The Orange County Tribune Jan. 4, 2023

Weather Forecast

MIDWEEK EDITION

63 / 56

Wednesday: 63/56 light rain Thursday: 61/48 rain Friday: 62/44 mostly sunny

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Volume 3, Number 1 n orangecountytribune.com n Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023 n orangecountytribune@gmail.com

The Shape of Things to Come Hotels, homeless shelters, a “new” Westminster mall on the way

By Jim Tortolano Orange County Tribune

Muhammed Ali once said that “The future is a mist.” Theodore Roosevelt said, “Nothing in this world is certain.” Theodore Hook said, “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”

All are true, but in this look at what 2023 might bring, the emphasis will be on what’s being done to invent the shape of things to come in the West Orange County area.

HOMELESSNESS Dealing with the challenges of the unsheltered in the West Orange County area may make some major strides in 2023.

Huntington Beach has a navigation center and plans to convert it into permanent supportive housing (PSH), so that long-term solutions to the problem might be more available.

Garden Grove and Westminster – together with Fountain Valley – have partnered up to create a navigation center located in Garden Grove.

Additionally, Garden Grove is already in the process of creating some PSH, and there’s considerable county, state and federal money for these purposes.

Stanton has been a leader in converting past-their-prime motels on Beach Boulevard into temporary shelters.

Perhaps as important are the new drug and mental health courts which will allow law enforcement agencies, families etc. to compel some addicted and/or mentally ill persons to undergo treatment.

THE AURELA project, with Kimpton and LeMeridien hotels on the east side of Harbor Boulevard. Construction could begin in 2023 (City of Garden Grove).

DEVELOPMENT There’s considerable controversy over whether major projects create more problems than they solve. We will all get a chance to study that as two major developments move forward in Garden Grove – three huge hotels on Harbor Boulevard – and the “new” Westminster Mall in 2023.

The latter would combine residential, retail and office uses in a way similar to the Bella Terra one offramp south in Huntington Beach. A successful project would – eventually – make for a big boost in city sales tax revenue.

Locals in Garden Grove are

looking forward to the opening of the first phase of the Cottage Industries project east of the Civic Center, in which longstanding homes are repurposed into hip small businesses.

Perhaps the biggest potential project would be at the Willowick Golf Course – 101.5 acres – owned by Garden Grove but located in Santa Ana. Years have passed with no sticks in the ground. Don’t give up, but don’t hold your breath.

TRANSPORTATION The 1-405 (San Diego Freeway) construction project is scheduled to be completed in late 2023. The replacement of 18 bridges and Continued on page 2

Inside The Tribune

How the “Battle of LA” was won SPORTS PAGES 7 and 8

For breaking news and sports all week long, go to www.orangecountytribune.com

2 WEDNESDAY, JAN. 4, 2023/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

Anti-DUI efforts by GGPD meant no fatal accidents in 2022 Thirty-five motorists were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs by Garden Grove police in December.

“We are committed to taking a proactive approach by taking impaired drivers off the road,” said Chief Amir El-Farra.

“Driving under the influence is

Shape of 2023 Continued from page 1

the addition of two new lanes in each direction through Orange County is intended to accommodate an expected major increase in traffic. By 2040, it’s predicted that travel time from SR-73 to I-605 will be cut to 29 minutes and 13 minutes for those using the 405 Express Lanes.

Plans for the OCStreetcar connecting Garden Grove and Santa Ana call for construction to be completed in 2023, followed by testing and the beginning of passenger service in 2024.

dangerous and has major consequences.”

Drivers charged with a firsttime DUI face an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties. as well as a suspended license.

The month of December historically has the highest number of injuries, fatal- and DUI-related collisions. By combatting this using a variety of different enforcement efforts, including DUI saturation patrols, street racing operations, and a sobriety checkpoint, there were no fatal collisions in Garden Grove in December 2022.

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 : orangecountytribune@gmail.com.

Website: 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 Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce.

Most of the funding for this fice of Traffic Safety through the program was provided by a National Highway Traffic Safety grant from the California Of- Administration.

ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/WEDNESDAY, JAN. 4, 2023 3

News&Views

Pedestrian killed on Slater Avenue in Huntington Bch.

THE OCSTREETCAR at Plaza Calle Quatro in Santa Ana. Artist’s conception of the under onstruction street car line that will link Santa Ana to Garden Grove (OCTA image).

