Panera closing bread-making facility in Ontario, laying off 77

• February 22, 2025

Panera Bread is shuttering a bread-making facility in Ontario, laying off 77 people in April as it shifts the work to another provider elsewhere in California.

The closure and layoffs were noted in a Feb. 13 letter to the state’s Employment Development Department.

The facility at an industrial complex at 1505 Dupont Ave. will “cease operations and close on April 14,” the letter states.

The 77 employees at the facility work in bread-making, logistics, sanitation and operations.

Panera Bread has nearly 200 cafe-bakery locations in California. The company told the Southern California News Group that it’s “shifting the California market to a newer bread-making process.”

“As part of this transition, we had to make the difficult decision to close our Ontario commissary facility,” the company wrote via email on Thursday, Feb. 20. “Any decision that impacts our teams is never made lightly, and we are deeply grateful for the contributions of all impacted team members.”

Employees are getting separation pay, help with COBRA health insurance premiums, outplacement services, and help finding new jobs within or outside of Panera, the company said.

Panera said that its bread-making pivot will now shift to “expert artisan bakery producers.” The bread will be prepared by the unnamed producer and then finished at Panera locations, the company said.

The founder of Panera Bread, Ken Rosenthal, died at his Scottsdale home Feb. 14 from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 81 years old.

The Missouri native and his wife Linda opened St. Louis Bread Co. in 1987. It grew to 18 locations before Rosenthal and his business partners sold it to Au Bon Pain in 1993. Though the national division was subsequently renamed Panera, many of the St. Louis-area cafes are still called by their original name.

The privately-held chain now has 2,230 locations in the United States.

​ Orange County Register 

CIF-SS girls water polo playoffs: Previews of the Orange County games in Saturday’s championships

• February 22, 2025

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CIF-SS GIRLS WATER POLO PLAYOFFS

CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

Saturday at Mt. SAC, Walnut

OPEN DIVISION

Oaks Christian (21-7) vs. Newport Harbor (24-5), 12:10 p.m.

Outlook: The surprising winners from the dramatic semifinals collide for the third time. Third-seeded Newport Harbor won 2 of 3 matches in the regular season. The series featured two games decided by one goal. The Sailors mix a few seniors with several young players on arguably the deepest roster in the section. Newport Harbor’s strength is its center attack led by Gabby Alexson, a sophomore who scored the winner in double sudden-death overtime against two-time defending champion Orange Lutheran in the semifinals. Oaks Christian junior goalie Alexandra Stoddard had 15 saves in an upset of top-ranked Mater Dei in the semifinals.

DIVISION 1

San Clemente (22-8) vs. Laguna Beach (19-11), 3 p.m.

Outlook: The South County schools split a pair of matches during the regular season. San Clemente’s lineup, which mixes youth and experience, is led by UC Santa Barbara-bound Phoebe DeMoss. The senior scored nine goals on as many shots in the semifinals. The Breakers counter in the field with a senior duo of Presley Jones (UCLA) and Kara Carver (USC).

DIVISION 4

Troy (16-12) vs. San Dimas (20-8), 9:30 a.m.

Outlook: Troy, the Freeway League runner-up, has won two matches by one goal and another by two in overtime to reach its second straight final under second-year coach Gary Cheever. The Warriors finished as the Division 5 runner-up last season. San Dimas is a first-time finalist. The Saints took second in the Hacienda League behind Division 1 semifinalist Alta Loma.

DIVISION 5

El Dorado (16-12) vs. Santa Paula (17-12 ), 10:50 a.m.

Outlook: The top-seeded Golden Hawks have reached their first section final since a runner-up finish in 2002. They placed third in the Freeway League. Santa Paula’s run to its first section final includes a second-round win against Segerstrom, which beat El Dorado in the regular season.

DIVISION 6

Anaheim (11-10) vs. Nordhoff (9-10), 1:30 p.m.

Outlook: Junior goalie Emily Maldonado and senior Hannah Grubbs have played well in the Colonists’ trek to their section final. Nordhoff also has reached its first final. The Rangers placed third in the Citrus Coast League, which included second-place Santa Paula.

