The Orange County Tribune Feb. 23, 2022

Covering Garden Grove Huntington Beach Stanton Westminster

Non-partisan News Opinion Arts & Living Sports

Printed in Garden Grove, California n orangecountytribune.com n Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022 n orangecountytribune@gmail.com

THREE VEHICLES, NO DEATHS

n GARDEN GROVE CITY COUNCIL

Two Maps To Choose From For Districts Keep them the same, or change?

ONE PERSON INJURED IN SANTA ANA CRASH MONDAY Accident at Fairview and Harvard roads. Car driver was in stable condition.

n STANTON CITY COUNCIL

Dog park, parkette win approval Tuesday night A new dog park in southwest Stanton and a parkette on Orangewood Avenue will be built, following approval by the Stanton City Council

Coronavirus numbers rise A sharp decline of new coronavirus cases in Orange County was followed by Wednesday’s report of a sharp increase.

According to the county health agency, cases jumped from Tuesday’s four-day average of 190 Continued on page 2

Tuesday evening.

A 54,866 square-foot vacant, “underutilized” property, running eastsoutheast from Western Avenue to Cerritos Avenue, will be turned into a dog park.

Another similar property, located at the end of Orangewood Avenue and sized at 9,450 square feet, will be developed into a parkette.

Also approved was for the dog park design project at a maximum contract amount of $193,962 and appropriate $164,000 from the Park in Lieu Fees Fund for the project.

Argonauts in CIF final For the first time in the school’s 100-year history, the boys’ basketball team at Garden Grove High School will play for a CIF-SS championship.

The Argonauts (218) defeated Sunny Hills on Tuesday night and will host the Fullerton Indians Friday in the Grove gymnasium at 7 in a contest for the Division 4AA crown.

ForFor more details, page8 8 more, go to page

A choice between two maps for councilmember districts will be taken up at the March 8 meeting of the Garden Grove City Council.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the council voted 6-0 – with Councilmember Phat Bui (District 4) absent – to bring back for possible adoption for the 2022 elections either the draft map that basically is the same as the existing map or a new one recently submitted.

The new proposed map was submitted by the Garden Grove Redistricting Committee.

Among the changes from the existing map pprposed are adjustments intended to enhance representation for areas with concentrations of mobile home parks and apartment residents, as well as the creation of a Latino majority district and two others that would create two Vietnamese majority districts.

Mechanical problems preceded copter crash NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) – A pilot reported mechanical issues shortly before a police helicopter crashed nose first along the Southern California coast, killing one officer, authorities said Sunday.

A Huntington Beach officer who was injured in the crash Saturday was released from a hospital Sunday morning, police

said. Authorities haven’t identified the officer or detailed his injures, but police spokeswoman Jennifer Carey told the Orange County Register that officials “are optimistic about his recovery.’’

Nicholas Vella, a 14-year veteran, died in the crash, police Chief Eric Parra said Saturday night. Vella, Continued on page 2

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2 WEDNESDAY, FEB. 23, 2022/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

Fatal helicopter crash investigation Continued from page 1

44, leaves behind behind a wife and daughter.

The two officers were responding to a disturbance in the neighboring city of Newport Beach around 6:30 p.m. Saturday when the aircraft crashed in a narrow strip of water in Newport Bay between Lido Isle and the Balboa Peninsula.

Witnesses said boaters rushed to pull the officers out of the helicopter, which landed upside down in shallow water.

The pilot made a brief call to report that the helicopter was experiencing mechanical issues, before calling again to say that they were going to crash, said National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson Elliott Simpson during a Sunday news conference.

Simpson said preliminary reports are that the helicopter made “a nose-down descent

into the water,’’ according to the Los Angeles Times.

Crews used a crane to hoist the damaged helicopter from the shallow water on Sunday.

The cause of the crash will be determined at the end of the NTSB’s investigation, which could take 12 to 18 months, the agency said.

It wasn’t immediately clear which officer was piloting the helicopter.

