Anna Li awarded Olympic Trials judging spot despite abuse allegations

• March 13, 2024

Anna Li, a former U.S. national team member and eight-time UCLA All-American, has been selected by gymnastics’ national governing body, to judge the vault at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June.

It’s the same event that Li, while coaching at her family’s gymnastics club in suburban Chicago, screamed at and body-shamed a young gymnast who was still mourning the recent death of her grandmother.

“Get your fat ass over the vault!” Li screamed at the girl, according to interviews and USA Gymnastics and U.S. Center for SafeSport documents. “You’re too fat to get over the vault!”

Li, an alternate on both the 2012 Olympic Games and 2011 World Championships gold medal-winning squads, was awarded seven high-profile 2024 judging assignments including the Olympic Trials, the U.S. Championships, and a World Cup by USA Gymnastics judging selection committee in December despite being under investigation by the U.S. Center for SafeSport since August 2019 for physically, verbally, and emotionally abusing, bullying, body shaming and pressuring young athletes to compete and/or train while injured.

The selection of Li by a committee that included former U.S. Olympic team coach Kelli Hill and Chellsie Memmel, the 2005 World all-around champion and currently the “technical lead” of USA Gymnastics’ high performance program, was made nearly 10 years after USA Gymnastics received the first in a series of complaints against Li in which gymnasts and their parents alleged over the ensuing decade that Li routinely abused and bullied athletes and then as a coach and judge, while under investigation by SafeSport, retaliated against and attempted to intimidate athletes, other judges, parents, and coaches and who have cooperated with the SafeSport investigation, according to interviews and USA Gymnastics and U.S. Center for SafeSport documents obtained by the Southern California News Group.

Gymnasts who trained under Li with Legacy Elite Gymnastics in Aurora, Illinois, and their parents, are outraged by USA Gymnastics’ decision to award Li such prestigious judging assignments in the wake of the dozens of abuse allegations against her including her alleged continued misconduct while under investigation.

“She shouldn’t be allowed to take on the assignments because of the mental and physical abuse she took part in and hurt so many athletes,” said Riley Milbrandt, a former Legacy gymnast. “She should not be allowed that privilege for how she has mistreated so many athletes. She abused me for five years and I still believe she has not learned from her mistakes as a high level coach.”

“I don’t think she should be in the gym (in any capacity),” said Carmen Scanlon, mother of a former Legacy gymnast. “USA Gymnastics shouldn’t give her anything.”

Jill Geer, USA Gymnastics chief of communications and marketing, said in an email that “National Governing Bodies have no visibility into any case over which the Center accepts jurisdiction.

“NGBs also are prohibited from investigating or taking any action that in any way may interfere with a case that is being handled by the Center,” Geer continued. “Any sanctions issued by the Center must be fully enforced by NGBs, including USA Gymnastics.

“U.S. judging assignments are selected from the small pool of U.S. judges who hold an FIG Brevet,” Geer added,  referring to gymnastics’ international governing bodies’ judge standards. “Any judge who is currently active and eligible may be selected for judging assignments, both international and domestic. All judges currently receiving assignments are fully eligible.”

Li did not respond to a request for comment.

Hill and Memmel did not respond to requests for comment.

Gymnasts and parents are also critical of the U.S. Center for SafeSport, complaining about the length of its nearly five-year investigation of Li and her mother Jiani Wu, an Olympic medalist for China and former USA Gymnastics national team coach. They’re also frustrated that the center did not suspend Li and Wu or restrict their access to minor-age athletes, and that SafeSport has failed to respond to gymnasts’ and parents’ concerns and communications in a timely manner when the center has responded at all.

“Five years is absolutely ridiculous,” Milbrandt said.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport began its investigation of Li and Wu in August 2019 following an SCNG report detailing dozens of abuse allegations against the mother and daughter. SafeSport took over jurisdiction of the case from USA Gymnastics, which had briefly investigated Li and Wu in June and July 2019, according to USA Gymnastics and SafeSport documents.

“We are working diligently to improve the process and provide more consistent communication,” Ju’Riese Colon, SafeSport CEO, said in a statement to SCNG. “Those efforts, as well as any to streamline and expedite resolutions, cannot compromise our commitment to fair and thorough investigations.”

Li’s judging assignment isn’t the first time USA Gymnastics has been the subject of controversy for awarding her a high profile position. Li was selected by the USA Gymnastics Athletes Council in June 2019 to join the 10-member group that represents athletes with the governing body’s board of directors. Athletes Council members are essentially the voice of athletes with USA Gymnastics. Members of the council share concerns of athletes with the national governing body. Li’s selection came around the same time USA Gymnastics began looking into allegations against Li and Wu.

Li resigned from the council under pressure on the eve of the USA Gymnastics Championships in August 2019. USA Gymnastics chief executive officer Li Li Leung at the same competition denied to reporters that the organization was aware of complaints against Li and Wu prior to Li being named to the Athletes Council in June 2019.

