Sacramento Snapshot: Anthony Rendon passes the speaker’s gavel, marking the end of an era in California politics

• July 3, 2023

Editor’s note: Sacramento Snapshot is a weekly series during the legislative session detailing what Orange County’s representatives in the Assembly and Senate are working on — from committee work to bill passages and more.

Anthony Rendon is not done speaking.

The Lakewood Democrat (not the Angels third baseman) passed on the powerful speaker’s gavel Friday, June 30, marking the end of an era in California politics. In the leadership position since 2016, Rendon is California’s second-longest-serving speaker in state history.

But Rendon is still a legislator — he doesn’t term out until 2024 — and that means he’s not done with his work. He’ll reportedly attend committee hearings, maybe author some legislation, but not frequent caucus meetings to give new Speaker Robert Rivas the opportunity to guide on his own.

At this point, there’s not much to say about Rendon’s long tenure as speaker — a time that saw 157 people come through the Assembly, noted Alex Vassar, a legislative historian with the California State Library — that hasn’t already been written. He led legislators through the COVID-19 pandemic, the #MeToo movement, Capitol renovations and office relocations, the Trump administration and more.

He empowered committee chairs to take ownership of legislation, rarely authoring any himself. (For comparison, former Speaker John Pérez authored 45 bills, 24 of which were signed into law during the 2013-14 session; Rendon authored two procedural resolutions in 2021-22, according to Vassar.)

“All decisions were moral decisions,” Rendon said in an interview Friday as he was getting ready to head to the airport to travel back home. “I think the best legislators are the ones who boil things down and make it as simple as possible and ask: ‘Is this the right thing to do?’”

Sacramento Snapshot: Speaker Rendon looks to more oversight work this year

Of course, none of it was without controversy. Even the handing of the baton to Rivas, the Salinas Democrat whose name now adorns the Speaker’s Office in the statehouse, was the culmination of a bruising power struggle.

If you ask Rendon, he likens his time as speaker to James Joyce’s “Ulysses” novel, a story not marked by cohesive sections but rather an almost helter-skelter storyline. “It doesn’t seem like the same experience,” he says.

In retrospect — something Rendon has been considering of late — it’s the pandemic chapter that changed the legislature the most. Even now, with vaccines readily available and socialization less and less taboo again, legislators aren’t getting together as much, he said.

“Once the quarantine happened, people just got out of the habit of going out and hanging out as members. It changed the dynamic between the executive branch and the legislative branch,” Rendon said. “It very, very much changed the job.”

Rendon is acutely aware of how far Sacramento is from Southern California — his 400-mile flight between his Los Angeles County district and Sacramento often felt more akin to 1,000 miles, he joked. But for residents like those in his district, like those in Orange County even, that distance can amplify constituents’ voices, he said.

“The best way to cut down on the abstraction — and state government can be incredibly abstract — is to talk to your legislator, and your legislator will notice because of the isolation that is Sacramento,” Rendon advised. “Legislators are more accessible than you think.”

Looking ahead, Rendon is looking forward to becoming a regular ol’ legislator for a bit.

“I spent 20-some years in the nonprofit sector doing administration, and I came to the Assembly and spent three years as a legislator and loved it because it was so different than running a nonprofit. It was so incredibly different than administration and HR and budgeting,” said Rendon. “It was three great years, and then I was like, ‘Oh, it’s back to HR and administration and facilities and hiring and firing.’”

It was a “cruelly short glimpse into another life,” Rendon said, “I’m excited about going back to that aspect of the legislature.”

In other news

The governor signed two bills last week from Orange County legislators, both dealing with education.

One was Assemblymember Tri Ta’s legislation requiring school districts to notify nearby community colleges when a college or career fair is planned. Specifically, districts would need to notify community college districts with overlapping jurisdictions.

The Westminster Republican’s bill comes as enrollment in the California Community College system has declined.

“California’s community colleges play a crucial role in educating the state’s future workforce and providing an accessible education for Californians,” said Ta.

The governor also OK’d Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva’s bill updating California statute with the teaching credential program local school agencies must provide to braille instructional aides. It was backed by the California Teachers Association.

