The Orange County Tribune Aug. 6, 2022

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Printed in Garden Grove, California n orangecountytribune.com n Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022 n orangecountytribune@gmail.com

n WESTMINSTER CITY COUNCIL

Sales Tax and Quang Tri on The Agenda

By Jim Tortolano Orange County Tribune

What’s likely to be a contentious – and lengthy – meeting of the Westminster City Council is set for Wednesday.

The council will be tackling two of the most controversial issues facing the city. The matter of extending Measure SS – the city’s one-cent sales tax levy, approved by voters in 2016 – is the top item.

ROBERT NGUYEN IS THE ARGONAUT ELVIS GGHS teacher will perform at the 22nd Annual Elvis Festival on Sunday. Oct. 9 on Main Street in Garden Grove. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

He followed that dream

By Jill Lloyd Special to The Tribune

There’s a famous quote by Elvis Presley that states “Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine.”a And while 46 -year-old Robert Nguyen of Santa Ana, never considered his path in life or ambition was influenced by the King of Rock and Roll, Presley’s quote simply implies that if you want your dreams to go anywhere, you’ve got to rev them up yourself.

And that is how Nguyen’s “road trip” through life has been fueled. Not always knowing what’s next, his desire to fulfill his life has led him to being a personal

assistant to singer Bette Midler and filmmaker Bonnie Bruckheimer; teaching math, French and Vietnamese at Garden Grove High School, where he now is the activities director; becoming involved with the Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling (who use GLOW as their trade name and is a women’s professional wrestling group which started as a Netflix series in the 1980’s and has continued in various forms after the series left television) and serving as a pastor every Sunday at Christ Chapel Orange County in Lake Forest to a congregation currently of nine.

Continued on page 2

According to the agenda, the proposal before the council is to place before voters on the Nov. 8 general election ballot a proposal to extend the current tax until ended by voters at either a 1 or 1.25 percent rate.

Measure SS expires at the end of this year, and without renewal the city treasury would plunge into red ink and eventually run the risk of bankContinued on page 2

Suspect is arrested in Westminster murder A suspect has been arrested in the July 31 fatal shooting in Westminster of a Huntington Beach man.

According to Commander Kevin McCormack of the WPD, Matthew Francisco Mattice has been booked on a murder charge in the killing of Donald Joshua Ratzlaff, 41, of Huntington Beach.

With the help of the Fountain Valley and Seal Beach police departments, along with the Orange County Auto

Theft Task Force, Westminster detectives were able to track down Mattice at a Costa Mesa motel in the 1400 block of Bristol Street. where he was arrested without incident. He’s being held at Orange County Jail in Santa Ana in lieu of $1 million bail.

On Sunday at about 4:10 a.m., Westminster police officers were dispatched to a report of shots fired in the rear parking lot of an apartment complex in the 15200 block of Continued on page 2

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2 SATURDAY, AUG 6, 2022/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

Argo Elvis followed his dream Continued from page 1

He always wanted to be a film director, majored in communications/media production at UC San Diego but then after a change of heart decided to pursue teaching, and obtained his credentials at California State University, Long Beach to teach math, French and Vietnamese.

Growing up Catholic he attended private schools and grades were of utmost importance.

“It’s just part of our Vietnamese culture: to study and get good grades, especially straight A’s. My parents were Vietnamese immigrants and came to California in 1975, first living at the Camp Pendleton Refugee Camp, before getting sponsored and moving to San Clemente. “ “My mom always talked about Elvis. That’s what she thought America was all about. Being free. That’s what Elvis represented to her. It wasn’t really about his music. But I certainly like his music, his songs, but I never thought of myself as a singer. The nuns at Catholic school would ask me to sing songs like ‘Hallelujah’ but I would always listen to Elvis on the radio. I would also buy Elvis cassettes and listen to them over and over.”

Around the same time, in the early 2000s, he started singing in public at a few spots including the Silver Fox and Forbidden City in Long Beach, the latter came about when one of Midler’s backup singers needed someone to fill in for her.

Faced with a family crisis: his father became ill, had a quadruple bypass, and his mom had a work injury. So he chose family over working for Bette and Bonnie, and the singing, and stayed home to care for his parents.

He started taking night classes to obtain his teaching credential, while looking after his parents during the day. His father died in 2005.

“I always had a desire to teach math. I loved it, especially algebra,” Nguyen said. He had also taken four years of French in high school, so he decided to get a teaching credential for that, as well as Vietnamese and English Language Develop-

ment.

