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    Brief storm to hit Southern California this week, with sunny skies forecasted after
    • March 28, 2023

    Did you put the umbrellas and raincoats away after the latest Southern California storm? Forecasters say you might need to take them out again.

    A brief, relatively mild cold storm system will move through the region beginning Tuesday, March 28, bringing rain to most areas and snow to higher-elevation mountain communities, with conditions drying up by the weekend.

    This upcoming storm is looking to be generally weaker than past storms of this winter, except for a slight chance of thunderstorms late Wednesday-Thursday . pic.twitter.com/hLuyktKXR5

    — NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) March 27, 2023

    “It’s a nice day today, it’ll be a nice day tomorrow, but then cooler weather is coming in,” said National Weather Service forecaster Adam Roser. “It looks like we’ll get some more rain and mountain snow.”

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    Rain will likely start late Tuesday night. Most areas can expect between 0.5 inches and 1 inch of rain, with mountain communities receiving the higher numbers. Snow is expected above 3,000 feet in elevation between Wednesday and Thursday, with areas above 5,000 to 6,000 feet receiving between 5 and 10 inches.

    After a fun few sunny days, Mother Nature is gonna throw a little shade by Tuesday night through Thursday Light rain, snow, and windy conditions can be expected with an incoming weather system Give the graphics below a read for more info! #CAwx pic.twitter.com/ZotMOTEWbB

    — NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) March 27, 2023

    Thunderstorms and waterspouts are possible Wednesday night, with some gusty winds predicted for most of the region as well. This system will also bring lower temperatures, with most areas not breaking the 60s on Thursday.

    The storm will have mostly dissipated by late Thursday, although some rain is possible. The weekend will be sunny, dry, and cool.

    ​ Orange County Register 

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    Report: Employers would gladly replace workers with AI technology
    • March 28, 2023

    Feeling dispensable in a world of artificial intelligence?

    Your fears are not unfounded. A new report from beautiful.ai shows 66% of workplace managers would gladly replace employees with AI tools if the technology produced comparable work.

    Sixty nine percent said it would “be financially beneficial” to replace employees with AI technology, with 68% citing lower payroll costs.

    “Companies are beginning to accept and adopt AI into their workflows to improve efficiency and increase output,” the report said. “In fact, 95% of those interviewed said that their teams have already started using AI tools.”

    Customer service representatives and IT support technicians are among the workers most likely to be replaced by AI technology. In the future, many cubicles will probably be unoccupied. (File photo)

    Beautiful.ai, which uses artificial intelligence to create corporate presentations and reports, polled 3,000 executives in management positions for “The Future of AI in the Workplace: A Survey of American Managers,” conducted Feb. 20-23 of this year.

    Of the 3,000 managers polled, 34% are preparing for the adoption of AI tools by educating their employees, while 22% are self-testing AI tools they feel may be useful in the workplace.

    Additional findings:

    90% of managers believe AI tools will grow in popularity as layoffs continue during uncertain economic times
    75% believe their employees fear the use of AI tools will lead to their eventual firing
    Managers say cybersecurity is the biggest cause for concern as it relates to the use of AI tools

    Another report from NetVoucherCodes says California employees are in for a double whammy because the Golden State has the largest number of at-risk jobs.

    NetVoucherCodes compiled data for 199 jobs from each state using usawage.com‘s Top 200 Popular Jobs in 2022. ChatGPT, one of the newest AI technologies to enter the workplace, was then asked for each job’s relative risk from AI, automation, and the likelihood of AI increasing each job’s productivity.

    ChatGPT gives strikingly human-like responses to user queries and can collate information in seconds that would otherwise take hours to gather.

    The NetVoucherCodes report shows 321,900 California jobs are at high risk of being replaced by AI technology, while another 1.2 million jobs are at medium risk. In the realm of automation, more than 2 million Golden State jobs are at high risk and nearly 4 million are at medium risk.

    On a broader scale, the company predicts that more than 15.7 million U.S. jobs will be enhanced by AI to boost productivity, although 19.4 million jobs will be replaced in the process.

