Ducks’ Nikita Nesterenko debuts in loss to Flames

• March 22, 2023

ANAHEIM — There were several welcome-to-the-NHL moments for 21-year-old Nikita Nesterenko on Tuesday night.

First, the predictable ones. A rookie solo lap, sans helmet, leading his Ducks’ teammates for the pregame warmup at Honda Center, and then a spot in the starting lineup against the Calgary Flames, playing on a line with center Isac Lundestrom and Jakob Silfverberg.

Of course, there is a certain stress associated with the solo lap.

“Try not to think too much, try not to fall, not miss the net,” Nesterenko said. “That was the main thing I was worried about. It felt pretty quick and then the guys were out there. So it was pretty special.”

Only 37 seconds into the game, there was another brand of welcome-to-the-big-leagues realism when the line was on the ice for the Flames’ first goal, scored by former Duck Nick Ritchie, a first-round draft pick in 2014. Nesterenko logged 13-plus minutes of ice time and had four shots on goal in making his NHL debut in front of his father Mikhail, who was on hand for the big moment.

“I think we handed him a tough start,” Silfverberg said after the Ducks’ 5-1 loss. “Even with all those circumstances, even as the first period went on, his line got a few chances. Throughout the whole game, he had some good looks. He just didn’t manage to put the puck in. Overall, I think he should be happy with his game.”

Calgary scored twice in the first period, added a goal in the second and two more in the third as Tyler Toffoli had three assists. The Flames’ four other goals came from defensemen Troy Stecher and Rasmus Andersson, the latter scoring on the power play at 2:36 of the second period, and Elias Lindholm, just 46 seconds into the third, also on the power play and Andrew Mangiapane wrapped up the scoring at 15:26.

Calgary went 2 for 3 with the man advantage.

Flames goalie Dan Vladar made 19 saves, his bid for a shutout ending with Frank Vatrano’s power-play goal in the second period, at 7:26. Ducks goalie John Gibson made 38 saves on another busy night in net.

Troy Terry, the Ducks’ second-leading scorer, left the game with an apparent upper-body injury in the third period after getting sandwiched and did not return. There was no update on Terry’s status after the game.

Troy Terry is not happy as he walks to the locker room after being sandwiched by Zadorov and Ritchie#FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/50pr8SZBfB

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) March 22, 2023

The Flames were coming off an embarrassing 8-2 loss against the Kings on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena and are in a desperate race for a wild-card playoff spot.

“We knew they were going to be a little ornery after the game last night against L.A.,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. “Other than a few spurts in the second period, maybe about six minutes in the second, we couldn’t sustain much. Every time we turned, they were in our face.”

The Ducks have lost four of their past five games and now with 11 games remaining after Tuesday’s loss, it is clearly audition time.

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Which brings it all back to Nesterenko, who signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Ducks on March 15 and was on the ice practicing the next day in Irvine. It’s been a dizzying 10 days since he played his final collegiate game with Boston College, which lost in double overtime to Merrimack to end its season.

Against the Flames, there were promising signs after the opening shift. Nesterenko held his own in a puck battle along the boards with Flames center Nazem Kadri late in the first period. He had two prime scoring chances in a matter of seconds against Vladar with 9:30 left in the second and another excellent opportunity from the base of the right circle with 6:25 remaining in the third.

“The puck came at me quick there,” Nesterenko said of the second-period chances. “I just tried to whack it home without thinking. A couple of good chances. Gotta score on the next couple.”

Eakins praised his work ethic and alertness.

“I think he learned a couple of quick lessons about this league, how hard it is to be a winger on the wall,” Eakins said. “As the game went on, I thought he got better and better. There wasn’t much brightness out there tonight, but he would be the one bright light because I actually thought he played well.”

Nesterenko caught up with @AlysonLozoff after making his NHL debut tonight @AnaheimDucks | #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/dLip5biONb

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) March 22, 2023

​ Orange County Register 

Man convicted of second-degree murder in Garden Grove hotel shooting

• March 22, 2023

SANTA ANA — A 21-year-old man was convicted Tuesday of gunning down another man in a Garden Grove hotel two years ago.

