Covering Garden Grove Huntington Beach Stanton Westminster
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Printed in Garden Grove, California n orangecountytribune.com n Wednesday, March 9, 2022 n orangecountytribune@gmail.com
n GARDEN GROVE CITY COUNCIL
Districts Map Is Re-elected On 7-0 Vote Small growth reported in 2020 Census A FINAL TRIBUTE TO NICHOLAS VELLA Law enforcement colleagues at the Honda Center n Anaheim (HBPD photo)
A grand farewell to a hero The tragic death of Nicholas Vella, a Huntington Beach police officer killed on Feb.19 in a helicopter crash, has brought an outpouring of grief and appreciation. Vella, 44, and another HBPD officer were in the city police copter en route to assist Newport Beach police when the aircraft crashed into the water between
Lido Isle and the Balboa Peninsula. Vella was fatally injured in the mishap. As a tribute to his service to the community and the police department, the funeral procession on Tuesday to Honda Center in Anaheim wound first through major streets in Huntington Beach where residents lined the street Continued on page 2
Two brothers die from trucks’ crash Two teenage brothers died after a collision Monday morning in Huntington Beach. Joshua Page, 18, was pronounced dead at the scene and Jeremy Page, 17, succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday. They were both students at Edison High School in
Huntington Beach. According to Public Information Officer Jennifer Carey, the incident took place around 8:15 a.m. at the intersection of Newland Street and Yorktown Avenue. The crash involved a 1990 Ford F-250 pickup truck
and a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck belonging the City of Huntington Beach. Arriving officers found the two teenage youths in the Ford. The driver of the Chevrolet, a 38-year-old man, was not injured. Because a Huntington Continued on page 2
After the fourth public hearing on the topic, the Garden Grove City Council voted 7-0 to approve retaining the same council districts in place now. The council supported the status quo on the grounds that the city’s population had grown only modestly – a little over 1,000 new residents – and therefore
there was no need for substantial change in the council districts. An alternative – more “vertical” – map aimed to make some adjustments that its proponents argued would improve representation for the interests of apartment and mobile home dwellers. Tuesday’s action was to introduce the ordinance and keep the current map, with a second reading and approval at the next meeting. Also on Tuesday night, the Continued on page 2
Good news continues in fight against coronavrius Encouraging numbers continue to come from the Orange County Health Care Agency’s reports of the status of the coronavirus. According to the OCHCA, Wednesday’s count of confirmed new cases was 279, down from Tuesday’s 281 and Monday’s three-day average of 355.3 Deaths increased for
seven to eight, but still lower than Monday’s three-day average of 10.3. Hospitalizations Continued on page 2
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GG council Gas pains getting bigger all across Orange County pumps council approved the beginning Continued from page 1
Ouch. If you’re filling up the tank of your Chevy, Ford, Toyota, Kia, Nissan, etc. these days, you may have to consider dipping into your kids’ college fund. The price of a gallon of gas has skyrocketed by over a dollar in a year, and is especially climbing now in the wake of the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to the website orangecountygasprices.com, the average price of a gallon of “regular” in the OC is now – as of Wednesday morning – at
Coronavrius Continued from page 1
dropped from 166 to 159 and the number of patients being treated for COVID-19 in intensive care units ticked up to a still-low 29 from 28. So far, Orange County has had 541,742 cases of the virus, of which 527,027 are considered recovered. The death total is 6,704. Across the nation, The New York Times reports that – over a 14-day period – cases have declined by 51 percent and deaths by 26 percent. In California, Los Angeles Times reports a 61 percent decrease in new cases and a 17 percent decline in deaths.
JIm Tortolano Editor and Publisher Marilyn Lewis Tortolano General Manager The Orange County Tribune is published on Wednesdays. Address is 9402 Luders Ave., Garden Grove, 92844. E-mail is orangecountytribune@gmail. com. Our website is www.orangecountytribune.com. Phone: (714) 458-1860. Established Aug. 6, 2016. All opinions expressed in The Tribune, unless otherwise stated, are those of the individual writer or artist and not necessarily those of The Tribune. A member of The Associated Press and the Online News Association.
$5.687. That’s up from $4.718 in mid-February and from $3.749 a year ago. In West Orange County, the prices range widely, based on the retailer and location. The lowest price per gallon for regular gasoline is $5.09 at the Sam’s Club in Westminster, followed by the price of $5.15 at an ARCO station at Goldenwest Street and Slater Avenue in Huntington Beach. The ARCO station at Euclid Street and Trask Avenue in Garden Grove is also relative bargain at $5.15 per gallon. If you’re interested in spending more, you can go to the Mobil station at Beach Boulevard and Adams Avenue and pay $6.88 per gallon.
the process of moving toward issuance of pension obligation bonds to pay down the city’s retirement liabilities. The bonds could eventually save the city from $102.6 to $121.7 million.
