The Orange County Tribune May 20, 2023

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WEEKEND EDITION

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Volume 3, Number 37 n orangecountytribune.com n Saturday, May 20, 2023 n orangecountytribune@gmail.com

n GARDEN GROVE CITY COUNCIL

Police Heroes Honored At 36th ‘Call to Duty’ Former chief cites support for local police

By Jim Tortolano Orange County Tribune

Much of society may have turned its back on “HIGH AND MIGHTY” concert in 2017 attracted large police, but Garden Grove crowds to Village Green park in Garden Grove (City of hasn’t, former GGPD chief Kevin Raney said at Garden Grove photo) Thursday’s 36th Annual “Call to Duty” Memorial.

The event honors the memory of Garden Grove police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty: Sgt. Myron Trapp FORMER GARDEN GROVE POLICE CHIEF Kevin You might call it Garden sideration of a two-day (1959), Reserve Officer Raney; flowers on wreath in front represent six fallen Grove’s Woodstock. And “High and Mighty” Andy Reese (1970), Of- GGPD officers (OC Tribune file photo). it may be coming back music festival on Aug. ficer Donald Reed (1980), next year.

17-18, 2024 at Village Officer Michael Rainford “really difficult time to be dangerous, and noted that (1980), Master Officer a police officer … given, persons in law enforceAt Tuesday’s meeting of Green park. the city council is conThat would be a revival Howard Dallies (1993) in some areas, the overall ment are under greater of the “High and Mighty” and Lt. John Reynolds lack of support for law en- scrutiny than ever before. forcement.”

However … event held in August (2021).

After lauding the six fall- He cited recent legislation “From my own experi2017, which was wellattended and generally en officers and speaking which – he feels – have ence, Garden Grove has of the pressures of the pro- made the job of a police always had a very supconsidered a success.

Continued on page 2 The original event in- fession, he referred to the officer more difficult or The good news on the volved creating a fencedcoronavirus front in Or- in concert area which fean HUNTINGTON BEACH CITY COUNCIL ange County continues. tures carnival rides, craft According to this week’s beer bars and a “vendor statistics – compiled by village.” the county health care Organizer of the event Huntington Beach will city attorney to provide established in 2020 as agency – the number of is LFA (Large Format confirmed new cases has Assemblies), which oper- be the latest govern- notice to withdraw from a way for local governfallen to 463 for the peri- ates the Garden Amp am- ment agency to leave the the OCPA was passed 4-3 ments to have more conCouncilmembers trol over procuring elecod closing May 18, down phitheater in the Village troubled Orange County with Power Authority.

Dan Kalmick, Natalie tricity with the prospect of from 548 the week before Green.

At Tuesday night’s meet- Moser and Rhonda Bolton lower rates and emphasizand 1,859 the week before The meeting will be held ing of the City Council a opposed. ing “green” energy from that. at 6:30 p.m. in the ComDeaths also showed a big munity Meeting Center, motion to direct the city The OCPA is a “Commu- renewable sources. manager to work with the nity Choice Aggregation” Continued on page 2 Continued on page 2 11300 Stanford Ave.

Will ‘High and Mighty’ return here in 2024?

Good news on COVID-19

Surf City will leave Power Authority

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

2 SATURDAY, MAY 20, 2023/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

‘Call to Duty’ memorial Continued from page 1

portive community, a very supportive city council and a very supportive city manager. They understand how difficult this job is and they prioritize law enforcement,” he said, adding “I hope you would find the good in the fact that Garden Grove supports their police officers, they support their police department.”

In addition to Raney’s comments and closing remarks by

HB will leave OCPA group

current Police Chief Amir ElFarra, there was a presentation of the patriotic poem, “My Name is Olde Glory” by Ed DesBiens and the Pacifica High School JROTC, two songs by the Bolsa Grande Concert Choir – including “America the Beautiful,” singing of the National Anthem

by Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy Andrew Hernandez and a 21-gun salute.

