California phases out new diesel trucks by end of 2035

• April 28, 2023

In a move that will transform California’s economy and end diesel’s decades-long dominance in goods movement, the state’s Air Resources Board today unanimously approved an ambitious, contentious mandate to shift big rigs and other trucks to zero-emissions.

California’s newest effort to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles is arguably one of the most meaningful steps the state has ever taken to clean up its severe smog and toxic diesel exhaust, reduce greenhouse gases and wean itself off fossil fuels.

The mandate is the first in the world to ban new diesel trucks and require a switch to zero-emission big rigs, garbage trucks, delivery trucks and other medium and heavy-duty vehicles.

The rules will dramatically change the commercial trucks that are driven on California’s roads, affecting about 1.8 million trucks, including ones operated by the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx, UPS and Amazon.

“Ten years from now, when we look back to this day…we can say that California has changed the world,” said air board member Gideon Kracov, who is an environmental lawyer based in Los Angeles. “We can say that California did this right.”

Starting in 2036, no new fossil-fueled medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks will be sold in the state. Large trucking companies also must convert to electric or hydrogen models by 2042. The board decided to review progress and obstacles in meeting the deadlines two and a half years from now.

Diesel-powered engines, known for their high energy efficiency and ability to carry heavy loads long distances, have dominated the nation’s goods movement since the 1950s. But the noxious fumes spewed from these trucks have for decades afflicted communities near ports, railways, freeways and warehouses. Diesel exhaust is linked to cancer and contains fine particles that can lodge in lungs, triggering heart attacks and other respiratory problems.

The move comes 25 years after California declared diesel exhaust a dangerous, toxic contaminant because it contains more than 40 chemicals linked to cancer. While diesel engines have been getting cleaner for decades under California’s earlier rules, they are still a major source of air pollution and greenhouse gases.

During a seven-hour board hearing on Thursday, truckers, local government leaders and fleet operators vehemently opposed the new timelines.

A top executive of the trucking industry in an interview with CalMatters predicted economic chaos and dysfunction and said the mandate is likely to “fail pretty spectacularly.” Local officials from city and county governments, which manage fleets of garbage trucks and other vehicles, told the board that its deadlines are “impossible” to meet.

Jim Verburg of the Western States Petroleum Association, representing oil companies that produce diesel fuel and gasoline, told the board that the measure will hinder the state’s move towards zero-emission vehicles if many businesses can’t comply and are driven out of the state.

“We do not want to see this regulation compromise the delivery of essential goods and services to Californians or compromise the state’s economy,” he said.

Trucking companies say electric models are more than twice the cost of a diesel truck, take hours to charge, can’t travel the range that many companies need to transport cargo and lack a sufficient statewide network of charging stations.

The new rules offer some exemptions if there is a lack of available models by the deadlines. As more electric trucks hit the market, air board staff project that the costs of new trucks and other drawbacks will ease over time.

While the upfront costs are very high to buy an electric truck, the lower maintenance and operational costs are expected to save fleet operators money over time. The air board calculated that operating and managing fleets is expected to result in $48 billion in economic savings.

In 2035, buying and operating an electric semi-truck over its lifespan could range between $765,000 and $1.1 million compared to a gas or diesel truck’s $919,000 to $1.2 million, according to air board calculations. (These totals exclude state and federal subsidies that some companies could receive when they buy zero-emission vehicles.)

Some expensive electric big rigs have already hit the market. PepsiCo last month received delivery of 21 Tesla all-electric trucks at its Sacramento bottling plant. Most were paid for by the local air quality district with $4.5 million in grants. The cost of a Tesla semi is around $250,000, twice the cost of a diesel truck. PepsiCo has ordered 100.

During about three hours of discussion today, several board members quizzed the staff about the industry’s concerns, particularly the challenge of scaling up California’s charging networks to support all-electric trucks. Air board staff said there would be several opportunities to revisit the feasibility of the rule as it’s implemented. The board voted to review the status of charging infrastructure and zero-emission truck availability by the end of 2025.

Still, opponents in industry said the adjustments didn’t accommodate any of their substantial concerns.

Under the new rules approved Friday:

By 2036, truck manufacturers will only be allowed to sell zero-emission models of heavy-duty and medium-duty trucks.
Large trucking companies in California must convert their fleets to electric models. Timelines vary based on the type of truck, but companies will have to buy more over time until all trucks are zero-emissions by 2042.
Drayage trucks, which carry cargo to and from the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland, have one of the strictest timelines: All must be converted to electric models by 2035 and new sales beginning in 2024 must be zero emissions.
The gradual conversion to zero emission models only applies to fleets that are owned or operated by companies with 50 or more trucks or $50 million or more in annual revenue, and federal agencies, including the U.S. Postal Service. Included are trucks weighing 8,500 lbs or more and delivery van vehicles.
Emergency vehicles such as ambulances and fire trucks are exempted.

The mandate is considered one of the powerful air board’s most controversial acts in recent years, even more so than the newly enacted 2035 ban on new sales of gas-powered cars. It builds on a previous state clean trucks regulation, enacted in 2020, that mandated the number of zero-emission trucks that manufacturers must sell from 2024 through 2035.

The Biden administration is also tackling emissions from vehicles. Earlier this month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed new stringent greenhouse gas standards on cars nationwide.

Environmental justice groups and many members of the public told the board at Thursday’s hearing that diesel fumes affect the health and quality of life of people in heavily polluted communities. Many spoke about the health problems they face.

