Anaheim detective testifies to mishandling now-missing video evidence in murder trial

• October 25, 2023

An Anaheim police investigator has admitted to mishandling surveillance footage allegedly showing a suspect fleeing the scene of a fatal 2015 stabbing, prompting the defendant in the murder case to ask that the charges be dismissed.

The surveillance footage was a key factor in obtaining a search warrant against defendant Pedro Hernandez, who is charged with the killing of Mychael Francis Ryan.

Anaheim officer Joseph Atkinson testified late last week that he watched surveillance footage from a business that authorities allege showed Hernandez running away from the scene of the stabbing, but the officer said he either neglected to make a copy of the footage or made a copy but forgot to book it into evidence and later lost it.

It will ultimately be up to an Orange County Superior Court Judge to determine exactly what impact the missing evidence — which has been acknowledged by prosecutors — will have on the criminal case against Hernandez.

Under questioning by Assistant Public Defender Scott Sanders, Atkinson — a 26-year law enforcement veteran currently working as a traffic sergeant — admitted that his handling of the purported video footage was a “significant failure.”

“Is it important to take a video of a fleeing murder suspect?” Sanders asked Atkinson during a hearing on Friday.

“It is important,” Atkinson agreed.

The officer said he remembered the video showing someone running, but testified that he could not recall what that person was wearing. He also acknowledged he should have, but didn’t, write a separate report at the time describing the footage.

“You forgot to write a report about a murder suspect running through a crime scene?” Sanders asked.

“Correct,” the officer said.

Atkinson later in his testimony agreed with a prosecution’s description of the missing evidence and neglected police report being the result of “an oversight.”

“Did you purposely destroy the surveillance video?” Deputy District Attorney Austin Deuel asked

“Absolutely not,” Atkinson responded.

Hernandez — a 19-year-old Stanton resident at the time of his arrest — is accused of killing Ryan, a 47-year-old homeless man, during a mid-day attack on Dec. 15, 2015 in the 1200 block of South Magnolia Street. He is also facing sentencing enhancements alleging that he was involved in criminal street gang activity.

Atkinson, according to testimony and court records, played a small but key role in the investigation — authoring sworn statements that were used to obtain search warrants in the aftermath of the killing. Those sworn statements apparently included a description of surveillance footage that the investigator said showed a suspect in the killing running through a parking lot toward the rear of a Walgreens store.

But, despite law enforcement efforts to locate the video, the footage apparently could not be found in police custody.

Sanders alleges in a recent court filing that the footage may have been “willfully destroyed,” describing it as “the most important piece of evidence in the case in terms of establishing that Defendant Hernandez was responsible for the murder.” Other video footage — which was not lost — reportedly shows Hernandez walking behind the Walgreens before entering the store.

“Defendant alleges in this motion that Atkinson intentionally misrepresented in the search warrant affidavits what he saw in the undisclosed video, and that he did this to make it appear that Defendant was responsible for the murder, when in reality the video was not consistent with Defendant being the killer,” Sanders wrote. “More specifically, Defendant alleges that Atkinson realized that the individual he saw running from the scene of the killing was not the same person who entered and exited the Walgreens.”

Prosecutors in response to Sanders’ allegations acknowledged that “There is no doubt that the loss of this particular surveillance video speaks to some level of negligence on the part of the Anaheim Police Department.” But they argued that there was no indication the loss of the evidence was due to “bad faith,” and alleged that other evidence — including eyewitness reports and other video surveillance footage — points to Hernandez.

“Defendant has presented no evidence which suggests the loss of this video was anything more than simple carelessness,” Deuel wrote. “Moreover, the police had no reason whatsoever to destroy this video, as it helped confirm the Defendant was the murderer.”

Judge Kimberly Menninger is expected to hear more testimony before making a ruling related to the missing evidence. That testimony — which is expected to include the lead investigator in the case — is scheduled to continue on Nov. 3.

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​ Orange County Register 

Big California corporations will have to say how much they pollute

• October 25, 2023

Airborne emissions linked to climate change and health problems aren’t always easy to see.

A new California law seeks to make those pollutants — and the companies emitting them — more visible to the public.

SB 253, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Oct. 7, is billed as a first-in-the-nation requirement for large corporations to publicly disclose their airborne pollutants on an annual basis.