    NetVoucherCodes lists the top 10 U.S. jobs at high risk of being replaced by AI:

    Cashier (more than 3.3 million)
    Customer service representative (more than 2.7 million)
    Bookkeeper (991,047)
    IT support technician (690,525)
    Billing clerk (477,349)
    HR assistant (384,826)
    Paralegal assistant (336,250)
    Compliance officer (334,340)
    Claims assessor (314,300)
    Executive assistant (304,678)

    The report doesn’t give a timeline for when all of those jobs could be highjacked by technology, but the numbers indicate heavy employment losses are inevitable.

    Amazon already has a deep foothold in the AI world. The company’s Amazon Fresh grocery stores in Southern California are equipped with “Just Walk Out” technology that’s based on AI, image recognition and sensors.

    It allows customers to enter the store by scanning the in-store QR code in their Amazon app, using Amazon One, or by inserting a credit or debit card to open Just Walk Out gates.

    Anything a shopper takes off the shelf is automatically added to their virtual cart, and whatever they put back comes out of it. When they’re finished shopping they simply scan or insert their entry method again to exit the store.

    Tracy Brower, a sociologist and author of “The Secrets to Happiness at Work,” acknowledged that AI is precise and lightning fast while people can be “slow and plodding.” But in a recent guest article in Forbes, she said humans still hold some distinct advantages.

    “Humans are creative — designing something from nothing, intuiting, inferring, adapting and functioning with nuance,” Brower said. “People are also uniquely curious — imagining, exploring and wondering.”

    ​ Orange County Register 

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    Angels’ Jared Walsh, Max Stassi to begin season on injured list
    • March 28, 2023

    ANAHEIM — An ongoing bout with headaches and insomnia will put Angels first baseman Jared Walsh on the injured list to open the season.

    Walsh is set to see a specialist to help him through the issue, with Manager Phil Nevin conveying a positive outlook.

    “It’s a two-week program so he’s not going to start the year with us,” Nevin said. “He is really encouraged about the program he’s going to and he’s able to still do baseball activity. We’ll see how (long) the duration is, but obviously that puts him on the IL to start the season. So yeah, we’re gonna miss Walshy for the first part.”

    Walsh, 29, was in the midst of a strong spring, batting .400 with a 1.197 OPS to go along with two home runs and six RBIs. He is coming off a disappointing 2022 when he had a .642 OPS in a season when he was bothered by thoracic outlet syndrome.

    In 2021 Walsh was an American League All-Star for the first time with an .850 OPS, 29 home runs and 98 RBIs in 144 games.

    Nevin suggested the lack of sleep and accompanying head pain shouldn’t be an ongoing issue.

    “This is a quality of life thing; this isn’t baseball-related,” Nevin said. “… We’ve known about this for a little while, and he’s just been reaching out to some places that he thinks he can help and, and he’s found a spot and he’s relieved about that.

    “I think us as a team, and as a support group, need to be relieved as well that he feels comfortable that he’s gonna be back with us soon and in a good place in his mind.”

    The IL move for Walsh means veteran infielder Jake Lamb is expected to make the Opening Day roster. Lamb, who has nine years of major league experience, batted .419 with a 1.013 OPS in 16 Cactus League games and had two home runs with nine RBIs.

    But Lamb was a late scratch from Monday’s starting lineup with glute tightness. Preston Palmeiro started at first base instead.

    STASSI TO IL

    The hip soreness that surfaced Sunday for Max Stassi will land the catcher on the IL to open the season. Top prospect Logan O’Hoppe now will begin the season on the roster.

    Stassi, who had been away from the club for personal reasons, experienced the soreness in a minor league game in Tempe, Ariz.

    O’Hoppe will not only make his first Opening Day roster, after appearing in five late-season games for the Angels in 2022, but he will be behind the plate for Thursday night’s season opener on the road against the Oakland Athletics.

    “I’ve let him know that and it was a good conversation,” Nevin said.

    MORE ROSTER PLANS

    Nevin said right-hander Andrew Wantz will be on the roster to start the season, with the No. 6 starter spot still undecided.

    The club is high on both left-hander Tucker Davidson and right-hander Griffin Canning for the sixth spot, with Davidson out of minor league options.

