Hit hard by climate change, Asians and Pacific Islanders grapple with solutions

• October 21, 2023

Climate change is “an urgent issue” for Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities, these advocates say. Along with the planet, it affects areas of public policy, the economy, health and immigration.

The AAPI Victory Alliance hosted its inaugural “Climate Justice Convening” this week in Koreatown. From Oct. 18 to 20, community leaders, climate experts and environmentalists came together at The Line Hotel LA to discuss the extreme effects of climate change and finding equitable solutions.

Although climate change “often disproportionately impacts communities of color, these communities are often left out of the conversations on solutions,” conference organizers said in a release.

The fall event followed ongoing and recent natural disasters and climate-related events, including the wildfires in Maui in August. Attendees discussed growing concerns including rising sea levels, cyclones in the South Pacific Ocean, flooding in the Marshall Islands, and thousands of Pacific Islander communities being displaced.

 

With climate justice a top priority for the AAPI Victory Alliance, organizers hoped the event, which intentionally centered Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders’ voices and concerns, would “most importantly (be) heard by those in power,” a release said.

In a statement, AAPI Victory Alliance Executive Director Varun Nikore said that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders “have long been sounding the alarm about climate change — particularly because they will be disproportionately affected. Their livelihoods will be the first ones to be fully disrupted.”

“Climate change is the challenge of our decade. We need to amplify and uplift AANHPI narratives, as well as the voices of communities of color, who will disproportionately bear the brunt of climate change,” Nikore said. “We must also be clear-eyed that corporations are the ones marching us towards a climate crisis, and that is why convenings like this to consolidate people power are so important.”

In a Thursday, Oct. 19 session, Nile Bunger, the climate justice director with the Arizona AANHPI For Equity coalition, discussed the ways in which climate change and natural disasters are forcing many Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander groups to lose their land and livelihood.

Bunger said the intersection of climate and racial injustice “go hand in hand” — affecting “all connected” things from global food concerns to the ocean’s biodiversity.

The climate crisis “is something that is a ‘now’ issue, impacting us currently. Climate change doesn’t wait for anybody,” she said later.  “You can’t talk about truly solving and fighting climate crises — in the Pacific Islands, Africa, or parts of Asia; where detrimental climate concerns are happening — without mentioning racial injustice and how these communities are directly impacted.”

Bunger talked about climate refugees who, when displaced from their homes, are also forced to leave their culture and identity behind. There are other losses of language, important cultural practices, and even spirituality that can be affected, she said.

Centering AAPI and NHPI voices is critical, Bunger added, because they are “the experts” in their communities. Giving people the multilingual resources they need, inviting them into environmental justice spaces, and amplifying their work in fighting climate change are all crucial.

Bunger encouraged folks to “get uncomfortable with being uncomfortable talking about climate…. we need to start thinking about our climate crisis not as a political issue, but a human issue.”

For more information on the AAPI Victory Alliance’s climate justice initiatives, visit aapivictoryalliance.com/climatejustice.

Related links

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The Compost: Is another wet winter ahead?
California poised for big climate moves after Newsom backs new laws
Maui fires: County sues Hawaiian Electric Company over negligence
Survey: Californians say extreme weather, climate change are hitting close to home
Scientists: warming globe may bring more infectious diseases

​ Orange County Register 

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LAFC’s Denis Bouanga worthy of all MVP consideration

• October 21, 2023

Denis Bouanga has as good a case as anyone among the 30 nominees for the Landon Donovan MLS MVP award.

Leading Major League Soccer with 19 regular-season goals, three ahead of the nearest pursuer heading into the final matchday, Bouanga’s first full season as a winger with the Los Angeles Football Club met the loftiest expectations for what the Frenchman could do in a game model that excels at creating goals.

Even if one of the handful of players trailing Bouanga in the Golden Boot race pulls off a historic performance and passes him for the honor Saturday, it would not change the fact that no MLS player was more prolific than him in 2023.

Entering LAFC’s 34th regular-season contest, Bouanga has 11 more goals than any other MLS player for the calendar year. In 42 games across all competitions, the powerfully nimble forward played a part in 45 goals, scoring 32 of them.

Over the 25 games he made a goal contribution, LAFC stands 16-5-4. The 17 times he did not, LAFC is 3-8-6.

For the purposes of the MVP discussion, only regular-season accomplishments should be considered by the players, coaches and technical staffs around MLS, as well as select media who are invited to participate, according to the criteria.

LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo claimed to not know or care about the voting process, and doesn’t think much of the concept of an individual award like MVP for a professional soccer team.

Asked if Bouanga is the LAFC MVP in 2023, he demurred.

