The Orange County Tribune Feb. 22, 2023

‘Rainbow’ Flag Ban Advances On A 4-3 Vote

By Jim Tortolano Orange County Tribune

After three hours of divided – and at some times, emotional – public comments, the Huntington Beach City Council on Tuesday night did what it was widely expected to do: it voted 4-3 in favor of introducing an ordinance that essentially banned the display of the

What caused tree’s fatal fall in Anaheim?

The City of Anaheim has recovered a fallen tree that took the life of a woman in a vehicle at Pearson Park on Sunday and will begin the process of evaluating the tree this week.

The tree, a 60-foot bur oak, was cut into three large pieces Sunday night and moved to a city yard. A forensic arborist is expected to begin assessing the fallen tree this week.

On Sunday at about 2:50 p.m., the tree unexpect-

Continued on page 4

Before the council was a proposal that will – if approved on a second reading at the next meeting –limit the flying of flags at City Hall and other municipal properties including the city’s iconic pier of any flags other than government flags, as well as the POW/MIA banner.

Figuring

A variety of topics ranging from what to post on Facebook to whether the annual Tet Parade should be a municipal enterprise from now on are on the agenda for the Westminster City Council when it meets on Wednesday.

Topping the regular business portion of the agenda is presentation on social

Parade’s future

media “best practices” use for city officials. The council will consider the city’s three-year strategic plan and updated sixmonth objectives. It will also mull clarifying the issue of whose support is needed to place items on

the council agenda. Recently, the council voted 3-2 to require the backing of two council members in order to place an item on the agenda, but that created a conflict with an earlier policy which allowed the mayor to add items to the agenda independently.

School closings looming in the OVSD

Shrinking enrollment could lead to the closing of three elementary schools in the Ocean View School District and converting a middle school to an elementary campus.

A series of school community meetings are underway, with one today (Wednesday) for Village

View School, another on Thursday for Spring View School and the final meeting on Monday at Golden View.

At the Feb. 14 meeting of the OVSD, the staff’s recommendations to the Board of Trustees options were presented, and they include the closing and

relocating of students at Circle View, Village View and Golden View.

Spring View would be converted from a middle school to an elementary school and the middle school students there relocated to another middle school in the district.

THE 2023 TET PARADE in Westminster was organized by the city, and was widely considered to be a success (City of Westminster photo).

rainbow “gay pride” flag on city property.

Huntington Beach city council and flag policy

Continued from page 1

Just as on Feb. 7, those supporting the new ordinance were Mayor Tony Strickland, Vice Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark and Councilmembers Pat Burns and Casey McKeon. Opposed were Councilmembers Rhonda Bolton, Dan Kalmick and Natalie Moser.

The public comments ranged from the sincere to the angry to the theatrical.

One supporter of the ban lifted a rainbow flag, tore it in half and stomped on it.

An opponent led compatriots in the packed council chamber in a chant of “We stand in support of the pride flag.”

Thirty-four speakers opposed the proposal and 24 were in support.

The city clerk said that e-mails on the matter ran 390 against the ban and 323 in favor, as well as some comments that were difficult to discern.

When it came time for the council to take a vote, Kalmick called the proposed ordinance “cowardly” and “a bad example of public policy rife with mistakes” and told the council “There’s an economic cost to this.”

To the argument that the proposed action excluded the LGBTQ (lesbianm gay, bisexual, trans queer) community, McKeon said that the U.S. national flag “is by definition, inclusive of everyone.”

In reference to a decision by the Blue Shield Foundation to cancel meetings in Huntington Beach because of the proposed

OVSD school closings?

Continued from page 1

Superintendent Michael Conroy, in a letter to parents, wrote, “When compared to statewide average, OVSD has a number of very small schools. Consequently, the district is facing tough decisions regarding the consolidation of schools, declining enrollment and related facility needs in the district.”

Since most of the district’s funding comes from the state,

The Tet Parade

Continued from page 1

Also at the meeting, the council will consider a request by Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen to designate the Tet Parade as a “city-sanctioned event” and begin planning for 2024’s event.

After no nonprofit groups stepped up this year to organize the parade, the council handed the task to city staff. It was staged successfully with a large turnout despite the short amount of time in which the staff had to make all the preparations for the project.

