Why didn’t you vote, Orange County?

• July 30, 2023

The line of voters waiting to cast their ballots for the midterm election stretches into the lobby at the vote center in the Irvine Civic Center in Irvine on Tuesday afternoon, November 8, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A confession of deep personal shame: My daughter did not vote in the 2022 election.

She had just turned 18. Started college 400 miles away. Misplaced the mail ballot I shoved in her bag (amid threats that apparently weren’t threatening enough). Didn’t know much about the candidates. And just, you know, flaked.

Unfortunately, my daughter was in plentiful company. Only 54.7% of Orange County’s registered voters cast their ballots in November, a precipitous plunge from the last midterm election.

So what gives, Orange County? Why didn’t you vote?

It’s an intriguing question, and data from the U.S. Census Bureau sheds fascinating light on it. The answers vary widely from election to election and say a lot about how folks were feeling about everything from the candidates (we didn’t much like them in 2016) to the utility of mail ballots (many fewer of us claimed “out of town” as an excuse last year, but many more have been “forgetting” to return them).

Our passions are further captured in the O.C. Registrar of Voters’ turnout tallies.

The matchup between Joe Biden and Donald Trump inspired an astonishing 87.3% turnout in 2020 — perhaps the only people who didn’t vote were dead — while the midterm election in 2018 found a relatively stunning 71% of folks casting ballots (a stark exception to the “midterms have anemic turnout” rule, as voters eagerly sent their huzzahs or Bronx cheers to Trump two years into his presidency).

This begs the question: Should voting be mandatory, rather than voluntary?

Voter turnout in OC

2012 presidential: 67.3%

2014 midterm: 45.0%

2016 presidential: 80.7%

2018 midterm: 71.0%

2020 presidential: 87.3

2022 midterm:  54.7%

“What I can tell you is that whether a person will vote or not is highly correlated with years of formal education,” said Fred Smoller, associate professor of political science at Chapman University. “The higher number of years of school, the more likely a person is to vote. We also know that ‘vote by mail’ increases voter turnout.

“The ‘go-to’ explanation for low voter turnout is that people are lazy. Instead, we need to look at how to make our political system more user-friendly. Why is it often easier to buy something on Amazon than it is to cast an informed vote?”

Smoller has a much more charitable take than does Matthew Jarvis, chair of Cal State Fullerton’s Division of Politics, Administration & Justice.

Excuses, excuses

“I tend to make very little of people saying why they did something, and even less of their explanations of why they DIDN’T do something,” Jarvis said by email.

“In general, humans are quite terrible at explaining their own behavior. Psychological defense mechanisms kick in, and people tend to give answers that absolve themselves of fault.”

Example from the data: About 5% of people told the Census Bureau that bad weather stopped them from voting in 2022, and 7% said the same in 2020.

It did rain in O.C. on Nov. 8, 2022, but it did not rain on Nov. 4, 2020 (sunny, with a high of 77 degrees).

“When people were confronted with the idea that they had done something they ‘weren’t supposed to’ (voting is something we’re conditioned to believe is ‘good,’ and not voting is ‘bad’….), they gave an answer that they thought would absolve themselves,” Jarvis said. “Of course, since all our ballots are now able to be mailed in, that ‘bad weather’ excuse gets very weak … but they’re not thinking it through. A number of these folks will even come to believe these excuses.”

Despite our enormous capacity for self-deception, though, telling patterns emerge, the experts said.

“I found the 2016 data point on the importance of unpopular candidates intriguing!” Bernard Grofman, distinguished professor of political science and former director of the Center for the Study of Democracy at UC Irvine, said by email from Oxford.

“Ditto for the 2020 finding that large number of voters thought that their vote wouldn’t matter (and, given the paucity of two-party competitive districts that year, they were quite right).”

Trump effect

Former President Donald Trump (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

Note that in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, folks offering the “my vote wouldn’t matter” answer shrinks dramatically.

“I would argue that’s a Trump effect; fewer folks thought that these elections were meaningless,” Jarvis said. “Ironically, of course, as Californians, they’re wrong in a very real sense — Trump lost California decisively in both 2016 and 2020 — and the chance that one vote would have made a difference are essentially zero.

“However, the other part of that answer — ‘not interested’ — is real, and people were interested in those years.”