“He’s a very important player amongst others,” the coach said following two momentum-gathering wins that featured five Bouanga goals. “I do not think I would do this group justice to point out one player and I won’t do it.

“If you look over the past six years of this organization’s existence, the one thing that’s been consistent has been scoring goals regardless of who plays.”

Bouanga would be the third different LAFC player to win the Golden Boot in the past five years, joining Carlos Vela (34 goals) during his MVP-winning campaign in 2019 and Diego Rossi (14 goals) in 2020.

As special as Bouanga has been, Cherundolo noted “the interesting fact is all three of those players are playing in a winger position, so that does speak for our game model, our idea of how to score goals and to attack defenses. I’m not sure that’s been replicated anywhere else and that’s pretty cool.”

Scoring is expected to lead to winning, so Bouanga’s impact in that is clear. When he helped LAFC (14-10-9, 51 points) get on the board this MLS regular season, they’re 9-2-3.

With a chance to secure the No. 2 seed in the West, a result against a strong Vancouver Whitecaps FC side vying for a top-four spot would be a convincing entry into the MLS postseason as defending champions.

The Whitecaps (12-10-11, 47 points) have generally played the Black & Gold tough at BC Place over the past six years. Bouanga scored twice at Vancouver in April in a CONCACAF Champions League win, and one more against the Caps at BMO Stadium in June during a rare LAFC loss when his name appeared on the scoresheet.

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“A game changer,” said goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, who returns to British Columbia for Decision Day after joining the Canadian national team on a quick trip to Japan during the recent international break.

“Denis has been on fire for us the whole year. He took the challenge upon himself with the first year fully integrated with the group and he responded really well.”

LAFC AT VANCOUVER

When: Saturday, 6:09 p.m.

Where: BC Place, Vancouver, B.C., Canada

TV/Radio: Apple TV+ – Free/710 AM, 980 AM

​ Orange County Register 

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Alexander: 2026 World Cup will likely skip SoFi Stadium, and here’s why

• October 21, 2023

The world according to Jim:

• Hopefully, you haven’t yet made concrete plans to witness 2026 World Cup matches in Inglewood. And yes, I know it’s a little less than three years out, but there are those who love to plan ahead.

Alas, that classification obviously doesn’t include those who designed SoFi Stadium. SoCal’s state-of-the-art venue is not state-of-the-art enough for FIFA, part of the reason why a stadium that was previously considered a lock to host tournament games is now apparently out of the running. …

• There are two stories circulating as to why, and both come down to money. That figures, considering FIFA exists less to oversee the world of soccer (or football, if you prefer) than to get its grubby hands on as much cash in as many ways as is humanly possible. Exhibit A is the supersized 48-nation field for 2026 – more games, more loot, right? – but the endless parade of tournaments and friendlies wedged between league matches suggests most of the sports administrators are happily following FIFA’s example. …

• As we know, Stan Kroenke’s stadium is built for football of the NFL variety, but its dimensions are not wide enough for a regulation soccer pitch. An NFL field is 120 yards long (counting the end zones) and 53.3 yards wide, compared to soccer’s 115-by-74 dimensions. Yet SoFi has hosted the sport before, including this year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup final and a friendly between Kroenke’s Arsenal and FC Barcelona during the European powers’ annual summertime Cash Grab in the Colonies. Those matches were played on fields that were more narrow than normal – natural sod, by the way, laid over the artificial turf – without incident.

But FIFA is insistent on a regulation pitch for its showcase event, and to do so at SoFi would require removing the field suites and a few rows of field-level seating. As ESPN Deportes’ John Sutcliffe reported earlier this week, “The information that I have is that SoFi Stadium is no longer going to be a World Cup venue because the stadium’s owner [Kroenke] said, ‘For what it is going to cost me, best skip it’.”

• Construction on the Inglewood stadium began in November 2016. The selection of the U.S., Mexico and Canada as 2026 tri-hosts took place in June of 2018. Still, maybe there should have been greater provisions for soccer in the original plans. …

• The other angle is that Kroenke, as the venue’s owner, is unhappy enough with the terms of money distribution from FIFA – particularly the lack of “commercial assets as advance payment,” as Martina Alcheva of World Soccer Talk put it – to back away. Given that this combined with even temporary renovation means Kroenke would lose money in the process, walking away shouldn’t be unexpected. …

• Then again, Adam Crafton of The Athletic reported that Kroenke isn’t the only stadium operator on this continent resisting FIFA’s ideal of income distribution (which translates to Most For Me, Scraps For Thee). The organization apparently got used to Qatar’s willingness to pay for darned near everything leading up to the 2022 World Cup, and wasn’t ready for the pushback here. …

