

There are more than 200 species of angler fish worldwide. The fish that washed ashore both had the long stalk on their heads that only the females posses. The stalk has bioluminescent tips used as a lure to entice prey in pitch black water as deep as 3,000 feet.

“Their teeth, like pointed shards of glass, are transparent and their large mouth is capable of sucking up and swallowing prey the size of their own body,” the State Parks folks noted.

To see an angler fish intact is very rare and it is unknown how or why these fish ended up onshore, officials said.

“Seeing this strange and fascinating fish is a testament to the curious diversity of marine life lurking below the water’s surface in California’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs),” their post said, “and as scientists continue to learn more about these deep sea creatures it’s important to reflect on how much is still to be learned from our wonderful and mysterious ocean.”

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​ Orange County Register 

Smart & Final workers fear possible job losses in warehouse pivot

• October 17, 2023

Teamsters members at Chedraui USA-owned Smart & Final distribution centers in Commerce and Riverside fear they may soon lose their jobs, and they’re alerting customers of their concerns.

The two facilities will be closing next year as the company shifts operations to a bigger 2.4 million-square-foot distribution center in Rancho Cucamonga that’s set to open in 2024. The shift will require the 600 workers to be terminated before reapplying for their positions at the new facility.

Teamsters officials call that a “union busting” move and say Chedraui has made no guarantee employees will keep their jobs at the new center, which is expected to boost the company’s Southern California distribution capacity by 50%.

Teamsters have filed seven unfair labor practice charges against Chedraui/Smart& Final, alleging violations of federal labor law. The allegations include anti-union retaliationregarding facility relocations and employee terminations, interference with workers’ right to organize and bad-faith bargaining.

Workers from the two warehouses gathered outside a Smart & Final supermarket in Burbank on Tuesday, Oct. 17 to hand out leaflets expressing their concerns about possible job losses. (Photo courtesy of Teamsters Local 630)

Workers from the two warehouses gathered outside a Smart & Final supermarket in Burbank on Tuesday, Oct. 17 to hand out leaflets expressing their concerns. It was part of a national day of action that saw employees giving flyers to customers at more than 50 Chedraui-owned stores throughout the U.S.

Workers are demanding the company guarantee Local 630 members their jobs “at just wages and under a union contract.”

“Some of these people have been with this company for 30 to 35 years,” said Oscar Ruiz, an organizer with Teamsters Local 630. “Just imagine your employer telling you, ‘You’ll have to start all over again. Oh, and by the way, we’ll see if we can hire you or not.’ “

Representatives with Chedraui USA could not be reached for comment.

Warehouse employees fear their pay could be lowered by as much as $10 an hour to be in line with what non-union workers earn at the company’s El Super distribution facilities.

The Commerce employees currently make $30 to $32 an hour, while Riverside workers earn $2 an hour less. But their take-home pay is closer to $25 an hour when out-of-pocket expenses for their health plan are figured in, union officials said.

If their pay is lowered to El Super distribution levels, employees say they would earn a top wage of around $20 an hour.

Daniel Delgado, who has worked at the Riverside warehouse for nearly 20 years, said Chedraui has two options — bring El Super warehouse wages up to Smart & Final levels, or lower Smart & Final wages.

“It doesn’t make sense for this company to bring the El Super employees up to what we’re making per hour,” he said. “At El Super, the starting wage is $15 an hour, so I could see my pay cut almost in half.”

A U.S. subsidiary of Mexican grocery giant Grupo Chedraui, Chedraui USA’s portfolio includes 37 El Super stores, 30 Fiesta Marts and 250 Smart & Final locations across California.

“When Chedraui came in two years ago, management started changing,” said Bobby Perez, who works at the Commerce facility. “They said, ‘Don’t worry — we’ll take care of you. You don’t have to vote union.”

Perez said Chedraui’s existing workforce is valuable and should be treated as such.

“We made this company,” the 52-year-old Whittier resident said. “We’re a well-oiled machine and we know how to work. We’re just sticking up for our rights and benefits.”

In a May 9 letter to employees, Chedraui USA President Carlos Smith said the company’s network of five Southern California distribution centers is “already operating at capacity.”

“The new Rancho Cucamonga facility will allow us to integrate and centralize our distribution operations while adding warehouse space to support growth,” Smith said. “We encourage individuals with warehouse experience, dependability and a positive job history to consider applying to join the new Rancho Cucamonga team in 2024.”

​ Orange County Register 

Rams to increase season ticket prices for first time since move to SoFi Stadium

• October 17, 2023

The Rams are raising the price of season ticket packages for the 2024 season, the organization announced in an email to season ticket holders on Tuesday.

Previously, Rams’ season ticket packages began at $600 per season ($60 per game) and ranged up to $3,750 ($375 per game). Prices will now range from $720-$4,050, with the Rams stating that 52% of the stadium will see an increase of $10 per game or less.

“We thought our price increase was reasonable overall given the context of normally teams raise ticket prices each year; we haven’t for three years,” Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff said on a call with reporters. “This is a pretty moderate increase coming off of three years without an increase.”

The price hike represents the first since the Rams began playing games at SoFi Stadium with fans in attendance in 2021. As the Rams were selling the first season ticket packages for SoFi while still playing at the Coliseum, the organization pledged to freeze ticket prices for the first three years at the new stadium.

That was originally supposed to run from 2020-2022, but fans were not allowed to attend games during the 2020 season due to COVID-19, so 2023 was the last season of the Rams’ price freeze.

“There was a science to where these tickets went up which was based on, what’s the actual value of these tickets as they exist?” Demoff said. “I think as you look forward to the next wave of this team, the next wave of investment that’s coming ahead of this next iteration of team, to continue to do the things we’ve done, this will help fuel this process as well. Quite frankly, the value of our tickets, if you look at them from our fans on the secondary market, they warrant an increase to meet the kind of the market data that has been valued.”

Demoff said the price increase is not related to the rising NFL salary cap, but more a reflection of the costs of operating SoFi Stadium. When the Rams first set season ticket prices in 2018, they were merely projecting the labor and utility bills that would be needed to run the venue.

The price hike comes not after the Rams won the Super Bowl in Feb. 2022, but after an off-season in which the Rams allowed several expensive veterans to leave via free agency while resetting the team’s salary cap situation after outsized spending in pursuit of that championship run.

“This has always been a team that’s has invested in our players, invested in our coaches,” Demoff said. “Because the salary cap this year did not allow for that type of investment, isn’t how we look at this team going forward. Next year, we have a full complement of draft picks as of right now, plus probably four compensatory picks. We have close to $50 million of salary cap space to be able to go invest in new players, to make the kind of trades we’ve made.”

In correspondence with the price increase, the Rams announced two new benefits for season ticket holders as a result of fan surveys conducted each August and December.

The first is a ticket turnover program. If season ticket holders know they can’t make it to certain games on the schedule and don’t want to deal with the secondary ticket market, they can sell up to three games’ worth of tickets back to the Rams for a credit toward the next year’s package.

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And then the Rams will also begin offering a food and beverage discount to season ticket holders. Depending on whether they have reserve, premiere or club-level packages, fans will get a 15-30% discount on food and non-alcoholic drinks.

“We hear it from our season ticket holders, ‘Help me out financially,’ ” said Dan August, the Rams’ executive vice president of consumer revenue and strategy. “To the point of we’re making more money off raising tickets, we want to invest it back into benefits and we want to give it to our season ticket holders, our Rams fans. And this is one that, the more games you attend, the more dollars you will save in total.”

​ Orange County Register