Lakers drop game to Celtics for first Las Vegas Summer League loss

• July 13, 2023

For the first half of Wednesday night’s matchup against the Boston Celtics, it looked like the Lakers were going to pick up their third consecutive summer league victory.

But the Celtics outscored the Lakers 30-17 in the third quarter to take a 73-70 advantage going into the fourth, a lead Boston didn’t relinquish in its 95-90 victory at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The defeat was the Lakers’ first in the Las Vegas Summer League after picking up wins against the Golden State Warriors on Friday and the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.

After leading 28-19 at the end of the first and 53-43 at halftime, the Lakers were limited to 37 points in the second half. They shot 38.7% from the field for the game.

The Lakers again were led by Max Christie, who had 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting to go with eight rebounds and three assists. He also had five turnovers in 35 minutes. D’Moi Hodge added 22 points on 6-of-13 shooting from 3-point range.

First-round draft pick Jalen Hood-Schifino (15 points) and Cole Swider (14 points) also scored in double figures.

Jordan Walsh led the Celtics with 25 points and eight rebounds. Jay Scrubb added 18 points, six rebounds and four assists off the bench.

The Lakers next face the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday at 8 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The date and opponent for their fifth game and final game in Las Vegas will be determined by the results of their first four matchups.

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Real Housewives of Orange County: Smoke a joint, get stoned

• July 13, 2023

The housewives are in matching red-and-black plaid PJs when Heather Dubrow has an idea on this week’s episode of “The Real Housewives of Orange County.”

“Let’s smoke a joint!” she says, and then crouches to try to light her marijuana cigarette like a twig in a campfire in Montana. To no one but Heather’s surprise, this does not work.

“I’m not a huge smoker, but every once in a while I do feel like it’s fun to pull out a joint and have a little puff,” Heather later explains.

A flashback finds Heather, Gina Kirschenheiter, and Shannon Storms Beador at the checkout counter of a marijuana dispensary. When? It’s unclear. The text on screen reads “4 weeks 20 days,” which might mean a captioner was getting high on Heather’s supply.

How much were they buying? Exactly $465.92, according to the receipt we see as Heather peels off hundred dollar bills to pay for her pot.

Soon the joint is alight, and the housewives are high, high, high. How do we know? The show has helpfully edited this footage in “Blur-O-Vision,” so that see what happens inside the Montana lodge where the wives are staying as if we, too, are high – cue the “Twilight Zone” sound effects.

It’s a little disorienting, to be honest, so … it works? Gina pours champagne from a bottle two or three feet above the glasses. Tamra’s pajama bottoms are pulled down to reveal her bare-but-for-a-thong behind. Tamra actually gets the worst of the weed, as she seems to realize as she’s collapsing into bed at 2:35 a.m.

“Heather got me stoned,” she mumbles as she pulls the covers over her head. “She’s a (jerk).”

The next day, their last in Montana before heading back to Orange County, the housewives have their choice of two outings – whitewater rafting or flying fishing. Do the housewives seem like they know which end of the paddle or the pole to hold? That’s probably the point.

Tamra, Taylor and Jenn Pedranti pick the raft, and head off to meet Kevin, a shirtless, easy-going 23-year-old who unbeknownst to him is about to become possibly the most famous river guide in Montana once the episode airs.

The Trouble with Kevin isn’t anything about his rafting skills. He keeps the women in the boat even as they scream going through a few sets of rapids. It’s the short shorts that apparently don’t quite cover all that shorts are supposed to cover.

No big deal, right? It happens. But then our housewives are inclined to act like middle schoolers at the thought, much less the sight, of what they’re seeing, and so we get a full minute or more of commentary on the situation.

Tamra tells the camera she thought she was “going to die.” Jenn gives a too-thorough description of the effect of cold river water on this and that.

“I can’t stop staring at it,” Taylor announces at one point. She does not mean the river.

So here’s to Kevin, the King of the Clark Fork River rafters, may he one day live this down.

