Orange Unified appoints acting superintendent from its own ranks

• March 4, 2023

Nearly two months after it fired its superintendent, the Orange Unified School Board appointed its second acting superintendent and agreed to hire a consultant to find a more permanent leader.

Board members Thursday night, March 2, unanimously appointed Ernest Gonzalez, who serves as assistant superintendent in charge of human resources, to lead the Orange Unified School District.

Gonzalez assumes the role last held by Edward Velasquez, a former Southern California superintendent who was retired and living in Idaho but was flown in by the district on Jan. 9, four days after a divided board fired then-Superintendent Gunn Marie Hansen without any public explanation.

The unexpected firing led to an outcry from teachers and some parents, who are looking at recalling those who fired Hansen, as well as support from other parents who said change was needed at the district.

Related links

Why did Orange Unified fire its superintendent?
Orange Unified’s interim superintendent gone after just a month on the job

Velasquez left the district about six weeks after his hiring, at least two weeks shy of the end of his contract, which paid him $1,350 a day plus airline travel, car rental and hotel expenses.

During his tenure, Velasquez flew to Spokane every week, usually on Fridays. Airline expenses he submitted to the district totaled $3,168.74, according to documents provided by the district.

On Thursday, in addition to appointing Gonzalez, the board also agreed to look for a firm that will search for a new superintendent. Meanwhile, Gonzalez will assume that post.

“We believe the appointment of Assistant Superintendent Ernie Gonzalez will bring some much-needed stability to the district, for our students, employees and families,” Trustee Kris Erickson said.

The district’s 41 schools serve approximately 26,000 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade in the cities of Orange, Villa Park, Anaheim, Garden Grove, Santa Ana and unincorporated Orange County.

The board’s next regularly scheduled meeting is April 13, but board members plan to meet on April 3 to interview potential search firms.

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​ Orange County Register 

Appeals court ruling in Lunada Bay Boys case could make cities liable for surf localism

• March 4, 2023

A California appeals court has ruled Palos Verdes Estates may be liable under the state’s Coastal Act if city officials turned a blind eye to the Lunada Bay Boys’ decades-long harassment of out-of-town surfers attempting to enjoy the area’s coveted waves.

The ruling drags Palos Verdes Estates back into a lawsuit filed in 2016 by two surfers who experienced the group’s wrath firsthand and felt the city wasn’t doing enough to stop it. A trial court judge in that case had previously dismissed the city from the suit, which also named 15 Bay Boys individually, in 2020 after deciding the Coastal Act wasn’t applicable.

Now, not only is the city potentially back on the hook, but attorneys for the plaintiffs and the California Coastal Commission say the appellate court’s broader interpretation of the Coastal Act sets a “monumental” precedent that could force cities to confront the aggressive and territorial behavior of local surfers, referred to as surf localism, or face fines of up to $15,000 per day.

Kate Huckelbridge, the California Coastal Commission’s executive director, called the Second District Court of Appeal ruling a “victory for the Coastal Act and for anyone who believes the best of California should be accessible to all.”

“It’s historic that a court has affirmed that bullies harassing visitors to Lunada Bay is as much a violation of the Coastal Act as an unpermitted rock fort, and we hope the city will work to ensure that part of the coast is truly open to the public,” Huckelbridge said. “We look forward to working with them to improve trails, add benches, public access signage and viewing binoculars — all to make sure the public feels more welcome.”

Kurt Franklin, one of the attorneys representing surfers Cory Spencer and Diana Reed, said other beach cities should take note.

“It is important to put cities on notice that they can’t sit on their hands with this; they need to take action, or they face Coastal Act risks, which ultimately includes penalties,” Franklin said.

Global spotlight

The Lunada Bay Boys, well known locally for their aggression, were cast into a global spotlight in 2015 when two Guardian reporters captured the surfers’ threats on hidden camera.

“The reason there’s a lot of space is because we keep it like that, we (expletive) hassle people,” said one surfer to the pair. “We’ll burn you every wave.”

A police officer later described the group as being “infamous” in the community and appeared dismissive.

“It literally is like a game with kids on a schoolyard to them. And they don’t want you playing on their swing set,” said the unidentified officer. “But you know, it is what it is. If you feel uncomfortable, you know, then don’t do it.”

Former Police Chief Timm Browne once acknowledged in a video on surfer localism that the community as a whole does not embrace outsiders.