Enrique Torres, Los Angeles, was convicted of second-degree murder with sentencing enhancements for the discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury or death and the personal use of a firearm. Torres is scheduled to be sentenced June 9.

Torres was convicted of killing 28-year-old Eddie Barajas of Stanton on Jan. 17, 2021, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel at 11999 Harbor Blvd.

Barajas and his friends went to the hotel at about 3:40 a.m. that night to attend a party, according to a trial brief from Deputy District Attorney Stephen Cornwell.

The group got into a “verbal exchange” with Agustin Cortez, of Hawthorne, and Torres, Cornwell said.

Cortez was charged in connection with the attack, but prosecutors later dismissed the case against him.

It was unclear what started the dispute, but there was an allegation that someone yelled out a gang name, Cornwell said.

As the argument escalated into a physical fight between the two groups, Barajas stooped to set down his beer and when he stood back up he was shot in the head, Cornwell said.

Barajas was heard to say, “Let’s just have a good day” before the argument escalated, Cornwell said.

Torres fled, but was later arrested May 18, 2021.

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Potential 2024 presidential hopeful implores GOP not to overlook California

• March 22, 2023

With the 2024 presidential election on the horizon, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who is contemplating a run for the White House, has a message for Republicans in Orange County: “Californians will have a voice.”

Hutchinson, 72, is swinging through Orange County this week as he develops his message about the country’s future and mulls a presidential bid. A decision on that, he said in an interview Tuesday, March 21, will come in April.

But in the meantime, Hutchinson is visiting a blue California, speaking to a Republican Party of Orange County gathering and a Laguna Niguel Republican Women group this week before he headlines an event at the Nixon Library on Wednesday. And while here, he is imploring the national Republican Party to pay attention to California ahead of 2024.

“California is important. We can’t simply be a party that appeals to middle America,” Hutchinson said, referring to what is typically seen as more conservative-leaning states not on either coast. “We have to be a party that can win on the West Coast.”

While he’s optimistic about the future of the Republican Party, Hutchinson said a winning formula for the GOP is having a “consistent conservative nominee” who can attract suburban and independent voters. The party shouldn’t be hinged, he said, on a candidate who is “always looking in the rearview mirror.” While not a specific reference to former President Donald Trump, who is in the midst of his third bid for the White House, Hutchinson has said the Jan. 6 insurrection “disqualifies” Trump from being at the top of the ticket again.

An attorney with a long political history in Arkansas, Hutchinson defined conservativism as “believing in a limited role of government, individual responsibility, valuing life and the life of the unborn and a strong America that can lead in terms of freedom.”

His priorities range from reining in federal spending to increasing border security to implementing a “more consistent and fulsome energy policy.”

On that latter note, Hutchinson believes there is a balance to be had between producing energy — more of which he says should be happening in the U.S. — and being good stewards of the environment.

“You’ve got to see fossil fuel energy sources as part of the mix, but let’s use technology to make it more friendly to the environment,” he said. “I think you can use sound practices to continue to produce, but in a way that recognizes the importance of the environment and protecting it.”

On border issues, too, Hutchinson, a former Drug Enforcement Administration chief, is hopeful. His solution? Speed up decisions on asylum cases, utilize technology for border patrol and designate cartels as a “foreign terrorist organization” to free up additional resources to combat the influx of fentanyl into the country.

Hutchinson, a former congressman and Department of Homeland Security undersecretary during the George W. Bush administration, has made recent trips to Iowa and South Carolina.

His visit to Southern California comes about two weeks after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, also a potential 2024 contender, made appearances at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley and at a fundraiser for the Republican Party of Orange County.

DeSantis’ popularity among registered California Republican voters appears to be growing: A recent Berkeley IGS survey found the former congressman, 44, leading a field of potential GOP candidates with Trump in second place. (Hutchinson was not included in the list.)

