Travel: Mammoth Lake’s rustic alpine hideaways are perfect for fall

• October 6, 2023

Summer’s hot and crowded days have passed, and many of us are seeking relaxing fall escapes into nature. Here’s a tip: head east over California’s mighty Sierra Nevada to Mono County and the Mammoth Lakes region for a big dose of high elevation mountain scenery—think rushing streams, dense forest, serene lakes and fall color.

Autumn is an ideal time to visit the eastern Sierra. Crowds are light, temperatures are cooler and, even better, the region’s aspen forests provide a dazzling, albeit brief, display of fall color. (Find the latest details on those hues and a map of where colors are nearing peak display at https://californiafallcolor.com/.)

One of the best ways to immerse oneself in Mammoth’s abundant natural splendor is to overnight in a rustic cabin and live like a pioneer — 21st century-style.

There are many cabin choices in Mammoth, from historic lakeside cabins in the dense woods to more modern tiny homes set in mountain meadows. I recently spent two nights at the Alpenhof Lodge, located near Mammoth’s Village complex, and another two nights at the Double Eagle Resort & Spa at the base of 10,908-foot Carson Peak on the June Lake loop.

After a week of cabin life, I can attest that there’s no better place to plunk yourself down and bathe in nature than a cozy wooden house in the woods. Here are some of the best rustic cabin options in the Mammoth region to try out this fall:

Cabins at Mammoth Lakes

After an unhurried, day-long drive from the Bay Area over the Sierra’s dramatically steep and scenic Sonora Pass, we arrived at Mammoth Lake’s Alpine-style Alpenhof Lodge, whose entrance is embellished by an oversized Willkommen in German-style lettering.

We stayed in one of the lodge’s two-bedroom cabins, equipped with a small kitchen and fireplace and set in a woodsy setting alongside the main lodge. While not in the deep woods, the Alpenhof is in an ideal location right across from the Mammoth Village, where resort-style restaurants, bars and shops beckon, and a free open-air trolley, equipped with a bike trailer, can transport you to the world-famous Mammoth Mountain bike park and to the spectacular Mammoth Lakes Basin for picnics, fishing, hikes, mountain bike and horseback rides, and refreshing lake swims.

Mammoth Village boasts restaurants, bars and shops, as well as a free open-air trolley, equipped with a bike trailer, that can transport you to the Mammoth Mountain bike park. (Ben Davidson Photography)

Just across the street from the lodge is the paved Lakes Basin multi-use path that winds five miles up into the mountains. It’s perfect for walks, runs and road and mountain bike rides. (Class 1 e-mountain bikes are also allowed on the path and are a popular choice with cyclists.)

Enjoy the Alpenhof’s lively Clocktower cellar bar, whose multiple craft brew taps and whiskey selection are popular with the locals, and Petra’s, an excellent bistro and wine bar. Details: alpenhof-lodge.com

Mammoth Mountain Chalets, right next to the Mammoth Mountain Main Lodge, has numerous hiking and biking trails right from your doorstep — and a nearby shuttle takes explorers to Reds Meadow and Yosemite National Park. Each cabin has a private deck and a wood-burning stove. Details: mmchalets.com

Historic Tamarack Lodge and Resort is the grande dame of Mammoth Lakes Basin and oozes charm with its cabins and a rustic main lodge set on the shore of pristine Twin Lakes. Its popular, upscale Lakefront Restaurant has attracted visitors for decades. Details: mammothmountain.com

Several rustic, historic lodges also can be found in the Mammoth region. Secluded Crystal Crag Lodge, set at 9,000 feet on the shore of Lake Mary has drawn visitors here for almost a hundred years. That’s in large part thanks to the lodge’s incredible setting: a trout-filled lake, the pure mountain air and the countless tree-lined hiking and biking trails on the edge of the High Sierra backcountry. These rustic cabins are very popular and often booked a year in advance. Details: crystalcrag.com

Cabin choices abound at Mammoth, which offers historic retreats and rustic cabins, such as the secluded, century-old Crystal Crag Lodge on the shore of Lake Mary. (Courtesy Ben Davidson Photography)