Dozens of officers and first responders formed a line Saturday night outside the hospital to salute Vella’s casket as it was escorted to the Orange County coroner’s office.

Vella “was truly dedicated to his job and was doing what he loved doing,’’ the chief said.

“This is a difficult night for all of us and I would ask for your prayers and support as we support our officers’ families.’’

The Huntington Beach

Police Department has three helicopters and typically keeps one in operation 24 hours a day. The two other aircraft will be grounded pending an inspection and the preliminary investigation, Parra said.

Coronavirus cases down, up Continued from page 1

cases to 946. Deaths rose from Tuesday’s average of 13.5 deaths to 19.

Hospitalizations fell rose from 325 to 331 and the number of people being treated for COVID-19 in intensive care units fell from 69 to 68.

So far, Orange County has had

JIm Tortolano Editor and Publisher Marilyn Lewis Tortolano General Manager The Orange County Tribune is published on Wednesdays. Address is 9402 Luders Ave., Garden Grove, 92844.

E-mail is orangecountytribune@gmail. com.

Our website is www.orangecountytribune.com.

Phone: (714) 458-1860.

Established Aug. 6, 2016. All opinions expressed in The Tribune, unless otherwise stated, are those of the individual writer or artist and not necessarily those of The Tribune.

A member of The Associated Press and the Online News Association.

536,881 cases, of which 510,659 are considered recovered. The total of deaths in Orange County is at 6,524.

Across the United States, new cases are down by 66 percent over a 14-day period, according to The New York Times, and deaths by 24 percent.

In California, Los Angeles Times reports a 66 percent decline over a similar period, but a 10 percent increase in deaths.

The best in local news

The best in local news

ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/WEDNESDAY, FEB. 23, 2022 3

News&Views n WESTMINSTER CITY COUNCIL

District map choice and “fake news” on agenda The selection of councilmember district maps for the 2022 election tops the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting of the City Council.

The fourth and final public hearing on redistricting will be held starting at 8 p.m., and after hearing input from the public, the council will take on the task of selecting a map composed of four districts – as presently done – and an alternate five-district map.

Picking a five-district map is made necessary by a ballot measure going before voters in June asking voters to decide whether to eliminate direct

election of the mayor and go to that post being rotated among the five councilmembers. That, in turn, would result in five councilmember districts.

Also on the agenda for Wednesday will be a proposed resolution “in support of denouncing and debunking fake news,” as well as an item on selecting a location for placement of the controversial Quang Tri Monument.

The council will meet virtually via teleconference and web conference beginning at 5:30 p.m. for a closed session and the open session at 7 p.m.

Crash kills bicylist in SA A bicyclist is dead after a collision with an automobile in Santa Ana Monday night.

According to Santa Ana police, the incident took place a short while before 7 p.m. Arriving officers found a male cyclist down in traffic lanes in the area of 3800 West 1st Street.

Orange County Fire Authority personnel also responded to the scene and declared the bicyclist dead.

A preliminary investigation

indicated that the cyclist was moving south on Figueroa Street through 1st Street when he was struck by a vehicle traveling east on 1st Street. The driver of the vehicle remained at the scene and cooperated with police.

Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the incident and the investigation into the cause of the accident continues.

Anyone with information about the collision is asked to call the the SAPD at (714) 245-8200.

ACCIDENT TAKES LIFE OF BICYCLIST

CHRISTINE CORDON Westminster’s interim city manager

Best choice could be right there in City Hall The situation at Westminster City Hall is as fractious as it’s been in decades. City staff has been gutted by financial problems and political battles on the city council, recall campaigns are practically as perennial as the Angels posting losing records and ethnic fissures are ever-present.

But there’s one facet of city leadership that’s been – as far as we can tell – beyond rancor, and that’s the work done by interim City Manager Christian Cordon.

She came to Westminster as assistant city clerk in 2016 and took the city clerk job in 2018 on the death of Amanda Jensen. As the new city clerk (and communications director) she has demonstrated a deft hand, being competent, friendly, candid and accessible.

