The Orange County Tribune April 29, 2023

Saturday: 76/56 partly cloudy

Sunday 69/58 clouds, sun

Monday: 64/54 mostly cloudy

Tuesday: 63/57 partly cloudy

Is COVID-19 Under Control? Well ... Mostly

Most statistics from OCHCA encouraging

It appears as if the coronavirus isn’t going away, but it’s not making any kind of resurgence either in Orange County.

According to the county health agency, the latest tally of confirmed new cases (for the period of April 20-26) is at 562. That’s down from the previous week’s total of 669,

which was an increase from the earlier 573 for the period of April 6-12.

Deaths dipped to nine from 10, and last week’s total was a sharp decrease from the April 12 total of 26.

The sole category showing increases is in hospitalization, where number peaked at 86, compared to 79 the week before and 41 two weeks back.

Holding steady at 12 is the number of persons being treated for COVID-19

The ‘Three Amigos’ say hola

They’re not movie stars, like Steve Martin, Martin Short and Chevy Chase were in the film comedy, but Garden Grove’s new police chief (Amir ElFarra), new city manager (Lisa Kim) and veteran

Thanks to Capt. Jacobs

Plaque will honor rescuer of 30,000 refugees

By Jim Tortolano Orange County Tribune

mayor (Steve Jones) are becoming a new local celebrity team with events like “The Three Amigos” panel discussion at the Azteca Mexican restaurant on Thursday. With

Continued on page 2

“We should have done it before, but it’s never too late.”

Councilmember Kimberly Ho said that before the Westminster City Council voted 5-0 to approve the installation of a plaque in the Sid Goldstein Freedom Park honoring U.S. Navy Capt. Paul Jacobs for his actions in helping refugees

to evacuate Vietnam as North Vietnamese forces completed their conquest in April 1975.

The 18 inch by 14 inch plaque will honor Capt. Jacobs, who commanded the USS Kirk, part of a flotilla stationed off the coast of Vietnam to rescue American and South Vietnamese personnel.

A relatively small ship, the Kirk was a

Slow down, you Surf City citizens

Slow down.

At least that’s the message that will likely come down at Tuesday’s meeting of the Huntington Beach City Council.

The council will take up recommendations to lower speed limits at eight locations in the city in order to improve safety.

n HUNTINGTON BCH. CITY

They are:

• 17th Street: Pacific Coast Highway from 35 miles an hour to 30 miles an hour

• Atlanta Avenue: Newland Street to Magnolia Street from 45 to 40

• Channel Lane: Admiralty Drive to Gilbert Drive from 30 to 25

• Delaware Street: Atlanta Avenue to Adams Avenue 35 to 30

• Delaware Street: Garfield Avenue to Ellis Avenue 35 to 30

• Graham Street: South

Continued on

POLICE CHIEF AMIR El-FARRA (left), City Manager Lisa Kim and Mayor Steve Jones (OC Tribune photo)

Capt. Paul Jacobs commanded the USS Kirk and the Navy flotilla that recsued as many as 30,000 Vietnamese refugees after the fall of Saigon in April 1975 (U.S. Naval Institute).

Thanks to Capt. Jacobs The Orange County Tribune Every Wednesday & Saturday

Continued from page 1

destroyer escort that was headed away from the coastline, the war being over.

According to National Public Radio, Jacob was ordered to return to the island of Con Son.”We’re going to have to send you back to rescue the Vietnamese Navy,” he was told. “We forgot ‘em. And if we don’t get them or any part of them, they’re all probably going to be killed.”

The mission ended up being not just escorting the remainder of the South Vietnamese Navy. Crews from those ships brought their families, and dozens of naval and other ships – packed with refugees – were loaded onto U.S. Navy ships. As many as 30,000 people may have been rescued.

Among the most iconic images of the rescue was the Kirk serving as a landing pad for 14 South Vietnamese helicopters fleeing with families and friends on board. As each chopper landed and its occupants exited, the helicopter was pushed overboard.

The Kirk and the rest of the Navy flotilla escorted the South Vietnamese Navy ships to the Philippines and took thousands of civilians to safety there. Many of them settled in the United States, one of them being Kimberly Ho, then an infant.

Jacobs died at the age of 94 in 2021, but the Kirk goes on. After being decommissioned by the Navy it was loaned and then sold to Taiwan and is now serving as ROCS Fen Yang.