The Nicholson Pipes and Drums and GGPD Honor Guard opened and closed the ceremonies, and a helicopter flyover was the final touch. Capt. Brian Dalton served as master of ceremonies.

Continued from page 1

It launched on April 1, 2022 with Buena Park, Fullerton, Huntington Beach and Irvine.

However complaints about OCPA led to an audit by the California State Auditor. The report, issued in February, listed several “deficiencies” including: • engaging in contracting that was neither competitive nor sufficiently accountable; • deliberately and willfully circumventing the state’s competitive bidding practices; • not consistently or appropriately addressed or responded to public records requests; • not hiring sufficient and/ or qualified staff to oversee its functions; • accountability of its promised efficiencies and functions is lacking.

Also, the California Public Utilities Commission levied a fine of $1.96 million against OCPA in April for not purchasing enough electricity to avoid service interruption the previous summer.

The OCPA board has sought to make reforms and fire CEO Brian Probolsky, who will remain in his post until the end of May. The County of Orange decided to leave OCPA last December and Irvine may also leave.

Coronavirus Continued from page 1

decline to 11 from 25 last week.

Numbers on hospitalizations and the use of intensive care units to treat COVID-19 patients are not available.

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.

The Orange County Tribune Every Wednesday & Saturday

ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/SATURDAY MAY 20, 2023 3

News&Views Matthew was not silent, come to think of it Traditions sometimes have a powerful momentum. The practice of giving a religious invocation before meetings of the Huntington Beach City Council rolled right over the idea of substituting a moment of silence at Tuesday’s meeting.

Personally, my thoughts on public prayer track with Matthew 6:515. You could look it up.

But I also have some sympathy for the folks who figured that silent reflection might not be Jim Tortolano the equivalent of a full-strength out-loud entreaty.

As Philip Roth wrote in “The Great American Novel” and Penny Marshall in “A League of their Own,” silent prayer sometimes leads to petitions to The Almighty more selfish than altrustic.

Baseball players in those works prayed for home runs, strikeouts and strength in wobbly aging knees. And any little kid exiled – with good reason, probably – to right field secretly implores Heaven to “Please don’t let them hit the ball to me.”

As one speaker pointed out, a moment of silence often leads to wandering attention, especially when the moment extends to minutes. You can tell when that happens. Feet start to shift. Folks glance at their watches. Throats are cleared. I tend to rotate my neck.

I sometimes find myself with non-pious thoughts like, “Did I forget to lock the front door?

What’s for lunch? The Angels really need a better bullpen. That lady’s perfume is really strong!”

And finally, another argument in favor of public prayer is that when you take a look at the

Retorts

Continued on page 4

DUI checks planned by HBPD June 1 The Huntington Beach Police Department will hold a DUI Checkpoint on Thursday, June 1, from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. at an undisclosed location within the city limits.

Checkpoint locations are chosen based on the history of DUI crashes and arrests. The primary purpose of checkpoints is not to make arrests but to promote public safety by deterring drivers from driving impaired.

During the checkpoint, officers will look for signs that drivers are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

The HBPD reminds the public that impaired driving is not just from alcohol. Some prescription medications or over-the-counter drugs may interfere with driving.

Always follow directions for use and read warning labels about driving or “operating heavy maLAMB gets a lift from a Future Farmers of America student at West- chinery,” which includes drivminster High School (HBUHSD photo) ing a car. While medicinal and recreational marijuana are legal, driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal.

If you plan on drinking or taking medications that may impact your ability to drive safely, plan on staying at home.

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

Future Farmers Are Still Growing 50 years at Westminster High School

A half century ago, when the agricultural studies program began at Westminster High School, Orange County still had acres and miles of farmland devoted to a wide variety of enterprises from citrus groves to cattle.