Brothers die Continued from page 1
Beach city vehicle was involved, the investigation is led by the Irvine Police Department. It doesn’t appear that drugs or alcohol were a factor in the accident. Anyone who witnessed the collision or the events leading up to it is asked to call the IPD at (949) 724-7024.
Hero’s farewell Continued from page 1
to observe and offer thanks and support. At Honda Center, thousands of people attended the mass for Vella, where he was eulogized. Referring to Vella’s personnel file, Huntington Beach Police Chief Eric Parra read from notations praising him: “This is the greatest guy, he’s got the best communications style, he’s a leader, he exemplifies courage.” Vella started his police career with the Laguna Beach Police Department and served 18 years with the HBPD. He is survived by his wife and daughter.
The best in local news
ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2022 3
News&Views
HB Police Officers Cleared by Jury In Shooting Incident A 33-YEAR-OLD MAN IS THE SUSPECT Incident took place Sunday morning on Sanford E
Suspect is arrested in stabbing attack in GG A suspect was arrested on Sunday in the stabbing attack on a man in Garden Grove Saturday morning. In custody is Gustavo Pablo Munguia, 33, of Garden Grove, facing a charge of attempted murder of a 36-year-old man. The incident in the 12800 block of Safford E, and the suspect fled before police could arrive. According to Detective Sgt. Evan Beresford, the investigation revealed that the suspect was the roommate at a sober living home of the victim. The attack occurred for “unknown reasons,” and police tracked Munguia to the city of
Perris in Riverside County. Working with the sheriff’s office, GGPD detectives located the suspect’s vehicle. He was spotted driving away with the automobile. Deputies made a traffic stop and Munguia was taken into custody without incident. He was later booked into Orange County Jail in Santa Ana on the attempted murder charge. The victim’s condition at a nearby hospital is considered to be critical but improving. Any witnesses to the incident are asked to call the GGPD at (714) 741-5413.
n WESTMINSTER CITY COUNCIL
Districts, “fake news,” money District boundaries, “fake news” and the city’s financial future are on the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting of the Westminster City Council. At 8 p.m., a public hearing will be held to select a five-district map and introduce and conduct the first reading of an ordinance to establish city council boundaries for four- and five-district maps. Because voters will choose in June whether to eliminate the direct election of mayor at large and thereby go to a five-district Continued on page 5
SANTA ANA (AP) – A jury has decided that two Huntington Beach police officers did not use excessive force when they shot and killed a man behaving erratically at a crowded sports complex five years ago. Jurors ruled that Huntington Beach officers Trevor Jackson and Casey Thomas acted appropriately for the defense of human life when they fired at Steven Schlitz. Huntington Beach City Attorney Michael Gates, who defended the officers in the civil case, said he was pleased with the verdict. Gates said the officers were trying to protect a woman and her child who they believed Schiltz was about to attack. Dale Galipo, who represented Schiltz’s mother, Angela Hernandez, expressed her disappointment. “I still feel it was an excessive shooting and not a necessary shooting,’’ Galipo said. Police had responded following 911 calls reporting that Schlitz, 29, was hitting a tree with what looked like a baseball bat. The officers arrived to find Schiltz holding what they believed to be a sharpened down stick, according to court records. Schiltz ignored the officers’ request to talk, according to court records, and started running around a soccer stadium that was filled with people. City attorneys argued that Schiltz made a “threatening move’’ toward the mother and young son, a claim that was disputed by attorneys for Schiltz’s family.
Schiltz’s relatives previously said he had a history of mental illness. In their lawsuit, the family members denied he posed an immediate threat to others when he was shot and killed. A federal judge in 2018 threw out the federal civil rights lawsuit, ruling that there was no indication that the officers were liable for wrongdoing. An appeals court upheld most of the federal judge’s ruling, with the exception of allegations of state battery or state negligence, leading to the case being refiled in state court and to the recent jury trial.
n STANTON CITY COUNCIL
Overnight ban on parking on Main Street By Reagan Cisar Orange County Tribune
Overnight parking on some portions of Main Street has been banned, following a decision by the Stanton City Council Tuesday evening. Several businesses claimed that the existing two-hour parking limit west of Beach Boulevard was difficult to enforce. Additionally, they said that nearby residents routinely parked overnight in front of their businesses, making no parking available for customers in the morning. The council restricted overnight Continued on page 4
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Westminster city council district boundaries arrangement – from the current four-district setup – two maps must be adopted to prepare for either contingency for the November election. A proposed resolution denouncing “fake news” – primarily said to be in the Vietnamese-language media – was deferred from the Feb 23
meeting and comes before the council again. The impacts to the city if the one-cent sales tax measure – approved by voters in 2016 and set to expire this year – is not renewed will be considered. Previous reports from city staff indicated that if the measure were allowed
to lapse, it would cost the municipal treasury millions of dollars, deplete the reserves and – potentially – result in bankruptcy. The council will meet via teleconference/web conference with a closed session at 6 p.m. and the open session at 7 p.m.
