In Year 3 at USC, ‘Chef Tahj’ Washington is cooking defenses like never before

• October 27, 2023

Over a flame, a spatula in hand and a red “Chef Tahj” apron draped across a lithe frame, Tahj Washington is an artist.

His menu is varied, careful impressionistic strokes, everything from soul food to Louisiana and Italian-style meals. The crown jewel is his chicken alfredo, so gas, as fellow USC wide receiver Brenden Rice gushed, that mother Shanon Kuykendall prefers it to Olive Garden.

The key is a flavor mix Rice simply calls the “Tahj kick.” And spices are Washington’s brushes, a jar in his kitchen filled with a blend of paprika and cayenne and parsley and secrets a good chef never reveals – “that’s all I’m gon’ give y’all,” he grins at the camera in one 2022 video posted to his YouTube channel. He blends colors within the canvas of his saucepan, carefully coating roasting shrimp in heavy cream and mixing to a light tan, paying close attention to regulate his desired pigment.

He started cooking when he was 6 years old, Kuykendall working two jobs and raising Washington and a little brother within a large Texan family. She’d bring her sons and their cousins to the grocery store and tell them it’s on y’all this week, and kids being kids they all set off grabbing snacks.

Except for Washington.

“I just wanted to go for the ingredients,” he smiled, “to make something new.”

He is beloved in the USC locker room, not just for his cooking, and in complete authenticity. Players’ eyes light up when they speak of him as a teammate: day in and day out, Rice said, “everything you want in a player.” Three years into his USC career, after a slightly messy transfer from Memphis, Washington is the old guard in a stuffed-to-the-brim receivers room, a sage senior in college speaking with a senior citizen’s wisdom.

“Everybody got problems,” Washington said, simply, after Wednesday’s practice. “So just knowing how to deal with those, going through those, kinda help giving younger guys – that might not be in the position that they want to be in now.”

He could have been an afterthought in 2022, when new head coach Lincoln Riley took the helm and transfers Mario Williams and Jordan Addison joined the fray. Washington could have been buried on the depth chart in 2023, as a slew of top recruits entered the mix. Instead, he’s been one of the steadiest members in a program in desperate need of stability, far and away USC’s leading receiver through eight games (30 catches, 609 yards, five touchdowns) after a 765-yard season last year.

The reason is simple, as Riley explained in September: Washington is intentional. He takes incredibly detailed, thorough notes after meetings. He is consistent in his approach to his aspirations – overwhelmingly precise in the kitchen with head chef dreams, overwhelmingly precise on the turf.

“I feel like he’s a guy that goes out on the practice field every single day with a mindset to go get better, and truly only worries about what he can control,” Riley said. “And doesn’t seem to give any thought to anything else.”

‘Humble Beast from the East’

As a kid, Washington didn’t care much for burgers. Not for pizza. Somehow, not for chicken nuggets. When they’d go out to eat, Kuykendall said, he had more “expensive tastes.” The kid wanted seafood.

On his YouTube channel “Chef Tahj,” where he has a cooking series titled “No Huddle Kitchen” – now sponsored by meal-kit company HelloFresh in one of the more genius NIL partnerships in college football – Washington has a video titled “Ramen with a twist.” That recipe started when he was young, when he couldn’t be satisfied with eating plain ramen noodles. He started adding cheese, Kuykendall remembered. Then hot links. Spending time with his grandmother, a longtime dietician, he learned recipes.

The Cooking Channel stayed on the family television. At Marshall High in Texas, where Washington put up numbers but was largely recruited by nearby Southern and Midwest schools, he formed what Shanon called a “Breakfast Club,” where members would chip in and buy ingredients for meals Washington would cook.

“That is, like, his happy place,” Kuykendall said.

It all came, Kuykendall felt, from a dislike of simple foods. And to date, the kitchen appears to be Washington’s stage; the setting for flair, a flair absent from much of his football makeup. He operates with a deceptive lack of flash, the polar opposite from gregarious outside receiver Rice, perhaps his most demonstrative moment this entire season coming after a touchdown against Colorado when he gave a slight sprinkle-the-pot celebration in a nod to his chef persona.