“Too busy” is a common answer that bounces around a great deal, and not logically, Jarvis noted. It was cited often in 2020 — the thick of the pandemic — when a lot of people were decidedly not busy.

“This answer is likely sucking up a lot of defensive answers; when people couldn’t convince themselves it was one of the other reasons, this one is very comforting,” he said.

There was much fun to be had with the “I didn’t like the candidates” response. It hit a high when Trump faced off with Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. They were the least popular presidential candidates since political scientists started collecting data almost a century ago, Jarvis noted.

Even more interesting is the fact that this wasn’t widely offered as a defense in midterm year elections — perhaps because people don’t even know who the candidates are? “Plenty of data we have cements the idea that many people are not aware of much in our system besides presidents,” he said.

Steve Rocco (File photo by Mark Avery, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Who’s that running?

Chapman’s Smoller offers an illustrative mea culpa here.

Back in 2004, a mysterious character who always wore dark sunglasses, a knit cap and black clothes, ran for the Orange Unified School Board. He didn’t campaign. He didn’t show up for candidate forums. He didn’t say why people should vote for him.

No one could even reach him — but he was identified on the ballot as a teacher and writer. Based on that virtuous description, Smoller passed over the PTA volunteer/park ranger candidate and voted for the mystery man  So did 54% of voters, and stunningly, the mystery man won.

The gent’s name was Steve Rocco and he went on to live in O.C. political infamy.

From the Orange Unified dais, he rambled on about dark conspiracies involving charter schools, his father’s death and “The Partnership,” a diabolical cabal (that included The Orange County Register) trying to control the United States and kill Rocco for exposing it. “We’re living in a time of secret organizations and of corruption and mostly of dictatorship,” Rocco said at his first official school board meeting. “Aiding and abetting the drug and human cargo trade is only part of the problem.”

He refused to participate in closed sessions, have his fingerprints taken for district records, vote on many of the issues before the board, sued the district. Smoller felt so guilty over his vote that he made a short documentary — “Rocco the Vote” — about what and how it all happened.

All that many people knew about the race was the “teacher” description on the ballot. People were woefully uninformed about local races back in 2004 — and the contraction of local news organizations since then has only made things worse. These races get precious little coverage, if any at all, Smoller noted — many of his very educated colleagues saw the “teacher” designation and voted for Rocco as well — and there’s blame for the system itself.

Any fix?

There are a number of reforms that might help, such as penalties for politicians who lie (George Santos, anyone?), Smoller said.

A more rigorous official vetting of a candidate’s alleged occupation, as it appears on ballots, doesn’t seem like a terrible idea either.

International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, Sweden

There’s a strain of militancy in some of us that wonders if mandatory voting might spur people to take their civic duty more seriously. Casting a ballot is compulsory in 21 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Greece, Luxembourg, Mexico — and Egypt, Honduras, North Korea and Singapore, according to the Central Intelligence Agency.

Advocates of mandatory voting argue that elected governments have greater legitimacy when more people participate. Critics say it’s inconsistent with democratic freedoms and translates into more blank, invalid and ill-informed choices.

Cleary there’s a reason most nations in the world don’t force people to vote. But my house is not a nation, and from here on, voting will be compulsory: If my daughter wants to get her tuition paid and the keys to the car and the sustenance to keep her alive, she will have to show me the “Where’s my Ballot?” notification that it has been received and counted first.

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​ Orange County Register 

Taylor Swift ticket prices, already sky high, likely to rise more as LA shows near

• July 30, 2023

Ariel Mahler was one of the lucky Swifties.

She scored a block of six tickets for the upcoming Taylor Swift Eras Tour at SoFi Stadium when they went on sale in the fall. Total price for the six: $1,519.

That’s $253 each for seats in section 233, with a straight-ahead view of the stage. And that price included the service fees, which can sometimes be as much as 27% of the ticket price, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report.

To score the same deal this week on Stub Hub, Mahler would have to pay $2,000 each for tickets in the same section — or $12,000 total. Yet, given the insatiable thirst the American public seems to have for Swift at the moment, there are certainly people willing to shell out that much to see the pop star during her six-show run in Los Angeles, which runs from Thursday, Aug. 3, to Aug. 9.