The public’s help is sought in identifying the vehicle involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident in Stanton on Friday night. According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department – which provides police services for Stanton – a woman died after being hit by a car around 8:45 p.m. while walking in a crosswalk at the intersection of Cer-
ritos Avenue and Dale Street. The vehicle description from the OCSD is “smaller in size, and possibly dark green.” It left the scene. The pedestrian is a 68-yearold woman who was taken to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced deceased. Her identity will be released after official confirmation from the Orange
County Coroner and notification of her next of kin. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the OCSD dispatch at (714) 6477000.
Continued from page 3
Hit-and-run kills a woman in Stanton
Overnight parking ban is approved for Main Street Continued from page 3
parking on the north side of Main Street from the alley between Flower Avenue and Beach Boulevard to Chestnut Avenue, as well as on the south side of Main Street from Flower to Court Avenue. The council also considered three different council electoral maps and ultimately chose the map that splits districts by major streets, keeping neighborhoods together. “We don’t want to make this more convoluted than it has to be. This map is simple,” said Councilmember Carol Warren. A second reading of the redistricting ordinance will take place at the City Council meeting March 22 at 6:30 p.m. Are you interested in placing advertising in The Orange County Tribune (print and website)? Call Jim at (714) 458-1860 for details.
ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2022 5
Arts&Living
“The Batman” takes a darker tone Gotham City looks even more grim than ever before By Jake Coyle AP Film Writer
Batman, never a day person, is plunged into perpetual night in Matt Reeves’ nocturnal, nihilist, neo-noir take on the Caped Crusader. Reeves’ three-hour-long “The Batman’’ includes plenty of action, character introductions, gadgets and other various superhero accoutrement. But it is no extravaganza. This “Batman’’ is a morose mood piece, soaked in shadow and rage, that has stripped the comic’s archetypes down to abstracted silhouettes and grubbily human characters. If Jim Carrey’s Riddler were to wander into this movie, he would fit in about as well as Bugs Bunny in “Taxi Driver.’’ Scorsese’s movie, with Travis Bickle sneering at societal collapse, was a prominent influence on Todd Phillips’ muddled “Joker,’’ but it may be more so for “The Batman,’’ which likewise rests on the precarious psychology of its DC protagonist. Robert Pattinson’s is a young Batman, relatively new to the gig and suffering mightily from the nightly battles with Gotham’s most depraved. A feeling of helplessness consumes him, and a sense that he can never stem the tide. “It’s a big city,’’ he says in the movie’s opening. “I can’t be everywhere.’’ Reeves, the ``Planet of the Apes’’ filmmaker, starts ``The Batman’’ with numerous such gravely voiced intonations – “They think I’m hiding in the shadows, but I AM the shadows’’
THE BATMAN MEETS THE CATWOMAN Zoe Kravitz and Robert Pattinson star in this latest version of the superhero tale
Movie Review – in a stunning, operatic montage set to Nirvana’s ``Something in the Way.’’ It’s an electric fusion of imagery and sound, and the movie’s most fully realized section. This ``Batman’’ is a dirge. The issue, though, is that ``The Batman,’’ having found its tone and immersive atmosphere, wallows in it. There is surprisingly little suspense because the film struggles to find more than one note (powerful though it is) to strike. Even Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne is just as downbeat and grave as his Batman. Like a Paul Schrader character, he has abandoned nearly all social engagement, instead tortuously writing a diary to document the horrors he witnesses nightly. Pretty much since Adam West
put on the cape and cowl, Batman has steadily grown darker. But Pattinson’s despondent Dark Knight takes the cake. The comic blueprint is “Batman: Year One,’’ Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s 1987 four-issue series in which Wayne turns vigilante. That step – a citizen taking up violence in the name of justice – is much the subject of ``The Batman.’’ And while Reeves’ film is seldom overtly topical, it’s clearly colored by predominant social justice issues. Today, vigilantism is most associated with cases like George Zimmerman, Kyle Rittenhouse and the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery. “The Batman,’’ mobbed with crooked cops and culminating in a terrorist plot of masked “fringe-types,’’ reflects much of our grim current reality. In the course of the film, Batman’s