• This would seem to be good news for Pasadena. If SoFi is truly out, the Rose Bowl should be back in play to host games, since L.A. was officially announced as one of the 11 U.S. host cities in May. Pasadena played host to games in the 1994 men’s World Cup including the final, (a scoreless draw that Brazil won over Italy on penalty kicks) and the 1999 Women’s World Cup (including a memorable final, i.e. the match that made Brandi Chastain a legend). …

• Would FIFA really snub the second-largest city in the U.S. and the biggest and most diverse sports market on this continent just because Stan Kroenke said no? You’d like to think good sense would prevail. But this is FIFA, with a president in Gianni Infantino who has been known to step in it from time to time. So anything’s possible. …

• Elsewhere, should we refer to Michigan’s Wolverines as the Houston Astros of college football? No bats or trashcans were involved, but the sign-stealing allegations here involve in-person advance scouting, a violation of NCAA Bylaw 11.6.1. Then again, this might be a case of the NCAA’s enforcement arm nailing a school for what it can prove to make up for all of the things it suspects are happening but can’t prove (which wouldn’t be unusual among big-time football and basketball programs). …

• Meanwhile, the NCAA continues to lobby for antitrust legislation, even though both houses of Congress have far more to worry about (and one of them is currently frozen in place). Given that the courts could ultimately rule that athletes are not only employees but are entitled to a hefty cut of past TV money, NCAA president Charlie Baker’s insistence that athletes should receive “special status that would affirm they are not employees” does not embrace the reality of College Sports Inc. in 2023.

Calls for a national standard on NIL come with the related, flawed assumption that college sports is a singular industry.
Fixating on NIL, running to Congress for antitrust exemptions… these are distraction tactics and a way to avoid the job of actual, substantive redesign.

— Victoria Jackson (@HistoryRunner) October 17, 2023

(Especially for, say, West Coast Olympic sport athletes who will have to squeeze into that middle seat in coach to fly to competitions in the Central and Eastern time zones beginning in 2024.) …

• Sudden thought: Pro basketball writers already have to look it up every time they have to spell Giannis Antetokounmpo. Now they’re going to have to do the same for 7-foot-4 San Antonio rookie Victor Wembanyama. (And you wonder why the second reference generally tends to be “Giannis” or “Wemby.”) …

• And among the leftovers from this week’s TNT network videoconference was this from Reggie Miller on his first meeting with, uh, Wemby before a San Antonio Spurs preseason game:

“My son was like, ‘Dad, you got to stand back to back because I’ve got to see it, how much taller (is he)?’ Because, you know, my son’s 10, and he thinks I’m the Jolly Green Giant. I’m like, ‘Son, you have no idea.’

“I felt like I was in the third grade.”

jalexander@scng.com

​ Orange County Register 

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Spirit cancels more than 40 flights at Orlando International, grounds 25 jetliners for mandatory inspections

• October 21, 2023

An unknown number of Spirit Airlines passengers saw their travel plans disrupted on Friday as the discount carrier grounded up to 25 jetliners for what the Federal Aviation Administration called “mandatory inspections,” and more than 40 flights were canceled at Orlando International Airport.

According to data provided by FlightAware, an online tracker of worldwide daily commercial airline activity, the Miramar-based discount carrier led the industry with 98 flight cancellations as the day unfolded.

“We’ve canceled a portion of our scheduled flights to perform a necessary inspection of a small section of 25 of our aircraft,” Spirit said in a statement. “While this action is being taken out of an abundance of caution, the impact to our network is expected to last several days as we complete the inspections and work to return to normal operations.”

Neither the FAA nor Spirit identified what the inspections entailed.

Passengers on Friday wait at Spirit Airlines’ ticket counter at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

“The FAA is aware that Spirit Airlines removed approximately 25 of its Airbus airplanes from service to conduct a mandatory maintenance inspection,” the agency said in a statement provided to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “The FAA will ensure that the matter is addressed before the airplanes are returned to service.”

It remained unclear how broadly the cancellations are affecting Spirit’s route network, which includes destinations across the U.S., in Central and South America, and the Caribbean.

The FlightAware data showed flight cancellations in general were nominal Friday morning at South Florida’s three international airports in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties.

What customers should do next

In its statement, airline management encouraged passengers to “monitor their email and check their flight status on spirit.com or the Spirit Airlines App before heading to the airport.”

Travelers whose Spirit flights are canceled can accept a rebooking on the next available flight. Or, they can cancel their booking entirely and ask for a refund, “which may be credited back to your original form of payment or as a Spirit Airlines flight credit,” according to the personal finance website NerdWallet.