“This vital bill ensures that California statutes are updated to accurately identify the teaching credential pathway program for braille instructional aides, addressing the teacher shortage crisis, particularly in special education,” said Quirk-Silva. “Our most vulnerable students with the greatest needs often have the least qualified teachers, and this legislation is a crucial step in providing expert educators for all students, with equity and inclusion.”

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Novak Djokovic’s bid for Wimbledon title No. 8 and Grand Slam trophy No. 24 starts on Monday

• July 3, 2023

By HOWARD FENDRICH (AP Tennis Writer)

WIMBLEDON, England — Listen to Novak Djokovic’s opponents explain why he is as successful as he is – why he will begin his pursuit of a fifth consecutive and eighth overall Wimbledon championship on Monday; why he also will be attempting to claim an Open era-record 24th Grand Slam trophy over the coming fortnight on the All England Club’s grass courts – and they’ll offer plenty of answers.

His best-in-the-game return of serve. His dangerous two-handed backhand. His elasticity. His stamina. His defense. His ability to read someone else’s intentions, get to where a ball is headed and send it back with force, a combination Casper Ruud described this way after losing to Djokovic in the French Open final: “He sort of just goes into this mode where he just becomes, like, a wall.”

Listen to Novak Djokovic explain why he’s done what he’s done and why, at age 36, he’s still doing it, and he’ll offer a reason far less tangible and far less observable, something he mentioned during his victory speech at Roland Garros a few weeks ago.

“I try to visualize every single thing in my life and not only believe it, but really feel it with every cell in my body. And I just want to send a message out there to every young person: Be in the present moment; forget about what happened in the past; the future is something that is just going to happen,” Djokovic said. “But if you want a better future, you create it. Take the means in your hands. Believe it. Create it.”

Speaking that day about his own hopes and dreams as a 7-year-old kid, Djokovic noted two primary goals: getting to No. 1 and winning Wimbledon.

He’s already been No. 1 for more weeks than any man or woman in the half-century of computerized rankings. Now he will try to pull even with Roger Federer by earning title No. 8 at the oldest of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments. Djokovic is one ahead of the injured Rafael Nadal – and three ahead of the retired Federer – for the most singles majors won by a man, with 23.

“Those two guys,” said Djokovic, who faces Pedro Cachin of Argentina at Centre Court on Monday, “were occupying my mind for the last 15 years quite a lot.”

His 23 is the same number Serena Williams ended her career with last season; only Margaret Court, who won 24 across both the amateur and professional eras, has more.

“Grand Slams are the goal. I don’t know how many, but I think he has in his body a lot more,” said Djokovic’s coach, Goran Ivanisevic. “It’s fascinating to see, because sometimes you think, ‘OK, now you have 23.’ But he’s going to find, again, some kind of motivation to win 24, maybe 25. Who knows where is the end?”

Entering the 2011 season, the so-called Big Three’s Slam standings looked like this: Federer with 16, Nadal with nine, Djokovic with one.

After winning his initial major title at the 2008 Australian Open, Djokovic went through an 11-major span where four of the losses came against Federer or Nadal in a semifinal or final.

His self-confidence waned a bit.

“That’s where I was really doubting myself, whether I could do it or not, because you get far but then you fall on the last hurdle,” Djokovic said. “The more times you kind of fall, the more you question everything, you know what I mean?”

And yet, with the same tenacity he uses on a court – “The mental fortitude he has is unbelievable,” was how his first-round opponent in Paris, Aleksandar Kovacevic, put it – Djokovic dug in away from the court and found ways to improve. And still does that, which is part of why most consider him, and not top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz, the favorite as Djokovic continues to pursue the first calendar-year Grand Slam by a man since Rod Laver in 1969.

“The thing that you have to admire about him is that he’s been very clear on what it is that he wants to achieve – trying to get that Grand Slam record. When he put himself in a position to do that, he delivered,” said Andy Murray, who won two of his three major titles at Wimbledon. “He didn’t look like he was getting nervous or overthinking it or any of those things. Yeah, he went and did it. It shows the strength of character that he’s got.”

So where did this belief come from?

Djokovic points to several factors: his upbringing during a time of war and embargo in Serbia in the 1990s; his parents (“95-plus percent of people … were laughing at them, and were discouraging them to spend whatever is left over from the family budget into such an expensive sport,” he said); his first coach and “tennis mother,” Jelena Genčić; and a later coach and “tennis father,” Niki Pilić.