Last week, WHS held an anniversary party at the school, observing the 50th anniversary of the Future Farmers of America program there, to celebrate the growth and progress not only of FFA, but also of campus farm.

The celebration included Principal Amy Sabol, WHS administration and staff, FFA students, current and former FFA staff

members, district office administrators and staff, Huntington Beach Union High School District Superintendent Dr. Clint Harwick, and members of the Board of Trustees, including President Diana Carey, Vice President Dr. Duane Dishno, and Dr. Michael Simons.

At the event, HBUHSD’s Food and Nutrition Services team provided a BBQ dinner for those in attendance. The Giving Farm’s strawberries were on display for sale, with proceeds going back to the FFA program, and attendContinued on page 6

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NewsUpdate

Retorts: Is silence golden?

Continued from page 3

hijinks in Congress and certain (unnamed) city councils and school boards, it’s hard to not come to the conclusion that nothing short of Divine Intervention would get them to raise

their standard of public service a few notches higher than that of the Marx Brothers.

That’s Groucho, Chico and Harpo Marx. Not Karl.

50 years of Future Farmers Continued from page 3

KEVIN McCARTHY is Speaker of the House (Wikipedia)

Negotiations in debt limit stutter, restart and then stop

Talks between the Biden Administration and Republican negotiators on the debt limit stuttered like a car with a faulty carburetor on Friday.

According to the Associated Press, they stopped when Kevin MCarthy, Speaker of the House, called for the talks to “pause.”

They did, but resumed only to stop again.

“The president is confident there is a path forward,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, but added that “we have serious differences.”

The deadline for raising the debt limit – now at $31 trillion – is June 1. After that, it’s possible the federal government could default on the money it owes.

A happy Zelensky heads to Japan and G7 Summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is heading to Japan for a G7 Summit, flush with the news that nation will have access to the F-16 warplanes made in America.

The New York Times reported that U.S. military will train Ukrainian pilots on the F-16, considered to be the world’s best fighter jet. It’s considered unlikely that the U.S. will provide the planes directly to Ukraine, but other nations using that jet would be likely to give or sell them to the embattled eastern European country.

The G7 Summit in Hiroshima is a meeting of the world’s seven leading powers including Japan.

Also in the news … Jim Brown, considered by many to be the greatest running back in NFL history, died Friday at 87. He was also an actor and civil rights activist.

Dodgers over Cards and Angels over Twins

The Los Angeles Dodgers began a road trip Friday with a 5-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in the Gateway City.

A close game was broken open with four runs in the top of the eighth inning by the Blue Crew.

Most of that came on a three-run homer by Mookie Betts.

Tony Gonsolin (2-1) got the win, working five innings and giving up just one hit. He struck out three batters.

The Los Angeles Angels rallied with two runs in the seventh to defeat the Minnesota Twins 5-4 on Friday in Anaheim.

Weather: Partly cloudy, etc.

We’re not stuttering; the West Orange County area is in for partly cloudy skies on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The forecast calls for a daytime high of 72 on Saturday with an overnight low of 60.

Sunday looks like 73 (60) and Monday is predicted for 72 (59).

ees were able to pet and feed some of the sheep, as well as explore different areas of the farm.

For five decades, WHS’s FFA program has been a source of inspiration for their students, campus, and community.

WHS’s FFA chapter has produced leaders, innovators, and changemakers who have made

a positive impact on the world around them.

“Achieving 50 years of anything seems to be a pretty amazing accomplishment these days,” explained Principal Amy Sabol at the event.

“We would not be here today celebrating without the legacy of students, staff, volunteers, and leaders before us.”

ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/SATURDAY MAY 20, 2023 5

Arts&Living

Momoa Prevents ‘Fast-X’ Crash Racing franchise came close to skidding off road

By Mark Kennedy AP Entertainment Writer

Fans and critics may disagree over when exactly the “Fast & Furious” franchise jumped the shark, but there is only one correct answer: When the Pontiac Fiero went into space.