A 49-year-old Huntington Beach man walking on Slater Avenue on Friday night was fatally injured when struck by a pickup truck.

According to Sgt. Mike Thomas of the HBPD, the incident took place around 6:50 p.m. on Slater west of Keelson Lane.

Arriving officers found the man in the roadway.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of a Chevrolet Silverado, a 22-year-old Huntington Beach resident, remained and cooperated with po-

lice. Impairment didn’t appear to be a factor.

The preliminary investigation indicated that the Silverado was traveling eastbound on Slater struck the pedestrian west of Keelson. The pedestrian was outside the crosswalk.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone who may have witnessed the collision or the events leading up to it is asked to contact Traffic Investigator J. Rounds at (714) 5365666.

Future to be here soon Time travel has long been a popular fantasy … who hasn’t imagined traveling into the future to see what it holds for us, or going back into the past to right a wrong or simply to watch history being made?

The move from December to January is a kind of time travel … you fell asleep in 2022 and the next day you woke up in 2023.

It’s appropriate, then, to pause at this time of year to ruminate and speculate about how the coming year is going to treat our West Orange County communities of Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Stanton and Westminster.

As we’ve reported in The Tribune, the councils – and possibly – the populations – of Huntington Beach and Westminster are deeply divided. The majority holds a one-vote advantage on each council, and (from early reactions) the splits there are likely to breed a maximum of disorder and stunted progress.

How will Westminster fairly settle the never-ending saga of the proposed Quang Tri monument, which seems to have done more to stir up divisions than

honor the accomplishments and sacrifices it’s intended to acknowledge?

In Huntington Beach, the new council majority seems set on battling the state of California on a series of Jim Tortolano fronts, including especially the RHNA (regional housing needs assessment) which require a city to zone for additional housing units.

Surf City has been handed an RHNA of 13,337 new units. Some say that the RHNA numbers – Garden Grove, for example, has a higher target although it’s a smaller city – defy rational calculation and interfere with local control.

Both of those points may have merit, but here’s the problem: fight-

Retorts

Continued on page 4

BLAZE ON BARR LANE in G. Grove

Fire and rain hits vans and house in G. Grove It may be raining a bit, but fires can still ignite under wet conditions.

Orange County Fire Authority units were dispatched at mid-morning on Friday to the 8800 block of Barr Lane (near Magnolia and Lampson avenues) in Garden Grove to battle a house fire involving a garage and vehicles in the driveway.

It took firefighters less than 20 minutes to knock down the blaze. All residents of the home made it out of the house safely. No cause has yet been determined.

4 WEDNESDAY, JAN. 4, 2023/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

NewsUpdate

GOP splits on who should be next Speaker

A nearly unprecedented battle within the Republican Party on Tuesday stopped the usually routine process of choosing the new Speaker of the House of Representatives.

After three ballots, in which Kevin McCarthy (above) failed to win a majority, the House recessed for the night. McCarthy,

who was the minority leader in the lower chamber, was blocked from taking the post when 20 Republicans – members of the “Freedom Caucus” – voted for fellow Republican Jim Jordan.

All Democrats voted for the new minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, according to The New York Times.

The last time the election of a speaker – third in line to presidential succession – needed more than one ballot was in 1923.

Major storm coming to north, central California

Northern and central California are in for another heavy dose of rain and winds on Wednesday and Thursday. According to United Press International, a major storm could bring “excessive rainfall and flooding,” as well as snow at higher elevations.

Mudslides and power outages are also a threat.

Also in the news … Patty Murray, 72, a Democratic senator from Washington state, was chosen Tuesday by the U.S. Senate as president pro tempore. That position is second in succession for the presidency after the vice president.

Sports: Damar Hamlin’s injury roils NFL schedule

The National Football League is in a tough spot, seeking to balance concern over the serious injury suffered by Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin Monday night with the impending end of the season.

During the game between Buffalo and the Cincinnati Bengals, Hamilin suffered a heart attack immediately after making a tackle, according to the Associated Press.

The game was suspended and there is no decision as to when and if the game will be resumed.

Weather: Rain, go away

The West Orange County area with continue to bear rainy weather though Thursday, with a day of relief on Friday. The forecast for Wednesday is for light rain with a daytime high of 63 and an overnight low of 56. Thursday’s outlook is for more rain and cooler weather with a daytime high of 61 and and an overnight low of 48.

If you can wait until Friday, the skies should be mostly sunny with a high of 62 and a low of 44.

