The Orange County Tribune April 5, 2023

Deadlock On Housing Plan Broken At Last

McKeon’s vote key in decision on element

The long-running drama of whether the Huntington Beach City Council would approve a statemandated housing element for Surf City’s general plan finally came to a conclusion on Tuesday night.

Councilmember Casey McKeon, whose recusal at the March 21 meeting had created a 3-3 deadlock between the coun-

cil’s divided conservative and liberal wings, settled the issue.

“I was informed by the Fair Political Practices Commission that I do not have a conflict and am glad to vote on this,” he said.

His vote tipped the issue and the council voted 4-3 to not approve the element, despite a threat from Gov. Gavin Newsom that such defiance could have grave consequences.

At issue is the city’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment in which

Ban on TikTok app in city hall is proposed

TikTok, the social media app that’s garnered both millions of users and much concern about security issues, is on the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting of the Westminster City Council.

What will be considered is a request to “ban the downloading or use of TikTok or accessing any website developed by

Bytedance Ltd.” on cityowned devices.

The staff report claims that Bytedance has a “known affiliation to the government of the People’s Republic of China” and that “China has a history of amassing large amounts of data on their own citizens and those around the world includ-

House calls by doctors are a thing of the past, but “house”calls for the un-housed may be the next big thing in coping with the homeless crisis in Orange County. A new approach to “street medicine” that will be pioneered in the Big Strawberry was unveiled Tuesday in front of Garden Grove City Hall. Representatives of CalOptima Health, city and county officials revealed plans – already underway - for the Healthcare in Action project which seek to bring health care to the unsheltered and also help put them on the path to no longer being homeless.

The operation will utilize a van that is a mobile doctor’s office and a team that includes physician assistants, a registered nurse, “peer” navigators and a care manager.

Kelly Bruno-Nelson, executive director of MediCal/CalAIM, explains how

the process will work.

“This programming is using a canvassing approach,” she said. “Care teams of two people – one individual that is a social worker and one with lived experience – literally canvass the streets. And so, working with the police department, we know the hot spots in the city. They

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Huntington Beach City Council The Orange County Tribune

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state officials state that Huntington Beach must – in the next 10 years – zone for but not necessarily build – 13,338 more residences in the city as way of coping with California’s housing shortage.

Rhetoric grew heated. Some members foresaw a collapse of city government if Huntington Beach didn’t agree to plan for its assigned RHNA. “The state rolls in and places us in a receivership,” argued Councilmember Dan Kalmick.

Mayor Tony Strickland countered that “if we lose this fight, the community we love is gone.” Another council member, acknowledging the possibility of losing the battle against what he called “overreach” by Sacramento, said he would “rather die on my feet than live on my knees.”

An attempt to find a way to submit the element state without agreeing to the RHNA was suggested, a process termed “self-certification,” but planning staff said there’s no process available to do that.

Street medicine program in GG

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literally go out and introduce themselves. Rapport first, care second.

“They tell them [homeless persons] about the program and ask them if they’d like to be a part of it. Other ‘street medicine’ programs will set up in a park or a shelter, and while those programs are important, that’s not genuine street medicine because we still require the person to come to us. This is us coming to the people.”

The care teams will have a

case load and visit their clients weekly and sometimes twice a week, said Bruno-Nelson, “to see if they need help with housing, with doctor’s appointments, things like that.”

Speakers at the press conference included Orange County Supervisor (Second District ) Vincente Sarmiento, Micheal Hunn (CEO of Cal Optima Health), Bruno-Nelson, Health Care in Action CEO Michael Hochman and Garden Grove Mayor Steve Jones and City Manager Lisa Kim.

No TikTok allowed in city hall?

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ing individuals in the United States.”

The report cites comments from FBI Director Christopher Wray in December 2022 saying that not only could the app collect data on its users, but also steer to those users “biased videos that could be geopolitically more favorable to China.”

Federal employees are banned from using TikTok on government owned devices.