“Their bodies have been the filters for the poison that these trucks spew — and that’s the reality for all the workers in this industry and the communities that live next to it,” said Andrea Vidaurre, a policy analyst at the People’s Collective for Environmental Justice.

Air board member Bill Quirk, 77, of Union City, a former state assemblymember appointed to the board in January by Gov. Gavin Newsom, shared the problems he’s faced from breathing air pollution.

“Toxic air is a problem for everyone. It’s particularly been a problem for me,” he said. “I developed asthma and eventually chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder. My lungs have been ravaged…so I can’t tell you how important this (phaseout of diesels) is.”

Diesel exhaust is particularly severe in communities near the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland, the Inland Empire cities near warehouses and towns near freeways throughout the state.

Air board staff project the mandate will save the state $26 billion in health impacts over the lifespan of the rule.

The air board on Thursday also unanimously approved a separate measure that phases out diesel-powered locomotive engines. Under those new rules, railroads in California must stop using engines that are more than 23 years old by 2030.

Electric vehicles — locally and nationwide

California poised to ban new diesel trucks
Ford’s F-150 leaves tough choices for buyers seeking EV tax credits
EV charging hub in Riverside will power 40 Sysco trucks, 40 trailers
GM tops Ford as No. 2 seller of electric vehicles. Tesla still No. 1
Can California’s power grid handle a 15-fold increase in electric cars?

​ Orange County Register 

The Book Pages: 5 Independent Bookstore Day events

• April 28, 2023

What’s your plan? Tell me you have a plan.

Tomorrow, April 29, is the 10th anniversary of Independent Bookstore Day so if you’re already plotting your options like a detective with a string-covered evidence board, trust me, that is totally normal behavior.

Because if you’re reading The Book Pages, you’re probably ready to go now; I know if I’m even passing by a bookshop or library, my head starts tilting to the left so I’ll be ready to read the spines.

But even if bookstores didn’t already hold a mysterious power over us, you will have help tomorrow. The American Booksellers Association has a map to help you find bookstores on Saturday or other days, too. (Santa Ana’s Libromobile Arts Cooperative & Bookstore is building a map of Southern California BIPOC bookstores you can consult, too.)

There are plenty of bookstores to choose from, including Bel Canto Books, Once Upon a Time, The Iliad, Lost Books, Annabelle’s Book Club, Octavia’s Bookshelf, Vroman’s, Cellar Door Books, Abril, The Ripped Bodice, Underdog, Skylight Books, Village Well, Children’s Book World, DIESEL and more.

Yes, this is how I plan my Independent Bookstore Day activities. (Getty Images)

How many more? According to Allison K. Hill, the CEO of the American Booksellers Association and former columnist for these newspapers, Southern California had 19 independent bookstores open in the last year.

“Over 1,000 independent bookstores across the country are celebrating the 10th anniversary of Independent Bookstore Day with their customers and their communities this Saturday,” Hill told me in an email. “There’s a lot to celebrate this year! Indie bookstores survived and even thrived during the pandemic despite incredible challenges, and they continue to play an important and special role in their communities.”

I couldn’t agree more. But one thing we’re not doing – yet – in our part of Southern California? A bookstore crawl. (Though San Diego has one.) You know, that’s like a pub crawl (but with less spit-up and brawling). The reasons not to have one are, sure, obvious. Southern California is huge, so it’s crazy to expect readers to trek from, say, Zibby’s in Santa Monica to North Figueroa Bookshop in L.A. to The Frugal Frigate in Redlands (with more book stops along the way).

Or is it? The Seattle area, with its 27 bookstores, sponsors a yearly bookstore crawl and allows readers 10 days to complete it. Those who visit all 27 shops get a one-time 25 percent off discount for all of the stores that’s valid for a year. Readers there seem to have a blast with the event and for that, I salute them.

I also think: Maybe Southern California is ready for a version of that (or perhaps Jhoanna Belfer already has these treks scaled just right). What do you think?

That’s for a future discussion; right now there are plenty of good stores in the area. So as we get ready for the big day, I spoke with folks at five Southern California stores to find out their plans for Independent Bookstore Day.

(Keep an eye out for deals as well. Libro.fm has a sale on audiobooks for IBD, and American Express is sponsoring a promotion at three local stores.)

Read on and find out, and please email me at epedersen@scng.com (put ERIK BOOKSTORE DAY in the subject line) and tell me where you went and the books you picked up and I may share them in an upcoming newsletter.

5 Southern California Independent Bookstore Day celebrations

Independent Bookstore Day 2023. (Courtesy of American Booksellers Association)

Café con Libros Press

280 W 2nd St., Pomona (909) 469-1350

cafeconlibrospress.org

chukaruka.com

Robert Turner is the co-owner of Chukaruka, a pop-up bookstore based in Fontana that will be partnering with Café con Libros on Saturday. Along with a bookstore called Subverting Expectations that’s based in Orange County, Chukaruka has been doing a pop-up at Café con Libros every other Saturday for roughly six months, says Turner.

“It’s part of Café con Libros working with the community and furthering their mission of literacy. So we bring different perspectives with our book selections to the space,” says Turner, who carries books for both kids and adults and includes a range of BIPOC voices.

What should people expect on Saturday?