But while DeSantis castigated California policies on his visit, from education to COVID-19 to public safety, Hutchinson said he wants to take a different approach to his potential rival — one that is more about comparing and contrasting rather than critiquing the state.

“I’m telling people what I’ve done and how I’ve led in Arkansas and my vision for the country,” Hutchinson said. “And my vision for the country, as I’ve articulated, I think makes sense in California, too.”

Despite the deep blue political makeup of California, Southern California is still seen as an asset for Republican candidates — because of its cash and the timing of the March 5 presidential primary, an opportunity for a competitor to nab an extraordinary amount of delegates for the nominating process.

Republicans in Orange County, Hutchinson said, seem to have “a strong sense of optimism for the future,” and he sees the GOP base in the Golden State as critical to the party’s overall success.

“Their commitment to principles and their hard work in the trenches will bring more people to their side,” he said. “We’ve got to expand our base, and that’s what the Republican Party is energized about here and that’s important for the party nationally.”

When asked about a hypothetical presidential run, and what his campaign trail food of choice would be, Hutchinson answered: fried pork chops — like what you may find at the Iowa State Fair.

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Dodgers’ rotation lining up with Julio Urias-Clayton Kershaw as 1-2

• March 22, 2023

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — You only need to do the math.

Major League Baseball has instructed teams this spring not to announce their Opening Day starter before Friday so that an “Opening Day Pick ’Em” promotion can be unveiled with all 15 pitching matchups.

But Clayton Kershaw started for the Dodgers against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday and is scheduled to pitch again on Sunday night at Dodger Stadium in the Freeway Series opener against the Angels. That puts him in line to start the second game of the season on March 31 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Once Team Mexico was eliminated from the World Baseball Classic on Monday, left-hander Julio Urias traveled back to Arizona and is scheduled to start Friday’s Cactus League game against the Milwaukee Brewers. That gives him five days off before Opening Day when he will likely draw the season-opening assignment for the first time in his career.

“I’m excited for Julio to get to do it. I think he’ll be great,” Kershaw said Tuesday, acknowledging the obvious before realizing the Opening Day assignment is presumed but not official.

“I’m assuming Julio is gonna get to do it. I mean, he deserves it. I’m happy for Julio. It’s a special thing to get to do. I think it should be whoever pitched the best the year before, and he did that. So he deserves it.”

Kershaw has had the Opening Day assignment a franchise-record nine times over the past 12 years, missing out due to injuries in 2019 (Hyun-Jin Ryu) and 2020 (Dustin May) then passing the honor to Walker Buehler last year.

Heading into his 16th season, the three-time Cy Young Award winner said he remains excited about the start of another baseball year.

“I’ve said this before, but I wouldn’t have come back if I wasn’t excited about playing,” said Kershaw, who signed a one-year contract in December. “So I’m excited about our team. I’m excited about the chance to win. I think we do have a legit chance to do both of those things. And so for me personally, I’m always excited.

“Opening Day at Dodger Stadium, you can’t take that for granted, man. You just never know. So I say the same thing about the playoffs. I say the same thing about getting to stand on that mound. I think I’ve done a little bit better job, as I’ve gotten a little older, to understand that. But yeah, at the end of the day, all those feelings – excitement, anxiety, wanting to pitch good – all that stuff really doesn’t change. And I hope it doesn’t.”

WBC FAN

Kershaw had hoped to add another line to his list of accomplishments by pitching for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic this year. Insurance issues forced him to withdraw but he has watched the competition go on without him, staying in contact with Dodger teammates who did play in the tournament.

“Obviously, Barnsey and Julio, I felt bad for them,” Kershaw said of Team Mexico teammates Austin Barnes and Urias, who lost to Japan in a semifinal Monday. “I know they were really feeling it. Barnsey was really excited about it.

“Hopefully we get that matchup of Ohtani and Trout (in the final). It’s good for the game. So I’m excited. It’s fun to watch. I’ve had a little bit of FOMO (fear of missing out). But overall, it’ll be a good time to watch.”