The U.S. Department of Transportation says if a traveler’s flight is canceled, and an airline cannot rebook the flier or the person decides not to travel, the customer is entitled to a full refund of the unused portion of the trip. That also includes fees charged for services such as seat selection and baggage checking.

Spirit, known as an ultra low-cost carrier, is poised to be taken over by discounter JetBlue Airways of New York for $3.8 billion.

But the Biden Administration has sued to stop the combination. An antitrust trial on the matter is scheduled to start Monday before a federal judge in Boston.

​ Orange County Register 

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High school football live updates: Friday’s games for Week 9 in Southern California

• October 21, 2023

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Follow along tonight, Friday, October 20, as our Southern California News Group reporters provide scores, stats, videos and much more from the sidelines at tonight’s Week 9 games.

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FRIDAY

CIF-SS

ALMONT LEAGUE

Alhambra at Montebello, 7 p.m.

San Gabriel at Bell Gardens, 7 p.m.

Schurr at Keppel, 7 p.m.

ANGELUS LEAGUE

Paraclete at Loyola, 7 p.m.

St. Francis at Crespi, 7 p.m.

St. Paul at Cathedral, 7 p.m.

BASELINE LEAGUE

Rancho Cucamonga at Damien, 7 p.m.

Upland at Chino Hills, 7 p.m.

BAY LEAGUE

Culver City at Palos Verdes, 3 p.m.

Mira Costa at Peninsula, 3:30 p.m.

Santa Monica at Redondo, 7 p.m.

BIG WEST-LOWER LEAGUE

Corona Santiago at Great Oak, 7 p.m.

King at Temecula Valley, 7 p.m.

Murrieta Mesa at Corona, 7 p.m.

BIG WEST-UPPER LEAGUE

Chaparral at Norco, 7 p.m.

Corona Centennial at Murrieta Valley, 7 p.m.

Vista Murrieta at Eastvale Roosevelt, 7 p.m.

CAMINO REAL LEAGUE

Bishop Montgomery vs. Verbum Dei at Los Angeles Southwest College, 7 p.m.

Bosco Tech at Salesian, 7 p.m.

Cantwell-Sacred Heart vs. St. Monica at Santa Monica College, 7 p.m.

CANYON LEAGUE

Agoura at Thousand Oaks, 7 p.m.

Camarillo at Moorpark, 7 p.m.

Newbury Park at Oak Park, 7 p.m.

CHANNEL LEAGUE

Channel Islands at Ventura, 7 p.m.

Oxnard at San Marcos, 7 p.m.

Oxnard Pacifica at Rio Mesa, 7 p.m.

Santa Barbara at Dos Pueblos, 7 p.m.

CITRUS 4 LEAGUE

Glendora vs. South Hills at Citrus College, 7 p.m.

Los Osos at Colony, 7 p.m.

CITRUS BELT LEAGUE

Redlands at Beaumont, 7 p.m.

CITRUS COAST LEAGUE

Carpinteria at Fillmore, 7 p.m.

Nordhoff at Santa Paula, 7 p.m.

COTTONWOOD LEAGUE

Anza Hamilton at Vasquez, 7 p.m.

Bermuda Dunes Desert Christian at Maranatha, 7 p.m.

Whittier Christian vs. Santa Rosa Academy at Whittier College, 7 p.m.

CRESTVIEW LEAGUE

Brea Olinda vs. Foothill at Tustin, 7 p.m.

Yorba Linda vs. Villa Park at El Modena, 7 p.m.

DEL REY LEAGUE

St. Anthony vs. La Salle at Clark Field, 7 p.m.

St. Pius X-St. Matthias vs. St. Genevieve at Valley College, 7 p.m.

DEL RIO LEAGUE

Whittier vs. Santa Fe at Pioneer, 7 p.m.

DESERT EMPIRE LEAGUE

La Quinta at Rancho Mirage, 7 p.m.

Palm Desert at Shadow Hills, 7 p.m.

Xavier Prep at Palm Springs, 7 p.m.

DESERT SKY LEAGUE

Silverado at Barstow, 7 p.m.

DESERT VALLEY LEAGUE

Coachella Valley at Cathedral City, 7 p.m.

Desert Hot Springs at Twentynine Palms, 7 p.m.

Yucca Valley at Desert Mirage, 7 p.m.

EMPIRE LEAGUE

Garden Grove Pacifica vs. Tustin at Garden Grove, 7 p.m.

La Palma Kennedy vs. Placentia Valencia at Western, 7 p.m.

FOOTHILL LEAGUE

Hart at Valencia, 7 p.m.

