The Orange County Tribune April 26, 2023

Shelter, Bike Path Plans To Now Advance

Homeless persons and bicyclists got good news from Tuesday’s meeting of the Garden Grove City Council.

The council voted unanimously to approve:

• awarding a contract for the construction of the Central Cities Navigation Center to Thomco Construction Co in the amount of $4,267,450. The center will be located at 13871 West. St. Most of the money to build and operate the center, which will have facilities to serve 85 people, comes from funds processed by the County of Orange, and:

• a contract with Volun-

teers of America of Los Angeles for the operation of the center, which will serve the unsheltered of Garden Grove, Fountain Valley and Westminster.

Also, the council voted 7-0 to award a contract to Southstar Engineering and Consulting, Inc. for the management of construction of a major bicycle corridor in the city. Garden Grove received $1.1 million from CalTrans in 2018 for the project, but progress was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

The next meeting of the city council is scheduled for Tuesday, May 9 at 5:30 p.m.

Disneyland in Anaheim may be the “Magic Kingdom,” but at Tuesday’s State of the City event, Garden Grove was described as a city full of “magic.” Mayor Steve Jones was the keynote speaker at the Hyatt Regency Orange County hotel in Garden Grove, and his time on stage was enlivened by a performance by professional magician Johnny “Ace” Palmer, who entertained the ballroom audience with slight-of-hand and humorous patter. The event was co-sponsored by the city and the Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce (City of Garden Grove photo).

GG: New city manager Lisa Kim

By Jim Tortolano Orange County Tribune

Little Saigon, the stretch along Bolsa Avenue between Brookhurst Street and Magnolia Avenue, is perhaps Westminster’s most famous area, serving as the central business district for the city’s large Vietnamese population. How to help that area grow and modernize is the subject of discussions by

the city council as it pursues three main areas of economic development: creating a downtown area along Westminster Boulevard, considering improvements in the city’s west side, and investing in Little Saigon.

The city council will discuss at Wednesday’s

She was born in Hong Kong, moved to London, crossed the pond to California and has lived in Irvine for 25 years, but she’s ready to become as real a Garden Grove stalwart as someone born and bred in the Big Strawberry. “I am absolutely planning to immerse myself in the community,” said Lisa Kim, Garden Grove’s new city manager, “getting to know our residents as well as our business community.”

She was promoted to the top job by the city council from her position as assistant city manager and

community and economic development upon the departure of Scott Stiles, who left to become city manager of Palm Springs.

Although Kim, 52, has been near the top of City Hall management, her new role is bigger. She’s now responsible for “everything above ground and below ground,” she said with a laugh. Does her new administration have a theme or special focus? “I would have to say it’s celebrating the city’s legacy. It’s 67 years old [as an incorporated

LISA KIM, Garden Grove’s new city manager.

Lisa Kim, Garden Grove’s brand new city manager The Orange County Tribune Every Wednesday & Saturday

Continued from page 1

city; the town was founded in 1874] in June. It’s a very dense, built-out community, so there’s a reason to ensure that our infrastructure is maintained. But I also want our community to able to thrive and sustain ourselves. We want to celebrate our legacy and pave the way for the future.”

Front and center initially are city efforts to cope with homelessness, as the Central Cities Navigation Center soon will come on line to house and help the unsheltered.

Another big project will be a new 87,000-square foot police building that will lead to big

changes in the Civic Center area. But don’t worry, she says, about the wildlife in the Civic Center Park ponds. “The ducks will always have a home in Garden Grove.”

Her new role is quite a change, she admits. “I’m used to being in the weeds, concentrating on details, milestones and deadlines.”

Now she’s got to “pan back to 35,000 feet” and take a broader view of her responsibilities.

But that’s OK. “I loved my old hat,” she said, referring to her time as community development director and assistant city manager. “But I love my new hat more.”

Westminster City Council preview

Continued from page 1

meeting two items continued from the April 5 session. Among the issues raised by staff and

council members are traffic and parking conditions, including the possibility of building a parking structure.