Meanwhile, Heather, Shannon and Gina are trying to figure out flying fishing. Check that. They’re trying to figure out how to stay vertical while walking in waders on river rocks. And you can guess how that goes.

“Oh, are you kidding me?” Gina says as she slides in slow-motion into the river, water rushing inside the waders. Heather bends over laughing so hard that she snorts at this.

Shannon goes down next, with Heather not far behind. Shannon shouts that she sees a “lobster” in the river, and they all panic more. Their flying fishing guide, Butch, who wisely wore long pants, says nothing to disabuse of them of the notion that lobsters live in the rivers of Montana.

Scattered throughout the episode is the ongoing storyline of Jenn’s boyfriend Ryan. The previous week, Tamra had told Jenn and the rest of the wives that a friend told her Ryan had once declared Tamra would be his conquest. In so many words.

This stirred up all kinds of drama then, which continues this week. Eventually, back home in Orange County, Jenn tells Ryan what’s been getting said about him.

“Wait, what?” Ryan replies. “She’s serious? Or she’s joking?”

Serious, Jenn tells him. Ryan remains incredulous.

— At dinner the last night in Montana, Jenn orders a Red Bull and Malibu. Heather does the correct thing and face-palms herself at the idea of downing a cocktail mixed from the energy drink and the coconut-flavored rum-based liqueur.

— Gina, who’s been triggered by Jenn’s love life with bad memories of her own failed marriage, goes against Heather’s advice not to bring her current boyfriend Travis into the picture and tells Travis how she’s feeling. It might have been a bad move – talking about your unresolved trauma and your ex-husband with your current beau – but Travis handles it like the good egg he is.

“Should I not talk to you about these things?” Gina asks at one point.

“No, absolutely you should talk with me,” Travis replies. “That’s one of my jobs in the relationship. Lean on me more. I’ve got some pretty big shoulders; let’s go.”

Related links

Real Housewives of Orange County: Tamra and Shannon kiss and make up
The Real Housewives of Orange County are full of mechanical bull
Real Housewives of Orange County: Emily goes full-on Nancy Drew
The Real Housewives of Orange County: They’re on a boat! And one’s gonna jump!
‘The Real Housewives of Orange County’: Tamra returns!

​ Orange County Register 

Sparks blown out by Aces, take 6-game losing streak into All-Star break

• July 13, 2023

LOS ANGELES — Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson scored 16 of her game-high 25 points in the first quarter and finished with 12 rebounds, as the Sparks found themselves in a double-digit hole early and were blown out 97-78 – their sixth consecutive loss – on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena.

“A’ja was stepping back in that 12- to 15-foot range. She was ramming it at us off the dribble,” Sparks coach Curt Miller said. “She was just showing you she’s one of the elite players in the world right now, period.”

The short-handed Sparks (7-13), who trailed 54-31 by halftime and finished with 16 turnovers, were overmatched and head into this weekend’s WNBA All-Star break having lost nine of their past 11 games.

“We haven’t quit,” Miller added. “We keep fighting and I think there’s a lot of growth from (Wednesday night) that we can take from. Azurá Stevens was great on the glass, her best game in a Sparks uniform.”

The Sparks were led by Stevens, who finished with a season-high 22 points and 12 rebounds, for her second double-double of the season. All-Star forward Nneka Ogwumike was the only other Spark to score in double figures with 20 points (on 10-for-15 shooting) and 11 rebounds for her 11th double-double.

Ogwumike said she’s enjoyed playing with great people during the first half of the season.

“We want to see each other do well and we want to see each other fight out there on the court and be aggressive and also stand in our value,” Ogwumike said. “I think a lot of us come out here with a small bit of underestimation on an individual level and us realizing we’re here and we deserve to be here and putting that together into a team that is confident in what we do and how we do it.”

The Aces (19-2) shot 54.4% from the field and had strong performances from Wilson (her 13th double-double on 9-for-14 shooting) and fellow All-Star guards Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Gray. Plum had 21 points, five rebounds, four assists and five steals. Young finished with 14 points and five assists, and Gray added 16 points and five assists, several of the no-look variety. Aces forward Candace Parker sat out her third consecutive game with a left foot injury.