“We need the full picture to make the deep emissions cuts that scientists tell us are necessary to avert the worst impacts of climate change,” the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, said in a news release about SB 253, also known as the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act.

The bill, which previously faltered in the Assembly, passed the Senate 27-8 and the Assembly 49-20 in September despite staunch opposition from business groups, including the California Chamber of Commerce.

“To be clear: This bill will not reduce emissions,” The chamber argued in a document posted on its website. “It is a costly reporting requirement that does not help us meet our climate goals.”

SB 253 “may result in large businesses ceasing their partnerships with small and medium-sized businesses, leaving these companies without the contracts that enable them to grow and employ more workers,” the chamber added.

The law applies to U.S.-based companies doing business in California that have annual revenues of $1 billion or more.

Starting in 2026, those companies — about 4,000 in total, according to California Environmental Voters — will have to disclose their emissions, which are broken down into three categories:

Emissions from company-owned sources.
Emissions caused indirectly by a company through its use of electricity.
Emissions by outside sources doing work on a company’s behalf.

Businesses “are responsible for a large share” of greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, with research showing that since 1988, 100 fossil fuel producers are responsible for 71% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, according to a nonpartisan state analyst’s report on SB 253.

Disclosing the third category of emissions, such as diesel exhaust from trucks ferrying goods from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to Inland Empire warehouses, is “one of the reasons why I care so much about SB 253,” said Matt Abularach-Macias, deputy campaigns director for California Environmental Voters.

Diesel exhaust is blamed for the region’s poor air quality and is linked to cancer, asthma and other health problems.

“There hasn’t really ever been full transparency about … how much of a burden the Inland Empire is currently shouldering for the rest of the country’s economy because of the goods and logistics movement,” Abularach-Macias said.

“I think this will bring about the needed transparency to demonstrate the burden that we’re carrying in the Inland Empire.”

He added: “So much of the propaganda from the big polluters has made … the climate crisis an individual problem and has told the public that, you, individually, your consumption is responsible for the crisis.”

SB 253 can help change that narrative by putting the emphasis on corporate pollution, Abularach-Macias said. “If everyone believes that this is an individual problem, then policy solutions are going to reflect that,” he said.

“Whereas if we come to understand that this is a problem with certain people who are responsible for creating it, then I think policy solutions should shift and reflect that as well.”

Because the law only applies to businesses located in California, “this means that out-of-state and international companies can opt to simply ignore SB 253’s requirements,” CalChamber argued.

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“Therefore, the burden of this bill will fall squarely on California-based companies, giving out-of-state and foreign companies a market advantage, driving production out-of-state and increasing the cost of goods for California residents.”

It’s also hard to accurately measure the third type of emissions, the chamber said.

Responsibility for enforcing SB 253’s reporting requirements will fall to the California Air Resources Board, which will develop regulations on those requirements between now and 2026.

​ Orange County Register 

Thousands of striking hotel workers march through LA

• October 25, 2023

Thousands of hotel workers marched through downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 25, protesting “poverty wages” and the use of unhoused migrants to replace striking hospitality employees as the labor unrest nears its four-month mark.

Unite Here Local 11, which represents the 15,000 employees involved in the walkout, said the most recent contract proposal from the hotels’ Coordinated Bargaining Group falls short.

“The hotels did not meaningfully improve upon their prior position, offering no new money for wages, pension or health insurance,” Unite Here said. “Amid soaring housing costs, workers have been demanding wages that will enable them to afford to live in the communities where they work.”

Many hotel employees commute hours to and from work, the union said, with some reportedly sleeping in their cars.

Also see: California workers will get five sick days instead of three under law signed by Gov. Newsom

CBG’s latest offer includes an immediate $2.50 wage increase and a pay hike of $4 within the first nine months of the contract. By the end of the six-year contract, workers at most of the hotels would see a $9-an-hour pay increase, union officials said.

The proposal also offers additional pension contributions and provides for the continuation of employees’ healthcare coverage.

CBG spokesman Keith Grossman said Unite Here “remains unwilling to engage in actual good-faith negotiations.”

“The union appears to want to continue to hurt Los Angeles and negatively impact our employees by continuing its Los Angeles boycott and its intermittent work stoppages,” Grossman said recently.