The Wildyrie Lodge on Lake Mamie offers lakeside cottages with full kitchens, bathrooms and spacious sun decks with barbecues. Built in 1928, Wildyrie was one of the first hunting and fishing lodges in the Eastern Sierra. It also served as a local post office and general store. Details: wildyrielodge.com

Lake George’s Woods Lodge has rustic cabins with full kitchens and fireplaces, and many have dramatic views of the stunning scenery surrounding the property. Details: woodslodgemammoth.com

Lake George’s Woods Lodge has rustic cabins with full kitchens and fireplaces, and many offer dramatic views as well. (Ben Davidson Photography)

Sierra Meadows Ranch offers tiny home-style cabins with one bedroom and one bath and set in a scenic, wide-open meadow on the outskirts of town. Each cabin offers a full kitchen, living room and a private bedroom with queen bed, bunk beds and a sleeper sofa. Details: sierrameadowsranch.com/lodging

Just south of the town of Mammoth Lakes, Convict Lake’s cabins, each named after local fish species and landmarks are set in an aspen forest. This is one of the top spots in the region for lakeside fall color. Details: convictlake.com

Cabins at June Lake

The Double Eagle Resort & Spa is just 12 miles from the eastern entrance to Yosemite Park  and 22 miles northeast from Mammoth Lakes. The resort’s 16 cabins offer charming, rustic luxury in an aspen and pine forest.

Many are set by a trout-filled pond and a rushing creek at the base of Carson Peak, a steep-sided Sierra edifice of almost surreal beauty. Horsetail Falls, perched midway on the peak, was a torrent of snowmelt, flowing like a burst water main out of a granite wall, when I was there. Wagon wheels and old mining equipment decorate the grounds, which also houses a spa, indoor pool and the excellent Eagle’s Landing restaurant. Details: doubleeagle.com

Silver Lake Resort, just a few miles from the town of June Lake on the June Lake Loop, was established in 1916 and is one of the premier destinations for trout fishing in the Sierra. Some 17 cabins offer the perfect retreat for anglers, hikers and outdoor lovers. Details: silverlakeresort.net/cabins

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The dining scene

Alpenhof Lodge, Tamarack Lodge, Double Eagle Resort and Sierra Meadows Ranch have restaurants on property. You might also want to treat yourself to some of the many excellent restaurants and brewpubs in Mammoth Lakes. Here are some suggestions:

Set at the busy intersection of Minaret and Lake Mary Road, the spacious Mammoth Brewing Company brewery and pub offers a wide menu including ale-battered fish and chips, barbecue chicken flatbread pizzas, crispy chicken and jalapeno griddle cakes, hearty pub salads and fried chicken sandwiches with sriracha cabbage slaw. Check out details and the menu at mammothbrewingco.com.

The spacious Mammoth Brewing Company offers a beer garden and a wide menu of tasty pub fare. (Ben Davidson Photography)

Dos Alas Cafe & Lounge favors “Cubarican” dishes such as sandwiches with roasted garlic pork and ham and cheese, as well as Spanish pollo en escabeche (pickled chicken). It’s located at Sierra Meadows Ranch. Find details and peek at the menu at dosalascafe.com.

And the Warming Hut offers classic comfort food in an airy setting in Mammoth Lakes. Try the Chicken n’ Waffle for breakfast, the Cubano sandwich for lunch or the flatiron steak for dinner. Take a look at the menu at thewarminghutmammoth.com.

For more travel coverage in the Bay Area and beyond, follow us on Flipboard.

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What mobile clinics in Dollar General parking lots say about health care in rural America

• October 6, 2023

Sarah Jane Tribble | (TNS) KFF Health News

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — On a hot July morning, customers at the Dollar General along a two-lane highway northwest of Nashville didn’t seem to notice signs of the chain store’s foray into mobile health care, particularly in rural America.

A woman lifted a child from the back of an SUV and walked into the store. A dog barked from a black pickup truck before its owner returned with cases of soda. Another woman checked her hair in a convertible’s rearview mirror before shopping.

Each went right by a sign exclaiming “Quick, Easy Health Visits,” with an image of a mobile clinic.

Just after 10 a.m., registered nurse Kimberly French arrived to work at the DocGo mobile clinic parked in the store’s lot. She checked her schedule.