All helped him grow as an athlete and person.

When he was 7 or 8, Djokovic said, Genčić would show him videos of the best male and female tennis players. She also taught him “the importance of relaxing and listening to classical music, reading poetry, singing, and reading, breathing consciously and so forth.”

His mother, he said, “is a rock,” and his father “instilled in me such power of belief and positive thinking.”

That, as much as any particular shot or talent, is why, Djokovic says, “On a daily basis, I’m the best on the court.”

It’s why he has won 11 of the past 20 Grand Slam tournaments.

And it’s why he wants to keep going.

“I don’t feel more relaxed, to be honest. I still feel hungry for success, for more Grand Slams, more achievements in tennis. As long as there’s that drive, I know that I’m able to compete at the highest level,” Djokovic said. “A few days after Roland Garros, I was already thinking about preparation for grass and what needs to be done.”

​ Orange County Register 

Los Alamitos horse racing consensus picks, Monday, July 3, 2023

• July 3, 2023

The consensus box of Los Alamitos horse racing picks comes from handicappers Bob Mieszerski, Art Wilson, Terry Turrell and Eddie Wilson. Here are the picks for thoroughbred races on Monday, July 3, 2023.

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Ferreira 1st American with back-to-back international hat tricks as US advances in Gold Cup

• July 3, 2023

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jesús Ferreira became the first American to score international hat tricks in consecutive games, and the United States advanced to the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals with a 6-0 rout of Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday night.

Ferreira scored in the 14th and 38th minutes against 101st-ranked Trinidad, then converted a penalty kick in the third minute of first-half stoppage time.

Cade Cowell scored in the 66th, four minutes after entering, and Gianluca Busio in the 79th — the first international goal for both. Brandon Vázquez added his third goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time as the No. 11 Americans won by six goals for the second straight game.

A 22-year-old son of former Colombian midfielder David Ferreira, Jesús Ferreira joined Landon Donovan as the only Americans with three hat tricks. Twelve of Ferreira’s 14 international goals have been against Caribbean nations, including four against Grenada in June 2022 and three versus St. Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday.

“When I see his movement and his confidence in the penalty box, you can tell that the game has slowed down for him,” U.S. interim coach B.J. Callaghan said. “All of the work that he’s doing, leading our line defensively, dropping down, helping buildup play, for me he’s having a really complete tournament.”

The U.S. won Group A on goal difference over Jamaica and advanced to a quarterfinal at Cincinnati on July 9 against Canada, Guatemala or Guadeloupe. The Americans have 40 wins, one loss and five draws in the Gold Cup group stage

The U.S. won its group for the 16th time in 17 Gold Cups, along with a second-place finish to Panama in 2011.

Trinidad was eliminated, finishing with a win over St. Kitts and a pair of losses. The Soca Warriors denied the U.S. a trip to the 2018 World Cup with a victory at home.

Ferreira put the U.S. ahead in the 14th minute. Cristian Roldan shuffled the ball to DeJuan Jones, who cut back to Ferreira. He settled the ball and poked the ball in from near the penalty spot.

Ferreira doubled the lead in the 38th when goalkeeper Marvin Phillip palmed his initial shot and Ferreira put the rebound in off a leg of defender Sheldon Bateau.

Guatemalan referee Mario Escobar awarded the penalty kick when Alvin Jones pulled down Djordje Mihailovic, and Ferreira sent his kick to Phillips’ left.

Goalkeeper Matt Turner, defender Miles Robinson and Roldan were inserted into the starting lineup in place of Sean Johnson, Matt Miazga and Cowell.

Midfielder Alan Soñora missed the game because of a strained right hamstring and will be replaced on the roster. Midfielder Aidan Morris was allowed to leave camp for what the U.S. Soccer Federation said were personal reasons.

Jamaica, which drew 1-1 with the U.S., advanced with a 5-0 win over St. Kitts at Santa Clara, California. The Reggae Boyz went ahead on an own goal by goalkeeper Julani Archibald, then got goals from Jonathan Russell, DiShon Bernard, Daniel Johnson and Cory Burke.