But emails obtained by SCNG in 2019 contradict Leung’s claims.

Mark Busby, then USA Gymnastics general counsel, and Toby R. Stark, then the organization’s director for Safe Sport confirmed in a series of September 2017 emails that USA Gymnastics had received allegations of “verbal, physical and emotional abuse” against Li and Wu.

Multiple parents have also told SCNG that they first filed complaints about Li and Wu with USA Gymnastics in 2014.

At least 15 individuals have filed formal complaints against Li and Wu with SafeSport in a case with approximately 50 witnesses. Several other gymnasts and their families have told SCNG they declined to cooperate or stopped cooperating with the investigation because of SafeSport’s lack of responsiveness or out of fear that Li would not be fair in judging gymnasts at national or regional competitions or that she would speak negatively about athletes to college coaches.

In a February 12 email to complainants, Libby Bailey, the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s assistant director of investigations, wrote “thank you for your continued patience during the process. The Investigation Report has moved under the final phase of review and when complete you will receive a Notice Decision and the full Report.”

But Bailey also said in the email she was not able to provide “an approximate date” when the report review would be completed.

For several gymnasts and parents, Bailey’s email sounded strikingly familiar.

Bailey in July 2021 wrote to former gymnasts and their parents that SafeSport was in “the process of drafting the comprehensive final report” in the Li and Wu investigation

“We ask that you continue to be patient as we work through the information gathered in the investigation,” Bailey wrote in a July 19, 2021 email to gymnasts and parents. “We will continue to provide updates as they become available.”

But gymnasts and parents said it has taken SafeSport up to six months to respond to emails, texts or phone calls, if investigators responded at all. Scanlon said she hasn’t heard from SafeSport officials in four years.

“Not one thing has happened to them. Nothing,” Scanlon said of Li and Wu. “USA Gymnastics doesn’t care about the kids unless they’re at the top level. Anna has been allowed to do everything she wants despite a plethora of allegations against her. The complaints against her are so graphic in detail I don’t know how anyone can ignore them.”

Gymnasts and their parents allege that Li disparaged gymnasts in front of their peers on a “daily basis,” regularly called girls fat, pressured injured athletes to train or compete, and threatened to make negative comments to college coaches recruiting them if they struggled in training, were unable to train or compete because of injuries or illness, or appeared in Li’s opinion overweight, according to interviews with multiple gymnasts and parents and U.S. Center for SafeSport and USA Gymnastics documents.

Li was also selected to judge the balance beam at the Olympic Trials. It’s the same apparatus that Scanlon alleges Wu pulled her 10-year-old daughter off of by her hair to the floor when the girl didn’t perform a skill to her satisfaction.

“Jiani yanked her off the high beam, pulled her to the ground, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to some mats and then sat on her back,” Scanlon said. “I was there. I saw it. I was stupid. I didn’t know what to do. We should have left (the club) that day. We left a month later.”

Wu on multiple occasions pulled young gymnasts by their hair when she was dissatisfied with their training, including at least one occasion when Wu allegedly pulled a girl by her ponytail all the way to the ground, according to interviews and multiple complaints submitted to U.S. Center for SafeSport and USA Gymnastics.

“Hair was pulled and girls were constantly body-shamed,” a parent wrote in a formal complaint to SafeSport and USA Gymnastics.

Another parent in a complaint with SafeSport and USA Gymnastics said she witnessed “hair pulling under the guise of physical coaching.”

Another complaint alleges a “child had tape placed over (her) mouth for 2 hours” by the coaches.

Once Wu pushed Milbrandt while she was doing a handstand, sending her crashing into a balance beam, according to a complaint and interviews. Milbrandt was once forced to stand against the wall by herself for two hours as punishment and told she would not be coached or talked to by the coaches, according to interviews and a complaint. Wu told the other gymnasts in Milbrandt’s training group they would also be forced to stand against the wall if they spoke to their teammate, according to a SafeSport document.

Girls were made to sit in an inflatable pool toy in the corner of the gym as punishment if Li or Wu thought they were not working hard or not making corrections, according to multiple interviews and complaints.

Gymnasts were forced by Li and Wu to train and compete while injured, according to multiple complaints.

“Coaches thought they were above the doctors,” one parent alleged in a complaint to SafeSport. “They told the girls that they know more than the doctors do because of the length of time they have been in the sport. They said they never needed lists from doctors, that they knew how to manage all injuries. Therapy lists were torn up and thrown in the garbage.”

Judges who have worked with Li on judging panels or judged competitions sponsored by Legacy or involving Legacy athletes, as well as gymnasts and their parents, said they are also frustrated and outraged by SafeSport’s refusal to place Li and Wu on interim suspension despite multiple complaints that the coaches have allegedly continued to abuse and intimidate gymnasts and judges since the Center took jurisdiction over the case in 2019, according to interviews and confidential complaints filed with SafeSport.