“We don’t have any appointments so far today, but that could change,” French said. “Last night we didn’t have any appointments and three or four people showed up all at one time.”

Registered Nurse Kimberly French works 10-hour shifts at the DocGo mobile clinic partnered with Dollar General. She says the pilot is “just getting off the ground” and the operation needs to gain the trust of the community. (Sarah Jane Tribble/KFF Health News/TNS)

Dollar General, the nation’s largest retailer by number of stores, with more than 19,000, partnered with New York-based mobile medical services company DocGo to test whether they could draw more customers and tackle persistent health inequities.

Deploying mobile clinics to fill care gaps in underserved areas isn’t a new idea. But pairing them with Dollar General’s ubiquitous small-town presence has been heralded by investment analysts and some rural health experts as a way to ease the health care drought in rural America.

Dollar General’s latest annual report notes that about 80% of the company’s stores are in towns with populations of fewer than 20,000 — precisely where medical professionals are scarce.

Catering to those who want urgent or primary care, the mobile clinics take private insurance as well as Medicaid and Medicare. The company’s website says DocGo’s self-pay rates start at $69 for patients without insurance or who are out of network. DocGo officials said Tennessee patients may be charged different rates but declined to provide details.

On the ground in Tennessee, primary care doctors and patients are skeptical.

“Honestly, they don’t really grasp, I don’t think, what they’re getting into,” said Brent Staton, a family medicine doctor and the leader of the Cumberland Center for Healthcare Innovation, a statewide organization that helps small-town family care doctors coordinate care and negotiate with insurers, including Medicare.

Michelle Green manages the popular Sweet Charlotte grill about 10 miles south of Dollar General’s most rural test site. Green, who was handing out hamburgers and hand-cut fries during a Saturday rush, said she hadn’t heard of the mobile clinic. She said with a shrug that Dollar General and health care clinics “don’t go together.”

“I wouldn’t want to go to a health care clinic in a parking lot; that’s just me,” Green said, adding that someone might go if “you’re sick and you can’t go anywhere else.”

Bumps in the Road

The Clarksville-area pilot, which launched last fall, is in a federally designated primary care shortage area for low-income residents.

Dollar General, the nation’s largest retailer by number of stores, with more than 19,000, has partnered with New York-based mobile medical services company DocGo. The clinic rotates between three Dollar General pilot sites each week in the Clarksville, Tennessee, area. (Sarah Jane Tribble/KFF Health News/TNS)

About 1,000 patients have been seen in the company’s clinics, either at Dollar General sites or community pop-up events, and some became repeat visitors, according to DocGo. Payment is taken outside on a mobile device and, once inside, patients meet with an on-site staff member, like French, and connect via telehealth on an iPad screen with a physician assistant or nurse practitioner.

The clinic rotates between three Dollar General pilot sites each week. The stores are in the Clarksville area and, early this summer, the van stopped going to the most rural site, near Cumberland Furnace, because of low utilization, according to company leaders. DocGo moved that location’s time slot to busy Fort Campbell Boulevard in Clarksville.

“We do try for months in a given area to see where it makes sense and where it doesn’t,” former DocGo CEO Anthony Capone said in a July interview. “Our goal is to align the supply we have with the demand of the local community.”

Capone, though, said he thought the pilot would work in rural areas when insurers are signed on to refer their members to the mobile clinic. DocGo recently announced a deal with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee.

Capone abruptly resigned on Sept. 15 after the Albany Times Union reported he lied about having a graduate degree.

Dollar General stores have a “tremendous opportunity” to have “a major impact on health there and really bond themselves as a member of the community,” said Tom Campanella, the healthcare executive-in-residence at Baldwin Wallace University, who has managed mobile clinics in rural places.

William “Bubba” Murphy says he’s a fan of “the little clinic on wheels” parked outside of his local Dollar General. “We don’t have to go to town and fight all that traffic.” (Sarah Jane Tribble/KFF Health News/TNS)

Near tiny Cumberland Furnace, south of Clarksville, William “Bubba” Murphy stopped on his way into a Dollar General, paused to wave and holler hello to friends getting out of their cars, and shared that multiple family members — his sister-in-law, nephew, and niece’s boyfriend — used and liked “the little clinic on wheels.”

