5 Gracie Abrams songs to listen to ahead of her Los Angeles shows

• March 22, 2023

Gracie Abrams is certainly shaping up to be the next big thing in Gen Z pop, a subgenre currently led by acts like Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Khalid and Lil Nas X.

The Los Angeles-born and raised artist built her following with a pair of EPs released during the pandemic that included songs she’d written living in her childhood bedroom. The now 23-year-old singer-songwriter just released her debut album, “Good Riddance” on Feb. 24, which was produced by Aaron Dessner of The National. Abrams inherently fell into the entertainment pool thanks to her parents, director J.J. Abrams and TV producer Katie McGrath, but she’s carved her own path with an ability to craft songs that serve as a self-critical analysis of heartache and the growing pains of her early 20s.

Abrams is currently on the road on the Good Riddance Tour, which includes two hometown stops at The Fonda Theatre March 29-30. She’ll also be back in the area, serving as support on Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood for the Aug. 3 and 8 dates only.

At just 13, Abrams started releasing music via Soundcloud. Most of the tracks were simple acoustic covers of older Phoebe Bridgers songs like “Funeral.” It wasn’t until dropping out of Barnard College that things started to fall into place Abrams. After creating a buzz on Soundcloud and Instagram by releasing original tracks, she landed a deal with Interscope Records and in 2019, dropped her first official single, “Mean It.”

Last month, Abrams surprised fans by performing an acoustic set to celebrate “Good Riddance” at Fingerprints Music in Long Beach and she made an appearance at Amoeba Records in Los Angeles two days later.

RELATED: Gracie Abrams behind ‘Good Riddance’ message in Los Angeles sky

According to Kara Lane, the live music director at Amoeba Music Hollywood, fans waited nearly seven hours in line before the doors opened to purchase a copy of “Good Riddance” as guaranteed entrance for her performance. The purchase included a commemorated “Live at Amoeba” signed poster by Abrams for fans, too.

“We seriously had fans in line ready to purchase her record as early as four in the morning,” Lane said. “It was raining heavily that day, too, but fans were so excited to get in. I have to say, Gracie’s fans are seriously some of the nicest, coolest fans. They were all so excited to see Gracie, too. Everyone was genuinely happy to be there when the show happened, and the overall experience of having Gracie there was incredible.”

Ahead of her two dates at The Fonda Theatre, we came up with a list of the best old and new songs from the rising pop star to listen to before these shows. In no particular order, here’s the list of our favorites.

“I miss you, I’m sorry”

The nearly three-minute track off of Abram’s 2020 EP “Minor” is a tender ballad on heartbreak with luscious string arrangements and layered vocals. It’s an anthem for fans who know the feeling of returning to the one you love, even if it disappoints you, far too well.

“Best”

This song sets the pace as it kicks off Abrams’ 12-track debut album “Good Riddance,” with hushed vocal lines and a lyrical, brutally honest, self-examination of her breakup. As she sings, “Used to lie to your face, twenty times in a day. It was my little strange addiction,” it’s clear her mistakes — and pain/regret — are on full display.

“Where Do We Go Now?”

One of the singles from “Good Riddance” that was co-written by producer Aaron Dessner, “Where Do We Go Now?,” details the confusion that comes with dropping a romantic partner and acknowledging the growing pains of moving on as she begins to heal.

“Feels Like” 

A standout, synth-pop dance anthem off Abrams’ “This Is What It Feels Like” EP that dropped in 2021. This one explores all of the emotions one feels when falling in love. “Feels Like” really does feel and sound like like falling in love for the first time all over again.

“Mess It Up” 

This song was released as just a single in 2021 that features Abrams detailing the mistakes made on her behalf with a previous love entanglement and the anxiety and heartbreak that came with it. It’s poetic, soft and honest.

Gracie Abrams: Good Riddance Tour

When: 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 29-Thursday, March 30

Where: The Fonda Theatre, 6126 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles

Tickets: Both dates are sold-out; however resale tickets are available at axs.com.

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

TikTok CEO to tell Congress app is safe, urge against ban

• March 22, 2023

By KELVIN CHAN

TikTok’s CEO plans to tell Congress that the video-sharing app is committed to user safety, data protection and security, and keeping the platform free from Chinese government influence.

