Sen. Fetterman recovering, will be out a few more weeks

• February 28, 2023

By Mary Clare Jalonick | Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A spokesman for Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman says the Democrat is “on a path to recovery” after checking himself into a hospital for clinical depression earlier this month, and he is still expected to be away from the Senate for several weeks.

“We understand the intense interest in John’s status and especially appreciate the flood of well-wishes,” Fetterman’s communications director, Joe Calvello, said in a statement Monday afternoon. “However, as we have said this will be a weeks-long process and while we will be sure to keep folks updated as it progresses, this is all there is to give by way of an update.”

Fetterman is being treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he checked in Feb. 15 as he was still struggling with the aftereffects of a stroke. His office said at the time that he had experienced depression “off and on throughout his life,” but it had only become severe in recent weeks. Capitol Physician Brian P. Monahan recommended his hospitalization after an evaluation, his office said then.

Fetterman, 53, suffered the stroke last May as he was campaigning in a tough Senate race against GOP nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz. He won the election in November and was sworn in Jan. 3, giving Democrats an extra seat in the Senate and a 51-49 majority.

One of Fetterman’s main aftereffects from the stroke is auditory processing disorder, which can render someone unable to speak fluidly and quickly process spoken conversation into meaning. To manage it, Fetterman uses devices in conversations, meetings and congressional hearings that transcribe spoken words in real time.

Post-stroke depression is common, with one in three stroke patients suffering from it, and is treatable through antidepressant medication and counseling, doctors say.

Pennsylvania’s other senator, Democrat Bob Casey, returned to the Senate on Monday. He had also been away in recent weeks after he underwent surgery for prostate cancer.

​ Orange County Register 

Report finds substantial increase in Orange County homeless deaths

• February 28, 2023

Deaths among those in Orange County’s homeless community have risen substantially over the past decade as the number of accidental deaths has begun outpacing natural ones, according to a county report released on Monday.

The Homeless Death Review Committee found that deaths among the local homeless rose from 103 in 2012 to 395 in 2021, with drugs becoming the leading cause of death.

According to the report, the number of accidental deaths among the homeless surpassed natural deaths beginning in 2020. More than 75 percent of the accidental deaths that year were drug related, according to the report, and three-quarters of the drug-related deaths involved fentanyl.

The committee wrote that the rise in fentanyl-involved deaths was particularly concerning. The powerful synthetic opioid was found to be a factor in 144 of the 395 homeless deaths in 2021, according to the report.

Members of the committee also raised particular concerns about the suicide and homicide rates among Orange County homeless, both of which were significantly higher than the national average and pointed to a population more at risk of crime and mental illness.

Looking at the deaths in 2021, the committee found that 300 of the 309 homeless individuals had spent at least some time in jail in Orange County during the five previous years.

Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes — whose department runs the jails and whose coroner division led the Homeless Death Review Committee — said the findings were “telling,” adding that “it’s clear we have challenges ahead to reduce the number of deaths among people experiencing homelessness.”

“We continue to enhance efforts to address the fentanyl epidemic and provide critical resources to those trapped in addiction,” Barnes said in a prepared statement. “It will be imperative that we also look at the clear correlation between incarceration of people experiencing homelessness and work to increase the number of people taking advantage of programs while they’re in custody.”

The committee — which also included experts from county agencies, city police departments, hospitals and non-profits — was created to look at the root causes of homeless deaths and determine if there are ways to prevent future deaths. The report released on Monday is the first from the committee, which was created in January 2022.

The report found that the number of deaths among the homeless increased incrementally from 2012 to 2019 before jumping substantially — by 55 percent — between 2019 and 2020, the first year of the pandemic.

Among the recommendations outlined in the report was pursuing legislation that would allow a case by case review of each death by the committee — which is currently limited to viewing aggregate data — as well as expand options for substance abuse treatment, increase the availability of Narcan — a medicine that can reverse an opioid overdose — and explore changes to sentencing laws that would focus on substance abuse treatment in lieu of incarceration.

