$3.66 DESIGNATED AREAS HIGHER © 2024 TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 latimes.com Theday’s topstories,atyourfingertips. Scan thecodetodownloadthe app. PHOENIX — From their modest apartment buildings alongside a block-long strip of gravel and scrub grass, the residents can see the tents and tarps and empty Mountain Dew bottles, hear the late-night fights and occasional gunshots, and smell the stringent, slightly sweet odor of burning fentanyl. “It brings the value of the properties down,” said Shawn Matthews, a 46-yearold medical services driver who lives in one of the buildings. “But where else are people going to go?” It’s the question communities throughout the West and the rest of the country are struggling to answer. Last month the Supreme Court heard arguments about a law in Oregon that allows police to forcibly clear homeless encampments. Here in Arizona, a novel response has emerged, one DIAMON BAULDWIN, who lives in a tent in Phoenix, is experiencing severe health problems after running out of insulin months ago. Arizona’s homeless population is one of the nation’s largest on a per capita basis. Photographs by Gina Ferazzi Los Angeles Times A novel homeless strategy goes on Arizona’s ballot The measure would give property owners tax refunds for damage caused by encampments if cities fail to enforce laws LISA WHITE looks out her second-story window at an encampment. Most of Arizona’s homeless people are living on the streets rather than in shelters. By Noah Bierman [See Homeless, A6] Heightened and quickmoving police actions against protesters unfolded Monday at UCLA and other campuses, as university officials said there will be little tolerance for demonstrators who disrupt campus and violate laws and student conduct codes in the wake of last week’s violence and tensions at pro-Palestinian encampments. At UCLA on Monday, campus police arrested 44 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in a parking structure — actions students called harassment and intimidation — as they assembled before a peaceful protest. Other protesters were ordered to disperse when they entered a campus building. On a day when campus was supposed to be fully open, instead classes were moved online for the rest of the week as a security precaution. The action came after UCLA officials vowed to improve security after a violent mob attacked a pro-Palestinian encampment last week, which was later torn down by law enforcement. The UCLA police chief has come under intense criticism for the violence and failure to bring in police fast enough to quell the melee. At UC San Diego, 64 people, including 40 students, were arrested and a growing pro-Palestinian encampment was declared illegal by More than 100 are arrested at UCLA and UC San Diego Police crackdown on Gaza protests seems to signal heightened enforcement on college campuses. By Grace Toohey, Teresa Watanabe, Angie Orellana Hernandez and Summer Lin [See Universities, A8] Hamas accepts cease-fire terms The breakthrough comes hours after Israel ordered civilians in Rafah, Gaza Strip, to evacuate. WORLD, A3 Judge fines Trump again Juan M. Merchan warns of jail time for future gag order violations in the hush-money trial. NATION, A5 L.A. pushes for foreign tourists Chinese visitors are key for the city, which will pitch itself at a travel conference this week. BUSINESS, A10 Weather Mostly sunny. L.A. Basin: 74/56. B5 For the latest news, go to latimes.com. Printed with soy inks on partially recycled paper. A rare late season storm dumped up to 2 feet of snow or more on some regions of Northern California over the weekend, breaking at least one daily snowfall record. The storm, which swept in from the Gulf of Alaska, dropped about 31 inches of snow on Lower Lassen Peak, 26 inches at Palisades Summit and 22 inches at Soda Springs Ski Resort and 16 inches at Kingvale, according to the National Weather Service’s Sacramento office. The UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Laboratory at Winter hangs around in May with biggest snowfall Weekend storm drops 2 feet, sets seasonal record in parts of Northern California. PALISADES Tahoe resort had its second-highest 24-hour snowfall of the season this weekend. Palisades Tahoe By Summer Lin and Hayley Smith [See Snow, A8] Former Los Angeles Times film critic Justin Chang was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for criticism on Monday for his “richly evocative and genre-spanning film criticism that reflects on the contemporary moviegoing experience,” according to Pulitzer judges. Chang was honored for his work published last year, led by an article in August that defended director Christopher Nolan’s controversial decision to avoid depictions of the horrific atomic bombings of the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Nolan’s epic movie “Oppenheimer.” The film went on to win the Academy Award for best picture. Chang was a critic with The Times for nearly eight years; he left the paper in late January to become a film critic for the New Yorker magazine. He began his career at Hollywood trade magazine Variety, where he spent 12 years, starting as an L.A. Times’ ex-film critic wins Pulitzer Justin Chang’s prize is for ‘evocative’ work at paper; staff a finalist in breaking news. CRITIC Justin Chang left The Times in January for the New Yorker. Ricardo DeAratanha L.A. Times By Meg James [See Pulitzer, A14] It didn’t take long for Harshraj Ghai to respond to the impact of California’s new $20-an-hour minimum wage on his 3,700 fast-food employees. Ghai and his family operate 180 Burger King, Taco Bell and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen restaurants across the state, and one of the first things they did after the law took effect April 1 was to cap workers’ hours to avoid overtime pay. They’re also closing some outlets earlier and opening others later to avoid paying workers for less-profitable periods. But the biggest action Ghai and his family are taking does not directly involve workers at all: They’ve sped up and expanded their use of technology, especially artificial intelligence. They’ve moved up by several years their plans to install self-service kiosks at all locations, including 25 out of state. But what has Ghai most hopeful about offsetting higher labor costs is having AI handle orders made at the drive-through. He’s testing the machinelearning system this month at a few locations and hopes to roll it out companywide by this time next year. Drive-throughs are quintessentially California, with its car culture and fast lifestyle. With AI coming on to the scene in a big way, the Fast-food operators have no beef with AI Restaurants turn to human-eliminating technology to offset California’s minimum-wage hike. By Don Lee [See Fast food, A11]
A2 TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 LATIMES.COM Download the app. Discover more. PERSPECTIVES WASHINGTON — The relationship between the United States and Israel has been a tight embrace almost since the founding of the Jewish-led state 76 years ago. Israel has relied on U.S. money, weapons and global diplomatic defense to thrive. Until recently, the support was unflagging from a bipartisan core of Congress and, generally, from U.S. voters. Formed as a refuge for Holocaust survivors, Israel was often portrayed as a victim and an enduring U.S. ally in a tough and dangerous part of the world. But the seven-month war against the militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip is testing that relationship. Reacting to tens of thousands of civilian Palestinian deaths, students are protesting at college campuses across the U.S. While there have been pro-Israel demonstrations as well, the largest and loudest have been in support of Palestinians. Here’s a closer look at what the protests might mean for the U.S.-Israel relationship, U.S.-Mideast policy and whether the next generation of Americans will chart a different course. Why are young people so invested in this issue? The Palestinian cause — the quest by millions for independence and a sovereign state after massive displacement by the creation of Israel in 1948 — was wholly marginalized during the Trump administration and remained on the back burner as President Biden pursued normalization of Israeli ties with its Arab neighbors. Then came Oct. 7. Legions of Hamas militants and allies swarmed from Gaza into southern Israel, killing, torching and taking hostages. Around 1,200 Israelis on several kibbutzim and at a music festival were killed; more than 200 were captured and hauled back to Gaza. Israel’s retaliation was brutal and massive. More than 34,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Israeli airstrikes and land attacks. Most of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million has been forced to flee demolished homes. This horrific chapter in the decades-long IsraeliPalestinian conflict brought the issue back to the fore. Which side do young Americans support? Even before Israel invaded Gaza following the Oct. 7 rampage by Hamas, polls showed a significant amount of unfavorable viewpoints on the country among young Americans. In a 2022 survey by the Pew Research Center, 56% of adults under age 30 had an unfavorable view of Israel, while 41% had a favorable view. By contrast, the majority of those above age 50 viewed Israel favorably. A Pew poll in February found that among young Democrats, support for Palestinians was overwhelming: 47% favored them, versus 7% for Israel. Support for Israel declined slightly among older Americans, to just under the majority, but it did not translate into support for Palestinians. Why the difference among age groups? In addition to the unpopularity of Israel’s counterattack in Gaza, the divide is affected by history and perspective. “There is a generational replacement,” said Ethan Porter, a professor of media, public affairs and political science at George Washington University. Thirty or so years ago, narratives around Israel and Palestine were strong on memories of the Holocaust. Today’s activists are more inclined to see Israel not as the home to survivors of a genocide but as a colonial power perpetuating one. Nor do younger Americans have firsthand memories of frightening episodes of Palestinian terrorism, such as airplane hijackings in the 1970s and suicide bombs on buses in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Also, young people — college students in particular — are predisposed to activism on behalf of those seen as oppressed, as evidenced by the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements demanding fairness, justice and civil rights. Does this mean young U.S. voters care more about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Not necessarily. Polls suggest that the Middle East is not top of mind for a large number of young Americans. The Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School, which has been surveying young voters for more than two decades, found in a poll this year that among 16 topics of importance to those under age 30, the Israel-Gaza war was next to last. The top issues were inflation, healthcare and housing. Is Israel losing the PR battle for young Americans? Maybe. Israeli governments over the years have invested in what they call their hasbara, or global PR. It has been largely successful. This may be the first episode in the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict in which the Palestinian cause has driven U.S. discourse. There are many reasons for this. The sheer scale of Israel’s assault on Gaza went beyond previous Israeli offensives and quickly overshadowed the Oct. 7 attacks. It is difficult to put positive spin on tens of thousands of deaths, especially as social media have relentlessly broadcast the suffering of Gazans. Meanwhile, a new generation of Palestinian activists appears far better organized than their predecessors, whose PR was relatively ineffective. Today, Palestinian activists operate busy WhatsApp chats and can flood the zone on par with Israeli hasbara. “Social media allows people to see lots and lots of material that affirms what they believe,” Porter said. “The accumulative effect is powerful over time.” Will the protests change U.S. policy? So far, the college demonstrations, while capturing much attention, show no sign of changing U.S. policy toward the Middle East. Asked directly Thursday whether he would alter his approach to Israel in response to the campus chaos, President Biden gave a one-word response: “No.” Attempts in Congress to condition the billions of dollars in U.S. military aid to Israel have gone nowhere. Biden has remained staunchly supportive of Israel’s right to self-defense. But he has also tempered his tolerance of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing government as they consistently rebuff Washington’s efforts to force Israel to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza and allow the entry of food, water, medicine and other humanitarian aid. Netanyahu’s pugnacious presence at the helm of Israel’s government has turned off many U.S. voters, including erstwhile supporters of the country, polls show. Biden is also confronting a sharp decline in his political support among Arab American voters, especially in Michigan, a swing state with a large community of descendants from Lebanon and other Arab nations. Will these passions among younger Americans last? With college coming to a close for the summer, it is possible the protests will taper off. Students evolve into adults with jobs and often become more conservative or mainstream in their politics, as happened with baby boomers. Another major Palestinian terrorist attack in Israel, or violent antisemitic attacks in the U.S., could also restore sympathy for Israel. On the other hand, young people are vowing to take the pro-Palestinian fight to other venues, including the Democratic National Convention, which is scheduled for August in Chicago, and the corporate headquarters of businesses that are seen as complicit in financing Israel’s war effort. How does this compare to Vietnam War protests? Some comparisons have been drawn between today’s wave of protests and the antiwar movement against U.S. military involvement in Vietnam in the 1960s and ’70s, a transformative period that began with actions on university campuses and spread throughout the country. Some of today’s images evoke those from a generation ago: occupying academic buildings, chanting on university lawns, scuffles and arrests. At Columbia University in New York, Hamilton Hall, a building that was occupied in 1968, was again broken into and seized by activists in recent weeks. But Vietnam had a direct effect on many more Americans, infused popular culture and dominated national discourse. Tens of thousands of American men and women were dispatched to the jungles of Southeast Asia and killed in combat. A mandatory draft saw that the pain was distributed among families across society. “You can see why people are tempted to draw the analogy,” said Bruce Schulman, a history professor at Boston University who specializes in the Vietnam War and other conflicts. “But the differences are all the more striking.” Namely, the acceleration of both the protest and the response. It was years into the Vietnam War before the antiwar movement gained momentum. The conflict in Gaza is about to enter its eighth month; police units have been called to break up campus demonstrations within days. Further, Schulman said, the medium-term fallout from the demonstrations in the Vietnam era were not at all what protesters sought. At the national level, the Democratic Party fell apart, politics overall became more conservative, Richard Nixon was elected president in 1968, and the war raged on for several more years. Gaza protests signal a generational shift PRO-PALESTINIAN student activists are more inclined to see Israel not as the home to survivors of a genocide but as a colonial power perpetuating one. Brian van der Brug Los Angeles Times Young Americans are challenging long-standing U.S. attitudes on Israel. By Tracy Wilkinson OSWIECIM, Poland — U.S. university presidents joined Holocaust survivors and thousands of Israelis on Monday for the March of the Living, a yearly memorial march at the site of Auschwitz that honors the 6 million Jews killed by Nazi Germany and celebrates the state of Israel. This year, the mood at the march was overshadowed by the war in the Gaza Strip after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the deadliest violence against Jews since Adolf Hitler sought to destroy the entire Jewish population