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Li tried to intimidate a former Legacy gymnast at an Illinois meet in March 2021, nearly two years after SafeSport began its investigation of Li and Wu, according to complaints and documents submitted to SafeSport. The gymnast and her mother have filed complaints with SafeSport alleging physical, verbal and emotional abuse by Li and Wu, according to SafeSport documents and interviews.

SafeSport has denied multiple requests to place Li and Wu on interim suspension, according to documents and interviews.

Under the U.S. Center for SafeSport code, “Retaliation against anyone for engaging in the Center’s processes is prohibited.”

“Retaliation,” the code said, “includes threatening, intimidating, harassing, coercing or any other conduct that would discourage a reasonable person from engaging or participating in the Center’s processes when the Retaliation does not include good-faith actions lawfully pursued in response to a report of a Code violation.”

The code also allows SafeSport to place individuals facing abuse allegations on interim suspension, a protective measure pending the outcome of the investigation, according to documents. Individuals placed on interim suspension can then request a hearing within 72 hours.

​ Orange County Register 

Amid a cactus landscape, these Arizona wellness resorts melt away life’s prickles

• March 13, 2024

Marlise Kast-Myers | Tribune News Service

Before marrying my husband Benjamin, I had a habit of setting New Year’s resolutions of lofty goals-turned-faded letdowns. From publishing books to running marathons, those big dreams led to late nights, missed deadlines and self-inflicted exhaustion. A realist at heart, Benjamin taught me to crumple date-induced ambitions and simply find motivation in myself rather than a flip of the calendar.

That is until recently.

Tiptoeing toward us was 2024 holding a mirror of tired reflections. Coffee was my fuel and bedtime was my bestie, as we juggled four jobs between the two of us. Oddly enough, we’re wired that way, taking on more than we should because we’re driven by ourselves.

And so, we ironed out that crumpled sheet of blankness and wrote in bold letters: “Relax. Rest. Recover. Reconnect. Rejuvenate. Restore.”

That was our goal, to get away for four days and come back new and improved.

Enter Arizona. The proximity to San Diego made the spontaneous getaway uncomplicated, not to mention, we heard of two properties that had the power to push the reset button on life.

Tucked into the untamed Sonoran Desert, CIVANA Wellness Resort & Spa would start our path to wholeness, followed by Castle Hot Springs which would continue our journey to healing in the foothills of the Bradshaw Mountains. Two nights at each resort are what we dedicated to unplug from the world and reconnect to ourselves.

The 22,000 sq-ft spa is the heartbeat of CIVANA. (Benjamin Myers/TNS)

Simplicity was our priority, not budget. And so, we flew via JSX hop-on jet service. As first timers, we learned that the public charter traveled to 40-plus destinations including Scottsdale. Gone were the security lines, the crowded terminals and the hidden fees, meaning we could park and arrive just 20 minutes before takeoff. Included in the $279 ticket price were cocktails, Wi-Fi, business-class legroom, and oversized baggage. Trust me, we were carrying some serious baggage (figuratively, of course).

The past year wrung us out, and now Arizona was hanging us out to dry with a bad start.

Somehow the rental car agency had “sold out” of vehicles. For over two hours, we stood in line hoping for a set of wheels that would take us to utopia.

Mentally, I was at a dangerous place and on the verge of getting ugly, the type where my husband walks away and pretends I’m a stranger. Stepping out of line, I went directly to the parking garage and showed an attendant our reservation. To my surprise, he handed us a set of keys and we were off — that is until we were stopped five minutes later for potential car theft.

Back to the airport we went, waiting another 45 minutes for a vehicle we hadn’t reserved, costing double the original price. And of course, things got ugly. That’s when a text message arrived from our house sitter, informing me that my pet turkey had gone missing.

Teetering between anger and sadness, I had nothing to say. Traffic was at a standstill, we hadn’t eaten all day, and my pre-booked meditation class was starting in five minutes.

And so, I bit down on my knuckles and screamed.

“Well, this is certainly off to a good start,” Benjamin said.

Everything I had aimed to quell was boiling at the surface, and now all I wanted to do was wash away the day.

A $40 million renovation turned this 1960s hotel into a wellness retreat. (Benjamin Myers/TNS)

Somehow, CIVANA sensed that, greeting me with a pool where I swam laps alone at sunset.

Within minutes, I could feel the stress dripping off my body. The setting certainly helped, a 1960’s mid-century modern hotel in a town appropriately named Carefree.

Originally designed by Frank Lloyd Wright’s understudy, Joe Wong, the property resurrected in 2018 as CIVANA Wellness Resort. The $40 million dollar facelift was tight, with 144 neutral-toned rooms in stone, wood, and glass reflective of the desert.

Never did I expect cactuses to be so esthetically soothing, saluting the marbled sky and fading into the starry night. Webbing out from the 20-acre resort were pebble-framed trails that led to the café, restaurant, fitness studios and 22,000-sqare-foot spa.