Good: HHH doubts about who gets to mete out justice only grow. OK, but does Batman, like, kick some butt, too? What about the Batmobile? It’s not all just a seedy slog through the Gotham sewer, is it? Well, almost. “The Batman’’ is structured as a detective story. There’s a delightful scene where he, in costume, stalks a crime scene he’s been sneaked into by detective Gordon (a fabulous, melancholy Jeffrey Wright). It’s a framework – a Batman of questionable vision and even more dubious self-awareness hunting clues – that makes “The Batman’’ a distinctive work separate from previous movie iterations of the Continued on page 6
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“The Batman” is a darker, grimmer story Continued from page 5
character. But as Reeves and co-writer Peter Craig weave in the antagonists of this Gotham underworld – a serial killer named Edward Nashton a.k.a. the Riddler (Paul Dano, leaning into serial-killer tropes), the crime lord Carmine Falcone (a suavely
villainous John Turturro) and a mid-level mobster Penguin (Colin Farrell, unrecognizable) _ ``The Batman’’ wears other influences, like David Fincher’s ``Seven,’’ more obviously. As firmly gripped as ``The Batman’’ is early on, you can feel its hold slipping as it extends into its lengthy running time, and I think that’s partly because
Pattinson’s performance is largely limited to either sudden eruptions of fury or timid skulking in the shadows. For an actor who has long stayed clear of the mainstream, it’s thrilling to see him take on something this ambitious. But Pattinson’s talent lies in his cryptic charisma and that’s not always a compelling fit for a three-hour psychological portrait. He’s no chatterbox, this Batman. Zoe Kravitz, however, has a more instant and intimate bond with the camera. As Selina Kyle/Catwoman, she gives ``The Batman’’ a major lift even while leading it down some of its darkest alleyways. After Selina joins with Batman as they investigate the corruption surrounding Falcone and others, he outfits her with videorecording contact lenses. In one of the film’s most arresting sequences, we see from her perspective as she infiltrates the bad guys’ nightclub and, in night vision, we feel the leers of the men that crowd her.
“The Batman’’ is darkly dour stuff – potent but erratic. It’s as though the filmmakers, working in the very long shadow of “The Dark Knight,” have opted not to rival the moody majesty of Christopher Nolan’s genreredefining 2008 film but instead to simply go “harder’’ – blacker, more cynical, a total eclipse. That may make ``The Batman’’ properly suited to its times but it also makes it, ultimately, feel like a somewhat hollow if often grippingly pitch-black exercise in an imagined arms race of severity. ``The Dark Knight`` had a visceral splash in Heath Ledger’s Joker that “The Batman’’ sorely misses. Someone, somewhere here should be asking why so serious. “The Batman,’’ a Warner Bros. release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for “strong violent and disturbing content, drug content, strong language, and some suggestive material.”
Amazon shifts retail strategy NEW YORK (AP) – Amazon is closing all of its brick-andmortar bookstores, as well as its 4-star shops and pop up locations, as the online retail behemoth reworks its physical footprint. The Seattle-based company said last week that the move, which affects 66 stores in the U.S. and two in the United Kingdom, will enable it to concentrate its efforts on Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, its convenience concept called Amazon Go and its upcoming Amazon Style stores. Amazon Style, which will sell fashion and accessories, is set to open in a Southern California mall later this year. The nearest Amazon bookstore is located in Cerritos Mall; an Amazon Fresh market is in Fullerton on Harbor Boulevard. “We remain committed to build-
ing great, long-term physical retail experiences and technologies and we're working closely with our affected employees to help them find new roles within Amazon,`` the company said in a statement. It couldn't be learned immediately how many Amazon workers are being affected. Amazon opened its first brickand-mortar bookstore back in 2015.
Cinderella Continued from page 8
loss to Los Altos in Division II semifinal action on Saturday. The Chargers, who won the Surf League, finished the season with a 28-6 record. See latest results from Tuesday’s games in article on page 8
ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2022 7
Sports Week: The Lakers, then and now Continued from page 8
Exposed for all to see are the elements of racism, sexism, egotism and elitism that are probably behind the scenes in many areas of pro sports. A good subtitle might be, “Things Chick Hearn Never Told Me.”
JOHN C. REILLY AS JERRY BUSS Laker owner had his own kind of magic. Episode 2, “Is That All There Is” airs this coming Sunday. Don’t miss it.