GONSOLIN PROGRESS

Right-hander Tony Gonsolin continues to test his injured left ankle with increased activity on flat ground. When he will take the next step and throw off a mound remains to be determined.

“That will be a good tell, once we get there and kind of have to bear the weight on the slope. But I just don’t know when that is,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

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Gonsolin was able to make just one Cactus League appearance before his injury and will likely need time to build up before he would be ready to join the Dodgers’ rotation.

“It’s obviously been enough time that there’s probably a significant buildup that has to take place,” Roberts agreed.

Gonsolin suffered the ankle injury two weeks ago during a workout.

ALSO

The Dodgers made three roster moves Tuesday, sending pitchers Gavin Stone, Adam Kolarek and Jake Reed to minor-league camp. Stone, one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, made a good impression in his first big-league camp (despite being sidetracked by strep throat briefly). The 24-year-old right-hander didn’t give up a run in 6⅔ innings of Cactus League action, striking out 14 and giving up just five hits.

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California Picks Generic Drug Company Civica to Produce Low-Cost Insulin

• March 22, 2023

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday announced the selection of Utah-based generic drug manufacturer Civica to produce low-cost insulin for California, an unprecedented move that makes good on his promise to put state government in direct competition with the brand-name drug companies that dominate the market.

“People should not be forced to go into debt to get lifesaving prescriptions,” Newsom said. “Californians will have access to some of the most inexpensive insulin available, helping them save thousands of dollars each year.”

The contract, with an initial cost of $50 million that Newsom and his fellow Democratic lawmakers approved last year, calls for Civica to manufacture state-branded insulin and make the lifesaving drug available to any Californian who needs it, regardless of insurance coverage, by mail order and at local pharmacies. But insulin is just the beginning. Newsom said the state will also look to produce the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone.

Allan Coukell, Civica’s senior vice president of public policy, told KHN that the nonprofit drugmaker is also in talks with the Newsom administration to potentially produce other generic medications, but he declined to elaborate, saying the company is focused on making cheap insulin widely available first.

“We are very excited about this partnership with the state of California,” Coukell said. “We’re not looking to have 100% of the market, but we do want 100% of people to have access to fair insulin prices.”

As insulin costs for consumers have soared, Democratic lawmakers and activists have called on the industry to rein in prices. Just weeks after President Joe Biden attacked Big Pharma for jacking up insulin prices, the three drugmakers that control the insulin market — Eli Lilly and Co., Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi — announced they would slash the list prices of some products.

Newsom, who has previously accused the pharmaceutical industry of gouging Californians with “sky-high prices,” argued that the launch of the state’s generic drug label, CalRx, will add competition and apply pressure on the industry. Administration officials declined to say when California’s insulin products would be available, but experts say it could be as soon as 2025. Coukell said the state-branded medication will still require approval from the FDA, which can take roughly 10 months.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, which lobbies on behalf of brand-name companies, blasted California’s move. Reid Porter, senior director of state public affairs for PhRMA, said Newsom just “wants to score political points.”

“If the governor wants to impact what patients pay for insulins and other medicines meaningfully, he should expand his focus to others in the system that often make patients pay more than they do for medicines,” Porter said, blaming pharmaceutical go-between companies, known as pharmacy benefit managers, that negotiate with manufacturers on behalf of insurers for rebates and discounts on drugs.

The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, which represents pharmacy benefit managers argued in turn that it’s pharmaceutical companies that are to blame for high prices.

Drug pricing experts, however, say pharmacy benefit managers and drugmakers share the blame.

Newsom administration officials say that inflated insulin costs force some to pay as much as $300 per vial or $500 for a box of injectable pens, and that too many Californians with diabetes skip or ration their medication. Doing so can lead to blindness, amputations, and life-threatening conditions such as heart disease and kidney failure. Nearly 10% of California adults have diabetes.

Civica is developing three types of generic insulin, known as a biosimilar, which will be available both in vials and in injectable pens. They are expected to be interchangeable with brand-name products including Lantus, Humalog, and NovoLog. Coukell said the company would make the drug available for no more than $30 a vial, or $55 for five injectable pens.