“I mean, they pay a price to live here … they have beautiful views of the ocean from most of the homes in the city,” he said. “So they are protective of their community as a whole — I mean, surfers or nonsurfers.”

Those who surf Lunada Bay, he said, “have a sense of ownership” about their gem of a surfing spot.

‘Privatized a beach’

The original lawsuit alleges Palos Verdes Estates failed to stop the Bay Boys’ intimidation and violence against outsiders for years and tacitly allowed the group to build an unpermitted rock fort into the cliffside of the publicly owned Lunada Bay.

“They de facto privatized a beach in deed, in actions, and physically, they built a doggone headquarters down there,” Franklin said.

Spencer, one of the plaintiffs, allegedly had his hand sliced open when a Bay Boy ran him over with a surfboard, while Reed was allegedly sexually harassed by a member of the group who exposed himself.

“Because it’s surfing, people don’t seem to take it as seriously,” Franklin said. “If this was a hiking trail and people were throwing rocks at you, it would be stopped. The police would do something about it.”

The lawsuit accuses the city of even assisting in the efforts to drive away nonlocals by ignoring complaints and targeting visitors with parking tickets and towed vehicles.

City disappointed in ruling

The city has denied the allegations and argues it never violated the Coastal Act. It demolished the rock fort — which was more of a stone patio — in 2016 amid a media frenzy about the Bay Boys.

Ed Richards, an attorney representing Palos Verdes Estates, said he believes the state lawsuit will be dismissed just like a federal civil rights lawsuit, filed by the same surfers, was in 2018.

“We’re naturally disappointed in the court’s decision,” Richards said. “What this means is the case will likely return to the trial department and proceed with the litigation. We remain confident that we’ll prevail at the next stage.”

Richards said he does not believe the appellate decision will set a precedent because it deals with limited circumstances.

The California Coastal Act, enacted in 1976 to protect the state’s coastline, bars unpermitted developments that interfere with the public’s right of access to the state’s beaches.

Unlike the common usage, however, the act defines a “development” to include “a change in intensity of use of water, or access thereto” and should be “broadly construed to encompass all impediments to access, whether direct or indirect, physical or nonphysical,” according to the Feb. 27 appellate ruling written by Presiding Justice Laurence Rubin.

The rock fort and the alleged harassment carried out by the Bay Boys could each be considered violations under the Coastal Act because they created barriers for the public, the panel ruled. The city, alleged to be a conspirator by the plaintiffs, could be liable as the effective landowner.

“We conclude a change in the access to water brought about by an organized scheme of harassment of, or similar impediment imposed on, those seeking access may be just as much a change in access to water as one brought about by a physical impediment,” Rubin wrote.

Rubin likened the city’s alleged complicity to the Bay Boys’ blockade to another highly publicized case in which a property owner in Half Moon Bay attempted to restrict access to a road leading to Martins Beach by locking a gate and stationing security guards at the entrance.

“If closing a gate and posting a security guard constitutes development in Martins Beach, so may setting up headquarters at the Rock Fort, physically obstructing trail access to the beach, and intimidating outsiders with word and deed,” Rubin wrote.

Related links

New Lunada Bay Boys lawsuit alleges surfer confronted outsiders in blackface on MLK Day
Judge dismisses federal lawsuit seeking to declare Lunada Bay Boys a street gang
Surfers threaten out-of-towners on video, Palos Verdes Estates police respond
Are the Lunada Bay Boys really a criminal gang?
Illegal surfer hangout in Lunada Bay headed for destruction this week

No ruling on merits

Though it reversed the trial court’s dismissal, the appellate court did not rule on the merits of the case. The panel determined the lower court erred in its “narrow” interpretation of the Coastal Act and that the plaintiffs had “sufficiently alleged an actionable conspiracy in which the City has participated” to allow the case against the city to proceed again.

Thus far, 12 of the alleged Bay Boys named in the case have settled, with some agreeing to stay away from Lunada Bay for up to a year, while seven opted to pay $25,000 to $90,000 instead.

The case will return to the Superior Court to resolve the outstanding allegations against the remaining two individuals and the city.

​ Orange County Register 

Implications of Walgreens’ decision on abortion pills

• March 4, 2023

By Tom Murphy | Associated Press

Walgreens says it will not start selling an abortion pill in 20 states that had warned of legal consequences if it did so.

The drugstore chain’s announcement Thursday signals that access to mifepristone may not expand as broadly as federal regulators intended in January, when they finalized a rule change allowing more pharmacies to provide the pill.

Here’s a closer look at the issue.