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​ Orange County Register 

Man pleads guilty to meth-fueled fatal collision in Buena Park

• February 28, 2023

A 37-year-old Anaheim man pleaded guilty on Monday, Feb. 27, and was immediately sentenced to 10 years in prison for a methamphetamine-fueled crash in 2018 that killed a pedestrian in Buena Park.

Jason Douglas Rarey pleaded guilty to a felony count of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

Rarey killed 51-year-old San Sebastian Tec Tamayo of Buena Park on June 23, 2018. Rarey admitted he was driving high on methamphetamine and was going 62 mph in a 40-mph zone, according to court records.

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Tamayo and his family were walking home from a gathering just before 10:30 p.m. that night, crossing the street in a crosswalk at Western and Jackson avenues when the victim was struck.

Tamayo was pronounced dead at the scene.

​ Orange County Register 

USC workers urge school officials to refrain from anti-union tactics

• February 28, 2023

USC shuttle drivers and dispatchers who claim they’re grossly underpaid are urging school officials to refrain from anti-union tactics as they prepare to vote on whether to join SEIU Local 721.

On Feb. 6, a majority of the school’s 30 shuttle drivers and two dispatchers filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to hold a union election, which is set for March 23. They claim USC managers have sent deceptive emails to the workers with anti-union messages.

Drivers also fear school officials may start holding “captive audience” meetings to spread misinformation and dissuade them from voting to unionize.

They plan to stage a rally at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28 outside the USC Dworak-Peck School of Social Work to call for a “fair, open and clean union election” for shuttle drivers and dispatchers that’s free of interference and union-busting tactics by school administrators and managers.

The workers expect to be joined by a coalition of students, labor allies and community members.

“We’re fed up with being underpaid and undervalued despite our critical role in keeping students, staff, faculty and visitors moving,” shuttle driver Sonia Olivarez said in a statement.

Olivarez said USC President Carol Folt needs to know the workers “emphatically support” joining SEIU Local 721 to have a stronger voice on the job and better advocate for themselves and their passengers.

USC responds

In a statement issued Monday, USC Auxiliary Services said it values shuttle drivers and the work they perform.

“We also value the direct, collegial and cooperative relationship we have with our drivers and our ability to flexibly and directly respond to their concerns and needs as they arise,” the department said. “We do not believe they need a third party to speak for them.”

Still, USC said it respects the drivers’ right to decide whether they wish to have a union represent them.

USC shuttle drivers start at $18 an hour, considerably less than unionized drivers at UCLA, who earn a starting wage of $22.74 an hour and top out at $30.58 an hour.

Unionized drivers at Los Angeles International Aiport earn even more, with a maximum hourly wage of $39.34.

SEIU Local 721 notes that other area shuttle drivers also receive periodic bonuses, something they say USC drivers don’t get.

SEIU Local 721 mini bus drivers in Riverside negotiated and won a $10,000 cash bonusin 2022, for example, while Gold Coast Transit drivers in Ventura County start off at $22.51 an hour with every driver set to receive a 3% raise on June 25.

“USC shuttle drivers currently do not have the power to negotitate bonuses,” the union said.

In a posting on SEIU’s website, USC shuttle drivers said they work as “at will” employees who can be let go at any time for any reason or no reason, with no recourse for unfair situations.

“In other words, we cannot fight back against unjust discipline,” the drivers say.

What the drivers and dispatchers hope to gain through unionization:

Higher wages
The ability to negotiate union contracts that win improvements to shifts, workloads and health and retirement benefits
Grievance and arbitration procedures to enforce union contracts and provide fair appeal procedures for employee discipline

In a recent interview posted on USC Annenberg Media, shuttle driver Chris Harris, bemoaned the wages he and his colleagues earn.

“We are one of the lowest paid companies as far as transportation,” he said.