Also on the agenda for the meeting is a public hearing on a proposed general plan amendment to re-designate 17.3 acres of the 156-acre Westminster Memorial Park from “park/open space” to “public/semi-public facilities.”

In the past, the site has been considered as a possible location for the controversial proposed Quang Tri monument.

The council will meet in open session at 6 p.m. at 8200 Westminster Blvd.

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.

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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 Garden Grove Downtown Business Association and Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce.

The benefits of living with a famous Mouse

When I am out of town (i.e., out of the Golden State) people will ask me, “So, where are you from?”

I start with, “Garden Grove.” Blank look.

“Orange County.” Puzzled look, as if it sounds vaguely familiar.

“Near Anaheim.”

Face scrunch.

Tip of their tongue …

“Near Disneyland?”

Face lights up.

“Oh, yeah. I know where that is!”

Retorts

Jim Tortolano

Like it or not, we all kind of live in the shadow of the Mouse. It put us on the map, paved the way for the Angels and Ducks, and the waves of tourism that followed. But these are bumpy days for Walt’s literal and financial descendants. Disney in general has become embroiled in culture wars from the right and economic pressures from the left.

Some conservatives are upset about the company’s gayfriendly attitude and some liberals are upset that Anaheim and Orlando aren’t getting enough of a benefit for their aging communities from the tax breaks and other concessions Disney has received over the years.

I look at it differently. Disneyland was not only my best college summer job (decent pay, great food), but it was a wonderful place to socialize. Most of us “casual/seasonal” employees were around the same age and interested in the same things, if you catch my drift.

It seemed like half the people I knew from high school worked somewhere in the park. I could walk down the D-land Main

One killed, three hurt in 4-car crash

A 52-year-old Santa Ana man was killed and three other persons injured in a four-car collision in Garden Grove on Saturday afternoon.

According to Sgt. Royce Wimmer of the GGPD, the incident took place in the 10800 block of Garden Grove Boulevard, near Nelson Street and Century Boulevard.

The call came into police at about 3:30 p.m. and arriving officers found four vehicles –a blue Ford 500 truck, a white Ford Mustang, a silver Honda Odyssey van and a blue Toyota Rav 4 – involved.

Four people were treated at the scene. Three were taken to area hospitals and one was pronounced dead.

The cause of the crashes is under investigation, including the possibility of drugs and/or alcohol being a factor. Anyone who witnessed the accident is asked to contact Investigator Dan Mihalik at (714) 741-5925.

A fire-breathing dragon

that (yikes!) caught on fire

ANAHEIM (AP) – Spectators at Disneyland’s popular “Fantasmic!” show got a shock this weekend when the feature’s fire-breathing animatronic dragon suddenly burst into flames.

No injuries were reported following the blaze Saturday night at the theme park, the Anaheim Fire Department said.

Ryan Laux, a frequent Disneyland visitor, said fire has always been a part of the “Fantasmic!’’ presentation. But he said he knew something was awry when when flames didn’t come from where they usually do.

“The head started going on fire instead of the fire projecting out,” said Laux, who lives in Los Angeles and captured the blaze on video. The show was stopped almost immediately “and then right after that, the dragon started catching fire and the whole body was up in flames,” he told The Associated Press on Sunday.

The show takes place twice nightly near the park’s famous Tom Sawyer Island. The climax features Mickey Mouse battling a giant dragon named Maleficent.

Laux said Mickey vanished from the stage as soon as the dragon’s head became engulfed in flames.

The extent of the damage wasn’t immediately known.

Seek input

for study of GG parking

The Garden Grove community is invited to participate in an online survey to provide input on residential street parking conditions as part of a comprehensive parking study.

Six focus neighborhoods were selected for the study to be used for future city planning.

The survey, available in multiple languages, can be accessed through Wednesday, May 17, from the city’s website at ggcity.org/parking-study.

The project is made possible through a grant.