Boldly launching during the pandemic, CIVANA is clearly the cool kid on the block, luring wellness-focused millennials with its price point and mindset that self-love is okay.

Apparently, women got the memo. Bachelorette parties, girls getaways and sister retreats left my husband saying, “I feel very alone.”

In my opinion, that was actually the point, for us to be (or at least feel) alone in our united solidarity. CIVANA went out of its way to do that through their pillars of discovery and nourishment. Starting with the latter, we dined at Terras with mouths-wide-open during dinner of eggplant hummus, seared scallops and Faroe Island salmon.

A seasonal menu delivers farm-to-fork cuisine at Castle Hot Springs. (Benjamin Myers/TNS)

“I think I need some carbs,” I whispered.

The veggie-forward menu had gluten free, grain free, dairy free and other “free” (not to be confused with “complementary”) options; an entrée alone runs about $50, but throw in the resort perks, and the price tag doesn’t seem so heavy.

Included in the $500+/- nightly rate are bikes, hiking trails wellness guides, aqua therapy and over 100 movement, personal growth and spiritual classes. I opted for yoga, cardio strength and “Band and Buns” while Benjamin zenned out with breathwork, meditation and sound-healing.

In true “us” form, we packed our schedules with classes and spa treatments. Of course, there were gardens and labyrinths to quiet the mind, open the heart and ground the body. Benjamin explored them. I did not, because I was too busy running to my next class. Like students on campus, we would wave in passing or meet up for lunch over smoothies and antioxidant bowls.

Shaking my empty water bottle, I tapped my forehead.

“I already feel so hydrated. … Oh, look, they have hard Kombucha!”

Despite our resolutions, we were on vacation after all — a time to let go, raise a glass, and toast to the fact we were reaping the benefits of our environment. Others got it, eating breakfast in bathrobes, sipping post-spa margaritas and ditching workouts when suffering and leisure no longer aligned.

I was sad to leave CIVANA, having just awakened the 2.0 version of myself. As we packed the car for Castle Hot Springs, I felt healthy, alive and poised for what was next. During the hourlong drive, we passed spiny saguaro cactuses, wild donkeys and a world of Winnebagos. Tumbleweeds rolled across desert plains, as if each one had a destination and a deadline.

“Is this where they filmed ‘Breaking Bad’?” I asked.

My husband didn’t respond, but rather mumbled something about our rental car being put to the test. In our wake was a plume of dust, leaving behind any sign of civilization. Thoughts of his tire-changing skills crossed my mind, along with my sudden desire to adopt a burro.

And then, there it was, an oasis thriving in the barrenness. Greeting us at parking was a valet who whisked us via golf cart through a private gate, down a palm tree-lined pathway, to Arizona’s first luxury resort. At the center of the 1,200-acre property were pools and ponds dotting manicured gardens and vibrant lawns so perfect, you’d swear you were living in an AI post.

A seven-mile dusty road leads to the lush oasis of Castle Hot Springs. (Benjamin Myers/TNS)

Castle Hot Springs existed to help people come up, and then slow down with mindful activities, rugged nature, and soft adventure. While rates were three times that of CIVANA, it was one-size-fits-all with an inclusive experience covering tours, meals, gratuities, resort fees, in-room amenities, valet, cart service and endless activities. Hiking, archery, paddleboarding, biking, horseback riding, pickleball, gardening, stargazing, wine-tasting, yoga — you name it, and they had a personal guide to take you from adventure to relaxation.

The diamonds of this jewelry box, however, are the hot springs that have been replenishing souls since 1896. From the Yavapai Tribe who soaked for medicinal purposes, to the prospectors who sold the land to the Murphy brothers for development, word spread of the healing waters and fertile soil in the Bradshaw Mountains.

The Rockefellers, Wrigleys, Vanderbilts and Roosevelts all escaped to this sanctuary of well-being, which pioneered Arizona’s first tennis courts, golf course and telephone. In 1943, it served as a military rehabilitation center for injured veterans, including future president, John F. Kennedy.

Despite its curative properties, Castle Hot Springs went up in flames in 1975. For over 40 years, the charred resort sat desolate, ready for someone to resuscitate its heart so that it might once again breathe life into others. Along came Cindy and Mike Watts, who first spotted the land while flying over during quail-hunting season. For around $2 million, they purchased the skeleton resort with only three buildings remaining. After a five-year historic restoration, Castle Hot Springs finally had the resurrection it deserved, today earning accolades matching some of the best hotels in the world.

Understandably so. Designed with luxury and relaxation in mind, 30 bungalows and cottages boast stone tubs, covered decks, telescopes and indoor-outdoor fireplaces. Each room is strategically located at the water’s edge so you can fall asleep to the sound of the babbling creek.

Clearly, we had found our healing place. Pulling back the curtains, my husband inhaled deeply and closed his eyes.