ABOUT THE ABORTION PILL

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone in 2000 to end pregnancy, when used in combination with a second drug, misoprostol. The combination is approved for use up to the 10th week of pregnancy.

Mifepristone is taken first to dilate the cervix and block a hormone needed to sustain a pregnancy. Misoprostol is taken a day or two later, causing contractions to empty the uterus.

More than half of U.S. abortions are now done with pills rather than with a procedure, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. In rare cases, the drug combination can cause excess bleeding, requiring emergency care.

WIDENING ACCESS

For more than 20 years, the FDA limited dispensing of mifepristone to a subset of specialty offices and clinics due to safety concerns.

The agency has repeatedly eased restrictions and expanded access, increasing demand even as state laws make the pills harder to get for many women.

In late 2021, the agency eliminated an in-person requirement for getting the pill, saying a new scientific review showed no increase in safety complications if the drug is taken at home. That change also permitted the pill to be prescribed via telehealth and shipped by mail-order pharmacies.

Earlier this year, the FDA further loosened restrictions by allowing pharmacies like Walgreens to start dispensing the drug after they undergo certification. That includes meeting standards for shipping, tracking and confidentially storing prescribing information.

STATES STEP IN

Typically, the FDA’s authority to regulate prescription drug access has gone unchallenged. But more than a dozen states now have laws restricting abortion broadly — and the pills specifically — following last year’s Supreme Court decision overturning the federal right to abortion.

Last month, attorneys general in 20 conservative-led states warned CVS and Walgreens in a letter that they could face legal consequences if they sell abortion pills by mail in their states.

In addition to state laws, attorneys general from conservative states have argued that shipments of mifepristone run afoul of a 19th century law that prohibited sending items used in abortion through the mail.

WALGREENS’ REACTION

A spokesman says the company told the attorneys general that it will not dispense mifepristone in their states and it doesn’t plan to ship the drug to them as well.

But Walgreens is working to become eligible through the FDA’s certification process. It plans to dispense the pills where it can legally do so.

The company is not currently dispensing the pills anywhere.

OTHER DRUGSTORES

Rite Aid Corp. said it was “monitoring the latest federal, state, legal and regulatory developments” and would keep evaluating its policies. The Associated Press also sought comment from CVS Health Corp., retail giant Walmart and the grocery chain Kroger.

Some independent pharmacists would like to become certified to dispense the pills, said Andrea Pivarunas, a spokeswoman for the National Community Pharmacists Association. She added that this would be a “personal business decision,” based partly on state laws. The association has no specifics on how many will do it.

OTHER LEGAL ISSUES

In November, an anti-abortion group filed a federal lawsuit in Texas seeking to revoke mifepristone’s approval, claiming the FDA approved the drug 23 years ago without adequate evidence of safety.

A federal judge could rule soon. If he sides with abortion opponents, mifepristone could potentially be removed from the U.S. market.

In January, abortion rights supporters filed separate lawsuits challenging abortion pill restrictions imposed in North Carolina and West Virginia.

Legal experts foresee years of court battles over access to the pills.

AP Health Writer Matthew Perrone contributed to this story.

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers play to a tie for second consecutive game

• March 4, 2023

THE GAME: The Angels scored twice in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the Dodgers, 2-2, Friday afternoon at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.

PITCHING REPORT: Right-hander Tony Gonsolin made his first spring start and went 2⅓ scoreless innings. But he allowed three hits (including a double to Luis Rengifo) and walked two. … The Angels didn’t have a hit against Nick Robertson, Justin Bruihl and Robbie Erlin. … Left-hander James Jones walked two and gave up a two-run double to Myles Emmerson for the tying runs in the ninth inning.

HITTING REPORT: The Dodgers drew 10 walks in the game, including five in the fourth inning when they scored both of their runs. Trayce Thompson and Jonny DeLuca drew bases-loaded walks to force in the runs. … Singles by Freddie Freeman, Bradley Zimmer and Jonny DeLuca were the Dodgers’ only hits. … J.D. Martinez and David Peralta were hitless in Friday’s game. Martinez has started the spring 1 for 13 and Peralta is 0 for 11.

FAMILY TIME: The Dodgers brought minor league outfielder Kyle Nevin along for the game in Tempe and sent him out with their lineup card before the game. Nevin was the Dodgers’ 11th-round draft pick out of Baylor last year. He exchanged lineup cards with Angels manager Phil Nevin, his father. Kyle entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the ninth and struck out.