    Infielder David Fletcher remains out with a groin injury but might return for Tuesday’s Freeway Series finale.

    GETTING IN LINE

    The Angels’ Opening Day lineup will look fairly similar to what they had on the field in Sunday’s Freeway Series game, although Shohei Ohtani will be the pitcher and Anthony Rendon will be at third base.

    Otherwise, O’Hoppe will be the catcher, Brandon Drury will be at first base, Luis Rengifo will be at second and Gio Urshela will get the start at shortstop. Taylor Ward will be in left field, Mike Trout will be in center and Hunter Renfroe will be in right.

    Ward, Trout, Ohtani and Rendon will be at the top of the order, followed by Drury, Renfroe, Rengifo, Urshela and O’Hoppe.

    TEE TIME

    Plans were unveiled Monday for a new golf course in south New Jersey to be owned by Trout and designed by Tiger Woods.

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    Trout National-The Reserve is set to open to members in 2025 and be located in Vineland, N.J., less than an hour south of Philadelphia.

    Trout said he hasn’t played a round of golf with Woods yet, but the pair have connected on planning conference calls. One of the Trout National golf holes will have an island green.

    Expect the course to have some length. Trout said he can hit a ball 340 yards off the tee with a driver and was asked if he can hit one 400 yards on occasion.

    “When I try to let it eat,” Trout said, “but it might not be straight.”

    ​ Orange County Register 

    Read More
    Newsom displays penchant for shiny new things on California tour
    • March 27, 2023

    As a species, politicians love news conferences and other events that celebrate new programs or public works projects.

    The syndrome may explain why officials often ignore long-festering problems in existing programs, such as the Employment Development Department and the bullet train project. Simply making things work better doesn’t have the political appeal of something new and shiny.

    Gov. Gavin Newsom is particularly prone to the affliction, declaring early on his love for “big, hairy audacious goals” and later adding, “I’d rather be accused of (having) those audacious stretch goals than be accused of timidity.”

    That proclivity led him, as a candidate, to pledge that he would try to solve California’s housing crisis by building 3.5 million new houses and apartments by 2025 and make California the first state to embrace single-payer health care.

    Later, when both proved to be unattainable, he declared them to be “aspirational” rather than firm promises.

    Newsom’s tendency toward the grandiose was very evident this month when he once again shunned a traditional State of the State address to the Legislature and instead toured the state for serial announcements.

    One is converting San Quentin prison into a laboratory to test whether a softer approach to preparing felons for release, modeled after a program in Norway, will be more effective in steering them away from crime. Newsom boasted that the renamed San Quentin Rehabilitation Center will be the “most innovative rehabilitation facility” in the nation, displaying another characteristic, his obsession with being the first to do something.

    The splashiest of Newsom’s new things is a multi-billion-dollar plan to house thousands of homeless and mentally ill Californians in new facilities that would combine shelter with treatment for their afflictions.

    The project would be financed mostly by a bond issue in the $3-5 billion range to be placed before voters next year and would be an adjunct to Newsom’s “Care Court” program that allows the mentally ill to be compelled to accept treatment.

    “It’s unacceptable what we’re dealing with at scale now in California,” Newsom said. “We have to address and come to grips with the reality of mental health in our state and in our nation.”

    Even if implemented as hoped, the two mental health projects would make only a relatively tiny dent in the state’s homelessness crisis. California still lacks a comprehensive approach and is mired in finger-pointing among state, county and city officials over who’s responsible for dealing with it.

    Billions of dollars have been spent by all three levels of California government, plus no small amount of federal funds, but the number of unhoused Californians continues to climb, officially approaching 200,000 but probably much higher.

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    The exchanges between Newsom and county officials have been especially pointed. He’s accused counties of dragging their feet on effectively spending state grant money while county officials say they need a dedicated and predictable revenue stream for long-term programs.

    As Newsom was touring the state, the California State Association of Counties, or CSAC, issued what it said is a comprehensive approach to homelessness embracing housing, social services, education and employment with clear lines of responsibility and accountability for outcomes.

    “No one level of government is solely responsible for the homelessness crisis,” CSAC president Chuck Washington, a Riverside County supervisor, said in a statement. “But any and all efforts to address homelessness will fail without a comprehensive system in which roles and responsibilities are clear.”