“Oh look, a hiking trail,” I clapped behind him.

Reaching new heights at Arizona’s only Via Ferrata Adventure Course, at Castle Hot Springs. (Benjamin Myers/TNS)

Alas, it was, and 17 of them to be exact. From aerial walkways and agave farms to canyon caves and mountain summits, we explored as many as we could in between yoga, massages, biking, rock climbing and farm tours. The latter ignited an unparalleled appreciation for the kitchen, where the chef and farmer work in unison; so much so, that they create the daily 4-course tasting menu together.

During our tour through the “living pantry,” we tasted leafy greens and fragrant herbs that made their way from farm-to-fork later that night. With over 3-acres under cultivation, the team of agronomists harvest more than 150 varieties of crops each season. Nova Scotia halibut with beluga lentils or Colorado lamb with pistachio butter and sweet potato fondant? Choices, choices.

If only we had more time and doggie bags to take home the feeling of Castle Hot Springs every time life turned south. It was the type of place that coated you in experiences over accommodations, memories over moments. We felt it during our bike tour, cruising down a network of single-track trails, mining roads and narrow canyons. It hit us again during our multiple soaks in the thermal pools.

Hot springs can vary in temperature up to 106 degrees Fahrenheit. (Benjamin Myers/TNS)

We slept deep that night, so deep in fact, that we awakened, and it was time to go … at noon.

Driving back to the airport, we once again sat in silence. Only this time, I wasn’t thinking about rental cars and traffic and the meditation class I was about to miss.

Instead, I was thinking about the miracle of an oasis that withstood the flames of the past to now extinguish the pain of the present. I thought about how those restorative waters had the power to plunge me out of exhaustion and emerge me anew with a deeper understanding and appreciation of loving myself. I thought about how cultivating wellness — from the food that I eat to the hours that I sleep — is a purposeful journey, not a prescribed destination. I thought about how two resorts in the Arizona desert revealed the importance of staying aligned in 2024, versus reaching a point of pushing reset.

Grabbing my husband’s hand, I gave it little squeeze. “Well,” I said, “this is certainly off to a good start.”

____

Marlise Kast-Myers (marlisekast.com) is an author and journalist based in San Diego. She and her husband live at the historic Betty Crocker Estate where they run Brick n Barn (bricknbarn.com)

©2024 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

​ Orange County Register 

Chargers release WR Mike Williams after 7 seasons

• March 13, 2024

The Chargers solved their salary-cap issues by releasing veteran wide receiver Mike Williams, they announced Wednesday, a difficult but necessary move that enabled the team to beat the NFL-mandated deadline to get under the record-setting cap of $255.4 million for next season.

Williams, fellow wide receiver Keenan Allen and edge rushers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack each have cap hits of $32 million or more for next season. By releasing Williams, it enabled the Chargers to become cap compliant by the league’s 1 p.m. (PDT) deadline Wednesday,

The NFL’s 2024 season officially began Wednesday afternoon.

The move trims $20 million from the Chargers’ salary cap for the upcoming season and comes after they released linebacker Eric Kendricks on March 5, gaining an additional $6.5 million in cap relief. Kendricks, a former UCLA standout, was set to sign with the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers.

In addition, Mack agreed to restructure his contract in order to remain with the Chargers for next season, according to a report from ESPN. Mack, 33, set a career high with 17 sacks this past season and topped 100 for his career. Allen and Bosa also will remain with the Chargers for the 2024 season.

The Chargers could re-sign Williams in the days to come, but it was reported by the NFL Network that he would prefer to test free agency instead. Williams spent the past seven seasons with the Chargers, who drafted him in the first round (seventh overall) in 2017 after a stellar career at Clemson.

Williams, 29, played only three games this past season, suffering a torn ACL during a victory in Week 3 over the Minnesota Vikings. He was expected to be sound enough to play again by the start of the 2024 season, but that was an initial estimate and there had been no recent updates on his condition.

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He caught 309 passes for 4,806 yards and 31 touchdowns in 88 games over seven seasons with the Chargers, including 19 receptions for 249 yards and one touchdown in three games in the 2023 season. He also was limited to 13 games in the 2022 season because of injuries.

The NFL’s free-agent negotiating window opened Monday, with contracts becoming official at 1 p.m. Wednesday. The Chargers were set to sign former Baltimore Ravens running back Gus Edwards and ex-Seattle Seahawks tight end Will Dissly and also to re-sign safety Alohi Gilman.

If the Chargers fail to re-sign Williams, they are likely to seek a replacement in the NFL draft April 25-26-27 in Detroit. The Chargers have the fifth overall pick and several mock drafts have them selecting LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers if they make the pick rather than trading down.

It’s no secret that new coach Jim Harbaugh would like to bolster the Chargers’ lackluster running game, something that was evident by agreements Monday with free agents Edwards and Dissly and the departure of running back Austin Ekeler, who was set to sign with the Washington Commanders.