​ Orange County Register 

Nneka Ogwumike wants Sparks to be more than a basketball team

• February 28, 2023

LOS ANGELES — Nneka Ogwumike made sure to make one thing clear during the WNBA free agency period.

Ogwumike, 32, said she wanted her vision for the Sparks to be in alignment with the team’s front office and coaching staff.

“Something that is lasting, something that is unequivocal, something that is non-negotiable when it comes to what people think about when they think about the Sparks,” Ogwumike began. “When I describe that I mean obviously the Sparks are a basketball team, so a team that wins and a team that wins with greatness, with competitiveness.

“A team that gets people excited about basketball and sport. A team that is culturally relevant, a team that is changing things for women’s sports and also a team that really leans into what it means to be in Los Angeles and playing sports in Los Angeles.”

Ogwumike’s vision includes the Sparks being more than just a basketball team.

“Creating an organization that builds its players on and off the court and post-retirement,” Ogwumike continued. “So seeing an organization that is through and through WNBA, through and through women, through and through empowerment, through and through women empowerment and advocacy so that’s what I see for the Sparks. I want us to become the North Star.”

She also wanted to be recruited during her unrestricted free agency, in which she could have signed a new contract with any of the other 11 teams in the league. The 2016 WNBA MVP said she appreciated that new Sparks general manager Karen Bryant and new coach Curt Miller flew to Houston and met with her face-to-face, which made a distinct impression on her.

“Honoring the (free agency) process is really important to me,” Ogwumike said.

Ultimately, Ogwumike chose to return to Los Angeles ahead of her 12th season in the WNBA, and before officially re-signing on Feb. 24. Two days prior, her younger sister Chiney Ogwumike, 30, also re-signed with the Sparks.

Bryant said once Nneka was on board, she became the organization’s top recruiter.

Ogwumike said she focused her recruiting efforts on players who wanted to be in Los Angeles. She likened the process to talking with friends, in part because of her leadership role with the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA).

“It’s quite seamless (recruiting other players) because I’m the President of the (players) union,” Ogwumike explained.

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Last season, Ogwumike was named to her seventh WNBA All-Star team and was a second team All-WNBA selection. It was the fifth time in her career she’s been first or second team. Ogwumike started and played in 34 of 36 games. She averaged 18.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.6 steals in 34.1 minutes per game in one the best seasons in her career. But the Sparks have missed the playoffs the past two seasons.

Ogwumike said she’s leaning into that feeling to achieve something greater this upcoming season and agreed to a one-year contract that is significantly less than the league’s supermax salary, which is $234,936. The Sparks front office said Ogwunike’s flexibility has allowed them to sign and acquire new players.

“I want to play on a great team, I really really want to play on a great team and I think that how we saw that has always aligned, but given as KB alluded to before, the circumstances and the nature of free agency that we’ve had, it changed that course and so this isn’t the first year that I’ve had this type of expression of salary, but I want to play with good players. I want to play with players that want to be here. We didn’t sign everyone that wanted to come, but we’re hoping that’s something that can sustain in future free agencies so just to put in candidly, I told KB and Curt and they fought me on this a lot, I said wherever you need my number to be to get who we need to get, let’s just do that.”

​ Orange County Register 

Borrowers rally on Capitol Hill before student debt arguments at Supreme Court

• February 28, 2023

More than a hundred student borrowers, activists and allies from around the nation are camping overnight outside of the Supreme Court in anticipation of hearings on Tuesday, Feb. 28 focused on legal challenges to President Biden’s student debt relief program.

At an estimated cost of $400 billion, the program’s application period opened in October, but a federal judge in Texas halted the program in November, deeming it “unlawful.” As a result, more than 26 million borrowers remain in limbo, including 16 million who have been officially approved for relief.

In November 2022, a coalition of attorneys, advocates, labor unions and experts filed a series of amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the student debt relief program.