FIRE-BREATHING dragon ignited in Anaheim’s Disneyland on Saturday. There were no injuries (Photo by Tim Turenske)

NewsUpdate

Biden to run for re-election to the White House in 2024

In a move that was totally expected – if not universally welcome – President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday he is running for re-election in 2024.

“We –you and I – together we’re turning things around and doing it in a big way,” said Biden before a rally of union workers,” he said, according to the Associated Press. “It’s time to finish the job. Finish the job.”

Biden has no serious challengers for the Democratic Party nomination, but public opinion polls suggest that Biden’s age –he would be 86 at the end of a second term – hampers enthusiasm even within his own party for his candidacy.

The front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination – based on polls – is former president Donald Trump, whom Biden defeated in 2020.

Massacre plotter is killed by Taliban

The leader of the cell of the Islamic State believed responsible for the 2021 suicide bombing at the Kabul Airport in Afghanistan that killed 13 American troops and 170 civilians has been killed by the ruling Taliban, according to The New York Times.

Although both groups are strongly anti-American and fundamentalist Muslim, they are rivals and there’s been fighting between them in recent weeks, government sources told The Times.

Also in the news … Harry Belafonte, popular singer of calypso music (“Day-O”) and a civil rights activist, has died at the age of 96.

Angels, Dodgers win; Suns finish the Clips

The Los Angeles Dodgers rallied from a 7-2 deficit to defeat the Pittsburgh PIrates 8-7 on Tuesday.

With the win, the Dodgers are 13-11 and in first in the NL West, a half-game ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Los Angeles Angels defeated the Oakland A’s 5-3 and squared their record at 12-12. The Halos are in third place in the AL West.

The season came to an end Tuesday for the Los Angeles Clippers, who lost 136-130 to the Phoenix Suns in the fifth and final game of the first round NBA Western Conference playoffs.

Derek Booker scored 47 points for the Suns.

Weather: Spirits of 76, 78

The outlook for the West Orange County area continues to be for summer-y days.

Wednesday’s daytime high should be 78, with an overnight low of 56 under partly cloudy skies.

Thursday will be similar at 76 (56) but the sun should break through on Friday with a high of 77 (59).

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PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN (White House photo).

Arts&Living

Bonds of War Tested in “The Covenant’

Guy Ritchie’s new film studies a relationship

By Lindsey Bahr AP Film Writer

There is a line in “Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant “ in which Jake Gyllenhaal’s Army Sgt. John Kinley is having a disagreement with Dar Salim’s Ahmed, the man assigned to be his interpreter in Afghanistan, who has gone beyond straight translation and into the realm of strategy. Kinley tells him that he’s there to translate. Ahmed responds that he’s an interpreter.

The line is Gyllenhaal’s favorite and a perfect encapsulation of the dynamic between the two men, who, despite themselves, forge a bond that goes beyond words and has both risking their lives to save the other in the name of a debt.

It’s also perhaps the only line in the final film that was prewritten, Richie laughed in a recent interview with The Associated Press alongside his actors. This may seem like a strange or backhanded thing for a director to say about a script, except for the fact that it was one that Ritchie co-wrote. He’d been inspired by several documentaries in which he became fascinated with the relationship between soldier and interpreter.

The film, which has garnered some of the best reviews in Ritchie’s career, opened in theaters nationwide Friday.

“I was moved by the rather complicated and paradoxical bonds that seemed to be fused by the trauma of war between the interpreters and their colleagues, so to speak, on the other side of the cultural divide and how all of that evaporated under duress,” Ritchie said.

“The irony of war is the depths to which the human spirit is allowed to express itself that in

any other sort of day-to-day situation is never allowed. It’s very hard to articulate the significance and that profundity of those bonds. My job was to try and capture that spirit within a film and within a very simple narrative.”

The script, though, is merely a starting prompt. On set, the ideas are fluid, the conversations run deep and, his actors say, the creativity flourishes. Just ask Gyllenhaal, who met Ritchie 15 or so years ago at a Christmas party. They had an immediate “energetic connection” but hadn’t figured out a way to work together until this project.