Retorts: Future is soon Continued from page 3

ing Sacramento in court is bound to be both an expensive proposition and a losing one.

At the end of the day, the likely outcome is that the taxpayers will be handed a hefty bill for litigation and still have to comply.

It reminds one of the the City of Anaheim’s futile legal battle to keep the Angels from being renamed the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The end result was more BMW’s for the barristers and no success. As one observer quipped, Anaheim’s lawyers needed lawyers.

We may hate being told what to do, but we definitely love our cars. They are symbols of status, represent our diverse needs and offer us a lot of freedom of movement.

At least they used to. As you’ve probably noticed lately, the streets and freeways are getting more crowded than ever.

A look around suggests that we are probably maxed out on how many freeways we can build or widen.

OC Streetcar is under construction and is likely to be completed in 2023, with opera-

tion for the public coming in 2024. Although it’s a relatively short route – from downtown Santa Ana to Harbor Boulevard in Garden Grove is 4.15 miles – it’s likely the first link in a bigger system.

I love my car, but I hope I can take note of reality. Increasing numbers of people can’t or don’t have private cars. Many seniors don’t drive, many people can’t afford insurance and young people are delaying or avoiding getting a driver’s license.

At the same time, truck traffic appears to be booming and concerns about climate change increase pressure to stop building one-person internal combustion machines.

Just as 2022 was different from 2021, so will the future make our needs different than they were five or 10 years ago.

Lots of stuff is going to change.

Our area will get denser and there will be changes in how we get from one place to another.

The skin color of our neighbors will continue to go from monochrome to rainbow. The world we grew up with will yield to a new one.

ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/WEDNESDAY, JAN. 4, 2023 5

Arts&Living

Will Will Smith Be Peaceful?

The slap at the Oscars most memorable

By Jocelyn Noveck AP National Writer

Taylor Swift was up. Elon Musk was in, out, and in. Tom Cruise was back. BTS stepped aside, and so did Serena Williams, and Tom Brady too – oops, scratch that.

But the slap? The slap was everywhere.

Ok, so maybe it wasn’t on the level of a moon landing, or selection of a pope. But henceforth all you need say is “the slap” and people will know what you mean _ that moment Will Smith smacked Chris Rock at the Oscars and a global audience said, “Wait, did that happen?” Even in the room itself – maybe especially in the room itself – there was a sense that everyone had imagined it, which helps explain why things went on as normal, for a bit.

The pandemic was over in 2022, phew! Well, of course it wasn’t. But live entertainment pushed forward, with mask mandates dropping, and people rushing to buy things like, oh, Taylor Swift tickets!

We’ll take any segue to mention Swift, who already had a big year in 2021, but just got bigger – heck, she broke Billboard records and then she broke Ticketmaster. (No word if she got her scarf back).

It was a year of celebrity (hash)MeToo cases like Harvey Weinstein (again), R. Kelly (again), Kevin Spacey, Paul Haggis, Danny Masterson. And the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial, its every excruciating turn captured on TV. On the big screen, there were big comebacks. Mourning its dearly missed star, Chadwick Boseman, “Black Panther:

WILL SMITH is usually cheerful unless you joke about his wife (Wikipedia) Wakanda Forever” was a box office triumph. James Cameron’s “Avatar” planned a December return.

Then there was Tom Cruise, turning 60 in ‘22, just like the Rolling Stones, swooping into Cannes with his most successful movie, and showing, like those still-touring rockers, that when they tell you “The end is inevitable,’” as they do in “Top Gun: Maverick,” you can always reply “Maybe so, sir, but not today.”

Will audiences one day find Cruise – or the Stones, for that matter – too wrinkled and past the sell-by date? Maybe so, but not this year.

Our annual, totally selective journey through a year in pop culture:

sociation, reeling from stunning failures over diversity, holds a private event and plans a comeback next year. Hey, remember the original wardrobe malfunction? Well, JANET JACKSON says she and JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE have moved on, and so should we. The New York Times buys Wordle, and we’re all thinking in five-letter words (though W-O-R-D-L-E is six, just saying.) Meanwhile, it’s a month of loss, heading off a year of loss: pioneering Black actor, director and activist SIDNEY POITIER dies at 94.

JANUARY It’s GOLDEN GLOBES time.