“We don’t have to go to town and fight all that traffic,” he said. “They come to us. That’s a wonderful thing. It helps a lot of people.”

Over on busy Fort Campbell Boulevard in Clarksville, Marina Woolever, a mother of three, said she might use the clinic if she didn’t have insurance. Natural health professional Nichole Clemmer glanced toward the clinic and called it a “ploy” to make more money.

Jefferies lead equity analyst Corey Tarlowe, who follows discount retailers, said the clinics will help “democratize” access to health care and simultaneously boost traffic to Dollar General stores.

With its rapid growth in recent years, Dollar General has faced accusations that its stores kill off local grocery stores and other businesses, reduce employment, and contribute to the creation of food deserts. More recently, the U.S. Labor Department said the chain “continues to discount safety” for employees as it has piled up more than $21 million in federal fines.

Crystal Luce, senior director of public relations for Dollar General, said the company believes each new store provides “positive economic benefits,” including new jobs, low-cost products, and its literacy foundation. On the federal fines, Luce said Dollar General is “committed to providing a safe work environment for its associates and shopping experience for its customers.” The company declined to provide an interview.

The DocGo pilot, she wrote, is intended to “complement” the DG Wellbeing initiative, which is a corporatewide push. Dollar General wants to increase “access to basic health care products and, ultimately, services over time, particularly in rural America,” Luce wrote.

States away, DocGo is under fire for a no-bid contract to provide housing, busing, and other services for asylum-seekers in New York. State Attorney General Letitia James is investigating complaints levied by migrants under the company’s care. In August, DocGo officials said claims aired by sources in a New York Times article that first reported the problems were “not reflective of the overall scope and quality” of the services the company has provided.

The company’s pilot with Dollar General is “supported with funding from the state of Tennessee,” DocGo’s Capone said during the company’s first-quarter earnings call. The Dollar General partnership is cited in quarterly grant reports DocGo’s Rapid Reliable Testing LLC submitted to the state, according to records KFF Health News obtained through public information requests.

In the grant filing, DocGo listed Dollar General along with other organizations as “trusted messengers” in building vaccine awareness.

Dollar General declined to respond to a question about its involvement in the grant. Instead, Luce stated, “We continue to test and learn through the DocGo pilot.”

‘Relational Care’

The goal of the $2.4 million grant, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and distributed by the Tennessee Department of Health, is to administer COVID-19 vaccines. In a written response provided by DocGo’s marketing director, Amanda Shell Jennings, the company said, “Dollar General has no involvement with the TN Department of Health grant funding or allocations.”

The grant covers storage and maintenance of COVID-19 vaccines on the DocGo mobile clinics, Jennings’ statement said, adding that, as of September, DocGo has held 41 vaccine events and provided 66 vaccines to rural Tennesseans.

Lulu West, 72, was visiting a friend at the Historic Cumberland Furnace Iron Museum when she stopped to consider the mobile clinic. West said she would rather go to her primary care doctor.

“When you say mobile clinic outside a Dollar General it just kind of has a connotation that you may not be comfortable with. You know what I mean?” she said.

Carlo Pike is a doctor who owns a small practice in Clarksville, Tennessee. He says practicing family medicine is about making sure patients know he cares “about what happens to them after they leave the clinic.” (Sarah Jane Tribble/KFF Health News/TNS)

That kind of response doesn’t surprise Carlo Pike, a doctor who for years has practiced family medicine in Clarksville. He said he’s not worried about the competition because providing primary care is about developing relationships.

“If I can do this relationship right,” Pike said, “maybe we can keep you from getting a [blood] sugar of 500 [mg/dL] or from Grandpa climbing up a ladder and trying to fix something he has no business with and falling off and breaking his leg.”

Staton said the Cumberland Center for Healthcare Innovation, his accountable care organization, has saved Medicare and Medicare Advantage companies more than $100 million by focusing on preventive care and reducing hospitalizations and emergency visits for patients.

“We’re just small rural primary care docs doing our jobs with a process that works,” Staton said. In another interview, Staton called it “relational care.”

DocGo surveyed its patients and found that 19% of them did not have a primary care physician or hadn’t seen theirs in more than a year. In the written responses Jennings provided, DocGo said it follows up with every patient after the initial visit, offers telemedicine support between visits, and provides ongoing preventive care on a regular schedule.