Jobless benefits for strikers

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. and Rep. Donald Norcross, D-N.J., introduced legislation Wednesday that would make striking workers eligible for unemployment insurance benefits after 14 days of striking.

Dubbed the “Empowering Striking Workers Act,” the bill has been endorsed by the United Auto Workers, American Federation of Teachers, Writers Guild of America-West and  California Labor Federation, among others.

Hotel workers march to demand better wages Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

“We know that strong unions are vital to a strong middle class,” Schiff said in introducing the bill.

Southern California’s hotel strike began over the July 4 weekend. The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, Biltmore Los Angeles and Loews Hollywood are the only ones that have reached tentative labor agreements with the union.

Unite Here workers are currently picketing the Pasadena Hilton, the Hyatt Place Pasadena, the DoubleTree San Pedro, the Hotel Maya in Long Beach and the Laguna Cliffs Marriott in Dana Point.

And then there’s the issue of replacement workers, some of whom are living at the Union Rescue Mission shelter on Skid Row.

Also see: LA district attorney investigating hotels hiring refugees amid strike

LA County District Attorney George Gascon announced this week he has launched an investigation into the working conditions of unhoused refugees who have been hired by hotels during the ongoing strike.

“We take these egregious allegations with the utmost seriousness,” Gascon said in a statement. “The mistreatment of vulnerable workers and their exploitation will not be tolerated.”

In one instance, a minor is alleged to have missed school in order to work at a hotel, the union said, and some refugees say the paychecks they receive have little or no documentation regarding the hours they worked.

Hotel workers march to demand better wages Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Labor unrest

Southern California has emerged as ground zero for worker rallies, pickets and strikes.

More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente employees, including 23,000 in Southern California, reached a tentative labor agreement with the healthcare giant on Oct. 13 that will boost wages by 21%, increase staffing and provide other workplace benefits to employees.

That came on the heels of a three-day strike, with the threat of another walkout looming.

An estimated 700 workers at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank are on strike this week, claiming severe understaffing and high turnover are impacting patient care.

Employees at Prime Healthcare hospitals in Lynwood, Inglewood, Garden Grove and Encino held a five-day strike the week of Oct. 9 to protest severe understaffing that they say has impacted patient care.

Cooks and cashiers at a McDonald’s in East Los Angeles also staged a lunchtime walkout on Tuesday, claiming kitchen temperatures soared to nearly 100 degrees during last week’s heat wave.

​ Orange County Register 

Ducks head to Boston looking to avenge Sunday’s loss

• October 25, 2023

After a blackout gave way to the Ducks lighting up the scoreboard in Columbus on Tuesday, they were on to Boston for a rematch with the Bruins on Thursday.

Boston won, 3-1, on Sunday in a game that the Ducks carried in many ways, sending them on a four-game trip with a sour taste in their mouths. That gave way to the succulent flavor of Frank Vatrano’s overtime tally against the Blue Jackets, which capped a third-period rally that spilled into the bonus frame of Tuesday’s 3-2 victory, the Ducks’ first on the road in three attempts.

Little was said after the match given various circumstances –– the widespread Columbus power outage delayed Tuesday’s start time, the Ducks had to travel eastward afterward and there was limited visiting media on hand –– and not a word was uttered about the benching of star forward Trevor Zegras.

Zegras had just one point in six games but his expected goals numbers had been strong up until Tuesday. Zegras didn’t take any of the whopping seven penalties for the Ducks Tuesday (they killed six of them), however questionable puck management appeared to be an issue both Tuesday and Sunday for Zegras, though Coach Greg Cronin had not yet elaborated on his rationale.

In what has been confirmed as a coach’s decision, Zegras did not skate a single shift in the third period, even as the Ducks were chasing a tying goal.

They ultimately got that goal from their fourth line when Ross Johnston assisted on Brett Leason’s equalizer. Zegras did not play in overtime either, when Vatrano received a beautiful pass from center Benoit-Olivier Groulx before quickly transitioning from backhand to forehand and rifling in the winner.

“Whoever it was, great pass, and I was fortunate enough to put it in the net,” said Vatrano, who was unsure if the dish had come from Groulx or Cam Fowler.