Even his forays into the NIL space in college – that HelloFresh partnership and a deal announced Tuesday with salsa company La Victoria dedicated to stocking USC’s food pantry for students struggling with food insecurity – have been carefully crafted.

“We call him the ‘Humble Beast from the East,’” Kuykendall said.

Washington originally arrived at USC, though, from what Shanon called a “conflict of interest” with Memphis after a breakout year in 2020. In March of 2021, the Daily Memphian reported that, according to Kuykendall, Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield had allegedly called Washington “selfish.”

“That really, as a parent, was like, ‘Wow, you don’t really know this kid at all – you don’t know him, to even say that? Wow,’” Kuykendall said.

‘He’s ready whenever his name is called’

When Washington first started playing football, Kuykendall remembered, he’d get dressed for games the night before. Football pants. Shoulder pads. Trying to go to sleep with a helmet on his head. She had to wrestle a compromise out of him; he could keep the gear physically tucked under the covers with him while he slept.

And earnest impatience has carried all the way to USC, where one of Washington’s “Achilles’ heels” was calming himself, particularly when it came to catching deep balls, assistant coach Dennis Simmons said.

It was something he, himself, saw as an area of growth. So in the summer, Washington said, he got in work from a variety of sources – utilizing a Jugs machine, real-life quarterback Caleb Williams, even tennis balls – to hone technique on a variety of over-the-shoulder and deep-ball routes.

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It has paid dividends, as this USC receiver room has plenty of playmakers in the flat and across the middle but has noticeably lacked deep outside threats. Rice filled that role more consistently in earlier parts of the season, and Washington stepped in on Saturday in an otherwise-disappointing loss against Utah with a 112-yard performance – including a full-extension diving 52-yard grab on USC’s second drive of the game.

According to Pro Football Focus, Washington caught just two of 11 deep-ball attempts thrown his way in 2021, his first season at USC. That mark went to seven of 14 last year, and he’s been close to perfect in 2023 in a tangible example of dedicated improvement, catching six of eight such targets.

He was used most consistently as a short-hit threat in 2021. Now, at 5-foot-11, he’s somehow morphed himself into USC’s most consistent deep-ball target.

“There’s no questions asked – if Coach wanted him to go to running back and run the ball, he’d do it,” running back MarShawn Lloyd said earlier this season. “He doesn’t have no questions of blocking whoever, he doesn’t have no questions of what route to run – he’s ready whenever his name is called.”

“And that’s why he’s doing so great right now,” Lloyd continued, “because he’s such a selfless player and he does whatever he needs to do to help the team.”

​ Orange County Register 

Investor Capital

• October 27, 2023

INVESTOR CAPITAL (IC) is an investment firm with a primary focus on bringing top value to investors from all walks of life…from the brand new, completely green home buyer to the seasoned veteran with dozens of doors, we have the tools, talent, and network to help all investors achieve their goals and invest successfully, worldwide.

Our organization operates with an abundance mindset, ensuring the success of all based on our simple guiding principles – Love. Care. Growth.

For example, here is one of the amazing properties we have been managing that has enjoyed only five star reviews.

“The BANK”, Palm Springs, California, is one of the amazing properties Investor Capital has been managing that has enjoyed only five stars.

IC is building the world’s leading real estate investment marketplace. Our mission is to make ownership of investment real estate radically accessible, cost-effective, simplified, and most importantly, SUCCESSFUL!

Our team of experts guides first-time investors to global asset managers in evaluating, purchasing, and operating residential investment properties with confidence from anywhere in the world. Investor Capital seeks to disrupt the industry with cutting edge technology and innovations.

No matter your investment goals, Investor Capital is here to help.

Our Story

For decades now investors have been buying and selling properties throughout the country through the same old inefficient and usually uninformed processes.

The methods through which investors buy and sell have been in dire need of a major overhaul.
Understanding this great need, the Founders of Investor Capital, have created an entirely new way to invest and be successful.