    Fundamentally, CSAC is calling for making the systems and services already in place work better. That doesn’t have much political appeal but is, to use one of Newsom’s favorite words, “foundational” for progress on the homelessness crisis.

    CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary.

    ​ Orange County Register 

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    Orange County softball Top 25: Los Alamitos ranked No. 1 heading into Carew Classic, March 27
    • March 27, 2023

    Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

    The Orange County high school softball rankings for this week:

    Notable this week: Los Alamitos remains No. 1 entering the Michelle Carew Classic this week. … Santa Margarita moves up one spot to No. 10 following an 8-1 triumph against Rosary in the Trinity League. … Irvine breaks into the rankings at No. 25 after upsetting Fountain Valley 11-2 in the Alan Dugard Classic.

    SOFTBALL TOP 25

    (Records through March 26)

    1. Los Alamitos (7-2): The Griffins, sidelined since March 11 because of rainouts, are scheduled to play at Corona del Mar on Tuesday in a tune-up for their Carew Classic opener against Santiago of Corona on Wednesday.

    Previous ranking: 1

    2. Esperanza (12-2): The Aztecs could be riding a six-game winning streak into their Carew Classic showdown against Marina on Wednesday.

    Previous ranking: 2

    3. Pacifica (9-3): The Mariners are scheduled to open the Carew Classic against JSerra in an intriguing matchup Wednesday.

    Previous ranking: 3

    4. Orange Lutheran (8-4): The Lancers, the runner-up in the Carew Classic last season, are scheduled to open the tournament against Valley View of Moreno Valley on Wednesday.

    Previous ranking: 4

    5. Villa Park (12-4): The Spartans aren’t playing the Carew Classic but are scheduled to play at Capistrano Valley on Thursday and play host to Bishop Gorman of Nevada on Saturday.

    Previous ranking: 5

    6. Marina (14-1): The Vikings have won six consecutive games in convincing fashion since losing to El Modena in the Dave Kops Tournament of Champions.

    Previous ranking: 7

    7. Huntington Beach (5-3): The Oilers, who haven’t played since March 11, are scheduled to play two Sunset League games before opening the Carew Classic against Yucaipa on Wednesday.

    Previous ranking: 8

    8. Mission Viejo (7-6-1): The Diablos are scheduled to play two South Coast League games before they open the Carew Classic against Vista Murrieta on Wednesday.

    Previous ranking: 9

    9. JSerra (12-2): The Lions will carry an eight-game winning streak into their Carew Classic opener against fifth-seeded Pacifica.

    Previous ranking: 10

    10. Santa Margarita (10-4-1): The Eagles bounced back from Trinity League losses to Orange Lutheran and JSerra by beating Rosary 8-1.

    Previous ranking: 11

    11. El Modena (8-4)

    Previous ranking: 6

    12. Tesoro (8-3-1)

    Previous ranking: 14

    13. Foothill (9-4)

    Previous ranking: 15

    14. Canyon (8-4)

    Previous ranking: 16

    15. Capistrano Valley (8-1)

    Previous ranking: 17

    16. Aliso Niguel (11-3)

    Previous ranking: 19

    17. Fountain Valley (6-7)

    Previous ranking: 12

    18. Mater Dei (7-7-1)

    Previous ranking: 13

    19. Edison (9-6)

    Previous ranking: 18

    20. Whittier Christian (13-4)

    Previous ranking: 20

    21. Sonora (5-7)

    Previous ranking: 21

    22. Cypress (8-2-1)

    Previous ranking: 22

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    23. Kennedy (8-4)

    Previous ranking: 23

    24. Fullerton (14-1)

    Previous ranking: 24

    25. Irvine (8-4)

    Previous ranking: unranked

    Also considered: Trabuco Hills

    Please send feedback on the county rankings to Dan Albano at [email protected] or @ocvarsityguy on Twitter

    ​ Orange County Register 

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    Bake It: Cinnamon Shortbread with Chocolate Hazelnut Drizzle
    • March 27, 2023

    This cookie recipe combines the satisfyingly crumbly texture of a classic shortbread with all three of my favorite gelato flavors — cinnamon, hazelnut and chocolate. Who says you can’t have it all? This cookie is the perfect pairing for that afternoon coffee or steamed chai latte. And the secret to the shortbread’s crunchy texture is — you’ll never guess — Cream of Wheat.