Saugus vs. Canyon Country Canyon at College of Canyons, 7 p.m.

FREEWAY LEAGUE

La Habra at Fullerton, 7 p.m.

Sonora vs. Troy at La Habra, 7 p.m.

Sunny Hills at Buena Park, 7 p.m.

GARDEN GROVE LEAGUE

Loara vs. Garden Grove Santiago at Glover Stadium, 7 p.m.

Rancho Alamitos vs. Westminster La Quinta at Bolsa Grande, 7 p.m.

GATEWAY LEAGUE

Downey vs. Mayfair at Bellflower, 7 p.m.

La Mirada at Warren, 7 p.m.

Norwalk at Dominguez, 7 p.m.

GOLD COAST LEAGUE

Rio Hondo Prep at Brentwood, 7 p.m.

GOLDEN LEAGUE

Eastside at Knight, 7 p.m.

Highland at Palmdale, 7 p.m.

Lancaster at Antelope Valley, 7 p.m.

HACIENDA LEAGUE

Nogales at Ontario, 7 p.m.

Walnut at Diamond Bar, 7 p.m.

INLAND VALLEY LEAGUE

Rancho Christian at Canyon Springs, 7 p.m.

IRONWOOD LEAGUE

Heritage Christian vs. Village Christian at Glendale City College, 7 p.m.

IVY LEAGUE

Elsinore at Riverside North, 7 p.m.

Heritage at Rancho Verde, 7 p.m.

MANZANITA LEAGUE

California Military at Webb, 7 p.m.

San Jacinto Valley Academy at Nuview Bridge, 7 p.m.

MARMONTE LEAGUE

Bishop Diego at Westlake, 7 p.m.

Calabasas vs. St. Bonaventure at Ventura College, 7 p.m.

Simi Valley at Oaks Christian, 7 p.m.

MESQUITE LEAGUE

Arrowhead Christian vs. Riverside Prep at Redlands, 7 p.m.

Western Christian at Linfield Christian, 7 p.m.

MID-CITIES LEAGUE

Bellflower at Lynwood, 7 p.m.

Paramount at Gahr, 7 p.m.

MIRAMONTE LEAGUE

Garey at Bassett, 7 p.m.

La Puente at Ganesha, 7 p.m.

MISSION LEAGUE

Alemany at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 7 p.m.

Bishop Amat at Chaminade, 7 p.m.

Serra at Sierra Canyon, 7 p.m.

MISSION VALLEY LEAGUE

Arroyo at South El Monte, 7 p.m.

Gabrielino at Rosemead, 7 p.m.

MOJAVE RIVER LEAGUE

Apple Valley at Ridgecrest Burroughs, 7 p.m.

Hesperia at Serrano, 7 p.m.

Sultana at Oak Hills, 7 p.m.

MONTVIEW LEAGUE

Azusa at Duarte, 7 p.m.

MOORE LEAGUE

Long Beach Jordan at Cabrillo, 7 p.m.

Long Beach Poly vs. Compton at Veterans Stadium, 7 p.m.

Long Beach Wilson at Lakewood, 7 p.m.

MOUNTAIN VALLEY LEAGUE

Indian Springs at Rubidoux, 7 p.m.

Jurupa Valley at Pacific, 7 p.m.

San Bernardino at Miller, 7 p.m.

MT. BALDY 4 LEAGUE

Baldwin Park at Sierra Vista, 7 p.m.

Montclair at Hacienda Heights Wilson, 7 p.m.

NORTH HILLS LEAGUE

El Modena vs. El Dorado at Placentia Valencia, 7 p.m.

Esperanza vs. Anaheim Canyon at Yorba Linda, 7 p.m.

OCEAN LEAGUE

Compton Centennial at Morningside, 7 p.m.

Hawthorne at Beverly Hills, 7 p.m.

Leuzinger vs. Inglewood at El Camino College, 7 p.m.

ORANGE COAST LEAGUE

Orange at Costa Mesa, 7 p.m.

Santa Ana Calvary Chapel at Estancia, 7 p.m.

St. Margaret’s at Saddleback, 7 p.m.

PAC 4 LEAGUE

Godinez at Laguna Beach, 7 p.m.

Westminster at Ocean View, 7 p.m.

PACIFIC-UPPER LEAGUE

Crescenta Valley at Burbank Burroughs, 7 p.m.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Woodbridge at Irvine University, 7 p.m.

PACIFIC HILLS LEAGUE

Dana Hills at Portola, 7 p.m.

Northwood vs. Laguna Hills at Irvine, 7 p.m.

PIONEER LEAGUE

North Torrance at Lawndale, 7 p.m.

South Torrance at El Segundo, 7 p.m.