Newsom said the state’s insulin will save many patients $2,000 to $4,000 a year, though critical questions about how California would get the products into the hands of consumers remain unanswered, including how it would persuade pharmacies, insurers, and retailers to distribute the drugs.

Last year, Newsom also secured $50 million in seed money to build a facility to manufacture insulin; Coukell said Civica is exploring building a plant in California.

California’s move, though never previously tried by a state government, could be blunted by recent industry decisions to lower insulin prices. In March, Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi vowed to cut prices, with Lilly offering a vial at $25 per month, Novo Nordisk promising major reductions that would bring the price of a particular generic vial to $48, and Sanofi pegging one vial at $64.

The governor’s office said it will cost the state $30 per vial to manufacture and distribute insulin and it will be sold at that price. Doing so, the administration argues, “will prevent the egregious cost-shifting that happens in traditional pharmaceutical price games.”

Drug pricing experts said generic production in California could further lower costs for insulin, and benefit people with high-deductible health insurance plans or no insurance.

“This is an extraordinary move in the pharmaceutical industry, not just for insulin but potentially for all kinds of drugs,” said Robin Feldman, a professor at the University of California College of the Law-San Francisco. “It’s a very difficult industry to disrupt, but California is poised to do just that.”

This story was produced by KHN, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

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This story can be republished for free (details).

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Shohei Ohtani strikes out Mike Trout as Japan edges Team USA for World Baseball Classic title

• March 22, 2023

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer

MIAMI — Shohei Ohtani emerged from the bullpen and struck out Angels teammate Mike Trout for the final out in a matchup the whole baseball world wanted to see, leading Japan over the defending champion United States, 3-2, Tuesday night for its first World Baseball Classic title since 2009.

Ohtani, the two-way star who has captivated fans across two continents, was voted MVP of the WBC and clutched the award against his chest.

Ohtani beat out an infield single in the seventh inning as a designated hitter before walking down the left field line to Japan’s bullpen to warm up for his third mound appearance of the tournament.

Flashing his 100 mph heat with several of his 15 pitches, Ohtani walked major league batting champion Jeff McNeil to begin the ninth before getting Dodgers star Mookie Betts to ground into a double play.

Trout, the U.S. captain and a three-time American League MVP, then ended the game by striking out on a full-count slider. Ohtani’s only other save was in a Japan postseason playoff game in 2016.

Ohtani batted .435 with one homer, four doubles, eight RBIs and 10 walks as Japan joined the Dominican Republic in 2013 to become the only unbeaten champions of baseball’s premier national team tournament. Ohtani, the 2021 AL MVP was 2-0 with a save and a 1.86 ERA on the mound, striking out 11 in 9-2/3 innings.

Japan went 7-0 and outscored its opponents 56-18, reaching the final for the first time since winning the first two WBCs in 2006 and 2009. No other nation has won the title more than once.

Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto homered as Japan built a 3-2 lead.

Trea Turner put the U.S. ahead in the second with his record-tying fifth home run of the tournament and Kyle Schwarber pulled the Americans within a run when he went deep in the eighth off of Padres pitcher Yu Darvish.

It was the second straight major title for the Japanese, who beat the U.S., 2-0, in Yokohama for the 2021 Olympic gold medal. Japan used top players in that tournament while the U.S. sent released major leaguers and top prospects.

Turner put the U.S. ahead in the second inning with a drive to left against Shota Imanaga (1-0), tying South Korea’s Seung Yuop Lee in 2006 for the most in a WBC. That lit up a sellout crowd of 36,098 – fans were given wristbands with colored lights that flickered.

Murakami, at 23 already a two-time Central League MVP, tied the score on the first pitch of the bottom half when Merrill Kelly (0-1) elevated a fastball. Murakami drove it at 115.1 mph into the upper deck in right field, 432 feet away.

Murakami’s two-run walk-off double lifted Japan over Mexico, 6-5, in Monday night’s semifinal and his third-inning homer off Nick Martinez put Japan ahead in the 2021 gold medal game.

