The Orange County Tribune June 7, 2023

Form Panel to Revise the City Charter

A divided Huntington Beach City Council voted Tuesday night to form an ad hoc council committee to recommend proposed changes to the city charter.

The vote was split along familiar lines, with Mayor Tony Strickland Mayor Pro Tem Gracey Van Der Mark and Councilmembers Pat Burns and Casey McKeon in favor, with Councilmembers Rhonda Bolton, Dan Kalmick and Natalie Moser opposed.

Burns suggested the creation of the committee, to consist of Strickland and

two council colleagues of his choosing. The recommendations would need to come back to the council in time to make the deadline to appear on the March 5, 2024 primary election ballot.

Also on Tuesday night, the council voted 7-0 to continue a public hearing on adoption of the municipal budget to the June 20 meeting. City staff told the council that while the budget was balanced for the next two years, a deficit is projected for 2024-25 or 2025-26. Due

Ground-breaking for Brookhurst Place 2.0

Long-timers may remember the land at the northwest corner of Garden Grove Boulevard and Brookhurst Street as the home of the Smith Ford and Brookhurst Dodge car dealerships.

Today’s motorists driving by may think of it as just one big empty lot.

Soon, it will rise as Phase II of the Brookhurst Place development which will bring a mix of housing, commercial and retail

space, a hotel and more to the 14-acre site.

On Tuesday, the groundbreaking was held for Phase II with city officials and Ronnie Lam, CEO and president of Kam Sang, the developer.

Mayor Pro Tem George Brietigam said, “It comes during a great time for our city, when we are dynamically re-energizing ourselves, to coin a phrase from our mayor,

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Wednesday: 72/58 partly cloudy

Thursday: 73/59 partly cloudy

Friday: 71/61 partly cloudy

Saturday: 68/61 cloudy

Bill Shopoff, the man behind the new Bolsa Pacific project

By Jim Tortolano Orange County Tribune

Westminster Mall, the now-fading shopping center that was once the retail jewel of its namesake city, was originally a cutting edge development that was anchored by four – four! – department stores.

Now, its planned replacement, Bolsa Pacific at Westminster, is intended to once again place that location at the forefront of modern development and –incidentally – help restore its place as a major tax generator for the city.

William “Bill” Shopoff, 65, is the man behind the plan. As head of Shopoff Realty Investments, he’s built the sprawling Uptown Newport development combining residential, commercial and retail uses, as well as two parks.

Now he and his firm turn their attention to Westminster and its mall. “We recognized the opportunity to add much-needed housing to the City

of Westminster, removing the underutilized department store space and replacing with housing, a muchneeded element for the community,” he said. “We believe the re-birth of this area will start with this incredible mixed-use development that will once again become a gathering point for the community for decades to come.”

The 26-acre project would include:

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FRONT VIEW Bolsa Pacific project

BILL SHOPOFF (with scissors) at the opening of the Uptown Newport Park project.

Bill Shopoff and Bolsa Pacific replacing Westminster Mall

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• Over 1,000 apartments across three five-story buildings and 100 townhomes for purchase

• 2.5-acres of green space, including an amphitheater, dog park, pickle-ball courts and food kiosks

• A new 175-room hotel

• About 25,000 square feet of new retail stores and a food hall.

How was the new name selected?

“Bolsa Pacific captures the coastal proximity of Westminster while nodding to the iconic Bolsa Avenue that lines the property,” he said.

Brookhurst Place

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‘Re-imaginig Garden Grove’.”

Phase II will consist of up to 462 apartment homes (60 of which are “affordable housing”), 58 for-sale condominiums, 200,000 square feet of commercial and retail space, a 100-key hotel, an urban trail and a public park.

When finished it will be the largest mixed-use development in Garden Grove.

Phase I, completed in 2018, consisted of 180 new apartments, a pool and clubhouse.

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There are still many steps to be taken before the Bolsa Pacific comes to fruition. “We are currently focused on the entitlements of the project but once these are achieved it will be about three years before any product will be delivered to the public.”

But Shopoff feels it’s going to be a very welcome change. “It was very well-received,” he said. “We delivered what we originally intended when we bought the property and truly believe in the real estate at this location.”

Charter panel approved by city council

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to that, the city manager was directed to find cost reductions that would offset the predicted red ink.

Connected to that was introduction of a memorandum of understanding between the city and the Police Officers Association, covering July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2025.

The deal includes 5 percent raises for each of the three years of the agreement.