“Scheme-wise, I thought we could rotate to her harder as we tried to disrupt Jackie Young early in the game. It left us at times rotating off of A’ja and we have to rotate from behind,” Miller said. “Some of our rotations and schemes were a little bit late. Those are things that we can teach our team through film and show them but again you have to tip your hat to some of the shots that A’ja Wilson makes … there are a lot of players in this league that make open shots, what makes Vegas special is they make contested shots.”

LA Sparks head coach Curt Miller talks about what he wishes his team could have down differently against Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson who dropped 16 points in the first quarter of the Aces 97-78 win at https://t.co/qiCMWv7WDv Arena Wednesday night. pic.twitter.com/JP6wygyxn0

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) July 13, 2023

The Sparks trailed 32-15 after the first quarter. The 6-foot-4 Wilson had 16 points and five rebounds in the first 10 minutes of the game as the two-time league MVP and WNBA All-Star game captain made seven of her first eight shots.

The Sparks found themselves down by as much as 26 points in the second quarter, but they used a 10-1 run early in the third quarter to get within 55-41. That was the closest they would get the rest of the night, though, as the Aces countered with a 7-2 run to push their lead back to 62-43 lead with 4:47 left in the third.

The Sparks trailed 80-52 heading into the fourth quarter.

“The ups and downs always come but you always have to have the perspective of the bigger goal,” Ogwumike continued. “You have to have the perspective of the process and not arrest yourself to results and that’s something that I think we’re learning a lot about ourselves.”

With a rotation of just nine players due to Layshia Clarendon (foot), Chiney Ogwumike (foot), Nia Clouden (knee) and Lexie Brown (non-COVID illness) recovering from injuries and illness, the Sparks were focused on execution, energy, and effort in their matchup with the top team in the league.

“It’s executing the gameplan, coming out fighting, competing, giving energy to each other,” Sparks guard Jordin Canada said before the game.

After the game, Sparks rookie guard Zia Cooke, who scored eight points off the bench, explained what she wants to see from her team after the All-Star break.

“I want us to stand for togetherness,” Cooke shared. “No matter what happens, we’re going to stick together. For the next half of the season, we’re going to keep fighting the same way we did for the first half. This is a brand-new team and everything is new and we’re going to figure it out. Like I said, it’s been a lot of adversity but it’s nothing that none of us can’t handle so just staying together and pushing through every moment as a team.”

The Sparks next play at the Minnesota Lynx (9-11) on Thursday, July 20.

Zia Cooke explains what she wants the LA Sparks to stand for after the All-Star break in the second half of the season. #WNBA #WNBATwitter pic.twitter.com/4A4biYMNqP

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) July 13, 2023

​ Orange County Register 

Survey: Californians say extreme weather, climate change are hitting close to home

• July 13, 2023

A vast majority of Californians say climate change is already impacting their communities, with Los Angeles area residents the most likely to report feeling those effects, according to an annual survey on the environment from the Public Policy Institute of California.

In the wake of a historically wet winter, the survey shows Californians are a bit less concerned about water supply issues and drought than they were last year. However, the whiplash of weather extremes in recent years has left residents worried about a spike in related events, such as wildfires, floods and heat waves.

Nearly half of Californians — and more than half of Inland Empire residents — said they’ve been affected by such an event in the past two years. That’s compared with one in three adults nationwide who in March told Gallup pollsters that they’d been impacted by extreme weather. The PPIC poll also shows that nearly three-quarters of all Californians link such events to climate change.

As a result, more than six in 10 residents told the PPIC that they believe the state’s stricter environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost, even if the rules put jobs or economic growth at risk.

“Solid majorities say it is very important for the state government to pass regulations and spend money now on preparing for and reducing climate change,” noted Mark Baldassare, statewide survey director for the PPIC, which polled 1,724 adults from June 7 to June 29.