Rightfully, Mahler, a recent graduate of American Film Institute’s director’s program, said she feels good about the price she paid.

But, she said, she absolutely will not resell her tickets for the Aug. 8 show despite pressure from friends who are attending with her.

“There is no way I’m doing that,” Mahler said via phone on Friday, July 28. If the friends want to do so, she won’t stop them.

But that’s unlikely.

That’s because the Taylor Swift ticket phenomenon is unlike anything the live concert business has seen, according to Jed Weitzman, head of music at Logitix. Weitzman works with artists and venues to maximize ticket sales for live events.

Swifties tend to hold on to their tickets — as they see the shows as not “just” concerts.

“It’s a cultural thing,” Weitzman said of the special situation that is a Taylor Swift tour. And Weitzman would know. He’s been in the entertainment business for more than 30 years.

“When a show gets closer to being played off,” Weitzman said, “usually prices go down.”

The reason prices are so high, Weitzman said, is because Swift fans don’t want to sell their tickets. That means there’s less inventory on the market. Plus, he said, shows in major cities, such as Los Angeles and New York, command a higher price anyway.

The only single tickets below $1,000 currently available on the secondary market, as of Friday, were for seats in the upper tier of the stadium — with a view of the back of the stage setup.

And despite the controversy created in November when Ticketmaster had to shut down sales because of unprecedented demand and the flak they took about only letting “verified fans” purchase tickets, the plan did exactly what it was intended to do, Weitzman said.

Not everyone who wanted tickets got them, Weitzman acknowledged, but compared to other shows of a similar size, there were far fewer tickets available for resale on secondary markets such as StubHub and SeatGeek.

“The truth is that tickets got into the hands of fans,” Weitzman said. “Whether people want to realize it or not, fans actually got their tickets.”

The incredible demand for tickets, though, has caused another problem: scammers.

Ticket scams, of course, are not an isolated issue. The Better Business Bureau, for example, received 16,884 total complaints regarding ticket sales — including for concerts and sporting events — from January 2022 to this past February.

The boom in such scams, combined with the high demand for Swift tickets, prompted state Attorney General Rob Bonta to issue a warning to consumers on Thursday, July 27.

“Too often, bad actors take advantage of highly sought-after concert tickets and strip fans of their hard-earned money,” Bonta said in a statement. “Whether you attend a Taylor Swift concert or another event, avoid enduring a cruel summer by following the tips we provide.”

Those tips include researching vendors, knowing the return policy, protecting personal information and using only secured payment methods, among other advice.

Related links

For Taylor Swift fans headed to SoFi, Metro will run some trains late, add 2 free shuttles
Taylor Swift’s 6 SoFi Stadium Shows: What you need to know before you go
Ticketmaster cancels Taylor Swift ticket sale due to ‘demand’

But fans with legitimate, albeit expensive, tickets seem to be making the most of the pricey situation.

Hollywood resident Reagan Baylee purchased floor seats for the Aug. 7 concert. She gladly paid $2,100 for two tickets, she said, because it’s not just about one night. It’s about the lead up to the event.

Baylee, a marketing agency owner and content creator, has been posting about what she’s wearing to the concert since January, she said. She’s also been making friendship bracelets to trade.

Following the pandemic, Baylee said, “we’ve been craving a sense of community.”

On social media, Swifties are gearing up, trading ideas about the best bracelet beads to use and gluing rhinestones onto outfits, she said.

“That’s why I’m personally able to justify the high price,” Baylee said. “It’s just become so fun.”

Sure, she said, prices are crazy expensive. But, Baylee added, it feels as if people are really coming together — those from ages 6 to 60.

“The ticket prices are outrageous,” Baylee said, “but the experience is priceless.”

Indeed, Mahler and her group of friends are planning to make a night of it. Each plans to dress like a different era from Swift’s music, she said.

Mahler has been a Swiftie since 2014. For many of her generation, Swift’s lyrics help articulate both heartbreak and healing. She’s been a deep, deep fan because the pop icon helps her sort out her feelings, she said.

The aspiring film director respects Swift as not only a musician, but also as “a prolific writer.”

That’s where the tattoos come in.

Mahler has a goal to get 10 Swift quote tattoos on her right arm — one lyric from each of Swift’s albums. So far, she has four.