But is a Globes with no telecast, boozy celebs or red carpet a Globes at all? The embattled Hollywood Foreign Press As-

FEBRUARY What would a year in pop culture be without BRITNEY? Just months after her liberation from her restrictive conservatorship, Spears is reported to have signed

The Year in Pop Culture

a mammoth book deal, but at year’s end we’re still waiting for news. RIHANNA is pregnant!

TOM BRADY retires! (Stay tuned, on that one.) TAYLOR watch: JAKE GYLLENHAAL speaks out, saying he really has nothing to do with that song, that it’s about an artist’s relationship with her fans _ but fans shouldn’t be cyberbullying, either.

MARCH Quick, who wins Oscars this month? Well, “CODA” does, a feel-good drama with a largely deaf cast, and TROY KOTSUR becomes the first deaf actor to win an acting Oscar. Alas, all anyone can talk about is – you know. SMITH, who wins the best actor award not long after slapping Rock over a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, won’t truly address the issue until the end of the year, so keep reading. KARDASHIAN Continued on page 6

6 WEDNESDAY, JAN. 4, 2023/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

Reviewing 2022 in pop culture Continued from page 5

watch: Kim K is declared legally single again in her ongoing divorce with YE, the rapper formerly known as KANYE WEST. And BRADY, retired for 40 days, says, “Never mind!”

APRIL It’s GRAMMY time, and JON BATISTE wins big, taking five statuettes. The musician’s huge year will later include performing at the first state dinner of the Biden administration, for French President Emmanuel Macron. The next day Macron will meet with MUSK (thanks for the segue, Monsieur le President) who begins his acquisition of TWITTER this month, leading to untold – and still unfolding – changes at the social media giant.

MAY So imagine you’re sipping cocktails at the MET GALA and a musician comes sauntering through, playing the melodica _ of course it’s BATISTE, because the Met Gala’s that kind of crazy party. The biggest splash of the night, though, is KARDASHIAN, on the arm of boyfriend PETE DAVIDSON, wearing the same sequined, skin tight gown MARILYN MONROE wore to sing “Happy Birthday” to JFK in 1962. In movies, “Top Gun: Maverick” opens, the highestgrossing domestic debut in CRUISE’S career, and his first to surpass $100 million on opening weekend. HARRY STYLES fans rejoice! His album, “Harry’s House,” is here.

JUNE Stunning news for the global fanbase of BTS as the K-pop supergroup announces it’s taking a break to focus on members’ solo projects. On the legal front, a Virginia jury hands DEPP a victory in his very messy libel case over allegations of domestic abuse, finding that former wife HEARD defamed him in a 2018 op-ed. On a happier note, Britney gets married.

JULY Only one wedding, Britney?

BENNIFER has two! Maybe what happens usually stays in Vegas, but not when you have 227 million followers on Ins-

tagram. With a winking reference to being a “Sadie” (married lady) JENNIFER LOPEZ directs fans to her newsletter where she shares pics of her quickie wedding to BEN AFFLECK. “Love is beautiful,” she writes. “And it turns out love is patient.” Speaking of patience, fans of BEYONCE are rewarded for theirs, with the release of her long-awaited seventh studio album, “Renaissance,’’ her first solo album in six years.

AUGUST So, we were saying .. Bennifer’s second wedding , on Affleck’s compound in Georgia, is bigger and fancier. One wedding, one split: KARDASHIAN and DAVIDSON are no longer. In other summer news, the world remembers Princess Diana, whose shocking death in a car crash happened 25 years ago, and whose life is being rehashed for a new generation in the current season of “The Crown.”

And only days later, that same Netflix series will pause production briefly as a mark of respect for Queen Elizabeth II as Britain – and the world – mourn the beloved monarch, who dies at age 96 after more than 70 years on the throne.

SEPTEMBER Mounting political intrigue in Europe, and by that we mean . did spit fly at the Venice premiere of “Don’t Worry Darling”? Either way the movie, directed by OLIVIA WILDE and starring her boyfriend (alleged spitter STYLES), is saddled - or blessed? - with more than its share of extracurricular drama. At the EMMYS, behold SHERYL LEE RALPH, who wins for “Abbott Elementary” and schools the crowd on the power of dreams and self-belief.

“This is what believing looks like,” she says. You know what else believing looks like? Rachel Berry from “Glee’’ – aka LEA MICHELE – at last getting to play Fanny Brice in “Funny Girl” on Broadway. In sports, with four rueful words that resonate with working moms everywhere, SERENA WILLIAMS says she’s stepping aside from tennis, because: “Something’s got to give.”