The ‘Three Amigos’ meet the public

Continued from page 1

City Councilmember Stephanie Klopfenstein serving as host and moderator, the trio spoke to a full house about weighty matters such as homelessness,

Go slower on these HB streets

Continued from page 1 city limit to Slater Avenue 35 to 30

• Orange Avenue: 1st Street to 17th Street 30 to 25

• Peninsula Lane: Summit Drive to Garfield Avenue 35 to 30, All these changes would go into effect 30 days after approval by the council.

The council will meet in its chambers at 6 p.m. at 2000 Main St. (at Yorktown Avenue).

Coronavirus stats are encouraging

Continued from page 1

in intensive care units. It was 13 for the April 12 period.

Deaths in Orange County todate are at 8,109 and total cases are 718,380.

a new police building and future development, but also addressed more personal issues such as favorite foods and ways to spend free time.

The event was organized by the Garden Grove Neighborhood Association and light refreshments were provided free by the Azteca management

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.

Making mistakes prove that you are trying.

The shape of things that did not happen

Have you ever wondered how your life might have turned out if you made a different decision, taken a different job, married a different person, moved to a different city?

How about how your city might have been different if other people had made alternate decisions.

Here’s some speculation. What if … Stanton never disincorporated.

In an effort to head off Anaheim’s plans to build a stinky sewer farm

‘Ghost gun’ leads to GG arrest

A convicted sex offender was arrested in Garden Grove Wednesday morning after he was found with a loaded “ghost gun.”

According to Sgt. Mark Lord of the GGPD, detectives were conducting citywide compliance checks for multiple sex offenders who live in Garden Grove.

During one of those checks,

Retorts

in the community then known as Benedict, residents rallied in 1911 and created the city of Stanton, which was about 17 square miles – the largest in Orange County at the time.

That stopped the sewer farm, but residents decided to backtrack and dissolve the city in 1924 to gain the advantage of county-financed roads through their town.

If they hadn’t taken that step, Stanton would have become one of the biggest cities – in area and population – in the county, instead of one of the smallest.

Anaheim would be smaller than now, and people living on what’s now Cypress and Buena Park would have a different mailing address.

The Nike Base had been developed differently. From 1956 to 1974, the large area near what is now Chapman Avenue and Knott Street was a Nike anti-air missile base termed Garden Grove-Stanton (LA-32). Built as a means of defending the Los Alamitos Naval Air Station (now the Joint Forces Training Base), the weapons were manned by troops from

Domiko Lee Boba, 45, was found to be in possession of a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol without serial numbers or other identifiable markings, police said.

They’re called “ghost guns” because they are often sold in kits and are considered untraceable.

Along with the weapon, additional rounds of ammunition were found. Boba was arrested for being a felon in possession of a firearm, for being a felon in possession of ammunition, possession of an unserialized weapon and violation of parole. He was booked into Orange County Jail for those violations.

HBUHSD’s new nutrition ‘chef’

The Huntington Beach Union High School District has announced the hiring of John Chiu as Food and Nutrition Services Administrator.

No stranger to HBUHSD, Chiu has been overseeing the HBUHSD Nutrition Services Department with Chartwells K12 since July 2020.

Prior to that, he was a nutrition services district manager overseeing 16 school districts across California, Arizona, and Nevada.

With nearly 20 years in the food service industry, he has worked in almost every role from dishwasher to director of food and beverage most recently at Knott’s Berry Farm.

Chiu attended York University in Toronto, Ontario, where he studied kinesiology and health science for his undergradu-

ate work. He then furthered his education at the University of Guelph, Ontario, where he obtained his MBA in hospitality and tourism management.

Chiu has followed his passion

for providing nutritious meals to students by entering a career in school nutrition because he believes in the positive impact that it can have on young

Continued on page 4

Two young men shot in Midway City

Two men have been hospitalized in stable condition after being shot in Midway City early Wednesday morning.

According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, deputies were sent to the 15000 block of Van Buren Street at 12:05 a.m.

Upon arrival, they found an injured 18-year-old man.

They provided life-saving measures until the Orange County Fire Authority arrived and transported the man to a local hospital.

Another 18-year-old man, be-

lieved to be involved in the same incident, was located at the hospital with gunshot wounds.

OCSD investigators are now involved. Anyone with additional useful details is asked to call the Sheriff’s Department at (714) 647-7000.

Jim Tortolano

Chiu comes with experience with healthy, tasty food

JOHN CHIU (left) with two members of his food and nutrition service team (Kyle Nguyen and Cynthia Herrera).

HBUHSD’s hires a new chief ‘chef’: John Chiu

minds.

