Lakers work out centers, say no change to Anthony Davis’ management plan

• March 22, 2023

Laker center for hire? Well, not right away.

The Lakers (35-37) got a look at Tristan Thompson and Tony Bradley on Monday: Both veteran big men worked out for the team, which has an open roster spot. Thompson, 32, is the more well-known of the two, notably winning a championship alongside LeBron James as a member of the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers. Thompson averaged 6 points and 5.1 rebounds while playing for three different NBA teams last season but hasn’t played for one this season; Bradley played 33 total minutes earlier this season for Chicago.

Coach Darvin Ham suggested the Lakers were getting a look at both more for a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency situation rather than getting ready to sign either to a 10-day contract.

“No imminent plans,” he said. “Just kicking the tires to see, making sure we get people in front of us if whatever circumstance changes or whatever, we’ll know they’ve been in front of us and we’ve gotten to see them first hand. Just doing our due diligence.”

The Lakers have been light in the frontcourt for weeks. While the team expects forward LeBron James back before the end of the season, his right foot tendon injury has dragged on for more than three weeks. Center Mo Bamba, who the Lakers traded for at the deadline, is out with a right ankle sprain and could miss the rest of the regular season.

That has left the Lakers shorthanded with bigs, especially on back-to-backs when Anthony Davis has not yet been cleared to play both games. But a report from TNT’s Chris Haynes suggested that Davis might play both nights of the April 4-5 back-to-back at Utah and the Clippers, respectively. Ham seemed noncommittal when asked about the report.

“We have a plan in place and we’re following that plan closely,” he said. “If anything should change when we get to that moment, you’ll be the first to know. But outside of that, we’re sticking to our plan as of right now.”

LAKERS TRY TO TAKE A LOAD OFF

Instead of a full-contact practice on Tuesday, the Lakers took it easy: The team watched film, had a walkthrough and a league meeting a day ahead of a home showdown with the Phoenix Suns (38-33). For Ham, the payoff is keeping his roster from accruing additional wear and tear amid a number of critical games.

While practices might help the still-blending roster gain a little chemistry, Ham also said most players, whether they’re on the injury report or not, are still dealing with some bumps and bruises.

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“Just the medical vantage point that the new technology allows you to see from, you just really have to be smart,” he said. “You can’t think like a dinosaur and expect to run out with the Ferraris, you know what I’m saying? You just have to bite the bullet and know that the people who are in those positions and are giving you the information, they are experts.”

The Suns understand the pitfalls of injury well: Neither Kevin Durant nor DeAndre Ayton, two of their key big men, made the trip to Los Angeles.

That being said: The Lakers are fighting history on Wednesday night. Including their first-round playoff series against Phoenix in 2021, they’ve lost nine consecutive head-to-head meetings. While Ham said reversing course against a division rival is not necessarily the aim, there is plenty of pressure to win with their Western foes in the standings doing well to start the week. The Lakers were in 11th place going into Tuesday’s slate of games.

“I see a bit of hunger,” he said. “When we don’t execute a play, or we have a breakdown defensively, I see disappointment. I don’t see anyone being discouraged. I see the accountability of guys wanting to get it right over and over and over again. So, I think we’re in a good place mentally and spiritually in terms of the job that we have to do and the work that’s at hand.”

Veteran big man Tony Bradley is one of the players the Lakers worked out this week, but there is no indication the team is preparing to sign him to a 10-day contract even with an open roster spot. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

​ Orange County Register 

Boras Classic South releases bracket for baseball tournament at Mater Dei, JSerra

• March 22, 2023

The Boras Classic South tournament, among the top high school baseball tournaments in Southern California, released its bracket Tuesday.

Seven of the top eight teams in the Orange County Top 10 are in the tournament: No. 1 Mater Dei, No. 2 Santa Margarita, No. 3 Villa Park, No. 4 Orange Lutheran, No. 5 JSerra, No. 7 Cypress and No. 8 Huntington Beach.

The tournament will played April 11-14 at JSerra and Mater Dei, with the championship game April 14 at JSerra.

The winner will play the winner of the Boras Classic North tournament on April 29 at Santa Clara University.

Among the first-round games April 11 is Etiwanda at JSerra at 6 p.m. Those teams are both in this week’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 Top 10 poll.

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Non-Orange County teams entered include Notre Dame, which is No. 2 behind Santa Margarita in the CIF-SS Division 1 poll,  Aquinas, La Mirada, Corona and Norco.

Aquinas features senior third baseman Eric Bitoni (6-4, 215), who signed with Oregon and is projected to be an early-round selection in the MLB Draft.

​ Orange County Register 

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.

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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.

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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