OCTOBER The second HARVEY WEINSTEIN trial opens in Los Angeles. ADIDAS drops YE, part of a cascade of companies that will sever ties with the rapper over his antisemitic and other troubling comments. The MUSK era begins at TWITTER as the world’s richest man carries a sink into the office, to “let that sink in.” HEIDI KLUM’s Halloween costume is a slimy, glistening rain worm. But before the month worms away from us, let’s cede it to SWIFT for dropping her new album, “Midnights” (Spotify’s moststreamed album in a single day), then adding seven bonus tracks, then becoming the first artist to occupy all top 10 slots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Let THAT sink in! P.S. Celebrity divorce watch: BRADY and wife GISELE BUNDCHEN split.

NOVEMBER Did we say LAST month was Taylor Swift month? Well now, millions of eager fans crowd a presale for her much-awaited Eras Tour, resulting in crashes and endless waits. Ticketmaster cancels the general sale, citing insufficient stock. Multiple state attorneys general announce investigations. Takeaway: People want Taylor Swift tickets. At the multiplex, they also want their Wakanda. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” meets the double challenge of following up one of the biggest blockbusters in history and losing its biggest star.

DECEMBER Love ‘em or hate ‘em, here come HARRY and MEGHAN again, with a Netflix “documentary” being watched very, very closely by royalty across the pond. Cameron’s “AVATAR” sequel finally appears, 13 years after the original broke records. Will viewers flock to Pandora once again? And bringing the year full circle, SMITH emerges to promote his new film, “EMANCIPATION,” and hoping people will forget about . what was it? … at least enough to check out the movie.

In this year of comebacks, Will Smith’s be the biggest?

Check back with us in 2023.

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ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/WEDNESDAY, JAN. 4, 2023 7

How the Bolts won the “Battle of Los Angeles” Continued from page 8

prised the Rams. The Chargers began the day with the secondhighest percentage of passing plays in the league.

“We came in and knew they were going to pass the ball, but they were able to run the ball, and we’ve just got to do better,”

linebacker Bobby Wagner said.

“Ekeler was pretty much the back we anticipated. They put it in his hands, got him to the perimeter, and he made plays.”

Ekeler scored on consecutive possessions in the second quarter to give the Chargers a 14-3 lead. After having a 10-yard run

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off left guard to give the Bolts a 7-3 advantage, Ekeler patiently waited for a seam to develop on the right side of the line before going 72 yards.

“We were running power. Everything was kicked out and was able to get through the corner,” Ekeler said. “I got caught earlier in the year, and so that’s the only thing that was on my mind was, ‘All right, speed, speed, speed.

Don’t get caught,’ and was able to get in there.’’

Left guard Matt Feiler pulled to help create an opening while wide receiver Keenan Allen and tight end Donald Parham also laid key blocks before Ekeler broke into the clear.

“It was well blocked up front, but then you have to have your receivers blocking in the run game to get the splitter,” coach Brandon Staley said. “It was a decisive and downhill run.’’

It was the Rams’ 11th loss of the season, surpassing the 1999 Denver Broncos for most defeats by a defending Super Bowl champion.

The Rams played well in the first half and trailed 17-10 at halftime. But they crossed midfield only once on their five second-half possessions.

Los Angeles got to the Chargers’ 35-yard line on their first possession of the third quarter, but Baker Mayfield turned it over after a strip-sack by Kyle Van Noy. “There was a very small margin for error, and then when it ended up getting out of hand, it got out of hand for us,” coach Sean McVay said.

Cam Akers had his second straight 100-yard game with 19 carries for 123 yards. Baker Mayfield was 11 of 19 for 132 yards.

The lone touchdown for the Rams (5-11) was a 23-yard run up the middle by Malcolm Brown to get them within 14-10 in the second quarter.

EKELER’S MILESTONE Ekeler reached 100 receptions with his first catch, an 8-yard pass from Herbert on the Chargers’ opening possession.

Ekeler joins former Chargers great LaDainian Tomlinson, Larry Centers of Arizona, Matt Forte of Chicago and Christian McCaffrey as the only other players to achieve the feat. McCaffrey is the only running back with two 100-catch seasons.

The 103 receptions this season

by Ekeler are the third-most in a season by a running back. McCaffey had 116 receptions in 2019 and 107 in ‘18.