But despite its outreach, DocGo struggled to get a foothold in rural Cumberland Furnace.

Lottie Stokes, the president of the community center in Cumberland Furnace, said DocGo’s team had “called and asked to come down here.” Stokes said she would rather use the local emergency medical technicians and firefighters, who she knows are “legit.”

Her father-in-law, Bobby Stokes, who’s nearly 80 years old, said he used the mobile clinic before it moved locations.

His wife couldn’t breathe. They pulled into the parking lot and climbed onto the van.

“We wasn’t in there five minutes,” he said. “They done the blood pressure test and what they need to do and put her in the car and said, ‘Get her to the hospital, to the emergency room.’”

The DocGo staff, he said, did not ask for payment: “Nothing.”

“They were more concerned with her than they were with I guess getting their money,” he said, adding that his wife is doing well now. “They told me to get there, and I took them at their word. My car runs fast.”

____

KFF Health News correspondent Brett Kelman contributed to this report.

(KFF Health News, formerly known as Kaiser Health News (KHN), is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs of KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling and journalism.)

©2023 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

​ Orange County Register 

Southern California News Group Boys Athlete of the Week: Taylor Bell, JSerra

• October 6, 2023

JSerra water polo player Taylor Bell is the Southern California News Group’s High School Boys Athlete of the Week for Sept. 24-Oct. 1 after he received 41.67% of the vote at the deadline Thursday.

Palos Verdes’ Ryan Rakowski (football) finished second with 20.83% of the vote, and Great Oak’s Amari Delk (football) finished third (16.67%).

Congratulations to all of the candidates for this week’s honor.

To read more about Taylor, click here.

The SCNG Athlete of the Week winners are announced online each Friday morning during the school year.

About the poll: The Southern California News Group includes the Orange County Register, L.A. Daily News, Press-Enterprise, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Whittier Daily News, Pasadena-Star News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, The Daily Breeze, San Bernardino Sun, Daily Bulletin and Redlands Daily Facts.

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​ Orange County Register 

How Disneyland’s Club 33 really got its name — it’s not what you think

• October 6, 2023

The official version of the Club 33 origin story has a new twist involving 33 corporate sponsors that helped build Disneyland thanks to a 300-page history of the Anaheim theme park that delves into the legend and lore of the exclusive private club in New Orleans Square.

A new history of Disneyland written by the Historic Resources Group for the 17,000-page DisneylandForward Environmental Impact Report offers new insights into the origins of the Club 33 name. The EIR was paid for by Disney and released by the city of Anaheim.

Disneyland’s official backstory always held that the Club 33 name came from the address of the VIP lounge in New Orleans Square: 33 Royal Street.

If you look closely, each of the businesses in New Orleans Square has a distinct address along Royal, Orleans and Front streets.

SEE ALSO: 10 things you don’t know about Disneyland’s sort-of-secret Club 33

Club 33’s former entrance used to be located between the Blue Bayou restaurant at 31 Royal Street and Le Bat en Rouge at 35 Royal Street. After a major remodel, the Club 33 entrance was relocated in 2014 to the Court of Angels. The new Club 33 entrance is now closer to Orleans Street beyond Eudora’s Chic Boutique that took over the former Le Bat en Rouge location.

Now it seems the addresses on Royal Street may have been arranged to accommodate the Club 33 name rather than the club adopting its name from its street location.

“The number ‘33’ came from the number of original sponsors of rides and attractions in the park,” according to the Historic Resources Group in the DisneylandForward EIR. “It was meant as a place where the sponsors could conduct business lunches.”

Walt Disney created Club 33 as an elegant, exclusive hangout for well-heeled VIPs. For decades, Club 33 was famously the only place that served alcohol in otherwise dry Disneyland.

“Members consisted mostly of Disneyland’s corporate partners and local Orange County businessmen,” according to the EIR.

SEE ALSO: Disneyland adds ‘sparkle and shine’ during Club 33 refurbishment

The private, fine-dining club on the second story of New Orleans Square shared a commercial kitchen with the Disney family apartment at 21 Royal Street just above the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. Disney died in 1966 before the apartment was completed.