New gun control law signed into law by Colo. governor

A new gun law that would expand “red-flag” warnings and place limits on who can purchase a firearm was signed into law

Friday by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.

According to United Press International, the bill passed on a strict party-line vote, with all Democratic lawmakers in favor and all Republicans against.

Under the new law, only persons 21 and older can buy a gun, and there’s a three-day waiting period before the transaction is completed. Additionally, warnings about potential shooter threats to authorities can be issued by district attorneys, educators and health providers.

Russian missiles hit Ukraine and kill 19

Nineteen people were killed and 18 more hurt when Russian missiles struck sites in central and southern Ukraine on Friday.

UPI reports that nine of those wounded were hospitalized and that the dead and injured were all civilians, including children.

The Ukrainian air defense system was able to knock down 21 of 23 missiles launched by Russians, government sources said.

Also in the news … A shooting in Texas late Friday night killed five people, according to USA

Today. The weapon was a rifle and no arrests have been made.

Sports: Lakers blast the Grizzlies, 125-85

The Los Angeles Lakers advanced to the second round of the NBA Western Conference playoffs with a convincing 125-85 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.

D’Angello Russell led the team with 31 points as the Lake Show won the series four games to two. LeBron James scored 22 and Anthony Davis had 16 points and 14 rebounds.

The Los Angeles Angels lost 2-1 to the Milwaukee Brewers in Wisconsin, falling to 14-13 but remaining in third place in the American League West.

The Los Angeles Dodgers opened a three-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals with a 7-3 victory. The Dodgers are now 14-13 and in second place in the National League West.

Send in the clouds

A cooling trend is in the offing for the West Orange County area. Saturday’s high will reach 75 with an overnight low of 45 under partly cloudy skies. But Sunday’s daytime high is expected to drop to 69 (58) with morning clouds followed by afternoon sun. Monday and Tuesday will be chillier still with highs of 64 and 63.

Continued from page 3

“When John joined our team in 2020, he immediately made an impact for good with each school site and with the students,” said Assistant Superintendent of Business Jeff Starr.

“John and his team continue to find ways to provide healthy meals for our students while catering to the many different nationalities in our district.

“He and his team have provided meals for our athletics programs, fed our communities during COVID-19, and improved the site facilities to accommodate more students by creating an inviting storefront approach to our cafeterias.

“John is a visionary individual

who is always looking at ways to provide for our students and staff. We are excited for John to officially join our district team.”

Chiu said “I feel like the lucky one when I get to work with a group of [nutrition service] professionals who come in day after day and genuinely care about the quality of the food they prepare and are driven by the wholesomeness and responsibility of their job. I am very thankful for this opportunity to work with a district that allows us to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation in making school meals a pillar of the school experience.”

The HBUHSD serves Huntington Beach and most of Fountain Valley and Westminster.

ADVERTISEMENT FOR SUBCONTRACTOR BIDS

Subject to conditions prescribed by the County of Orange, responses to these documents are sought to award contracts for the following scopes of work: SWPPP Survey Earthwork Site Utilities, and Elevator for the following project:

PROJECT: Orange County Health Care Campus at El Toro, Irvine CA:

General project scope includes the following: This project is a public works project The project is being developed as the new center for the operation of the Orange County Emergency Medical Services (OCEMS) and Orange County Public Health Laboratory (OCPHL). The site will also house the Orange County He alth Care Agency Administration (OCHCA). The objective is to meet the long-term operational best practice requirements of OCEMS, OCPHL and OCHCA and the integration of administration and operational functions into a single campus. This project does not fall under California’s Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD).

The project site is located in the City of Irvine within the vicinity of Orange County Great Park and consists of two parcels: Parcel 3 (4.38 +/- Acres) and Parcel 4 (5.23 +/- Acres) Within Parcel 4, there is an existing warehouse –Building 360, approximately 120,000 SF which is Not in Contract (NIC) The new building(s) will consist of EMS (Emergency Medical Services) at approximately 14 900 SF, Multipurpose AOC (Agency Operation Center) at approximately 7 500 SF, PHL (Public Health Laboratory) at approximately 23 400 SF HCA (Health Care Agency) Administration at approximately 12,500 SF and shared spaces of approximately 9,300 SF

The EMS shall accommodate the workplace for EMS staff along with Pharmacy Lab and the support spaces for the AOC. The Multipurpose AOC serves as the connection area between EMS & PHL and serves as the main entry point for visitors. The build out of the PHL consists of laboratory spaces and support spaces of the lab and will include a Bio-Safety Level 3 lab facility. Construction is scheduled to commence July 2023 thru January 2025