By trading down next month, the Chargers could possibly select Georgia tight end Brock Bowers or perhaps take one of a number of different standout offensive linemen. Bowers would give quarterback Justin Herbert a standout playmaker to go with Dissly, a top-notch blocker in the running game.

Last season, the Chargers averaged only 3.8 yards per rushing attempt, 27th in the NFL. Their inability to pair an effective ground attack with the passing of Herbert was a significant reason why they finished the season 5-12 and prompted the firing of Tom Telesco as GM and Brandon Staley as coach.

“Can you imagine Justin Herbert with a great running game?” new Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman asked last month of a group of reporters,, who quickly agreed that they could not because they hadn’t seen it happen under the direction of Telesco and Staley.

More to come on this story.

​ Orange County Register 

Kylie Minogue, Janelle Monáe and Diplo are set to play Outloud Music Festival

• March 13, 2024

The Outloud Music Festival at WeHo Pride will return to West Hollywood Park on June 1-2 with an all-new music lineup, DJs and drag queens.

The ticketed event will feature live performances by various artists on Saturday, June 1 and Sunday, June 2, but also include a free show on Friday, May 31 a yet-to-be-announced lineup. The main affair will be led by Kylie Minogue, Janelle Monáe, and Diplo + friends. Other acts include Doechii, Ashnikko, Noah Cyrus, Trixie Mattel, Keke Palmer, Channel Tres, Yaeji, Big Freedia, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Vincint, Snow Wife, Destiny Rogers, Black Polish, Salina EsTitties, Doug Locke, Jimi The Kween and Zee Machine.

The festival will also feature a second dance music stage in partnership with Summertramp, with more performances to be announced.

Passes go on sale starting at 10 a.m. Friday, March 15 by signing up for the Outloud Festival mailing list with a valid email address at weareoutloud.com.

Outloud is happening during WeHo Pride May 31-June 2. West Hollywood has served as a home base for one of the largest LGBTQ+ pride parades. This year, the festivities will include the LGBTQ+ Arts Festival, a Women’s Freedom Festival and Sunday’s WeHo Pride Parade. Last year’s Outloud Festival featured headlining performances by Grace Jones, Orville Peck and Carly Rae Jepsen.

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​ Orange County Register 

Why California owners aren’t selling? Maybe they like their homes

• March 13, 2024

“Numerology” tries to find reality within various measurements of economic and real estate trends.

Buzz: What if homeowners are simply not selling because they like their homes?

Source: My trusty spreadsheet reviewed home transaction data from Attom tracking last year’s sales by length of ownership, price sold, and profits – the difference between sale and purchase price. The focus was on the 50 most-populated metro areas, including eight California markets.

Fuzzy math: The home-selling industry seems quite upset that homeowners aren’t moving like they once did. Ownership lengths have essentially doubled in the past two decades, and transaction levels tumbled to historic lows in 2023.

Topline

Last year’s sellers in these big California metros owned for an average 10.6 years – up from 9.8 in pre-pandemic 2019 and 5.5 in 2003. That’s ownership duration that grew by eight months in 4 years and was 5.1 years longer over 20 years.

And the typical seller was cashing in on some handsome profits: a $747,500 home with a $311,000 gain.

So you see, the growing length of ownership was happening way before historically cheap mortgages. It’s a similar tale nationally.

Homes sold in the 42 big metros outside the Golden State had been owned for 8.4 years in 2023 vs. 8.2 in 2019 and 3.7 in 2000. That’s two months more over four years and 4.7 years longer over 20. Last year’s typical US seller moved from a $375,000 home with a $174,000 gain.

Bottom line

The why of this all is largely a lot of guesswork.

Some real estate gurus suggest that owners with low-rate mortgages are unwilling to part with their financing bargains obtained in the heat of the pandemic era’s stimulus boom. But conversely, many owners can’t afford to buy anything else – as the sharp rebound in mortgage rates and soaring prices slashed affordability.

Also, selling is quite the hassle – and expensive. Paying for various transaction services – never mind the move itself – can cost 10% or more of the purchase price. And some ownerships have been so profitable, there are capital gains taxes to consider, too.

Plus, there’s that pride of ownership that comes with lengthy stays. If you’ve owned a home for a decade or more – you’ve likely upgraded it. So you’ve got a financial, and likely emotional, tie to the place.

So I’m willing to bet that the current state of the market – a meager number of homes for sale and limited transactions – becomes somewhat a new norm.

Barring some dramatic economic or real estate upheaval – not to mention, death, divorce or debts – too many folks have gotten very comfortable in their current residence.

They’re NOT moving!