​ Orange County Register 

Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument designated state historical landmark

• February 22, 2025

The towering Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument on a Montebello hilltop is now a California State Historical Landmark.

Sen. Bob Archuleta, D-Pico Rivera, celebrated the State Historical Resources Commission’s unanimous vote designating the 56-year-old memorial as a state landmark on Friday. Archuleta said his ties to Montebello helped him recognize the importance of the monument to the Armenian community and why he’s spent years advocating for the recognition.

“This is a really big deal for all Armenian Americans in the U.S. and not just California,” said community leader Murad Minasian. “I’m lucky enough to drive by it almost every day and extremely proud that the city I live in opened its arms in the 1960s and took a stand against strong opposition by external forces to allow such a beautiful structure to be erected in remembrance of the Armenian genocide.”

Minasian’s father, Michael, helped rally the project to completion as a founding member of its monument council.

Archuleta led a delegation in celebrating the site’s new status. Others at the event included Salvador Melendez, mayor of Montebello; Archbishop Hovnan Derderian of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church; Monsignor Parsegh Baghdassarian of Our Lady of Nareg in Glendale; and twin brothers Nick and Dylan Khatchikian, members of the Mesrobian High School basketball team in Pico Rivera. They will be recognized for breaking the state CIF points and assists records.

The Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument was designed as a modern interpretation of traditional Armenian church architecture in 1968. It was the first major monument in the United States dedicated to the Armenian genocide, the killing and deportation of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in the early 1900s led to the death of one and a half million Armenians.

The monument’s recognition honors the past and educates future generations about the Armenian spirit of resilience and cultural identity, Archuleta said.

Christopher Guldjian, president of the board of trustees at Mesrobian School, remembers going to the monument “to heal the traumatic events that have affected the Armin nation, feeling a sense of belonging and community because we knew where to go to find each other.”

Guldjian added: “The monument was not only to commemorate the victims of the genocide rather to celebrate our survival and that stayed with me throughout my organizational life with the Armenian community.

“Visiting the monument gave us new life and purpose each year to continue the struggle for recognition and justice for the Armenian people,” he said. “In fact, the most special memories I had was going at night to the monument on the eve of April 24 to hear the poetry and songs of our forefathers and those were the words that carried us year to year.”

April 24 is Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.

​ Orange County Register 

8 things to know about LA’s new Interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva

• February 22, 2025

Los Angeles has a new leader at the helm of its fire department: Interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva, who was announced Friday by Mayor Karen Bass as Kristin Crowley’s replacement.

Villanueva retired just seven months ago after more than four decades with the Los Angeles Fire Department. Before his retirement, he served as Chief Deputy of Emergency Operations. Now, he returns to oversee the department on an interim basis.

“I am humbled by your confidence in me,” Villanueva said at the press conference announcing his appointment. “I’ve spent 41 years at the Los Angeles City Fire Department, working alongside the finest fire professionals in the world. Leading them is an honor of a lifetime.”

He pledged to the mayor, firefighters and the people of Los Angeles that the department would remain ready to serve, saying, “the Los Angeles City Fire Department will respond, and the Los Angeles City Fire Department will keep you safe.”

Here are some things to know about the new chief:

1. He is a veteran of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Before becoming a chief officer, Villanueva spent 24 years in the field at active assignments. He joined the LAFD in 1983 and rose through the ranks, serving in various leadership roles, including battalion chief, assistant chief, and Deputy Chief of the LAFD South Bureau, which covers the southern region of Los Angeles, stretching from Mid-City to the Port of Los Angeles.

His special duty assignments included serving as Captain at Drill Tower 89, Battalion Chief in the Community Liaison Office, and Assistant Chief in Homeland Security and the Port of L.A.

2. He is from San Pedro and studied at local schools.

Villanueva grew up in harbor area community and attended San Pedro High School, Los Angeles Harbor College, and California State University Long Beach.

3. He aimed for a leadership role — and pursued higher education to prepare.

In 2022, Villanueva graduated from the Executive Master of Leadership (EML) Program at the University of Southern California. In a Facebook post where USC introduced new students, Villanueva shared that he joined the program to further his education and build a foundation for pursuing other interests—potentially even politics—after retiring from the LAFD.