Bringing together their formidable and extensive backgrounds and experiences, the IC team of experts is utilizing cutting edge technology and deep industry knowledge which has created an entirely new way for investors to break into the game but do so efficiently while minimizing risk and maximizing profit potential.

Here is our Chief Marketing Officer explaining some of these processes we utilize to ensure the success of our investors.

Ara Ghanbarian, Investor Capital Chief Marketing Officer, presenting “My Villa Project” to the audience.

Short Term Rentals Utilizing Technology + Data

IC has created a platform to identify quality investment homes and easily perform initial property analysis in one place. This way the attractive benefits of real estate investing, including the potential for significant monthly cash flow and long-term appreciation, are more easily available to investors across a broad geographic area.

Keep a close eye out for our major upcoming project called “My Villa”!

How Our Property Managers Help

Enjoy the benefits of owning a rental home without the traditional hassles of being a landlord.

Save Time
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Invest Smarter
Buy in markets with the best returns for rental property investors. Our systems enable you to own anywhere.

Here again our CMO shares more insights about our expertise.

The property management team at INVESTOR CAPITAL is dedicated to:

·      Responsiveness & transparency

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·      Preferred pricing

·      Effective reporting & data

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·      Market coverage

To get started and to obtain more information, please contact us at 1- 888-295-2688 or info@ic-investor.com. Our mailing address is 120 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660. We look forward to hearing from you!

​ Orange County Register 

United Airlines flight attendants allege racism on charters for LA Dodgers

• October 27, 2023

Two veteran United Airlines flight attendants claim in a lawsuit they were removed from working charter flights for the Los Angeles Dodgers because they were not young, White and thin.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, Oct. 25, by Darby Quezada, 44, and Dawn Todd, 50, in Los Angeles County Superior Court, accuses United Airlines of racial and religious discrimination. Quezada is of Black, Mexican and Jewish descent and Todd is Black. Both have worked for United for more than 15 years.

“Major American corporations like United Airlines must understand that it is illegal to make staffing decisions based on an employee’s race and looks, even if it is meant to please major clients like the Los Angeles Dodgers,” attorney Sam S. Yebri said in a prepared statement. “United’s blatantly discriminatory staffing decisions allowed the cancer of racism and antisemitism to metastasize on the flights themselves.”

United Airlines denied the accusations.

“United fosters an environment of inclusion and does not tolerate discrimination of any kind. We believe this lawsuit is without merit and intend to defend ourselves vigorously,” said United Airlines spokesman Charles Hobart.

Dodgers management declined to comment.

“We do not comment on any pending litigation,” said Joe Jareck, senior director of public relations for the Dodgers, in an email.

It is the second time in three years that United Airlines has been sued by minority flight attendants for its allegedly discriminating staffing practices on charter flights for collegiate and professional sports teams. The first lawsuit was settled, resulting in the addition of Quezada and Todd to the charter crew, Yebri said.

“United’s charter airline program for professional sports teams has a long, troubled history,” said the latest lawsuit. “For years, United’s Inflight Charter Program has been riddled with allegations of discrimination, racism and sexism.”

Working the Dodgers charter flights is considered a plum assignment. Crew members earn more money for longer flights, receive premium accommodations and higher per diem compensation, and often receive valuable sporting event tickets, field passes and rare sports merchandise, the suit said.

After extensive interviews, Quezada was chosen for the program in 2020 and Todd in 2022. Later that year, several White, female attendants were hired for the program without having to interview, the suit alleged.

“When Todd and Quezada asked United why certain flight attendants were added to the ‘dedicated crew’ or ‘dedicated list’ without having to interview like they did, Todd and Quezada were told that these White flight attendants fit a ‘certain look’ that the Dodgers’ players liked,” the suit claimed.

Quezada and Todd also alleged they were subjected to racist conduct by some of the other charter attendants. Quezada said she was referred by attendants as the “flight maid” because they needed a Mexican to clean the bathrooms. Quezada also was derided for the size of her hips and for being Jewish, the suit said.

