The Orange County Tribune Aug. 20, 2022

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WEEKEND EDITION

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Printed in Garden Grove, California n orangecountytribune.com n Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022 n orangecountytribune@gmail.com

Gasoline Prices Are Sliding in OC Area Mixed results in COVID-19 report Two categories of statistics on the status of the coronavirus in Orange County showed improvement in Friday’s report, and two showed the opposite.

The report covers Aug. 16 to 18.

According to that report, hospitalizations dropped from 291 to 271 and the use of intensive care units to treat COVID-19 patients declined from 44 to 36.

However, deaths rose from 15 to 29 and confirmed new cases were at 2,076, which averages to 692 per day, an increase

from Tuesday’s average of 654. A week ago the average was 769.

In Orange County to date there have been 653,562 confirmed cases, of which 626,094 are considered recovered. Deaths are at 7,303.

Nationally, new cases are down 19 percent and deaths by 3 percent – over a 14-day period – reports The New York Times.

In California, new cases have declined 37 percent and deaths by 11 percent, according to Los Angeles Times, over a similar time period.

Average price in the county now at 5.23 per gallon Are gasoline prices in West Orange County dropping enough to putting a smile on your face and more unleaded regular in your Ford or Nissan?

Fuel prices are indeed coming down across the nation state and county. Of course, how much you pay depends on a variety of factors, including whether you pay cash, or use the company’s credit card or a different one.

According to data collected by Gas Buddy (orangecountygasprices. com), here are the lowest (and highest) prices for a regular grade of gasoline per gallon in the West Orange County area of Garden Grove, Huntington

GGPD looks into possible youth football “fraud” An investigation into possible fraud by a local youth sports organization is underway by the Garden Grove Police Department.

According to Lt. Brian Dalton of the GGPD, complaints have been received about the Garden Grove Bulldogs Pop

Warner League program based at Garden Grove Park.

Police say that the 2022 season has been cancelled because its league had fallen out of compliance with the Orange Empire Conference, the governing body, as well as losing Continued on page 3

FUEL PRICES ARE FALLING IN THE OC A gallon of regualr is $4.99 at this Union 76 at Lampson and Beach in Stanton (Tribune photo)

Beach, Stanton and Westminster on Thursday.

First, the lowest: • $4.69: Costco in Bella Terra (Center Ave.) in Huntington Beach.

• $4.69: ARCO station on

Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach.

The highest noted on Thursday in the area: • $6.50: G&M at Beach and Westminster BouleContinued on page 2

n ELECTION 2022

Final batting order for big HB city council field Inside Orange over M’s in Week Zero PAGE 6

The final batting order and list of qualified candidates for four seats on the Huntington Beach City Council has been determined for the Nov. 8 general election.

This year, the filing period was extended until Wednesday because one

eligible incumbent – Kim Carr – didn’t file for reelection.

All 18 qualified candidates’ names were ordered on the ballot on a random draw. Here’s the list (and the candidates’ ballot designation) as Continued on page 2

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2 SATURDAY, AUG 20, 2022/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

Big field for HB council Continued from page 1

posted by the city clerk’s office.

• Kenneth Inouye (retired CPA) • Bobby Britton (entrepreneur) • Pat Burns (retired police officer) • Brian Burley (Huntington Beach business owner) • Oscar D. Rodriguez (asset manager/commissioner • Robert V. Reider (senior business consultant) • Gracey Van Der Mark (business owner) • Mike Volger (attorney) • David Clifford (transportation executive/business owner) • Gina Clayton-Tarvin (board member, Ocean View School District) • William “Billy” O’Connell (non-profit CEO/director) • Gabrielle Samiy (student) • Tony Strickland (business owner, Huntington Beach commissioner) • Casey McKeon (business owner, finance commissioner) • Jill Hardy (teacher) • Amory Hanson (historic resources boardman) • Jeffrey Hansler (organizational development consultant) • Vera Fair (project manager).

Gasoline costs fall in the OC Continued from page 1

vard in Westminster.