Weightless and violating every physical law, the floating car tasked with bumping a satellite in the ninth installment - was the very symbol of how bloated and crazed the once-plucky series had become. There really was no way down after that.

And yet we have come to 10, part of a planned series of films finally saying goodbye. “Fast X” is, thankfully, shackled to Earth’s gravity - sometimes tenuously, it must be said - but it has become almost camp, as if it breathed in too much of its own fumes.

“Fast X” reaches into the fifth movie - 2011’s “Fast Five” - for the seeds to tell a new story. In a memorable moment five movies ago, Vin Diesel’s Dom Toretto wrecked a bad guy and his team on a bridge in Rio de Janeiro.

Little did we know then, but that bad guy had a son who survived and now, years later, vows vengeance. That’s it. That’s the plot.

That said, “Fast X” is mon-

JASON MOMOA saves “Fast-X” from being just another “Fast & Furious” sequel.

Movie Review strously silly and stupidly entertaining – just Wile E. Coyote stuff, ridiculous stunts employing insane G-forces and everything seemingly on fire. There are elements of “Mission: Impossible,” 007 and “John Wick,” as if all the action franchises were somehow merging.

But here’s a warning: It careens to an end without a payoff, a more dangerous stunt than any in the movies themselves.

The film would not be near enough as fun without Jason Momoa, who plays the bad guy’s son as a full-on flamboyant psycho, licking a knife clean

VIN DIESEL is back, of course (Universal Pictures).

after killing someone with it and painting the toenails of a dead victim as he displays the corpse in a demented garden party. “Never accept death when suffering is owed,” he says.

He is half Joaquin Phoenix from “The Joker” and half Jack Sparrow from “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Momoa has a penchant for planning explosions and then standing on a high spot and throwing his arms wide like Christ the Redeemer as the blast wave hits. The film sags as soon as he’s not in it.

Momoa is part of the franchise’s familiar tactic of stacking ever more stars with not enough to do - this time we also welcome Brie Larson, Alan Ritchson, Daniela Melchior and Rita Moreno. There’s even a Pete Davidson cameo.

That’s on top of regulars Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, John Cena, Jason Statham, Charlize Theron, Sung Kang, Scott Eastwood and Helen Mirren, whose attempt once again at a workingclass accent is comical. This is a clown car of talent. The poster for the film includes 14 char-

Good: HHH acters, like an Avengers movie.

At the center is the alwayssleeveless Diesel, who keeps getting exposed as a truly terrible actor, one who evidently only attended the Brooding 101 seminar in drama school. The filmmakers usually just prop him up in front of a wall of family photos and he stares at them intently. “I only care about protecting the people that I love,” he will growl.

Family – as fans of the franchise know well – is always central, or rather, a gothic zero-sum notion of blood’s bond explained with soap opera dialogue. Toretto must protect family no matter the cost (but apparently OK with leaving his 8-year-old son in someone else’s care as he drag races in Rio). “You know what your problem is?” teases Momoa. “Family. You can’t save them all.”

New director Louis Leterrier - from a screenplay by veteran Justin Lin and newcomers Zach Dean and Dan Mazeau - take us from Los Angeles to Antarctica, threatening much of Rome Continued on page 6

6 SATURDAY, MAY 20, 2023/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

Movie Review: ‘Fast-X’ Continued from page 5

with a 20 kiloton bomb along the way and ending the movie at the side of a dam in Portugal in a cliffhanger. Stick around for the credits and even more megastars are promised for the next installment.

What you get this time are two brutal hand-to-hand fights, a car smashing two helicopters and rush hour traffic, car bombs, remote-controlled cars (big and small), vehicles that leap into the sky like salmon and a plane that drops a souped-up racer from its belly onto the highway.

