The Orange County Tribune Jan. 11, 2023

Wednesday : 63/46 partly cloudy Thursday: 70/50 mostly cloudy Friday: 67/52 mostly cloudy

More Change Of Course On the Agenda

Opportunities to reverse decisions by previous city councils abound on the agenda for Wednesday’s Westminster City Council meeting.

Under legislative items, the council will consider an ordinance allowing for the location of the mayor’s office – in this case, Chi Charlie Nguyen – to inside the City Hall.

At the Dec. 14 meeting, the council voted 3-2 in favor of one of three options to move the office into the City Hall small conference room at a cost of $11,000.

The move will require an amendment to the mu-

nicipal code, which the council will consider at Wednesday’s meeting.

Location of the mayor’s office has – in the past – been controversial because of concerns that a mayor might seek to exercise undue influence or interference with the work of city employees.

In regular business, the council will consider a change in procedure that would require that at least two members of the council to concur in order for an item to be placed on the agenda for consideration at the next meeting.

Other proposed changes

“Personal care” law receives final approval

The second and final reading of a “personal care” ordinance aimed at curbing the use of such businesses and medical offices for illicit business was approved by the Stanton City Council on Tuesday night.

On a 4-0 vote – Councilmember Gary Taylor

(District 3) was absent – the council enacted the law that will lift a moratorium on new personal care and medical office businesses in the city.

The moratorium was originally approved in June 2022 and has since been extended. It was en-

West County weathers the storm

While much of Northern and Central California were battered by the “storm cyclone” that wreaked havoc, damaged property and took lives, West Orange County has managed to escape – so far – without serious consequences.

The thunderstorms forecast for Tuesday arrived instead in the form of some steady rain for a few hours– Garden

Grove got about one and one-half inches – giving way to chilly but relatively dry times the rest of the day.

Some relief from the danger of heavy weather is forecast for the area, with partly cloudy or mostly cloudy conditions for Wednesday through Friday.

However, rain is expected to return on

n GARDEN GROVE CITY COUNCIL

West Grove parade gets requested financial aid

By Jim Tortolano Orange County Tribune

Requests for a bit of financial help from West Garden Grove sports fans and the City of Westminster were both approved by the Garden Grove City Council at its meeting Tuesday night.

The council voted 7-0 to approve a co-sponsorship of the annual West Garden Grove Youth Baseball Opening Day Parade set for Saturday, Feb. 25.

The city’s contribution will be $5400 to cover the cost of police staff and equipment required to

A WOMAN sitting on the storm surge protection dune watches the waves hitting the pier in Seal Beach (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Westminster City Council

Continued from page 1

include reducing the time allowed for a comment by a member of the public during oral communications from five minutes minutes to three.

Additionally, there’s a proposal to change the starting time of regular/open council meetings from 7 p.m. to 6 p.m., and the end time to 10 p.m.

Meetings of the Westminster council have recently gone famously long, some extending to 1 a.m. Under the present policy,

the meeting must be adjourned at midnight unless a majority of the council agrees to the extension.

In the closed session at 5:30 p.m., the council will meet with legal counsel on a lawsuit filed by the Quang Tri Victory Foundation alleging breach of contract by the city regarding the proposed monument.

The regular meeting is set to start at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers at 8200 Westminster Blvd.

West OC weathers a storm

Continued from page 1

Saturday and perhaps Sunday. Although the West Orange County area did avoid most effects of the weather, there have been some impacts. As of early Tuesday evening, Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach was closed between Seapoint

Street and Warner Avenue because of flooding. Motorists were advised to use an alternate route.

Closed since last Thursday has been the Seal Beach Pier as heavy surf – pushed by the storm – caused some structural damage.

Garden Grove City Council

Continued from page 1

close city streets and rental and staff for the city’s Showmobile stage.

Also approved was a request from the City of Westminster for the use of the Snowmobile stage for the Tet Parade on Saturday, Jan. 25 at the cost of $250.

Also on Tuesday night, Councilmember Joe DoVinh (District 4) raised some concerns about the planned Flower Street event

StantonContinued from page 1

acted because – according to a staff report – some establishments and other enterprises in which the customer might end up partially or fully undressed have been connected to illegal sexual activities and human trafficking.