That could bode well for a climate measure Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers are floating for the 2024 ballot, which could ask voters to approve a $15 billion bond to help pay for climate action.

The survey results released Wednesday, July 12, come two days after Newsom signed a state budget that cuts $2.9 billion from programs aimed at fighting climate change. That is less than the $6 billion the governor proposed cutting from climate spending in January. But with the state facing a $30 billion deficit, leaders are touting the 2024 bond as a way to more than make up the difference in climate spending. And even if the bond doesn’t pass, California’s budget is expected to include $51.4 billion in spending on climate projects, such as getting more electric vehicles on the road, over the the next several years.

Exactly half of Californians have seriously considered buying an electric vehicle, per the survey, and 8% already have one. That’s up slightly from last year, when 49% said they were considering an EV and 6% had one at home.

Inland Empire residents are the most likely to have considered an EV but the least likely to own one, per the PPIC. That’s in line with other research, such as a May study from the nonprofit group Coltura that found Southern Californians who drive the most are the slowest to switch to electric vehicles due to high purchase costs and concerns over charging access.

Most Californians support a federal goal of boosting the electric vehicle market so that by 2032 EVs account for two-thirds of all new cars and trucks sold. But the poll found most Californians oppose the state’s goal of banning gas-powered vehicle sales by 2035, with just 45% approval overall, including 60% of registered Democrats. Support for that ban is highest among Los Angeles residents, young adults ages 18 to 34, Asian Americans and people earning less than $40,000 a year. It’s lowest among Inland Empire and Central Valley residents, White residents, and those earning more than $80,000 a year.

Most Californians also favor the state law requiring all electricity to come from renewable sources, such as wind and solar, by 2045. However, just 43% told surveyors they’re willing to pay more for renewable electricity. That’s down from 56% who said they’d be willing to pay more for fossil-free electricity in the 2016 survey.

In terms of the state enacting regulations and spending money now to fight climate change, residents in the Orange County and San Diego region were second only to Bay Area residents in terms of supporting those efforts, with 62% in favor. Los Angeles area residents weren’t far behind at 60%, while just 45% of Inland Empire residents support those moves.

Statewide, a little more than a quarter of residents say climate change is a top concern. That figure has been pretty steady since PPIC first asked that question in 2021.

The percentage of residents who say climate change is a top concern falls as income and age rise, with non-White Californians much more likely than White residents to be worried about the issue. Los Angeles ties with the Bay Area for having the most residents who say they’re highly concerned about this issue, with 31%, while just 17% said the same in the Inland Empire.

While the share of people who said water is the most important environmental issue facing California today has fallen to 22% from last year’s 30%, it was still the top pick in this year’s survey. That’s good news to water watchdogs, who’ve faced the challenging task in recent months of encouraging people to continue conserving even as melting snow causes flooding in some parts of the state.

“Despite the recent rains, drought is the new normal for Southern California,” said Bruce Reznik, executive director of Los Angeles Waterkeeper.

Historically, residents do tend to use a bit more water in the months after a drought ends. But they don’t return to pre-drought levels, since many have formed habits and taken steps, such as removing turf, that permanently reduces their water use. That trend seems to be holding this year, with data from the State Water Resources Control Board showing average monthly residential use jumped from 56 gallons in March to 68 gallons in April, a month after regulators lifted restrictions across Southern California and other areas. But that rate is still down significantly from April 2022, when average residential use was 83 gallons per month.

After water issues, the largest share of Californians told surveyors they’re most worried about wildfire, with 18% citing it as a top issue vs. 13% who said that last year. Climate change also gained a bigger share on the top concerns list, up to 16% from 11% in 2022.

In terms of addressing these issues, Los Angeles residents have the most confidence that the government will be ready to respond to extreme weather events, with 21% having a “great deal” of faith vs. 16% of Inland Empire residents with that level of confidence and 15% in the Orange and San Diego counties region.

Most Californians also think state leaders are doing a better job than their federal leaders in this area, per the survey.

“When it comes to their handling of environmental issues, majorities approve of Governor Newsom and the state legislature, while half approve of President Biden and one in four approve of Congress,” Baldassare said.