Torrance at West Torrance, 7 p.m.

RIO HONDO LEAGUE

La Canada at South Pasadena, 7 p.m.

Temple City at San Marino, 7 p.m.

RIVER VALLEY LEAGUE

Hillcrest vs. La Sierra at Norte Vista, 7 p.m.

SAN ANDREAS LEAGUE

Kaiser at Rialto, 7 p.m.

Rim of the World at Carter, 7 p.m.

SAN ANTONIO LEAGUE

Chaffey at Claremont, 7 p.m.

Don Lugo at West Covina, 7 p.m.

SEA VIEW LEAGUE

Aliso Niguel at El Toro, 7 p.m.

Trabuco Hills at San Juan Hills, 7 p.m.

SIERRA LEAGUE

Chino at Rowland, 7 p.m.

Covina at Pomona, 7 p.m.

SKYLINE LEAGUE

Arroyo Valley at Colton, 7 p.m.

Fontana at San Gorgonio, 7 p.m.

SOUTH COAST LEAGUE

Mission Viejo at Tesoro, 7 p.m.

San Clemente at Capistrano Valley, 7 p.m.

SUNBELT LEAGUE

Vista del Lago at Lakeside, 7 p.m.

SUNKIST LEAGUE

Jurupa Hills at Grand Terrace, 7 p.m.

Summit at Eisenhower, 7 p.m.

SUNSET LEAGUE

Corona del Mar at Newport Harbor, 7 p.m.

Edison vs. Fountain Valley at Orange Coast College, 7 p.m.

Los Alamitos at Huntington Beach, 7 p.m.

TRINITY LEAGUE

Servite vs. Santa Margarita at Cerritos College, 7 p.m.

St. John Bosco at JSerra, 7 p.m.

VALLE VISTA LEAGUE

Northview vs. Los Altos at Covina District Field, 7 p.m.

San Dimas at Diamond Ranch, 7 p.m.

NONLEAGUE

Desert Chapel at Grace Brethren, 3:30 p.m.

Harvard-Westlake at Mary Star, 7 p.m.

Viewpoint vs. Hoover at Calabasas, 7 p.m.

L.A. CITY

CENTRAL LEAGUE

Belmont at Roybal, 7 p.m.

Contreras at Bernstein, 7 p.m.

Mendez at Hollywood, 7 p.m.

COLISEUM LEAGUE

Dymally vs. Dorsey at Rancho Cienega Park, 7:30 p.m.

King/Drew at Fremont, 7:30 p.m.

Washington at Crenshaw, 7:30 p.m.

EAST VALLEY LEAGUE

Arleta at North Hollywood, 7 p.m.

Sun Valley Poly at Chavez, 7 p.m.

Verdugo Hills at Monroe, 7 p.m.

EASTERN LEAGUE

Bell at Huntington Park, 7:30 p.m.

Legacy at Garfield, 7:30 p.m.

Los Angeles Roosevelt at South Gate, 7:30 p.m.

EXPOSITION LEAGUE

Jefferson at Manual Arts, 3 p.m.

MARINE LEAGUE

Carson at Gardena, 7:30 p.m.

Wilmington Banning at San Pedro, 7:30 p.m.

METRO LEAGUE

Rancho Dominguez at Hawkins, 7 p.m.

View Park at Locke, 7:30 p.m.

NORTHERN LEAGUE

Franklin at Los Angeles Marshall, 3:30 p.m.

Lincoln at Eagle Rock, 7 p.m.

Torres at Los Angeles Wilson, 7 p.m.

SOUTHERN LEAGUE

Angelou at Sotomayor, 7:30 p.m.

Rivera at Los Angeles, 3 p.m.

WEST VALLEY LEAGUE

Birmingham at Cleveland, 7 p.m.

El Camino Real at Granada Hills, 7 p.m.

Taft at Chatsworth, 7 p.m.

WESTERN LEAGUE

Los Angeles Hamilton at Los Angeles University, 7:30 p.m.

Palisades at Venice, 7:30 p.m.

Westchester at Fairfax, 7:30 p.m.

8-MAN

CIF-SS

Lancaster Baptist at Faith Baptist, 6:30 p.m.

Santa Clarita Christian vs. Lancaster Desert Christian at Lancaster, 7 p.m.

Hillcrest Christian at Cornerstone Christian, 7 p.m.

Flintridge Prep at Sage Hill, 6 p.m.

Windward at Chadwick, 3 p.m.

Entrepreneur at Malibu, 6:30 p.m.

Santa Clara at Thacher, 2 p.m.

Vista Meridian vs. Avalon at Avalon, 5 p.m.