“The first thing he said was, ‘This is a very reluctant relationship. I don’t want any sentimentality in this movie and not between these two people. I want this to be a sort of begrudging connection.’”

Gyllenhaal loved the challenge of always being on your toes for new ideas, some that even became integral callbacks in the final film.

“Quite literally, it is a table,” Gyllenhaal said. “At that table is where those exchanges are and those ideas are shared and created. And like any good table, it’s usually met with a meal as well – mini meals, large meals – and the movie is found. It really is great fun. Especially if you love food.”

Salim, an Iraqi-born, Danishraised actor in one of his first

major Hollywood roles, was a bit intimidated by the names around him at first. But by week two he had found a groove and was even so bold as to not only challenge Ritchie to a game of chess but then win – though there is some teasing disagreement about who exactly won that first match.

“Once you’re invited into that circle, it’s a very unique experience,” Salim said. “It releases energy that’s normally not there on a set.”

Ritchie has had five films released since 2019, and, including “The Covenant,” two this year alone because of business complications when STX shifted focus away from distribution and films like “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” got caught in a kind of limbo.

He has become an almost unwitting case study in distribution for an industry in flux and recovering from a pandemic and this $55 million war film is yet another test in some ways.

JAKE GYLLENTHAL and Dar Salim star in “Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant,” the tale of two men in war that are willing to sacrifice for one another.

GUY RITCHIE

The bonds of war are tested in ‘The Covenant’

Continued from page 5

But that’s not something that troubles him much.

“Sands move so quickly within the industry that you almost can’t focus on the release strategies and exactly how the movie unfurls to the public, you just got to focus on what your day job is, which is the work,” Ritchie said.

“You’d like it to unfurl as elegantly as possible, but there are some things that are just beyond your control, and the business itself is in a constant state of flux, but it has been since it began.”

In Gyllenhaal’s three decades of moviemaking, he’s learned that great stories will find their way, even if it’s not in the moment, “though that’s what we seem to all be a bit obsessed with.”

“The Covenant,” Gyllenhaal said, has “A real classical sense to it. It’s a simple story, it can last for a long time.”

He even found himself “blubbering” on the first watch, which surprised him as someone who doesn’t often cry at movies and certainly not at ones he’s in, which he usually can barely watch.

“I was so moved by it because I think it moved beyond the expe-

rience we had,” Gyllenhaal said. “In the end, it is a story about humanity. It’s a story about the action of good and the action of good not always having to be sentimentalized.”

Ritchie, who had already stayed chatting with his actors well past his press availability “hard out,” went even further and, seemingly, back to those tables on the set in Spain where the movie revealed itself.

“It wishes to express something that’s beyond altruism, it wishes to express something that feels at a profound level connected, and anything that can force that connection that’s beyond the duality of good and bad. It is something that’s more sacred than good or bad,” Ritchie said.

“It is curious because the name covenant seems to, although it’s somewhat biblical in its origin, it to me does capture what the essence of the story is. It’s a covenant that’s beyond good and bad. It’s a covenant that expresses an optimism about the fundamental aspect of the human spirit.”

Gyllenhaal added: “See? Now you’ve had the experience of what it’s like sitting around a table with Mr. Ritchie on a movie.”

Retorts: Let’s be grateful and cut the Mouse a real break

Continued from page 3 Street and point, saying “That’s where Cynthia worked, and that’s where Shannon works. And over there is Frank and there’s where that Other Guy Whose Name I Can Never Remember is.”

Not only that, the Monsanto ride was a really good third date.

D-land financed much of my college expenses and dates, and allowed me to purchase a 1964 Plymouth Valiant, which had only about 150,000 miles on it, but had the benefit of starting up every morning. Mostly.

There was a time when Ana-

heim/California and Orlando/ Florida were turning backflips to get a Disneyland or Disneyworld.

Now that the Mouse has brought billions of dollars worth of wealth to those areas, they’re singing a different tune.