Disneyland’s 33 original corporate sponsors helped fund the construction of the Anaheim theme park in 1955 and the years that followed by attaching their company names to rides, attractions, shops and restaurants.

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Walt Disney initially had trouble persuading local and national companies to lease commercial space within his theme park — a novel and untried concept in the early 1950s. The unsuccessful fundraising pitches turned a corner and caught fire when a Disney advertising executive came up with the idea of sponsorships.

Chicago meatpacker Swift & Co. became the first Disneyland sponsor to sign on as the operator of the Market House on Main Street USA.

“That success opened the floodgates to 40 other sponsorships including Santa Fe Railroad Company, Bank of America, Richfield Oil, Upjohn and Carnation,” according to the EIR. “Sponsors built out their own shops with required exhibition space and their rental fees generated much needed income.”

Among the original 33 sponsors were Pepsi Cola (Golden Horseshoe), Coca-Cola (Refreshment Corner), Carnation (Carnation Cafe), Ken-L Ration (Disneyland Kennel Club), Chicken of the Sea (Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship and Restaurant), Frito-Lay (Casa de Fritos) and Aunt Jemima (Aunt Jemima Pancake House).

Many of the original 33 sponsors attached their names to Disneyland rides and attractions: Monsanto (Adventure Thru Inner Space), General Electric (Carousel of Progress), United Airlines (Enchanted Tiki Room), Bell Telephone (Circle-Vision 360), Goodyear Tire & Rubber (PeopleMover), Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (Disneyland Railroad), McDonnell Douglas (Rocket to the Moon) and Lincoln Savings & Loan (Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln).

Other sponsors among the original 33 included Bank of America, Eastman Kodak, Timex, Atlantic Richfield, Global Van Lines, Hallmark Card, Welch Grape Juice, Hills Bros. Coffee, Wurlitzer, Upjohn, C&H Sugar, Pendleton Woolen Mills, Sunsweet Growers and Sunkist Growers, according to the unofficial Disneyland Club 33 fan website.

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Disneyland bills Club 33 as exclusive, world class and shrouded in mystery. Club 33 was inspired by the VIP lounges Walt Disney experienced at the 1964 New York World’s Fair where It’s a Small World and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln first debuted. The private Disneyland club opened in May 1967, a few months after Disney’s death in December 1966.

Club membership costs $25,000 to join with $10,000 annual dues, according to Eater. The waiting list numbers in the hundreds and it can take more than a decade to receive an invitation. Tom Hanks, Christina Aguilera and Elton John — who all have professional Disney connections — are reportedly among the celebrity club members, according to Eater.

​ Orange County Register 

Kings give Todd McLellan a 1-year contract extension

• October 6, 2023

One of Kings coach Todd McLellan’s favorite clichés is “moving the needle,” and late Thursday it was confirmed that he’d moved it enough to stick around at least a bit longer on Figueroa Street.

The Kings have finalized terms on a one-year contract extension with McLellan, a deal initially reported by Elliotte Friedman. He has guided the team since the 2019-20 season. Then, he signed a five-year deal to become head coach after holding the same position in Edmonton and San Jose, as well as previously winning the Stanley Cup as an assistant to Mike Babcock in Detroit.

McLellan’s contract now runs through the 2024-25 season, creating a parallel timeline for the agreements with McLellan, general manager Rob Blake and lead assistant coaches Trent Yawney and Jim Hiller. McLellan’s initial deal was believed to be worth $5 million annually, but no further details were clear regarding the extension.

With 575 NHL coaching victories, McLellan ranks 23rd in league history and fifth among active coaches in wins. His career points percentage trails that of the New York Rangers’ Peter Laviolette for the highest among their contemporaries by literally the slimmest of margins, .001%.

When McLellan assumed control of the Kings’ bench, the organization was in disrepair, with links to their two Stanley Cup crowns withering on the vine and the roots of the organization decaying beneath a slew of traded picks and a few failed prospects.

After a season punctuated by NHL award nominations, rock solid defense and a playoff berth in 2017-18, the Kings had finished dead last in the Pacific in 2018-19, which led them to seek out McLellan. In his first season, the team struggled but finished the campaign by reeling off seven consecutive wins, a streak that was halted only by the suspension of play amid the outset of the pandemic. Year 2 was also marred by not only COVID but also a lack of depth, a further selling off of assets and generally another shortened season to forget.