L.A. CITY

New Designs University Park at Animo Robinson, 7 p.m.

USC Hybrid vs. New Designs Watts at Daniels Field, 7 p.m.

Discovery at East Valley, 7 p.m.

Sherman Oaks CES at North Valley Military Institute, TBA

Valley Oaks CES at Fulton, 3 p.m.

Football

— James H. Williams covers UCLA football (@JHWreporter) September 1, 2023

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High school football: Scores from Thursday’s games, Oct. 19

​ Orange County Register 

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A hair-raising effort at St. Mary’s School

• October 21, 2023

Emily and Thomas Glicksman laughed as they left more than 8 inches of their hair behind on the stage during an assembly at St. Mary’s School.

But their reason for doing so was serious.

Students and parents at St. Mary’s School volunteered to have their hair cut off and donated to the nonprofit Children With Hair Loss to make wigs for kids going through cancer treatments or who have alopecia or other aliments.

This was Thomas Glicksman’s first time volunteering, while his sister marked her fifth donation. It takes her about two years to grow enough to have the 8 inches to cut off.

The siblings said they were donating in memory of their grandmother, who died from cancer.

This is the 12th year the school has held the cancer awareness assembly and hair donation.

“Service is at the heart of everything we do,” said Heather Wilkins, director of marketing and communications at the school. “Throughout October we focus on cancer awareness and this is one way students can really give back, by giving their hair.”

The school also collects items for adults fighting cancer and holds fundraisers to make a donation to the American Cancer Society.

St. Mary’s School in Aliso Viejo serves more than 700 students in preschool through eighth grade.

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​ Orange County Register 

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Kings captain Anze Kopitar on the cusp of franchise history

• October 20, 2023

It’ll be a grand occasion for Anze Kopitar when he becomes the Kings’ all-time leader in games played Saturday, as the club he captains will welcome the Boston Bruins following a wildly successful two-game road trip.

Kopitar will surpass longtime confidant Dustin Brown for sole possession of the team record with 1,297 games. It’ll be the latest etching in the annals for Kopitar, part of a season during which he should also leapfrog Marcel Dionne for the franchise lead in assists and Luc Robitaille for second behind Dionne in career points as a King.

“What can I say? There’s so much to say, so much good to say about him,” said Kevin Fiala to reporters about Kopitar, who began his career as a King in 2007. “He’s an idol for everybody. An icon. He does everything well, the small details. He comes to the rink every day and works hard. Just, wow!”

Yet away from home, where the Kings produced a pair of victories and a dozen goals in two games, mostly fresher faces buoyed Kopitar’s group. Pierre-Luc Dubois deposited his first three goals in black and silver, all of which came off assists from Fiala. They included two tallies in a 12-second flurry, the third-fastest back-to-back markers in team history, that swung a tie game in the Kings’ favor en route to a 7-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.

“That’s perfect. We need (Dubois), and he’s going in the right direction,” defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov said. “He feels comfortable, he’s got some chemistry with Kev, which is huge for us. Hopefully they can do that again and again, every single game.”

Gavrikov’s arrival came between Fiala’s and that of Dubois, as he was acquired via trade right before last season’s deadline and then re-signed to a two-year extension this summer. Coveted primarily for his defensive prowess, Gavrikov has also shown some scoring touch as he deposited his second goal of the season Thursday.

“He understands the balance; he knows when to go. He darts in and he darts back out, so rarely is he caught deep, hanging around and not being able to cover his defensive responsibility,” coach Todd McLellan said. “His instincts have taken over and they’ve been quite accurate.”

As Kopitar, who is tied for second on the roster in scoring behind Fiala with the suddenly combustible Trevor Moore and his four goals in three games, hones in on becoming the Kings’ most-capped and longest-tenured player, the Kings’ outlook has improved rapidly.

The Kings began the campaign hemmed into icing an awkwardly constructed and undermanned roster, having had Arthur Kaliyev suspended, Viktor Arvidsson injured and less than enough salary-cap space for a complete 23-man group to begin with. Then, they lost Arvidsson, a vital component, for the foreseeable future following back surgery.

But they’ve now been steadied by the emergence of preseason standout Alex Laferriere, whose vibe with Dubois and Fiala was instantaneous. That also transplanted Kaliyev onto a line with hard-driving Phillip Danault and the Kings’ pace car, Moore, giving that duo a new finisher in Arvidsson’s stead and offering the often inconsistent Kaliyev an incentive to move his feet more.

Yet trajectories can turn on a dime, and if any team knows how quickly life in pro hockey can come at you, it’s the Bruins.