When the city council, going through the spasms generated in part by whipsaw re-alignment, stumbled through the process of picking a new city manager, it finally landed on a smart choice: Cordon.

The city’s top leadership has been in turmoil for years.

Eddie Manfro resigned in February 2020 – and who could blame him? – and then-city finance director Sherry Johnson took on the role of “acting city manager” while a search allegedly began for a permanent top city executive.

After a few months the council majority came up with a name – Chuong Chu Thai – who would have been the first Vietnamese American to serve in that kind of role in the U.S. But a close look at his resume showed he had fired from management positions in Monterey Park and Stanton, and he was dropped like third-period French (see “Good Will Hunting” for the reference).

Continued on page 4

4 WEDNESDAY, FEB 23, 2022/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

Neighbors pitch in to fight a fire Alert neighbors who pitched in to fight a home fire in Garden Grove Tuesday morning are being credited with keeping the blaze from spreading.

According to the Orange County Fire Authority, the fire was reported in the 8600 block of Trask Avenue (east of Newland Street) at 10:44 a.m.

Firefighters found and carried an unconscious man down from his upstairs bedroom, which had filled with smoke from a fire on the first floor.

He was treated by paramedics and taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange in critical condition.

Before the arrival of firefighters, neighbors who smelled smoke

GOOD NEIGHBORS PITCHED IN Help contain blaze at Garden Grove home

and heard the alarms used a fire extinguisher and garden hose to help contain the blaze.

“Reliable” Continued from page 3

A supposed “national search” for a new city manager ended up by elevating Marwan Youseff, the public works director and city engineer, to the top spot. He was clearly out of his depth, and stumbled badly by hiring former councilmember Tyler Diep to serve as a lobbyist without informing the council.

He “retired” as city manager after six months. Cordon became “acting city manager” (and now “interim”) in September 2021 and has impressed many observers.

There’s supposed to be another “national search” process for a permanent replacement, but why bother? Westminster has had four city managers in two years. It appears to us that they may have finally found the right person already there at 8200 Westminster Blvd.

ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/WEDNESDAY, FEB 23, 2022 5

Arts&Living

“Into the Woods” is an enticing journey It’s on stage at the Rose Center in Westminster

By Thom DeMartino Orange County Tribune

Is there really such a thing as “happily ever after”? What comes after the happy ending?

In its first full production in some time, the Rose Center Theater in Westminster has just raised the curtain on the fairy tale frolic that is “Into the Woods,» directed by Tim Nelson, it›s a collection of wellknown folk tales that runs more in the vein of the original darker versions of the stories than the more benign contemporary pop culture versions.

The tale opens with the Narrator (Chris Caputo) setting the scene, as he introduces four sets of characters from the old tales. There›s the excitable Little Red Riding Hood (Kristen Daniels) stopping on the way to her grandmother›s house to get bread and sweets from the Baker and his Wife (Vincent Aniceto and Alexis Karol;) the put-upon Cinderella (Katherine

“INTO THE WOODS” AT WESTMINSTER’S ROSE CENTER THEATER A modern look at the ideas behind the familiar fairy takes of our youth

Stage Review Chatman), abused and taunted by her evil stepmother and stepsisters (Meredith Woodson, Cherie Aniceto and Taylor Herbel, respectively) as they prepare for the Prince›s Ball; and the hapless Jack (Trevin Stephenson) and his mother (Mary Murphy-Nelson) as she chides him to take his beloved

cow, Milky White (Dafne Casterjon) to market.

As each sets upon their path, we learn the wishes that drive them: for Cinderella, the desire to be included and to attend the Ball; for Jack, that his cow could give milk so he doesn›t have to sell her; and for the Baker and his Wife, to be able to have the child they never could.

The pair are suddenly interrupted by the intrusion of

Great: HHHH their ill-tempered neighbor, the Witch (Melissa Cook), who reveals that the couple›s infertility stems from her very own curse upon the family: and if they hope to break it, they are tasked with finding four items and return to the Witch before the third and final midnight.