LICENSE: Subcontractors must hold a current California license for their respective scope of work See Description of Classifications (www.cslb.ca.gov)

PRE-QUALIFICATION OF PROSPECTIVE SUBCONTRACTORS: Subcontractors wishing to submit bids must be pre-qualified to PCL Construction prior to submitting a bid

Interested firms may obtain Prequalification Documents by contacting: Chantel Marcq – cmarcq@pcl.com

Reference “Orange County Health Care Campus at El Toro Prequalification” in your email:

PREQUALIFICATIONS DUE: Applications for prequalification must be received by PCL a minimum of two weeks prior to the published bid date below.

Confidentiality of the information provided will be respected to the extent permitted by law. All information requested must be completed and returned in order to be considered "responsive" to the requirements of prequalification.

BIDS DUE: Bid Thursday May 25, 2023 @ 12:00 noon via email to Chantel Marcq cmarcq@pcl.com

BID QUESTIONS (RFIs) MUST BE REEIVED BY : May 18, 2023, at 2:00 p m Only written inquiries will be permitted. Questions must be submitted in writing and will be acceptable by emai

Same Contact as above

COLORADO STATE HOUSE (Wikipedia photo).

“It’s Me, Margaret” Will be a Classic

Judy Blume book becomes a quite memorable film

By Lindsey Bahr AP Film Writer

There is not a cynical molecule in the big-screen adaptation of “ Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” a sweet, playful and reverential adaptation of Judy Blume’s famed coming-of-age novel about the everyday problems of an 11-year-old girl. Perhaps it shouldn’t have been earthshattering for someone to write frankly about puberty for an audience who was going through it, but it was and, in many ways, still is.

In one scene, Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson), who has not yet started menstruating, decides to get ready for it by buying some pads at the convenience store with her friend Janie (Amari Alexis Price).

The two girls watch in horror as the older woman at the checkout counter leaves for a break right as they approach and is replaced with a shaggy-haired teenage boy.

In a panic, Margaret throws a pack of mints on the boxes. Writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig (“The Edge of Seventeen”) relishes in the excruciating awkwardness, letting time slow down as the conveyer belt screeches along.

It’s one of many lovely moments that evoke the strangeness of being 11. Not only are you dealing with the normal pains of everyday existence and coming to terms with the fact that your parents just might be people too - you and all of your classmates are morphing at wildly different and confusing rates. In one of the too-few shots illustrating Margaret’s literal point of view, the camera moves in to gaze at the armpit hair of a local boy, Moose.

Movie Review

The craziest thing about “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” which opens in theaters Friday, is that it took Blume this long – over 50 years – to let Hollywood do it, at least officially. There have been decades of films and series and books that have been created in the image of Blume and her perfectly imperfect young heroine, who may technically be stuck in 1970, but whose problems – faith, crushes, friends, bodies, parents – are evergreen.

This familiarity is both a strength and a weakness of the film. There is a wistful comfort to watching this turbulent year in Margaret’s life during which her parents, Barbara (Rachel McAdams) and Herb (Benny

Safdie), move the family away from New York City, her friends and her beloved grandmother Sylvia (Kathy Bates, resplendent in sparkly caftans and semi-matching sets) – and into the unknown: suburban New Jersey.

But there’s also a feeling that we’ve seen a lot of it before. One of the things that made the book so meaningful to so many was its unabashed honesty. It didn’t sound filtered or selfconscious. It was just the truth of a young girl’s weird, complicated, naive, cruel, kind and fanciful mind and sometimes it was even unflattering and (gasp) unlikable. It was like peering into another person’s diary that was sort of safe because it’s not your own, but sort of dangerous and transgressive because you realize you’ve also had thoughts

Good: HHH

like this. In the end it was comforting to know that you weren’t alone.

The film handles Margaret’s confessionals in a haphazard way. Sometimes she talks out loud to herself in her bedroom, sometimes it’s in voiceover. But a lot of that stream of consciousness goes unsaid. And what is said sometimes comes up short.

Without a history with the book, though, there is still plenty to enjoy – from the pleasant presence of Fortson to a truly great performance from McAdams, who elevates every scene she’s in.