“We have a full slate of events. We will have a slime station set up for children to make their own slime. We’re going to have kids’ yoga time. We’ll have what we call Cuentitos & Crafts, which is a story for kids and a craft. We have a guest author coming Rosiland Adams. And we have a mini-zine workshop. We have a poet showcase,” says Turner.

“We’re gonna have cake and a cocktail hour,” he laughs. “I think I got it all.”

Chevalier’s Books

133 N Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 465-1334

www.chevaliersbooks.com

“The biggest thing that we do on Independent Bookstore Day is we ask a whole bunch of local authors – who shop at the store, who’ve done events at the store, who live in the neighborhood – to come by and work mini shifts as guest booksellers,” says Miles Parnegg, a bookseller and manager at Chevalier’s. “They talk to customers, recommend books, sign stock; you get this blend of personally curated experience but also a little glam factor.”

Describing the event as combination block party and spring clearing sale, Parnegg said authors including Steph Cha, Sarah Shun-lien Bynum and Nikki Erlick are expected.

Plus, Parnegg, who is funny and fun and seems like someone you could buy a lot of books from, described one more element of the day that sounded fantastic.

“Our identity is kind of family oriented and pretty local – we know so many of our customers by name, we know their reading habits – so we’re having kind of a potluck. We have a customer who’s famous for making delicious lemon bars,” says Parnegg. “She’s gonna bring lemon bars.”

These are just the suggested amounts of books you can buy on Independent Bookstore Day. It’s OK if you want to buy more than that. (Getty Images)

Cellar Door Books

5225 Canyon Crest Drive Suite 30A, Riverside [After their upcoming move, their new address will be: 473 E. Alessandro Blvd, Suite B, Riverside] (951) 787-7807

www.cellardoorbookstore.com

“This is a pretty special Independent Bookstore Day for us because it’s our last one in this location. So we’re celebrating the last 10 years, basically,” says Linda Sherman-Nurick, owner of Cellar Door Books in Riverside. “We’re having a big party celebrating the community and what we have here. We are doing a Drag Queen Storytime at 2 – but that has sold out.”

While she’s upbeat about the day’s celebration, Sherman-Nurick says the event will be a little bittersweet as the store will be on the move soon.

“Our last day here is May 6, so it’s a week from Saturday and then we are physically moving from here on May 12,” she says. “They’re telling us that they think the space will be ready around June 1. So we’re hopeful.”

Malik Books

Westfield Culver City Mall, 6000 Sepulveda Blvd Ste #2470, Culver City, Ca 90230 (858)800-1162

www.malikbooks.com

“We’ll be open,” says Malik Books owner Malik Muhammad. “We have a lot of signed books from all the children’s book authors at the LA Times Festival of Books Children’s Stage.”

Muhammad said the store had copies of signed books from children’s authors such as Kwame Alexander, former Clippers player Craig Smith and “Hamilton” star Leslie Odom Jr.

Muhammad, who was on his way back from bringing the store’s bookmobile to a a school book fair when we spoke, says plans were still coming together, but he anticipated a good day.

“We’ll probably have some excitement going on,” he says, emphasizing the importance of bringing kids and books together. “We’ve got to make reading fun, we’ve got to make books fun. We’ve got to get them excited about it because I don’t know what you can do in this world without reading. Anything you need to find, you can find it in a book! Books can change your life!”

LibroMobile Arts Cooperative & Bookstore

1150 S. Bristol St., #A3, Santa Ana, CA 92704

www.libromobile.com

“We have a homecoming reading for a local poet heidi andrea restrepo rhodes,” says Sarah Rafael García of Santa Ana’s Libromobile Arts Cooperative & Bookstore. “Also, we wanted to couple it with Vickie Vértiz, who is from Los Angeles. They have very similar styles of writing and Vickie is a longtime supporter of the bookstore.

“Since Vickie has a new book out called “Auto/Body,” it was a great opportunity to have multiple celebrations in one,” said Rafael García, who said that some local high school students would also be reading their own work that day. “For poetry month, this is just a great opportunity to open the mic for a homecoming poet. We have seven or eight teens that will be reading before the featured poets so it will be a huge community event and we’ll have it outside.”

“All of our events are definitely free and open to the public, no RSVP,” she says, adding that the outdoor space includes murals and a chance to interact with passersby – and baked goods. “There’s this great bakery by the food court – dozens of cakes come out during events when we’re there.”

“The event is not inside the bookstore, so the bookstore is open for visiting regardless of whether you come for the event or not,” says Rafael García.

• • •

What an incredible range of fun IBD events, right? I was surprised by what I learned, but maybe I shouldn’t have been. As Chukaruka’s Turner told me, these events represent who these stores and booksellers are.

“That’s what I love about the independent bookstore community,” says Turner. “We’re independent, we’re so different, and that’s what makes us kind of a cool community because everyone gets to do their own thing and focus on what their community needs or makes their community happy.”

• • •

And if you enjoy this free newsletter, please share it with someone you know who likes books or consider a digital subscription to support our local coverage.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

‘Sunset Empire’ author Josh Weiss on Stephen King, Syd Hoff and a secret dentist

Josh Weiss is the author of “Sunset Empire.” (Photo credit David Dahan/Courtesy of Grand Central Publishing)

Josh Weiss is the author of the novel “Sunset Empire,” a follow-up to “Beat the Devils.” The books are set in 1950s-era Los Angeles, one in which a wave of xenophobic, anti-Semitic populism has elected red-baiting Joseph McCarthy president of the United States. Interested in the convergence of Judaism and pop culture, Weiss has worked as a freelance entertainment journalist for The Hollywood Reporter, Forbes and other outlets. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife Leora and their Cavapoo dog Archie. 