UP NEXT: Royals (RHP Zack Greinke) vs. Dodgers (RHP Ryan Pepiot), Saturday, 5:05 p.m. PT, at Camelback Ranch, SportsNet LA, 570 AM

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​ Orange County Register 

Orange County restaurants shut down by health inspectors (Feb. 23-March 2)

• March 4, 2023

Restaurants and other food vendors ordered to close and allowed to reopen by Orange County health inspectors from Feb. 23 to March 2.

Kim Ky Noodle House, 15041 Moran St., Suite 107, Westminster

Closed: March 1
Reason: Insufficient hot water
Reopened: March 1

Tacos Ensenada, 24601 Raymond Way, Suite 1, Lake Forest

Closed: March 1
Reason: Rodent infestation
Reopened: March 1

Mil Jugos, 320 W. Fifth St., Santa Ana

Closed: March 1
Reason: Cockroach infestation
Reopened: March 2

Pho K-tea, 18041 Magnolia St., Fountain Valley

Closed: Feb. 27
Reason: Cockroach infestation
Reopened: Feb. 28

Red Flame Restaurant, 15667 Brookhurst St., Westminster

Closed: Feb. 24
Reason: Cockroach infestation
Reopened: Feb. 25

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This list is published weekly with closures since the previous week’s list. Status updates are published in the following week’s list. Source: OC Health Care Agency database.

​ Orange County Register 

Colorado election denier Peters guilty of obstruction

• March 4, 2023

By Jeremy Harlan and Gregory Krieg | CNN

Tina Peters — the former clerk of Mesa County, Colorado, and her state’s most prominent 2020 election denier — was found guilty Friday of misdemeanor obstruction of a government operation, according to Mesa County’s court clerk.

Peters was acquitted of obstructing a peace officer, Mesa County Court Clerk Ann Brigham said.

Peters was arrested by Grand Junction police in February 2022 at a local business while state investigators attempted to execute a search warrant. According to a police affidavit from the Grand Junction Police Department, Peters was not cooperating with investigators as they tried to seize an iPad sought in the search warrant.

Peters stepped in between an officer and a patron who allegedly blocked investigators from accessing the table, according to the affidavit. When officers tried to move her to the side, she “actively” resisted, the affidavit said.

After hearing two days of testimony, a six-person jury returned the split verdicts on Peters.

The verdicts come less than a year after she lost the GOP primary for secretary of state to fomer Jefferson County clerk Pam Anderson — then claimed fraud, again with no evidence. Peters was one of several vocal election conspiracy theorists to fail in their bids for higher office in 2022.

Peters and her top deputy were indicted last March following a local investigation into a security breach that had resulted in confidential voting machine logins, and forensic images of their hard drives, being published in a QAnon-affiliated Telegram channel in early August 2021.

Peters, who last month announced her candidacy to become chair of the Colorado GOP, still faces multiple felony counts for her alleged involvement in the election security breach in her county offices.

Her trial for those charges is set for late August.

​ Orange County Register 

Need a Quick Way to Relax? Try CBD Vapes Next Time

• March 4, 2023

There’s no telling when you might find yourself in need of a moment to take stock of the situation and calm down. For people with anxiety disorders, the need to quickly relax is felt more acutely, but all of us could occasionally use a little help keeping things together under pressure.

That’s where the potentially relaxing properties of CBD vapes come into the picture. Whether you’re looking for an overview of the CBD vapes and cartridges that are on the market or you just want to know more about CBD’s relaxing properties, use this guide to learn more about vaping CBD to relax.

What Is CBD?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a naturally occurring compound found in hemp and cannabis. Called a “cannabinoid” since it is only found in Cannabis sativa, CBD nonetheless has little in common with THC. The two cannabinoids affect entirely different receptors in the brain and provide equally different experienced effects.

Instead of causing intoxication, CBD is most commonly described as offering a feeling of relaxation or calm. CBD won’t get you high, but it might be just the thing to help you maintain your composure the next time life becomes overwhelming.

Research into CBD for Relaxation

Scientists have started conducting large, clinical studies into the potential benefits of CBD for sleep, relaxation, and anxiety. Beginning with a 2015 paper published Neurotherapeutics and titled “Cannabidiol as a Potential Treatment for Anxiety Disorders,” this research initiative has most recently culminated in a clinical study involving more than 70 adult patients with sleep or anxiety issues.