Vatrano leads the team in goals with five and he, like Cronin, grew up in Massachusetts as a Bruins fan. Unlike Cronin, whose playing career ended after college, Vatrano wore the Bruins sweater, debuting with the club and playing parts of three seasons in black and gold. That’s one of many connections the Ducks have to New England, where General Manager Pat Verbeek also played for the Hartford Whalers. They’ll also have at least one tie to their following opponent, the Philadelphia Flyers, as they recalled former Philly defenseman Robert Hagg from the minors on Wednesday.

While the Ducks are celebrating their 30th anniversary, this is the centennial season for the Bruins, who partied hard in year No. 99’s regular season by racking up an all-time record number of points and victories. Their lore meant something to Cronin, who spoke with the Boston Globe ahead of last week’s game. He even broke into song momentarily with the melody of the theme from the Bruins’ old UHF broadcasts. He also spoke briefly of the “rich memories” he had of the old Boston Garden, where Bobby Orr triumphed on the ice and Bill Russell ruled the hardwood.

“I remember standing in the back row of the balcony, you know, with the iron rails, and looking down the steep stairs,” recalled Cronin to the Globe of his first Bruins game. “I remember thinking, ‘Man, if I fall, the first thing my face will hit is the ice!’”

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From Cronin, a first-time NHL head coach, attending his first game to rookies receiving their initial tastes of NHL action, both teams will feature notable neophytes Thursday. Leo Carlsson, who did not play against Boston or Columbus as part of a measured plan for his first NHL campaign, will likely play Thursday. The plan is not totally unlike what the Tampa Bay Lightning did with Steven Stamkos back in 2008-9, when he began the year on a minutes restriction and averaged fewer than 15 minutes of time on ice for the season. Stamkos, who won two Stanley Cups and four Eastern Conference crowns with Tampa alongside Ducks winger Alex Killorn, turned out just fine.

One rookie the Ducks have had no reservations about deploying has been Pavel Mintyukov. He has played 23 or more shifts in each of his five games, three of which have seen him record a point, and trails only Fowler in minutes played this season for the Ducks.

For Boston, center Matt Poitras has softened the blow of losing their top two pivots from last season. He has muscled his way onto the roster permanently and has seen his role expand rapidly. He touched up the Ducks for two goals in about seven minutes of the third period Sunday, his first two NHL tallies. Then, he piled on another goal in Boston’s 3-0 shutout of Calder Trophy favorite Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks Tuesday.

DUCKS AT BRUINS

When: Thursday, 4 p.m. PT

Where: TD Garden, Boston

TV: Bally Sports SoCal

​ Orange County Register 

Riverside punts to state regulators for decision on whether to bury power lines

• October 25, 2023

State regulators will decide whether transmission lines for a long-awaited Riverside power project will be buried underground or tower up to 180 feet above a picturesque stretch of the Santa Ana River.

After hearing arguments on both sides from more than two dozen residents, a split Riverside City Council voted late Tuesday, Oct. 24, to leave a decision on the controversial, $521 million project up to the California Public Utility Commission.

Given the need to dramatically increase electrical infrastructure in coming years to meet California’s clean energy goals, Larry Chung with Southern California Edison said “all eyes are on Riverside right now” to see which direction this decision goes.

If commissioners make Edison bury those power lines, as Norco has asked them to, Riverside could continue to pursue federal funds in hopes of preventing additional costs to ratepayers. While that option is pricier and will take longer, it’s popular with many residents who believe it reduces wildfire risks while improving aesthetics and property values.

“Delighted” is how Norco Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Bash, who’s been leading his city’s efforts to underground the project, described his reaction to Riverside’s vote. After meetings last week with representatives for three of the five state utility commissioners, Bash said, “I am hopeful very hopeful that the CPUC will hear it our way.”

But if commissioners reject or ignore Norco’s petition, that clears the way for Edison to continue with approved plans to string high-voltage transmission lines above ground, between new steel poles and towers that would zigzag for 5.3 miles along the bank of the Santa Ana River. That would allow the city and utility to move forward with plans that have been in the works for nearly two decades to boost energy reliability and capacity for Riverside, which is popular with business and trade groups.

For now, Chung said the project is on hold, as Edison waits for either a more definitive vote of support from Riverside for continuing with an above-ground project or a final decision from the state. And he said other jurisdictions are watching for signals about the future of transmission projects in California.

How we got here

Riverside is the only city of its size in California that has just one connection to the regional electric grid.