Shou Zi Chew is due to answer questions Thursday from U.S. lawmakers concerned about the social media platform’s effects on its young user base and possible national security risks posed by the popular app, which was founded by Chinese entrepreneurs.

Chew is sticking to a familiar script as he urges officials against pursuing an all-out ban on TikTok or for the company to be sold off to new owners.

TikTok’s efforts to ensure the security of its users’ data, including a $1.5 billion project to store the information on Oracle servers in the U.S. and allow outside monitors to inspect its source code, go “above and beyond” what any of its rivals are doing, according to Chew’s prepared remarks released ahead of his appearance before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

“No other social media company, or entertainment platform like TikTok, provides this level of access and transparency,” he said.

Chew pushed back against fears that TikTok could become a tool of China’s ruling Communist Party because its parent company, ByteDance, is based in Beijing.

“Let me state this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country,” Chew said.

He distanced TikTok from its Chinese roots and denied the “inaccurate” belief that TikTok’s corporate structure makes it “beholden to the Chinese government.” ByteDance has evolved into a privately held “global enterprise,” Chew said, with 60% owned by big institutional investors, 20% owned by the Chinese entrepreneurs who founded it and the rest by employees.

It’s “emphatically untrue” that TikTok sends data on its American users to Beijing, he said.

“TikTok has never shared, or received a request to share, U.S. user data with the Chinese government,” Chew said. “Nor would TikTok honor such a request if one were ever made.”

TikTok has come under fire in the U.S., Europe and Asia-Pacific, where a growing number of governments have banned the app from devices used for official business over worries it poses risks to cybersecurity and data privacy or could be used to push pro-Beijing narratives and misinformation.

Chew, a 40-year-old Singaporean who was appointed CEO in 2021, said in a TikTok video this week that the congressional hearing comes at a “pivotal moment” for the company, which now has 150 million American users.

U.S. regulators have reportedly threatened to ban TikTok unless the Chinese owners sell their stake. Lawmakers have introduced measures that would expand the Biden administration’s authority to enact a national ban and called for “structural restrictions” between TikTok’s American operations and ByteDance, including potentially separating the companies.

Chew said TikTok’s data security project, dubbed Project Texas, is the right answer, not a ban or a sale of the company.

The company started deleting the historical protected data of U.S. users from non-Oracle servers this month, Chew said. When that process is completed later this year, all U.S. data will be protected by American law and controlled by a U.S.-led security team.

“Under this structure, there is no way for the Chinese government to access it or compel access to it,” he said.

He said a TikTok ban would hurt the U.S. economy and small American businesses that use the app to sell their products, while reducing competition in an “increasingly concentrated market.” He added that a sale “would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access.”

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Paul George leaves with apparent knee injury as Clippers lose to Thunder

• March 22, 2023

LOS ANGELES — The march to the playoffs continues and the Clippers are fully aware they cannot afford any missteps.

Even so, there were slip-ups Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder and they even stumbled in stretches, which eventually cost them the game on a night that might have come with a far more significant cost.

Clippers star Paul George appeared to hurt his right knee in the fourth quarter of the Clippers’ 101-100 loss, and losing the All-Star wing for any extended length of time could cost the team its championship aspirations.

George collapsed to the floor under the OKC basket with 4:38 left, grabbing his right knee, after colliding with Thunder guard Lugeuntz Dort. After laying face down for several moments, George was helped off the court and headed to the locker room with a possible hyperextended knee, according to Bally Sports SoCal. Supported by staff on either side, George did not appear to put any weight on his right leg.

“I went up for the rebound, kind of hit his leg,” Dort said. “I didn’t do it on purpose, definitely an accident.”

There was no immediate update on George after the game.

“I saw it, but he’s still being evaluated,” Coach Tyronn Lue said, adding that he had not yet talked to George.

George was driven out of the arena on a cart with his right leg fully extended, leaving behind a team to contemplate what lies ahead.

Forward Nico Batum also had not talked to George, but he said the Clippers (38-35) need to move forward regardless.

“You got to play basketball when you go out there, you know, got to go out there with the guys you have,” Batum said. “… play on.”

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard – who didn’t see the play and said he initially thought George was hit in the face – took the same view. The Clippers have just nine games left before the postseason and could go into the playoffs without one of their key players for a second year in a row. Leonard missed the entire 2021-22 season, including the two play-in games after knee surgery.