4. He enjoys staying active and family time.

Outside of work, Villanueva loves spending time with his family, exercising and playing golf.

5. He has been a mentor and educator throughout his career.

Villanueva has dedicated time to mentoring the next generation of firefighters, serving as an Explorer Post Advisor at Fire Station 2 and Fire Station 16.

6. He said his love for the department is the reason he’s coming out of retirement.

“And to all the firefighters, I want you to know, the love that I have for this department is the reason I’m coming back in this capacity,” Villanueva said at the press conference. “I watched last month as you were in the fiercest firefight in Los Angeles history, bravely battling the fires for days on end. I’m grateful to work alongside all of you once again.”

7. His time as chief is temporary.

While Villanueva serves as interim chief, Mayor Karen Bass said her office will lead a national search for a permanent replacement and will speak directly with firefighters and Angelenos about the qualities they want in the next fire chief.

8. There’s at least a small chance that he’d be pushed back out.

According to the City Charter, the mayor has the authority to remove most department heads without City Council approval. However, Crowley has the right to appeal her removal within 10 calendar days.

“The council may reinstate the chief administrative officer by a two-thirds vote of the council,” the city charter says. “Failure of the council to reinstate the chief administrative officer during this time period shall constitute a denial of the appeal.”

Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, who represents District 7, issued a statement shortly after Bass’s announcement encouraging Crowley to appeal. She also said she will use her authority as a councilmember to “set the record straight,” signaling her support for Crowley’s reinstatement.

​ Orange County Register 

The Whale parade is on pause, but Dana Point still plans a huge festival

• February 22, 2025

Dana Point’s iconic Festival of Whales parade, with its massive helium sea creature balloons, is canceled for this year and will be replaced by a three-day carnival.

The decision to pause the signature event — which has been part of the Festival of Whales since 1971 and typically draws thousands of people — was prompted by construction of a parking structure that is part of Dana Point Harbor’s $550 million makeover.

“We’ve looked at the traffic in the harbor and we couldn’t find a way to make it work,” said Jeff Rosaler, Dana Point’s director of community services.

“Hopefully, the parking structure will be done next year. During the pause, we’ll take a look at how we manage and implement the parade and make it the best it can be for next year.”

While the parade route has shifted over the years — including traveling down Pacific Coast Highway from Selva Road to La Plaza Park — it’s recently been held at the harbor. And Rosaler said reverting it back to PCH poses numerous challenges, including closing the highway on a Saturday and getting the huge parade balloons under the Lantern District archway.

Most recently, the parade — which kicks off the festival — sent a line of high school marching bands, ocean-themed entries, military and local non-profit groups from harbor Island, over the bridge, and then down Dana Point Harbor Drive. A final right turn, onto the Street of the Golden Lantern, took participants to the parking lots at the harbor’s entrance, where about 40 community booths and non-profits set up for the after-party.

“Golden Lantern is shut down to traffic and we’d have a road closure in the middle of our parade,” Rosaler said of the current situation.

The parking structure is the first landside renovation in an overall $550 million harbor project undertaken by the Dana Point Harbor Partners. In 2018, the developers signed a 66-year lease with the county to manage the now 60-year-old harbor.

Other improvements include a new 2,265-slip marina, a boutique-style hotel and surf lodge, and new buildings and public gathering spaces to house some existing and new restaurants and shops. Dana Wharf and its buildings also will get a makeover. The makeover is aimed at turning the harbor — already popular with visitors — into one of the county’s bigger tourist draws.

The Festival of Whales, now in its 54th year, takes place March 7-9.  The event was founded as a tribute to the thousands of gray whales that pass through the region each year during their annual migration between Alaska and lagoons in southern Baja California.  Experts say the marine mammals use the towering rock outcrop near Dana Point Harbor as a navigational point during their two-way migration, making the area an excellent place for whale watching.

The late Don Hansen, considered the father of whale watching in Orange County, started the festival, said his daughter, Donna Kalez, who operates Dana Wharf Sport Fishing and Whale Watching. Kalez, who had participated in the whale parade for decades, said she was especially moved in 2022, when the city of Dana Point paid tribute to her father after his death.