Newsom’s approval rating on environmental issues is at 58%. That’s down from a peak in 2020, when his approval hit 69%. But it’s the highest approval rating for a governor on environmental issues in the past dozen years of the PPIC survey.

Biden’s approval on environmental issues peaked in 2021 at 61% and is now at 47%, while Congress’ approval rating for this area is at just 25%.

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Lakers’ LeBron James is not retiring, will return for 21st NBA season

• July 13, 2023

Lakers star LeBron James confirmed he won’t be retiring from the NBA and will be returning for his 21st season, though few ever believed his playing days might be over.

After winning an ESPY for the best record-breaking performance for breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA career scoring record, James made the expected announcement Wednesday that he isn’t done playing.

“Can I give everything to the game still? The truth is, I’ve been asking myself this question at the end of the season for a couple years now, I just never openly talked about it,” James said during his acceptance speech at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. “I don’t care how many more points I score. Or what I can or can not do on the floor. The real question for me is, ‘Can I play without cheating the game?’

“The day I can’t give the game everything on the floor is the day I’ll be done. Luckily for you guys, today is not that day.”

James cryptically hinted at considering retirement in late May in the aftermath of the Lakers being swept by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals.

But most assumed he would return for at least one more season.

The four-time league MVP posted a series of pictures of the players the Lakers re-signed or signed after free agency started on his Instagram story earlier in the month.

“It was also nice to just see him celebrate the roster, once we completed it,” Lakers GM Rob Pelinka said last weekend in Las Vegas. “A series of Instagram posts and different things, celebrating his teammates. And that’s just the leader LeBron is. He knows how to galvanize a group and bring them together and we’re just excited that he’s behind that.”

James, who will turn 39 on Dec. 30, is entering the first season of a two-year, $99 million contract extension he signed with the team last summer. He has a player option for 2024-25.

​ Orange County Register 

USMNT falls to Panama on PKs in CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal

• July 13, 2023

SAN DIEGO — Adalberto Carrasquilla converted the decisive penalty kick after Cristian Roldan failed to convert his attempt, and Panama beat the defending champion United States 5-4 in a shootout after a 1-1 tie on Wednesday night to reach the CONCACAF Gold Cup final against Mexico or Jamaica.

Iván Anderson scored his first international goal in the ninth minute of extra time, and Jesús Ferreira tied the score for the U.S. six minutes later.

After beating Canada on penalty kicks in Sunday’s quarterfinal, the U.S. – using what could be considered a junior varsity roster for this tournament – went to a second shootout for the first time in a Gold Cup.

Panama reached the final for the third time after losing to the U.S. in 2005 and 2013. Mexico squared off with Jamaica later Wednesday in Las Vegas.

The U.S., a seven-time winner of the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean, failed to reach the final for the first time since losing to Jamaica in a 2015 semifinal.

The game marked the finale for interim coach B.J. Callaghan, who led the U.S. to five wins, one loss and one draw as the Americans’ second interim coach this year. Gregg Berhalter returns for the Sept. 9 exhibition against Uzbekistan.

American Cade Cowell hit a post about 20 seconds in and that was the closest to a goal until Panama went ahead nine minutes into extra time. Carrasquilla played a through pass to Anderson, who was kept onside by DeAndre Yedlin. Anderson took a touch and played the ball past onrushing goalkeeper Matt Turner, then kicked the ball into the open net for his first international goal.

Ferreira scored six minutes later after Matt Miazga played a long pass to Jordan Morris, who headed the ball into the penalty area. Ferreira volleyed the ball with his right shin from 16 yards past the outstretched left hand of a diving Orlando Mosquera for his 15th international goal, his seventh of the tournament

With the U.S. going first in the shootout, Ferreira was stopped by Mosquera.

Fidel Escobar and Ismael Díaz beat Turner, while Djordje Mihailovic and Morris were successful for the U.S. Turner dove to his left to stop Christian Martínez and Julian Gressel and Miazga converted around Édgar Bárcenas’ successful kick for Panama, leaving the U.S. ahead 4-3.