Q. Do you remember the first book that made an impact on you?

Growing up, I always loved stories about kids meeting and/or befriending fantastical creatures. Dr. Seuss’s “If I Ran the Zoo,” for instance, was definitely a pre-bedtime favorite. But if I had to pinpoint the first book that made an impact on me, I’d have to go with the first one I ever learned to read: “Danny and the Dinosaur” by Syd Hoff. I have a vague, yet strong, memory of celebrating the achievement at daycare (my mother, of course, brought the obligatory cupcakes). As a dinosaur-obsessed kid, it was my bible for a very long time — until I was old enough to read “Jurassic Park” in middle school. And even then, I probably wasn’t old enough. The emotional scarring caused by Crichton’s gruesome description of Dennis Nedry’s death still runs deep.

Q. What are you reading now?

I am currently in between two different books: Frank Herbert’s “Dune” and Stephen King’s “Fairy Tale.” I’m a little more than halfway into each, though a number of factors — book promotion, day job responsibilities, and a one-year-old puppy named Archie — have kept me quite preoccupied. With that said, I really do hope to finish “Dune” before the second Denis Villeneuve movie bows later this year. I’ll admit, it’s a little daunting to dive back into the seminal sci-fi tome, but fear, as they say, is the mind-killer.

Q. Do you have a favorite book or books?

Do novellas count? A curious annual tradition I’ve picked up over the last few years, is to read a pair of Stephen King novellas — “The Mist” (“Skeleton Crew”) and “N” (“Just After Sunset”) — once July rolls around. Don’t ask me why, though I suspect it may have something to do with those damn stones in Ackerman’s Field.

In all seriousness, though, I am absolutely addicted to Lovecraftian fiction (before you say anything, I already know “N” was inspired by Machen, not Lovecraft) and King knows exactly how to pierce that thin veil separating our comfortable reality from the incomprehensible horrors existing beyond humanity’s narrow threshold of comprehension. “The Mist” and “N” are — at least in this writer’s humble opinion — two of the most terrifying tales ever put to paper.

Q. Do you have any favorite book covers?

Doesn’t matter what the content is, but any cover drawn by Mike Mignola has me immediately sold. His art style is just so unique and provocative (gothically haunting and beautifully elegant) without being the least bit ostentatious. Mike is a master at telling a lot with very little. In fact, I couldn’t resist picking up an autographed copy of “Hellboy: 25 Years of Covers” at San Diego Comic-Con a few years back.

Q. Which books do you plan, or hope, to read next?

Oh, man — my TBR pile gets higher and higher even as I write this answer. The book at the top of that list is a strange, 209-page alternate history paperback entitled “The Texas-Israeli War: 1999.” Yes, you read that correctly. Written by Jake Saunders and Howard Waldrop, the 1974 publication takes place against the backdrop of a fractured United States crippled by the devastation of nuclear war. When the Union president is kidnapped by Texan secessionists, Israeli mercenaries are brought in to rescue the politician.

Other books I hope to read in the near future are “Killers of the Flower Moon” by David Grann, “Schindler’s List” by Thomas Keneally, “Zodiac” by Robert Graysmith, “George Lucas: A Life” by Brian Jay Jones, “The Day After Roswell” by Philip J. Corso and William J. Birnes, “Strangers on a Bridge: The Case of Colonel Abel and Francis Gary Powers” by James Donovan. I’ll also be cruising through J.W. Rinzler and Laurent Bouzereau’s “The Complete Making of Indiana Jones: The Definitive Story Behind All Four Films” to prepare for “Dial of Destiny.”

Q. Can you recall a book that felt like it was written with you in mind (or conversely, one that most definitely wasn’t)?

Almost every Saturday of early childhood was spent at a playground located down the street from my house. It had everything a kid could want: swings, jungle gym, balance beam, monkey bars, sandbox, and, in the spring and summer, a surplus of newly-hatched caterpillars.

A friend and I once spent a memorably warm afternoon collecting a few of the creepy crawlies in the hopes of nurturing them into butterflies. We were on the verge of leaving the park, ventilated cups full of caterpillars when a ghoulish voice emanated from the sewer drain outside the front gate. I swear it said something to the effect of, “Get me out of here! Get me out of here!” My cup fell to the ground and caterpillars flew in every direction, quickly inching their way back to freedom. I cannot remember feeling more petrified before or since, even though the rational part of my brain knows it was most likely a group of teenagers messing around.

Nevertheless, that raw, bone-chilling memory came back to me the first time I read Stephen King’s “IT” in college. Young Georgie Denbrough’s exchange with Pennywise as the latter pops out of the Derry storm drain made my skin crawl with sinister familiarity (and the bristly reminder of undulating caterpillars). I subsequently devoured the next thousand pages in a matter of weeks, feeling like a long lost member of the Losers Club.

Q. What’s something about your book that no one knows?

Never thought I’d have a public forum in which to divulge this, but there is a running character gag in “Beat the Devils” and “Sunset Empire” — both of which make brief allusions to a certain dentist called “Dr. Bagley.” He’s named after a close family friend (and an actual doctor of teeth), who nearly fainted with joy when I pointed out this little Easter egg to him at a “Beat the Devils” book signing last year. I jokingly promised to bring the character back for the second novel, though that’s exactly what ended up happening as I sat down to refine the original manuscript. Now, however, it seems like Dr. Bagley, DDS has become something of a good luck charm of the blossoming Morris Baker series, which has prompted the dentist’s real-world counterpart to pitch me on a spinoff book.