Taking material from “Fast Five” means the delicate task of returning to Paul Walker, the franchise veteran who died

in 2013. Old footage of Walker does appear in “Fast X” as the movie recreates events on that Rio bridge. It is handled respectfully and coolly. In a nice touch, Walker’s daughter, Meadow, has a cameo as a flight attendant.

With a foot in the past, one in the future and one on the gas, “Fast X” is pure popcorn lunacy.

Was that too many feet? Oh, excuse us, you wanted logic?

“Fast X,” a Universal Pictures release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for intense sequences of violence and action, language and some suggestive material.

Running time: 134 minutes.

For a free subscription via e-mail, send us a request to: orangecountytribune@ gmail.com.

ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/SATURDAY MAY 20, 2023 7

Mariners win 15-9 slugfest and CIF title The Pacifica High School softball team won its eihth CIF-SS title on Friday, defeating Norco High 15-9 at Deanna Manning in Irvine for the Division 1 crown.

The Mariners, coached by Tony Arduino, won their last seven games and finished 23-8.

And it’s probably not over. The M’s have six juniors on their varsity roster, five sophomores and three frosh.

PACIFICA MARINER CIF-SS DIVISION 1 CHAMPS (GGUSD photo).

Lakers too tired? Or big comeback on the way?

Continued from page 8

opportunity to go home and play great basketball and hold serve. Until a team beats you four times, you always have an opportunity to come out of it.

So that’s the confidence that we should have. I know it’s going to be a tough hill to climb up, but we still have an opportunity to play the best basketball of the series in Game 3.”

The Lakers insist they’re not as tired as they looked for stretches of both games in Denver, when they settled for too many jumpers, ran the court less effectively and lost a fraction of their defensive intensity. James and Anthony Davis both say the fatigue of this relentless twomonth sprint toward title contention isn’t finally too much for a team that altered half of its roster just three months ago.

“If you’re not tired in the postseason...,” James said after LA’s 108-103 loss in Game 2. “I mean, everybody’s tired.”

But James’ weariness appears to be evident in his jump shot — and in his reliance on that shot instead of the more physically demanding task of driving to the hoop. The top scorer in NBA history went 0 for 6 on 3-pointers in Game 2, making him 0 for 10 in the series. He has also missed 19 consecutive 3-pointers in the fourth quarter over the Lakers’ last 11 playoff

games.

On top of the fatigue from the heavy workload for his 38-yearold body, James also sprained his left ankle in the third quarter of Game 2, although said he would be fine for Game 3.

Davis is prone to offensive inconsistency, and the stress of leading the Lakers’ defensive effort against mighty Denver may have affected him — although he insists it didn’t. What’s clear is that Davis’ 18-point performance on 4-of-15 shooting in Game 2 isn’t enough from the Lakers’ franchise big man, particularly after his 40-point effort in Game 1, when the Lakers’ defense was much worse.

The Lakers are hoping for a big boost from their success-hungry home fans when they get back to their downtown arena, where they’re 7-0 at home since the regular season ended.

“The higher the levels you get to, you’re going to face much, much tougher teams,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “No disrespect to Memphis or Golden State, but (Denver) has been at the top of the food chain for a reason. Not just this year, but the last few years. So we’ve definitely got our work cut out for us, but we’re going to get better from this, as we always do, and we’ll bounce back on our home floor.”

Color-blind Continued from page 8

nice person with a thick accent.

You can’t follow what’s been said, so you just nod and say, “Sure. Of course. Naturally.”

I think that instead of trying to turn a kid’s game into quantum mechanics, the color guy should arrive at every game with a file folder of really good jokes.

They would be entertaining and provide relief from the impenetrable blather. Say, what do you call 50 color-men with laryngitis?

Yes, that would be a good start, wouldn’t it?

Dodgers win Continued from page 8

10 and face the Redbirds again today (Saturday) for a 4:15 p.m. game. Noah Syndergaard (1-3) will make the start for Los Angeles.

Angels win Continued from page 8

three batters but struck out 12.