Around a scene of a yellow-brick road, she wears this quote from the 2008 “Fearless” hit “You Belong with Me:”

“What you’re looking for has been here the whole time.”

It’s not about tickets. For Swifties, it’s spiritual.

​ Orange County Register 

Turning 100: More thoughts on the possibilities of living longer

• July 30, 2023

Last week, we identified several changes and predictions that support living to be 100 described by Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott in their book, “The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity” (Bloomsbury, 2016). 

For context, here are some statistics: In the U.S. there are about 90,000 centenarians; in California, that number is 8,000. And about half of the current five-year-olds can expect to live to age 100, the likely norm for newborns in 2050. 

The question is, “What has to be in place to support this 100-year life?” Here are several additional changes from last week that need to occur as recommended by the authors.

Recreation will be more important than creation: Leisure time during retirement years typically has meant having few if any deadlines; a time for travel; grandchildren; even sailing; playing computer games; watching a film; or just having fun. The authors suggest that with increased longevity and multiple life stages, leisure time may be the time to invest in creating a new lifestyle or in developing new skills. The new goal may be spending less leisure time on consumption and recreation and more time on investment and re-creation. 

The lockstep 3 stages of life will end: Most of us have lived by the three stages of education, work and retirement leading to a certain amount of predictability in our lives. The authors note that adhering to these three rigid stages, people do not have excessive opportunities or choices and companies or governments are not always able to response to what people want and need. Given the reality of living 100 years, the sequences of life will be determined more by individual preferences and circumstances, not by age. 

Younger for longer: Typically, we believe living longer means we will have more years to live as an older person. The authors disagree and offer an explanation. Based on information from evolutionary biologists, retaining adolescent features into adulthood will help promote flexibility and adaptability needed for a 100-year life. Additionally, they suggest older people will retain more youthful characteristics because of cross-age friendships since people of different ages will pursue similar life stages. From my perspective, this might eradicate ageism. 

There will be more experimentation: Neither individuals, communities, corporations nor governments have figured out how to support the 100-year life. To fill this vacuum, there will be more experimentation. The authors note the younger one is, the more likely one is to experiment. Midlife folks might be more likely to adapt to the traditional three stages of life experienced by their parents, they added. From my perspective, we should not dismiss the creativity of middle-aged folks to develop some of these new lifestyles. 

The expected battle from human resources departments: This flexibility and the multi-stage life may become a nightmare for companies who like conformity and easy-to-implement systems; they likely will resist change. However, the authors do believe that smart companies who want to attract the best and the brightest will realize the advantages and adapt their policies. This push to flexibility may become a battleground similar to battles about the length of the work week and working conditions during the Industrial Revolution, according to Gratton and Scott. 

The challenge for governments: Too much of the current policy is focused on the final stage of life using the traditional three-stage lens note Gratton and Scott. Policies need to expand to issues of education, marriage, working time and more. Clearly, financial security is critical over this long life. However, the authors advocate that governments need to pursue an agenda relevant to how people live their lives and how they work over a lifetime. 

A final issue addressed is equity. The authors are very strong in stating that “it is unacceptable that a good life should only be an option for a privileged minority” who have the income and education to develop the required changes and transitions. They recommend that governments begin to develop measures for the less fortunate to achieve the transitions and flexibilities for that 100-year-life. 

So, dear readers, I hope these changes and recommendations by Gratton and Scott help you think about extended life, its possibilities and how they might apply to you. Our communities, institutions and public policies have the opportunity to do what is necessary to capitalize and embrace this gift of time. We each have a role to play in how we develop our own life stages. 

Stay well everyone and remember kindness is everything. 

Helen Dennis is a nationally recognized leader on issues of aging and the new retirement with academic, corporate and nonprofit experience. Contact Helen with your questions and comments at Helendenn@gmail.com. Visit Helen at HelenMdennis.com and follow her on facebook.com/SuccessfulAgingCommunity

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​ Orange County Register 

Got an empty nest? Feather it with these documents

• July 30, 2023

As summer wraps up and the kids head back to school or off to start their adult lives, many parents may be facing the proverbial “empty nest.”

For some, this is an exciting time. That bedroom now can be a library, an actual guest room or even a craft room!