Also on the agenda for Wednesday night’s meeting is a request to rescind a certificate of recognition to the Vietnamese American Business Association on the grounds that “assertions that the issuance of a certificate to this organization is not appropriate within the guidelines of the city’s recognition policy.”

The council will meet in its

chambers at 8200 Westminster Blvd. at 6 p.m.

and

Lewis

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A member of The Associated Press, the Garden Grove Downtown Business Association and Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce.

In an irony of slang and contemporary values, we now live in a time in which “grass” (the kind some people like to smoke) is legal, and there’s a lot of pressure to get rid of grass (the kind you water, mow and walk upon).

School Closures ‘On Pause’

No changes for the 2023-2034 academic year

Consideration of closing or repurposing as many as four campuses in the Ocean View School District has been “paused” and no such changes will happen for the 2023-2024 school year.

The district, which serves northern Huntington Beach and portions of adjoining cities, has seen enrollment fall by about 2,400 students in the last 10 years.

As a way of coping with falling enrollment and the decreases in revenue that go with it, the district was considering closing and the relocating of students at Circle View, Village View and Golden View.

Retorts

I have been dimly aware of this “war on lawns” as I see the lovely green stuff disappearing from the front of churches, schools and even many offices and stores. And this doesn’t even count the folks who don’t water their lawns out of principle, penury or prickliness. The drought-tolerant landscape that’s been creeping in more voraciously than crabgrass ranges from the notawful to the completely ugly. In addition to the decline in aesthetic value, you can’t walk on this stuff in bare feet, sit on it (dressed or otherwise) or enjoy a picnic.

While perusing my favorite reading material in the smallest room in the house, I came across a magazine article with the headline “Lawn Gone: Is it time to ditch your yard?” in which the authors – clearly in league with dark forces or concrete wholesalers – argue that lawns waste water and are maintained by running noisemaking and polluting devices and often require the use of nasty fertilizers and bug-icides. The recent rains have greened up many a lawn and the effect is uplifting. Garden Grove looks more garden-like, for example. Spring is being announced by Mother Nature in verdant shades and the whole world feels hopeful.

Spring View would be converted from a middle school to an elementary school and the middle

school students there relocated to another middle school in the district.

But public reaction was so strong against the closures that those plans were put on hold.

In a letter to parents, School Board President Patricia Singer wrote, “I have taken these sentiments to heart and agree that the process for evaluating school consolidation is moving too fast. As president of the board, I have

decided to postpone the current consolidation study. I have asked Superintendent [Michael] Conroy to work with his staff, our Ocean View parents, and community to develop a range of future options for the board to consider as it determines how to deal with the district’s ongoing declining enrollment.”

Feedback on the issue can be sent to schoolconsolidation@ ovsd.org.

planners to be seated on Thursday

The oath of office will be administered to members for the Garden Grove Planning Commission when the panel meets on Thursday.

Approved by the city council at its last meeting to serve a two-year term were Randy Arbgast, Asia Cunningham*, Josh Lindsay*, Matthew Montano, Mark Anthony Paredes, Daisy

Perez Castellanos* and John Ramirez*.

(Those marked with an asterisk are holdovers from the previous commission).

In addition to the administration of oaths, there will be the selec-

tion of a chair and vice chair for the commission and an orientation on the role of the panel, laws – including the Brown Act on open meetings – and an overview of the general plan, zoning code and municipal code.

The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. in the Community Meeting Center, 11300 Stanford Ave.

Poker game raided by robber

Gambling can be, well, a gamble.

A group of people playing poker at a home in Garden Grove in the early morning hours of Saturday were surprised to find themselves at the scene of an attempted “stick-up.”

According to the GGPD, the in-

cident was in the 12200 block of Diane Street (near Euclid Street and Chapman Avenue) and the call came in at 1:35 a.m.

The card players were engaged in their gaming when a masked man dressed in black fired a shot from a handgun near the rear

‘New’

n GARDEN GROVE PLANNING COMMISSION

Alas, is grass to become a thing of our lost past?