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Angel City and Gotham FC play to scoreless draw

• July 3, 2023

HARRISON, N.J. — Goalkeeper DiDi Haracic made three saves for Angel City in a 0-0 draw with Gotham FC in the lone match Sunday in the National Women’s Soccer League.

Haracic stopped a pair of shots by Gotham’s Delanie Sheehan and Yazmeen Ryan in the space of four minutes in the first half.

Angel City (3-6-5) is undefeated in three straight matches, but remains mired in 11th place in the league standings. Gotham (6-4-4) is in fifth.

There was a touching moment when Mana Shim subbed into the game in the second half and was greeted with a warm ovation.

Shim was one of the players who came forward in 2021 with allegations of misconduct and sexual coercion against former NWSL coach Paul Riley, spurring a pair of investigations that misbehavior was systemic in the league. Riley, who no longer coaches in the league, denied the allegations.

Shim had not played in an NWSL game since 2018.

Ange City’s Jun Endo, who is on Japan’s roster for the upcoming Women’s World Cup, returned from a knee injury that has kept her sidelined since late May. She came in as a substitute in the 77th minute.

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Cam Talbot finds reason to celebrate with Kings

• July 3, 2023

While the Kings may have acquired their crown jewel in the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade, the deal only created greater anticipation as to who would fill their egregious void between the pipes.

That question has been answered in the form of soon-to-be-36-year-old Cam Talbot, who celebrated his new contract and wedding anniversary simultaneously Saturday before introducing himself to the Kings faithful Sunday.

“This team is built to win right now, and they are very goalie-friendly with the system that they play,” Talbot said. “I’m just going to try to step in and make it as seamless as possible.”

The move reunites Talbot not only with former Minnesota Wild teammate Kevin Fiala, who was the first King to reach out to Talbot over the weekend, but with Coach Todd McLellan, for whom he played (and played and played and played) for in Edmonton for four seasons. That included making 140 starts in just two campaigns between 2016 and 2018, what Talbot described as some of his best years.

“History is repeating itself, in the sense that Mr. McLellan is now his coach in L.A. There is a relationship that is already there and some faith from what he knew he did in Edmonton,” said Patrick DiPronio, who has coached Talbot privately for 26 years and counting.

Talbot also mentioned the Kings’ depth down the middle. Already possessing one of the top all-around centers of his era in Anze Kopitar, they added a shutdown guy in Phillip Danault two seasons and Dubois, whom they hope can become a prototypical top-line pivot, this summer.

“We’ve got two of the best two-way centers in the game, then you bring in a guy like Pierre-Luc Dubois, now you’re pretty stacked down the middle,” Talbot said. “Then, playing in Todd’s system, obviously I’m very comfortable with that.”

Talbot will continue to work with DiPronio, as he has since he was in grade school. He also credited longtime New York Rangers goalie coach Benoit Allaire with shaping his game at the outset of his pro career. Since New York, he’s had half a dozen other addresses in the NHL, but none of his success may have come if not for Allaire.

“If I didn’t sign with the Rangers out of college, I don’t know if I would have made it to the NHL. He helped rebuild me, honed what skill I already had but also kind of took me back a little bit,” Talbot said. “I played a lot more like Jonathan Quick coming out of college than Henrik Lundqvist, so he kind of found that happy medium.”

While Talbot said the situation at the rink was what lured him to Los Angeles, its location, along with its natural wonders and theme-park adjacence, was a nice bonus for Talbot, wife Kelly and twins Sloan and Landon, who will turn 7 in October.

“The city and the climate is a huge bonus. We’ve been in some of the coldest climates throughout my career –– Edmonton, Calgary, Minnesota, Ottawa –– so this is definitely going to be a nice change of pace, and we’ll leave the Canada Goose (parkas) at home this summer,” Talbot said.

“They’re going to be excited that they can just walk outside in shorts everyday instead of putting on a snowsuit,” added Talbot, whose briefest stop was in not-always-sunny Philadelphia.

Talbot’s ability to walk around or, more specifically, man his goalcrease was not always a given last season. His campaign was fettered by three separate injuries, but Sunday he expressed equal confidence in his present health and his offseason training regimen.