He landed his first job teaching at Mayfair High School in Lakewood, before moving to the Garden Grove Unified School District and taught math at Pacifica High. He then applied for a transfer at Garden Grove High to teach three subjects: math, French and Vietnamese. He could satisfy all of the qualifications and was hired.

After five years, he became the activities director, which he has done for the past 10 years while also continuing to teach Vietnamese.

And simultaneously he pursued a masters degree in Theological Studies at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa and became an associate pastor in April 2018 before becoming the only pastor for the Christ Chapel Orange County in Lake Forest, which he continues to do every Sunday.

For his activities director job at GGHS he coordinates campus events as well as helps with fundraising, which includes the Teacher’s Talent Show and allows him to draw on his production and singing skills. He produces it and sings in it.

Though he has in the past, he didn’t sing an Elvis song in this year’s talent show, but several teachers dropped by karaoke night afterwards at the nearby Azteca Restaurant, an Elvisthemed Mexican restaurant on Main Street, Garden Grove,

and Nguyen sang Elvis’s “The Wonder of You.” Azteca owner Jennifer Stewart heard him sing and said “Hey you’ve got a great voice. We need to have you sing at Elvis Festival this year.”

Nguyen will be doing just that as a special guest at the 22nd Annual Elvis Festival , which takes place on Historic Main Street in Garden Grove on Sunday, Oct. 9 and runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. He will sing “The Wonder of You” and also plans to sing an Elvis song in Vietnamese.

Several of the GLOW women, will be there to support him. As far as his set time, it is still being determined, but it will definitely be after church as he would not want to miss a Sunday service.

Suspect held Continued from page 1

Magnolia Street. That’s between Bolsa Avenue and Bishop Place.

Police were told there had been an argument prior to the shots being fired and the people involved left in a white van.

At 4:30 a.m., Fountain Valley police responded to the ARCO gas station at 10975 Edinger Ave. regarding a gunshot victim inside a white van.

The victim was found dead in the van from a gunshot wound. the driver of the van had fled.

JIm Tortolano Editor and Publisher Marilyn Lewis Tortolano General Manager The Orange County Tribune is published on Wednesdays and Saturdays with some exceptions. 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 , the Online News Association and the Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce.

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local news for West OC The Orange County TRIBUNE

ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/SATURDAY, AUG. 6, 2022 3

News&Views n NEWS BRIEFS

FROM WESTMINSTER TO BELLFLOWER Investigation of a commercial burglary in Westminster ended up with arrests in Los Angeles County (WPD)

Burglary leads to a chase to Bellflower What started as a burglary in Westminster ended up in an arrest in Bellflower.

According to the WPD, officers responded to a commercial burglary in process at 2 a.m. Thursday in the area of Brookhurst Street and Hazard Avenue.

The suspect refused to yield to police and led the officers in a high-speed pursuit that ended up in Bellflower in Los Angeles County.

Two people were arrested on a variety of charges.

The California Highway Patrol and Anaheim Police Department helped the WPD in the operation.

Four houses OK’d for Stanton

The Stanton Planning Commission voted 3-0 on Wednesday to approve a site plan, parcel map and design review for the development of four detached single family homes at 7082 Kermore Lane.

Proposed were two-story houses with three bedrooms and three bathrooms. The project features a common area featuring a barbecue, bench seating, open lawn area and landscaping.

A 2nd The Habit for G. Grove

The Garden Grove Planning Commission on Thursday night voted 4-0 in favor of a second The Habit Hamburger Grill eatery in the city.

It will be located in a 4,000-square foot two-unit restaurant building in Harbor Place Center, located at Garden Grove and Harbor boulevards. The operator of the second eatery is unknown.

The city’s first The Habit is nearing completion in the Pavilion Plaza West Center on Chapman Avenue near Brookhurst Street.

In approving the second The Habit, planners suggested that more be done to improve the design of the building facing Harbor.

Avg. Coronavirus Count Is Staying Below 1,000 The count of confirmed new cases of coronavirus in Orange County rose in Friday’s report, but remained under 1,000 a day for the second consecutive tally.

According to the county health care agency, the total of new cases for Aug. 2-4 was 2,864, for a daily average of 954.67 (rounded off to 955).

That’s up from Tuesday’s average of 927, but is still lower than last Friday’s 1,263 average and the previous average of 1,114.

Reports from the Orange County Health Care Agency are released on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Hospitalizations fell from 295 to 271 and the use of intensive care units to treat COVID-19 patients declined from 49 to 33.

However, deaths increased from 11 to 21.