Q. If you could ask your readers something, what would it be?

Is it possible for you to pick up several hundred copies of “Sunset Empire”? Pretty please?

More Stories on Books and Authors

Dr. Abraham Verghese, author and professor of medicine at Stanford University, discusses his latest book “The Covenant of Water,” out May 2, 2023 from Grove Atlantic. (Photo credit: Jason Henry / Courtesy of Grove Atlantic)

Refreshing ‘Water’

Abraham Verghese says his long-awaited new novel dips into his family’s past. READ MORE

• • •

FILE – Amanda Darrow, director of youth, family and education programs at the Utah Pride Center, poses with books that have been the subject of complaints from parents on Dec. 16, 2021, in Salt Lake City. According to a new report, Maia Kobabe’s graphic memoir “Gender Queer,” was the most “challenged” book of 2022, the second consecutive year it has topped the list. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

Book banning report

Book ban attempts targeting “Gender Queer” and other LGBTQ-themed books. READ MORE

• • •

“The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder” by David Grann is the top-selling nonfiction book at Southern California’s independent bookstores. (Courtesy of Doubleday)

The week’s bestsellers

The top-selling books at your local independent bookstores. READ MORE

Bookish (SCNG)

What’s next on ‘Bookish’

The next Bookish event will be at LitFest in the Dena and include authors Diane Marie Brown and Daniel Akst with host Sandra Tsing Loh & Samantha Dunn.

If you missed (or want to rewatch) the previous Bookish, here’s the link to the April 21st show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haQjTg2ii7k  [Quick links to the guests: Ari Shapiro: 02:08 Sharon Gless: 26:48]

• • •

Sign up for The Book Pages
Miss last week’s newsletter? Find past editions here
Dive into all of our books coverage

​ Orange County Register 

OC lawmakers commemorate Black April with congressional resolution

• April 28, 2023

Reps. Michelle Steel and Lou Correa are commemorating the 48th anniversary of Black April with a bipartisan congressional resolution.

Black April marks the fall of Saigon and South Vietnam on April 30, 1975 to North Vietnamese troops. Millions of Vietnamese fled in boats to escape the communist regime, many finding a home in Orange County and building Little Saigon. Black April is marked locally each year with somber events.

The two OC lawmakers, who together chair the Vietnam Caucus in Congress, said they also introduced the bipartisan resolution to recognize the servicemembers — from Vietnam, the U.S. and other allied forces — who fought and lost their lives during the Vietnam War.

Steel, a Korean American, represents Little Saigon, the largest diaspora of Vietnamese people outside of Vietnam. Pointing to human rights violations and a lack of free speech in Vietnam today, Steel said the resolution serves as a somber reminder of the past while also reaffirming the country’s commitment to “defending democracy.”

“We do this resolution because it should not happen again,” Steel said.

“We lost over 58,000 U.S. servicemen and women during this war, and we have to remember one thing: Freedom is not free,” said the Seal Beach Republican. It is estimated between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese died in the fighting.

As Correa stood on the U.S. House floor Friday morning to make some remarks commemorating Black April, he was taken back to his high school years, he said, when he was in an ROTC program and preparing for the very real possibility of being drafted to Vietnam.

“I was ready to go fight for my country, for freedom in Vietnam,” he said in an interview Friday. Though the draft and war ended before Correa could be called up, he said he watched as neighbors and friends who went off to fight either didn’t come home at all or returned with “those invisible wounds” that altered their lives.

“There’s a lot of memories those years, and it always comes back when I think about the Vietnam War and the Vietnam experience,” Correa said.

The resolution, he said, also serves as a celebration of sorts of all that the Vietnamese people have overcome and accomplished in America, as well as a nod to the immigrant experience.

“What we’re living through right now, at the border, the people who are doing almost exactly what the Vietnam refugees did almost 50 years ago,” Correa said. “These refugees from Vietnam have done so much to transform our society — they have really injected a boost to our economy and our culture. We need to remember that, because especially in Orange County, we are changing on a day-to-day basis.”

Also joining the resolution as co-sponsors are California Rep. Jim Costa and GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania.

In Westminster on Sunday, the day will be recognized with a wreath ceremony, prayers, songs and more at Sid Goldstein Freedom Park from 10 a.m. to noon.

And in Sacramento this week, legislators declared May 11 as Vietnam Human Rights Day. From Assemblymember Tri Ta, R-Westminster, the designation recognizes the “support of efforts to achieve freedom and human rights for the people of Vietnam.”

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

‘We’ve got a little hero:’ Michigan seventh grader honored for taking over school bus when driver passed out

• April 28, 2023

A day after his heroic deed everyone still wanted to talk about Dillon Reeves, the Warren seventh grader whose quick action prevented a school bus crash earlier this week when the driver passed out.

During an appearance before a room full of reporters at Warren Consolidated Schools Administration Building, his parents and school officials said he’s received calls from the likes of Fox News, WWJ-AM (950), Warren Mayor Jim Fouts, and even a surgeon with Corewell Health.

Along with his classmates, a lot of people wanted to congratulate him on his heroic actions.