For others, it’s a sad time. Your “babies” are grown, and your house feels empty. Or maybe it’s an ambivalent mix of both emotions.

Either way, have no fear; your work is not done. Now, you’ve got some legal documents to consider.

When your child turns 18

When your child turns 18, they are, for better or for worse, a legal adult. That means you no longer have the right to make decisions for them, nor can you obtain information about them from third parties (schools, hospitals, banks).

This can come as a shock to parents, especially in an emergency. There is a way to avoid this outcome by putting specific documents in place.

Healthcare directives

First, have your adult children fill out and execute an advance health care directive (also known as a health care power of attorney) and HIPAA form.

The AHCD allows someone to designate the person who will make healthcare decisions for them in the event they are unable to do so. They can also list an alternate in case their first choice is unavailable. The document also provides some guidance for the decisions they’d like made.

If your child lives in California, use the state’s statutory form (last updated in 2019). The form needs either two witnesses who are not named in the document (and at least one of whom is not related) or a notary. If your child lives in another state (temporarily — while attending school, for example — or permanently), consider using that state’s form.

A HIPAA form allows your adult child to designate third parties with whom medical personnel can communicate. Your adult child can list parents, friends, siblings, or others. Note that the authorization is for information and communication only—it does not give any decision-making powers (that’s what the healthcare directive is for). If your child is hospitalized in an emergency, you’ll be able to get the information you need with a HIPAA form.

Power of attorney

In addition to the health care directive, consider having your adult child sign a durable power of attorney authorizing you to make decisions and act on their behalf in the event of their incapacity or by their choice.

With a properly executed and activated power of attorney, you’ll be able to access bank accounts, pay bills, and handle insurance claims and legal matters, among other things on behalf of your adult child. The power of attorney does not take any rights away from your adult child; it merely allows you to act on their behalf as well. If your adult child travels out of the country for any extended time, this may be particularly useful.

Review documents

When children grow up and leave the home, it’s a good idea for you to review your own estate planning documents.

We often see clients who dutifully executed wills, a trust, powers of attorney, health care directives and nomination of guardians for minor children when their children were young and then never looked at those documents again. Estate planning documents are not “one and done.”

They need to be reviewed as laws and life changes. Children growing up and leaving the nest is one of those changes that should motivate you to review your documents.

Did you name other people (your own parents, perhaps) as successor trustees of your trust or power of attorney for you? Does that still make sense? Are your own children now old enough (and responsible enough!) to name instead?

What does your trust provide for your children?

You may have implemented a trust when your children were young, and your net worth was less. At the time, it may have made sense to provide that in the event of your death, the child or children get their inheritance outright when they’re eighteen or twenty-one.

Now that the kids are that age and your net worth is larger, does this still make sense (the answer is likely no!)? Perhaps the reverse is true—you left the inheritance in trust until the child turned thirty-five or even forty. Now that you see how your child turned out, does this still make sense? Have you loaned one child money that you expect to be paid back? If so, does your estate plan deal with that?

If you haven’t updated your own estate planning documents since your children were young, let the empty nest serve as a reminder that time has passed, and things have changed. While you’re dusting out their bedroom, dust off those legal documents as well.

The baby birds may have flown the coop, but you’ve still got to feather their nest—this time, it’s with legal documents. Every adult—kids over eighteen, mom, and dad—should have an Advance Health Care Directive, HIPAA form, and durable power of attorney in place.

An adult with assets of any kind should have a will and likely a trust. Those documents should all be reviewed and updated on a regular basis–and hey, now you’ve got that empty room to use as an office in which you can review and organize paperwork.

Teresa J. Rhyne is an attorney practicing in estate planning and trust administration in Riverside and Paso Robles, CA. She is also the #1 New York Times bestselling author of “The Dog Lived (and So Will I)” and “Poppy in The Wild.”  Reach her via email at Teresa@trlawgroup.net

​ Orange County Register 

Rich Archbold: Long Beach Pride parade, festival –and the P-T — have come a long way

• July 30, 2023

More than 100,000 people have gathered in Long Beach in recent years to celebrate Pride with a weekend parade and festival, and a similar number is expected next week.

That makes Pride one of the largest events in the city, second only to the three-day Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

But it hasn’t always been that way.