Eleven is a kind of magic age for moviegoing, or at least it was for me. It was the year I

RACHEL McADAMS and Abby Ryder Fortson star in “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaraet,” a tale of the life-changing onset of puberty (Lionsgate Picture)

Judy Blume’s classic tale becomes a sweet movie

started seeing movies in theaters with friends, not parents. When movies are something you’ve chosen – or believe you’ve chosen – to see, they hit a little differently. Some stay with you always, regardless of quality. I had the good fortune to turn 11 in late 1994, when, for whatever reason, Hollywood seemed to be making movies just for me. This is, of course, not true at all. At the very least, most of the movies were simply not NOT for me, and as a white, hetero girl in suburbia, it was not a niche target to hit. But there were a slew of not insignificant films made with a tween girl in mind: “Little Women,” “Clueless,” “A Little Princess” and “Now & Then,” the most direct

descendant of Blume and Margaret, and, on television, “My So-Called Life.”

Movies like these barely exist anymore, and certainly not in theaters. Tween girls would do well to seek “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” out. It has all the makings of a classic for the next generation.

“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” a Lionsgate release in theaters Friday, is rated PG13 by the Motion Picture Association for “thematic material involving sexual education and some suggestive material.” Running time: 105 minutes.

MPA Definition of PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Retorts: Alternate outcomes for some different decisions

Continued from page 3 the California Air National Guard.

When the land was declared surplus in the mid-Seventies, Garden Grove citizens and officials debated the land’s fate. A huge housing tract that would have doubled the size of West Garden Grove? Regional shopping mall? Regional park?

Feeling the need for more property taxes, the city council went with a gigantic industrial park that runs generally between Western Avenue and Valley View Street.

Building many acres of new, upscale homes there could have changed the demographics of the city and expanded the school district’s array of campuses, but possibly also seriously stressed traffic even

more than it is now.

If Bolsa Chica hadn’t been saved. For decades developers wanted to build many homes in the area in and around what’s now called the Bolsa Chica Wetlands facing Pacific Coast Highway and south of Warner Avenue.

Environmental groups fought doggedly to resist and eventually prevailed, setting a precedent statewide for the preservation of habitat for endangered species and open space.

Not only would Surf City have become more crowded, lost would have been the example that led to other successful preservation efforts.

More “What-Ifs” next Wednesday

Continued from page 5 For

League play is over: it’s on to the CIF playoffs

League play has finally concluded for area high school baseball and softball teams. The next act begins with the CIF-SS playoffs.

Brackets and matchups will be announced on Monday morning; we’ll post those schedules for local teams serving Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Stanton and Westminster.

The most dramatic result from Thursday’s games was when

Cypress defeated Pacifica 2-1in a baseball game that tied the Empire League title up between the Centurions and Mariners.

On the softball side, Pacifica beat Cypress 1-0 to finish second in a very competitive Empire race. The Cents completed the regular season 19-3-1 overall and 9-1 in league. The Mariners are 19-8 and 8-2.

Here are the local league champs for both sports.

Empire baseball: Cypress and Pacifica (tie)

Empire softball: Cypress

Garden Grove baseball: Loara

and Los Amigos (tie)

Garden Grove softball: Santiago

Golden West baseball: Ocean

View

Golden West softball: Segerstrom

Orange baseball: Savanna

Orange softball: Anaheim

Orange Coast baseball: Estancia

Orange Coast softball: Calvary

Chapel/Santa Ana

San Joaquin softball: Western Christian

Sunset Wave baseball: Edison

Sunset Surf baseball: Huntington Beach

Sunset softball: Los Alamitos

Dodgers win, 7-3

Continued from page 8

Miguel Vargas hit a two-run home run.

After a rough first inning, Dustin May (3-1) settled down and lasted five innings. He allowed three hits and two earned runs. He walked four and struck out four.

The two teams will meet again on Saturday with Clayton Kershaw (4-1) getting the start for the Dodgers.

Boys’ volleyball playoffs are now underway

Already underway are the CIFSS boys’ volleyall playoffs.

Division 1 play, Edison and Huntington Beach each suffered pool play losses, but get another chance on Monday against Loyola and Mira Costa.

On Thursday, Division 2 action saw Marina knocked out by Wilson/Long Beach.

In D-3, Bolsa Grande and Garden Grove also suffered losses.

Magnolia opened D-5 play with a win over Temecula 3-2, while Westminster lost.

The Sentinels will be in second round play today (Saturday) at Fullerton.

Angels lose, 2-1

Continued from page 8

can League West) did get some good hitting from first baseman Gio Urshella, who went 3-for-4 and drove in the team’s one run. His batting average is now .297. However, the top of the order – Taylor Ward, Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani – went 2-for-12 with no walks.