NewsUpdate

In a late-night speech, Trump said, “Our country is going to hell,” according to United Press International.

More aid for Ukraine

The U.S. will provide over $2.6 billion in new military aid to Ukraine as it prepares for a counter-offensive against Russian invaders.

DONALD TRUMP faces 34 charges (Shutterstock).

Trump is hit with 34 charges

History was made on Tuesday when former president Donald Trump surrendered to authorities in a New York City court and pleaded “not guilty” to 34 felony charges brought against him in a grand jury indictment. Never has a former chief executive been summoned before a judge to answer criminal charges.

According to the Associated

Press, he was booked and fingerprinted but no mug shot was taken.

If convicted of any of the charges he would face a maximum of four years in prison per charge.

In a social media post, Trump complained that the heavily Democratic area of Manhattan was a “very unfair venue” and “this is not what America was supposed to be.”

According to United Press International, the package will include over $2.1 billion in air defense systems, mortar systems and anti-armor systems. An additional $500 million worth of ammunition and equipment will be sent.

Also in the news … Finland on Tuesday became the 31st and newest member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in a rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin who said he began the war in Ukraine to discourage the enlargement of NATO.

Warmer days soon

Tuesday was a bit chilly in the area but warmer days are coming. The forecast calls for mostly sunny skies on Wednesday with a daytime high of 69 and an overnight low of 48. The sun should really breakthrough on Thursday and will rise to 76 (52).

That Good Chemstry in ‘Murder’

Movie Review Stars reunite in this sequel with love, adventure

You would have a hard time defending the limp plotting, the bland action-adventure set pieces or the Agatha Christielight whodunit twists of the first “Murder Mystery.” And, yet, it was kind of good.

“Murder Mystery,” one of Netflix’s most-streamed films, was chock full of exotic settings and mysterious murders. But the only thing that mattered, really, was the banter between Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler. Though “Murder Mystery” could be said to epitomize that very modern kind of passive and painless viewing experience on stream-

ing platforms, their married couple was a throwback to a longago movie era. Audrey and Nick Spitz, a pair of working-class New Yorkers turned semi-amateur detectives, might as well be Nick and Nora Charles, the 1930s cocktail-swilling crime solvers.

“Murder Mystery” and its new sequel don’t have anywhere near the sparkle of the “The Thin Man” movies, with William Powell, Myrna Loy and their wire fox terrier Asta.

But like those films, everything in “Murder Mystery” and “Murder Mystery 2” is secondary, and distantly so, to the comic and sweet rapport between the Spitzes, a bickering but lovingly connected married couple.

Like its predecessor, “Murder Mystery 2” is built on old-fashioned star power and the interplay between Sandler and An-

iston. They’re good company to be in, and sometimes that’s enough.

Whether “Murder Mystery 2” meets that somewhat low bar will probably depend on just how casually you’re watching it. For many, it may be enough to say that “Murder Mystery 2,” which debuts Friday on Netflix, fits the bill as amiable background noise.

And this one, in which Jeremy Garelick (writer of “The Hangover”) takes over directing with James Vanderbilt returning to write the screenplay, starts out like a new season to a TV series, with a narrated recap of what the Spitzes have been up to since the last film.

After their luck solving their first case, they’ve made themselves full-time private eyes. The clients aren’t lining up, though, so it’s welcome news when a friend from the first film, the Maharajah (Adeel Akhtar), calls up to invite them

Fair: HH

to his wedding and fly them out to his private island and then to Paris.

For those who have accused Sandler of using movies as an excuse to hang out with friends in beautiful locales, the “Murder Mystery” movies won’t disappoint.

This time, the action has been turned up a notch, especially once the Maharajah is kidnapped and an MI6 hostage negotiator (Mark Strong) shows up. Strong’s potent presence lends some credibility to the mayhem, mostly in Paris, but he also gives Sandler and Aniston a straight man to bounce their jokes off of.