City leaders say that leaves residents vulnerable to outages and could one day limit both the city’s growth and its transition to electric transportation and buildings. So Edison and Riverside have spent nearly two decades developing plans for a second connection, called the Riverside Transmission Reliability Project, which would tie into the grid near the 15 freeway in Jurupa Valley and carry power to Riverside along 9.3 miles of high-voltage wires that would cut a corner of Norco.

Jurupa Valley filed a lawsuit over the project in 2016 that said overhead lines would hurt property values and residents’ views. So when the CPUC voted to approve the project, in March 2020, it included plans to bury the four miles of power lines that run through Jurupa Valley’s borders, while the remaining 5.3 miles are approved to be above ground.

Riverside officials said there was a delay in moving the project forward for two years due to COVID-19. When it came back up for discussion in late spring of 2022, Councilmember Steve Hemenway led the discussion about concerns over how the project might increase fire risk in the area, hurt aesthetics and impact quality of life for residents. So the council in May 2022 gave Hemenway six months and a budget of $50,000 to have a consultant work with city staff to come up with a plan for moving the entire project underground.

The council considered that plan during a November 2022 meeting but voted 4-3 against moving forward, with members Jim Perry, Gaby Plascencia, Erin Edwards and Chuck Conder citing concerns about further delays and rising costs.

Then, in January, the council voted 6-1 to let Hemenway and Conder — who by then had changed his opinion — form a working group to try to find funds to cover the added cost of undergrounding lines. Edison has declined to estimate how much the project’s price tag would go up if the remaining 5.3 miles were moved underground, though costs to underground the Jurupa Valley portion of the project suggest burying the entire project would add an estimated $150 million, bringing the total cost to roughly $671 million.

The working group included Norco council members and staff along with representatives from a bipartisan group of state and federal elected officials’ offices. They met eleven times over the past eight months, with a final report due back to the council Tuesday, Oct. 24.

In that report, Hemenway and Conder said there’s a potential to secure a share of the hundreds of billions of dollars set aside for energy projects in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal and the Inflation Reduction Act. They said both Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla and GOP Rep. Ken Calvert of Corona have committed to working with the group to try and secure federal funding, but didn’t cite any money that had actually been locked down. Instead, the council members asked for more time and for the council to let the CPUC know they supported Norco’s efforts to move the project underground.

In a 4-3 vote — with Edwards now joining Conder on Hemenway’s side, while Councilman Ronaldo Fierro went the other direction — the council supported sending the utilities commission a letter Hemenway had drafted that indicates interest in undergrounding the project. But instead of giving his working group more time, the council voted to “revisit the next steps of the working group” only if the CPUC sides with Norco’s to make Edison bury the rest of the project.

Norco appeals to state regulators

While Norco officials were participating in the working group, they also had their staff, legal team and a consultant working on a petition filed Oct. 2 with the CPUC asking the commission to make Edison bury the project’s remaining 5.3 miles of power lines.

Norco’s success hinges on proving that circumstances have changed since the utilities commission approved the project. That’s because Riverside’s neighbor to the west missed the regular window to protest the project by more than two years. The CPUC approved Riverside’s plan for above-ground lines in March 2020, and interested parties then have one year to appeal such decisions.

In Norco’s petition, the city argues there’s been a “dramatic increase in the risk of catastrophic wildfires” since the CPUC approved the project, while development and dry vegetation also have increased in the area over the past two years. There were an average of 4.9 fires per year in Norco for a couple years before the project was approved and in the year after the CPUC gave Edison the greenlight to install above-ground infrastructure. Since then, the petition states that number has jumped to an average of 13.1 wildland fires a year, with 23 blazes in the city from mid-March 2021 through the end of 2022.

“Our communities are now seriously threatened by wildfires to an extent never seen in the past,” a bipartisan coalition of local elected leaders wrote in a letter supporting Norco’s efforts to move the project underground. Signers included Congressman Mark Takano, D-Riverside, along with GOP leaders Calvert, state Sen. Kelly Seyarto of Murrieta and Assemblyman Bill Essayli of Riverside, plus Supervisor Karen Spiegel, Hemenway and Conder.

Also supporting the push to underground the project is Riverside County Fire Chief William Weiser.