”Next man up,” Leonard said. “I mean, we’ll see. We got a group of guys that still want to win, that like to play basketball, so we’ll see what happens.”

Before leaving, George had 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists, including a highlight-reel dunk in the third quarter when he rotated 360 degrees before slamming the ball through the rim and bringing the Crypto.com Arena crowd to its feet.

Without him, the Clippers couldn’t stop Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder down the stretch. The game was tied 91-all when George went down and Leonard scored before the Thunder ran off six points in a row to take a 97-93 lead.

Batum hit a jumper to pull the Clippers within 101-100. The Clippers lost a coach’s challenge of an out-of-bounds call with 30 seconds left. The Thunder inbounded but missed a shot and Leonard grabbed the rebound. He dribbled down the final seconds but was hounded by Thunder defenders and failed to get a shot off before the buzzer sounded.

“They did a great job. It started with Dort and then they shrunk the floor,” said Leonard, who led the Clippers with 21 points, six rebounds and five assists. “It’s another explanation (example) of it’s not (being able to) open up the floor for one another, not able to get into actions. But I’ll take ownership of it. Definitely should have got a shot off.”

Lue said the Clippers didn’t attack early enough on the final play, calling it a “learning experience for us.”

“I just didn’t think we played right the whole night offensively,” he added. “We played too slow, we didn’t share the basketball the right way. I know our coaches said we got some open threes we didn’t make but just the flow of the game was nasty because we didn’t play the right way and we played slow, we didn’t move the basketball, we didn’t get to the second side.

“When we don’t play a good brand of basketball, these are the results you get.”

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault ran 10 players in and out of the lineup, which kept the Clippers in a perpetual state of the unknown. They couldn’t focus on any one player when 10 of them were hitting jumpers and free throws.

“Coach D’s done a great job with just putting guys in the right position,” Lue said, “and they bought into it and they’re playing really good basketball right now.”

Gilgeous-Alexander, who is averaging 31.8 points this season, is a large reason why the Thunder have a shot at a playoff spot. He again led the Thunder with 31 points, seven rebounds and four assists against his former team. Jalen Williams added 20 and two other players scored in double figures.

The Thunder (36-36) have played their way back into playoff contention, winning seven of their past nine games and beating other playoff teams in the process.

The Clippers overcame a bizarre officiating sequence late in the second quarter. Leonard drove in for a layup and, believing he was fouled on the play, argued when the referee didn’t call it. He was slapped with a technical foul.

Terance Mann, who was trailing on the play, took exception to the non-call and also argued with the official, earning a technical. He then raised his arms in disgust and was hit with a second technical and the automatic ejection that comes with it.

Related Articles

Mann had been active on offense and defense, posting eight points, three rebounds and one steal in 11 minutes.

Crew chief Curtis Blair told a pool reporter that Leonard aggressively clapped at the official. He said Mann pointed aggressively at the official, then used profanity toward the official, earning the two technical fouls and the ejection.

The Clippers started the game doing nearly everything right, resulting in a 17-4 run in the first five minutes. The next seven minutes weren’t good. And the following 12 weren’t any better on a night when they finished 6 for 31 from 3-point range and 12 for 21 from the free-throw line.

The Thunder capitalized on several communication breakdowns by the Clippers on offense and defense to chip away at the score until they moved ahead 23-22 after the first quarter. The Clippers went 0 for 11 from the field during the Thunder’s run.

The team stayed close despite the Clippers’ inability to land 3-pointers. They were just 2 for 15 from behind the arc in the first half and trailed 56-51.

SPIN CYCLE https://t.co/zesuAhpgn1 pic.twitter.com/Ne9XU15aE3

— NBA (@NBA) March 22, 2023

​ Orange County Register 

Huntington Beach council balks at approving state-mandated housing plan

• March 22, 2023

Referring to state housing laws as the “governor’s mandate,” Huntington Beach Mayor Tony Strickland and two other city council members blocked approval of the city’s massive housing plan for the rest of the 2020s.

But rather than kill the city’s 1,164-page “housing element” outright, the sharply divided city council united behind a motion to postpone the matter for further consideration at its next city council meeting on April 4.