The final results were as follows:

– 79.2% of patients experienced reduced anxiety
– 66.7% of patients enjoyed better sleep quality
– CBD was well-tolerated in 69 out of 72 patients

We encourage the scientific community to perform more research into the potential benefits of CBD for relaxation. All the same, the results we’ve acquired so far are certainly worthy of consideration as you decide whether or not to use CBD vapes to relax.

What Are CBD Vapes?

A CBD vape is a product usually consisting of a rechargeable battery attached to a disposable vape cartridge containing (on average) one gram of CBD concentrate. The battery activates an atomizer inside the cartridge, causing vapor to form inside the air passage.

The user then inhales, allowing smoke-free CBD hemp vapor to enter their lungs. This route of administration offers incredibly fast activation times, which can make all the difference when you find yourself in need of a quick relaxation fix.

Why Are CBD Vapes Better for Relaxation?

Many users consider CBD vapes to better for relaxation than other types of CBD products due to their:

– Ease of use
– Instant activation
– Increased potency
– Portability
– Overall simplicity

Human beings have inhaled cannabinoids in one way or another for millennia. Vaping represents the apex of human technology applied to the ancient ritual of smoking cannabinoids, which has been reported to offer relaxing effects since the dawn of time.

From a more scientific point of view, vaporizing and inhaling cannabinoids allows them to enter your bloodstream quickly via the alveoli in your lungs without exposing these delicate “lung pores” to burnt plant matter. It’s an efficient and highly effective way to use cannabinoids that does away with messy tincture bottles and other disappointingly ineffective oral CBD products.

Best CBD Vapes for Relaxing

Now that you understand just how useful CBD vapes can be in the pursuit of relaxation, let’s cover a few of the qualities you should look for in an ideal CBD vape for relaxation:

– Indica genetics: Users generally consider indica strains to be more relaxing than sativa strains.
– High-quality extract: No PG, VG, cutting agents or diluents. Only high-quality hemp extract, potentially combined with natural cannabis terpenes.
– Easy-to-use design: Ensure that the design of your vape makes it easy to use whenever the need may arise.
– Potent: Make sure your CBD vape contains at least 50% CBD for proper effectiveness.
– Contaminant-free: High-quality CBD vapes are equipped with lab reports proving they don’t contain agricultural or extraction contaminants.

The Bottom Line: Are CBD Vapes Relaxing?
Everyone experiences CBD differently, and as a relatively new substance, there’s only so much we can truly say about CBD’s potential relaxing properties. With that said, it’s a fact that countless thousands of people around the world use CBD to relax without any commonly reported serious adverse reactions.

CBD is a blessing for anyone who has sought natural ways to relax that don’t get you high. CBD vapes take that windfall and make it even more formidable by unlocking CBD’s ability to act quickly and potently. Whether you’ve used CBD before or not, CBD vapes should be your next step in the quest for safe and natural relaxation — anytime.

​ Orange County Register 

Doctor: Lesion removed from Biden’s chest was cancerous

• March 4, 2023

By Zeke Miller | Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A skin lesion removed from President Joe Biden’s chest last month was a basal cell carcinoma — a common form of skin cancer — his doctor said Friday, adding that no further treatment was required.

Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the White House doctor who has served as Biden’s longtime physician, said “all cancerous tissue was successfully removed” during the president’s routine physical on Feb. 16. Biden, 80, was deemed by O’Connor to be ” healthy, vigorous” and “fit ” to handle his White House responsibilities during that physical exam, which comes as he is weeks away from launching an expected bid for reelection in 2024.

O’Connor said the site of the removal on Biden’s chest has “healed nicely” and the president will continue regular skin screenings as part of his routine health plan.

Basal cells are among the most common and easily treated forms of cancer — especially when caught early. O’Connor said they don’t tend to spread like other cancers, but could grow in size, which is why they are removed.

Biden had “several localized non-melanoma skin cancers” removed from his body before he started his presidency, O’Connor said in his Feb. 16 summary of the president’s health, noting it was well established that Biden spent a lot of time in the sun during his youth.

First lady Jill Biden in January had two basal cell lesions removed from her right eye and chest.

She said in an Associated Press interview last week that she’s now “extra careful” about sunscreen, especially when she’s at the beach.

Basal cell carcinoma is a slow-growing cancer that usually is confined to the surface of skin — doctors almost always can remove it all with a shallow incision — and seldom causes serious complications or becomes life-threatening.

The Bidens have long been advocates for fighting cancer. Their adult son Beau died in 2015 from brain cancer.

​ Orange County Register