“His principal reported Dillon was the most popular kid in the school Thursday,” said his father, Steve Reeves.

Related Articles

Dillon, 13, who attends Carter Middle School, was one of 66 students aboard a bus whose driver lost consciousness Wednesday. The bus was making its afternoon run on Masonic Boulevard near Bunert Road, when the driver began to feel uneasy.

According to an in-vehicle video from the incident, the driver radioed into the transportation department that she wasn’t feeling well and planned to pull over in front of Miller Park. After fanning herself with a ball cap, her hands drop to her side and her head droops down as she passes out.

Dillon Reeves can be seen grabbing the steering wheel and applying the brakes on the bus after the driver passed out. (SCREENGRAB OF IN-VEHICLE VIDEO)

A few second go by before Dillon, who was about five rows behind her, races to the steering wheel while applying the brake.

“Someone call 911 — now,” he shouted as he guides the bus to a gentle stop in the middle of Masonic, as the other students begin screaming.

Two Good Samaritans who saw what was going on jumped aboard the bus. One tended to the driver, while the other helped evacuate the students.

A few minutes later, Warren police and firefighters arrived and took over, officials said.

Fast-reacting student stops moving vehicle as Warren Con bus driver faints

“In my 35-plus years of education, this was an extraordinary act of courage and maturity,” said Warren Con Superintendent Robert Livernois.

Livernois said the driver, who he called “one of our best,” appears to have suffered a medical condition. She was still in the hospital Thursday undergoing tests.

While the video of the incident was being played for the media, Dillon looked down toward the ground as his father, mother, Ireta, and sister Raelyn, watched a screen.

“I asked him Dillon how did you know what to do, how did you know to drive that bus,” his mom said. “And he said ‘I watched her do it every day.’ He pays very close attention to everybody.”

Dillon’s dad added: “I don’t know if I will ever know what made him jump into action like that, but I’m extremely proud of him.”

As a video of the incident was being played, Dillon Reeves looked elsewhere. (MITCH HOTTS — THE MACOMB DAILY

Steve Reeves sheepishly said he’s allowed Dillon to drive on country roads, in a golf cart, or sit on his lap while dad drove.

“He’s just a good driver,” Reeves said. “I don’t want to say that out loud, but he’s very attentive to his surroundings.”

His parents say he’s an average young teenager who gets good grades, plays video games, basketball and hockey in the street. They say he hopes to become a police officer or professional hockey player when he grows up

“I want to be a firefighter,” Dillon quietly said, his only spoken comment at the news gathering.

Dillon’s parents say he is still overwhelmed by what happened and needs to process it.

“We’ve got a little hero,” Steve Reeves said.

​ Orange County Register 

More land sliding at Casa Romantica; residents evacuated, trains halted through San Clemente

• April 28, 2023

More soil slid down a slope beneath San Clemente’s historic Casa Romantica overnight, prompting officials to red tag and evacuate condominiums in a building located below and slightly north of the landmark. Train service remains halted through San Clemente.

On Friday morning, Mayor Chris Duncan said he was meeting with Kiel Koger, the city’s Public Works director, to see what the immediate concerns there are.

“There was slight movement overnight and some of the dirt made it closer to the railroad,” Duncan said. “More of the lower units had to be evacuated late last night.”

At about 10:30 p.m., Duncan said an Orange County Fire Authority search and rescue unit assisted the Orange County Sheriff’s Department with telling residents to leave the condominium building. Officials said six of the units were full-time residences.

“It was done out of an abundance of caution,” Duncan said.

Officials, including Koger, said the condos are not likely to slide down the hill because the building is on caissons pushed deep into the slope, but those units in the lower levels are being surrounded by falling debris, which could damage windows or otherwise endanger occupants.

The ground first showed evidence of movement on April 16, when some inch-wide cracks appeared on the casa’s ocean-view terrace. The city, which owns the century-old landmark, had a $75,000 geology study started on Tuesday to determine the extent of earth movement and to see if there was an ancient landslide below.

Over the last week, the cracks grew to feet, and the back portion of a smaller terrace on the 2.5-acre estate gave way on Thursday, April 27, its concrete base pulling away from the tiles and dropping nearly 10 feet.

The debris on Friday was even closer to the tracks and passenger and freight service between Laguna Niguel and Oceanside remained stopped “in an abundance of caution,” officials with Metrolink and the Orange County Transportation Agency said.

Service will only resume when it is determined safe, officials have said. Updates can be found on the OCTA, Metrolink and Pacific Surfliner social media and websites.

Related links

San Clemente officials closely monitoring slope beneath historic Casa Romantica
4 apartment buildings in San Clemente are red tagged due to landslide
Federal officials get up-close look at coastal erosion threats to key rail line
Landslides raise concern, warning for coastal blufftop living
San Clemente landslide after rains triggers federal emergency declaration

Daily commuter service had only resumed early last week through town after several months of emergency repairs to a section of the coastal track further south that had been shifting because of a slipping hillside on one side and waves crashing on the other.

Casa Romantica is the historic home of the city’s founder, Ole Hanson, and is now used as a cultural and events center. The property overlooking the San Clemente pier, features gardens, an open-air courtyard, an amphitheater and ocean views from its terrace and patios.

As of now, all events planned there are canceled until future notice. The center had planned to host a Celtic Festival this weekend and had at least nine private events, including weddings, scheduled in the next month.