Their complaints to United Airlines management went unheeded.

The alleged discrimination caused Quezada and Todd to suffer “severe panic attacks, vomiting, migraines, anxiety, loss of self-esteem, humiliation, the inability to eat, loss of sleep, and emotional distress, which has required psychological treatment,” said the suit.

The attendants are seeking unspecified damages and demanding a jury trial.

“The unrelenting racist and antisemitic comments were demoralizing and dehumanizing,” Quezada said in a prepared statement. “Blatant discrimination like this should not be tolerated in 2023.”

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​ Orange County Register 

Radio host Larry Elder ends Republican presidential campaign and endorses Donald Trump

• October 27, 2023

Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder announced Thursday that he was ending his 2024 Republican campaign for president and endorsing former President Donald Trump.

Elder, who sought to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom in a failed 2021 recall effort, said in a statement that he had made the “difficult decision” to end his bid after “careful consideration and consultation” with his team and to throw his support behind Trump. Trump’s leadership, he said, was “instrumental in advancing conservative America-first principles and policies that have benefited our great nation.”

He said now was the time to unite behind Trump to beat President Joe Biden. He also said he hoped his campaign had shined a light on the issues important to him, including fatherlessness, fighting crime and opposition to the idea that the U.S. is a racist country.

Elder is the fourth major candidate to suspend or end his 2024 GOP bid, following Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, former Texas congressman Will Hurd and businessman Perry Johnson. Johnson also backed Trump on his way out of the race, while Hurd endorsed former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.

He announced his long-shot campaign in April, saying that “America is in decline, but this decline in not inevitable.”

“We can enter a new American Golden Age, but we must choose a leader who can bring us there. That’s why I’m running for President,” he wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Elder found little visibility in a primary race dominated by Trump and including other high-profile figures such as Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

Elder wasn’t among the GOP candidates on stage for either presidential debate after failing to meet the polling and donor qualifications required by the Republican National Committee to participate. He said he filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission after missing the first one, alleging the rules about debate participation weren’t equally applied to all candidates.

Elder made his first bid for public office in 2021, when he received the most votes out of 46 people who were hoping to replace Newsom in a recall effort. But a majority of voters ended up voting against removing Newsom, making the vote count in the replacement contest irrelevant.

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Some Democrats say Elder’s role as a foil to Newsom helped the Democratic governor inspire voters in liberal California to turn out and reject the recall. Newsom attacked Elder for his support of Trump and his conservative positions, such as opposing abortion rights and restrictions imposed to slow the spread of COVID-19, such as mask mandates.

But Elder said the experience of running for office — and the millions of votes he received — showed he had a message that resonated with voters. A lawyer who grew up in Los Angeles’ rough South Central neighborhood, Elder attended an Ivy League college and then law school. He has a following among conservatives through his radio programs and has been a frequent guest on Fox News and other right-wing media.

Elder, who is Black, has criticized Democrats’ “woke” agenda, Black Lives Matter and the notion of systemic racism, positions that have put him at odds with many other Black people.

​ Orange County Register 

Horse racing notes: Mother Nature makes Santa Anita a safe bet for Breeders’ Cup

• October 27, 2023

SANTA ANITA LEADERS

Through Thursday

JOCKEYS / WINS

Juan Hernandez / 17

Umberto Rispoli / 13

Antonio Fresu / 11

Hector Berrios / 10

Ramon Vazquez / 9

TRAINERS / WINS

Mark Glatt / 10

Philip D’Amato / 8

Peter Eurton / 8

John Sadler / 8

Three tied / 6

WEEKEND STAKES (SANTA ANITA)

Saturday

• $80,000 Lure Stakes, 3-year-olds and up, 1 mile (turf)

DOWN THE STRETCH

• Forty-one of the 205 horses pre-entered for the 40th Breeders’ Cup on Nov. 3-4 hail from Santa Anita, according to Victor Ryan of Santa Anita publicity. This year’s Santa Anita Derby winner – Practical Move – was pre-entered in the Dirt Mile on Nov. 4. The $6 million Classic, which this year will be run as the seventh of nine Breeders’ Cup races on Saturday, will include the Bob Baffert-trained Arabian Knight, Geaux Rocket Ride (Richard Mandella) and Missed the Cut (John Sadler).