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Yet Blake made shrewd, selective investments in roster help and McLellan’s system began to flourish with more skating, skill and seasoning. In the past two campaigns, the Kings have qualified for the postseason, pushing the Edmonton Oilers to seven games despite being undermanned in 2022 and producing an exhilarating six-game series last season.

​ Orange County Register 

Southern California News Group Girls Athlete of the Week: Kayla Giddings, San Marino

• October 6, 2023

San Marino cross country runner Kayla Giddings is the Southern California News Group’s High School Girls Athlete of the Week for Sept. 25-Oct. 1 after she received 303 of the 577 votes (67.21%) at the deadline Thursday.

Rosary’s Katie Meneses (flag flootball) received 264 votes (45.75%) to finish in second place. Oaks Christian’s Sunny Wang finished (golf) third.

Congratulations to all of the candidates for this week’s honor.

To read more about Julia, click here.

The SCNG Athlete of the Week winners are announced online each Friday morning during the school year.

About the poll: The Southern California News Group includes the Orange County Register, L.A. Daily News, Press-Enterprise, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Whittier Daily News, Pasadena-Star News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, The Daily Breeze, San Bernardino Sun, Daily Bulletin and Redlands Daily Facts.

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​ Orange County Register 

Free Metro Express buses for Dodgers’ National League Division Series games

• October 6, 2023

LOS ANGELES — Metro announced that starting Saturday, it will provide free Dodger Stadium Express bus service for the 2023 National League Division Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Dodgers’ home games against the Diamondbacks are scheduled for Oct. 7, 9 and 14. Fans can ride Dodger Stadium Express to the game for free. Regular fares apply on all other connecting bus, rail, bikeshare and Metro Micro services.

Dodger Stadium Express buses will be available from both Los Angeles Union Station in downtown LA and from the South Bay Harbor Gateway Transit Center in Gardena.

From Union Station, buses will pick up fans about every 10 minutes in front of the station west adjacent to Alameda Street near the taxi zone. During the playoffs, service from Union Station begins two hours prior to the start of the game through the end of the second inning.

Return service runs until 45 minutes after the final out or 20 minutes after post-game events. Passengers can use two stops at the ballpark — either behind center field or at the top deck.

From Harbor Gateway Transit Center, attendees can board buses located at Bay 9, with buses running every 30 minutes. Riders can board at any of the following stations: Slauson, Westchester, Harbor Freeway and Rosecrans.

Service from the transit center begins two hours prior to the start of the game and ends 45 minutes after games are over or 20 minutes after a post-game event.

Both express services will utilize a dedicated bus lane on Sunset Boulevard, where game day traffic congestion is the heaviest. Metro has partnered with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation for traffic mitigation support that will help expedite trips to and from games.

The Harbor Gateway uses the ExpressLanes on the 110 Freeway to speed up trips to the stadium.

Metro encourages customers to use its transit systems and services that connect to Union Station, including Metro Rail, Metrolink, Amtrak and city bus operators. The Harbor Gateway Transit Center is served by several Metro bus lines, the J (Silver) Line and Torrance Transit.

Funding for the Dodger Stadium Express is provided under a grant from the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee and from Metro’s operations budget. The committee awards funding within the South Coast Air Basin from a portion of the state vehicle registration fee for projects that bring clean air by reducing traffic in the L.A. area.

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​ Orange County Register 

Homebuyers hit the brakes, ‘smothering’ the mortgage marketplace

• October 6, 2023

Homebuyers have taken a timeout as rising interest rates smother the housing market.

On Thursday, Oct. 5, Freddie Mac pegged the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.49%, according to its weekly lender survey. The last time the rate was this high was December 2000.

A day later, the Bureau of Labor Statistics stunned with its September employment report. The U.S. added a booming 336,000 jobs — 69,000 more jobs than the 12-month moving average.