To date, Orange County has had 643,585 cases, of which 608,617 are con-

sidered recovered. The death toll is at 7,235.

Nationally, The New York Times reports that new cases – over a 14day period – are down 8 percent, while hospitalizations are up by 3 percent and deaths by 12 percent.

“Back to School’’ is right around the corner in OC It may not be the way it used to be, but “backto-school” is happening a lot earlier than it once was.

Public school systems in the West Orange County area are opening the doors at differing dates ranging from midAugust all the way into early September.

The Garden Grove Unified School District will open campus doors on Monday, Aug. 15. The GGUSD is a K-12 system that serves most of Garden Grove and parts of adjoining cities.

First day for the Orange Unified School District will be Wednesday, Aug. 17. The OUSD is a K-12 system that serves – among others – the area east of Haster Street in

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL COMING UP Students return starting on Aug. 15 (Shutterstock).

Garden Grove.

Coastline Community College, which has campuses in Garden Grove and Westminster, starts on Friday, Aug. 26.

Golden West College in Huntington Beach will commence classes on Monday, Aug. 29.

The Westminster School

District, a K-8 system serving most of Westminster and parts of adjoining communities, rings the bell on the next day, Tuesday, Aug. 30.

Following the very next day (Wednesday, Aug. 31) will be opening day for the Huntington Beach Continued on page 4

4 SATURDAY, AUG 6, 2022/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

School bells ringing soon Continued from page 3

Union High School District.

The HBUHSD operates high schools in Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley and Westminster.

Then, on Wednesday, Sept. 7, the Ocean View School District begins classes. The OVSD is a

K-8 system that serves northern Huntington Beach and adjacent areas.

On Thursday, Sept. 8, the Huntington Beach City School District (K-8) welcomes students back. The HBCSD serves coastal Huntington Beach and adjacent areas.

“Navigation Center” site for G. Grove is identfied

A location for a proposed navigation center for the homeless in Garden Grove has been identified.

An update on the status of such a facility for the unsheltered will be presented to the city council when it meets on Tuesday.

According to a staff report, the center could be located on a 0.41-acre site at 13871 West St. in an industrial area northwest of Harbor Boulevard and Westminster Avenue.

The proposed facility could accommodate as many as 80 persons. It would be operated in combination with the cities of Fountain Valley and Westminster. Admittance to the center would be by refer-

ral only.

If purchased, a service provider would be sought. A navigation center typically provides not just temporary housing but also medical and mental health referrals, as well as assistance in seeking employment and permanent housing.

Two community outreach meetings are scheduled, one on Wednesday, Aug. 17 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and another on Tuesday, Aug. 30 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/SATURDAY, AUG. 6, 2022 5

Remembering the great Vin Scully Continued from page 6

leave behind and that’s something to be proud of in Los Angeles.””

Along Hollywood Boulevard, tourists and locals paused at Scully’s flower-strewn star on the Walk of Fame located two doors down from another legend, Musso & Frank Grill. A delivery man hung an arrange-

ment of roses and other flowers in Dodgers colors on a wooden easel.

Back downtown a few miles from the stadium, the weekday lunch crowd was already in line at Philippe the Original French Dipped Sandwiches.

“I was almost in tears,’’ 75-yearold Daniel Mirgil of Pomona said of hearing Scully had died.

“We used to use our transistor radio just to listen to him.’’

Los Angeles City Hall was lit in blue starting Wednesday night.

ESPN2 is re-airing Game 1 of the 1988 World Series featuring

Scully’s memorable call of Kirk Gibson’s pinch-hit, walk-off home run that led the Dodgers to a win over the Oakland Athletics. The Dodgers will add a

patch with ‘VIN’ above a microphone to their uniforms.

The self-effacing Scully would have appreciated the tributes but would have likely found them to be “a little bit embarrassing,” which was how he described the hoopla surrounding his retirement in 2016.

“I’ve never wanted to get out in front of the game,” he said then.

Moments of silence were held in Scully’s honor around the majors Wednesday.

“It’s the end of an era,” Hammontree said. “You think he’s going to live forever, and of course his legacy will.”

Dodgers defeat the Padres, 8-1 Continued from page 6

The first place Dodgers put the game away early with four runs in the first and four more in the third. A balanced attack served the team well, with eight players getting at least one hit and six of them getting at least one RBI. Will Smith had the best night, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and one run batted in.

The extra base hits –all of them doubles – were provided

by Mookie Betts, Chris Taylor and Cody Bellinger. Taylor and Hanser Alberto each drove in two runs.