Japan loaded the bases in the second on singles by Okamoto and Sosuke Genda, and a walk to Yuhei Nakamura. Lars Nootbaar, the first non-Japanese-born player to appear for the Samurai Warriors, followed with a run-scoring groundout off of Angels reliever Aaron Loup for a 2-1 lead.

Okamoto boosted the lead in the fourth when he sent a flat slider from Kyle Freeland over the wall in left-center.

Japan was outhit 9-5 as Imanaga combined with six relievers to hold the U.S. to 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position. The 29-year-old left-hander and Shosei Togo pitched two innings each, Hiroto Takahashi, Hiromi Itoh and Taisei Ota got three outs each, with Ota escaping two-on, no-outs trouble by retiring Trout on a flyout and getting Paul Goldschmidt to ground into a double play.

Trout and Ohtani hugged behind the batting cage during pregame workouts, then held their nation’s flags while leading their teams toward home plate in single file during the introductions, Trout down the right field line and Ohtani in left.

Several thousand fans had arrived hours early to watch Ohtani take batting practice and applauded when he hit a drive off the video board above the second deck in center field.

Trout hit .296 in the tournament with one homer, seven RBIs and 12 strikeouts.

MONEY MATTERS

Japan gets $3 million in prize money and the U.S. $1.7 million. Half of each goes to players, the other half to the national baseball federation.

UP NEXT

MLB openers are on March 30, the same day the season starts in Japan.

Much more to come on this story.

SHOHEI OHTANI STRIKES OUT MIKE TROUT TO WIN THE #WORLDBASEBALLCLASSIC! pic.twitter.com/F7vUtIiRR1

— MLB (@MLB) March 22, 2023

Trout vs Ohtani lived up to the HYPE! #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/Z8aZAjpDRg

— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 22, 2023

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Wide receiver Dorian Singer ready to step in at USC

• March 22, 2023

LOS ANGELES — Dorian Singer doesn’t need to look far to remember his roots. A quick glance down at his thigh pad and he can see the outline of his home state of Minnesota.

Growing up there, he received 14 offers from FCS-level programs. But he thought he deserved a shot at Division-I college football. So he moved to Arizona, a decision that saw him lose his previous opportunities. As the pandemic hit and took away opportunities to showcase his talent, he found himself a high school graduate with no college team to join.

Two months before the preseason, the University of Arizona offered him a preferred walk-on spot. Singer took that chance and by the time his sophomore season was over, he was the Pac-12’s leading receiver with 66 catches for 1,105 yards and six touchdowns.

“This whole process for me has been different than for everybody else,” Singer said. “If you believe, then things just happen.”

Singer’s journey has now brought him to Los Angeles. He entered the transfer portal after the 2022 season and committed to USC in December.

Even as a sophomore at Arizona, Singer monitored the Trojans in their first year under Lincoln Riley. With the Wildcats relegated to so many night games, he watched USC as he waited for kickoff. He liked the deep shots the offense took, the trust Riley put in his receivers and quarterback to make those plays.

When he got to see the Trojans up close, Singer stole the show for long portions of the game, catching seven passes for 141 yards and three scores, each more logic-defying than the last.

“I remember my family came,” Singer said. “I remember I think it was my second touchdown, I pointed at my family.”

When he entered the transfer portal in December, he was looking for a new opportunity in a winning culture. The day the portal opened, he received a call from USC receivers coaches Dennis Simmons and Luke Huard.

He wasn’t the only Wildcat to get that call. Defensive lineman Kyon Barrs posted his offer on Twitter, and Singer reached out to see what he was thinking. Soon after, Arizona corner Christian Roland-Wallace got in the mix, too.

“We all three came in together. We had a good bond at Arizona,” Singer said.

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Singer is working at the X and Z receiver spots for USC this spring. He’s finding that because Riley’s Air Raid is so conceptually focused that if he knows what he’s doing on a play, he also understands what his teammates are doing.

He’s a long way from where he started three years ago, with no offers and nowhere to go. But he doesn’t need to look far for a reminder.