Continued on page 6

A very familiar path taken in plotline of “Uncharted”

“UNCHARTED” FROM VIDEO TO FILM

Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg are the stars

By Jake Coyle AP Film Writer

Movie Review

Goonies never say die, and neither do some of their storylines.

“Uncharted,`` a new movie based on the PlayStation video game, cribs heavily from adventures like “The Goonies’’ and its holy grail, “Indiana

Jones.” It’s the kind of movie that wears its influences proudly on its sleeve to perhaps enlarge itself by those associations.

Nathan Drake (Tom Holland), who was raised in an orphanage, has no reptile phobia to speak of Continued on page 6

6 WEDNESDAY, FEB. 23, 2022/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

‘Into the Woods” at Rose Center Continued from page 5

A cloak as red as blood, a slipper as pure as gold, a cow as white as milk, and hair as yellow as corn shouldn’t be *that* difficult to find... right?

What follows is an unfamiliar mash-up of familiar stories as the Baker and his Wife quest to find the critical items, and to somehow persuade their owners to part with them to appease the Witch: but what price are they --and all the other characters -willing to pay for their wishes to come true?

Previous to this newest show, the events of the last two years had hampered the Rose Center›s ability to stage larger productions, so “Into the Woods” represents a return to form for the beloved local theater.

The addition of the projection screen behind the set to present lifelike if fanciful backgrounds contribute tremendously to the audience›s immersion in the story, and the fast-flowing pace of the production and the seamless interweaving of the individual tales combine to keep the audience eager to see how the twists and turns of these tales play out.

Aniceto and Karol provide

the heart of the story as Baker and Wife, as their dreams and desperation to have a child lead them into encounter after encounter, as we see their interactions with the other wellknown characters altering the familiar tales in ways we cannot yet imagine.

Caputo does double-duty as both Narrator and the precocious Mysterious Stranger, giving perspective and gravitas to the stories (while stealing scenes as well).

Kristin Henry is excellent as the isolated Rapunzel, hidden away in a tower to protect her, yet unable to escape her own sorrow; and Chatman’s Cinderella is inspiring, in her questioning of what she truly wants, and wondering whether

the fairy tale ending is really what will make her happy.

Cook›s bombastic portrayal of the Witch is at first deliberate caricature, playing the irascible neighbor with a grudge and setting the stage for the Bakers’ quest, but is revealed to be deeper and more layered than the tales would have the audience believe: and her performance in “Stay With Me” is particularly moving.

Special mention to the pair of not-quite-so-charming, all-toohuman princes (referred to only as “Cinderella›s Prince” and “Rapunzel›s Prince”) played by Brennan Eckberg and Raymond Tezanos, whose personifications of the patriarchal atmosphere of the old tales and patronizing treatment of their paramours demonstrate that sometimes that behavior is learned, innate, or both ...leading to confusion

when the women demonstrate their own ideas and agency.

(Add to this their rousing number of romantic longing, “Agony!” and see how the pair›s dysfunctional camaraderie shines.)

“Into the Woods” is a triumphant return for the Rose Center Theater, and a treat for local theater-goers of all ages: an illustration that while the old tales can be lessons, there›s always more to learn and experience beyond “happily ever after.»

“Into the Woods” is playing through March 6 at the Westminister Rose Center Theater, 14140 All American Way, Westminister 92683. Tickets available online at rosecentertheater.com.

“Uncharted” takes a very familiar path Continued from page 6

but when his travels brings him to a cathedral, he utters in a very Jonesian fashion: “Nuns. Why’s it always got to be nuns.’’

“Uncharted’’ is the latest in a proliferation of video game adaptations, and it’s not hard to see why this PlayStation game, which launched with ``Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune`` in 2007, was quickly picked up by Hollywood. The game, which came a few years on the heels of ``National Treasure,’’ with Nicolas Cage, was very much based on movies. So it’s probably inevitable that “Uncharted’’ feels like a copy of a copy.