“That was the most memorable, when the city gave my family the float to honor him,” she said.

But the parade has marked other significant milestones in Kalez’ life, such as when she was honored as Citizen of the Year, and the year her father served as Grand Marshall, and the year she and Gisele Anderson — who operates Capt. Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari in the harbor — trademarked Dana Point as the Dolphin and Whale Watching Capitol.

“The parade holds a special place in my heart. It’s not just another event but a cherished memory that we will continue,” Kalez said.

And even though the parade is on pause, Kalez said she’s amped about the carnival that Dana Point is staging as a parade alternative.

It will be set up at Lantern Bay Park, just above Dana Point Harbor. Festivities will start at 3 p.m., after most of the daytime festival events wrap up, and end at 10 p.m. There will be a Ferris wheel and other rides, and the Pet Project Foundation, which raises money for the Dana Point and San Clemente animal shelter, will hold its usual beer garden.

“We’re very thankful to the city for stepping up and coming up with this carnival in place of the parade because they know how much the community loves the parade,” Kalez said. “They wanted to put something on that’s even better.”

“I think you’ll find all your favorite nonprofits up at the carnival,” she added.

“And you’ll see me there for sure, just not on the Ferris wheel because I am very scared of heights.”

​ Orange County Register 

Pepperdine sues Netflix over basketball team in new ‘Running Point’ series

• February 22, 2025

Pepperdine University has filed suit against Netflix and Warner Bros. for trademark infringement, alleging in federal court that Mindy Kaling‘s new comedy series “Running Point” intentionally centers on a fictional basketball team that strongly resembles the university’s actual squad, according to court papers obtained Friday.

In the suit, filed Thursday in downtown Los Angeles, Pepperdine dubs “Running Point” a “raunchy” comedy that promotes themes that don’t correspond to the university’s values, including alcohol and substance use, sexual innuendo and imagery, and foul language.

“Running Point,” starring Kate Hudson, is supposedly loosely based on the real life of Lakers owner Jeanie Buss. It debuts Feb. 27 on Netflix.

RELATED: Actress-writer-producer Mindy Kaling honored with Hollywood Walk of Fame star

Pepperdine alleges that Netflix and Warner Bros. “misappropriated” registered trademarks belonging to the Malibu university, whose NCAA basketball team is named the Waves — the same name as the team in Kaling’s series.

The university also argues that the show borrows its team’s colors, orange and blue, and uses player’s number 37, the number worn by Pepperdine’s mascot — and which is associated with the year the university was founded, 1937.

Representatives for Netflix and Warner Bros. could not immediately be reached for comment Friday.

The complaint seeks injunctive relief to prevent further use of Pepperdine’s trademarks, as well as damages for the alleged infringement and harm caused by the misappropriation of the university’s brand.

“Since its founding in 1937, Pepperdine University has established itself as a Christian University committed to academic excellence and a world-class athletics program,” Sean Burnett, Pepperdine University senior vice president and chief marketing officer, said in a statement.

He said the university believes it necessary to seek court intervention due to the “flagrant disregard for our intellectual property and the damage to our institutional identity, together with Netflix’s and Warner Bros.’ continued refusal to resolve Pepperdine’s concerns.”

According to the complaint, “Running Point’s” portrayal of the “Waves” team will cause consumer confusion and falsely suggest an affiliation between Pepperdine and the show.

Burnett said the university has also expressed concern about some of the series’ themes, which include explicit content, substance use, nudity and profanity — elements that are “inconsistent with Pepperdine’s Christian values and reputation.”

​ Orange County Register 

Alexander: You think ESPN isn’t giving baseball enough attention now? Just wait

• February 22, 2025

The world according to Jim:

• Buried in the coverage of ESPN’s split with Major League Baseball following this season is this nugget from Commissioner Rob Manfred. According to the initial report by The Athletic’s Evan Drellich and Andrew Marchand, Manfred told the owners in a memo that the league has “not been pleased with the minimal coverage that MLB has received on ESPN’s platforms over the past several years outside of the actual live game coverage.”

In other words, baseball is an afterthought – if it’s even a thought – with the Pat McAfee/Stephen A. Smith engagement farming mechanism that drives much of ESPN’s daytime programming.