Also see: Mortgage rates hit 23-year high as Fed plays ‘Grinch’

Forget a one-quarter point rate hike by the Federal Reserve before the end of the year. This new jobs information certainly puts us squarely at a one-half-point increase. The prime rate, I believe, will hit 9% before 2023 is done. Mortage rates for a 30-year fixed loan are going to top 8%.

Assuming a 7.49% interest rate, a 30-year fixed mortgage today on a $600,000 mortgage nets the homebuyer a $4,191 payment. Compare that to the all-time low Freddie rate of 2.65% in January 2021 and a payment of $2,418.

More from Lazerson: Is relief in sight for priced-out homebuyers? Don’t hold your breath

Mortgage borrowing costs for well-qualified borrowers have increased 73% in a little more than two and one-half years.

And this mortgage rate ascent has absolutely smothered the mortgage business.

“Mortgage applications grounded to a halt, dropping to the lowest level since 1996,” said Joel Kan, vice president and deputy chief economist at the Mortgage Bankers Association. “The purchase market slowed to the lowest level of activity since 1995, as the rapid rise in rates pushed an increasing number of potential homebuyers out of the market.”

Also see: Yield surge helps Fed on inflation but puts housing, lending at risk

I checked in with some of my industry peers to get their takes.

“The interest rate climb has directly affected the borrowing power of buyers, pricing many of them out of the market or searching for less expensive properties,” said Al Hensling, president, United American Mortgage. “Many who were just on the cusp of affordability are finding themselves reevaluating their options of purchasing at this time.”

“The challenge in Southern California, an area already experiencing a lack of housing for sale, is the fact that many would-be sellers are reluctant to give up their sub-4% mortgages to make a move further impacting buyers’ ability to find homes for sale,” Hensling said.

Latest market news: Rising mortgage rates squeeze Southern California homebuyers, depress sales

What about borrowers who can’t qualify for a good, albeit currently expensive, Freddie or Fannie conventional mortgage?

The exotic mortgage space, also known as non-prime or non-qualified mortgage, is where there is still a pulse of business volume.

“It’s not the rate. It’s can you get the deal done?” said Dean Ayres, senior vice president at Foundation Mortgage. “We’re seeing a lot of deals that were denied elsewhere for one reason or another with a ton of appraisal transfers.”

Ayres says his team learns ahead of time what the issues are. “Why did they deny it? What is the problem?”

Full disclosure: My mortgage company does business with Ayres. Foundation Mortgage offers non-qualified mortgages only.

And there’s something else brewing. Wholesale mortgage rates (those sourced by mortgage brokers) are shooting up at an astounding pace. Offering a borrower a zero-point loan is very expensive — to the tune of 8% on a 30-year fixed for a well-qualified borrower. (My advice: Don’t spend your money now on points because rates will likely be lower in a year, and you can refinance.)

For marginally qualified borrowers it’s nearly impossible to provide a zero-point loan due to the pricing adds.

Exotic mortgages can be north of a 10% interest rate. Yikes!

Nothing good is going to happen for homebuyers in the near term unless you trip on a distressed home seller.

With higher rates ahead, prices should flatten. I expect a hard recession next year.

Freddie Mac rate news

The 30-year fixed rate averaged 7.49%, 18 basis points higher than last week. The 15-year fixed rate averaged 6.78%, 6 basis points higher than last week.

The Mortgage Bankers Association reported a 6% mortgage application decrease compared to last week.

Bottom line: Assuming a borrower gets the average 30-year fixed rate on a conforming $726,200 loan, last year’s payment was $406 less than this week’s payment of $5,073.

What I see: Locally, well-qualified borrowers can get the following fixed-rate mortgages with one point: A 30-year FHA at 7%, a 15-year conventional at 6.75%, a 30-year conventional at 7.25%, a 15-year conventional high balance at 7.5% ($726,201 to $1,089,300), a 30-year high balance conventional at 7.625% and a jumbo 30-year fixed at 7.75%.

Note: The 30-year FHA conforming loan is limited to loans of $644,000 in the Inland Empire and $726,200 in LA and Orange counties.

Eye catcher loan program of the week: A 30-year adjustable, interest-only and fixed for the first five years, rate at 7.5% with 1 point cost.

Jeff Lazerson is a mortgage broker. He can be reached at 949-334-2424 or jlazerson@mortgagegrader.com.

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