“The safety and well-being of our guests, patrons, volunteers, and staff remain our top priority,” Amy Behren, the center’s executive director, said Thursday. “We appreciate everyone’s understanding, and we will keep you updated on the status of the re-opening and rescheduling of events.”

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​ Orange County Register 

Got expired Bed Bath & Beyond coupons? These retailers will take them

• April 28, 2023

Bed Bath & Beyond’s competitors are coming to the rescue of customers looking to use expired coupons issued by the failed retailer.

Big Lots said Thursday that it’s “assisting shoppers nationwide” by accepting the expired coupons until May 7. Customers that bring one of the iconic blue-and-whites into one of its 1,425 stores will receive 20% off a purchase of $50 or more. The offer is only valid in stores.

“At Big Lots, our mission is to help people live big and save lots, which means we’re always thinking of ways to step up and deliver even more value to consumers,” said CEO Bruce Thorn in a press release

Similarly, the Container Store said Wednesday it is offering a 20% discount on any single item to customers “who bring a competitor’s blue coupon to any store location,” with the offer ending May 31.

Boscov’s, a department store with 50 locations, is also exchanging mailed Bed Bath & Beyond coupons for $10 off purchases of at least $50. The offer lasts until May 31 and is valid in store, according to its website.

Earlier this week, Bed Bath & Beyond filed for bankruptcy. The company gave customers until Tuesday to use its ubiquitous coupons. Now, the retailer is offering “deep discounts” on its products as it winds down operations. The store will stop accepting gift cards on May 8, and the brand’s Welcome Rewards points will stop being accepted on May 15.

History of Bed Bath & Beyond’s coupons

Bed Bath & Beyond introduced its oversized coupon for 20% off a single item three decades ago.

Over time, the oversized postcard-like mailer and digital coupon with an eye-popping purple-blue border and font blaring “20% off in-store or online” developed a cult following and became a successful marketing strategy to lure in repeat shoppers, a retail analyst previously told CNN.

The “Big Blue” coupons became a pop culture reference as celebrities and late-night talk show hosts popped it into their on-air conversations.

Rumors swirled on various social platforms that Big Blue coupons never expire, even though the weekly coupon does feature an expiration date.

Then the pandemic hit and walloped the retail industry. With stores closed for months, and consumers rethinking their nonessential purchases, Bed Bath & Beyond sales and profit took a hit. In late 2020, the retailer said it was scaling back on its popular coupon program to boost its business.

Two years later, company executives called the move a ‘big mistake,” admitting they had misjudged how much shoppers had come to embrace the regular cadence of the Big Blue coupons.

Now that the company is going through a liquidation process, Bed Bath & Beyond said it’s the end of the road for the coupons.

Bed, Bath & Beyond

The $11.8 billion mistake that led to Bed, Bath & Beyond’s demise
How coupons backfired on Bed Bath & Beyond
Bed, Bath & Beyond’s bankruptcy plan will shutter, liquidate all stores
Bed Bath & Beyond is closing hundreds of stores, but they won’t be empty for long

​ Orange County Register 

The busiest days to fly around Memorial Day 2023

• April 28, 2023

Memorial Day may mark the unofficial beginning of summer in the U.S., but it’s the days ahead of it that kick off big airport crowds.

The holiday symbolizes the beginning of the summer vacation season for many Americans. But it’s hardly a vacation for airport employees, who typically get pummeled with the largest crowds of the year to date.

Some days around the long weekend are significantly busier than others, and if you can afford to be flexible when flying Memorial Day weekend, you’ll save money and avoid chaos.

The best and worst days to fly Memorial Day weekend

NerdWallet analyzed the past two years of Transportation Security Administration checkpoint data for the six days before and six days after Memorial Day, which shows how many passengers were screened at TSA checkpoints.

In 2021 and 2022, the Friday before Memorial Day was the most-crowded day to travel before the holiday, which is observed on the last Monday of May. As far as post-holiday, the Sunday after has attracted the largest crowds over the past two years.

Based on an average of the past two years, here are the most- to least-crowded days for the 13 days surrounding Memorial Day (including the holiday), ranked:

Sunday after Memorial Day (most crowded).
Friday before.
Thursday before.
Friday after.
Memorial Day (Monday).
Thursday after.
Tuesday after.
Wednesday before.
Sunday before.
Saturday after.
Saturday before.
Wednesday after.
Tuesday before (least crowded).

When broken out by pre- and post-Memorial Day travel, here are the three least-crowded days to travel ranked from least to most crowded. These are likely the best days to fly around Memorial Day weekend.

Pre-holiday:

Tuesday before.
Saturday before.
Sunday before.

Post-holiday:

Wednesday after.
Saturday after.
Tuesday after.

Why flying the Friday of Memorial Day weekend isn’t ideal

While the Friday before Memorial Day is always a big travel day, it was even bigger before the pandemic. For example, in 2019, the Friday before Memorial Day was the third-busiest day at U.S. airports for the entire year, losing only to the Sunday after Thanksgiving and the Sunday of Fourth of July weekend.

The Friday before Memorial Day has yet to reclaim a spot on the “busiest days to fly” podium since the pandemic (after all, the pandemic upended several travel norms), but it’s still noticeably more crowded than other airport visits from January to May. In 2021, the Friday pre-Memorial Day was the busiest day of the first five months of the year. In 2022, it was the second-busiest day in the same period.