Jonathon Herrera never had a room of his own before he moved into his dorm at Santa Clara University. The first in his family to go to a university, he got a full scholarship. As a son of undocumented low-income immigrants in East Los Angeles he still had to work — and needed more than $10,000 in loans.

“A lot of people that come from similar backgrounds as myself have been pushed back from higher education historically,” said Herrera. “I think this is just adding on to us not being able to save that 10 to 20K that we use to pay back those loans and, you know, put it as a down payment in a house investment or in our own businesses.”

Students waited overnight to hear Supreme Court oral arguments on the matter of college debt. (Photo Courtesy of Rise, Inc.)

After earning a political science degree, Herrera wanted to move back to his family home but knew there wasn’t room. Debt forgiveness would help him buy a property where his family could live.

“That’s what my mom has always wanted. She wants her own space. She wants her own garden. And I want to give that to her,” Herrera said.

The Monday sit in was hosted by We The 45 Million, MoveOn.org and Rise, and included student borrowers sharing their stories about their debts, a jazz and drum band performance, and late night eats.

Melissa Byrne, founder of We The 45 Million, said the purpose of the sit in was twofold: To show support for the program and to secure a place in line for student loan borrowers to sit in on courtroom arguments — and prevent opposition lobbyists from filling the courtroom seats. The 50-100 seats in the courtroom are first come, first serve.

Ambalika Williams, national director of organizing at Rise, co-hosted the sit in and is one of the more than 40 million Americans with student loans impacted by this case.

The weather in D.C. was cold and wet, but those gathered overnight were not allowed to use tents. Despite the shivering, Williams said everyone was fired up and determined to attend oral arguments.

“A lot of students that we interact with have to deal with housing insecurity or food insecurity,” Williams said. “We don’t really set up young people up for success oftentimes when they’re in the pursuit of higher education. While they’re also facing some pretty severe economic hardship, they’re also accumulating thousands of dollars in student loan debt at the same time … this is a fight for their lives and it’s the fight for their future.”

On Feb. 28, two challenges to President Biden’s student loan relief program will be heard by the Supreme Court. Its decision later this year will likely determine the fate of the program.

The first challenge, Biden v. Nebraska, is led by a group of six Republican officials from Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas and South Carolina who argue that debt forgiveness violates the separation of powers and the Administrative Procedure Act.

The second challenge, DOE v. Brown is backed by a right-wing group representing one plaintiff who received  government loan forgiveness, and a second who qualified for President Biden’s student loan relief program.

The Supreme Court will decide later this year whether the student loan relief plan exceeds the Department of Education’s authority, and confirm whether the two lawsuits have legal standing.

The Biden Administration argues that a 2003 law grants the executive branch the power to discharge the federal student loan debt in the event of a national emergency such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

On the morning of the opening arguments, the Young Invincibles along with more than 25 other advocacy organizations will rally on the steps of the Supreme Court. Young Invincibles, a nonprofit dedicated to amplifying the voices of young adults, has advocated for student debt reforms since 2009.

Kristin McGuire, executive director of Young Invincibles, is a Covina resident and first-generation college student from a single-parent household. She understands the perils of predatory student loan debt. To attend Cal State Dominguez Hills, she signed on for $24,000 in loans. Today, her balance has ballooned to more than $55,000.

She said her story is not exceptional, but is experienced by many, especially Black and brown women. “We have low-income people — they went to college, they have higher loan balances, which means higher loan payments, and then enter the workforce and don’t make as much money,” McGuire said.

“They cannot pay these high loan balances, and then they default,” she said. “The default goes on your credit. It then prevents you from doing things like purchasing a home or starting a family, which is then another barrier to creating generational wealth and folks being able to attain economic opportunity.”

According to Education Data Initiative, the outstanding federal loan balance is more than $1 trillion and accounts for 92.4% of all student loan debt. The average public university student signs up for $31,000 to attain a bachelor’s degree. Four years after graduation, 48% of Black student borrowers owe more than they initially borrowed while only 17% of white student borrowers owe more.