    The Cream of Wheat adds a lovely crunch to the dough, but you can substitute cornmeal or cornstarch for a similar crumbly texture. Not a fan of hazelnuts? Try toasted almonds or walnuts instead.

    Cinnamon Shortbread with Chocolate Hazelnut Drizzle

    Makes 12 to 14 cookies

    INGREDIENTS

    2/3 cup whole hazelnuts

    1¾ cups flour

    ½ cup Cream of Wheat (uncooked)

    ½ cup granulated sugar

    ½ teaspoon cinnamon

    1 cup butter, room temperature

    ½ cup chopped semisweet chocolate

    Sea salt

    DIRECTIONS

    Heat oven to 300 degrees.

    When the oven is hot, place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake them for 5 to 8 minutes or until fragrant. Wrap up the hot hazelnuts in a clean dish towel and rub them vigorously to flake off the skins. Finely chop the hazelnuts and set aside.

    In a food processor (or in a large bowl with a fork), mix together the flour, Cream of Wheat, sugar and cinnamon. Add the butter and pulse to form a crumbly mixture.

    Use your hands to bring the dough together, then press it into an 8-inch square baking pan. Press the dough down firmly to create an even surface, then prick it all over with a fork. Bake on the center rack for 30 to 40 minutes or until a very pale golden color on the edges. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.

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    Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or in a double boiler. Drizzle the shortbread with the melted chocolate and scatter the chopped hazelnuts over the top, finishing with a light sprinkling of sea salt. Cut the shortbread into fingers in the pan, then carefully remove them to let them finish cooling on a wire rack.

    Once completely cool, store in an airtight container for up to one week.

    Registered dietitian and food writer Laura McLively is the author of “The Berkeley Bowl Cookbook.” Follow her at @myberkeleybowl and www.lauramclively.com.

    For more food and drink coveragefollow us on Flipboard.

    ​ Orange County Register 

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    How mobster’s son Dr. Cappy Rothman became a fertility pioneer
    • March 27, 2023

    If you only covered the first three decades of Cappy Rothman’s life, you’d still have enough for a movie.

    That film would be about the handsome, playboy son of a midcentury mobster – his father was Norman “Roughhouse” Rothman – and a life that involved hanging out in swanky Havana nightclubs and driving around Miami Beach with his pet monkey.

    But those early years have little to do with the legacy that the 85-year-old from Pacific Palisades ultimately built after finding his calling in medical school.

    RelatedSign up for our free newsletter about books, authors, reading and more

    In the ’70s, through talent and luck, Rothman found himself on the leading edge of andrology, then the still little-known field of male reproductive and sexual health. With a restless curiosity and the willingness to try anything to help his patients, he became a pioneer in male infertility.

    Dr. Cappy Rothman in front of a wall of photographs of children born through services he provided. (Courtesy of Cappy Rothman)

    “God of Sperm” by Joe Donnelly with Cappy Rothman is a biography of Rothman, who grew up the son of a Miami Beach mobster before finding a passion for medicine and becoming a pioneer in the treatment of fertility issues, especially male infertility. (Courtesy of Rare Bird Books)

    Dr. Cappy Rothman, a pioneer of male infertility treatment and the use of donor sperm, as seen in the LA Weekly article that provided the name of his new biography. (Courtesy of Cappy Rothman)

    Dr. Cappy Rothman at Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. (Courtesy of Cappy Rothman)

    Dr. Cappy Rothman with his microscope. Rothman, the son of a Miami Beach mobster, who grew up to become a pioneer in the field of infertility treatment, is the subject of the new book, “God of Sperm,” written by Joe Donnelly with Cappy Rothman. (Photo courtesy of Cappy Rothman)

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    “God of Sperm” is the eye-catching title of a new book on Rothman’s life. Written by Joe Donnelly with Rothman’s assistance, it’s a fascinating look at an American original whose work as a doctor aided the conception of hundreds of thousands of children.