When the founders of the Long Beach Pride nonprofit, which is now 40 years old, proposed throwing a parade and festival in 1984, public officials and residents resisted — often with open hostility.

Vanessa Romain, a longtime LGBTQ community leader, said a man with a loudspeaker would drive by her house in a small truck, yelling, “Vanessa, you’re going to die.”

One member of the City Council member used rude language to express his opposition to the LGBTQ celebration.

Before the second-annual event in 1985, Judi Doyle, one of Long Beach Pride’s founders, received a death threat and was asked by public officials to wear a bulletproof vest if she marched in the parade. Doyle, then president of the organization, said the threat was chilling.

She donned a bulletproof vest — but no bullets were fired.

Some people, though, threw eggs at parade participants, she said.

After the first parade, religious fundamentalists routinely attended City Council meetings to oppose the parade and festival.

There were demands to make gay/lesbian leaders pay for police supervision and other city services during theevent. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on behalf of the organizers, saying that the same services had been provided at less or no cost to promoters of other events. The ACLU won its case in court.

During those early years, meanwhile, the Press-Telegram was also hearing from readers who were unhappy with our coverage of the parade and LGBTQ issues in general.

I was managing editor at the time. Larry Allison was executive editor.

Together, and with the staff, we had discussions about covering the LGBTQ community and how it had to be fair and as complete as possible.

We also wanted to refrain from photos showing participants dressed in too-revealing attire, being a family newspaper and all. There was, however, a bit of disagreement on this with some editors, who felt that since this was a public parade, we should show whatever was going on — no matter what.

Three years earlier, in 1981, we produced an in-depth, special report on the gay community in Long Beach. Written and researched by reporter Candy Cooper over a four-month period, her stories talked about how the gay community was growing in numbers and influence in Long Beach and was “beginning to change the fabric of this city.”

But the report also said that a large percentage of the gay population was still “largely closeted and quite discreet.”

In that series of stories, gay and lesbian people talked about harassment from police, who denied the accusations. Some police officers even denied that there was a gay community in Long Beach then.

Other gay issues and voting blocs were also discussed. Some politicians said they didn’t know whether gay support was an asset or a liability.

Cooper’s reporting also dealt with gay and lesbian lifestyles being as diverse as the community at large.

Our coverage of the first parade in 1984 consisted of a main story and two photos on the front page of our then Local News section. The headlines read: “Gay Pride event — a first for LB; Organizers call it ‘historic.’”

One photo showed marchers displaying posters of famous Americans who were considered gay. The other showed gay fathers forming a marching contingent. Participants marched down Ocean Boulevard in a parade that lasted about 30 minutes, with most of the 2,500 or so lining the parade route during a drizzle, cheering marchers as they paraded by.

A man bearing a Bible taunted parade watchers with the admonition, “God hates homosexuals.”

The story ended with Judi Doyle telling people entering the festival grounds to hold on to the other half of their torn ticket.

“This is history,” she said.

Our coverage of the second parade in 1985 consisted of a main story with two photos, again on the front of the Local News section but with a teaser box on Page 1 referring readers to the story inside.

The headline read: “Pride, prejudice displayed at parade.” The photos showed pom-pom boys leading the Great American Yankees Freedom Band, and another showed two men on a motorcycle, one of them bare-chested.

The second parade drew an estimated 5,000 spectators, and anticipated confrontations between pro- and anti-gay factions didn’t materialize. At one intersection, marchers were put to the test by a group of angry, placard-wielding protesters, with one banner reading, “Perverts on Parade, What next?”

One parade participant told foes of the activities: “We aren’t here to confront anyone. We’re just here to stand up and say, ‘we’re Christians. We’re just human beings like you. And we’re proud of ourselves.’”

The third parade in 1986, was the one that made the front page.

The headline read: “7,000 line route of march to cheer Gay Pride Parade.” The main photo showed “Emperor Boom Boom,” a fabulously dressed man with an entourage and balloons. A second photo showed spectators on an Ocean Boulevard balcony razzing anti-gay demonstrators.

Despite what we thought was fair and thoughtful coverage in those first three years, we still offended some readers. More than 200, in fact, were so offended that they canceled their subscriptions.