Strickland and one other council member cited environmental concerns for blocking the homebuilding plan.

“I don’t believe (Gov. Gavin Newsom’s) housing crisis, his housing mandate, is more important than the health and safety of our citizens,” Strickland said during the council’s meeting Tuesday, March 21. “That’s why I’m opposing this housing element.”

Strickland was joined in voting down the housing plan by Mayor Pro Tem Gracey Van Der Mark and Councilmember Pat Burns.

Councilmember Casey McKeon, who frequently votes with the majority, recused himself because of a potential conflict of interest. That resulted in a 3-3 vote, one vote shy of the majority needed for plan adoption.

“I cannot in good conscience support (this) item,” Van Der Mark said before the vote, complaining about the effects of housing construction on clean air, water supplies, traffic and the city’s wetlands. “I don’t believe the benefits of building outweighs the consequences of destroying our city.”

The decision raised the specter of past housing fights that erupted over the city’s refusal from 2015-20 to comply with state demands it revise its last housing element. That resulted in a 2019 lawsuit against the city. The two sides returned to court earlier this month, trading state and federal lawsuits over housing on March 8 and 9.

At stake is a state-required blueprint for how the beachside, Orange County city of 199,000 will increase housing by 2030.

Although some council members tied the state’s homebuilding mandate to Newsom, it’s actually rooted in a 53-year-old statute lawmakers began strengthening under Newsom’s predecessor.

The law requires all California cities and counties to develop periodic housing plans that include affordable housing. More recent legislation stiffened penalties for failing to adopt a substantially compliant housing element, including the authority for the state to sue recalcitrant cities and levy fines up to $600,000 a month for failing to have an approved housing element.

Huntington Beach, already 17 months late in adopting a state-approved plan, had been ordered to make room for 13,368 new homes this decade — enough homes for 29,475 residents, Van Der Mark noted.

But members of the Huntington Beach council refused to approve a required statement that the need for housing overrides potential environmental impacts like air and water pollution, noise and overtaxed public facilities like parks.

“(The state housing department) is requiring us to sign a statement … that we believe that the benefits of these affordable housing projects override the negative impacts that they can cause to the environment,” Strickland said. “The state is forcing our speech and violating our First Amendment rights.”

Huntington Beach’s conflict with the state boiled over again in the past two months when the city stopped accepting applications for duplexes in single-family neighborhoods under Senate Bill 9 and stopped accepting applications for backyard “accessory dwelling units,” or ADUs, under state laws easing restrictions.

The state sued the city on March 8. The city retaliated by filing a federal lawsuit against the state the next day.

On Tuesday, a federal court judge rejected the city’s request for a temporary restraining order barring the state from enforcing fines and penalties for failing to comply with housing laws. The judge ruled there’s no risk of irreparable harm to the city since such penalties aren’t imminent.

In addition, the council voted 4-2 Tuesday to resume accepting applications for SB 9 and ADU projects, a move that may make the state’s new lawsuit moot.

During the public comments portion of Tuesday’s city council meeting, nine residents spoke in favor of adopting the housing element while three either opposed the plan or criticized Newsom.

City staff and Councilmember Dan Kalmick argued the environmental statement is just a technicality.

The city has been working on the housing element since the summer of 2021. Without approval of the environmental statement, said City Manager Al Zelinka, “then the rest of it is for not.”

“I’m disappointed … that after going through all of this work that we’re getting hung up on a technicality,” Zelinka said.

Kalmick said it’s ironic that plan opponents cited environmental concerns when they recently rejected a city purchasing plan to use 100% renewable products.

Burns renewed his calls “to fight state overreach,” complaining about threatening letters state offices have been sending to the city.

“It’s just bullying,” Burns said. “What Sacramento is trying to do to us is just negate our influence and take over.”

City staff and plan supporters warned the council could be putting the city in legal jeopardy without a housing element, including the risk of lawsuits, lost state funding, fines, the loss of control over permits and, ultimately the appointment of a receiver to choose what housing plan the city will adopt, city staff said.

“If you don’t like a loss of local control,” responded Councilmember Natalie Moser, “then you’re really not going to like the potential ramifications of not adopting a housing element.”

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

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.

Related Articles

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.

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

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.

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

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.

Related Articles

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.

​ Orange County Register