With the win, the Halos are 2422 and remain in third place in the American League West behind the Texas Rangers (27-17) and the Houston Astros (25-19).

The Angels and Twins will play again on Saturday. Patrick Sandoval (3-2) will make the start for the home team.

8 SATURDAY, MAY 20, 2023/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

TheSportsPage

What we have to pretend to understand Sports announcers – especially the “color” people who fill in the blanks between actual action – have a lot in common with lawyers: they make a lot of money but hardy anyone can understand them.

Watch a baseball game and after the play-by-play guy says, “The first pitch is in there for a strike,” his minion chimes in with “That was a splitfingered backwards rotation off-speed changeknuckler.”

Now, assuming that such pitches actually exist, it’s mindJim Tortolano boggling to think that an announcer sitting 50 yards away with a Corona in one hand can, in a split-second see, and react accurately to a 100-mile an hour pitch.

Sometimes I suspect these guys just have a chart in front of them and whichever box his beer nuts fall on gets to name the pitch.

Football is even worse. Certain of the color guys describe a play in terms of such complexity that Stephen Hawkins would say, “Sheez, I don’t know. Can you say that again, slowly?”

“The nine back goes into lineal contrary retrograde motion toward the second odd-numbered jersey and runs a proto-serpentine pattern toward the delta man.”

Ok, so maybe those football plays, patterns, etc. are not totally gibberish. Maybe. But I’ll bet that 95 percent of the folks watching a football game have no idea what 95 percent of what the color guy is saying means.

Of course, no one wants to admit to that. It’s like listening to a

n BASEBALL

Angels rally for a 5-4 win

By Pete Zarustica Orange County Tribune

Maybe the Rally Monkey is back from hiatus.

On Friday night in Anaheim the Los Angeles Angels had a lead, lost it, fell behind and then scored twice in the bottom of the seventh inning to go on to a 5-4 win over the Minnesota Twins in Anaheim.

Mickey Moniak tied the game with a triple and Hunter Renfroe gave the Halos the lead with a single. Moniak and Hunter were the hitting stars of the game with a total of six hits, two runs scored and two RBIs. Reid Detmers didn’t get credit for the win, but pitched 5.2 innings, giving up just two hits and three earned runs. He walked

Sports Retorts

Continued on page 7

Continued on page 7

ANTHONY DAVIS has excelled on offense, defense and rebounding for Lakers during their postseason run (Erick Droust/Shutterstock).

It’s a Must-Win Lakers’ Crucial

They’re trailing two games to none

By Greg Beacham AP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Although the Los Angeles Lakers’ late-season transformation is one of this NBA season’s best stories, LeBron James and his teammates finally appear to be running out of steam in the Western Conference finals.

They’ve also finally run into an opponent capable of making sure this story doesn’t have a completely happy ending.

After looking weary and mistake-prone in Denver during

The Series

n Game 3: Saturday at Lakers n Game 4: Monday at Lakers. n Game 5 Wed. .at Denver n Game 6 Friday at Lakers n Game 7 Sunday at Denver All games at 5:30 p.m. PDT

their first back-to-back losses in over two months, the Lakers face a must-win Game 3 Saturday.

Los Angeles has been on a prolonged roll ever since the trade deadline, going 27-12 while Continued on page 7

Dodgers hold the Cards, 5-0

By David Arthur Orange County Tribune

That Mookie Betts has really turned out to be a good bet. The former Boston Red Sox star who came to the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent continued to earn his pay with a three-run home run in the eighth inning Friday to help the Blue Crew to a 5-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the Gateway City.

He’s batting a modest .251 so far this year, but has slammed 10 home runs. Freddie Freeman and Miguel Vargas each had two hits and Tony Gonsolin (2-1) worked five one-hit innings, striking out three batters.

With the win, the Dodgers are 29-17 and lead the National League West by 3.5 games over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

They’ve won eight of their last Continued on page 7