The new ordinance, going for a second and final reading on Tuesday, is intended to eliminate such abuses in certain businesses.

planned for one block of Main Street in the downtown area on Jan. 21-22.

He suggested that he was worried that the event – coinciding with the annual lunar new year – might include some propaganda elements on behalf of the communist Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

DoVinh did not cite any specific facts or sources in support of his concerns.

JIm Tortolano Editor and Publisher Marilyn Lewis Tortolano General Manager

The Orange County Tribune is published on Wednesdays and Saturdays with some exceptions. Address is 9402 Luders Ave., Garden Grove, 92844.

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Dale Street fire is knocked down quickly by OCFA

A fire on Dale Street in Garden Grove in the early morning hours of Sunday was quickly knocked down by firefighters.

The 3 a.m. exterior blaze was stopped by personnel from the Orange County Fire Authority, keeping the fire from spreading inside and allowing the

residents to remain in their home.

There were no injuries and the cause of the fire is under investigation. Neighbors pitched in with garden hoses.

Garden Grove police helped with managing traffic in the area.

Fatal stabbing incident in Stanton leads to 2 arrests

Two men have been arrested in connection with the stabbing death of a man in Stanton.

According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, deputies were dispatched to the 7000 block of Katella Avenue (east of Knott Street) at around 12:45 a.m. on Saturday in reference to an assault.

3-year-old girl killed; driver held

A 26-year-old Westminster man has been arrested in connection with the death of a 3-year-old girl in a car vs. pedestrian accident Friday night.

According to Commander Kevin MacCormick of the WPD, officers were dispatched to the area of Goldenwest Street and 21st Street at 6:30 p.m. in

Upon arrival, they found a man in his 40s with multiple stab wounds. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his wounds.

OCSD homicide detectives – based on their investigation and evidence at the scene – arrested Mustafa Mohamedat Mohamed, 37, of Westmin-

ster, and Amro Mahmoud Abdelfattah Shahin, 37, of Santa Ana.

They were booked into Orange County Jail on suspicion of murder. Identification of the victim is being withheld pending notification of the next of kin.

Two agencies team up to battle Stanton fire

A garage fire in Stanton was reported on Friday afternoon and extinguished by firefighters from two agencies.

According to the Orange County Fire Authority, the fire was in the 9800 block of Cerritos Avenue, east of Gilbert Street, and was reported around 12:05 p.m.

About 35 firefighters from the OCFA and Anaheim Fire and Rescue had the blaze knocked down within 15 minutes.

There were no injuries and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Stanton

FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE DALE ST. BLAZE No injuries; cause under investigation (OCFA)

GARAGE FIRE SCENE Friday afternoon on Cerritos Avenue in Stanton (OCFA photo)

ARRESTED ON suspicion of murder were (left to right) Mustafa Mohamedat Mohamed, 37, of Westminster, and Amro Mahmoud Abdelfattah Shahin, 37, of Santa Ana (OCSD photos).

Classified docs found in Biden’s former office

The news that government records were found by his attorneys at his former office space in Washington came as a surprise to President Joe Biden. According to the Associated Press, the Department of Justice is looking at “a small number of documents with classified markings” located in an office Biden

NewsUpdate

used from 2017 to 2019.

“I [was] surprised to learn that there are any government records there that were taken there to that office,” said Biden. “I don’t know what’s in the documents.”

Have Russians taken a town from Ukraine?

Shelling continues in Ukraine as the Russian forces may have won a rare victory, capturing the town of Soledar in Ukraine. The New York Times is reporting that mercenaries fighting on behalf of the invaders have announced that success.

The battle reportedly lasted four days and came in the face of strong Ukrainian resistance. It’s considered part of Russia’s drive to seize the more strategic city of Bakhmut in the Donbas region of Ukraine.

Also in the news … On partisan lines, the House of Representatives voted to create a select subcommittee to investigate the “weaponization” of federal agencies. The vote was 221-211 with Republicans in the majority and Democrats in the minority.

Sports: Trojans, Bruins’ finish in AP Top 25

For the first time in years, both USC and UCLA made the final AP College Football Top 25 announced on Tuesday.