• The material for Santa Anita’s new $7 million synthetic training track, which will replace the track’s traditional sand-based training track, will begin arriving on Nov. 13. The all-weather surface, part of 1/ST Racing’s plans to make major financial investments in Southern California racing to enhance safety and wellness for horses, is expected to be popular for training turf horses in addition to horses that have been racing on synthetic surfaces. Track officials expect the project to be completed in mid-January.

• Baffert is pleased that this year’s Breeders’ Cup is at Santa Anita mostly because of Mother Nature. “I like California because of the weather. You know what you’re going to get,” he said. He doesn’t believe there’s a significant home-track advantage for local horsemen when the event is held at Santa Anita or Del Mar. “I think I’ve won more races away from here than I’ve won here,” he said. “It’s the players, the horses. You gotta have the horses. The Lakers and the Rams, they get beat at home.” Baffert’s right. He’s won 10 Breeders’ Cup races outside of California and eight locally.

— Art Wilson

​ Orange County Register 

Photos: Billie Eilish, Vince Vaughn, Pedro Pascal at Halloween Horror Nights

• October 26, 2023

Even celebrities like a good scare.

Since Universal Studios Hollywood’s annual Halloween Horror Nights kicked off way back on Sept. 7, plenty of stars have shown up at the theme park to experience walk-thru attractions based on films like “The Exorcist: Believer” and “Evil Dead Rise” and television shows including “Stranger Things” and “Chucky.”

Actors and actresses like Vince Vaughn, Abigail Breslin, Pedro Pascal, Kumail Nanjiani, Krysten Ritter and Dylan Minnette have all screamed their way through the park. So have rockers and pop stars like Billie Eilish, Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, Metallica bassist Rob Trujillo, Big Sean, Bebe Rexha and Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoada.

Sometimes you need a friend to hold on to through the mazes, which is why pals like actors Michael Rosenbaum and Efren Ramirez stuck together, actor Seth Green and Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz paired up and “Vanderpump Rules” Adriana Madix and “What We Do in the Shadows” star Harvey Guillén clung to one another as they faced the monsters.

Check out this photo slideshow of all the talent that has shown up at this year’s event.

Halloween Horror Nights continues select evenings through Oct. 31 and features original concept attractions including Holidayz in Hell, Universal Monsters Unmasked and Monstruos: The Monsters o Latin America. One of its more popular attractions this year, is a maze based on the popular video game, The Last of Us, which was also turned into a popular HBO television series.

Guests can also take the Terror Tram: The Exterminatorz down to the iconic Universal backlot to walk around the sets from “Psycho,” “War of the Worlds” and Jordan Peele’s suspense-thriller, “Nope.”

Halloween Horror Nights

When: Select evenings through Oct. 31

​ Orange County Register 

Fryer: Division 1 of the CIF-SS football playoffs will include (pick a number) teams

• October 26, 2023

The magic number is 8.

Or 12.

Maybe 4.

Coaches and others (like yours truly) are making semi-educated guesses about how many teams will be selected to Division 1 of the CIF Southern Section football playoffs.

The team ratings at Calpreps.com will be used to place teams into the 14 11-man divisions. The number of teams in Division 1 will be decided Saturday. The playoff brackets will be released Sunday at 10 a.m.

The regular season concludes with Friday’s games.

Last season Division 1 was a 10-team bracket that was made up of Mater Dei, Santa Margarita, JSerra, Long Beach Poly, Los Alamitos, Centennial, Mission Viejo, Edison, Orange Lutheran and St. John Bosco. Six teams had first-round byes into the quarterfinals. The four teams that played in the first round were Edison, JSerra, Orange Lutheran and Santa Margarita.

After handicapping the possibilities for these playoffs, the bet here is that Division 1 will be an eight-team division.