But, you might thinking, so what? Globe-trotting adventures with puzzles and tunnels and booby trap are, by their nature, fun.

Even a bland imitation – which is what “Uncharted’’ is – can be a good enough time. What you get out of “Uncharted’’ will likely depend on your standard of “a good enough time,” but you can’t fault it for skimping on scale, or failing to stuff itself to the gills with ancient texts

and symbols and old maps. If it’s treasure hunting you seek, regardless of reward, you have found it.

Director Ruben Fleischer, who eventually took over after “Uncharted’’ was in development for years with a long list of filmmakers, brings visual clarity and a touch of inventiveness to a handful of glossy set pieces. The movie opens with Nathan spinning through the air, a fitting place to start given that “Uncharted’’ trails Holland’s last flight in “Spider-Man: No Way Home,’’ by just two months.

But after a few swings behind

CIF basketball Continued from page 8

a 4A semifinal.

In the other Final Four games, Edison fell 67-48 to La Mirada in a Division 2A game, and the La Quinta lost 67-48 to/ Riverside Prep in a semifinal 5A contest.

In CIF-SS Division 1 boys’ soccer action, Servite defeated Huntington Beach 2-0 in a semifinal match.

a cargo plane, ``Uncharted’’ jumps back to Nathan’s childhood in New York.

He’s there with his older brother, Sam (Rudy Pankow), who sees them as descendants of the English explorer Sir Francis Drake and exhibits some of the same spirit of exploration. He’s particularly fixated on the path of Ferdinand Magellan and treasure said to have been hidden by his expedition in the 16th century.

When they’re caught trying to steal Magellan’s map, Sam is kicked out of the orphanage and they never see each other again.

Sports Week Continued from page 7

As for the Kings (26-17-7), they are given a better chance at 83.7 percent chance. That seems strange, considering that they’re just two points – one win – apart. So one sure-fire way to improve their the chances is for the Ducks to a) win a bunch more games and b) defeat the Kings when they meet on Feb. 25 and April 19 and 23.

ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/WEDNESDAY, FEB. 23, 2022 7

Come-from-behind rally one for the books Continued from page 8

expect to be in such rarified heights at the beginning of the season? “At the beginning of the year? No way, no way,” he said. “But they’ve gotten better every day and I’m very proud of them.”

Garden Grove led through most of the game and had a lead of as much as eight points – 4537 – midway through the third quarter. Vidal Jimenez’ five three-pointers fueled much of the red-and-white’s advantage.

But the Trojans, taking advantage of offensive rebounding that resulted in several put-back baskets after misses, roared back and knotted the game at 48-all with 1:01 to play in the quarter, and from there built a 54-48 lead early in the fourth.

But, as they have done all season, the Argonauts did not yield to the pressure of the moment. Midway through the quarter, Grove chipped away.

A basket by Landon Mendoza tied it at 59-all and Steven Vu followed with clutch free throws to give the Argos a 62-59 edge.

Miguel Ortega, the Argo center who led much of the comeback, hit six of seven free throws in the closing minutes before he fouled out with Grove holding a 68-66 lead with 23.2 seconds

left to play.

But Uni’s Christian DeBarge missed two free throws and Mendoza hit one, and the Argos grabbed the rebound and held on for the win.

Jimenez led the Argos with 20 points, followed by Ortega with 17 and Allen Abarca with 10.

The top scorers for University (14-17) were Ali Wahedi with 16 points and DeBarge with 15.

For a team that has thrived on tight games and dramatic comebacks, was this just business as usual for the coach?

“I admit I was little tight on this one, especially when Miguel fouled out,” said Girard. “But I knew we were capable of it.

We’ve done this a million times.

This is our seventh, eighth one, now? Our guys responded and they did it again tonight.”

Lakers’ road to playoffs Continued from page 8

a deep team. Certain guys may be in and out of the rotation but everyone is going to be needed.”