The Trojans (11-3) are ranked 12th; the Bruins (9-4) are 21st. Ranked in the top five are Georgia (15-0), TCU (13-2), Michigan (13-1), Ohio State (11-2) and Alabama (11-2).

Weather: A break in rain

It was nice to have a respite from the rainy weather in the

West Orange County area, but the wet stuff isn’t gone for good. According to forecasts, Wednesday should have partly cloudy skies with a daytime high of 63 and an overnight low of 46.

Thursday should be mostly cloudy and warmer with a high of 70 and a low of 50. Friday will also have mostly cloudy conditions and a high of 67 and a low of 52.

Rainy days, however should return by Saturday.

Arts&Living

“Spare” Doesn’t Spare Any Secrets

The “extra prince” tells about a life of controversy

By Jill Lawless Associated Press

LONDON (AP) – Bereaved boy, troubled teen, wartime soldier, unhappy royal – many facets of Prince Harry are revealed in his explosive memoir, often in eyebrow-raising detail.

From accounts of cocaine use and losing his virginity to raw family rifts, “Spare” exposes deeply personal details about Harry and the wider royal family.

The Associated Press purchased a copy of the Spanish-

language edition of the book ahead of its publication around the world last week. Its revelations have electrified the British media – but have been met with silence from Buckingham Palace.

BROTHER AND SON

The book opens with a quote from American writer William Faulkner: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.’’

Harry’s story is dominated by his rivalry with elder brother Prince William and the death of the boys’ mother, Princess Diana, in 1997. Harry, who was 12 at the time, has never forgiven the media for Diana’s death in a car crash while being pursued by photographers.

The loss of his mother haunts the book, which Harry dedicates to wife Meghan, children Archie

THE NEW BOOK

and Lili “and, of course, my mother.”

The opening chapter recounts how his father Prince Charles –

now King Charles III – broke the news of his mother’s accident, but didn’t give his son a hug.

Harry reveals that years later he asked his driver to take him through the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris, site of the fatal crash, hoping in vain that it would help end a ``decade of unrelenting pain. He also says he once consulted a woman who claimed to have “powers” and to be able to pass on messages from Diana.

Harry adds that he and William both “begged” their father not to marry his long-term paramour Camilla Parker-Bowles, worried she would become a “wicked stepmother.”

Harry also is tormented by his status as royal “spare” behind William, who is heir to the

PRINCE HARRY and Meghan Markle. His new book, “Spare,” has caused controversy in Britain (Shutterstock/Matt Kebble).

Book tells life of a “Spare” prince

British throne. Harry recounts a longstanding sibling rivalry that worsened after Harry began a relationship with American actress Meghan Markle, whom he married in 2018.

He says that during an argument in 2019, William called Meghan “difficult” and “rude,” then grabbed him by the collar and knocked him down. Harry suffered cuts and bruises from landing on a dog bowl.

Harry says Charles implored the brothers to make up, saying after the funeral of Prince Philip in 2021: “Please, boys. Don’t make my final years a misery.”

Neither Buckingham Palace, which represents King Charles III, nor William’s Kensington Palace office has commented on any of the allegations.

WILD TEENAGE YEARS

The memoir suggests the media’s party-boy image of Harry during his teen and young adult years was well-deserved.

Harry describes how he lost his virginity at 17 – in a field behind a pub to an older woman who loved horses and treated the teenage prince like a “young stallion.’’ It was, he says, a “humiliating episode.”

He also says he took cocaine several times starting at the same age, in order “to feel. To be different.” He also acknowledges using cannabis and magic mushrooms – which made him hallucinate that a toilet was talking to hm.

ARMY REVELATIONS

Harry spent a decade in the

British Army, serving twice in Afghanistan. He says that on his second tour, as an Apache helicopter co-pilot and gunner in 2012-2013, he killed 25 Taliban militants.

Harry says he felt neither satisfaction nor shame about his actions, and in the heat of battle regarded enemy combatants as pieces being removed from a chessboard, “Baddies eliminated before they could kill Goodies.”

Veterans criticized the comments and said they could increase the security risk for Harry. Retired Col. Richard Kemp said it was “an error of judgment,” and regarding enemy fighters as chess pieces is “not the way the British Army trains people.”