The council will meet in closed session at 5:30 and in open session at 7 p.m. in its chambers at 8200 Westminster Blvd.

as enrollment dips, so does operating income. According to the OVSD, student numbers have fallen from 9,419 pupils in 201213 to 6,809 in 2022-23.

The district serves northern Huntington Beach and portions of adjoining cities.

The next meeting of the OVSD board of trustees will be on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. at the district offices at 17200 Pinehurst Lane, Huntington Beach.

policy, he said, ‘“Why is Blue Shield trying to blackmail us?” and suggested the city might

consider a change in the medical plans offered to city employees.

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

Early release for convicted killer of trio

3 Westminster residents were murdered in 1980

LOS ANGELES (AP)

– An Orange County former attorney and motorcycle club founder who killed three people in 1980 in Westminster has been ordered to be released this week, following a terminal cancer diagnosis, prosecutors said last week.

Thomas Maniscalco, 77, has been incarcerated for nearly 40 years after his 1994 conviction on three counts of second-degree murder, with enhancements for being armed with a firearm, according to state prison officials.

He was sentenced to life in prison and has been denied parole twice.

He was ordered released under California’s compassionate release law, which was amended last year and allows for incarcerated people to be freed if they have a serious and advanced illness with an end-of-life trajectory.

Maniscalco was the cofounder of the Hessian Motorcycle Club. Prosecutors said Maniscalco thought Richard Rizzone, another Hessian, was ripping him off in a coun-

Continued on page 4

Is HB City Council risking mixing politics, business?

Is this the other shoe on the “Rainbow Flag” controversy”?

The new conservative majority on the Huntington Beach City Council voted on Feb. 7 to ask the city attorney to draw up an ordinance on flag display on city property that essentially would ban the “rainbow” flag of the LGBTQ community.

On Tuesday, the council took its first official vote on the ordinance. It was approved 4-3 and it will come back to the council for final approval at its next meeting.

The first “shot across the bow” of this policy came from the Blue Shield of California Foundation which sent a letter to the council mentioning that it had cancelled its meeting scheduled at the

Huntington Beach Hilton in protest.

Usually Reliable Sources

The implication is that if the council doesn’t back off on this issue, the city will lose business from organizations and businesses angry about the policy. It’s happened in other cities and states. We shall see.

Here’s the starting gun …

It’s February 2023 and campaigning for the 2024 elections is already underway. At issue is the First District seat on the Orange County Board of

Continued on page 4

NEWPORT HONORS HBPD HERO

An early morning fire Saturday at a two-story apartment complex in Stanton drew 75 firefighters from several different agencies to battle the blaze.

According to the Orange County Fire Authority, which provides fire and paramedic services for Stanton, Garden Grove, Westminster and other cities, the fire was reported at 12:22 a.m. in the 8300 block of Chapman Avenue (between Beach Boulevard and Dale Street).

The three-alarm fire summoned firefighting

units from Anaheim Fire and Rescue and Fountain Valley Fire Department as well as OCFA.

The fire spread from the attic of one unit and above other apartments through the common attic. Thick smoke filled the street and arriving firefighters saw smoke coming out of the attic from multiple sides.

Orange County Sheriff’s Department deputies evacuated residents while firefighters attacked the fire from inside the building as well as on the roof, containing the flames to

Continued on page 7

A MEMORIAL PLAQUE was unveiled Sunday at Marina Park in Newport Beach in honor of Huntington Beach Police Officer Pilot Eric Vella, who died one year ago when the HB-1 helicopter suffered mechanical failure and plunged into the ocean. He is survived by his wife Kristi (above), daughter Dylan, father John, mother Marcella and brother John Arthur (HBPD photo).

75 firefighters put out blaze in Stanton apts.

THE ECONOMICS of flag display and politics, and the start of the race for the First District seat on the county board of supervisors.(Flickr/Benson Kua).

NewsUpdate

Also in the news … The recent – and anticipated – wet weather that Southern California has experienced is replenishing reservoirs, according to USA Today, but current climate planners indicate generally dry conditions overall.

Ducks grounded by Lightning by 6-1

Falling tree was fatal

Continued from page 1`

edly fell from the southern end of Pearson Park onto Cypress Street, just east of Harbor Boulevard.