Cecilio Waterman tied the score with Panama’s fifth shot, Mosquera dove right to parry Roldan’s attempt and Carrasquilla put his shot inside Turner’s right post.

More to come on this story.

​ Orange County Register 

Rolling Hills Estates and LA County establish fund for landslide victims

• July 13, 2023

The city of Rolling Hills Estates and Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn’s office announced Wednesday, July 12, they have teamed up to form a $125,000 fund for the residents displaced by the recent land movement on Peartree Lane.

Rolling Hills Estates will contribute $25,000 to the fund, while Hahn’s office will support the fund with $100,000, which will “provide an option for temporary housing, food and other essentials for residents who have been ordered to evacuate their homes,” according to a press release.

Mayor Britt Huff said in a phone interview Wednesday that she first saw the damage after it was reported on July 8, and has seen it progressively get worse over the following few days. But she said there was positive report on Tuesday the land movement was “tapering off” and might be stabilizing.

“Obviously everybody’s still in a state of shock,” Huff added.

In a statement, Hahn said the residents lost everything in the disaster.

“Many of them poured their life savings into these homes and lost it all in a matter of hours,” said Hahn, who added the funds would give residents support while they work out what to do next.

“When these funds run out, these people will still need help,” Hahn said, “and I hope that our federal and state partners can offer their support.”

City officials, meanwhile, on Tuesday evening, declared a local emergency specifically to get the ball rolling on potential state and federal funding.

The emergency declaration, according to a staff report, is the first step to city officials requesting further financial support from the State Office of Emergency Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

But city officials have no idea how much it will cost to help the residents whose homes were destroyed.

Helping with displacement is only a piece of the puzzle for residents who have lost everything, including, for many, what is probably their largest investment: the equity in their homes.

The financial toll is mammoth.

According to information from the real estate site Zillow, for example, the townhouses range from just over $1 million to $1.6 million.

And, though the land has stabilized under the homes according to RHE’s last two community updates on Wednesday, there are still many unknowns in what city staffers called “the evolving nature of the situation” in a report before Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

Much hinges on the forthcoming analysis of a geologist, according to a city spokesperson. Until then, RHE has referred all questions about the land movement to Scott Management, the property management company for the homeowner’s association. The HOA is responsible for hiring a geologist, according to city and county officials.

“The City can not speculate on the outcome of this land movement at this time as there has been no geological analysis and the situation remains active,” said a City spokesperson via email on Wednesday.

A representative for Scott Management, meanwhile, did not return multiple requests for comment.

Funds for displacement relief, meanwhile, are coming from a variety of sources.

The $25,000 from Rolling Hills Estates will come from unused American Rescue Plan Act 2021 resources, “available for discretionary expenses that were allocated to the City by the Federal Government as part of the COVID-19 response and relief package,” according to the press release. Funds from Hahn’s office are coming from the Fourth Supervisorial District Housing Discretionary Fund.

According to the press release, the day after the Rolling Hills City Council unanimously declared a local emergency at its July 11 meeting, RHE has aided residents displaced by negotiating a “reasonable daily rate at a hotel in the South Bay region to provide up to three weeks of housing.”

Clothing, toiletries, food and other essentials will be supplied to the residents.

“Some displaced residents were only given minutes to evacuate, leaving behind basics that one would normally bring on a short trip,” read the statement.

Twelve structures were originally red tagged when the land started to slide in the RHE gated community, followed by five more that were evacuated because of a broken sewer line.

“They can’t stay and live in there, but they can go into the house, is my understanding,” said Huff, on Wednesday, of those five houses.

“An additional 11 residential units on Peartree Lane are still on ‘watch,’ meaning they are not required to evacuate but are encouraged to do so as further assessment of the area continues,” according to the press release.

As residents across the entire Peninsula begin asking questions about what to do in case of a landslide in the area susceptible to such events, the county aims to offer some answers.