“Hard work goes a long way,” Singer said. “I just believed in myself and the results showed.”

​ Orange County Register 

School Shutdowns 2.0: LAUSD school strike harms children (again)

• March 22, 2023

Three years after the nationwide school shutdowns that locked millions of American children out of school, it turns out the Coronavirus was not nearly as destructive as the teachers unions. Starting today and through Friday, 30,000 members of the LA Teachers Union and SEIU Local 99, which serve 422,000 children, have walked out of school for three days. SEIU demands a 30% pay increase, and UTLA is striking “in solidarity.”  While they claim they are striking for a pay raise, in actuality they want a pound of flesh.

During the pandemic, the head of the Los Angeles teachers union, Cecily Myart-Cruz,  defending extended union-backed shutdowns famously said, “Our kids didn’t lose anything. It’s OK that our babies may not have learned all their times tables. They learned resilience. They learned survival. They learned critical-thinking skills. They know the difference between a riot and a protest. They know the words ‘insurrection’ and ‘coup.’”

She suggested that “learning loss” was a fake crisis. It quickly became clear that the teachers union was not interested in teaching children objective skills like math, science or reading. They only wanted to teach them how to be activists.

Now with plunging math and reading scores, the largest declines in many decades, especially among underserved communities, the union has no compunction about closing schools again. It is well understood that brick and mortar schools are essential. They provide structure and a safe space, skills and education that can propel a child to a future of health and prosperity or condemn them to a life in poverty or prison. The repeated closures feed the school to prison pipeline and it is certainly no secret to the unions that the very equity they claim to be fighting for is actually what they are destroying.

LAUSD has a 90% minority enrollment, 60% economically disadvantaged. These are the children who will be hurt most. Children whose parents cannot afford to stay home for three days may leave children at home unsupervised. These children may not eat. They may become abused. They may go into the streets and endanger themselves. They may burn in a house fire. This all seems to be collateral damage for the unions, which demand its members work less and get paid more.

Witness what is happening in 1600 schools across 650 school districts nationwide, which have permanently curtailed school week from five to four days. They claim teachers are “burned out” and need a day to recharge and go to doctor’s appointments. Who else has the privilege to cut their work week, especially when that work is more urgent than ever? Certainly not hundreds of thousands of LAUSD students whose parents are already struggling to make ends meet.

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As parents who fought to reopen NYC and Los Angeles schools and restore normalcy, the past few months have made it painfully clear the schools we fought for never really went back to normal. 2020’s COVID-related, union-imposed closures successfully locked children out of classrooms. When schools reopened they were virtually unrecognizable, first with masking, distancing and silent lunches, to post-COVID alterations including secret curriculums being implemented across districts to myriad excuses for keeping parents out of school buildings. And per a union-negotiated contract all parent-teacher conferences remain virtual through the 2022/2023 school year, effectively shutting parents out of schools yet again.

Today’s strike confirms that families can no longer assume schools will provide the essential services our tax dollars support. The COVID school closures drew a line in the sand, with unions on one side and parents on the other. If unions will not work towards ameliorating learning loss and staying open, nor acknowledge the primacy of parents in children’s lives, then parents must resist.  Whether by supporting school choice to create a free market economy or by creating our own union for families. Today, teachers unions hold all the cards: they are also top donors to Democratic political campaigns. Parents must demand campaign finance reform so electeds remain accountable to voters, not special interests.

The teachers unions want a pound of flesh. We should take that as a stern warning that they will not stop at that.

Natalya Murakhver is co-founder of Restore Childhood, a nonprofit dedicated to ending COVID mandates for children and restoring athletics, art and academics across the United States. She is producing “15 Days . . . ,” a documentary on the school shutdowns.

Twitter: @AppletoZucchini

Julie Hamill is an attorney, child advocate and school board member in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. She represents the Alliance of Los Angeles County Parents in litigation against the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The views expressed here do not reflect the views of any organization with which she is affiliated.

Twitter: @hamill_law

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