“I think that sort of comment that doesn’t reflect reality is misleading and potentially valuable to those people who wish the British forces and British government harm,” he told the BBC.

The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi called the Western invasion of Afghanistan “odious” and said Harry’s comments “are a microcosm of the trauma experienced by Afghans at the hands of occupation forces who murdered innocents without any accountability.”

PERSONAL JOURNEY

Harry credits Meghan with changing the way he sees the world and himself. He says he was “wrapped in privilege” and had no understanding of unconscious bias before he met her.

Manslaughter arrest is made

response to a report of a collision.

Arriving officers found the girl, who had been hit by a vehicle. They rendered medical aid until Orange County Fire Authority paramedics arrived and transported the child to the Children’s Hospital of Orange County where she died of her injuries.

The driver of the vehicle, Bautista Decastilla, voluntarily came to the WPD for an evaluation and to speak to investigators. He was later arrested and booked into Orange County Jail on charges of vehicular manslaughter and driving without a driver’s license.

It doesn’t appear that drugs or alcohol are a factor. Anyone who may have witnessed the accident is asked to call Sgt. Anil Adam of the WPD Traffic Division at (714) 548-3770.

The young prince notoriously wore a Nazi uniform to a costume party in 2005, and claims in the book that William and his now-wife Kate encouraged the choice of outfit and “howled” with laughter when they saw it. He was recorded using a racist term about a fellow soldier of Pakistani descent in 2006, but says he did not know the word was a slur.

Meghan and Harry cited the U.K. media’s treatment of the biracial American actress as one of the main reasons for their decision to quit royal duties and move to the U.S. in 2020.

The book gives no sign that royal family relations will be repaired soon. Harry told ITV in an interview to promote the book that he wants reconciliation, but that there must be “accountability” first.

In the final pages, Harry describes how he and William walked side by side during the funeral procession of Queen Elizabeth II in September, but spoke barely a word to one another.

“The next day, Meg and I returned to the United States,” he says.

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Chargers head to Florida to play Jacksonville

our ability.”

The Chargers (10-7) had to approach the week with some flexibility. They had the fifth seed, which brought with it the possibility of a matchup against a 9-8 Jaguars team instead of the defending AFC champion Cincin-

nati Bengals. Only if the Ravens beat the Bengals in a game that started 3 1/2 hours earlier would there be a chance for the Chargers’ seeding to drop.

Staley had said that he was taking the team to Denver to win and play their best – with adjustments to be made as necessary.

When the Chargers kicked off, the Ravens had lost 27-16 and the fifth seed was assured.

This Week in Area Football

• Los Angeles Chargers (10-7) at Jacksonville Jaguars (8-8) Saturday at 5:15 p.m. Ch. 4

By the time Williams was being carted off the field, Herbert had already thrown 17 passes. In all, the Chargers quarterback threw 37 passes for 273 yards and two scores before he was lifted early in the fourth quarter with his team trailing.

“I know everyone on this team wanted to go out and compete today,’’ Herbert said. ``We believe in the front office, the coaching staff – whatever they decided. So we’re behind them 100%”

A lot of this fits a pattern for Staley, who has been among the most aggressive NFL coaches when it comes to foregoing field goals and taking other risky strategical chances on fourth downs. Swashbuckling ways aside, the Chargers have been dealing with injuries this season; Allen had a bad hamstring, Herbert had battered rib cartilage, Joey Bosa missed a bulk of the season with a groin injury and he, too, went off in the first half.

“Joey was taken out like the rest of the guys that we were

trying to phase out in the game,’’ Staley responded when asked if Bosa tweaked something.

Ultimately, if Williams returns next week unscathed, Staley might get a break. In a bestcase scenario, he might be able to argue that a deep run into the playoffs came in part because he kept his best players sharp in an otherwise meaningless game against the Broncos.

On Sunday, though, he was getting second-guessed on social media, then later, was forced to answer questions about his playing-time decisions in the postgame news conference.

“I believe Justin played the right amount,” Staley said. “I think when you look across the league, at the other teams who were playing in the playoffs and what they did this last week, I think you’ll see a lot of highlevel players playing in their football games. I think that’s fair to say.