Experts can chatter about the possible strategies to be employed to make up for Davis’ 23.1 points a game. But the Lakers’ problem is a little more broad-based than that.

Simply put, the Lakers can’t win on the road. They’re 18-13 at Crypto.com Arena (formerly known as Staples Center) but 9-18 away from L.A. The classic formula for doing well in sports is to win at home and break even on the road. If the Lakers did that – improved their “away” mark to 14-13 or even 13-14, they’d have 42 or 41 wins and be battling for second place in their division instead of sinking toward he bottom.

That’s what the “real” Team LeBron needs to do or risk spending the spring watching the playoffs in front of a television set.

Ducks hit an icy patch So far, February has not been a good month for the Anaheim Ducks. They lost three games in a row, including a loss to the NHL-worst Seattle Kraken.

They finally snapped the streak with a 7-4 win over Vancouver.

However, that tumble followed a five-game winning streak, so the fellows from Honda Center are still in pretty good shape as far as playoff hopes go. They are 24-19-9, good for 57 points and sixth place in the Western Conference.

To do so, the Ducks (or Kings) will have to be among the top three teams in the NHL Pacific Division or be one of two wild card teams from the conference to qualify.

That could be a heavy lift, but it’s not impossible. Anaheim will probably have to win 60 to 65 percent of its remaining games; oddsmakers give them a 26.5 percent chance of doing that.

Continued on page 6

8 WEDNESDAY, FEB. 23, 2022/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

TheSportsPage

SportsWeek

Lakers Must Find A Road to Playoffs With Davis out, it will be a very tough path LeBron James’ team is on a winning streak, but it’s not the Los Angeles Lakers.

James scored 30 points and hit the winning shot in the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday as Team LeBron defeated Team Durant 163-160. It was the fifth straight victory for all-star teams led by the future Hall-of Famer against no losses.

However, his Lakers are not doing so well. They’ve lost seven of their last 10 games going into the All-Star break and are not only in fourth place in the NBA Pacific, but also a precarious ninth place in the Western Conference, behind the eighth-place Clippers.

The top eight teams in each conference make the playoffs. But there’s a play-

in opportunity for the teams ranked seventh through 10th, so the Lakers still cling to a slender hope.

That hope got even slimmer on Thursday when Anthony Davis sprained his right ankle in the Lakers’ 106-101 win over Jazz.

He’s expected to be out for around four weeks.

“We have to win as many games as we can and believe in who we have,” said Lakers coach Frank Vogel. “We have Continued on page 7

HE’S NOT A ONE-MAN BAND LeBron James may be one of the greatest basketball players of all time, but the Lakers need more

MAKING SOME SPORTS HISTORY Landon Mendoza (14) was part of the Garden Grove High School boys’ basketball team that advanced to the CIF-SS semi-finals with a win over University (OC Tribune photo)

Making history with an epic comeback victory

By Jim Tortolano Orange County Tribune

Garden Grove High’s boys’ basketball team made the free throws in the clutch and made history as well Friday night as the Argonauts defeated University High of Irvine 6966 in a CIF-SS Division 4AA game before a packed house at its home gym.

With the win, the Argos (now 20-9) advance to a semifinal game against Sunny Hills on Tuesday. The Lancers beat Ontario Christian 63-51 to advance to the final four. For Grove, it’s the first trip to basketball semifinals since the school opened in 1921.

Did Argo coach Brian Girard Continued on page 7

Argos, Pioneers advance to finals With its 45-39 semifinal win over Sunny Hills in the Lancer gym Tuesday night, the Garden Grove High boys’ basketball team advanced to the CIF-SS Division 4AA championship game on Friday.

The Argonauts (now 21-8) will play Fullerton (17-14), which defeated Artesia 5856 in the other semifinal.

Also bound to play for a CIF-SS title is Western High of Anaheim, as the Pioneers defeated Edgewood 55-33 in Continued on page 6