of Europe. The October attack unleashed a war that has led to ahigh number of Palestinian deaths, fueling pro-Palestinian protests that have swept U.S. campuses. Many Jewish students have felt intimidated by protests, which have at times included antisemitic tropes and calls for anti-Jewish violence. A small group of pro-Palestinian protesters waving Palestinian flags stood along the side of the road as participants marched with Israeli flags from the site of Auschwitz in the Polish town of Oswiecim to the site of Birkenau about two miles away. The area was under German occupation during World War II and today the former Nazi death camps are preserved as memorials by the Polish state. “Through this protest we want to say that we bow down to the victims of the Holocaust too,” said Omar Faris, president of an association of Palestinians in Poland. “At the same time, we demand an end to war, an end to genocide.” The march took place on what is Holocaust Remembrance Day in the Jewish calendar. A grim landscape of watchtowers and barracks were filled with the blue and white of Israeli flags, a celebration of Jewish survival at the place of genocide. The event, now in its 36th year, usually draws thousands of participants, including Holocaust survivors and Jewish students, leaders and politicians. This year, Israeli hostages released from captivity in Gaza and families whose relatives are still being held captive also joined. Judith Tzamir, a Holocaust survivor from Germany who moved to Israel in 1964, had long avoided visiting Auschwitz. But she was inspired to join this year’s march after her kibbutz fended off an attack by Hamas on Oct. 7. “See, I try not to remember it all the time. But on the 7th of October they brought me the remembrance very, very harshly back,” she told the Associated Press at the site of the former death camp. “And that’s the moment when I decided, OK, this is the time you should go to Auschwitz to see it.” Amid the backdrop of pro-Palestinian protests that have roiled American campuses, Rabbi Ari Berman, president of Yeshiva University in New York, led a delegation of leaders from Catholic, evangelical and historically Black colleges and universities. “The message here is clear. The dangers of allowing hate to go unchecked are real. And we don’t need to get to the cattle cars in order for it to be unconscionable and unacceptable,” he said, referring to the cattle cars used to transport Jews to their deaths at camps under German wartime occupation. He said it was essential for university leaders “to call out, and in no uncertain terms, when there is intimidation and hate and antisemitism. We’re seeing it on campuses and college campuses, and it needs to have a response.” Some who had planned to attend had to cancel to deal with the protests at home, Berman told the AP, though he did not name them. At Auschwitz, Gaza war intrudes PLAQUES with messages on a railtrack leading to the former Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp near Oswiecim, Poland, on Monday honor Holocaust victims. Wojtek Radwanski AFP/Getty Images associated press Home Delivery and Membership Program For questions about delivery, billing and vacation holds, or for information about our Membership program, please contact us at (213) 283-2274 or membershipservices@ latimes.com. You can also manage your account at myaccount.latimes.com. Letters to the Editor Want to write a letter to be published in the paper and online? E-mail [emailprotected]. For submission guidelines, see latimes.com/letters. 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LATIMES.COM TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 A3 THE WORLD BEIRUT — Hamas announced Monday that it accepted a cease-fire agreement with Israel in Gaza, a diplomatic breakthrough that came hours after Israel ordered civilians in eastern Rafah to evacuate in what was seen as a prelude to a long-anticipated offensive on the area. Hamas said the head of its political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, spoke by phone with the Qatari prime minister and the Egyptian minister of intelligence to inform them of the group’s “approval of their proposal regarding the cease-fire agreement.” Hamas released some details of what it said the proposal included. Israel has yet to accept the terms and said late Monday that it would dispatch a delegation to finalize details, even though significant gaps in the agreement remained. The cease-fire is seen as key to the release of some of the dozens of hostages, including several Americans, who have been held in Gaza since the Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, in which about 1,200 Israelis and others were killed. More than 34,000 Palestinians have been reported killed in the massive retaliatory airstrikes and land operations Israel launched in response. Monday’s announcement marked a moment of optimism after months of agonizing negotiations, with Qatar, Egypt and the United States pushing for a ceasefire that remained stubbornly out of reach. It also came after CIA Director William Burns spent the weekend shuttling among Arab capitals in intense lastditch talks to push the cease-fire agreement. “We will be encouraged when we get the deal in place and we can start seeing hostages getting back to their families,” White House national security spokesman John F. Kirby said Monday when asked to gauge prospects of a successful cessation of hostilities. “We are at a critical stage right now.” Hamas made its announcement hours after Israel’s military began dropping leaflets in east Rafah ordering people to evacuate immediately. Israel has been threatening for weeks — against U.S. advice — to launch a major military ground operation in the city where more than 1 million displaced Gazans have taken refuge. Israel argues the last remaining Hamas battalions are holed up in Rafah, while the U.S., United Nations and others say any military invasion would unleash a humanitarian disaster for the people there. Already, tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza face starvation because fighting and destruction have made the delivery of food, medicine and water extremely difficult, aid officials say. In recent days, Israel insisted that an attack on Rafah would go through whether a deal was made or not, and that a truce would not include an end to hostilities, while Hamas demanded that as a condition for any deal. That key difference, apparently, has yet to be bridged. Egyptian and Hamas officials said the deal as agreed to thus far comprises several phases. Under the first phase, which includes a sixweek cease-fire, the militant group will release 33 civilian hostages. Israel in return will release about 800 Palestinian prisoners and allow displaced Gaza residents to return to their homes in the northern part of the coastal enclave. The second phase also lasts for 42 days and involves the release of the remaining hostages, including soldiers, for a thus-far unspecified number of Palestinians, and would also aim to finalize arrangements for a permanent end to fighting. The “main goal is a permanent cease-fire, or the return of sustainable calm which would achieve a permanent cease-fire, the full [phased] withdrawal [by Israel] from the Gaza Strip, and the return of the displaced,” Khalil Al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official, told Al Jazeera television. A “serious” release of Palestinian detainees held by Israel, the entry of more humanitarian aid and first steps to rebuilding the Gaza Strip are other elements that would come gradually, Al-Hayya said. The first group of hostages to be freed would be women, including female soldiers, children under 19, people over 50 and the sick, Al-Hayya said. For each Israeli woman and child released, 30 Palestinian women and children would be released from Israeli prisons. Fifty Palestinian detainees sentenced to long terms would be released for each female soldier. Al-Hayya said that the U.S., Qatar and Egypt will serve to verify compliance with the cease-fire, but that Doha and Cairo will insist hostilities not resume. “The ball is now in Israel’s court,” he said. The Biden administration has repeatedly said it believed the “ball was in Hamas’ court” because Israel had made what it termed a generous offer on the ceasefire-hostage deal. U.S. officials accused the militant group of moving the goalpost in the negotiations. That said, the administration also vehemently opposed a major invasion of Rafah because of the inevitable loss of life in the overcrowded refuge. President Biden recently told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the enormous quantities of U.S. military aid to Israel might be in jeopardy if Israel did not take better care to protect civilians. “We have made clear we don’t support Israel launching a full-scale military operation on Rafah,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Monday. He said that there were “better ways” to “take on” the Hamas battalions that remain in Rafah, and that the U.S. has outlined those to Israel. He declined to describe them. Some diplomats suggested Israel’s apparent preparations to go ahead with the Rafah invasion early Monday were a way to pressure Hamas to accept the deal. The Israeli military released a statement on the social platform X saying it had called on civilians in east Rafah to move temporarily to what it described as an “expanded humanitarian area” in Mawasi, an area on Gaza’s coast. The humanitarian area, it said, included “field hospitals, tents and increased amounts of food, water, medication and additional supplies.” The statement added that evacuation calls “will be conveyed through fliers, SMS messages, phone calls and media broadcasts in Arabic.” On Monday morning, Israeli warplanes began to drop leaflets on parts of Rafah, warning those in Rafah Camp, Brazil Camp and the neighborhoods of Shabura and Zohour to evacuate. The leaflets said that the Israeli military “will act with great force against terrorist organizations in your areas of residence,” and that anyone nearby would be exposing themselves and their families to danger. The fliers added that Gaza City, home to many of the displaced, remained an area for combat operations, and that people should not try to return to the northern part of the enclave. Many Gazans have in the past fled to zones created by Israel as safety areas, only to be attacked there too, Palestinians say. “The relocation orders issued by Israel today to thousands of Gazans, directing them to move to Al-Mawasi, are beyond alarming,” said Jan Egeland, secretary general for the Norwegian Refugee Council aid group, in a statement released Monday. “The area is already overstretched and devoid of vital services.” Bulos reported from Beirut and Wilkinson from Washington. Hamas says yes to truce; Israel mulls over terms PALESTINIANS in Deir al Balah in the Gaza Strip celebrate in the streets after the militant group Hamas announced that it had accepted a cease-fire proposal. Abdel Kareem Hana Associated Press Announcement comes after leaflets dropped in Rafah ordered civilians to evacuate. By Nabih Bulos and Tracy Wilkinson SEOUL — The studio apartment Choi Soul recently scored might have the cheapest monthly rent in Seoul: 10,000 won, or about $7. “After I got the text message informing me I got it, I stared at it over and over again for a week straight,” said the 24-year-old college student. “I felt like I could finally start saving for my future.” The brand-new unit is compact — 226 square feet — but comes furnished with an air conditioner, induction cooktop, refrigerator, laundry machine and plenty of cabinet space. Choi, who moved in last week, only had to order herself a bed. Part of a new public housing complex in Seoul’s Dongjak district called Yangnyeong Youth House, the heavily subsidized studio was built for people like her: young South Koreans struggling to find a place to live. Home to 10 million people, Seoul has one of the most expensive housing markets in the world. The median price of an apartment has doubled in the last 10 years to around $685,000. Buying a home here is often referred to as “scraping together your soul.” “I don’t think anyone my age will be able to buy a home here,” Choi said. “Maybe it’ll be easier for the next generation.” The rental situation hasn’t been much better. As of December, the average monthly rent for Seoul apartments smaller than 355 square feet was $457 — a 15% increase since 2021, according to government data analyzed by housing advocacy group Minsnail Union. In some college neighborhoods, single-person units are now going for as much as $700. For Choi, who makes the national minimum wage of $7 an hour as a freelance videographer while she pursues a broadcast journalism degree, seeing these prices feels like “getting stuck at the very first gate of adulthood.” In addition to real estate speculation, recent shifts in rental preferences and the country’s demographics are to blame for the housing crisis. Until recently, most middle-class South Koreans rented their homes through a unique system called jeonse. Instead of paying monthly rent, a tenant pays the landlord a deposit amounting to up to 70% of the property’s market value. For a long time, it was a win-win proposition. Interest payments on jeonse loans are generally lower than what rent would be, allowing tenants to more easily save toward their own homes. For landlords, the lump sum deposits in effect act as interest-free loans, which they can use to invest in stocks or real estate. But a series of high-profile scams, in which over-leveraged landlords refused to pay back the deposits, has increasingly turned tenants away from jeonse and toward paying rent in cash — an option that used to be mainly for young or poor people. South Koreans are also taking longer to get married or start families, further pushing up demand in the cash rental market, where the majority of single-person homes can be found. “Competition is very high at the moment, and it’s probably going to get worse,” said Seo Won-seok, a real estate policy expert at Chung-Ang University. “What this also says is that we need more public housing to ease these trends.” Seoul is still home to a fifth of the country’s population, but housing issues are the primary reason that 1.7 million South Koreans have left the capital for surrounding provinces in the last decade, swapping out cheaper rents for longer commutes into the city center. In such a climate, securing a spot in public apartments such as Yangnyeong feels like winning a lottery. “Everybody around me wants to get into a public apartment,” said Kim Doyeon, a 25-year-old college senior who works part time as a convenience store clerk. “I applied to five other places before I got this one.” Kim was among the 700 people who applied for one of the 36 units in Yangnyeong Youth House, which the district built over a public parking lot. Only those between the ages of 19 and 39, with a monthly income of $1,620 or less, were eligible for a spot. On paper, the monthly rent is $93 — low even by the standards of public housing. But by using profits from its public works corporation, the district is offering $7 rents for the inaugural group of tenants. “For now, we’ve secured enough funding for the first six months, but we plan to continue offering the same rate even after that,” said Choi Sun-young, a district office spokesperson. “We’re also currently developing additional $7 public rentals for other young tenants, such as newly married couples.” Still, it’s not quite as cheap as it seems: Each tenant must come up with a security deposit of about $10,000. Kim got help from her parents, who were already giving her a hand with basic expenses. The tiny apartment she is leaving, with a single window that faces a concrete wall, was costing her $446 a month. After signing her contract with an official from the district, Kim headed up to the fifth floor to tour her new place, which had a new house smell and was filled with sunlight. “Wow, it’s so spacious,” she said. “You can put blinds or curtains here,” explained the official, standing by the window. “But please don’t put any nails in the walls.” Kim didn’t mind. “I can’t even cook in my current place because there isn’t enough room and the ventilation is so bad,” she said. “Now I can finally cook my own meals.” Tenants have the option to renew their two-year contract four times, meaning this will be the home that will see Kim through until her mid-30s. By then, she hopes to have settled into a career as an accountant. But after that, she said, her time in Seoul will be up. In Seoul, the lucky few get apartments for $7 a month KIM DO-YEON scored a $7-a-month compact apartment for youths in Seoul. She was among 700 people who applied for a unit in the newly built complex. Jean Chung For The Times Getting even a tiny place in one of world’s worst housing markets is like a lottery win. By Max Kim