• $5.78: Union 76 at Edinger and Bolsa Chica in Huntington Beach.

For comparison, two months ago in West OC, the lowest price was $5.79 at a Costco in Huntington Beach and the highest was $6.79 at the Mobil station at Beach and Edinger in Huntington Beach.

This week, in all of Orange County the best price was $4.65 at the Costco in Cypress (Katella Avenue near Walker Street)

and Fuel Up! at Chapman Avenue and Raymond Avenue in Fullerton (also $4.65).

The highest for all of OC is that G&M noted above in Westminster ($6.50), followed by a Chevron station in San Juan Capistrano at $6.29.

According to the Auto Club of Southern California, the average price of a gallon of unleaded regular in Orange County is $5.23.

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 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 , the Online News Association and the Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce.

The best in

local news for West OC The Orange County TRIBUNE

ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/SATURDAY, AUG. 20, 2022 3

News&Views They should abstain from foolish moves

For those of us who have watched the long, involved drama on whether the Westminster City Council would allow voters to decide whether to extend the 1 percent sales tax, it was difficult to know whether to feel pleased – or just exhausted – when it was all over.

After months of back-and-forth and dire predictions of oceans of red ink and eventual bankruptcy, four of the five councilmemembers voted in favor on the final day for getting the issue on the Nov. 8 ballot.

One councilmember abstained; three had abstained the day before.

Aside from the merits of not letting Westminster sink into financial collapse, one thing that has stood out in this long and frustrating season of indecision has been the use of abstaining as a way of dodging responsibility.

As a general rule, members of a legislative body abstain when there is a financial conflict of interest.

A councilmember or school trustee should abstain if their construction company – or one owned by a spouse or business partner – is bidding on a new public building, for example.

But the shower of “abstain” votes in Westminster without a financial conflict is simply a way of avoiding making a public decision out of fear of the political ramifications.

The irony of it is that most people understand “I abstain” to mean opposition, making people mad at you anyway. The website Lawinsider has this to say: “Abstain means to refrain from voting. Members who abstain for reasons other than a declared conflict of interest shall be deemed to vote in opposition of the question or matter.”

So we suggest that any politician who plans to use “abstain” as an evasion of responsibility just not bother to run for office at all. It’s sort of like telling your boss you will “abstain” from coming to work for no reason at all. See how that ends up for you.

n STANTON CITY COUNCIL

Usually Reliable Sources

And here’s another thing …

We hate to beat up on Westminster, but this is a city in need of a course correction. The Quang Tri Victory Foundation – the group that’s seeking to locate a war memorial from the Vietnam War in a city park – a month ago filed a $100,000 lawsuit against the City of Westminster.

What’s head-shaking in the complaint is that part of the foundation’s Continued on page 4

PROPOSED PLAN FOR NORM ROSS RENOVATION City Council will consider awarding a contract on Tuesday (City of Stanon)

Contract for Norm Ross Park design considered

The awarding of a contract for design and construction support services for renovation of Norm Ross Sports Park goes before the Stanton City Council when it meets on Tuesday.

Such a contract would be awarded to PBK for an amount not to exceed $640,000. The city has received $7.9 million in parks grant money from the State of California for the overall project.

It would be a major upgrade of the existing park, located on property adjacent to Carver Elementary School, owned by the Garden Grove Unified School District.

Under the grant proposal to the state, the renovations could include:

• a community building • water play area • community garden upgrade • playground • skate park • Little League field with an under-12 soccer field • outdoor “flex space” • perimeter walkway • picnic area • dog park • basketball court • exercise equipment.

The city council will meet at 6:30 p.m. in the city hall, 7800 Katella Ave. The park is located west of Beach Boulevard and south of Katella Avenue.

Investigation into possible football fraud Continued on from page 1

its non-profit status.

GGPD have been told the league refused to return fees, birth certificates and other items which were required at the time of sign-up.