A Palos Verdes Peninsula public safety town hall is scheduled for Monday, July 17 at 5:30 p.m. The meeting, hosted by L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn featuring Sheriff Robert Luna, will be at the Palos Verdes Art Center, 5504 Crestridge Rd, in Rancho Palos Verdes. RSVP to fourthdistrict@bos.lacounty.gov or call 310-519-6021.

Residents and interested parties can also check a new city webpage for updates about the landslide incident at www.RHE.city/PeartreeLane.

​ Orange County Register 

Teen, initially in custody for killing his mother in OC, must remain behind bars pending new trial

• July 13, 2023

A 19-year-old who killed his mother more than six years ago and later escaped from both juvenile hall and a halfway house should remain in custody while he awaits an upcoming trial for allegedly crafting a shank behind bars, a judge ruled on Wednesday, July 13, rather than be allowed to live in a transition home now to prepare for his eventual release from lockup.

Ike Souzer has been behind bars since he was 13 years old, and along with killing his mother was convicted of attacking, a couple of years ago, deputy juvenile correctional officers. But social workers say in the past year he has made great strides, and Souzer told Orange County Superior Court Judge Steven D. Bromberg that he is ready to turn his life around and is willing to face the consequences should he be convicted of his pending felony counts of possessing and manufacturing a deadly weapon as a prisoner.

“I just want better for myself,” Souzer told the judge. “Running just makes things worse.”

Souzer’s attorney, David Hammond, requested that Souzer be released pending trial to a transition home and overseen by a 24-hour staff.

But Judge Bromberg ruled that given Souzer’s history, the temptation to escape and disappear rather than face potential further incarceration would be too great. The veteran judge described the ruling as one of the most difficult he has had to make and acknowledged Souzer’s apparently abusive childhood.

“He did not grow up like other kids, and that is so unfortunate,” Bromberg said.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer has referred to Souzer as an “extremely dangerous and extremely violent individual,” and Deputy District Attorney Ann Fawaz argued during Wednesday’s hearing that Souzer remains a flight risk.

In 2017, Souzer’s mother identified him as her killer as she was dying from multiple stab wounds in front of their Garden Grove home. Two years later, the then-15-year-old escaped from juvenile hall in Orange by making his way over a barbed-wire fence, spending a day on the loose before getting caught at a McDonald’s restaurant in Anaheim.

In 2019, a juvenile court judge found Souzer guilty of voluntary manslaughter. His defense attorney indicated there was evidence that Souzer had acted in self-defense following years of abuse.

As a minor, Souzer served his sentence in a juvenile facility. In 2021, he pleaded guilty to battery with injury after he was accused of attacking the correctional officers. A year later, Souzer apparently cut off an electronic monitoring device and left a halfway house. Two days later, he was found at a homeless encampment in Anaheim.

Souzer was moved into an adult jail, where he was accused of crafting the shank, a makeshift knife. His attorney said during Wednesday’s hearing that when he was moved to that jail, Souzer found himself “in over his head” among the more violent and sophisticated inmates.

Hammond — who has represented Souzer since his arrest at age 13 — and several social workers all told Judge Bromberg that Souzer has grown and matured over the past year and now takes responsibility for his actions. Souzer told the judge that when he was young, running away was how he coped with an abusive family environment, adding that he realized he had made a mistake immediately after cutting off the monitoring device.

Even if convicted of the pending charges, Souzer would likely face a relatively short prison sentence, the judge acknowledged. Because Souzer has at least one case in juvenile court, his full records are not public so it is unclear what time in custody he could face even if found not guilty of the adult charges.

The defense attorney argued it was better to release him from lockup now with services to support him, rather than wait and release him following a prison sentence with no support.

“Our system has raised Ike, for better or for worse,” Hammond told the judge. “He is the product of our system. And our system now has the opportunity to help him grow.”

Judge Bromberg told Souzer that if he truly wanted help upon his eventual release from lockup, the support would still be there, adding Souzer will “just have to wait a bit longer.”

“You are not going to be in there forever,” the judge told him.

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register