A4 TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 LATIMES.COM WASHINGTON — Once again, Russian President Vladimir Putin is seemingly rattling the nuclear saber. But why now? The Kremlin, citing recent comments by Western leaders regarding the war in Ukraine, said Monday that it would soon carry out simulated use of battlefield, or tactical, nuclear weapons — marking the first time Moscow announced such an exercise. The announcement drew a sharp response. U.S. Defense Department spokesman Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder called it “entirely inappropriate.” NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah termed Moscow’s plans “dangerous and irresponsible,” and the European Union called on Russia to “stop the escalation.” Like so many pronouncements from Moscow, this one’s timing might matter as much as its substance. This week holds two redletter days for Putin: his inauguration on Tuesday to yet another presidential term after an unsurprising landslide election win in March, coupled with Thursday’s traditionally bombastic Victory Day celebrations commemorating the Soviet victory over the Nazis. It is commonplace for nuclear powers such as Russia — or the United States, for that matter — to conduct checks of their weapons stockpiles. But declaring an explicit connection between exercises involving practice use of nuclear weapons and comments by adversarial governments about an ongoing conflict is an unusual diplomatic move. Russia’s Defense Ministry said the planned tactical nuclear drills near Ukraine were intended to “unconditionally ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Russian state.” Tactical nuclear weapons, as the term implies, are far smaller and less powerful than strategic nuclear armaments such as intercontinental ballistic missiles carrying nuclear payloads that could lay waste to large population centers. But nuclear threats, even veiled ones, have a way of grabbing everyone’s attention. Unlike strategic nuclear weapons, battlefield nuclear munitions — which are relatively compact and easily transportable — are not subject to international arms agreements, and Russia’s stockpiles are shrouded in secrecy. Such weapons can be deployed in the form of air-dropped bombs or short-range missiles. The Pentagon closely monitors Russia’s nuclear posture, and over the course of the Ukraine war, the Biden administration has reported no changes — even at times when Russian rhetoric suggests heightened tensions. Western analysts say the latest comments typify a pattern that has taken hold since Putin’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine — that is, any perceived Western escalation is met with Kremlin threats of a nuclear nature, meant to raise the specter of all-out war between Russia and the U.S.-led coalition aiding Ukraine. Among observers of this conflict, there’s some difference of opinion as to whether these warnings are any more worrisome or significant than similar ones in the past — though many dismissed Monday’s announcement as little more than bluster. Alexander Clarkson, a European studies lecturer at King’s College in London, suggested that the development did not reflect some carefully calibrated policy messaging by Moscow. Russia’s threshold for use of nuclear weapons, he wrote on the social platform X, is “whatever Putin and a small inner circle of defense apparatchiks think it is when getting out of bed in the morning.” However, the Kremlin announcement could give fresh ammunition to opponents of further Western aid to Ukraine. During a drawnout congressional blockade of military assistance — finally resolved with approval last month of $61 billion in aid for Ukraine — far-right Republicans accused the Biden administration and Ukraine’s other Western partners of playing with nuclear fire by continuing to support the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Ukraine was dismissive of the Russian announcement, saying it is part of a familiar playbook. “We do not see anything new here,” Andriy Yusov, a Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman, said on national television. “Nuclear blackmail is a constant practice of Putin’s regime.” The latest rhetorical flare-up over nuclear weapons comes at a time when Ukraine is undeniably struggling on the battlefield. A much-vaunted Ukrainian counteroffensive foundered in the summer. Now, as the weather improves, some of the country’s allies — and even some Ukrainian defense officials — have voiced concerns about whether Russian forces might exploit weakness in Ukrainian fortifications and break through somewhere along the front lines. The eastern Ukrainian town of Chasiv Yar is considered vulnerable to a Russian onslaught, although it sits on high ground, a position that is usually favorable to the defenders. For the last several months, Russia has been rattled by a campaign of strikes within its border by Ukrainian forces. The United States has largely enjoined Ukraine to not use American-provided weaponry for such attacks, mainly aimed at Russian energy infrastructure. But close allies such as Britain are not placing similar constraints on Ukrainian forces. On Monday, Britain’s ambassador to Moscow, Nigel Casey, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry for a formal protest after David Cameron, the former British prime minister who is now the foreign secretary, declared last week that Ukraine had the right to use British armaments to launch strikes inside Russia. Cameron, who visited the Ukrainian capital last week, said then that Ukraine could decide how to use Britishprovided long-range weapons, not ruling out strikes on Russian territory. Moscow calls that an abrogation of previous British assurances to the contrary. Even more irksome to Russia than the Cameron comments were recent remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron, who publicly mused about the idea of sending European troops to Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the British and French statements about such potential deployments “unprecedented” and a “completely new round of escalation of tension.” Asked Monday about reasons behind the tacticalnuclear-weapons exercise, he pointed in particular to Macron’s remarks. At the same time, Russia is characterizing its own sharply stepped-up production of conventional weapons such as artillery as necessary in light of actions by Ukraine’s allies. “We are now at the stage of open confrontation, which I hope will not result in a direct armed conflict,” a senior Russian envoy, Ambassador-at-Large Grigory Mashkov, told the state news agency RIA. He said Moscow would take steps to strengthen its defense capabilities, including bolstering missile stockpiles, “in order to discourage any potential enemy from testing Russia’s strength.” In recent days, Russia has also railed against North Atlantic Treaty Organization military exercises near its frontiers. Over the weekend, Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova described the months-long maneuvers, set to run through this month, as a clear signal that the alliance is setting the stage for conflict with Russia. The drills, involving about 90,000 troops, represent NATO’s biggest such exercise since the Cold War. Nuclear warning part of Putin’s familiar playbook THE KREMLIN on Monday announced plans for tactical nuclear exercises near Ukraine. Above, national guards patrol near a Yars missile system during rehearsals for Thursday’s Victory Day parade in Moscow. Getty Images By Laura King ANALYSIS N’DJAMENA, Chad — Voters in Chad headed to the polls Monday to cast their ballots in a long-delayed presidential election that is set to end three years of military rule under interim President Mahamat Deby Itno. Deby Itno seized power after his father, who ran the country for more than three decades, was killed fighting rebels in 2021. Last year, the government announced it was extending the 18-month transition for two more years, which provoked protests across the country. There are 10 candidates on the ballot, including a woman. Some 8 million people are registered to vote in the country of more than 17 million people, one of the poorest in the world. Analysts say Deby Itno is expected to win the vote. Deby Itno’s cousin Yaya Dillo, a leading opposition figure, was killed in February in circ*mstances that remain unclear. The oil-exporting country has not had a free and fair transfer of power since it became independent in 1960 after decades of French colonial rule. Chad is seen by the U.S. and France as one of the last remaining stable allies in the vast Sahel region after military coups in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger in recent years. The ruling juntas in all three nations have expelled French forces and turned to Russia’s mercenary units for security assistance instead. Earlier this year, Niger’s junta ordered all U.S. troops out, meaning Washington will lose access to its key base in Agadez, the center of its counterterrorism operations in the region. The U.S. and France still have a military presence in Chad and consider it an especially critical partner. The West also fears that any instability in Chad, which has absorbed more than half a million refugees from Sudan, could increase the flow of illegal migrants north toward Europe. “These are all the reasons the West is staying relatively quiet about the democratic transition in Chad,” said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. “Everybody just wants this vote to pass so Deby Itno gets elected so they continue to work with him and preserve the stability of the region.” Along with the arrival of refugees from Sudan, Chad is also dealing with high food prices partly caused by the war in Ukraine and a renewed threat from the Boko Haram insurgency spilling over from its southwestern border with Nigeria. In March, an attack the government blamed on Boko Haram killed seven soldiers, reviving fears of violence in the Lake Chad area after a period of peace following a successful operation launched in 2020 by the Chadian army to destroy the extremist group’s bases there. Schools, mosques and churches reopened and humanitarian organizations returned. “For years now, we’ve had to cope with the high cost of living, without any solution,” said Adoumadji Jean, a teacher at a state secondary school in Moyen-Chari province, in an interview with the Associated Press. “We want a change this year through this election.” Boko Haram launched an insurgency more than a decade ago against Western education and seeks to establish Islamic law in Nigeria’s northeast. The insurgency has spread to West African neighbors including Cameroon, Niger and Chad. Human rights groups have called for an investigation in to the killing of Chad’s main opposition figure, Dillo. The government has said Dillo was killed during an attack on the National State Security Agency by his group, known as the Socialist Party Without Borders. But a photo of Dillo showed he was killed by a single bullet wound to the head. Human Rights Watch said the killing raised serious concerns about the environment for the election. “With his most significant opponents either coopted or eliminated, and critical electoral institutions stacked with his supporters, Deby Itno’s victory is all but certain,” wrote Michelle Gavin for the Council on Foreign Relations, a Washington-based think tank. Votes were to be counted at polling stations after polls closed at 5 p.m., but preliminary results will be announced three weeks later on May 21. If no candidate wins outright, a runoff will be held June 5. After long delay, Chad holds presidential vote VOTERS in N’Djamena, Chad, cast ballots. Interim President Mahamat Deby Itno is expected to win. Mouta Associated Press The African nation is seen by Washington as one of last stable allies in the region. associated press
LATIMES.COM TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 A5 THE NATION Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign was once viewed as a quixotic quest by a political scion — an environmental warrior who sullied his family’s name most recently by aligning himself with a party founded by a segregationist in order to get on the November ballot in California. But a combination of voter apathy about President Biden and former President Trump, the two main parties’ presumptive nominees, and the Kennedy campaign’s successful targeting of ballot qualification rules across the nation has prompted growing alarm among Democrats and Republicans alike. “When you have nailbitingly close elections, nearly any candidate can be a spoiler,” said Thad Kousser, a political science professor at UC San Diego. Unlike Jill Stein, a perennial Green Party candidate, with Kennedy, “it’s not 100% clear which major-party candidate he hurts most,” Kousser notes. “That uncertainty is going to lead to a lot of churning on what the parties do ... to keep him off the ballot.” Kennedy, whose father was Democratic Sen. Robert F. Kennedy of New York and whose uncle was President John F. Kennedy, has no real chance of being elected to the White House in November. However, the Californian could be a spoiler, tilting the vote. Two names are frequently raised for context: H. Ross Perot in the 1992 race and Ralph Nader in 2000, though there is debate about how much their candidacies resulted in Bill Clinton and George W. Bush winning their respective elections. Kennedy has qualified to appear on the ballots of three states — most recently, California — and his campaign claims to have collected enough signatures to appear on the ballots of seven others, including Nevada. In California, the American Independent Party submitted paperwork to have Kennedy appear on the ballot as its standardbearer, he announced last week. George Wallace, a segregationist Alabama governor who opposed federal civil rights laws, helped found the party and ran on its ticket in the 1968 presidential campaign. Kennedy’s father, a staunch supporter of civil rights, was assassinated in Los Angeles during that campaign. Leaders of the party, which currently exists only in California, say it has disavowed its segregationist roots and is focused on conservatism and the Constitution. In a video Kennedy released last week, he called Wallace a “bigot” who “was antithetical to everything my father believed in.” Mainstream Democrats are incredulous about Kennedy’s association with the party. When Wallace stood in a doorway at the University of Alabama, trying to block two Black students from registering, President Kennedy called in the state National Guard — at a time when his brother, Robert, was U.S. attorney general. Paul Mitchell, a Democratic strategist, said he previously believed Kennedy had a shot at winning California based on his last name. That is no longer the case, based on how Kennedy has run his campaign and whom he has chosen to associate with, Mitchell said. “If he was a Kennedy and acting like a Kennedy and professional, I wouldn’t put [a California victory] out of the bounds,” said Mitchell, noting that the candidate associated with the fringe party after gathering a paltry number of signatures for a political party he was trying to form. “Now he’s a loony anti-vaxxer conspiracy theorist and running a campaign like a loon. It’s so embarrassing.” Biden supporters have been concerned about Kennedy for some time. The Democratic National Committee this year established ateam to oppose third-party candidates, chiefly Kennedy. Their first act was to file a Federal Election Commission complaint arguing that Kennedy’s campaign coordinated inappropriately with a Super PAC to qualify him for some states’ ballots. “We know this is going to be a close election, and we’re not going to take anything for granted,” said Matt Corridoni, a DNC spokesman working on the effort against third parties, noting that the biggest donor to a pro-Kennedy PAC is a Trump megadonor and that a New Yorkbased campaign official pitched the candidacy by arguing that Kennedy would help Trump defeat Biden. In April, several members of Kennedy’s family, including his sister Kerry, endorsed Biden. “We want to make crystal clear our feelings that the best way forward for America is to reelect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for