Some of the gags are pretty dusty, even by “Thin Man” standards, including one Sandler line comparing marriage to hostage

Jennifer and Adam in “Murder Mystery 2’

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negotiations and a dance scene at an Indian wedding that’s unlikely to draw any comparisons to “RRR.”

All of this may lend some scale to “Murder Mystery 2” but it’s no help to the comedy. Despite that, good comic chemistry can be hard to come by, and Aniston – who’s been wonderful in these films – and Sandler keep these films more entertaining than they should be.

Especially in recent years – a chilly period for big-screen comedies – the movies have struggled to figure out what do with bright, funny women like Aniston despite their abundant talent.

Even in these decent-at-best comedies, her natural sense of timing is sharp and lively, and she and Sandler make a charming, easy-flowing duo. All they

really need, to borrow a trick from Nick and Nora, is a dog.

“Murder Mystery 2,” a Netflix release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion

Picture Association for violence, bloody images, strong language, suggestive material and smoking. Running time: 91 minutes.

Retorts: Save (and water) the grass

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Having a green lawn has many other benefits. It helps water percolate down into the aquifer from which many of us in West Orange County get the wet stuff that comes out of our faucets, thereby reducing runoff and street flooding.

It provides an ecosystem for many small critters and employment for lots of hardworking folks who mow, blow and trim every Wednesday in our neighborhood. Plus, it just looks good. It’s a form of natural art that soothes

the mind and heart.

Climate change may affect a lot of our ideas about drought and drench. The future may be greener than we think. As Walt Whitman once said, “The grass is always greener than the other man’s cactus.”

Poker robbery

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glass door, and then broke the door and forced his way inside. He reportedly “waved his gun around” and demanded money.

No one was hit by the gunfire and one person suffered a minor injury.

The suspect – described as a male White wearing all black clothing, including a black mask – fled out the front door “in an unknown direction.” An investigation will follow.

For

The HB Oiler baseball team tops Nation(al)

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On the softball side, Marina (17-3) fell from the top spot with an 8-0 loss to Huntington Beach on Saturday. The new High 5 is Pacifica (10-5), Huntington (104), Marina, Ocean View (10-5) and Garden Grove (8-4). On the bubble is Los Amigos (4-2-1).

Note to readers: All records noted here are based on results

as the week starts.

Diamonds not all that is precious

Local high school teams are doing well in CIF-SS polls for baseball and softball, but also stand up well in boys’ tennis, boys’ volleyball, girls’ lacrosse and girls’ beach volleyball. Here are the CIF-SS polls as released on Monday.

Baseball

• Division 1: Huntington Beach is fifth; Pacifica is ninth

• Division 6: Garden Grove is third; Westminster is fourth

• Division 7: Magnolia is unranked but received some votes

Prep Sport Scores

Tuesday, April 4 (baseball)

Esperanza 8, Marina 1

Yucaipa 4, Edison 0

Huntington Beach 4, CDM 1

Ocean View 5, G. Grove 1

Katella 7, Westminster 3

La Quinta 11, Santiago 4

Bolsa Grande 11, Rancho Al. 2

Pacifica 4, Crean Lutheran 0

Orange 5, Estancia 4

Tuesday, April 4 (softball)

Pacifica 18, Tustin 0

Los Alamitos 8, Marina 0

Huntington Bch. 2, Edison 0

Savanna 14, Magnolia 2

Orangewood 19, Avalon 0

Softball

• Division 1: Pacifica is fifth; Huntington Beach is seventh

• Division 5: Westminster is unranked but received some votes

• Division 7: Los Amigos is sixth

Boys’ tennis

• Division 2: Edison is second; Huntington Beach is third

• Division 4: Rancho Alamitos is third

• Division 5: Garden Grove is second

Boys’ volleyball

• Division 1: Huntington Beach is fourth; Edison is eighth

• Division 5: Magnolia is unranked but received some votes

Girls’ lacrosse

• Divisions 1 and 2: Edison is fifth

• Division 3: Huntington Beach is first

Girls’s beach volleyball

• Division 1: Edison is unranked but received some votes.