Locally speaking

Ponder the eight big California metros among the nation’s Top 50 and how the ownership longevity of last year’s sellers stacks up, ranked by ownership duration of 2023 sellers. The Bay Area had numerous long-time owners cashing out …

San Francisco: Owned 11.9 years – sixth-highest of the 50 – vs. 10.5 years in pre-pandemic 2019 and 5.7 in 2003. That’s 1.4 more in 4 years (the biggest increase) and 6.2 longer ownership over 20 years, No. 6. Last year’s seller had a $1.01 million home with a $460,000 gain.

San Jose: 11.7 years – No. 7 – vs. 10.5 in 2019 and 5.7 in 2003. That’s 1.2 years more in 4 years (No. 3) and 6 years longer over 20, No. 8. Last year’s seller: $1.4 million home with a $755,000 gain.

Fresno: 10.9 years – No. 8 – vs. 10.1 in 2019 and 6.1 in 2003. That’s 10 months more in 4 years (No. 6) and 4.7 years longer over 20, No. 22. Last year’s seller: $380,000 home with a $110,500 gain.

Los Angeles-Orange County: 10.2 years – No. 13 – vs. 10.1 in 2019 and 5.5 in 2003. That’s 1 month more in 4 years (No. 29) and 4.8 longer over 20, No. 21. Last year’s seller: $880,000 home with a $380,000.

San Diego: 10.3 years – No. 12 – vs. 9.9 in 2019 and 5.4 in 2003. That’s 6 months more in 4 years (No. 15) and 5 years longer over 20, No. 18. Last year’s seller: $830,000 home with a $330,000.

Sacramento:  10.5 years – No. 11 – vs. 9.3 in 2019 and 5.2 in 2003. That’s 1.1 years more in 4 years (No. 4) and 5.3 years longer over 20, No. 15. Last year’s seller: $545,000 home with a $160,000 gain.

Inland Empire: 9.6 years – No. 16 – vs. 9.3 in 2019 and 5.4 in 2003. That’s 4 months more in 4 years (No. 23) and 4.2 years longer over 20, No. 35. Last year’s seller: $540,000 home with a $190,000 gain.

Bakersfield: 9.4 years – No. 17 – vs. 9 in 2019 and 5.1 in 2000. That’s 5 months more in 4 years (No. 17) and 4.3 year slonger over 20, No. 33. Last year’s seller: $330,000 home with a $105,000 gain.

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

California exodus?

California interstate departures fell 3% in 2022, arrivals grew 10%
817,669 Californians left in 2022. Which state did they move to?
475,803 moved to California last year. What states did they come from?
Hot job markets are No. 1 draw for ex-Californians
State added 37,010 million-dollar taxpayers in 5 years, most in US
Golden State has 4th ‘stickiest’ population in US, Fed says
Van moves suggest California ‘exodus’ is slowing

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​ Orange County Register 

As COVID-19 spread, a strain of flu disappeared. Now scientists say a second could go too

• March 13, 2024

Jason Gale | (TNS) Bloomberg News

Stay-at-home orders, border closures, mask-wearing and other measures aimed at stemming COVID-19’s spread led to the global disappearance of a notorious winter germ. Now, scientists say it might be feasible with better vaccines to rid the world of a second one.

For decades, flu epidemics were driven by four strains. One of them, the so-called Yamagata-lineage of type B influenza, was struggling to compete before the pandemic and hasn’t been seen since March 2020, said Ian Barr, deputy director of the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Center for Reference and Research on Influenza in Melbourne.

COVID restrictions gave it “the killer blow which knocked it out,” Barr said in an interview.

The strain’s disappearance eliminated a viral source of death and disease, especially among children, and a component of annual flu vaccines.

It also showed that it might be possible going forward to eliminate its type-B cousin, a strain known as “Victoria.”

Unlike type A influenza, which has a broad host range and risks causing pandemics, B strains lack an animal reservoir and might be more readily snuffed out with better vaccines that not only protect against getting sick, but also prevent transmission, scientists wrote in a paper last week in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases.

On average, the strains together account for 23% of annual influenza cases globally — including 1.4 million hospitalizations — and about $1.3 billion in health-care costs in the U.S. alone each year.

“The theoretically plausible eradication of influenza B virus could remove this considerable clinical and economic burden,” Florian Krammer, a professor of vaccinology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, and colleagues wrote in the paper.

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©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

​ Orange County Register 

Santa Ana takes pointless stand on Middle East policy

• March 13, 2024

Santa Ana is facing a number of serious problems related to its budget and its provision of public services, yet that hasn’t stopped the City Council from spending its time debating divisive and symbolic issues that are outside its control. After boisterous public meetings, the council recently voted for a resolution calling for a permanent ceasefire in Israel and Gaza.

The council also called on Hamas to release Israeli hostages, for the recognition of Israel’s right to exist and for a two-state solution. After introducing the resolution, Councilmember Benjamin Vazquez said “it is our duty to speak up in the times of injustice.”

Councilmembers Jessie Lopez, Johnathan Hernandez and Thai Viet Phan voted yes. Mayor Valerie Amezcua voted no. The only sensible response came from Councilmembers Phil Becerra and David Penaloza, who stepped out before the circus started.