They followed up a 2022-23 campaign that saw them win the Presidents’ Trophy en route to setting NHL records for regular-season victories and single-season points with a crushing first-round exit.

Boston took a 3-1 series lead and a one-goal edge late in Game 7 against the Florida Panthers, but crumbled, in part due to a virus that went through its locker room. Pouring a full shaker of salt into that wound was the reality that last season was the final one for two Bruins that made the franchise’s All-Centennial team this year, Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.

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Their departures haven’t slowed David Pastrnak, who has four goals in three games. He and newly christened team captain Brad Marchand form a leadership group that includes defenseman Charlie McAvoy. Last year’s Vezina Trophy winner, Linus Ullmark, and backup Jeremy Swayman have continued their miserly ways this season. Veteran free-agent signing James van Riemsdyk has been a tremendous value in the early going and rookie center Matthew Poitras has enjoyed a meteoric rise from being a bubble candidate to make Boston’s roster to holding a tentative place in their top six.

Boston at Kings

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Crypto.com Arena

How to watch: Bally Sports West

​ Orange County Register 

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Rams CB Derion Kendrick apologizes for distraction following arrest

• October 20, 2023

THOUSAND OAKS – Rams cornerback Derion Kendrick returned to practice on Friday for the first time since he was arrested early Monday morning and charged Wednesday with two misdemeanor gun counts.

Kendrick declined to discuss his ongoing legal proceedings with reporters, as he’s been charged with one count of carrying a concealed firearm and one of carrying a loaded firearm with arraignment scheduled for Dec. 5.

But the second-year player said he has spoken with teammates and apologized for drawing attention away from game preparations for this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“Apologized for anything that I may have distracted them for this week, leading up to this,” Kendrick said. “Every game is a big game for us this year. We got something that we’re always focused on and we’re cued in on, making it bigger than what we were expected to do. And I feel like on my end, I slowed that down just a little bit.”

Kendrick said that he was in custody until Wednesday following his Monday morning arrest and lost a couple of pounds during his stay in jail. He said his focus since has been on hydrating and getting back in shape, but added that he feels ready to play in Sunday’s game.

Head coach Sean McVay spoke with Kendrick on Thursday after he returned to the team facility for walk through and team meetings. McVay said that after going over the situation and hearing Kendrick’s side, he felt comfortable with the second-year player returning to the team.

“Based on the information that I got, the conversation that we were able to have, use it as a learning opportunity,” McVay said. “I think there’s certain circumstances and situations that arise that you always use your values and principles to make decisions. I trust this kid’s heart. I believe in him. I also believe in forgiveness and understanding.”

Asked what he had learned from the situation, Kendrick said, “Just teaching me how to move out here anyways. Get my own security or go get a driver to drive me around, stuff like that, so I won’t be followed or whatever the case may be.”

In 2021 after he left Clemson, Kendrick was found by police officers in his hometown of Rock Hill, S.C., asleep in his car with a handgun in his lap and marijuana in the vehicle. He was charged with gun and drug violations, counts that were later expunged after completing a pretrial intervention program.

“It was a similar type of situation but there were some different dynamics that existed in this one,” McVay said. “Those are things that are important to us. I think some of these things, when you look at it as a whole, and you say, ‘Do I think this makes him a bad person?’ No, I do not. I trust based on the relationship that’s been built.”

Kendrick said that his teammates have been supportive since he returned, asking not about football but rather how he is doing mentally while offering encouragement.

McVay added that Kendrick’s mother and girlfriend have been pillars for him as he’s navigated this situation this week, and Kendrick expressed gratitude for everyone’s support.

“Anything bad happens, it’s always someone that’ll be like, ‘I told you,’ or, ‘I knew he would do this.’ And then someone that’s like, ‘I’m behind you 100%,’ ” Kendrick said. “You don’t know what happened, what led up to it, the situation or stuff like that. Just staying beside me and standing by me through that whole process, and standing by me right now as we keep going through it, that’s big.”

Asked if he expected Kendrick to be disciplined by the NFL, McVay said he did not.

“They trust the teams to be able to say, ‘Ok, how do you measure the information that you have and what are the guidelines for your values and principles that dictate and determine how you want to be able to move forward?’ ” McVay said. “And I do feel like it’s a mistake we can learn from, but not exclusively to Derion. There were a lot of things that I learned about the California laws that I didn’t even know in regards to just checking all the boxes.”

For now, Kendrick is taking some solace being back on the football field and in the locker room.

“I feel good, strong mentally,” Kendrick said. “Can’t let nothing like this affect me, for real, for real, just keep my head up, keep pushing and keep working forward and just try to stay focused on what me and this team got going on.”

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​ Orange County Register 

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