The tree landed on a parked Ford Explorer where a 62-yearold Anaheim woman was inside.

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN

Putin on war in Ukraine

Prompted perhaps by U.S. President Joe Biden’s trip this week to Ukraine and his vows of support for that nation, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday stated in his “state of the union” address that he wouldn’t change his country’s invasion of its neighbor.

According to the Associated Press, he said, “We aren’t fighting the Ukrainian people. The Ukrainian people have become hostages of the Kyiv regime and its Western masters, which have effectively occupied the country.”

Putin concluded his speech by announcing that Russia would now be suspending its participa-

tion in a new arms control treaty (START) according to The New York Times.

Social media issue before Supreme Court

Two cases are before the U.S. Supreme Court on whether social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter could be held liable for promoting content which could be said to promote violence or terrorism.

According to United Press International, at present under the Community Decency Act, social media agencies arent’t responsible for content posted by the general public.

The Anaheim Ducks continued their descent into the bottom of the National Hockey League on Tuesday night, losing 6-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ryan Strome scored the lone Ducks’ goal. The team is 17-34-7, worth 41 points and ties them with two other teams for the worst records in the NHL.

Weather: Blustery days coming to the area

Winter-y days are here for the West Orange County. area. Wednesday should be cloudy and windy with a daytime high of 57 and an overnight low of 43. On Thursday the sky should turn to showers with a high of 53 and a low of 47. Friday is expected to bring rain and wind with a high of 56 and a low of 48.

Early release for murderer

Continued from page 3` terfeiting and meth distribution ring.

Rizzone, his 19-year-old girlfriend Rena Miley and his bodyguard Thomas Monahan were killed in the 1980 Memorial Day attack in Rizzone’s home in Westminster, which is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of downtown Los Angeles. All three were shot multiple times at close range.

Prosecutors said Miley, a police officer’s daughter, and Monahan were slain so the killers could avoid witnesses.

Maniscalco and a fellow Hessian were convicted in the massacre. A third biker was killed by police in Oklahoma before charges could be brought.

Maria De La Luz Cruz was pronounced immediately deceased upon arrival of Anaheim Fire & Rescue.

The fallen tree was cut into sections from the base and trunk and removed from atop the vehicle to recover the deceased.

Those tree sections, along with land around where the tree stood at the park, will be what is analyzed over the next two weeks.

Usually Reliable Sources on flags and ‘24 elections

Continued from page 3` Supervisors now held by Andrew Do, who is termed out.

The first two candidates are Van Tran, a former Garden Grove city councilmember and state Assemblyman, and Kimberly Ho, a Westminster City councilmember. Both are Republicans. The board is officially non-partisan.

At first glance, Do would appear to have an advantage. He’s got a high profile, considerable experience and is an established leader of the Vietnamese community.

Ho has been on the Westminster City Council since 2016, but finished second in her bid for the mayorship in November 2022, polling about 26 percent to Chi Charlie Nguyen’s 33 percent and about 14 percent in the June 2022 nonpartisan primary for the 70th State Assembly District, finishing fourth in a field of six.

On the other hand, past is not always prologue. Other candidates could enter the field and change the geometry of the election and a lot can happen between February 2023 and November 2024.

MICHELLE YEOH stars in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” a film which has been nominated for 11 Oscars, the most of any motion picture. Yeoh has been nominated for Best Actress, and this film for “Best Picture.”

What You Need to Know About Oscars

By The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) – Hollywood is gearing up for the 95th Academy Awards, where “Everything Everywhere All at Once’’ comes in the lead nominee and the film industry will hope to move past “the slap” of last year’s ceremony.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2023 Oscars, including when they are, where to watch the live show and this year’s controversies.

When Are the Oscars?

The Oscars will be held Sunday, March 12, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

The ceremony is set to begin at 8 p.m. EST (5 p.m. Pacific time) and be broadcast live on ABC.

Can You Stream The Oscars?

The broadcast can be streamed with a subscription

to Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and Fubo TV. Some of these services offer brief free trials. You can also stream the show on ABC.com and on the ABC app by authenticating your provider.

Who’s Hosting?

Jimmy Kimmel will host for the third time and his first time since 2018.

That was also the last Oscars to feature a solo host. The show went hostless for several years after Kimmel’s last outing.