McGuire calls it the “perfect storm.”

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Mario Mendoza of Montclair says the $20,000 forgiven from his estimated $60,000 debt is the difference between simply surviving and truly living.

“We forgive so many loans and do so many forgivenesses for corporations and very wealthy individuals,” Mendoza said. “We never heard a backlash with the Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiveness, yet here we are for something so simple — it’s a giant backlash.”

If the Supreme Court rules in favor of the borrowers, after Mendoza finishes his master’s degree in public policy, he could focus on paying back his debt like a car loan. This, he said, would mean he could focus on ending the cycle of poverty for others, by engaging and consulting with small Hispanic-serving nonprofit organizations and universities.

While arguments will be heard this month, the Supreme Court’s decision will not be known until June.

The February 28 rally can be watched live at www.cancelmystudentdebt.org.

“I think what we all can agree on is that the student debt crisis has really just imploded and really put a laser focus on economic inequality in our country,” McGuire said. “It is good advice to go to college — it will always be good advice to go to college. But what shouldn’t happen is that these student loan industries are able to make such a profit off of folks trying to do their best and go to college.”

She added, “We have to start to think about what we can do to remove these barriers — if our aim is for everyone to have access to the American dream.”

​ Orange County Register 

Kings stumble against Rangers in game marred by spitting incident

• February 27, 2023

By SIMMI BUTTAR The Associated Press

NEW YORK — The Kings fell to 1-2-1 so far on their five-game road trip with a 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers on Sunday that included Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller receiving a match penalty and being ejected for spitting on Kings defenseman Drew Doughty.

The incident occurred late in the first period during a skirmish that broke out after a whistle behind the net. The spitting motion results in an automatic match penalty, and all match penalties are also automatically reviewed by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

The Rangers, who led 1-0 at the end of the first period, killed off the five-minute short-handed situation and quickly scored twice after the Miller penalty ended to chase Kings starting goaltender Jonathan Quick.

“I didn’t see nothing,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said after the win. “Obviously, it happened, I’m not saying it didn’t happen. The kid feels bad about it, said it was an accident.”

Miller met with Doughty after the game to explain the incident and to elaborate on how his action wasn’t intentional. The defenseman said he felt badly about what happened and the two had a good conversation, according to reports.

“I was just shocked, obviously,” Doughty said during his postgame media availability. “I don’t even know if I said anything to him after, but I just immediately went to the ref to try to get the penalty. But you don’t want to see things like that in this game, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that. I’m sure it has happened, but not that I’ve seen.

“It’s unfortunate, and whether or not he meant to do it, I have no idea. … It’s a pretty big loogie on my face, so I was pretty (upset).”

Viktor Arvidsson had a power-play goal late in the second period, Matt Roy scored early in the third and Phillip Danault had two assists for the Kings.

Jonathan Quick stopped four of seven shots for the Kings before being pulled after Vincent Trocheck’s second goal late in the second period. He was replaced by Pheonix Copley, who had 12 saves.

“When you play the cream of the crop in this league, you can’t have off nights,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said.

Mika Zibanejad briefly left Sunday’s game with an injury and the Rangers’ roster issues became even more problematic. However, Zibanejad returned later and scored a goal to help the Rangers end their four-game skid

The team’s No. 1 center left late in the second period after blocking Doughty’s shot on a power play. He returned for the start of the third period.

Trocheck added an assist to his two-goal game, Artemi Panarin had a goal and an assist, Alexis Lafreniere also scored and Adam Fox had two assists for New York. Igor Shesterkin made 26 saves.

“Him coming back in the third was definitely a relief,” Trocheck said of Zibanejad.

“It’s a big one for us, just the way we’ve been playing the last couple of games, going on a little slide there,” Trocheck said. “We made sure we were able to bring it back.”