“I think you’ll see all the bigtime quarterbacks, big-time players, were out there for the football teams. Because they have to be.”

High school winter sports

They are:

Boys’ basketball

• Division 3AA: Orangewood Academy is second.

• Division 4AA: Huntington Beach is 15th.

• Division 5AA: Orange is 10th, Loara is 15th.

Girls’ basketball

• Division 4AA: Edison is 14th.

• Division 5AA: Pacifica is sixth, Ocean View is seventh, Marina is eighth.

Boys’ soccer

None included.

Girls’ soccer

• Divisions 1 and 2: Huntington Beach is seventh and Edison and Pacifica received votes.

• Division 6: Garden Grove received votes.

Girls’ water polo

Our e-paper comes out on Wednesdays, and Saturdays. For a free subscription via e-mail, please send us a request to: orangecountytribune@gmail.

None included.

Boys’ wrestling

• Division 4: Westminster is ninth

• Division 5: Western is first, Marina is fifth and Edison is 10th.

Girls’ wrestling

• Divisions 1 and 2: Marina is third.

TheSportsPage

OA Spartans Continue to Top High 5’s

Once again, both the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams from Orangewood Academy in Garden Grove are at the top of this week’s High 5 from The Orange County Tribune.

The girls are 13-3 and the boys 15-4 for a combined 28-7 mark.

The Chargers heading off to Jacksonville for AFC playoff

By Pat Graham AP Sports Writer

DENVER (AP) – Not even the sight of his leading receiver being carted off the field with an injured back could alter Brandon Staley’s plan.

The Los Angeles Chargers coach kept playing

the starters Sunday and acting as though his team had something to play for, even though by the time the game began, it was clear it meant nothing.

Even after Mike Wil-

After dim Rams season, what about Sean McVay?

The Los Angeles Rams concluded a disappointing season with a loss Sunday to the Seattle Seahawks and their coach finished with some doubts about whether he plans to return for the 2023 season.

After the 19-16 defeat in Seattle, Sean McVay offered no elaboration on his remarks on Friday that he is interested in a broadcasting career but is still focused on the Rams, who finished 5-12 after winning the Super Bowl last season.

“I’m not thinking about that right now,” he said. “Nothing’s changed from where we left things on Friday.”

liams left with an injured back in the second quarter, most of Los Angeles’ stars – Justin Herbert, Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen and Derwin James Jr., among them – stayed in the lineup.

Not until the fourth quarter of what turned out to be a 31-28 loss to the Denver Broncos did Staley have all of them on the bench to eliminate the risk of another key injury for a team that was locked in to play the wild-card round in Jacksonville before its game began. The Chargers will play the Jaguars on Saturday night.

“These aren’t easy decisions,” Staley said. “And hindsight is perfect for everybody on the outside. But these games are not easy to manage. They’re not. Because you don’t have that many players. We did it to the best of

The complete Big 5 for girls is OA, Pacifica (116), Edison (9-11), Marina (10-10) and Santiago (97). On the bubble are Huntington Beach (8-12) and Ocean View (14-5).

The boys’ High 5 is OA, then Edison (12-7), Marina (14-6), Huntington Beach (11-8) and Orange (9-8). On the bubble are Ocean View (11-8) and Santiago (12-8).

Records reflect games played through Monday.

17 are noted in CIF-SS winter polls

Seventeen high school sports teams in The Tribune’s coverage area

were listed in this week’s CIF-SS winter sports polls.

Prep Hoops Scores

Tuesday, Jan. 10 (boys)

Western 54, Santa Ana Valley 22

Segerstrom 60, Ocean View 51

Katella 52, Garden Grove 49 Pacifica 48, Kennedy 42

Tuesday, Jan. 10 (girls)

Orangewood 59, Pacific Christian 47 Katella 58, Garden Grove 42

Ocean View 58, Segerstrom 55

Monday Jan. 9 (boys)

La Quinta 69, Loara 66

Monday, Jan. 9 (girls)

La Quinta 41, Loara 19

JUSTIN HERBERT, along with other Charger stars remained in the game late against the Denver Broncos although the Bolts had already clinched a playoff spot. Some have questioned that decision (Chargers photo).