Some members of the gay and lesbian community were offended, too — but for different reasons. They complained to us that our coverage was one dimensional and didn’t get at the real issues facing them. They also said we were not portraying them as real people with feelings, hopes and dreams like everyone else.

Our daily coverage started to change.

We did more stories on issues affecting the LGBTQ community. We did human interest stories more often and not just in special reports. In 2003, the Press-Telegram had a story on that year’s Pride festival with the headline, “Gay Pride Parade Has Come a Long Way.”

I thought then that the headline could just as easily have read, “Press-Telegram Comes a Long Way.”

​ Orange County Register 

UFC 291: Gaethje knocks out Poirier in second round to win lightweight bout

• July 30, 2023

By JOHN COON Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY — Justin Gaethje knocked out Dustin Poirier with a head kick one minute into the second round to win the main event lightweight bout at UFC 291 on Saturday night.

The third-ranked Gaethje (26-4) celebrated his victory by climbing to the top of the Octagon fence and doing a backflip off it. His perfectly timed headshot helped him avenge a loss to Poirier in 2018 when he suffered a fourth-round technical knockout via strikes.

It was Gaethje’s 20th win by knockout or TKO and his seventh victory in his last nine fights.

Second-ranked Poirier (29-8) entered the rematch between the two former interim lightweight champions as a minus-152 favorite according to FanDuel. He matched Gaethje blow for blow in the first round before being quickly dispatched in the second. With the victory, Gaethje claimed a BMF belt – the second UFC fighter to be awarded that belt.

Beating Poirier opens the door for Gaethje to have a potential title bout against the winner of Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira, who are set to square off at UFC 294 in October.

Gaethje’s BMF win over Poirier headlined five main card bouts.

Alex Pereira defeated Jan Blachowicz by split decision in a light heavyweight bout billed as the co-main event for his eighth win in his last nine fights.

Pereira (8-2), ranked second as a middleweight, made his debut in the light heavyweight division at UFC 291 after losing the middleweight title belt via knockout to Israel Adesanya at UFC 287 in April. Blachowicz (29-10-1) did not make the transition in weight class a smooth one for the former champion.

Derrick Lewis earned a record 14th knockout win over Marcos Rogerio de Lima just 33 seconds into the first round of the heavyweight bout. The No.10-ranked Lewis (27-11) scored an immediate takedown with a flying knee and pummeled 15th-ranked Rogerio de Lima (21-10-1) with repeated punches to score the early finish. He celebrated snapping a three-fight slide by stripping off his shorts and dancing around the Octagon.

Bobby Green beat Tony Ferguson by submission via choke with six seconds left in the third round of the lightweight bout. Green (30-14-1) dominated the final two rounds to earn his second career submission, scoring takedowns in both rounds while raining repeated blows that left his opponent battered. He denied Ferguson (26-9) a shot at earning his first UFC victory since 2019, sending the 39-year-old fighter home with his sixth straight loss.

Kevin Holland made quick work of Michael Chisea to win the welterweight bout. Holland (25-9) beat the 12th-ranked Chisea — fighting for the first time following a two-year hiatus — by submission at 2:39 in the first round. He used his length and striking abilities to trap Chisea (18-7) in a D’arce choke, forcing a quick tap out.

Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith, Jazz coach Will Hardy, and former Jazz stars Deron Williams and Karl Malone were among those in attendance at the second UFC pay-per-view event in 11 months in the Beehive State.

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​ Orange County Register 

Terence Crawford unifies welterweight division with TKO in dominant win over Errol Spence

• July 30, 2023

By MARK ANDERSON AP Sports Writer

LAS VEGAS — Terence Crawford knocked down Errol Spence Jr. three times Saturday night before finally ending the fight at 2:32 of the ninth round on a technical knockout to cement himself as one of the greatest welterweights in history.

The fight, the most-anticipated boxing match in several years, unified the division for the first time in the four-belt era that began in 2004.

Crawford (40-0, 31 knockouts) already owned the WBO belt, and took the WBC, WBA and IBF titles from Spence (28-1). Crawford also ran his KO streak to 11 matches, the second-longest active stretch.

Crawford, 35, has won titles in super lightweight and lightweight in addition to welterweight, capturing the latter after moving up in 2018. The Omaha, Nebraska, fighter became the first male boxer to become the undisputed champion in two divisions.