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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Songs in the key of the rest of your life

We are in the middle of high school graduations … some districts held their commencements last week, some are holding them this week.

Suspect arrested in May 21 killing

A suspect has been arrested in the May 21 fatal shooting of a man in Anaheim.

According to the Anaheim Police Department, Aristeo Martinez, 21, of Phoenix, Arizona was arrested Friday for the killing of Deonte Marquis Lenin, 32, of Highland in an incident near the Gardenwalk center on Katella Avenue.

and a shooting. Officers found Lenin suffering from at least one gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

tal where he died.

Retorts

Jim Tortolano

Often, from my lofty position in the Medicare Generation, I am tempted to offer tasselturning advice to the Class of 20XX, but –face it - who would take life coaching from some Old Guy who actually remembers a time when all four Beatles were alive and Joe Biden had hair?

So in the spirit of feigning hipness, here is advice not from me, but from worthy popular songs, some older than dirt, a few only dating from the Sony Walkman era.

Marriage Right After High School. Some succeed, but most don’t. Don’t confuse your hormones with your heart. As in … “Try to find yourself a bargain, son (or daughter). Don’t be sold on the very first one. Good-looking (people are) a dime a dozen. Try to find yourself (one) who’ll give you true loving,” sang The Miracles.

Facing Setbacks in Life. Perseverance can be more important than talent. Try again. As in “You gotta grow/ you gotta learn from your mistakes/You gotta die a little everyday just to try to stay awake/When you believe there’s no mountain you can’t climb/And if you get it wrong you’ll get it right next time,” counseled Gerry Rafferty.

Love Goes As Smooth As Glass, Right? It usually means at least one broken heart. “Love is not a victory march, it’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah,” cautioned Leonard Cohen.

You’ll Stay Close toYour

The incident last month took place in the parking structure of the Gardenwalk. Police were dispatched to the 300 block of West Katella shortly after 2 a.m. regarding reports of a large fight

A second victim, Elian Tanori Aryavo of Phoenix, 21, was found in a different part of the structure having sustained blunt force trauma injuries.

He was taken to an area hospi-

Winners announced in Garden Grove Gems vote

The City of Garden Grove has announced the winners of Garden Grove Gems, a home beautification program that recognizes residents for their outstanding curb appeal efforts. Winners were selected by district based on the number of online votes each nominated home received.

District 1 Winner: Verna Chumley

District 1 Runner-Up: Debbie Morse

District 2 Winner: Manuel Garcia Jr.

District 2 Runner-Up: Jose and Gloria Perez

District 3 Winner: Gary Sunda

District 3 Runner-Up: John Rodriguez

District 4 Winner: Irene and Mitch Magana

District 4 Runner-Up: Cherness and Curt Craft

District 5 Winner: Cesar and Raquel Mata

District 5 Runner-Up: Patrick and Gigi Sullivan

District 6 Winner: Dorothy Wilson

District 6 Runner-Up: Christina Luu

Winning homeowners will be honored and invited to attend a reception and Community Spotlight at the regular Garden Grove City Council meeting on Tuesday, June 27.

Anaheim homicide detectives identified Martinez as the suspect in Lenin’s death and arranged to have Phoenix police make the arrest. Martinez is being held in the Maricopa County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail pending extradition back to California.

The investigation is continuing and anyone with information is asked to call Anaheim detectives at (714) 3213669.

The annual free Summer Meal program is again being offered by the Garden Grove Unified School District. The program will provide free meals to GGUSD students at 14 school campuses and two library sites. Breakfast and lunch meals will be provided for free to students participating in GGUSD Summer School and Summer Extended Learning Programs. Community meal times are also available at GGUSD school campuses and through Lunch at the Library for children age 18 and under or individuals with disabilities in the GGUSD community who are not participating in GGUSD Summer School or Summer Extended Learning Programs.

Dates, time and locations

• June 5 to July 14, 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Rancho Alamitos and Santiago high schools

• June 5 to July 14 from 12-1 p.m. at Garden Grove Main Library and Garden Grove Chapman Library (closed on Fridays)

• June 12 to July 7 from 10:20 to 10:50 a.m. at Anthony, Ev-

DISTRICT 2 WINNER is Manuel Garcia, Jr.

ARISTEO MARTINEZ

THE KAKHOVKA DAM in Ukraine collapsed and millions of gallons of water have flooded the land around. Each side has blamed the other for the incident (Wikipedia photo).

A Wrecked Dam in Ukraine; Who Did It?

Russians and Ukrainians are blaming each other for the collapse of a dam in southern Ukraine, which is leading to widespread flooding and evacuations.