four more years,” she said at a campaign event in Philadelphia. On Wednesday, candidate Kennedy challenged Biden to agree that whichever of them did worse in a head-to-head poll in the fall would drop out of the race in order to prevent Trump from being elected to a second term. But Republicans, including Trump, have signaled growing concern about Kennedy eating into the former president’s support. “RFK Jr. is a Democrat ‘Plant,’ a Radical Left Liberal who’s been put in place in order to help Crooked Joe Biden, the Worst President in the History of the United States, get Re-Elected,” Trump posted April 26 on the Truth Social platform, arguing that the candidate opposes gun rights and the military and supports tax raises, open borders and radical environmental policy. “A Vote for Junior would essentially be a WASTED PROTEST VOTE, that could swing either way, but would only swing against the Democrats if Republicans knew the true story about him.” Trump posted that before a Monmouth University poll released April 29 found that after voters were told of Kennedy’s skepticism of vaccines, their views changed. (Prior polling showed that Kennedy pulled support evenly from Biden and Trump.) In the new poll, the percentage of Republicans who said they would support Kennedy nearly doubled to almost 1 in 5 after being told about his views on vaccines, while Democrats’ support dropped sharply to roughly 10%. Kennedy has also been receiving attention on conservative media. On Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime” last week, he argued that his campaign’s polling shows him winning in a head-to-head matchup against either Biden or Trump. But “if I’m in the race, in a three-way race, I lose, because people are voting out of fear, because they think the other guy — a vote for me is going to put somebody they hate in office,” he said. “But if I go head to head with either of them, I win.” Trump’s advisors are piqued by Kennedy receiving attention from such outlets. “For the life of me, I can’t understand why anyone on a conservative platform would feature the likes of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who believes the [National Rifle Assn.] is a terrorist organization, whose positions on the environment are more radical than [those of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] and who believes in a 70% tax bracket,” said Chris LaCivita, a lead strategist for Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee’s chief of staff. “From our standpoint, only one person is more liberal than Joe Biden, and that’s Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,” LaCivita said, adding that Kennedy “is a blank canvas, and we are going to fill it with paint.” As a spoiler, who would RFK Jr. help? ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. is on the ballot in three states and claims to be eligible for seven more. His candidacy “is going to lead to a lot of churning on what the parties do ... to keep him off the ballot,” an expert notes. Kena Betancur AFP/Getty Images Third-party candidate has prompted growing alarm among both the GOP and Democrats. By Seema Mehta NEW YORK — The judge presiding over Donald Trump’s hush money trial fined him $1,000 on Monday and warned of jail time for future gag order violations while jurors heard testimony for the first time about the financial reimbursem*nts at the center of the case. The testimony from Jeffrey McConney, the former Trump Organization controller, provided a mechanical but vital recitation of how the company reimbursed payments meant to suppress embarrassing stories from surfacing during the 2016 presidential campaign and then recorded them in internal ledgers as legal expenses in a manner that Manhattan prosecutors said broke the law. McConney’s appearance on the witness stand came as the landmark criminal trial, the first involving a former American president, entered its third week of testimony. His account has so far lacked the human drama offered Friday by longtime Trump aide Hope Hicks, but it nonetheless yielded an important building block for prosecutors trying to pull back the curtain on the transactions designed to protect Trump’s presidential bid during a pivotal stretch of the race. McConney, who told jurors how reimbursem*nt checks were drawn from Trump’s personal accounts, also provided testimony that could help the defense. He acknowledged, for instance, that Trump never asked him to log the reimbursem*nts as legal expenses or discussed the matter with him at all. His testimony followed a stern warning from Judge Juan M. Merchan that additional violations of a gag order barring Trump from inflammatory out-of-court comments about witnesses, jurors and others closely connected to the case could result in jail time. The $1,000 fine imposed Monday marks the second time since the trial began last month that Trump has been sanctioned for violating the gag order. He was fined $9,000 last week, $1,000 for each of nine violations. “It appears that the $1,000 fines are not serving as a deterrent. Therefore going forward, this court will have to consider a jail sanction,” Merchan said before jurors were brought into the courtroom. Trump’s statements, the judge added, “threaten to interfere with the fair administration of justice and constitute a direct attack on the rule of law. Icannot allow that to continue.” Trump sat forward in his seat, glowering at the judge as he handed down the ruling. When the judge finished speaking, Trump shook his head twice and crossed his arms. Yet even as Merchan warned of jail time in his most pointed and direct admonition, he also made clear his reservations about a step that he described as a “last resort.” “The last thing I want to do is put you in jail,” Merchan said. “You are the former president of the United States and possibly the next president as well. There are many reasons why incarceration is truly a last resort for me. To take that step would be disruptive to these proceedings.” The latest violation stems from an April 22 interview with television channel Real America’s Voice in which Trump criticized the speed at which the jury was picked, claiming without evidence that it was stacked with Democrats. Once testimony resumed, McConney recounted conversations with longtime Trump Organization finance chief Allen Weisselberg in January 2017 about reimbursing Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and personal fixer, for a $130,000 payment intended to buy the silence of an adult film actor who has said she had a sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier. Weisselberg “said we had to get some money to Michael, we had to reimburse Michael. He tossed a pad toward me, and I started taking notes on what he said,” McConney testified. “That’s how I found out about it.” “He kind of threw the pad at me and said, ‘Take this down,’ ” said McConney, who worked for Trump’s company for about 36 years, retiring last year after he was granted immunity to testify for the prosecution at the Trump Organization’s New York criminal tax fraud trial. A bank statement displayed in court showed Cohen paying Keith Davidson, the lawyer for adult film actor Stormy Daniels, $130,000 on Oct. 27, 2016, out of an account for an entity Cohen created for the purpose. Weisselberg’s handwritten notes about reimbursing Cohen were stapled to the bank statement in the company’s files, McConney said. Those notes spell out a plan to pay Cohen $420,000, which included a base reimbursem*nt that was then doubled to reflect anticipated taxes as well as a $60,000 bonus. McConney’s own notes, taken on the notepad he said Weisselberg threw at him, were also shown in court. After calculations that laid out that Cohen would get $35,000 a month for 12 months, McConney wrote: “wire monthly from DJT.” Asked what that meant, McConney said: “That was out of the president’s personal bank account.” Trump is accused of falsifying business records by labeling the money paid to Cohen in his company’s records as legal fees. Prosecutors contend that by disguising the payments as income and giving Cohen extra funds to account for taxes, the Trump executives were able conceal the reimbursem*nt. McConney testified that he had instructed an accounting department employee to record the reimbursem*nts to Cohen as a legal expense. But McConney acknowledged under cross-examination that Trump never directed him to log Cohen’s payments as legal expenses, nor did Weisselberg relay to him that Trump wanted them logged that way. “Allen never told me that,” McConney testified. In fact, McConney said he never spoke to Trump about the reimbursem*nt issue at all. Defense lawyer Emil Bove also suggested to McConney that the “legal expenses” label was not duplicitous because Cohen was in fact a lawyer. “OK,” McConney responded, prompting laughter throughout the courtroom. “Sure. Yes.” After paying the first two checks to Cohen through a trust, the remainder of the checks, beginning in April 2017, were paid from Trump’s personal account, McConney testified. With Trump, who was the only signatory to that account, now in the White House, the change in funding source necessitated “a whole new process for us,” McConney added. “Somehow we’d have to get a package down to the White House, get the president to sign the checks, get the checks returned to us and then get the checks mailed out.” Sisak, Peltz, Tucker and Offenhartz write for the Associated Press. Judge fines Trump again, warns jail might be needed next FORMER President Trump speaks with the media before the start of his trial in New York. The jury heard from the former Trump Organization controller on how the company reimbursed payments made in 2016. Julia Nikhinson Associated Press By Michael R. Sisak, Jennifer Peltz, Eric Tucker and Jake Offenhartz
A6 TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 LATIMES.COM that has alarmed homeless rights advocates and mayors but that could win favor among a public that has grown weary, and in some cases angry, with public encampments. Voters will decide this November on a ballot initiative to award property owners tax refunds if they can prove monetary damages resulting from their local government’s failure to enforce nuisance laws. The initiative’s authors see it as a potential model for other states. That’s what its opponents fear. Such a model would represent a shift for many states and localities that have more often asked voters to spend money on housing, drug treatment and mental health services that researchers have found more effective than a punitive approach to addressing homelessness. But patience for such spending may be thinning, even in liberal states. In March, California voters only narrowly approved Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to spend $6.4 billion to overhaul the state’s mental health system. In the neighboring swing state of Arizona, Phoenix has been roiled for the last year by a lawsuit that forced the city to clear its biggest encampment, a shantytown of hundreds of people on the edge of downtown. Matthews didn’t know much about Arizona’s ballot initiative but said it sounded like something he would support. “They need a better environment,” he said. “Because it’s very dangerous to be living on the streets.” He would know. He was once homeless himself. :: So are more than 14,000 Arizonans on a given night — a homeless population less than half the size of California’s on a per capita basis, but still one of the nation’s largest, according to federal statistics that are known to understate the problem. Only one other state — Nevada — has fewer affordable homes per capita for extremely low-income renters, according to a report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition. (California is tied with Arizona for its lack of affordable units.) Though poverty, mental health issues and addiction often afflict homeless people, the lack of affordable housing is the biggest factor in driving up the overall homelessness rate, according to specialists and research. Most of Arizona’s homeless people are living on the streets rather than in shelters — one of the highest shares of unsheltered homeless people in the country — and the bulk of them are in Phoenix and surrounding Maricopa County. On a recent spring morning, a pair of homeless outreach workers in their 20s, Tyler Boyd and Charles Schmiedeke, toured the city in a Toyota RAV-4. Each felt a calling for their work — Boyd after his prayer for a homeless man to find a job was answered, Schmiedeke after four years spent living on couches and in cars with his mother. They met a withdrawn 19- year-old named Anthony James, who has been on the street for two years, since his mother died. He was nodding off by an apartment dumpster and declined their help. A woman who told them she’d lost her mind began sobbing and recounting childhood traumas as she repeated the word “suicide,” before agreeing to go with them to find professional help. A third person, Diamon Bauldwin, 38, asked for help getting medical care. She’d had trouble breathing a few nights earlier, part of a decline that started more than a year ago as she ran out of insulin and began losing her vision. Bauldwin lives in a tent under power lines with an adopted group of friends she calls a family. She hasn’t seen her two teenage children in months. One of them is locked up. She pointed over a wall toward what she said was her former home — in an apartment near Matthews, the medical services driver. She wants that life back, Bauldwin said, but the first step, a shelter bed, has been out of reach. Life has been even harder since the police started enforcing trespassing laws, intermittently kicking her off the property. “I understand they’re cracking down,” she said. “Some of us really don’t have options.” Boyd and Schmiedeke share her frustration. “Making it illegal to be homeless is basically making it illegal to go through those circ*mstances that gets you to that point,” Schmiedeke said. “You know, we need to tackle the barriers that lead to this point, not the point itself.” :: Most of the city’s shelters for homeless people are on 13 acres on the edge of downtown, by railroad tracks, warehouses and a historic cemetery. The Key Campus, as the complex is known, has eight buildings and most necessary services, including counseling, job help, mail services and converted trash bins where people can lock up personal possessions. On most days, about 2,000 people pass through, about half of whom spend the night. Those who work with homeless people benefit alongside their clients from the one-stop-shopping nature of the campus, but it has also created a major problem in the larger community. In recent years, the sidewalks outside Key Campus became known as “the Zone” — home to a skid-rowlike cluster of tents, with hundreds of people sleeping on the pavement, block after block. Property owners said they could not open their gates or have visitors. There were fires, drugs, bursts of violence and crime, and deaths. People sometimes extorted money from one another for rent or fought over turf. One property owner, Angela Ojilie, keeps photographs of the cat that someone set on fire, and that she eventually nursed to health. She also has pictures of her front gate, so crowded with tents she could not get in and out of her warehouse. Property owners often helped homeless people with money and jobs, but the situation had gotten out of control, she said. The property owners sued the city. Judge Scott Blaney of Maricopa County Superior Court found that police were not enforcing “criminal, health, and other quality of life statutes and ordinances.” In November, he ordered the city to clear the Zone. The attention created momentum for the ballot initiative, approved by the Republican-led Legislature last month for the fall election through a process that allowed them to bypass Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat who last year vetoed a measure to crack down on homeless people. “Being so close to us, we kind of watched this, and it was terrible and we want to stop this from ever happening again,” said Jenna Bentley, director of government affairs for the Goldwater Institute, a conservative-libertarian Phoenix think tank, which drafted the ballot measure. Bentley called the measure a first step for more reforms. If it passes, property owners could claim tax refunds for “documented expenses,” such as cost of security bars, if they can show they were harmed by a local government’s pattern of failing to enforce laws against camping, obstructing thoroughfares, loitering, panhandling, public drinking or using illegal substances. Bentley said a business’ lost revenue would not be an eligible expense. :: Critics of the initiative say it is vague and would put the burden on the local government to disprove a property owner’s claim. William Knight, a Phoenix resident and chief litigator for the National Homelessness Law Center, says it’s also “a really asinine and really gross new form of grievance politics” that targets the least powerful people, who are disproportionately Black, young, poor, veterans and victims of domestic violence. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said her staff is still assessing the measure’s possible effects, which could range from minimal to “devastating to our budget.” But even processing the claims will consume city resources, she said. “My message to the Legislature is, they’re focusing on the wrong areas,” she said. “If they would fund housing and mental health care, we could do so much to fight homelessness.” Neither of the bill’s sponsors agreed to requests for interviews. Gallego said that she has focused on building more affordable housing but that the city has no direct control over drug treatment and mental health. Like other mayors, Gallego said she had been caught between lawsuits that demanded enforcement of anti-camping laws and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ 2018 ruling in Martin vs. Boise that restricted communities from arresting people for camping when there was no housing to offer them. But there is debate over how cities are supposed to apply that standard — and the judge who ordered Gallego to clean up the Zone wrote that the mayor had misapplied it. The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments last month in Grants Pass vs. Johnson, a related case that is likely to clarify the issue. The Zone is clear of tents now — the majority of people who were living in them accepted the city’s offer of shelter or moved to other parts of Phoenix — but there are still people outside the gates of the homeless campus, eating meals, playing radios and riding bikes. “The danger is the idiots that camp out around here — the junkies,” said Mike Fameli, who has lived in shelters and on the streets for four decades and used a wheelchair to navigate the street beside Ojilie’s property on a recent evening. Property owners say the situation has improved, but they are resentful that the city let it get that bad. Times staff writer Sandhya Kambhampati in Los Angeles contributed to this report. Arizona puts homeless strategy on ballot MOST OF PHOENIX’S shelters are on 13 acres on the edge of downtown in a complex known as the Key Campus. It has eight buildings and offers services such as counseling, job help, mail and locked storage bins. Gina Ferazzi Los Angeles Times [Homeless, from A1] CHICAGO — As President Biden and Donald Trump step up their campaigning in swing states, a quieter battle is taking place in the shadows of their White House rematch. The Republican National Committee, newly reconstituted under Trump, has filed election-related lawsuits in nearly half the states. Recent lawsuits over voter roll maintenance in Michigan and Nevada are part of a larger strategy targeting various aspects of voting and election administration. It’s not a new strategy. But with recent internal changes at the RNC and added pressure from the former president, the legal maneuvering is expected to play an increasingly significant role for the party as election day in November approaches. The lawsuits are useful for campaign messaging, fundraising and raising doubts about the validity of the election. Danielle Alvarez, a senior advisor to the RNC and the Trump campaign, said the lawsuits were one of the organization’s main priorities this year. “This is something that’s very important to President Trump,” she said. “He has said that this is something the RNC should do yearround.” Democrats and legal experts are warning about how the lawsuits might overwhelm election officials and undermine voter confidence in the balloting results. The Democratic National Committee has a legal strategy of its own, building “a robust voter protection operation, investing tens of millions of dollars,” to counter the GOP’s efforts that seek to restrict access to the polls, spokesperson Alex Floyd said. “The RNC is actively deploying an army of lawyers to make it harder for Americans’ ballots to be counted,” he said. Election litigation soared after the 2020 election as Trump and his allies unsuccessfully challenged his loss to Biden in dozens of lawsuits. Experts that year wondered whether the blitz of legal action was an aberration caused by false claims of a stolen election and changes to voting processes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, said Miriam Seifter, attorney with the State Democracy Research Initiative at the University of Wisconsin Law School. They realized that wasn’t the case as the 2022 midterms also generated a high number of election-related lawsuits. This year is projected to be similar, she said. “Litigation seems to now be a fixture of each party’s political and electoral strategies,” Seifter said. Voter ID rules, mail ballots and voter roll maintenance are among the RNC’s litigation targets. The latest is a lawsuit alleging that Michigan has failed to keep its voter rolls up to date. Maintaining accurate voter rolls by updating voters’ status is routine for election officials, who watch for death notices, changes in motor vehicle records or election mail being repeatedly returned. Michigan also uses ERIC, an interstate data-sharing pact that helps states update voter lists but has been targeted by conspiracy theories. Opponents of the lawsuit have said it relies on unsubstantiated, flawed data and runs the risk of purging legitimate voters. “They’re claiming there’s aproblem because one piece of data doesn’t match another piece of data,” said Justin Levitt, a Loyola Law School professor. “But the pieces of data they’re trying to match don’t measure the same thing. It’s like saying, ‘I just looked at the clock and it’s different from the temperature on my thermometer.’ ” This is not a new tactic, said Caren Short, director of legal and research for the League of Women Voters, which has filed to intervene in the Michigan lawsuit. She said most previous lawsuits have been from “more fringe groups” rather than directly from the RNC. “Now seeing a prominent political party attempting to purge people from the rolls, it’s very concerning,” she said. In the last four years, Michigan’s voter rolls have been targeted in three similar unsuccessful lawsuits. Just days after the Michigan lawsuit was filed, the RNC filed a similar one in Nevada. A federal appeals court earlier sided with the RNC in a lawsuit in Pennsylvania questioning whether officials should count improperly dated absentee ballots. A Wisconsin lawsuit is targeting absentee voting procedures and ballot drop boxes. An RNC lawsuit in Arizona is aiming to invalidate or adjust the state’s 200-page elections manual while another in Mississippi seeks to prevent mail ballots from being counted if they are postmarked by election day but received days later. Various other groups have filed similar litigation recently, including a lawsuit against the Maryland State Board of Elections claiming the state’s voting system is not in compliance with federal and state law. Marly Hornik, chief executive of United Sovereign Americans, one of the groups behind the Maryland lawsuit, said more lawsuits are intended in other states this year. On its website, United Sovereign Americans, which Hornik said formed in the summer last year, announced plans to file lawsuits in 23 states. The GOP and affiliated groups are involved in dozens of other cases with more on the way, RNC officials have said. In this election cycle, the RNC’s legal team has been involved in more than 80 lawsuits in 23 states, said Alvarez, the RNC spokesperson. She said part of the reason for the flurry of lawsuits was the lifting of a federal consent decree in 2018 that had sharply limited the RNC’s ability to challenge voter verification and other “ballot security.” During an interview this month, the RNC chairman, Michael Whatley, emphasized the party’s plans to prioritize election-related litigation. He said the RNC is recruiting and training tens of thousands of poll observers and working with thousands of attorneys. On Friday, the RNC announced plans to train poll watchers, poll workers and lawyers and send out more than 100,000 attorneys and volunteers to monitor votecounting across battleground states in November. Prioritizing election litigation also is reflected in recent changes within the RNC since Whatley and Lara Trump, the former president’s daughter-in-law, took control and reshaped the organization with a renewed focus on “election integrity.” The RNC now has “election integrity directors” in 13 states. Christina Bobb, who has promoted false claims of a stolen 2020 election and was part of a Trump-backed fake elector scheme, was tapped to lead the department. “One of our biggest changes from last cycle to this cycle was making the election integrity department its own department with its own dedicated budget and focus,” Alvarez said. Rick Hasen, an election law expert and professor at UCLA, said most of the lawsuits are unlikely to win in court but “serve as a basis for fundraising and are trying to keep this issue front and center as a campaign issue.” Democracy groups and legal experts said the lawsuits could pave the way for false narratives challenging the validity of the 2024 election while consuming time and staff at election offices across the country. Postelection lawsuits also could delay or obstruct certification of the results. “I worry about these lawsuits that are not designed to clarify the rules but instead to lay the groundwork for false claims that an election their side lost was stolen or rigged,” said David Becker, founder and executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, which advises election officials nationwide. “We saw this in 2020. We saw it in 2022. And we’re beginning to see the planting of seeds of doubt in the minds of the electorate again in 2024.” Fernando writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Mich., contributed to this report. Republicans push election-related litigation as strategy Lawsuits in nearly half the states come on Trump’s orders as he continues to deny results from 2020. By Christine Fernando
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A8 TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 LATIMES.COM the chancellor and was cleared out Monday morning. After antisemitic graffiti was found on Cal State L.A. buildings over the weekend, the university president increased campus security “to act swiftly and decisively if further unlawful activity occurs.” At USC — the site of a Sunday predawn police sweep and dismantling of a pro-Palestinian camp — security remained tight days before graduation. Only two entrances of the campus were open, with long lines of students waiting to get through identification checkpoints. Tall fencing cordoned off Alumni Park in the center of campus where the encampment had been cleared. USC President Carol Folt, in a letter to the USC community after police dismantled an encampment Sunday, said, “When free speech protests devolve into illegal occupations, violating the rights of others, we must draw a line.” The heightened enforcement of campus rules at UC San Diego and UCLA represents a shift in tactics from a more light-handed approach that had allowed students to erect encampments under their free speech rights to support Palestinians and demand an end to Israel's military bombardment in Gaza. “As things begin to escalate, universities are shifting from a tolerant, ‘it’s OK, it’s free speech,’ to more ‘these things are going beyond free speech.’ It’s impeding the university’s delivery of service,” said one UC source who was not authorized to speak publicly. “It causes each of the universities to respond to how they are going to mitigate or work around or resolve what is happening on campus. “One size doesn’t fit all. The campuses all have their own identity and culture. And they are all at different stages,” the source said. Students are pushing back against the stepped up security and expressed concerns about abuse of police power after the Monday arrests at UCLA. “This is really apparent that the university is showing us their force, their power — whether it’s legal or not — to suppress what we’re trying to say,” said Marie Salem, a media liaison for the UCLA Palestine Solidarity Encampment. She was not among those arrested, but spoke about how the arrests were igniting concerns among demonstrators who remain dedicated to calling for peace in Gaza. “The response of the university is more police presence, more silencing, more intimidation,” a 28-year-old graduate student said. “We will continue on.” Initially, an unidentified UCLA police officer told some reporters and observers that those detained were being held for delaying an investigation when asked for identification to look into a possible curfew violation, according to a video posted on social media platform X from a KNX News reporter. However, hours later a UCLA police lieutenant told the Daily Bruin that the 43 individuals were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary. LAPD and the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, both at the scene, declined to comment on the incident, saying UCLA’s police department is the lead agency. The Sheriff’s Department “is only involved in transporting,” said agency spokesperson Deputy Grace Medrano. Those who were arrested Monday, who all appeared zip-tied, were escorted from the parking garage to a Sheriff’s Department bus. There were reports of journalists among those arrested. Meanwhile, at UC San Diego, students faced off with officers in riot gear, who descended on the encampment established five days ago, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. The UC San Diego police tore down the structure, and arrested 64 people, 40 of them students, according to the university. It wasn’t immediately clear what crime they were accused of violating. The crackdown came the day after Chancellor Pradeep Khosla called the encampment “illegal” and for the group to disperse. Khosla emphasized in a letter to the community that he continues to support free speech, but said the camp, which had tripled in size since its establishment, now posed an “unacceptable safety and security hazard.” “As time passes, the threat and potential for violent clashes increases,” Khosla said. Under UC community safety guidelines, campuses are directed to rely on communication with protesters first to try to resolve issues and bring in police as a very last resort. Those guidelines were adopted after UC Davis police pepper-sprayed students protesting economic inequality in 2011 — actions that sparked a storm of controversy, and a systemwide review and report laying out new practices. But as protests over the Israel-Palestinian conflict are evolving at some campuses, so has the approach in dealing with them, the UC source said. Among encampments put up at eight of the nine UC undergraduate campuses, only UCLA and UC San Diego have called in law enforcement to take them down and made arrests as the sites began to experience more conflict. UC Irvine was moving in that direction, but as things calmed down and conversations with protesters continued, the encampment has stayed intact. UC Davis students put up an encampment in the grassy quad Monday, but campus officials are allowing it for now as it has remained small and peaceful. They also have remained up at UC campuses in Santa Barbara, Berkeley and Santa Cruz. Following a mob attack last week, UCLA Chancellor Gene Block on Sunday announced a new Office of Campus Safety to oversee the police department and emergency management operations, headed by ex-Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel. Braziel reports directly to Block in a new unit that is focused solely on safety. Previously, the security operations were overseen by Administrative Vice Chancellor Michael Beck as one of several responsibilities. Although Braziel began his duties immediately Sunday, UCLA Police Chief John Thomas remains in control of the police department. It was not clear whether Thomas had increased the number of UCLA officers on duty Monday or what direction he gave them. But as turmoil continued on campus Monday, Thomas’ ability to manage the operations effectively