Last year, Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes hosted as a trio.

In an ad for this year’s show styled after “Top Gun: Maverick,” Kimmel made his humble case for being the right person for the job while noting that he can’t get slapped because ``I cry a lot.’’

What’s Nominated For Best Picture At The ‘22 Oscars?

The 10 movies competing for best picture are: “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “The Banshees of Inisherin,” “Elvis,” “Everything Everywhere All

at Once,” “The Fabelmans,” “Tar,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Triangle of Sadness,” “Women Talking.” Here’s a guide to how you can watch them.

What’s In Store For The Show?

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences is yet to announce presenters. But it has said that winners to all categories will be announced live on the show. (Last year, some categories were taped in a preshow, something that caused an uproar among academy members.) Nominees for best song are often performed, though nothing is confirmed yet.

This year’s nominees include Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Lady Gaga’s “Hold My Hand,” from “Top Gun: Mav-

EVERYBODY WANTS TO GO HOME WITH HIM

The key facts about the 2023 Oscars

Continued from page 3

erick,” and Kala Bhairava’s “Naatu Naatu,” from “RRR.”

Who Are The Favorites?

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s indie sci-fi hit “Everything Everywhere All at Once’’ comes in with a leading 11 nominations.

Close on its heels, though, is the Irish friends-falling-out dark comedy “The Banshees of Inisherin,” with nine nods, a total matched by Netflix’s WWI film “All Quiet on the Western Front.”

Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) may have a slight edge on Cate Blanchett (“Tar”) for best actress.

Best actor is harder to call, with Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”), Colin Farrell (“Banshees”) and Austin Butler

(“Elvis”) in the mix.

In the supporting categories, Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) and Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) are the frontrunners.

Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”) may win his third best director Oscar, though the Daniels could also pull off the upset.

What Has Been Controversial This Year?

Aside from the usual snubs and surprises, this year’s biggest to-do has been the debate surrounding Andrea Riseborough’s unexpected nomination for best actress. Riseborough was nominated for the little-seen Texas-set drama “To Leslie” after many A-list stars rallied around her performance. When two other best-actress contenders – Danielle Dead-

wyler (“Till”) and Viola Davis (“Woman King”) – were snubbed, some saw that as a reflection of racial bias in the film industry. The academy launched an inquiry into the star-studded, grassroots campaign for Riseborough but found no reason to rescind her nomination.

What Else Should You Look For?

Just the reading of the title to one of this year’s short film nominees should prompt a wave of giggles. John Williams (“The Fabelmans”), up for best score, is the oldest nominee ever, at 90 years old.

After historic back-to-back best-director wins by Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”) and Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog”), no women were nominated this year for best director.

Also don’t expect to see Will Smith at the Oscars anytime soon. After striking Chris Rock at last year’s ceremony, Smith was banned by the film academy from attending for 10 years.

Is UCLA basketball team’s seeding ‘comical’?

Continued from page 8

leaving the Pac-12 to join the Big Ten in 2024.

“When we left the Pac-12, it cost a lot of people millions of dollars and there was going to be fallout, and I think it’s a direct result,” he said. “I had nothing to do with us leaving the league, but you deal with the fallout being a lame duck.”

The committee placed the 16 teams into the four regions. The Bruins (23-4 overall, 14-2 Pac12) landed in the East Regional, to be played in New York, along with Purdue, No. 11 overall seed Iowa State and No. 14 overall seed Marquette.

Meanwhile, Arizona (24-4, 134) was placed in the West, to be played in Las Vegas, with Kansas, No. 12 seed Kansas State and No. 15 seed Gonzaga.

“A couple years ago we proved your seed doesn’t matter,” Cronin said.

In 2021, the 11th-seeded Bruins reached the Final Four be-

fore losing in overtime to Gonzaga in the national semifinals. UCLA’s leading scorer, Jaime Jaquez Jr., said he wasn’t aware the preview bracket had been announced.

“I’ll wait for the final bracket

75 firefighters knocked out Stanton blaze

Comtinued from page 3 the original unit and to the attic of approximately five other units.

OCFA firefighter/paramedics transported one patient to a local hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation later in the incident. There were no other injuries and the fire was knocked down in 37 minutes.

to be excited or not excited,” he said. “Probably excited.’’ The bracket preview show aired on CBS.

Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament is March 12.

CIF-SS girls’ soccer finals

Continued from page 8

Margarita High on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Long Beach;

• Division 5: Hemet High vs. Crean Lutheran High on Friday at 5 p.m. at Crean Lutheran. General admission tickets are $12. Students with proper school ID will pay $5. Students without ID will pay $12. Children (ages 5 to 13) will pay $5. Tickets can only be purchased online via www.gofan.co .

America Embraces ‘World Football’

dates on a schedule but opportunities for generations of people who live-and-die (metaphorically) with their favorite team.

There’s a fair amount of drinking and joking and camaraderie. Each game is a moment of civic as well as alcoholic solidarity.

By Jim Tortolano Orange County Tribune

One of my least favorite modern terms is “cultural appropriation.” That’s a critique that suggest that one ethnicity unfairly “copies” the culture of another, i.e., jazz, rock and roll and polka music.

What’s wrong with people being attracted to something that originated with another group of people? Historically, that’s how knowledge, religion, technology and culture spread from one area to another.

I now refer – in these vague terms – to the current boom in soccer, known to the rest of the world as football. Originated in England, it’s the world’s most popular sport. Until recently, most Americans have resisted the appeal of futbol, deeming it slow and boring (as opposed to baseball, which can be boring and slow).

As a youngster, I enjoyed playing soccer, and did so right into college. There’s a biiiig field (“pitch” in soccer-speak),

almost constant motion and impressive teamwork. But Americans like lots of scoring; we have never been into delayed gratification.

But now, we’re seeing a steep increase in Stateside interest in soccer/football, sparked in part by the recent World Cup

and the popularity of the Apple TV show “Ted Lasso,” about an American football coach who becomes the manager of a fictional English soccer club. The “club” atmosphere of “world football” has started to take root in the U.S. here. The games/matches are not just

Seeding of Bruins is ‘comical’

By Beth Harris AP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP)

– The Division I men’s basketball committee revealed its top 16 teams for next month’s NCAA Tournament on Saturday, and UCLA coach Mick Cronin found his team’s current seed to be “comical.”

Top-ranked Alabama was

voted as the committee’s top overall seed. No. 2 Houston, No. 3 Purdue and No. 5 Kansas were selected as No. 1 seeds –for now.

No. 8 Arizona was chosen as the sixth overall seed, while fourth-ranked UCLA was eighth. The Pac-12 rivals will meet March 4 in their regularseason finale. The Wildcats beat the Bruins 58-52

last month.

“If you ask my one-word answer on that ranking –comical,” a straight-faced Cronin said after the Bruins routed California 78-43 on Saturday night.

“I’m going to try not to laugh.”

Cronin attributed the Bruins’ projected seed to last summer’s announcement that UCLA and USC are

Continued on page 7

Now, we have some of that here in the U.S., but our major sports franchises have a tendency to move wherever a city (or rich patron) decides to go.

The Athletics have journeyed from Philadelphia to Kansas City to Oakland and are almost certainly bound for Las Vegas.

The Raiders have bounced from Oakland to L.A. and back to Oakland, and are now in Vegas.

But it would be unthinkable, for instance, for Manchester United to move to Liverpool.

I’ve even come around to a different view on scoring. The low scores make each goal a Big Thing.

The pent-up anticipation is the prelude for a satisfying release of emotion, not unlike finally finishing a complicated Lego structure.

So, Americans are finally appropriating/embracing soccer/football. I can’t wait to see how we restless colonials start making it in our image, just as we have changed the world in a million other ways.

CIF-SS girls’ soccer finals schedules Friday, Saturday

Two CIF-SS girls’ soccer championship games involving local teams are scheduled for Saturday.

In Division 3, the game will be played between Moorpark High and Marina High at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Long Beach at 11 a.m.

The Division 7 contest will take place at Bolsa Grande High School between La Quinta High and Magnolia High at 4 p.m.

Other Orange County teams in the finals are:

• Division 1: Los Alamitos High vs. Santa

‘Ted Lasso’ is only part of the rationale

JASON SUDEKIS and Brendon Hunt star in “Ted Lasso,” a tale of culture clashes and embraces (Apple TV).