A big fight night on the Strip still brings out the stars, with recording artists Cardi B and Andre 3000 of Outkast, actor and Las Vegas resident Mark Walhberg, NBA star Damian Lillard and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones at T-Mobile Arena. They were among the celebrities that also included former boxing champions such as Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.

Eminem introduced Crawford and his song “Lose Yourself” played as he walked into the ring.

Spence was the aggressor early on, but Crawford sent him to the floor with a right hand with 20 seconds left in the second round. Then Crawford went after Spence, but time ran out before he could finish him off.

Crawford, a minus-154 favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, then took control of the fight, landing several major blows, often on counters. But Crawford also picked his spots to go after Spence, his punching power taking a heavy toll.

In the seventh round, Crawford knocked down Spence twice — with a short right at 1:02 and with another right with just a second left.

The 33-year-old Spence who lives in DeSoto, Texas, won the IBF title in 2017, claimed the WBC championship in 2019 and took the WBA championship last year.

In the co-main event, Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz (25-2-1) of Mexico beat Chicago resident Giovanni Cabrera (21-1) by split decision in a WBC and WBA lightweight match. Judges Benoit Roussel (114-113) and Don Trella (115-112) scored the fight in favor of Cruz, and Glenn Feldman gave Cabrera the fight by a 114-113 score. Cruz had a point deducted because of a head butt.

Also, Alexandro Santiago (28-3-5) of Mexico won the vacant WBC bantamweight title with a 115-113, 116-112, 116-12 decision over Nonito Donaire (42-8), who lives in Las Vegas.

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Angel City FC rookie goalkeeper Angelina Anderson helps lead way to Challenge Cup win

• July 30, 2023

LOS ANGELES — Angelina Anderson made her Angel City Football Club debut Saturday and it ended up being a winning one.

Anderson, who was a third-round draft pick out of Cal in the NWSL Draft, came up with her best two saves late in the second half to preserve Angel City’s 2-1 NWSL Challenge Cup win in front of 13,154 at BMO Stadium.

First, she saved an Olivia Moultrie penalty kick in the 84th minute and one minute later, she came with a one-handed save on another shot by Moultrie that was headed toward the near post.

“Saving the PK was obviously awesome, Anderson said. “It was one of those moments I was locked in and in the zone.”

Anderson said she was told she was starting two days ago. She is the third goalkeeper behind starter DiDi Haračić and Brittany Isenhour.

“I had to change my mindset about what it would really look like and feel like to play in a game,” she said. “I personally do a lot of visualization, getting in my own head space and that really helped me out for this game.”

Even as she came out for warmups, Anderson said it still didn’t feel real.

“I was still kind of shocked,” she said. “I was overjoyed to be out there …surreal is the world I would use.

“My defense came up big time tonight. Their positioning on the field makes it really predictable sometimes for me to make a big save. That was major and helped me out.”

Angel City had to endure a 10 minutes of stoppage time at the end of the 90 minutes before finally celebrating. The win moves Angel City into second place in the West Division standings with seven points. Angel City also improves its unbeaten streak under interim coach Becki Tweed to six consecutive games.

This was the third meeting of the season between the teams and the second and last in the Challenge Cup. The first match (April 29) ended in a 3-3 draw. Portland won the first Challenge Cup contest 3-2 (May 31).

McCaskill provided the winning goal on a free kick in the 47th minute.

“I made it a goal of mind to put myself in situations to score more goals,” McCaskill said. “At the end of the day, I just want to help us win.”

Angel City opened the scoring in the ninth minute as McCaskill headed in a cross from Jasmyne Spencer.

Portland’s Morgan Weaver scored the equalizer in the 44th minute with a piece of individual excellence, curling a shot from 20 yards out by the outstretched arms of Anderson.

Angel City will wrap up Challenge Cup play next Saturday on the road at San Diego Wave FC.

Tweed credited goalkeeping coach Dan Ball for his work with Anderson.

“When we drafted her, we knew she was an incredible talent,” Tweed said. “We thought she needed to be in a professional environment. Credit to Dan Ball for his work with all three of our goalkeepers.

“Giving her the first minutes of her professional career was a choice we had to make because as a goalkeeper you get to the stage where you have to know if she’s ready or not.”

​ Orange County Register