In fact, it reminds me of that classic Janet Jackson song from 1986: “What Have You Done For Me Lately?”

Retorts columnist Jim Tortolano began (and ended) his professional cooking experience flipping burgers in Fantasyland Fast Food #2.

Pacifica’s mixed pursuit of diamond crowns

Pacifica High’s baseball and softball teams began the week in pursuit of diamond gold, i.e. league championships. One succeeded and one only came close.

The Mariner baseball team clinched no worse than a tie for the Empire League pennant with a 4-2 win over rival Cypress on Tuesday at home. It was Pacifica’s 16th straight victory as the M’s overall record improved to 21-2 and 9-0 in league.

However, the Centurions (207, 8-1) can force a tie for the title if they can defeat the Mariners in the last regular season game on Thursday at the Cypress diamond.

Chad Gurnea, usually a starter, was employed as the closer and slammed the door for Pacifica by striking out five batters in three innings. Top hitter for the M’s was Aiden Marquez, who went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

The Pacifica softball team also won on Tuesday, defeating Kennedy 10-4, and needed

Cypress to lose to set a potential title-tying game against the M’s on Thursday.

But Crean Lutheran, which came within a run of beating Cypress last time, lost 15-1. Pacifica is now 18-8 overall and 7-2 in the Empire League, while the Cents are 19-2-1 and 9-0 and are outright EL champs.

Huntington Beach (19-8, 6-2) clinched no worse than a tie for the Sunset Surf baseball pennant with an 11-1 win over Los Alamitos.

In the Golden West League, Ocean View did the same with a 9-2 win over second place Katella. The Knights can tie it all up on Thursday if they can turn the table on the Seahawks.

Loara and Los Amigos remain tied for first in the Garden Grove baseball league race, each with 9-5 marks with one game to play.

On Monday, Los Alamitos defeated Huntington Beach 5-4 on a squeeze play in the eighth inning in Sunset League softball play.

In Grove League softball, La Quinta beat Bolsa Grande 13-3 to stay in second place. Nevaeh

Angels win

place in the American League West.

Brandon Drury had another good day at bat with a 2-for-4 performance that included a triple and two RBIs, along with a

Prep Sports Scores

Tuesday, April 25 (baseball)

Pacifica 4, Cypress 2

Hunt. Beach 11, Los Al 1

Edison 2, Laguna Beach 1

Ocean View 9, Katella 2

Orange 7, Santa Ana 0

Los Amigos 8, La Quinta 2

Loara 6, Bolsa Grande 5

Savanna 15, Magnolia 2

Tuesday, April 25 (softball)

Marina 13, Fountain Valley 2

Pacifica 10, Kennedy 4

Monday, April 24 (baseball)

Marina 5, Newport Harbor 4

Monday, April 24 (softball)

Los Alamitos 5, H. Beach 4 (8)

Santa Ana 19, Orange 9

La Quinta 13, Bolsa Grande 3

Loara 19, Rancho Alamitos. 9

Santiago 13, Los Amigos 0

Anaheim 14, Western 0

SA Valley 16, Magnolia 11

Capo Vall. Chr. 19, O’wood 4

Gomez led the way with a 3-for3 hitting performance and five innings of striking out five while yielding just one earned run. Elle Magga was 2-for-2 with two walks and three runs scored.

run scored. Mike Trout and Gio Urshela each had two hits for the Halos.

Griffin Canning (1-0) had a solid start lasting five innings and giving up four hits and three earned runs. He walked two but struck out seven. The bullpen did well, as three relievers gave up just two hits and no runs.

Retorts: Is there a home field edge?

Comtinued from page 8

• Back-to-back games and jet lag wear on the visiting team

• Officiating trends toward the home team on subjective calls such as penalties, fouls and (in basketball) traveling.

He cites stats that show in baseball – for example – during a full count, more pitches are called for the home team’s pitcher, and that home teams (in basketball) are awarded more free throws than the visitor.