A 12-team division is somewhat possible.

A four-team division is a longshot but still on the board.

If Division 1 is an eight-team division …

Going into this week’s games, those eight teams are (in order of rating): St. John Bosco, Mater Dei, Sierra Canyon, Centennial, Orange Lutheran, Rancho Cucamonga, Santa Margarita and Long Beach Poly.

San Clemente running back Aiden Rubin, center, sprints to the end zone to score a touchdown against Murrieta Valley earlier this season. The Tritons play Mission Viejo this week. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

If it holds that those are the top eight teams in the Calpreps ratings after this week’s games, then Division 2 would start with San Clemente as the top seed.

The Calpreps ratings going into this week have Long Beach Poly at No. 8 in the CIF Southern Section with a 59.4 rating and San Clemente at No. 9 at 59.0. Poly (8-1 overall) plays Long Beach Jordan (7-2) on Friday in a game that, according to Calpreps’ projections, Poly has a 99 percent chance of winning. Calpreps gives San Clemente (8-1) a 97 percent chance of beating Tesoro (5-4) on Friday.

If Division 1 is a 12-team division …

After the aforementioned eight teams, the next four in order of ratings are San Clemente, Servite, Serra and JSerra going into Friday.

Los Alamitos is No. 13 in the Calpreps ratings at 55.8, behind No. 12 JSerra’s 57.5.

Before we go further it is important to know that on Friday JSerra plays Servite and Los Alamitos plays Edison.

A JSerra loss to Servite would drop it to 4-6 overall. Teams with an overall record of .500 are the first ones to receive at-large berths if they are available. Teams with a sub-.500 record can’t be selected for an at-large berth over a team with a .500 record. JSerra needs to beat Servite to get to .500.

If Los Alamitos beats Edison and JSerra loses to Servite, perhaps Los Alamitos moves to No. 12 and JSerra drops to No. 13.

If Division 1 is a 12-team bracket and the CIF-SS No. 13 team is JSerra, putting JSerra into Division 2, then JSerra might be out of the playoffs because the No. 1 seed in a division, according to CIF-SS football playoff rules, cannot be an at-large team.

If JSerra beats Servite and Orange Lutheran loses to St. John Bosco that makes JSerra and Orange Lutheran both 2-3 in the Trinity League. Because JSerra beat Orange Lutheran, JSerra would be the Trinity League’s No. 3 team and would receive a guaranteed playoff berth. Orange Lutheran would be No. 4 team and placed in the at-large pool of candidates.

Other possibilities exist. Those are a couple of the most likely ones.

A 12-team division would be popular with many coaches because it likely would encompass all of the Trinity League playoff teams. So would a 13-team bracket, but that doesn’t seem likely.

If Division 1 is a four-team division …

Those four teams for sure would be St. John Bosco, Mater Dei, Sierra Canyon and Centennial. The CIF-SS football No. 5 team after Friday might still be Orange Lutheran. Division 2’s group of 16 teams would start with Orange Lutheran but if Orange Lutheran is in the at-large pool, and because of the rule that no division could have an at-large team as its top-seed, then Orange Lutheran would not be in the playoffs.

NOTES

San Clemente cross country runner Brett Ephraim continued his great season by winning at the Mt. SAC Invitational Division 1&2 sweepstakes race this past Saturday. The senior finished the 2.93-mile course in 14 minutes, 50 seconds to lead the Tritons to a second-place team finish behind Great Oak. Ephraim will be one to watch in the CIF-SS finals Nov. 18 on that course at Mt. SAC. …

Edison’s Rich Boyce is the Orange County Athletic Directors Association’s Athletic Director of the Year. Boyce, who is also one of the county’s better boys basketball coaches, is as busy as any A.D. when it comes to promoting his school’s athletic activities on social media. …

The Canyon-Beckman CIF-SS Division 3 girls volleyball semifinal Saturday at 5 p.m. at Beckman is going to be excellent. Beckman is the No. 1-seeded team in the division. Canyon looked great – quick and strong – in its five-set win over Dana Hills on Wednesday. …