There’s little justification for performative local policy making. The Israeli-Gaza war is upsetting and many Santa Ana residents have connections in that region and deep-seated emotions about the war. But no one in the Middle East cares what Santa Ana’s council believes. There’s nothing to be gained by turning council meetings into a foreign-policy debating society with packed chambers and chanting – and law enforcement on alert.

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Back to reality. City officials don’t know how they are going to backfill 22 percent of their annual budget when a voter-approved sales tax decreases in five years, per news reports. Filling that $30 million shortfall without slashing services will require advance planning.

Recent news reports also note the city is looking at doubling street-cleaning fees or cutting service because of a new statewide wage mandate.

Cities that can’t figure out how to keep their streets clean – or clear out homeless encampments – ought to focus attention at home. Santa Ana isn’t the only city with an outsized sense of its international influence, as other OC cities have weighed in on the matter. But that doesn’t justify this waste of time.

Regardless of their views on the Middle East, residents are united in wanting the budget balanced and the streets clean.

​ Orange County Register 

Why are American progressives silent after reports of Hamas’ rape, sexual torture of Israelis?

• March 13, 2024

The United Nations has long been so uniformly corrupt on the subject of Israel that anytime it ekes out an acknowledgement of attacks on the Jewish state — however reluctantly, belatedly and perfunctorily it does so — it’s a man-bite-dog story. Last week, a U.N. official who had clearly drawn the bureaucratic short straw issued a “report” of sorts, confirming what anyone paying attention already knew: that in the process of slaughtering 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7, Hamas had also committed mass acts of sadistic, savage sexual violence.

Hamas’ barbarism against young Israelis at an all-night dance festival or asleep in their beds had been thoroughly documented for months by the time the poor U.N. functionary was asked by the secretary general to do something that looked as though he were looking into the matter in late January — almost four months after Hamas’ slaughter. God-awful evidence, video and audio recordings by Hamas gunmen, firsthand accounts — and confessions — had already been collected and analyzed.

“Everything was an apocalypse of corpses,” one survivor has recalled. “Girls without any clothes on. Without tops. Without underwear. People cut in half. Butchered. Some were beheaded. There were girls with a broken pelvis due to repetitive rapes. Their legs were spread wide apart in a split.”

One Israeli investigator stated that “our team commander saw several female soldiers who were shot in the crotch, intimate parts, vagina or shot in the breasts. There seemed to be systematic genital mutilation of a group of victims.”

The U.N. report did make official what had already been assumed about Hamas’ hostages. It found “clear and convincing” evidence that the children and women held by Hamas have been subjected to rape, sexualized torture, and cruel and degrading sexual abuse.

Now, it might be imagined that self-professed progressives on campuses, in social justice organizations and in The New York Times newsroom would find it natural to condemn Hamas, to make sure that the public knew about these outrages, and to demand that Hamas release those it continues to hold captive.

But no.

There are throngs of young feminists who, rightly disgusted by the sheer misogyny on full display in the “Access Hollywood” tape and by Donald Trump’s sexual assault on E. Jean Carroll, wouldn’t be caught dead breathing a public word about Hamas’ rape and torture of Israeli women. We are lucky if young progressives are prepared to acknowledge that it even occurred. As for speaking up about it on campus or in the workplace, forget about it. To say that it isn’t fashionable to deplore what Hamas did and pledges to do again doesn’t capture it; speaking up about this is considered social suicide.

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The current line is that condemning Hamas’ rape spree amounts to Zionists “weaponizing” rape — because, you see, it isn’t Hamas, which did the raping, which weaponized rape. It’s those pointing out what Hamas did. Moreover, condemning Hamas for its bestial violence against women is “playing into an anti-Palestinian narrative.” Such is the deeply disturbed state of the left: part Alice-in-Wonderland on steroids, part mind-bending intellectual dishonesty.

Writer Batya Ungar-Sargon, author of “Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy,” spoke recently about the video of 25-year-old Noa Argamani dancing at the Nova music festival just before she was executed by Hamas killers, who then carted her body back into Gaza, where a mob cheered. “Can you even imagine a starker contrast between good and evil?” she asked. “Surely, I thought in my naivete, the left would see itself reflected in these music-loving young people. Surely Noa Argamani begging for her life as the butchers made off with her would inspire on the left a sense of identification and a corresponding sense of anger.”

“How could it not?” she says she thought. “Friends, it did not.”

So many who hold themselves out as progressives remain silent about Hamas. They justify it, contextualize it, even defend it. Historians will look back at them, and pronounce them a disgrace. Justly so.

Jeff Robbins, a former assistant United States attorney and United States delegate to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, was chief counsel for the minority of the United States Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. An attorney specializing in the First Amendment, he is a longtime columnist for the Boston Herald, writing on politics, national security, human rights and the Mideast.

​ Orange County Register