The GGPD, according to Lt. Dalton, is conducting an investigation into

whether fraud was committed during the course of signing up participants for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Anyone who feels they were defrauded by the Garden Grove Pop Warner League in connection with those events is encouraged to contact Detective Berenger at (714) 741-5813.

4 SATURDAY, AUG .20, 2022/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

Usually Reliable Sources Continued from page 3

gripe against the city for taking an admittedly long time in making a decision on location is this remarkable statement: “These council members took a position in alignment with the Communist government of Vietnam which was to prevent any recognition of the victory and sacrifice of the Army of the Republic of Viet Nam over the Communist invaders.”

So … if things don’t go your way, it’s all because of Communism. Traffic accident?

Communism. Bad head cold?

Communism. This is the sort of nonsense that even Karl Marx would get a good laugh out of.

We suspect the judge may have the same reaction.

“Usually Reliable Sources” alternates – usually – with Jim Tortolano’s “Retorts” column.

Drive sober or else: HBPD As the summer travel season wraps up, the Huntington Beach Police Department reminds drivers to be responsible and never drive under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

“Whether traveling locally or taking a longer road trip to see friends and family, please have a game plan for how to get home safely,” Sergeant Mike Thomas said.

The Huntington Beach Police Department asks residents to take the necessary precautions to protect yourself and your family by buckling up, avoiding distractions behind the wheel, following the speed limit, and not driving impaired.

To help keep our community safe, the Huntington Beach Police Department will have additional officers on patrol from Aug. 17 through Labor Day (Sept. 5), looking for drivers suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. The additional efforts to prevent impaired driving are part of a national enforcement campaign.

ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/SATURDAY, AUG. 20, 2022 5

Stars to rest as Chargers play Cowboys

By Joe Reedy AP Sports Writer

COSTA MESA (AP) – Justin Herbert and Dak Prescott will be on the sidelines when the Los Angeles Chargers host the Dallas Cowboys in a preseason game on Saturday night.

Both quarterbacks got plenty of

snaps, though, the past two days during joint practices.

Herbert and Prescott practiced on adjacent fields at the Jack Hammett Sports Complex, but both took part in a friendly round of target practice after the two-hour session ended.

“I think they ended up winning, but it was fun to just see those guys and hang out with them a little bit,’’ Herbert said of the side competition between the two QB groups. “I’ve only met him a couple of times, but I really respect him as a player and as a competitor, as well.”

Dallas coach Mike McCarthy said early in camp that Prescott could play in the preseason finale Aug. 26 against Seattle.

Chargers coach Brandon Staley, though, does not play the majority of his starters in any of the three preseason games.

For Herbert, the joint practices were the closest thing to a dress rehearsal that he is going to get before the Chargers’ regularseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 11.

“It means everything to us.

Since we’re not playing in the preseason we need to take advantage of these reps, and we did,`` Herbert said. ``We felt like we really got after it the past couple of days. To go up against a team like that, I think it’s a great learning lesson for us as well, to see a team that flies around like that and a front seven like they have.’’

Herbert had a nice completion to Keenan Allen in the back of the end zone but also threw an interception on the first play of a two-minute drill.

Herbert said having to adjust on the fly against another defense as well as seeing how the offensive line held up in pass protection was a bonus.

“That’s a good front line that they have up there. To see those guys fly around up close and personal, I think it’s a great job for us to be able to learn and grow from that and continue to compete against those guys. So, it’s been good for us,’’ Herbert said.

Prescott did have the highlight play to end Thursday’s practice with a Hail Mary to Dennis Houston, who got position over teammate Simi Fehoko and Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. to come up with the ball.

“It was definitely good to end on that note, and just being in that situation, end of game, having to go Hail Mary with the clock running,`` Prescott said.

“The guys did a good job of protecting, giving me a lane, letting me buy some time.’’

CeeDee Lamb missed both days of practice due to a foot injury, dealing another blow to a diminished Cowboys’ wide receiver

group already missing Michael Gallup (ACL) and James Washington (foot). Prescott’s day featured a lot of handoffs to running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard along with short passes.