and communicate critical information to the media and public, including details of the arrests, was being questioned. Calls for him to step aside were now “ear-splitting,” according to one source who was not authorized to speak publicly. Three sources told The Times last week that Thomas failed to provide a written security plan and secure enough law enforcement officers to keep the campus community safe. He has defended his actions, telling The Times last week he did “everything I can” to call in enough police to protect the community. Times staff photographer Brian van der Brug contributed to this report. California campuses step up security PROTESTERS were told to disperse when they entered a UCLA building Monday. Classes were moved online as a security precaution. Photographs by Brian van der Brug Los Angeles Times CAMPUS POLICE arrested 44 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in a parking structure at UCLA on Monday as they assembled before a peaceful protest. [Universities, from A1] Donner Summit recorded 26.4 inches of snow in a 24- hour period on May 5, making it the “snowiest day of the season at the lab,” according a social media post. The last record was 23.8 inches on March 3. “Did anyone have the snowiest day of the 2023/ 2024 season being in May on their winter bingo card?” station officials wrote. The bulk of the storm hit just around midnight Friday at the Sierra Snow Lab, resulting in the record high 24- hour snowfall, said National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Rowe. The storm brought down a mass of cold air that was forced to rise into the Sierra Nevada, creating a lot of mountain snow as the air condensed, he said. Caltrans closed Interstate 80 for several days because of adverse conditions and “zero visibility” during the snow storm, according to the agency. California receives about 70% of its annual precipitation during the months of December, January and February, Rowe said. Precipitation tends to drop off around April and beyond. “For a system to dump 1 to 2 feet of snow in early May is quite remarkable,” Rowe said. Employees at Palisades Tahoe in Olympic Valley scrambled to prepare the slopes Sunday morning after the resort received the second-highest 24-hour snowfall. The last snow recorded was 31 inches on March 3, bringing the season’s snowfall total to 423 inches. “Our teams are hard at work this morning getting the mountain ready for one of the best May powder days in recent memory, but some patience will be required as we do expect delayed openings,” the resort wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday. In the aftermath of the storm, temperatures are expected to shoot up this week, according to the weather service. It’s expected to be in the low to mid 70s for the Sacramento Valley on Friday before warming up to around 90 degrees on Saturday. Above-normal temperatures are expected for the next two weeks. Offshore winds could also result in gusts of up to 40 to 45 miles per hour in the Sacramento Valley by Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, with a brief lull until Wednesday morning, according to the weather service. The breeziness is expected to pick back up Wednesday afternoon into the evening hours. Forecasters aren’t too concerned about fire danger, despite the warm temperatures, gusts and low relative humidity, because the rain from the weekend storm should keep risk relatively low. “It’s something we’re monitoring, especially as we get warmer into the weekend and into next week,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Nathan Rick. In the Los Angeles region, the weekend storm dropped only about a tenth of an inch or less, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures will be warming up into the mid to upper 70s and lower 80s by the weekend for the L.A. area. Downtown Los Angeles could reach the upper 70s, while in the valleys it could get as hot as the low to mid 80s. Dry conditions are expected to persist. There’s still uncertainty in the forecast about how long the higher temperatures will last. “It’s just a warming trend, but it’s nothing where we’d anticipate issuing any heat advisories or warnings,” said National Weather Service forecaster David Gomberg in the Oxnard office. The snowfall comes on the heels of California’s second consecutive wet winter, which delivered soaking storms and boosted the state’s water supplies heading into spring. Snowpack across the Sierra Nevada measured 110% of its average level on April 1, the date when it is typically at its deepest. On Monday, it was still 99% of its normal amount for the date, amounting to about 17 inches worth of water. The state’s major reservoirs were at 119% of average levels. Snowpack typically provides about one-third of California’s water supply, and the influx of rain and powdery snow this season has enabled the state to increase its anticipated allocation of supplies to the 29 agencies that rely on the State Water Project — a vast network of canals, reservoirs and dams that serves 27 million Californians. The second consecutive wet winter also factored into Gov. Gavin Newsom’s updated water plan, released last month, which focuses on addressing climate change, strengthening the resilience of the state’s watersheds and achieving greater equity in water management. The governor continues to push for major infrastructure projects such as the Sites Reservoir and the Delta Conveyance Project, which he said would have helped California capture even more water this year. He said the projects are needed to help gird the state against changing hydrologic conditions, and pointed to the recent pair of wet winters — which came on the heels of California’s three driest years on record — as an example of weather whiplash. “These extremes are becoming the new reality, and that new reality requires a new approach,” Newsom said in April. Andrew Schwartz, lead scientist at the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab, described the current water year as “remarkably average.” California typically experiences “weather whiplash years,” going from an exorbitant amount of rainfall to dry conditions the following year. Because the previous water year had plenty of rain, he said it was a good thing that this year was average or slightly above average.“We had moisture last year to bulk up the reservoirs and there were concerns coming into this year that we’d go back to dry conditions,” he said. “We ended up at average, which really benefits us.” May snowstorm comes after another wet winter in state A VIEW of Twin Lakes on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada, where more than a foot of snow fell. Peter Morning MMSA [Snow, from A1]
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A10 TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 LATIMES.COM BUSINESS Before the pandemic, a steady stream of buses ferrying tourists from Brazil, China, Australia and elsewhere pulled into the Original Farmers Market every day. They typically idled for an hour or so, while their passengers ate and shopped for souvenirs at the historic collection of food stalls and kitschy shops in the heart of Los Angeles. The buses still come these days. But, if the city’s overall tourism figures are any indication, the number of international travelers isn’t what it used to be. Adam Burke is looking to fix that. As president and chief executive of the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board, Burke has watched the city rebound after the dark days of COVID-19 to reassert itself as one of the country’s most popular travel destinations. The recovery, however, is incomplete as visits from international travelers remain well below pre-pandemic levels. Boosting those visits, Burke said, is crucial to the overall strength of L.A.’s tourism industry, which brought in nearly $22 billion in 2022 and has more than 530,000 people working in tourism-related careers, according to city statistics. Foreign travelers tend to stay longer and spend more. “It’s impossible to overstate how critically important international visitation is to L.A.,” Burke said, adding that the spending power of one international traveler is equal to three domestic visitors. A pit stop at the farmers market is one of the many offerings that local officials, hotel executives and others from the L.A. tourism industry will be pitching to representatives from hundreds of international travel-related companies during an annual conference at L.A.’s convention center this week. They’re hoping the conference provides an additional boost to the number of visits from abroad. Although the volume of domestic visitors to L.A. has recovered to pre-pandemic levels, the 5.8 million international visitors L.A. received last year represents only about three-quarters of the total who came in 2019, according to figures from the tourism board. The conference marks the start of a broader campaign by the tourism board, which plans to use money from a federal grant to bolster marketing and branding targeting international travelers. The push to regain foreign visitors in L.A. is reflected in national tourism statistics. Before the pandemic hit, the amount that visitors to the U.S. spent in the country outpaced the total that American travelers spent abroad, giving the country a so-called travel trade surplus. Beginning in the summer of 2021, however, that balance has shifted as international travel to the U.S. has slipped, according to the U.S. International Trade Administration. In California, as elsewhere, the slowdown in international tourism has been driven largely by the flagging number of visitors from China and other Asian countries, industry experts said. Although the more than 75 million departures and arrivals at Los Angeles International Airport in 2023 marked a nearly 14% jump in volume from the previous year, the total was still about 15% below the airport’s traffic in 2019, said Dae Levine, a spokesperson for Los Angeles World Airports. “The gap we are looking to make up is flights to and from China,” Levine said. Chilly relations between the U.S. and China, as well as restrictions to Russian airspace that interfere with flight routes, have meant that the number of flights arriving from China has remained low despite the end of the lockdown. The number of flights has been climbing gradually over the last year. Since the end of March, U.S. transportation officials have allowed Chinese airlines to increase the number of roundtrip flights into the country each week from 35 to 50, which is nearly a third of prepandemic levels. Tourism officials in L.A. are encouraged by the upcoming conference, for which China is expected to send one of the largest delegations. The slow pace of processing visa applications has further dissuaded travelers, said Geoff Freeman, president of the U.S. Travel Assn. In India, would-be tourists typically must wait more than a year for an interview at the U.S. Embassy or a consulate that is a part of the visa application, and in Colombia the wait can stretch to nearly two years, he said. “As you can imagine, if someone told you there was a 700-day wait, you would say, ‘I’m going to go somewhere else,’” Freeman said. Burke, who serves as a member of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, is among those pushing the White House to ease travel restrictions, address visa backlogs and boost flight volumes. In some ways, L.A. as a tourist destination is a difficult sell, said Jan Brueckner, an economics professor at UC Irvine. “L.A. is not such a great city for getting around,” Brueckner said. “In L.A., to get around you really need a rental car and that’s a factor that makes things more expensive, and people may encounter our famous traffic congestion, which is not pleasant.” And although major events scheduled to be held in L.A. in the next few years — including the World Cup in 2026 and the Summer Olympics in 2028 — will draw huge numbers of visitors from abroad, they are not without their complications and risks. For example, efforts to resolve long-running labor disputes at dozens of L.A.-area hotels have made progress in recent months, but new contracts signed by workers are set to expire in early 2028, leaving open the possibility of labor unrest at hotels just before the Olympics. Old hands in the tourism trade are used to that kind of uncertainty. “You have to be prepared for anything. We could have earthquakes, riots and unrest,” said Scott Bennett, owner of Bennett’s Ice Cream, a mainstay at the Farmers Market for more than 60 years. He recalled how during the COVID-19 lockdowns, tables and chairs were removed from the market’s patio and he had to let the shop’s 12 employees go. Instead of serving cones to customers, the store survived by Bennett selling handscooped pints for takeout. Now, staffing is back, as are sales, said Bennett, who is looking forward to a hot summer. “When it’s hot, people want ice cream.” Burke of the tourism board, meanwhile, is hoping that Bennett will hear a few more foreign languages being spoken among customers waiting in line. “They are the golden goose of the industry,” he said of foreign tourists. L.A. is hoping for a return trip from foreigners DESPITE the pandemic, tourists flocked to Hollywood Boulevard to see the Walk of Fame and other L.A. sites in 2021. International travel to the U.S. has slipped, the U.S. International Trade Administration says. Gina Ferazzi Los Angeles Times China is a key country for the city, which will pitch itself at a travel conference this week. By Suhauna Hussain Kim Godwin, who made history as the first Black woman to run a broadcast TV news division, is leaving ABC News after a turbulent three-year run. The Walt Disney Co.- owned network announced Godwin’s departure Sunday in a memo from Debra OConnell, president of News Group and Networks. Godwin joined ABC in May 2021 from CBS News, where she was an executive vice president and oversaw its diversity efforts. OConnell said she will oversee the news division “for the time being.” Godwin signed a new deal with ABC in February, when the company put her division under OConnell, a veteran Disney executive. The move put a layer between Godwin and top leadership at Disney, never a good sign for an executive’s future at the Burbank entertainment company. She had been reporting to Dana Walden, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment. “I understood and appreciated the profound significance of being the first Black woman to lead a national broadcast news network when I accepted the role as president of ABC News a little over three years ago,” Godwin said in a note to staff that was shared with The Times. “It’s both a privilege and a debt to those who chipped away before me to lead a team whose brand is synonymous with trust, integrity and a dogged determination to be the best in the business.” Godwin was hired 10 months after the dismissal of Barbara Fedida, longtime top executive in charge of business affairs. An internal investigation found that Fedida made what Disney called “racially insensitive comments” about the network’s Black talent. Godwin’s predecessor James Goldston, who was not implicated in the investigation, left his post as ABC News president six months after Fedida’s exit. Godwin was brought in to improve the culture at the division. But she was beleaguered by whispered criticism from anonymous sources of her management style, which grated on the hard-nosed veterans at the network. She reportedly led “Happy Birthday” singalongs at morning meetings and emphasized life-work balance, a foreign concept to many longtimers in a division known for its cutthroat atmosphere. Godwin was also described as detached from the division’s day-today operations. As part of a wave of Disney job reductions last year, Godwin made sweeping cuts in the division. Some staffers were unhappy at the treatment of veteran executives who were pushed out the door. The National Assn. of Black Journalists issued a statement Saturday supporting Godwin and criticizing the media coverage of her tenure. “Many of the latest articles surrounding her leadership fail to demonstrate basic journalism by providing alternative viewpoints,” NABJ said. “There seems to be an intentionality to cite anonymous sources as Godwin’s detractors, coupled with the use of derogatory or stereotypical terms to describe her.” Godwin might have survived any issues with her management style if ABC News programs maintained their competitive positions over the last year. “Good Morning America,” the most watched morning program and the source of most of the news division’s profit, has been losing ground. NBC’s “Today” scored an atypical weekly win over “GMA” in morning viewers last month, according to Nielsen. It was the first time in two years the program has won outside the weeks when NBC is carrying the Olympics, or during the holiday season when viewers tune in to see the Rockefeller Plaza Christmas tree. “Today” regularly beats “GMA” in the 25-to-54 age group advertisers prefer when buying news programming. But “CBS Mornings,” which runs third overall, has occasionally topped “GMA” in the demographic on some days as well. “GMA” may have suffered from personnel moves that happened on Godwin’s watch. Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes, who co-hosted the afternoon show “GMA 3,” were fired last year after the tabloids exposed a romantic relationship between the two. Both were married at the time. Robach and Holmes were frequent fill-ins on the flagship edition of “GMA,” coanchored by George Stephanopoulos, Robin Roberts and Michael Strahan. Morning viewing is habit driven, and the departure of talent — even extended family members of a program — can be disruptive. ABC also lost Cecilia Vega, another frequent “GMA” fill-in, to CBS, which made her a correspondent at “60 Minutes.” Adding to the tumult, ABC News lost another veteran talent last week when meteorologist Rob Marciano was fired over alleged behavioral issues in the workplace. Kim Godwin is out as ABC News president KIM GODWIN made history in TV news. Heidi Gutman ABC By Stephen Battaglio The first Black woman to run a broadcast TV news division came from CBS in 2021. International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva praised the strength of the U.S. economy but warned its current level of deficit spending was not sustainable and could crimp U.S. and global growth if it’s not brought under control, in remarks Monday at the Milken Institute Global Conference. Servicing the U.S debt — now roughly $34 trillion — consumes more than 17% of federal revenue, compared with less than 7% in 2015, Georgieva said in an interview that kicked off the annual conference at the Beverly Hilton, which draws thousands of businesspeople, investors and professionals from around the world. “It cannot go like this forever because the ... burden on the U.S. is going to cripple spending that is necessary to make for servicing the debt. To pay 17-plus percent in debt service is just mindboggling,” Georgieva said. “There is opportunity cost to this money ... it doesn’t go to emerging markets where it can finance jobs and business opportunities for American companies.” The IMF is composed of 190 member nations and is one of the leading global economic institutions, providing loans to economies in distress. Georgieva said the U.S. needs to address its entitlement spending but said its economy is strong and remains a pillar of the world economy given its innovation, strong labor market and position as an energy exporter. She also said she did not believe that the trend toward deglobalization was leading to the disintegration of the global economy, but warned that trade sanctions and industrial policies taken by many nations will only lead to lower growth rates — with the primary question being how much. “We are measuring that just trade restrictions can cause the world economy to lose between 0.2% and 7% of GDP,” she said, comparing the high-end figure to removing Japan and Germany from the world economy. “So it is really costly.” However, calling herself an “eternal optimist,” Georgieva said she expected “policymakers to take a course correction when they see that where they are headed is, you know, falling off a cliff.” She envisioned that this decade will see advanced economies such as the U.S. do well, while others will stagnate and lower-income countries continue to fall behind. “So very likely we will have a world in which some economies transform, some economies stagnate and some parts of the world are in perpetual turbulence,” she said. Milken Institute President Richard Ditizio introduced the IMF managing director, telling the audience that this year’s 27th annual conference, which ends Wednesday, will feature more than 200 sessions and more than 1,000 speakers. The theme of this year’s conference is “Shaping a Shared Future,” a reference to finding common ground amid the complex issues that have arisen in the postpandemic world, including war, the emergence of artificial intelligence and the need to create a sustainable economy amid climate change. After the IMF managing director’s remarks, Brad Lightcap, chief operating officer of OpenAI, spoke about the San Francisco company’s artificial intelligence products — a technology that Georgieva said the world will need to rely on for growth and productivity gains. Lightcap said that 92% of Fortune 500 companies are using the company’s ChatGPT enterprise product. He cited Moderna as an example of a business use: The Cambridge, Mass., maker of one of the leading COVID-19 vaccines is using the company’s AI for drug development. And the OpenAI chatbot of Swedish mobile-payments company Klarna is replacing the work of 700 customer support agents, he said. However, Lightcap maintained that artificial intelligence will create job demand in areas that can’t be predicted, and that advancement of the technology is so rapid that in the next 12 months “the systems we use today will be like laughably bad.” He envisioned a not-distant future where “it’ll be foreign to anyone born today that you can’t talk to a computer the way you talk to a friend.” All public panels are being livestreamed on the institute’s website. Increasing debt is called a big threat to U.S. economy By Laurence Darmiento IMF chief says paying interest to service borrowing ‘cannot go like this forever.’ IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. Alessandra Tarantino AP
LATIMES.COM TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 A11 LEGAL SERVICES U.S. stocks rose Monday and added to their gains from last week, as technology companies once again led the way. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 52.95 points, or 1%, to 5,180.74. The Dow Jones industrial average added 176.59 points, or 0.5%, to close at 38,852.27, and the Nasdaq composite jumped 192.92 points, or 1.2%, to 16,349.25. Tech stocks were at the forefront, with familiar ringleaders Nvidia and Super Micro Computer again pulling the market higher. They’ve had a couple of hiccups recently, but a frenzy around artificial intelligence technology has Nvidia up 86.1% for the year after Monday’s 3.8% gain. Super Micro is up 192.1% after its gain of 6.1%. Vistra, an electricity and power generation company, rose 2.1% after investors learned it will join the widely tracked S&P 500 index Wednesday. Freshpet jumped 10.4% after reporting better results than expected, largely because it sold 30% more food for cats and dogs, and Berkshire Hathaway added 1% after Warren Buffett’s company reported its latest quarterly results over the weekend. They helped to offset a 9.7% slide for Spirit Airlines, which reported a slightly worse loss than expected. The carrier said it’s facing increased competition in many of its markets, particularly between the United States and Latin America. The U.S. stock market has been swinging sharply since setting a record at the end of March. But markets found a burst of optimism at the end of last week after a coolerthan-expected jobs report. It suggested that the U.S. economy could nail the tightrope walk of staying strong enough to avoid a bad recession, but not so firm that it puts too much upward pressure on inflation. Goldman Sachs economist David Mericle said he still expects two ratecuts this year, in July and November, after Fed Chair Jerome H. Powell “pushed back strongly against the possibility of further rate hikes” at his news conference last week. This week won’t include such highly anticipated events as last week’s Fed meeting or monthly jobs report. The bulk of companies in the S&P 500 have reported their results for the first three months of the year, with more than threequarters of them topping profit expectations, according to FactSet. But several more big names are still on the way this week, including Walt Disney Co. and Uber Technologies. In the bond market, which has been dictating much of the action in the stock market recently, Treasury yields held mostly steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury edged down to 4.49%from 4.50% late Friday. The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for the Fed, was also relatively little changed. Traders are betting on a nearly 89% chance that the Fed will cut its main interest rate at least once before the end of the year, according to data from CME Group. That’s up from from an 81.6% probability seen a week earlier. MARKET ROUNDUP Technology firms lead stocks broadly higher associated press Major stock indexes Dow industrials 38,852.27 +176.59 +0.46 +3.09 S&P 500 5,180.74 +52.95 +1.03 +8.61 Nasdaq composite 16,349.25 +192.92 +1.19 +8.91 S&P 400 2,970.04 +41.00 +1.40 +6.78 Russell 2000 2,060.67 +24.95 +1.23 +1.66 EuroStoxx 50 4,956.96 +35.48 +0.72 +9.63 Nikkei (Japan) 38,236.07 -37.98 -0.10 +14.26 Hang Seng (Hong Kong) 18,578.30 +102.38 +0.55 +8.98 Daily Daily % YTD % Index Close change change change Associated Press state is emerging as ground zero for what many analysts see as the next big thing in the world of fast food. Not that AI-led drivethrough is quite ready for prime time. As it is today, the system can have trouble understanding people’s accents and dealing with ambient noise, which makes it hard to recognize speech and translate it into text. Pilot programs run by McDonald’s and others often have backed up the AI technology with an employee, like the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain. The unseen worker from as far away as the Philippines monitors and intervenes to complete an order if AI falters. Even so, Ghai thinks that once the kinks are worked out, the technology will be a godsend for fast-food operators like him. “It has the potential of being the most impactful,” says Ghai, 39, whose father, Sunny, an immigrant from India, started the family business in 1998 by buying a failing Burger King in San Jose, where he was an assistant manager. What pushed the envelope for businesses like the Ghais’ was the 25% increase in the minimum wage of California’s half-million fastfood workers. To deal with the big increase in labor costs — which average about onethird of a fast-food store’s sales — many business owners immediately jacked up menu prices. Ghai said he has raised prices overall this year by just 2%. But that is not the norm. By the middle of last month, at many franchises across the state — such as Jack in the Box, Chipotle and Starbucks — consumers were paying on average 5% to 9% more than they did just a month or two earlier, according to a survey by BTIG, an investment banking and research firm. Few companies appear to have resorted to layoffs, in part because many were already staffed at bare-bones levels. So to hold the line on further price increases, a growing number of fast-food operators are racing to install as much automation as they can afford. Perhaps the most visible and soon to be widely adopted are kiosks for ordering food. The self-service machines have been around for more than a decade, but franchise owners such as Michaela Mendelsohn resisted the move. “We just didn’t want to force our customers to use technology. We thought the personal contact was important,” said Mendelsohn, who has six El Pollo Loco restaurants in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. But when the industry’s basic pay rose to $20 an hour, she said, that amounted to $180,000 in additional labor costs a year per store. Within a month of the wage hike, Mendelsohn bought two standing kiosks for each of her six restaurants. That set her back $25,000 per store, for two screens, installation, software and related costs. One of the two machines accepts cash, necessary for blue-collar customers, she said. Mendelsohn figures that the kiosks might save five hours of labor a day. By that estimate, the machines would pay for themselves within a year and would shave about 20% of the increased cost resulting from the change to the minimum wage. “We’re chipping away at it,” she said. Self-service kiosks are ubiquitous in Western Europe, but they’re in fewer than 20% of U.S. fast-food establishments, said Perse Faily, chief executive of Tillster. The Los Angeles company was one of the earliest providers of kiosks and other digital platforms for restaurants. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the trend in the U.S., she said, and in California, “we’re seeing this complete sea change in thinking, ‘How do I address my labor costs?’ ” Kiosks can not only save on labor but also drive sales. Unlike people, the programmed machines are always trying to “upsell,” never forgetting to ask customers whether they want a drink with their meal or something to go along with their entree. Faily wouldn’t disclose Tillster’s sales increase but said its new customers include Burger King and Popeyes, while employment at the firm is up 75 from a year ago, to 340. “The minimum wage increase has completely changed the landscape,” she said. Other computer-guided upgrades are also aimed at cutting labor costs, from automatic avocado peelers and dishwashers to robotic arms that flip burgers and turn over fryer baskets. But return on investments, while helpful for the bottom line, don’t do enough to offset burgeoning payroll expenses. So relatively few fast-food operatorsare making major investments in robotics and similar mechanical devices. AI, on the other hand, looks like a game-changer. The pandemic boosted drive-through traffic at fastfood places to about 80% of sales from two-thirds, said Peter Saleh, a restaurant industry analyst at BTIG. And AI order-taking opens the possibility of speeding up the drive-through process, increasing sales and reducing labor overhead. But analysts say it’s likely to be at least a year or two, maybe longer, before AI-led drive-through reaches a consistent and high enough level of accuracy that companies are comfortable with it. Tests have often left frustrated customers demanding to talk to a live person rather than a bot, according to various accounts. Major fast-food brands were reluctant to discuss their AI drive-through efforts. Nationally, McDonald’s has been in front, using an IBM-developed system. A spokesperson said only that McDonald’s “continues to gather learnings from the roughly 100 pilot restaurants testing automated order taking technology in the U.S. We expect to share more later this year.” In California, CKE Restaurants, the owner and franchisor of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, appears to be ahead of the pack on the technology. CKE and other chains, including Taco Bell, Burger King and El Pollo Loco, declined to comment. Analysts say none of the AI platforms has reached more than 85% success, in which human intervention isn’t needed. “The hardest part is when you have people with accents, from different states and immigrants. It’s challenging,” said Danilo Gargiulo, senior analyst covering restaurants for Bernstein, an investment and research firm. Still, Gargiulo sees the day when AI will speed up the drive-through line, boosting sales and consumer satisfaction. “Right now the drivethrough time is slowed by repeated orders,” he said. With accurate AI speech recognition and faster, clearer communication to the kitchen staff, he said, as much as 90 seconds can be cut off the typical 5½ minutes it takes for a customer to complete a drive-through purchase. That’s what Ghai is betting on. He says his initial investment for the AI drivethrough technology, purchased from Presto of San Carlos, Calif., is about $10,000 per store. Ghai estimates that if he can get it to perform at 90%, a store employee might have to step in to take over an order just three times every hour, freeing up the worker to do other tasks. The AI system is getting better as it gathers more data, he said, and it’ll soon be able to communicate in Spanish. Add in mobile apps and loyalty programs, and AI has the potential to give fast-food customers a faster and more personalized service. And of course, there are the labor savings: Ghai thinks the AI drive-through could reduce 10 to 15 hours of wages a day, and twice as much where he has two humans taking orders. “Our goal isn’t to get rid of people. We’re in the people business at the end of the day,” he said. But over the long haul, “we’ll have fewer people.” A CUSTOMER uses a Tillster self-service kiosk Wednesday at a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen restaurant. Among other technological upgrades, fast-food restaurants are testing AI-operated drive-throughs. Dania Maxwell Los Angeles Times Higher wages for fast-food employees? Bring on AI [Fast food, from A1]