In other girls volleyball semifinals Saturday: Orange Lutheran is at top-seeded Redondo and JSerra is home against Long Beach Wilson in Division 2; and in Division 4 El Dorado is home against West Ranch and Capistrano Valley Christian is at Sunny Hills. …

Division 1 girls volleyball pool play continues Saturday. Mater Dei, which is 2-0 in pool play, is home against Sierra Canyon (1-1 in pool play), Huntington Beach (2-0) is at Mira Costa (2-0) and Los Alamitos (0-2) is at Alemany (0-2). All Division 1 teams qualified for the CIF Southern California Regional that begins Nov. 7. …

Looking way ahead, the Boras Classic South baseball tournament at JSerra and Mater Dei, April 2-5, is worth a look. Among the many great teams in it is Corona, which might be the No. 1 team in preseason national rankings when those are presented. Corona has two great pitchers, junior right-hander Seth Hernandez (6-4, 190), home-schooled the past two school years and who PerfectGame.org calls “the top pitching prospect of the 2025 class by some margin,” and senior lefty Ethan Schiefelbein, who last season had 94 strikeouts in 55 innings. The sons of Dodgers coach Dino Ebel, junior Brady and sophomore Trey, both standout infielders, transferred to Corona from Etiwanda.

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​ Orange County Register 

United flight attendants rally at LAX for higher wages

• October 26, 2023

United Airlines flight attendants staged a rally Thursday, Oct. 26 at Los Angeles International Airport, claiming they’re underpaid and not being compensated for the time they spend boarding, deplaning and waiting between flights.

Wielding signs reading “Pay us or chaos” and “Ground time pay leads the way,” they made their concerns known to travelers coming and going at the airport.

An estimated 1,500 United flight attendants based out of LAX are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. Their labor contract was last amended in August 2021.

Thursday’s LAX protest was part of a national Day of Action that saw thousands of United flight attendants rallying at nearly 20 airports across the U.S., including San Francisco International Airport, George Bush Intercontinental/Houston Airport, Denver International Airport and  Newark Liberty International Airport, among others.

In a statement issued Thursday, United said it’s seeing progress in negotiations, adding that the two sides have reached an agreement on six sections of a proposed labor contract (Photo courtesy of AFA-CWA)

The workers say they’re standing up to “corporate greed” and are calling on management to negotiate “the contract flight attendants deserve.” The protests come on the heels of United posting nearly $15 billion in revenue for the third quarter of 2023.

They’re also seeking rules that give more control of their time and compensate them when operations are disrupted by weather or staffing shortages, and they want management to improve their health insurance coverage and other workplace benefits.

In a statement issued Thursday, United said it’s seeing progress in negotiations, adding that the two sides have reached an agreement on six sections of a proposed labor contract.

“We are hopeful that this progress will provide momentum toward our goal of reaching an industry-leading agreement,” the airline said. “All United flights will operate as planned while our flight attendants exercise their right to distribute information and picket while off-duty. “

Timothy Trueman, AFA-CWA’s council vice president for Los Angeles and San Diego, said flight attendants are putting in lots of hours they’re not being paid for.

“Even though their wages might seem high, they only get paid once the door closes on takeoff to when the plane rolls into the gate,” he said. “So at the end of the day they might have worked 13 hours, but only gotten paid for seven.”

New flight attendants average $25,000 to $30,000 a year, Trueman said. Those with five to 10 experience average $40,000 to $50,000, and senior flight attendants with more experience make $65,000 to $70,000 annually.

“We’re looking for an increase to offset what inflation has done,” he said. “We’re trying to get cost-of-living wages and improvements to our benefits.”

The flight attendants also picketed LAX in September 2022, claiming a shortage of crew schedulers, caterers and other service workers often left them stranded for hours waiting to know when they would be headed out for their next flight.

Trueman said morale is low among the workers.

“United has been reducing staffing and tightening up scheduling,” he said. “And we’ve had a lot of disruptions from the weather and staffing issues with air traffic control.”

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​ Orange County Register