“Electrical transmission lines that are undergrounded represent far less of a hazard,” Weiser wrote. “In my professional opinion, undergrounding the remainder of the RTRP transmission line would significantly reduce the threat of wildland fires to the community of Norco, Corona, Jurupa and Riverside.” And if a fire does break out in the area, Weiser said that having “tall high voltage power lines in this area will complicate aerial firefighting, and will limit the effectiveness of firefighting fixed wing aircraft and helicopters.”

There is some precedent for the CPUC to revise a project after the one-year appeal window has passed. The Norco petition cites several examples of when that’s happened, including reversing a five-year-old decision about a project last year following a petition from Southern California Gas.

Responses to Norco’s petition are due by the end of the month, according to Terrie Prosper with the CPUC. A new administrative law judge and commissioner will then be assigned to review all of those materials, Prosper said, with no fixed date for when a final decision might come.

One signal about how the commission might vote is coming from Northern California, where the CPUC has expressed concerns about the cost to customers for Pacific Gas & Electric to move 10,000 miles of overhead power lines underground in high fire risk areas.

It wasn’t clear after the meeting what Riverside would do if the CPUC doesn’t grant Norco’s petition — or if the commission simply doesn’t respond, as they can when appeals are received outside the one-year window.

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​ Orange County Register 

Anthony Trimino, who ran for governor, seeks $6.5M for San Juan Capistrano home

• October 25, 2023

A San Juan Capistrano home owned by Anthony Trimino, the ad agency CEO who ran in the 2021 California governor recall election, has relisted for $6.495 million.

The asking price is 21% higher than the $5.385 million the one-time gubernatorial hopeful and his wife, Jennifer, paid for the property in December 2021, records show. According to county documents, the couple bought the house from Jim Bellino of “The Real Housewives of Orange County” fame.

MLS records show the Triminos originally listed the home in March for $6.995 million, removed it in September and then relisted it on Oct. 19 at the current asking price.

Sited on a 1-acre lot in the guard-gated Hunt Club neighborhood, the 6,082-square-foot classical-style house with an imposing columned entry dates to 1986 and recently underwent a two-year renovation. It has a double-height foyer with twin semi-circular staircases, six bedrooms and seven bathrooms.

A frameless glass door leads to the all-white living room with a fireplace and illuminated built-ins.

In the formal dining room, there’s a custom ceiling and an expensive built-in buffet with a wine refrigerator.

The great room seamlessly connects to the gourmet kitchen, anchored by a waterfall-style island. Its stainless-steel appliances include a built-in Sub-Zero refrigerator and a six-burner Wolf range. A fireplace warms the breakfast nook.

There are two offices, including one accessible by a staircase.

The upstairs primary suite features a built-in wine refrigerator, a freestanding tub and a luxurious steam shower with Accoya wood and book-matched slabs of stone. A deck offers scenic views of the surrounding hills.

Designed for large gatherings, the backyard boasts resort-style amenities such as a pool and spa with water accents and an electric cover, a pickleball and basketball court, a putting green and an outdoor kitchen equipped with a pizza oven and a grill.

Tim Smith and Jeff Golden of Coldwell Banker Realty hold the listing.

Trimino, 48, is president and CEO of Traffik, an Irvine-based advertising agency. He was among the list of Republican candidates who hoped but ultimately failed to oust Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in a special recall election in 2021.

In 2022, the incumbent governor was re-elected for a second term.

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​ Orange County Register 

Lakers’ Ham: LeBron James will ‘in all likelihood’ have minutes limited

• October 25, 2023

DENVER — If Tuesday’s season-opening loss to the Denver Nuggets was an indicator of what’s to come, LeBron James could be in line to play his fewest minutes per game of his 21-season NBA career.

James was limited to 29 minutes in the 119-107 loss to the Nuggets at Ball Arena in Colorado – the third-fewest he’s played in a season opener and 6 1⁄2 fewer minutes than he averaged last season.

When asked whether that minute total will be a regular occurrence for James, coach Darvin Ham responded, “We’ll see. In all likelihood, yes.”

James turns 39 in two months and has accumulated the second-most combined NBA minutes in the regular season and playoffs behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

“It’s easy with him to get caught up in the emotion of the game and you tend to forget you want to play these long stretches,” Ham said. “But in order for him to be as effective as possible, we have to be mindful of the minute output and how long his stretches are.”