QUITE A CATCH Mike Williams had seven receptions for 94 yards, including a one-handed, toe-tapping 18yard grab along the left sideline late in the second quarter.

“Just react to the ball. I was just able to get the right hand to the ball and able to come down and get two feet in,’’ Williams said.

THIRD QUARTER BREAKTHROUGH The Chargers found the end zone in the third quarter for the first time in 11 games when Herbert connected with Gerald Everett for an 8-yard touchdown to cap an 11-play, 75-yard drive to open the second half.

Herbert came into the game without a TD pass in two straight games for the first time in his three-year pro career.

CENTURY MARK Herbert’s 3-yard TD pass to Donald Parham early in the fourth quarter gave Herbert a combined 100 rushing and passing touchdowns. That ties him with Dan Marino for the most through the first three seasons of a career.

INJURIES Rams: DB Nick Scott suffered a shoulder injury in the third quarter but returned midway through the fourth.

UP NEXT Rams: Conclude their season at Seattle next Sunday.

Chargers: Wrap up the regular season at Denver next Sunday.

8 WEDNESDAY, JAN. 4, 2023/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

TheSportsPage

League Play Starting for Most Locals Spartans keep best records

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN Austin Ekeler runs for a touchdown in the Chargers’ 31-10 win over the Rams at SoFi Stadium (Mike Nowak/Chargers photo).

It’s no shock; Chargers rule Los Angeles for now

By Joe Reedy AP Sports Writer

INGLEWOOD (AP) – On a day when Austin Ekeler accomplished a receiving milestone, it was his running that paved the way for the Los Angeles Chargers to keep rolling toward the postseason.

Ekeler rushed for 122 yards, scored two touchdowns and became the fifth running back with 100 receptions in a season as the Chargers cruised to a 31-10 victory Sunday over the Los Angeles Rams in a matchup of SoFi Stadium co-tenants.

The now playoff-bound

Chargers improved to 10-6 and have won four straight games.

“I think we’re trending the right direction,” said Ekeler, who had the third 100-yard rushing game of his six-year career and second this season.

Ekeler, who has an NFLleading 18 touchdowns (13 rushing, five receiving), also had a careerbest 72-yard TD run midway through the second quarter to extend the Chargers’ lead to 14-3.

The running game had 192 yards and averaged 6.2 yards per carry, the second-best performance of the season in both categories. That allowed the offense to be balanced as the Chargers had 31 run and 31 pass plays.

“I think it’s great for our offense. That’s the balanced attack that we’re going for,’’ said Justin Herbert, who completed 21 of 28 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns.

“We think highly of our offensive line and running backs. To see that today, we’re not surprised by the success at all.”

The balance even surContinued on page 7

The long tournament and non-league part of the high school basketball season is over, and most West Orange County teams will open league play this week.

Starting on Wednesday will be the Garden Grove, Surf and San Joaquin leagues for boys. Beginning on Thursday will be the Orange League, and Friday will be the tipoff day for the Golden West League.

Late starting will be the Empire League, beginning play on Jan. 13.

However, the Orange Coast League is already well underway, with each team having played three or four conference games so far.

The situation with girls’

teams is a little different.

While most will play on the same day as the boys, some are on another schedule. For example, the Orangewood Academy’s girls won’t start San Joaquin action until Tuesday, Jan. 10.

So far, the leading teams appear to continue to be from OA. The girls are 11-3 and the boys are 153. The latter team won the Anaheim Colony Classic on Friday, defeating Northwood High of Irvine 83-42.

Game times vary. While most are scheduled to start at 7 p.m., some will begin at 6 or even 4:30 p.m.

Check with the school if you’re planning on attending.

Prep Hoops Scores Friday, Dec. 30 (boys) Orangewood 83, Northwood 42 Loara 55, Norwalk 53 Santa Ana 44, Pacifica 34 Edison 51, Beaumont 43 Ocean View 48, Stevenson 45 Friday, Dec. 30 (girls) Beckman 58, Huntington Beach 31 Brea Olinda 64, Huntington Beach 38 Rancho Alamitos 39, Blair 36 Tuesday, Jan. 3 (boys) La Quinta 66, Anaheim 64 Tustin 54, Garden Grove 42 Templeton 78, Westminster 62 Tuesday, Jan. 3 (girls)

Fountain Valley 41, Huntington Beach 31 Los Alamitos 59, Marina 15