Two on the rise, two are sinking
In the world of Southern California winter sports, two of our teams are improving and two are declining. The Los Angeles Clippers have won seven of 10 games and stand eighth in the NBA Western Conference, within striking distance of seventh and a guaranteed playoff spot. The Lakers, on the other hand, have lost seven of 10 and sit in ninth place in their conference, probably consigned to the “play-in” tournament among all the also-rans. LeBron James, claiming to be fueled by “depression” over his team’s sad situation, scored 56 points in the Lakers’ win Saturday against the Golden State Warriors, but he can’t be expected to bend steel in his bare hands every night. On the ice, the Los Angeles Kings continue to do well, winning seven of 10 and rising to second place in the NHL Pacific.
The Anaheim Ducks continued to slide, losing six of 10 to slip to fifth place in the division. Right now, the Kings are in good shape, but the Ducks are still three points behind the Nashville Predators to qualify for the Stanley Cup tournament. That’s not an impossible task , but still a challenge, as long as the Preds (4-6 in their last 10 games) don’t play any worse than the Ducks.
Sports Calendar
• Anaheim Ducks: Nashville on Thursday, at New Jersey on Saturday, at New York Islanders on Sunday. • Los Angeles Clippers: Host Washington on Wednesday, at Atlanta Hawks on Friday, at Detroit on Sunday. • Los Angeles Kings: Host San Jose on Thursday, at San Jose on Saturday, host Florida on Sunday. • Los Angeles Lakers: ATt Houston on Wednesday, host Washington on Friday, at Phoenix on Sunday. “Sports Week” is written by Pete Zarustica.
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TheSportsPage
A Different Kind of Lakers’ Triumph HBO series gives a whole different look at “Showtime” Right now the most interesting thing about the Los Angeles Lakers is not their actual games, as they slowly sink into the sunset, but the new HBO series, “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.” Based on the book “Showtime” by Jeff Pearlman, this tells the (somewhat fictionalized) story of how the Lakers finally beat the Celtics curse, embarked on an historic journey of hoops glory and (arguably) reversed the decline of the National Basketball Association for being “too black.” The first episode, “Swan,” aired on Sunday, and it’s surprisingly well-done and clever. This limited series (10 installments) is not in the tradition of many inspirational sports movies. It’s a warts-and-all depiction of how Jerry Buss – played with marvelous flair by John C.
CLOSE, BUT NOT THE REAL MAGIC Quincy Isaiah stars in the HBO series “Winning Time: The Rise of the Laker Dynasty” Reilly – conned and glammed his way to ownership of the team, but also started to lay the groundwork for elevating pro basketball to a more entertaining brand of spectator sport. Quincy Isaiah as Earvin “Magic” Johnson is fine, but
SportsWeek the role that really catches the eye and ear is Jason Clark’s portrayal of Jerry West. One of the greatest players of his time, West is pictured here as a
“Cinderella Aztecs” made history Sports history brims with “Cinderella” stories, and one is taking place not in a forest far away and a long time ago, but right now at McFadden Avenue and Ward Street in Westminster. The La Quinta High School boys’ basketball team, which finished third in the Garden Grove League, is just one win away from the CIF Southern California title and two from a state championship. On Saturday, the Aztecs held off a late charge by the Fontana High Steelers and won their Division V semifinal game 66-59. Viggo Nguyen scored 24 points and Shuaib Tahir had 20 for he blue-and-gold, That advancesd LQ (22-11) to the SoCal
championship regional final on Tuesday against Chaffey High of Ontario. The Tigers are 23-12 and finished second in the Mt. Baldy League. That’s not all the hoops glory going on for area teams. Orangewood Academy of Garden Grove’s girls’ basketball team defeated Bishop Montgomery 74-60 in a Division I game on Saturday. The Spartans (24-9), champs of the San Joaquin League, next took on Windward High (22-10) of Los Angeles in a regional final on Tuesday. The Wildcats finished second in the Gold Coast League. Jayionne Brown led Orangewood with 14 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Edison High of Huntington Beach’s boys’ team finished its long run in the playoffs with a 57-41 Continued on page 6
frustrated and angry man in his role as head coach, profane and sort of a horse’s rear end. For those of us who grew up with a bit of hero worship on Mr. West, this is a real wakeup, assuming it’s close to being true. Continued on page 7
Story ends for O’wood and LQ . La Quinta fell 63-53 to Chaffey High of Ontario in the boys’ Division 5 game. Tuesday night, The Aztecs, who finished the year with a 22-12 record, were led by Shuaib Tahir with 17 points. Orangewood Academy lost 61-58 to Windward High of Los Angeles in the girls’ Division I game. The Spartans, who finished the year at 24-10, were led by Hannah Stines, who scored 20 points, 12 of them on three-point shots.