This year, Talbot figures to share time with Pheonix Copley, who could have been considered at various points the Kings’ No. 3, No. 2, No. 1, No. 1A or No. 1B goalie. The Kings also signed another goalie with NHL experience, David Rittich, who made the lion’s share of starts in Calgary during the 2019-20 season, only to see Talbot claim the Flames net down the stretch and into the playoffs. Last season, both Talbot and partner Anton Forsberg, who tore both his MCLs in February, were limited by injuries as well as a less-than-stalwart defense.

In between, Talbot operated at both ends of a tandem in Minnesota, with neophyte Kaapo Kahkonen and then potential hall-of-famer Marc-Andre Fleury. DiPronio said that while Talbot has been a rhythm goalie who plays better the more work he gets, that he was also highly adaptable and almost never turned in two subpar efforts in a row.

He offered an example, the lone blemish on Talbot’s 7-1-0 run to a gold medal at the 2016 World Championships with Canada in which he also posted a 1.25 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage.

“He played well until the (first) Finland game and he struggled; they ended up losing that game. I told him, ‘Learn from it. Focus on your little things,” DiPronio said. “Well, they ended up playing Finland in the final and, obviously, he proved himself.”

In addition to the two goalies, the Kings have been looking to make low-cost signings to restock depleted organizational depth following a hectic series of player transactions. They made another such signing Sunday, adding defenseman Joe Hicketts, 27, to a mix of players destined for their top minor-league affiliate.

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Alexander: Angels end losing streak, and can they now turn it around?

• July 3, 2023

ANAHEIM – This could be a make-or-break juncture in the Angels’ season. And by those standards, Sunday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks might have been about as must-win as you can get for the first weekend of July.

You will never hear that in a major league clubhouse, of course. The message there is about the process, about things evening out over the course of a season and the necessity of staying on an even keel. And after the Angels’ 5-2 victory over Arizona Sunday afternoon, there was relief in ending a four-game losing streak but little concern that another loss might have started a major tailspin.

“I don’t think we look too deep into the numbers, so to speak,” said leadoff hitter Mickey Moniak, who had probably the day’s biggest number, a three-run homer in the bottom of the second that made it 4-2 and provided the margin of victory.

“I think we try to take everything one day at a time, and we’re going into each and every game confident that we can win that game. … It’s baseball. Four-game skids are going to happen. But to be able to cut it off right there and, you know, beat a good pitcher like (Arizona ace Zac) Gallen is huge. And, you know, we just want to ride the momentum into the next series.”

Anyone remember the old line from the movie “Bull Durham” about how cliches are your friends? That applies here, as it does anywhere athletes are asked to explain themselves to the media.

But there’s a point here. Players concern themselves with the process. Especially in this day-to-day sport, the big picture is always the most important … and just maybe the next winning streak is right around the corner. You have to think that way, just to stay sane.

Outside of that clubhouse bubble, we take note that the Angels (45-41) were once among the three wild-card teams in the American League but are now two games behind the Yankees for the No. 3 spot. And we also take note of history, and the nine-year postseason drought, and previous cold streaks that have ground promising Angel seasons into dust.

The 14-game losing streak that got Joe Maddon fired last year, turned summer into a bummer at Angel Stadium and might have helped Arte Moreno consider selling before reconsidering, is the most recent and freshest in the memory bank. But it’s happened before. The 2019 team had 2-8 and 5-17 stretches after the All-Star break. In 2017 the Angels were 2-7 in September to drop from the wild-card race. The 2015 team, defending division champions, went 1-9 in July to drop from a tie for first, and was blown out of wild card contention with a 7-16 stretch in September.

Yes, different players, different manager and coaches, but are there questions remaining about why Angels fans can be so fatalistic? Or why, outside of the clubhouse, a July 2 game might have outsized importance?

“Well, I’m having some of my coaches over at my house tonight,” manager Phil Nevin said following the game. “And I was gonna cancel everything if we lost five in a row,” he added, drawing laughs.

“We’re going to probably lose three in a row at some point again. That’s just the way baseball works. I think every team goes through that, and it’s how you come out of it at the end. And there’s a strong room in there and I believe in ’em. And so I’m not too concerned when we do have our down moments, because when we break out of ’em it’s usually in a good way.”