Next up for the team will be Saturday in Milwaukee when the Angels send Reid Detmers (0-1) to the mound to start.

Lakers eliminate Grizzlies

Comtinued from page 8

The Lakers led by 16 points at the half, but really settled the matter with 41 third period points. Russell was especially dangerous, shooting out the lights with 12-of-17 accuracy, in-

cluding 5-of-9 on three-pointers. Now with the Grizzlies eliminated, the Lakers will have to wait to find out their next opponent, an issue to be decided Sunday between the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors.

A long way to Vegas from Oakland

Comtinued from page 8

will be a Dead Team Walking for the near future.

Last year, a miserable team drew only 787,902 fans, about one-third the attendance of a mediocre Angels team. Even when they made the playoffs in 2019 and won 97 games, the gate was 1.6 million, 13th of 15 American League teams.

Can you imagine how much

more slowly the turnstiles will spin in the baseball twilight zone before the team leaves for Carson County?

So, like the Flying Dutchman of legend, the PhiladelphiaKansas City-Oakland A’s will continue to sail into the unknown. And if Las Vegas is a bust, I hear that New Orleans could be a nice spot to wash ashore.

A’s entering a baseball twilight zone ... until ‘27

The Oakland Athletics, who have been known by many names since the franchise started in 1901, now deserve a new name.

The Oakland Lame Ducks.

It’s official: the worst team in Major League Baseball, playing in one of the worst stadiums in Major League Baseball, will be following the examples of the NFL Raiders and “Go southwest.”

Blowout Against Bears

Lakers scored early and often vs. the Grizzlies

By Hugo Baker Orange County Tribune

Over a long, grueling injuryplagued regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers’ barely made it into the NBA playoffs.

Sports Retorts

Jim

Tortolano

According to the Associated Press, the A’s have plans to relocate to Las Vegas and move into a brand-new climatecontrolled facility of 30,000 to 35,000 by 2027.

The projected size is a little odd; only the venerable Fenway Park in Boston has a capacity in the mid-30s, but that makes a bit more sense when you factor in the tons of cash that come in from TV broadcasts, stadium naming rights, etc. It’s pretty much impossible to lose money from a big league franchise these days.

Plus, there’s also a potential emotional factor here; smaller stadiums are more intimate, giving fans a closer, better look at the field and can foster a kind of “club atmosphere” familiar to soccer (“world football”).

The real puzzle is the interim between the Bay Area and the Barren Desert. The A’s are bound by contract to stay in Oakland through 2024, and their new taj mahal won’t be ready for three seasons after that.

Unlike the Rams, there’s no venue similar to the L.A. Coliseum that the A’s could hunker into until 2027. So, the most likely outcome is that the A’s

Continued on page 7

LEBRON JAMES was all smiles after scoring 22 points in the Lakers’ 125-85 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

But on Friday night the team looked like a title contender in blowing out the Memphis Grizzlies 125-85 to win their first round Western Conference series four games to two at home/ D’Angelo Russell led the team with 31, and LeBron James had 22 but Anthony Davis’ contribution was at least as important, scoring 16 points and sweeping the boards clean with 14 rebounds.

Continued on page 7

The Angels’ bats quiet in Milwaukee

By Pete Zarustica Orange County Tribune

After feasting on the Oakland A’s for a while, the Los Angeles Angels on Friday got a taste of how the other half lives and found it a thin meal. Against a strong Brewer team (17-9) in Milwaukee, the Halos were only able to muster one run and ended up losing 2-1.

The winning run came in the bottom of the eighth when Rowdy Tellez singled in William Contreras.

Unable to generate the powerful home run attack so prominent in the three-game winning streak, the team wasted a good start by Tyler Anderson, who worked 6.2 innings and gave up just five hits and one run. He struck out seven batters and walked three.

The Angels (now 14-13 and still in third place in the Ameri-

Continued on page 7

Heyward, Betts hold all the top Cards

By David Arthur Orange County Tribune

Back at Chavez Ravine, the Los Angeles Dodgers shook off a bumpy road trip and beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-3 Friday night in the opening of a three-game series.

Mookie Betts led off the first inning for the Blue Crew with a

home run and Jayson Heyward tied the game at 2-2 with the first of his two RBI singles.

After that, it was all Dodgers, who improved their record to 14-13 and retained second place in the National League West, a game back of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Freddie Freeman also had a good night, going 3-for-5 to in-

crease his batting average to .302.

Continued on page 7