Also, Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren was not in the lineup a day after being injured on a hit by Capitals forward T.J. Oshie in the first period of Saturday’s loss. He is listed as day to day.

Shesterkin had a bounce-back game a day after he was pulled after allowing five goals on 22 shots in a 6-3 loss at Washington.

“The game they played yesterday set them up for the game they played tonight,” McLellan said.

The Rangers made it 3-0 early in the second period on two goals by Trocheck just 1:35 apart. Trocheck’s shot deflected off Roy’s stick at 2:02 and his wrister at 3:37 beat Quick for his 19th goal of the season.

The Kings made it 3-2 early in the third period on Roy’s ninth goal at 1:27. But Panarin answered for the Rangers just 44 seconds later for his 19th. Zibanejad added his 31st on the power play at 5:26 to put the Rangers in control.

The Kings got on the board on Arvidsson’s 18th goal with 1:48 left in the second as he batted the puck out of the air and past Shesterkin.

The Rangers opened the scoring in the first period as they took advantage of a turnover in the Kings’ zone. Filip Chytil got the loose puck to Lafreniere at the left side of the net. He sent a pass to Kaapo Kakko, who sent a pass back and Lafreniere’s shot deflected off Quick for his 11th of the season 14 minutes into the game.

“We kept it simple. It was a good team effort from everyone,” Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba said.

The Kings entered Sunday in a tight race for first place in the Pacific Division. They trail division-leading Vegas by two points and lead third-place Edmonton by two points.

NOTES: Lafreniere has points in seven of his past 11 games (five goals, two assists) and 10 of his past 15 games (six goals, five assists). … The Rangers recalled center Ryan Carpenter from Hartford of the AHL and sent forward Jake Leschyshyn to the Wolf Pack.

UP NEXT

The Kings play at Winnipeg on Tuesday at 5 p.m. PT to finish a five-game road trip.

​ Orange County Register 

Eggy chilaquiles are good for breakfast time or anytime

• February 27, 2023

By Carla Vigos

Laguna Woods Globe correspondent

Many years ago, while vacationing in Cabo, I had my first taste of chilaquiles (pronounced chill-a-kee-lays), and it was a wow (pronounced wow!) for me.

Chilaquiles are usually made for breakfast, but they can be an anytime meal.

There are many versions. I have created my own using black beans. Optional add-ons include cilantro, jalapenos or radishes. You can make the dish all your own.

My grandson, Dominic, has been begging his mom to make chilaquiles ever since I made it for the family last Christmas morning.

CHILAQUILES

INGREDIENTS

1 medium onion, chopped small

3 garlic cloves, minced

1-2 teaspoons of canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (this gives a smoky flavor). You may substitute 1/2 teaspoon cumin or chili powder

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup of low sodium chicken broth

Oil

LIME CREMA

1/2 cup sour cream

1 lime, zest and juice

1 tablespoon or more of milk or half and half

Tortilla chips, salsa, eggs, grated cojita cheese, cilantro.

Optional jalapeños, radishes, lime wedges, hot sauce

PROCEDURE

In a saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of oil and saute onions until soft over medium low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then add the canned chipotle pepper. Add the rinsed black beans and the chicken broth. Simmer for 20 minutes, then mash the beans somewhat but still leaving some whole beans. Set aside.

Meanwhile, make the crema. In a bowl, add the sour cream, zest and juice of lime and milk and whisk together.  It has to be able to drizzle, so you may need to add more milk, depending on the thickness of your sour cream. Options then are to put it in a squeeze bottle or drizzle from a spoon.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon oil and cover bottom with tortilla chips. Saute and stir until chips are crisped. Add 4 tablespoons salsa over the chips.

Cook eggs the way you like them. Sunny side, over easy, even scrambled will work.

Assemble on a plate or in a bowl in this order: chips, black beans, eggs, cilantro, cojita cheese, drizzle of lime crema. Add the optional add-ons.

This will serve four. For questions or comments, email [email protected].

​ Orange County Register