General manager Rob Pelinka mentioned before training camp that the team was partnering with James “to help him get all the way to the end” of this season.

Managing James’ playing time in the latter stages of his career is not only important considering the workload he’s carried throughout his career, but also because of his recent injury history.

James missed 27 regular-season games last season, including a 13-game absence because of a torn tendon in his right foot – an injury James described as he “pretty much tore the whole tendon” on his foot. He also missed 26 games the previous season and 27 in 2020-21.

James said after Tuesday’s game that he was “not surprised or upset” by the minutes limit, adding that he talked to Ham and they had a “gameplan” going into the first game.

It seems like the plan to limit James’ playing time will extend beyond the first game, but Ham acknowledged it could build up over time.

“It’s going to be a day-by-day process, gauging how he’s feeling, get communication from him, our training staff, our medical staff,” Ham said. “We communicate, collaborate to land on a solid plan.”

The fewest minutes James has averaged for a season was 33.4 in 2020-21, his third season with the Lakers. He’s averaged at least 34 minutes every other season of his career.

“I mean, I always want to be on the floor,” James said. “Especially when you got an opportunity to win a game or you feel like you can make an impact. But this is the system in place and I’m going to follow it.”

James made it clear that he doesn’t feel he needs to change his approach even if he’s playing fewer minutes on a nightly basis.

He led the Lakers with 21 points (10-of-16 shooting), eight rebounds and five assists, and had an individual plus/minus of plus-7 against the Nuggets – tied for best mark on the team.

“Besides the fact that we didn’t win, but for me, my performance and what I did individually in the time that I was out there, I was productive,” James said. “I was a plus-7 for the game. No turnovers. I like the no turnovers more than anything.”

If James continues to play reduced minutes for a significant portion of the season, then his teammates will need to step up more than they did Tuesday.

The starting backcourt of Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell combined for 25 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists but shot 8 of 23 from the field.

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Anthony Davis had 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots but was scoreless in the second half (0 for 6 from the field, no free-throw attempts).

“That’s on all of us,” Taurean Prince responded when asked about Davis’ second half. “Just making sure that we continue to keep him involved and make sure he stays in the loop with us. Doing that can also help fuel our defense. It goes hand in hand. Just being aware of that in game and getting to what we’re supposed to.”

SUNS AT LAKERS

When: Thursday, 7 p.m.

Where: Crypto.com Aren in Los Angeles

TV/radio: Spectrum SportsNet, 710 AM

​ Orange County Register 

Kim and Steel choose MAGA over governing

• October 25, 2023

The GOP-controlled House of Representatives had gone three weeks without a speaker, after Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida – one of the House’s most flamboyant pro-MAGA members – led a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair because Kevin McCarthy had worked with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown.

After a series of failed candidates, the GOP selected – and the House voted – to make Mike Johnson of Louisiana the new speaker. Johnson is little known, but was neck-deep in efforts to overturn the 2020 election. He even sent an email to House Republicans urging them to sign onto an amicus brief in a Texas lawsuit to invalidate electoral-college votes from several states.

Before Johnson, the Republican caucus selected Jim Jordan of Ohio, a MAGA bomb-thrower. The House’s January 6 report called Jordan “a significant player” in efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Apparently, election denialism was a GOP requisite to lead the House.

Nevertheless, Jordan and Johnson both secured the votes of two Orange County members who should have known better. U.S. Rep. Michelle Steel represents the 45th congressional district in the north-central county – a district where Democrats have a 6-percent voter-registration advantage.

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Kim represents the 40th district, which includes Brea, Chino Hills, Corona and Mission Viejo. That district is more solidly Republican, although Joe Biden eked out a victory there. We would have expected both members to hold out for a speaker candidate who was less of an ideological rabble-rouser.

We endorsed Steel in 2020. We appreciated her practical, conservative record. She told us Biden legitimately won the election and pointed to court decisions that refused to overturn the results.

We also endorsed Kim, noting she’s “distinguished herself as part of a rare breed of Republican moderates.” During our interviews, Kim wouldn’t talk about Donald Trump, saying she was too busy focusing on her election to discuss him. She was most interested in “uniting us.”

And yet with the speaker vote, they both gave in to the most extreme form of Trumpism. We look forward to hearing their justifications as the congressional races get underway.

​ Orange County Register