The Kakhovka dam is located on the Dnieper River which happens to be the dividing lines between the opposing forces.

According to the Associated Press, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zel-

Great Thoughts

Carbon dioxide levels have hit record highs

Carbon dioxide levels in the planet’s atmosphere have hit another record high.

USA Today reports that the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography both made that announcement on Monday.

“Sadly, we’re setting a new record,” said geoscientist Ralph Keeling. The May average is estimated

to be 51 percent higher than in pre-industrial times.

Increasing levels of carbon dioxide are connected to changes in the climate resulting in severe heat waves, droughts, flooding, wild fires, etc. The burning of fossil fuels are blamed for the bulk of the increase in carbon dioxide from emisions from automobiles and heavy manufacturing.

ensky termed the collapse “the largest man-made environmental disaster in Europe in decades.”

But Moscow blames Ukrainian artillery for the breakage in the dam. So far, responsibility for the incident has not been fixed.

In addition to flood damage and danger, the

collapse affects hydroelectric power which provides utilities for the area. Water has traveled 40 miles downstream.

The New York Times noted that the dam collapse took place one day after Ukraine’s longawaited counter-offensive seeking to reclaim territory from invasion.

Chris Christie announces he will run for president

Chris Christie, the quirky and sometimes controversial former governor of New Jersey launched his campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

Ronald Reagan

United Press International reports that Christie made his announcement in New Hampshire, one of the early primary states.

He served as governor of the Garden State from 2010 to 2018. Christie has been a supporter of the former president, but recently remarked he would not support Donald Trump for president again, citing the incident in which footage of the attack on the U.S. Capitol was being screened at a Trump rally.

CARBON DIOXIDE has hit a record high.

7 wounded, two die in Richmond

Gunfire outside a theater Tuesday in downtown Richmond, Virginia struck seven people, two of which have died.

The Associated Press reports that at least 12 people were injured in the panic and stampede that followed.

The incident took place outside the theater where a high school graduation ceremony had just concluded.

Send in the clouds ... still

You’ll miss the “June Gloom” when it’s time for “July Fry.” The weather forecast for our West Orange County is for partly cloudy conditions for three days turning to cloudy on the fourth. Wednesday’s daytime high should be 72, with an overnight low of 58. Thursday should be 73 (59) and Friday is 71 (61). Cloudy skies move in on Saturday (68/61).

“Freedom is a fragile thing, and never more than one generation away from extinction.”

–

‘Reality’ Feels Like True Reality

Sydney Sweeney is brilliant as an NSA whistleblower

By Lindsey Bahr AP Film Writer

“Reality,” a new movie starring Sydney Sweeney, is largely set in one empty room. There is nothing on the walls. There are no chairs or rugs, just a stark and ugly room in a nondescript rental property in a downtrodden neighborhood.

Its script is as minimalistic – lifted directly from the transcript of one long conversation between two FBI agents and a young woman they suspect has leaked classified documents. The dialogue has all the ums and ahs, botched sentences and awkward small talk one might expect from actual human beings, not slickly intelligent Aaron Sorkin creations. And it’s one of the most tense and exciting films of the year.

Movie Review

It’s based on the actual FBI interrogation of the unbelievably named Reality Winner, a former Air Force translator who worked as a contractor at a National Security Agency office in Augusta, Georgia.

One day in May 2017, she printed a classified report, tucked it into her pantyhose, walked out of the office and mailed it to an online news outlet. The next month, the FBI was at her door to interrogate her. The film starts as she pulls up into her driveway, an agent knocks on her car window and starts the recording on his handheld device.

The film comes from Tina Satter, a noted playwright who first conceived of this idea for the stage. The show, called “Is This a Room,” was acclaimed in its off- Broadway run and the film version, which debuted at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year and is currently streaming

on Max, is her directorial debut. It’s easy and lazy to ding a movie for being too much like a play, as though there is some bright line of demarcation between the formats aside from how audiences see them. But the point is that Satter has, in adapting “Reality” for the screen, turned limitations into opportunities. The smallness of the room starts to feel suffocating, especially as the questions get more specific and accusatory.

There is a dread to the whole endeavor from the first shot, even if you don’t remember how this story played out in the news. Though it takes some time for Agent Taylor (Marchánt Davis) and Agent Garrick (Josh Hamilton) to get to the real questions, the real reason why they’re there, the small stresses and indignities start to build.