Angels lose, Dodgers win but both are still in first

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yielding eight hits and seven runs (six of them earned) in 4.1 innings.

The Angels will try again on Wednesday with Shohei Ohtani making the start and will have their home opener on Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Back in California, the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Colorado Rockies 5-2 to sweep the two-game series and improve their record to 4-2 and putting

them alone atop the National League West.

The Blue Crew benefitted from three home runs. Will Smith, Jayson Heyward and Max Muncy each went yard in support of starter Julio Urias, who went six shutout innings, yielding five hits and striking out six batters while walking one.

Wednesday is a travel day, with the Dodgers opening a series against the Diamondbacks in Arizona on Thursday.

Two examples of the state of sportsmanship today

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It’s often said, with some truth, that sports builds character. But it’s equally true that sports reveals character.

Rendon and Reese will have their moment in the sun (although Rendon’s may already have passed) but eventually it will be “Anthony who? Angel who?”

Ty Cobb and Larry Bird were great players but notorious jerks. If you’ve been gifted with great athletic ability, be grateful for the gift and don’t act as if you don’t care that what people will remember about you is you “had some talent but were a [self-centered horse’s behind].”

Sportsmanship strikes out in some stadiums

In a week in which we should be celebrating athletic excellence and the beginning of a new season of America’s Pastime, much of the sports coverage has centered on the questionable behavior of two people at the the highest level of their athletic success.

Oilers Take The Nation(al)

And become our top-rated local team, too

The Huntington Beach Oiler baseball team won a national tournament over the weekend and now has an even bigger honor: the top ranking in The Orange County Tribune’s High 5 baseball poll.

The orange-and-black are 12-6 against tough competition and are ranked 12th in the nation. Victory came when the Oilers scored seven runs in the ninth inning to defeat JSerra 8-1 in the National High School Invitational final in Cary, North Carolina on Saturday.

Sports Retorts

Jim Tortolano

Anthony Rendon, the Angels’ third baseman, has been suspended for four games for grabbing the shirt of a fan who called him a fiveletter word after the Halo infielder finished an 0-for-6 performance in his first two games of the season.

Angel Reese, star of the LSU women’s basketball team that won the NCAA Division 1 title over the weekend, has been taking heavy criticism for gestures and “trash-talking” during her team’s win over Iowa. She responded that the criticism was race-based, that she was “too hood. Too ghetto” for those who feel she crossed a line when she taunted the Iowa players.

Welcome to the state of sportsmanship in major sports today. Apparently, if you make millions of dollars a year to play a children’s game, or lead your team to a championship based on points scored rather than kindness, you do whatever you want. Fans and losers are nobodies, and doubtless Rendon – who hit a sterling .229 in his most previous full season with the Angels – and Reese have been told how simply wonderful and better than anyone else they were since they were in Underoos, or Pokemon pajamas. Sigh.

Named to the all-tournament team were Oilers Tyler Bellerose, Dean Carpenter and Ralphy Velazquez.

With the win, Huntington Beach displaced last week’s top rated team, Pacifica. The Mariners (14-2) are second. The rest of the High Five is Garden Grove (12-5), Westminster (102) and Ocean View (10-7).

It’s worth noting that those three are in the Golden West League, so it should be a real scramble for the league pennant.

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Dodgers, Angels are still in first

There’s rarely much good news when a team loses 11-2. But since the Texas Rangers also lost – 7-2 to the Baltimore Orioles – the Los Angeles Angels remain tied for first place in the American League West.

The Halos, who have been scoring lots of runs in their three-game winning streak, got a dose of their own medicine Tuesday night in losing to the

Mariners in Seattle. A five-run fifth inning put the game out of reach with an 8-0 lead by the M’s (2-4).

It wasn’t until the top of the ninth the Angels finally scored

on single by Hunter Renfroe that scored two runners.

Halo starter Jose Suarez was lit up by the home team’s offense,