But consider this: If ESPN as a rights-holder gives the sport such short shrift, what do you suppose happens when it’s not, beginning in 2026? Here’s a hint: Baseball might go from secondary topic to invisible. …

• Item: The Team That Is Ruining Baseball is 0-2 in the Cactus League.

Comment: We love the start of the exhibition season because it’s a chance to watch baseball again, after a long winter. (And if we’re antsy, how do you think folks in the snow belt feel?) As for the results, if you’re depending on non-roster players and minor leaguers for your schadenfreude, you might want to reconsider. …

• The New York Yankees have rescinded their no-beards policy, some three or four decades after it was outdated. Once again, we wonder what The Boss would have thought. (And no, we don’t mean Springsteen.) …

• But if you look at the contenders who have the best chance to derail a Dodgers repeat, the Yanks’ acquisitions might make them the ones to fear the most. Max Fried bolsters their starting staff (and we’re waiting for Marcus “I’m a starter” Stroman’s head to explode when he’s told to head for the bullpen.) Devin Williams is a lockdown closer. Paul Goldschmidt is a more than adequate replacement for Anthony Rizzo (still unsigned, by the way) at first base. And the underrated move is the acquisition of Cody Bellinger, which will enable the Yankees to move Aaron Judge back to right field and improve their outfield defense.

(And no, this isn’t a reaction to that fateful fly ball Judge took his eye off of in Game 5 of the World Series last October. Bellinger is still that capable a center fielder.) …

• As for National League teams that could impede the Dodgers’ road back to the World Series? Atlanta (with a healthy Ronald Acuña Jr.), the Phillies and the Arizona Diamondbacks (especially after adding Corbin Burnes) are the top three threats. The New York Mets, after signing Juan Soto for a fortune and Pete Alonso for a far smaller one, are No. 4 on this list. …

• Free agent update: We are now a week into spring training, and according to Spotrac’s free agent tracker there are still 73 unsigned players as of Friday afternoon, among them Rizzo, J.D. Martinez, Patrick Corbin and Mark Canha, as well as Joe Kelly, Yasmani Grandal, Alex Verdugo and Alex Wood. Once again, baseball’s veteran middle class is being squeezed.

Meanwhile, the St. Louis Cardinals – who, we remind you, missed the postseason in 2024 – still haven’t signed anybody. We blaming that one on the Dodgers, too? …

• For those who haven’t been paying a lot of attention, the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference are well into their attempt to divide all the spoils of college athletics.

The goal of the two most powerful of the power conferences to grab four automatic berths each in the next iteration of the College Football Playoff is just the first step. At some point, you can expect those conferences to hold March Madness hostage, as in: “Give us everything we want, or we’ll bolt the NCAA and start our own postseason basketball tournament.”

I mean, what’s to stop them from disassociating themselves from the NCAA, setting their own eligibility and compensation rules, and the like? Those conferences could establish salary caps before Major League Baseball does. …

• As has been noted here before, the one way to solve the madness that is the combination of NIL money and the transfer portal is for the college system to swallow its misgivings and make the players employees, with signed contracts. The major obstacle? Administrators are scared of the potential of a players’ association with teeth. Stay tuned. …

• One thing we are reminded of whenever the Lakers play at home: Lawrence Tanter remains the best public address guy in the business, any venue, any sport. The reason: He’s not a yeller or screamer, as are so many in the business, yet those well modulated tones can generate plenty of energy and excitement. It’s a refreshing antidote in an age where arena and stadium atmospheres are increasingly ear-splitting and overcaffeinated. …

• ESPN – which, surprise, rediscovered hockey when the network regained the rights to the NHL after ignoring it for years – did it right with its coverage of the 4 Nations Face-Off final between the U.S. and Canada. Particularly impressive was the opening segment Thursday night that interspersed clips of the current U.S. team, sitting at their stalls in the dressing room, with Kurt Russell’s recital of the Herb Brooks pregame address to the 1980 U.S. Olympians before the Miracle on Ice, as portrayed in the movie, “Miracle.” (Which was, of course, a Disney production.)