Reality (Sweeney) has come home with a car full of groceries. She has a cat in the house and a dog, a rescue who doesn’t like men. Her life has been put on pause and there’s nothing she

Good: HHH

can do about it. The agents tell her they have a search warrant for her home and her car and promptly tape off her modest yard with “crime scene” ribbon, take her phone and force her to stay outside as they search. She’s worried about the perishables, her cat escaping through the open door and her dog scaring people. Meanwhile, one of the agents is asking about her CrossFit routine and her life as a single person in Augusta.

Reality, wearing jean shorts and sneakers, does not seem aware that she has the right to not answer their questions and has the right to an attorney - and the agents certainly aren’t offering this information either. Instead, she is deferential and even helpful to these uninvited strangers, as though being nice might help things. Any woman or member of a marginalized group can surely relate.

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SYDNEY SWEENEY stars in “Reality,” based on an actual 2017 FBI investigatin (Sony Pictures)

‘Reality’ film has that real reel feeling

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Much credit goes to the actors. Hamilton walks a very delicate line in his performance. He looks like an innocuous IT guy and seems friendly enough, but his questions, even the smallest ones, feel double edged. Small talk has never been so stressful. Davis meanwhile keeps Real-

ity on edge with small displays of power and authority, like now allowing her to touch her phone.

But the show belongs to Sweeney, whose range continues to astonish - from “Euphoria” to “The White Lotus” and now this. She draws you in and you feel her stress and panic esca-

Retorts: Advice sung sweetly

Continued from page 3 High School Friends Forever, Of Course. Only with some effort. “So far away. Doesn’t anybody stay in one place anymore? It would be so fine to see your face at my door. And it doesn’t help to know you’re so far away,” lamented Carole King. Their Generation Ruined Everything. Here’s the truth:

every generation blames the one that preceded them. “And you, of tender years. You can’t know the fears that your elders grew by,” was wisdom from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

Insight is often like romance; it sounds better when it’s sung.

Jim Tortolano’s Retorts is posted Wednesdays and Saturdays.

late.

It’s a true triumph of storytelling and performance and a reminder that films don’t need to be flashy or big to be great.

“Reality,” a Max release currently streaming, is rated TVMA. Running time: 83 minutes. Three stars out of four.

Free meals from GGUSD this summer

Continued from page 3 ans, Gilbert, Hazard, Newhope, Peters K-3, Wakeham and Woodbury elementary schools • June 12 to July 7 from 9:45 to 10:15 a.m. at Alamitos, Doig, Fitz and Irvine elementary schools.

There will be no meal service on the June 19 and July 4 holidays at any of the summer meal locations.

For more information, call the district’s food services department at (714) 663-6155

Kellen Moore: He does choose to run ... a lot

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Lombardi was the coordinator the past two seasons under head coach Brandon Staley.

Even though Herbert was second in the league last season in completions (477) and passing yards (4,739), the Chargers were inconsistent on offense.

Los Angeles was ranked ninth in total offense, but 20th in scrimmage yards per play along with having the third-worst rushing attack in the league. The Chargers also had the second-biggest discrepancy between passing and running plays (65% pass to 35% run).

By comparison, Dallas was fourth in total offense, ninth in rushing and 21st in scrimmage yards per play last season. After sitting behind his desk watching film for the first three months after getting hired, Moore has been happy to get on the field the last couple weeks to start installing the offense.

“You’re able to carry over what we can from the past couple of years and then build off some of the Dallas stuff that is, maybe, coming from a scheme standpoint,’’ he said.

“There are a lot of different ways of playing football, and you just have to keep it tight and condensed so that these guys can play fast.”

While Moore sounded this week as if he is not planning to do much tinkering with the passing game concepts, his bigger concerns have been with trying to make adjustments to the run game to get it back on track.

The Cowboys ran it 47% of the time last season, which was tied for the ninth- highest percentage of run plays.

Moore said the biggest thing he wants to do with the run game is streamline it so the team moves at a quicker pace. “I think it’s identifying what your primary runs are going to be, your go-to runs,’’ he said.

“Trying to identify what are going to be our strengths, and then you have to have enough flavors through a season just to be able to present different things to defense, protect your primary runs.”

The Dallas offense was balanced the past couple seasons because it had two great backs in Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard.

Austin Ekeler, who led the league with 18 touchdowns

from scrimmage last season, has emerged as one of the NFL’s top all-purpose backs and will be in the backfield one more season after incentives were added to his contract. But Moore will be looking for either Isaiah Spiller or Joshua Kelley to emerge as a dependable second back.