Some of the reasons why such a tailspin shouldn’t happen were on display Sunday. Besides Moniak’s three-run shot, Mike Trout homered. And so did Shohei Ohtani, continuing his historic season with a 454-foot home run in the eighth, not only a companion piece to his 493-footer Friday night but one that was hit even harder, 115.4 mph to 115.1.

This team, with these players, shouldn’t ever have a prolonged losing streak, right? Add another strong start from Reid Detmers (three hits, nine strikeouts in six innings), adding to a rotation that entered the day third in the majors in ERA (3.32). And on top of that, there was another lockdown performance from closer Carlos Estévez, who is 21 for 21 in save opportunities with a 1.85 ERA but still found himself omitted from the American League All-Star pitching staff announced Sunday.

Felix Bautista and Yennier Cano of Baltimoire, Emmanuel Clase of Cleveland and Kenley Jansen (remember him?) of Boston were relievers selected for the AL staff, and Jansen was his team’s only representative. It’s safe to assume there will be health-related changes to the roster in the week before next Tuesday’s game in Seattle, so Estévez – whom Nevin referred to as his “All-Star closer” – might get there anyway.

“If I get in I get in,” he said after the game. “But at the same time … I shouldn’t be a reserve guy, just saying. I should have been one of the guys. But like I said, I can’t control that. I can’t worry about it. I’m just gonna enjoy my five days off (if not added) and be ready to go in the second half.”

In the meantime, there are five games before baseball takes its midsummer break: The next three nights in San Diego against the underachieving Padres, and then Friday and Saturday nights in Dodger Stadium against a team that just lost two out of three to the Kansas City Royals, who are now 25-59 and can only look down on the Oakland A’s in the AL standings.

Do the Angels have a hot streak in them? It certainly would make their fan base feel better.

jalexander@scng.com

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With internet and TV ads, hypochondriacs are having a field day

• July 3, 2023

By Shaun Tumpane

Laguna Woods Globe columnist

I admit, I don’t understand hypochondriacs. One of my friend’s ex-wives was a hypochondriac. He can’t remember which one. Maybe that’s why she’s his ex.

Anyway, in a less complicated time, when all us self-aware bipeds weren’t bombarded with information from smartphones, smart TVs, TV watches (remember when we all thought how preposterous Dick Tracy’s talking watch was?) and laptops, hypochondriacs were at the mercy and whim of their family doctors, who had to a) determine whether the patient did in fact have a medical problem, and if not, b) decide how to counsel the patient about the dangers of “crying wolf.”

In those days, the physician was the sole oracle of medicinal remedies, the expert replete with knowledge of all new concoctions, incantations and ointments to soothe and solve any and all maladies. Doctors had it made, with no one other than Hippocratic colleagues to challenge a diagnosis or prescription. Little wonder some acquired a god complex.

Fast forward to the present day. Hypochondriacs rejoice! A perfect storm of your federal government’s acquiescence to the pharmaceutical lobby’s request to be allowed to advertise prescription drugs and global instantaneous data availability via digital Shell Answer Men on the World Wide Web.

There’s no shortage of electronic know-it-alls to be a hypochondriac’s co-dependence co-pilot; Web MD, Medicine Plus, Medscape, Healthline, Medicine Net, Everyday Health, Epocrates and RxList are all sources for medical information. These websites can also be unwitting accomplices as hypochondriacs unleash an avalanche of queries to their doctors about the latest drugs to hit the market to cure all sorts of ailments, real and imagined.

But allowing pharmaceutical companies to advertise their potions, with the disclaimer “contact your doctor to see if Incontinence-Be-Gone is right for you” seems a dereliction of duty.

I have come up with an interesting, if unscientific, method of determining whether I should consult my doctor about a drug I saw advertised: If the required recitation of the possible side effects takes up more time than championing the efficacy of the medication, forget it.

One drug advertised listed among possible side effects both diarrhea and constipation. That one’s a head scratcher.

And while I believe that the requirement to list all known possible side effects makes sense, a more enlightened approach might have been to not allow drugs to be hawked in the electronic public square foisted upon the easily manipulated masses. And remember, sometimes hypochondriacs are actually ill. Take two aspirins and …

Shaun Tumpane is a Laguna Woods Village resident.

​ Orange County Register