Those figures indicate that the long weekend attracts a lot of folks who haven’t flexed their travel muscles in a while. Check-in and security lines will likely be longer — and potentially feel longer — if rusty travelers have forgotten, say, that you can’t pack a regular-sized jar of peanut butter in a carry-on.

Though flying the Sunday after Memorial Day draws bigger crowds, we can find some solace in the assumption that many of these travelers will be returning home. Perhaps they’ve already learned (or relearned) airport procedures and etiquette on the trip out.

The smarter, cheaper Memorial Day weekend itinerary

If you work a standard Monday-Friday workweek and have the holiday off, then leaving Friday after work and returning the Sunday after Memorial Day might make sense. This minimizes the number of vacation days you take, and you’d get eight full days of vacation.

But if you follow the classic Friday-Monday weekend travel itinerary, then you’ll pay — in terms of literal price and airport crowds. Deviate from that schedule to find lighter crowds and perhaps better Memorial Day flight deals, too. Try these travel days instead:

Travel on Saturday: Rather than rushing out from work Friday afternoon, take that evening to pack, spend Friday night in your own bed and take an early flight out Saturday.

Morning flights are often more reliable than evening flights: Those departing after 9 a.m. are twice as likely to be delayed than departures scheduled between 5 and 8 a.m., according to the Flight Disruption Outlook for Spring 2023 survey by travel booking site Hopper.

Fly home the Wednesday after: A lot of people opt for traveling on Memorial Day itself, and many people fly the day after. But relatively few people extend their trip one more day and fly Wednesday.

If you do, you’ll avoid the worst of the airport crowds. You increase your chances of saving money on airfare. Plus, you’ll be home in time for a delightful two-day workweek — which might be just enough time to wrap up lingering tasks without getting fresh projects dumped on your desk.

Fly home the Saturday after: You can still have a weeklong vacation and avoid Sunday’s crowds by flying home the Saturday after Memorial Day.

Then you’ll have a full day at home to knock out laundry and meal prep before the next workweek starts. After all, sometimes the most relaxing way to end a trip is taking a vacation from that vacation.

​ Orange County Register 

Californians continue to pay high gas taxes for bad roads

• April 28, 2023

California’s state fuel taxes are already the highest in the nation and, due to the state’s annual inflation adjustments could rise another eight percent in July. California’s drivers can rightfully wonder if the gas taxes they are paying to build and maintain roads are being put to good use.

California’s roads and bridges rank 47th out of 50 states overall in cost-effectiveness, safety, and condition, the 27th Annual Highway Report by Reason Foundation finds. According to the report, only Alaska, Hawaii, and New York state get worse results from their transportation funding, which ranks each state in 13 road and spending categories.

Compared to neighboring states, California’s overall highway performance and cost-effectiveness are far worse. Nevada ranks 21st out of 50, Arizona ranks 30th, and Oregon is 37th overall. California is frequently measured against Texas. But when it comes to the cost-effectiveness and performance of their highways, Texas ranks 19th overall, well ahead of California’s 47th place ranking.

Costs in California are certainly higher than in most other parts of the country, including Texas. But high costs are not California’s only problem. The state ranks below the national average in 12 out of 13 highway categories. Poor pavement quality, heavy traffic congestion, and high road fatality rates are three areas that need immediate improvement.

With its higher fuel tax, California’s drivers should presumably get smoother roads and fewer potholes. Instead, California ranks last in the nation in urban arterial road pavement condition. Nearly 10% of California’s urban Interstate pavement is in poor condition, ranking 47th in the country. On urban Interstates, California has more than twice Texas’ percentage of poor pavement. For rural Interstate conditions, California ranks 46th in the country and has 3.5 times the percentage of poor pavement as Texas.

California’s drivers also lose time and money stuck in gridlock. The state’s drivers wasted 31 hours in 2021 sitting in traffic congestion, ranking 44th in the nation. In recent years, the number of people working and shopping from home has helped alleviate some of the state’s congestion. However, if major employers continue to require workers to return to the office, California’s traffic numbers could worsen.

In other safety and performance categories, California ranks 25th in structurally deficient bridges, 39th in rural highway fatality rate, and 23rd in urban Interstate fatality rate. Those traffic fatality numbers are far too high for California. Given the large amount of money California collects in fuel taxes, these results are particularly disappointing.

Thankfully, California’s path to improving its highways and rankings is clear. The state should prioritize maintenance efforts on repairing potholes, smoothing rough roads, and upgrading pavement to help drivers and increase safety. Transportation officials should also identify and expedite the modernization and revamping of the state’s most essential structurally deficient bridges.

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Orange County once innovated, creating the nation’s first variably priced toll lanes to deal with the region’s infamous traffic jams. As Southern California continues to add toll lanes, the long-term plan should be to create a network of variably priced toll lanes that connect all major highways. The network would offer drivers, buses, and emergency vehicles a region-wide congestion-free alternative to gridlocked freeways, helping drivers and businesses.

The state’s roads and highways are vital to trade and the economy and must be repaired and modernized. While construction and labor costs in California are undeniably higher than in most other states, California should be doing better than it is with its current gas prices. For the money they’re paying in gas taxes, California’s taxpayers deserve better and safer roads, smoother pavement, fewer deficient bridges, and less traffic congestion.

Baruch Feigenbaum is a transportation policy analyst at Reason Foundation and lead author of the 27th Annual Highway Report.

​ Orange County Register