On Saturday the Blue Crew will host the Padres again with Andrew Heaney (1-0) getting the start.

Angels are victors in 10 innings against the Seattle Mariners, 4-3 Continued from page 6

was the team’s third “overtime” win in eight games.

Sierra and Rengifo each has two hits for LAA; Stassi had two RBIs. Patrick Sandoval pitched well, working 5.1 innings and yielding just three hits and no runs for the

Angels. He struck out five batters but walked four.

The win went to Jesse Sanchez (21), who also was tagged with his second blown save of the season.

The Angels (45-61) will play a rare double-header on Saturday in Seattle with games at 3:10 and 7:10 p.m.

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6 SATURDAY, AUG. 6, 2022/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

The Sports Page

Remembering the Great Vin Scully Dodger broadcaster recalled fondly by many, many fans

By Beth Harris AP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Mitch Hammontree stood back and gazed at the flowers, candles and handwritten messages laid out beneath a sign welcoming fans to Dodger Stadium at the main entrance on Vin Scully Avenue.

“This is an altar,’’ said the 68-year-old fan from Placentia.

The city of Los Angeles was mourning this week for the Bronx-born Scully, whose 67year career calling games in Brooklyn and Los Angeles made him the longest-tenured broadcaster with a single team in sports history. He died Tuesday night at age 94.

With the Dodgers out of town until Friday, fans of all ages gathered outside the stadium and at other spots to honor Scully. Some recalled his voice soothing them to sleep as kids.

“It was like listening to your favorite song on the radio all the time, he was always in the background,’’ said George Esteves, a

VIN SCULLY WAS A SO CAL INSTIUTION. The Dodgers broadcaster with wife Sandra (Los Angeles Dodgers photo).

58-year-old from Sierra Madre.

Hammontree added, “He painted such a picture, you didn’t need a TV.” Others recalled Scully as a bridge from one generation to the next, including 29-year-old Kenneth Walls of South Los Angeles who tuned in alongside his 90-year-old grandfather.

“He’s been a part of my life since I was born,” Walls said.

“Having this opportunity to

Angels sink the Mariners by 4-3 in 10-inning game

By Pete Zarustica Orange County Tribune

Taylor Ward’s sacrifice fly in the top of the 10th inning scored Magnueris Sierra from third with the winning run as the Los Angeles Angels defeated the Seattle Mariners 4-3 on the road Friday night.

“It was a well-played game in all facets,” said Angels interim manager Phil Nevin. “We swung the bats well. Didn’t punch a bunch

across, but got the important ones when [we] needed.”

The Angels scored first on a Jo Adell single that plated Luis Rengifo in the first inning. That was all the scoring until the Halos got two runs in the ninth to take a 3-0 lead on the strength of a homer

by Max Stassi, his seventh of the season.

But the Mariners (57-50) rallied with three runs in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into

share this moment with the fans is really important. It’s more appropriate to be in a celebratory mood for such a long, beautifully lived life.”

At one point, a tiny green-colored bird alighted on a Dodgers cap nestled among the flowers.

“Look, it’s Vinny!’’ a woman exclaimed.

Diana Gutierrez of Downey brought her 8-year-old grandson to view the collection of

AL West Standings Houston Seattle Texas ANGELS Oakland

W-L 70-38 57-50 47-59 45-61 41-66

Pct. .648 .533 .443 .425 .383

GB –– 12.5 22 24 28.5

NL West Standings W-L DODGERS 73-33 San Diego 61-48 San Fran. 51-55 Arizona 47-58 Colorado 47-62

Pct. .689 .560 .481 .448 .431

GB –– 13.5 22 25.5 27.5

L10 6-4 5-5 4-6 5-5 6-4

L10 9-1 6-4 3-7 5-5 2-8

extra innings, setting the stage for the Halo extra inning triumph. It Continued on page 5

mementos that included a blueand-white Dodgers serape, baseball-shaped balloons and baseballs resting on top of the D and tucked in the V on the welcome sign at 1000 Vin Scully Ave. “My grandson was saying this morning, ‘He’s such a nice person to everybody,’” Gutierrez said. “I said, ‘Absolutely, that’s definitely a good memory to Continued on page 6

Dodgers blast the Padres, 8-1

By David Arthur Orange County Tribune

Tony Gonsolin earned his 13th win of the season as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 8-1 Friday night at home.

Gonsolin (13-1) worked five crisp innings, giving up just three hits and no runs. He struck out six batters and walked none as he lowered his ERA to 2.30.

Continued on page 5