Wide receiver Keenan Allen, who has had five offensive coordinators since being drafted by the Chargers in 2013, has been happy with Moore’s approach to the offense during the offseason.

“He’s played before, so he knows what we like, what we don’t like, how defenses play, rather than sticking to something that has been in the offense for a long time. He’s willing to change it and make it more friendly to us,” Allen said.

Sports Retorts: Shoot the quatro

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quickly.

Sharpen that pencil a bit more. Award four points for a field goal from the centerline. With the possibility of a foul and free throw, a team could be five points down in the closing seconds of a game and still have a chance for a tie or a win.

As with baseball, shorten the season to, say, 75 games (I’d prefer 60, but I am trying to be somewhat realistic here). Same logic: more rest, more time for resting and recovery, fewer injuries, more court time for the stars that fans come out to see.

But, the capitalist in you might say, fewer games will mean less money for owners. Maybe not. Maybe fewer games will mean more meaningful games and bigger crowds, i.e., more hot dogs and Budweiser sold.

Next up: Football’s facelift.

Baseball

Continued from page 8

runs. He struck out five batters and walked three. Caleb Ferguson (3-1) took the loss. He lasted one-third of an inning, giving up one hit and three earned runs. He walked three batters and hit a fourth.

In Orange County, the Halos trailed 4-1 early, but scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 6-4 lead. Mike Trout singled in two runs and Matt Thaiss did the same. Taylor Ward added another run with a home run.

The first Angel score came on a Shohei Ohtani home run, his 16th of the year.

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New, improved models of your favorite sport

It’s fair to say, I think, there are very few things in this world that cannot be improved upon. And there are many things with which “improvements” have led to travesty, i.e., pineapple pizza. So let’s leave autumn leaves and new spring grass alone in their “Don’t Ever Change” category and move on to the part of our world that really could use a retooling here and there: sports.

Sports

Retorts

Jim

Tortolano

Baseball: America’s Somewhat Sleepy Pastime has made some great strides in making updates in trying to tweak some rules to speed

things up, albeit about 20 years too late. Pitch counts, new rules on defensive shifts and fatter base-bags are all good steps in the right direction.

But there’s more to be done. Shorten the season back to the time-honored 154 games, or better yet, 150. That can give injuries more time to heal and more rest between games.

Follow the example of the NBA which pioneered playoff access by expanding the postseason field to the top eight teams in each league. That may seem excessive, but it also creates the possibility of “cinderella” teams that defy expectations with a long, strong October run. The Lakers barely crawled into the play-in game and made it to the “Final Four” of pro basketball.

Basketball: The most exciting play in hoops is the three-point play. A team – like the Denver Nuggets, and sometimes the Lakers – that can string together a bunch of treys can whittle a “big” lead down to a splinter

Bolts To Run More With Moore

He means to ‘streamline’ the Chargers’ rushing offense

By Joe Reedy AP Sports Writer

COSTA MESA (AP) – Kellen Moore is with a new team, yet he has the same mandate. Take a good offense and make it great.

Moore is in his first season as the Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator after eight years in Dallas, including the

last four as coordinator. With the Bolts in their second week of voluntary on-field workouts, Moore is putting the unit through what he called a first lap through the playbook.

“It’s a little bit fast,’’ Moore said, referring to the installation process over the next couple weeks. “There is going to be some stuff that is good, plenty of stuff that we have to clean up

Dodgers fall to Reds, 9-8; Angels rally to win it, 7-4

A three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth lifted the Cincinnati Reds to a 9-8 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday night. The loss dropped the Blue Crew (35-26) into second place in the National League West Division, one game behind the Arizona Diamondbacks.

In Anaheim, the Los Angeles Angels climbed back to two games over .500 (32-30) when

they beat the Chicago Cubs 7-4.

The Dodgers led 8-3 at one point, which included a grand slam by Freddie Freeman in the fourth. But the Cubs kept chipping way and finally pulled out the win when Matt McLain singled in Stuart Fairchild from third.

Tony Gonsolin made the start, working five innings and giving up five hits and three earned

and redefine and all of that sort of stuff. Then, you just have to kind of ace it in training camp.” Moore is quarterback Justin Herbert’s third offensive coordinator in four seasons.

Shane Steichen directed the Bolts offense as well as being QBs coach under Anthony Lynn in 2020 before Lynn was fired at the end of the season. Joe

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NL West Standings

AL West Standings

KELLEN MOORE is the new offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers. He held the same position for eight years with the Dallas Cowboys (Chargers photo).