    “When I started, there was no field of andrology. I felt like I was walking into a cave with a candle,” he says. “The cave is now filled with people and floodlights, and the information just seems to be extraordinary, algorithmic, the way knowledge is being added.”

    Rothman says of his life in medicine, “I miss it greatly.”

    Donnelly, a longtime journalist who worked at the LA Weekly when it first referred to Rothman by the book’s title, says that when he was first approached to write Rothman’s story he wasn’t sure a book set in the world of male reproductive health was a good fit for him.

    “At first glance, it’s interesting,” says Donnelly, now a Whittier College professor. “But it’s not in my wheelhouse or a topic I feel any closeness or affinity for.

    “But once I got into it, I felt both a duty to the story and to Cappy and to try and do my best to tell that story,” he says. “And to put it into context, you know, that this is one of those great American tales from the post-war era.”

    Living the life

    “It was absolutely fantastic growing up in Miami Beach in that magical period of time,” Rothman says. His father had relocated from the Bronx to Miami for a new job when Cappy was 10.

    Rothman says he doesn’t have many details of what his father’s work entailed. From the ages of 12 to 17, Cappy was away for school at the Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania, so time spent at home in Miami or in Havana was vacation.

    “I had the most marvelous time in Miami Beach because of my father,” Rothman says. “When I went to the University of Miami, I had a Cadillac convertible with air-conditioning. I had a monkey. I had access to an airplane and I was learning to fly.

    “I was able to see, through my father’s influence, the Rat Pack whenever they were in the Fontainebleau,” he says the entertainers that included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. “Not only see them but actually have almost front row seats.”

    Life was a joyride thanks to the access and accommodation he got from being the son of Roughhouse Rothman.

    “Everything was comped,” Rothman says. “They all knew my father. They loved my father. In Cuba, people would call him ‘Mr. Normie’ walking down the street. The guy that did his shoes – ‘Hi, Mr. Normie!’ – the guy that had the coffee shop.”

    In Cuba, Rothman met the soon-to-be-deposed dictator Fulgencia Batista. In Miami Beach, he partied with the sons of the Cuban elites, trailed from nightclub to nightclub by their bodyguards.

    As for what he knew of his father’s work, Rothman says he thought he might be a bookie since some of his duties involved running the cocktail lounge at the Albion Hotel, a reputed gangster hangout in the ’50s and ’60s, according to the book. He did attend some of the U.S. Senate hearings where his father was called to testify about Mafia activities such as plots to kill Castro.

    But for the most part, his father’s business just wasn’t a big deal to him.

    “My friends envied me because at this time the heroes of the day were Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, George Raft,” he says, reeling off the stars of various mob movies. “The gangsters seemed to be the heroes. My friends would say, “Wow, your dad’s in jail.’ So I was a hero in a way.”

    Rothman says he learned more about his father’s criminal activities from the information Donnelly found through Freedom of Information Act requests and FBI files. But his father never said much at all until his dying day.

    “I remember when he was dying, in the hospital,” Rothman says, recalling that he’d asked his father if he’d talk to a reporter friend about his life. “He said, ‘I never talked when I was alive. I’m certainly going to talk when I’m dying.’

    “I even asked him, ‘Well, do you know who killed Kennedy?’ He said, ‘Forget about it.’”

    Moving into medicine

    For his military service, Rothman served in the Coast Guard, signing up to be a corpsman, that service’s name for a medic, mostly because he heard they’d let you wear civilian clothes and work alongside WAVES, the women’s division of the Navy.

    He found he had a passion and talent for medicine that – after six months working for Teamsters’ boss Jimmy Hoffa in Washington D.C. – led him to medical school, and after graduation in 1969, a series of internships and residencies that eventually led him to the University of California, San Francisco hospital where urologist Frank Hinman Jr. became his mentor.

    Rothman, who by then had married his wife Beth, with whom he has three sons, worked on several studies assigned by Himman during that time. Rothman still thought he’d end up an endoscopist, but after working at Loma Linda Medical Center to become board-certified in urology, he landed a job at the Tyler Clinic, where founder Ed Tyler was one of the earliest pioneers of American infertility medicine.