While Lamb is expected to return to practice next week, Gallup and Washington are expected to be sidelined when the Cowboys open the season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Prescott said he isn’t getting frustrated over having an inexperienced wide receiver group, but he is hoping to see them make strides the next two weeks.

“This is exactly about that time to work and make other guys step up, take advantage of their opportunity,’’ he said. “Those guys got to know what I expect from them and how they expect me to throw the ball, so that’s all good things to be worked on.’’

Chargers coach Brandon Staley was also pleased with the two practices and noted that the snaps provided more quality for the first units compared to a preseason game because different situations could be practiced.

“You get more plays, and then the types of schemes that you’re playing against you’re seeing their premium scheme, where in the preseason no one is running their premium scheme,`` he said.

“These practices are where it’s at. They may not get into the red zone in a preseason game, you may not have a two-minute situation that kind of expresses itself, so you’re able to control what happens.’’

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6 SATURDAY, AUG. 20, 2022/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

The Sports Page

The Panthers’ Premiere Was A Hit Orange runs past Pacifica 42-7 in Week Zero debut

By Jim Tortolano Orange County Tribune

The first game of a high school football season seems to follow a script: missed tackles, fumbles, unforced errors and lots of penalties.

But at Fred Kelly Stadium, the Orange High Panthers had enough star power to defeat Pacifica 42-7 in their premiere nonleague contest.

Kobe Boykin ran for touchdowns of 79 and 5 yards. Jonathan Smith caught scoring passes of 40, 9 and 23 yards for the Panthers.

After exchanging punts, Orange jumped out to a first quarter 14-0 lead as Smith caught a 40-yard TD pass (along with a two-point conversion catch) and a 79-yard run by Boykin.

The Mariners struck back when a receiver outjumped three Orange defenders in the end zone for a 18-yard touchdown to close within 14-7.

But the rest of the night belonged to the home team as it scored 28 unanswered points and started

KOBE BOYKIN (2) ran for two touchdowns as the Orange High Panthers opened the 2022 season with a 42-7 win Friday night over Pacifica (Orange County Tribune photos by Jim Tortolano). new Mariner coach Randy Franzman’s season with a loss.

However, that’s what pre-league games are for: to work out the kinks. Orange will take its 1-0 record next Friday against district rival Villa Park, hosting the Spartans.

Menwhile Pacifica (0-1) will travel to Temecula to play Linfield Christianm which is 1-0 after defeating Loara bythe score of 41-7.

Friday night scores (all non-league) Orange 42, Pacifica 7 Godinez 15, Magnolia 13 Huntington Beach 20, Mayfair 13 Linfield Christian 41, Loara 7 Western 42, Chino 0 Bolsa Grande 53, Workman 6 Edison 48, Venice 13 Santa Ana Valley 34, Ocean View 16

Angels, Dodgers each get one-run wins From a staff writer Both Los Angeles-Orange County area Major League Baseball teams posted one-run wins Friday night.

Angels 1, Tigers 0

Jared Walsh supplied all the offense the Halos needed when he cranked his 15th home run of the season in the top of the second inning.

With the win, the Halos (52-67) again moved to within one game of the third place Texas Rangers (53-66) in the American League West.

The Los Angeles Angels got only three hits and one run in Detroit against the Tigers, but it was enough as Patrick Sandoval Dodgers 2, Marlins 1 All the excitement for the Los pitched a four-hit complete game Angeles Dodgers took place late gem.

Sandoval (4-8) struck out nine Friday as they scored once in the bottom of the seventh to tie their batters and walked none.

game with the Miami Marlins at home, and again in the bottom of the eighth.

Mookie Betts scored the winning run on a fielder’s choice.He had a great night at the plate with a single, a double and a triple.

In the seventh inning, it was Trayce Thompson’s double that drove in Jacob Stallings with the equalizer.

The Dodgers (82-36) got a great pitching performance from Tyler Anderson, who worked seven in- walked three. nings, yielding five hits and one Chris Martin (4-0) picked up the run. He struck out six batters and win in relief.