I’m not suggesting that the of-

ficials are bought off or biased.

If there’s a bias, it’s unconscious and after all, you get the advantage back at home. And, after all, the impact on a NBA game – for example – amounts to about three points per game. Better play, conditioning and coaching can certainly more than overcome that.

Since the difference is relatively slight, maybe the real reason is unknowable, except that – you know – there’s really is no place like home.

There’s no place like home ... by a small margin

The Tampa Bay Rays – as of this writing – are on an historic tear, having won all 14 of their home gaames. Combine that with a 6-3 record on the road and they’re 20-3 and 4.5 games ahead of the pack in the American League East.

OK, well, you might say, home field advantage, right?

But, then how do you explain the fact that the Kansas City Royals are 1-12 at home and the Oakland (soon to be Las Vegas?)

A’s are 2-10?

THEIR NET PROFIT

Angels defeat

A’s; Dodgers sink Pirates

The Los Angeles Dodgers were short-handed on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but the team’s 8-7 win wasn’t short of drama.

Sports Retorts

Jim Tortolano

Just why teams – generally – do better at their home stadium, arena, court, pitch, ballpark has usually been explained through what’s arguably the collision of science and folklore.

And sometimes it doesn’t appear to matter much at all.

As of this writing, the Dodgers are 6-6 at home and 6-5 on the road, while the Angels are 5-5 at home and 6-7 on the road.

The two major theories about the home field advantage are the benefits of familiarity and the role of officiating.

Intimidating crowds, curses, dishonest refs or simply familiarity of a player with the venue are all in one corner. I knew one basketball player who claimed he knew all the “soft” and “hard” places on the hardwood court and could adjust his jumps accordingly.

On the other hand, In 2019, Professor Konstantines Pelechrinis of the University of Pittsburgh fired up his computer and calculator and came up with these conclusions:

• Crowd noise has little or no effect

Continued on page 7

BOLSA GRANDE’S BOYS’ volleyball team won the Garden Grove League title, finishing first wth a 9-1 league mark (1610) overall, followed by Rancho Alamitos at 8-2. Above, two Matador players go up to block against La Quinta on April 18. The match was won 3-1 by Bolsa. The Matadors open CIF-SS playoff Division 3 action hosting Pacific Christian on Thursday. (GGUSD Athletics photo) For more high school sports results, go to page 7.

Suns set on the Clippers with a 136-130 defeat

The 2022-23 season for the Los Angeles Clippers came to and end Tuesday night as they lost 136-130 to the Phoenix Suns in Game Five of the first round of the NBA Western Conference playoffs.

Despite leading 70-61 at halftime, the Clips had their fate sealed when the host Suns put up a 50-point third quarter, creating a deficit almost impossible to close.

Devin Booker scored 47 points

for Phoenix, 25 in the crucial third.

Norman Powell led the Clippers with 27 points, followed by Mason Plumlee with 20 and Nicolas Batum with 19.

The Suns, who won the series four games to one, will now face the Denver Nuggets on Friday.

In NHL play, the Los Angeles Kings will play the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, trailing three games to two in first round Stanley Cup series.

Trailing at one point by 7-2, the Blue Crew rallied to pull out the win and improve the team record to 13-11, good for a half-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks for first place in the National League West.

Playing without Max Muncy and J.D. Martinez, the Dodgers nevertheless put together enough offense to close within two runs, setting the stage for Chris Taylor’s three-run home run in the top of the sixth.

Not enjoying the game as much was Dodger starting pitcher (and former Angel) Noah Syndergaard, who lasted four innings while yielding seven runs and nine hits, his ERA rising to 6.58.

The Dodgers are next in action on Wednesday with Tony Gonsolin making his first start of the season.

The Los Angeles Angels took on the Oakland A’s in Anaheim and bounced back nicely from Monday’s heart-breaking 11-10 10th inning loss with a 5-3 victory.

With the win, the Halos are once again at .500 (12-12) and in third

Continued on page 7