    “I spent a year there learning a great deal and becoming fascinated with this incredible cell, the sperm,” Rothman says of the clinic. He left after Tyler died in 1975, having had a falling out with a more senior clinician.

    “In 1975, urologists weren’t trained for infertility,” he says. “There wasn’t even the field of microsurgery. There wasn’t even a field of andrology. But within six weeks, I became booked up for six months.

    “I was overwhelmed because I was the go-to guy for infertility, or any issues with testicular dysfunction that was not cancer, that was not an infection, that was not congenital,” Rothman says.

    At the time, infertility was almost entirely considered to be a female problem, he says. If a man had sexual function, the majority of doctors believed he was fertile.

    “I dedicated myself to exposing the fact that men can be infertile,” Rothman says. “And it’s now recognized that 50% of infertile couples it’s [due to the] male factor.”

    Rothman’s willingness to explore previously underused or unknown procedures to address male infertility made him not only the doctor of choice for many couples seeking to have children, but it also led him to create or popularize new treatments that today are taken for granted.

    One of them – retrieving and freezing viable sperm from a man after death – had never been done before. But in 1980  Rothman agreed to try at the request of the former U.S. Sen. Alan Cranston of California, whose son had been badly injured and declared brain dead in an accident.

    “The resident called and asked me, ‘Can you do it?’” Rothman says. “There was no literature, there was no research. But it was both a desire to help as well as my incredible curiosity: Could I? The senator asked, ‘How much are you going to charge?’ and I said, ‘I’m not going to charge anything. I don’t know if I can do it.’”

    The procedure Rothman tried proved successful, and upon returning to his office and looking through his microscope. “I noticed millions of sperm in the testicle and epididymis and I knew it could be done,” he says.

    Take that to the bank

    That procedure, though it received plenty of headlines and a good measure of controversy, was rare, a curiosity, when compared to the much bigger impact Rothman’s work with sperm banking and the use of donor sperm, Donnelly says.

    “There are conceivably no barriers to reproduction from the male side as long as you’re not sterile,” Donnelly says.

    More significant was Rothman’s popularization of donor sperm through his early work at the Tyler Clinic to his cofounding of the California Cryobank, which is either the first- or second-largest sperm bank in the world.

    “He took it out of the shadows,” Donnelly says. “Using donor sperm had been around a long time but it became furtive. And Cappy came along with his big personality and his frankness and just talked about sperm in a down-to-earth way.”

    Donor sperm and the sperm bank also gave agency to single women and gay couples who wanted children, and also showed how microsurgery – “He was arguably one of the best microsurgeons in the world,” Donnelly says – could advance urology and infertility treatment.

    Rothman agrees that his impact on fertility has been greatest through sperm banking, something he took on as a side service to his urology practice only to watch it grow and keep growing.

    “When I sold the company the first time in 2014, I was responsible for the birth of 240,000 children,” he says. “Now the number is well over 400,000. And I figure in two generations, and it’s happening, there are going to be millions.”

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    Diana Ross is coming to Agua Caliente Rancho Mirage in June
    • March 27, 2023

    Legendary Motown singer Diana Ross is coming to Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage on Saturday, June 10, as part of her Music Legacy Tour.

    Tickets are $95-$225 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, March 31 at aguacalientecasinos.com. Some of Ross’ biggest hits, and undoubtedly part of her tour, include “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “I’m Coming Out” and “Stop! In the Name of Love.”

    Ross began her career as the singer of The Supremes, an all-female soul group that became one of the most well-known acts signed to Motown Records in the 1960s. Following her departure from the group, Ross embarked on a solo career and ventured into film. Her first role was in the 1972 film, “Lady Sings the Blues,” where she portrayed jazz and swing singer Billie Holiday. She also recorded the film’s soundtrack, which peaked at number one on the Billboard charts for two weeks.

    Sign up for our Casino Insider newsletter and get the week’s best bets for food, entertainment and fun at Southern California’s casinos. Subscribe here.

    In 1988, Ross was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Supremes. Ross is also the first woman to have won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award twice, as a solo artist in 2012 and with The Supremes in 2023.

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