Too bad that speech didn’t work so well this time. …

• And now it can be told: All of that money generated by others’ use of the term three-peat, which was trademarked by Pat Riley more than 25 years ago? Riles never kept a penny of it. According to The Associated Press, he said he donated his share of the royalties to various charities, including those that help military veterans and their families.

Those, he said, “are very minor in comparison to what they deserve.” True. But every penny helps.

[email protected]

​ Orange County Register 

LAFC opens MLS play with a new captain for a new season

• February 22, 2025

Coming into its 30th season, Major League Soccer wants to change how players interact with the referees.

Across the world, match officials are familiar with multiple players getting in their face, arguing or pleading calls that did or did not get made. MLS was no exception. But this year it mandated that only captains are allowed to approach and address referees following key decisions.

Initiating a direct and uninterrupted line of communication, the league hopes, will reduce moments of what it describes as mobbing, which to be fair can be a byproduct of the game’s passion and intensity. Interactions between the officials and players are otherwise encouraged throughout a match.

“I think it’s a clever rule,” said LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo, himself a tenured captain with German club Hannover 96. “Yeah, I actually do think it’s a very good idea.”

Starting with the league opener Saturday at BMO Stadium, when LAFC hosts Minnesota United FC, the punishment for invading the referee’s space? A yellow card for dissent. Cherundolo finds no benefit in arguing calls with a referee. Instead he wants players to quickly switch to the next play and move forward.

“I’m hopeful this will do a lot for the game and keep players focused for the entire 90 minutes,” he said.

On top of whatever ramifications the rule carries across the league and beyond, in the near term it sets up 32-year-old center back Aaron Long, named by Cherundolo as LAFC captain for 2025, to get plenty of face time with the referees through the end of the year.

Like his coach, Long sees no real value in arguing referee decisions, though he often finds himself chatting with the person holding the whistle so the edict from the league won’t be much different in that respect.

Re-signed this offseason through 2027, Long’s third year with LAFC marks his first as captain. He served in that role several times for the U.S. men’s national team, and did the job in 2022 during his last season with the New York Red Bulls prior to joining the Black & Gold as a free agent.

What makes a good captain?

“Authenticity,” Long answered. “Just being yourself out there. Being a guy players can look at and know what they’re going to get. Having some dependability, taking responsibility for situations and I think holding guys to a certain standard.”

It’s the sort of spot Long relishes, which was apparent to Cherundolo as preseason moved along.

At Hannover, Cherundolo was on teams where players voted for a captain and teams where the coaches decided. Entering Year 4 as LAFC’s head coach, the 46-year-old American prefers the latter, using training camp to observe how things naturally shake out within the group.

“A period of observations that come to an obvious conclusion,” Cherundolo said regarding his process for selecting a captain. “Let things play out and observe, and certainly one of the goals of preseason is to find and create a clear hierarchy on the team as far as leadership goes, and to be well balanced, to make sure everybody is included, everybody has a voice, but also to understand that when things are not going well who is going to speak up and who will roll up their sleeves.”

The work fans pay attention to most began Tuesday when Long and his teammates visited frozen-solid Denver, where the Colorado Rapids won 2-1 in the opening leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup’s first-round home-and-away series.

It was Long who connected on the end of a cross by Denis Bouanga late in the match that notched a critical away goal and improved LAFC’s chance of advancing when they conclude at BMO Stadium next week.

Despite being forced to stay in Denver overnight because their charter flight could not depart in the frigid conditions, the group, which sacrificed its off-day Wednesday, still recovered well for the start of the 34-match MLS regular season on Saturday afternoon.

Against Minnesota, which ended last season losing a Western Conference semifinal match to the eventual MLS Cup champion L.A. Galaxy, LAFC will try to stay unblemished on Matchday 1 by winning an eighth straight season opener.

“As a group we’re taking it one game at a time,” Long said. “We have three home games coming up in a row, so just to start this next stretch off now with a win to start the MLS season, if we have that, build some confidence and carry that over into Tuesday, it would be fantastic.”

MLS opener: Minnesota at LAFC

When: 1:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: BMO Stadium

TV: FOX (Ch. 11), Apple TV (MLS Season Pass), Apple TV+

​ Orange County Register