A12 TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 LATIMES.COM/OPINION HOW TO WRITE TO US Please send letters to [emailprotected]. For submission guidelines, see latimes.com/letters or call 1-800-LA TIMES, ext. 74511. OPINION EDITORIAL ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Executive Chairman Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong News: Executive Editor Terry Tang • Managing Editor Hector Becerra • Editor at Large Scott Kraft • Deputy Managing Editors Shelby Grad, Amy King, Maria L. La Ganga • Assistant Managing Editors John Canalis, Steve Clow, Angel Jennings, Iliana Limón Romero, Samantha Melbourneweaver, Craig Nakano, Ruthanne Salido, B.J. Terhune • General Manager, Food Laurie Ochoa • Opinion: Editorials Editor Mariel Garza • Op-Ed Editor Susan Brenneman • Business: President and Chief Operating Officer Chris Argentieri • Chief Human Resources Officer Nancy V. Antoniou • Chief of Staff; Head of Strategy and Revenue Anna Magzanyan • Chief Information Officer Ghalib Kassam • General Counsel Jeff Glasser • V.P., Communications Hillary Manning FOUNDED DECEMBER 4, 1881 A Publication T he recent violent attacks on the Metro system, including assaults on bus drivers and the fatal subway stabbing of Mirna Soza Arauz, 67, on her way home from work, present an existential threat to public transit in Los Angeles. Taxpayers have invested billions of dollars in rail and bus expansions to fight climate change and make it easier for people to get around without driving themselves. Transit is supposed to be the backbone of L.A.’s “car-free” Olympics in 2028. But if people do not feel safe riding the buses and trains, the system will get stuck in a doom spiral and never gain the ridership needed to help reduce traffic and air pollution. It’s not just passengers who are afraid. There were 160 assaults on public transit operators as well in 2023, a significant increase from 2019, and one operator was stabbed last month in Willowbrook. Metro declared an emergency, allowing it to fasttrack installation of fully enclosed protective barriers for bus drivers, though they still staged a sick-out Friday to protest unsafe working conditions. Metro leaders have to commit to major changes to keep the system safe and viable. One of the ideas that agency officials are discussing is creating an in-house transit police department, which should come up for a vote by Metro’s governing board in the next month or two. It’s worth considering as part of a necessary public safety overhaul. The current arrangement is not working well. For 30 years Metro has largely outsourced security to law enforcement agencies. At the moment, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles and Long Beach police departments split responsibility, making accountability difficult. Some of the agencies patrol the system using officers on overtime shifts, which means they have less day-to-day familiarity with the system and riders. Officers are responsible for enforcing the penal code and responding to crime, which is important and necessary, but there is real debate about what role law enforcement should have on the system. The vast majority of safety concerns cited by riders are about comfort and cleanliness, as well as code of conduct violations. Homeless people sleeping on the trains and buses. People experiencing mental health crises. Fare evasion. Drug use or people passed out from intoxication. Passengers playing loud music. These are prevalent throughout the system but not consistently addressed, which feeds into the sense of disorder. The recent spate of violence shows there are major gaps in communication and prevention. For example, the man suspected of stabbing Soza Arauz had been banned from Metro for assaulting a passenger. But there is no regular communication among the courts, law enforcement and Metro staff to flag people with stay-away orders. It’s a serious problem if a relatively small number of offenders are allowed to continually harass passengers. Last year Metro hired 48 additional inhouse security staffers specifically to ride the buses on routes that have higher-thanaverage crime and safety concerns. Officers with contracted law enforcement agencies patrol bus stops at the beginning and the end of route, but don’t typically stay on problematic bus lines. Metro officials want to hire more security personnel to increase the number of bus-riding teams, which is a good idea to improve conditions for drivers and passengers. Metro also launched a transit ambassador program to make riders feel safer. Since March 2023, there have been 300 unarmed and trained ambassadors riding the trains and buses providing customer assistance and calling for security and social services teams as needed. In a survey of riders, 63% said that seeing an ambassador made them feel safer. And the agency has contracted with homeless outreach teams and sought mental health training so staff can intervene when someone is in crisis. Like transit systems across the nation, Metro saw a big drop in ridership during the pandemic followed by an increase in safety concerns as people struggling with homelessness, drug addiction and mental illness sought refuge on buses and trains. Although the last few years have been especially challenging, Metro has had a public safety perception problem for a long time. In a 2016 survey, almost 30% of past riders said they left the system because they did not feel safe. Respondents said security and safety were bigger deterrents to using public transit than the speed and reliability of buses and trains. This is the moment for Metro to finally develop a comprehensive approach to safety — and put it in place quickly. That means having consistent personnel, whether sworn police officers, security guards or other unarmed staff, who patrol the buses and trains every day, develop relationships with operators and commuters and are empowered to enforce the laws and the code of conduct. Riders deserve safer bus and rail service. And Metro is doomed without it. L.A. Metro is doomed if it can’t keep riders safe Violent attacks on the system have scared passengers and present an existential threat to public transit. A MEMORIAL for Mirna Soza Arauz is seen at the Universal City Metro platform on April 29. Soza Arauz was stabbed and killed while riding the subway. Dania Maxwell Los Angeles Times Lorraine Ali mentions comments by Bill Maher and Judith Miller mocking the protesters. Maher makes fun of the campus protests because he seems to find fodder in strange places. But really, does anyone still pay any attention to Miller, a former New York Times reporter? In the lead-up to the Iraq war, Miller floated claims that Saddam Hussein was actively trying to build nuclear weapons. Miller also had a problem admitting her journalistic blunders, going so far as to say, “I was wrong because my sources were wrong.” Fact-checking didn’t seem to be her strong suit. But the student protests, especially those that turned violent, should bring up memories in this country. Why did college administrators invite police onto their campuses when there wasn’t yet violence? Then at UCLA last week, counterprotesters beat people in the pro-Palestinian encampment while police took hours to respond. Right now, “four dead in Ohio” keeps running through my head. In the 1960s and ’70s, students were protesting an illegal war that was sending young men back to the states in body bags. In 2024, students are protesting the starvation and slaughter of people in Gaza by a corrupt official who would wipe the Palestinian territories off the map if the chains of civility were removed. Different decade, same story — and attempting to divert from the reality of the situation with mockery isn’t funny. Kathryn Louyse Glendale :: The cost of restoring and repairing campus buildings should be added to the offending students’ tuition. But then, with federal student loan forgiveness, this wouldn’t have much of an effect. The students should be made to help clean up their campuses if they want to continue as students. Toby Horn Los Angeles :: To quell potential violence, at the first sign of a protest, maybe universities could require that only individuals with university IDs, plus delivery people, be allowed on campus. All others could be excluded as trespassers. Wendell H. Jones Ojai Stop trashing our mountains Re “U.S. protection of San Gabriels expanded,” May 3 It’s great that President Biden expanded two protected areas in California, including the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. My question is, will the people of Los Angeles, with increased access as well as the institutions charged with protecting it, actually respect what they’ve been given? I’ve spent lots of time working with volunteer organizations to pick up trash and break down swimming dams along rivers. We have begged the U.S. Forest Service to deal with graffiti. Nothing seems to work. Respect for nature begins at home, and that respect is sorely lacking for our newly expanded treasure. Jim Burns San Gabriel Try focusing on Biden’s wins Re “The unrest that Trump needs?” letters, May 6, and “President may lose youth votes over Gaza,” May 6 The Times should rename itself “Trump Central.” In Monday’s newspaper, there were multiple articles that read as if they were psychologically attempting to convince readers that former President Trump is going to win the election, with shiny photos of his angry face and poll numbers that show him ahead of the incumbent. President Biden, on the other hand, is often framed as a loser with scarcely any mention of his accomplishments. This is preposterous. We all know what Trump is — above all, a dangerous accused criminal surrounded by spineless bootlickers. I intend to vote for a man who does the horrendously difficult job of president of the United States with dignity, knowledge and experience. I choose not to return to a time of ignorance, maltreatment of women and forced religion. Dee Johnston Santa Paula It’s not a far-right flag Re “Group is feeling under siege in Huntington Beach,” May 4 Thanks to The Times for its coverage of Huntington Beach’s non-inclusive measures. And thanks to activist Kanan Durham for keeping up the fight for LGBTQ+ people in that city — he is courageous, and I wish him Godspeed. There is a lot to see in Huntington Beach, much of which hurts the eyes: The far-right MAGA extremists waving American flags as they pontificate to drivers and pedestrians; the endless giant trucks with blanket-sized Stars and Stripes banners roaring down major streets; and the occasional flag-bearing neo-Nazi doing hand signs out their car window. How have these people usurped the American flag? Since Huntington Beach has prohibited flying the Pride flag outside government buildings, it is time that we in Orange County’s LGBTQ+ community take back our American flag. I’m tired of flinching any time I see someone wielding or wearing the American flag, wondering but not wishing to know what they are truly trying to say. Charlotte Garcia Seal Beach :: The LGBTQ+ community is not the only group that is suffering from the election of a right-wing majority to the Huntington Beach City Council. That majority, with the support of the city attorney, is following the national script of the GOP in banning books, trying to privatize libraries and appointing a citizens group to review library books. They contend that they are doing this in order to protect children. If they were so interested in protecting children, they would support gun-control legislation. They are also making it harder to vote by enacting an ordinance requiring identification. Once the community realizes that this conservative narrative affects their home property values, it will become more involved. Richard C. Armendariz Huntington Beach Gun violence, made in USA Re “Bodies found in search for missing Baja tourists,” May 5 The sad irony of the surfers gunned down in Mexico’s Baja California peninsula was that in Australia, where two of them were from, gun ownership is highly restricted because of a reform law enacted there in 1996 after a mass shooting left 35 dead. Forget about thoughts and prayers — instead, to their credit, the people of Australia took immediate action and actually did something. In Mexico, where the shooting occurred, guns are also heavily regulated and in almost all circ*mstances illegal to carry. Of course, that’s not to say that guns aren’t plentiful in Mexico. They are readily available — provided by the USA, courtesy of the National Rifle Assn. Mark Richardson Encinitas GRAFFITI AND TRASH left behind by members of a pro-Palestinian encampment are cleaned by maintenance worker Adrian Banuelos at UCLA on May 2. Brian van der Brug Los Angeles Times This didn’t look ‘nonviolent’ Re “Mocking the protesters was fun — until it wasn’t,” column, May 5 C learly, the tragedy that has befallen the people of the Gaza Strip and Israel is nothing to be mocked. It is a serious and troubling situation. But the protesters have invited mockery. Let’s review: 8 Pro-Palestinian demonstrators wore masks from the outset — and, yes, that is cowardly — as some were reported to have blocked Jewish students on the UCLA campus. This isn’t nonviolent protest. 8 Graffiti on the walls of campus buildings with the message “from the river to the sea” is not nonviolent. This is an obvious call for the elimination of Israel and a clear genocidal statement. Those statements echo the Hamas charter calling for the elimination of Israel. 8 If these protesters are so concerned about civilian casualties, why are they not calling for the dismantling of Hamas and the return of the hostages it took during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel? How about this sign: “Return the hostages. Dismantle Hamas. Stop this war.” Alan Rubenstein, Encino LETTERS ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LATIMES.COM/OPINION TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 A13 OP-ED Donald Trump took his dog whistle down to Florida last weekend, where he reportedly told a room full of donors: “When you are Democrat, you start off essentially at 40% because you have civil service, you have the unions and you have welfare.” He then drove home this point: “And don’t underestimate welfare. They get welfare to vote, and then they cheat on top of that — they cheat.” It’s hard to believe that trope still works on people. It has always been nonsense. Of the 341 counties experiencing persistent poverty, the U.S. Census says roughly 80% are in Southern states that voted for Trump. In fact, most of our poorest states have voted Republican in every election since 2000 and have had Republican-controlled state legislatures for years. The “welfare vote,” if there were such a thing, is not going to Democrats. Lord knows I’m not suggesting blue cities and states don’t have their problems. But with so many Americans living check to check nowadays, the problem of “poverty” is not uniquely urban. It’s also not a good proxy for whatever Trump really meant to convey — presumably race. You would think that by now there would be a less Reaganesque way to rally Republicans than to rail against the mythological “welfare queens.” Perhaps with all of his court appearances Trump didn’t have time to come up with new material. Or maybe he doesn’t need to. His audience knows what he means. Back home, they’re doing their best to keep “Black” synonymous with “poor.” When President Lyndon Johnson’s “war on poverty” began in 1964, 1 in 5 Americans lived in poverty. However, the rate for Black people was 40%, a disparity elected leaders in Confederate states appear happy to uphold. For example, Republicans have had complete control of Mississippi’s government since 2012, and Black people in that state are almost three times more likely to live in poverty than their white counterparts. It’s no coincidence that many of the poorest counties are clustered in the same red states of the Confederacy: Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas. It’s also not by chance that politicians on the right characterize poor people as lazy and deserving of their lot in life. This “welfare” dog whistle works for them. In 2018, the Heritage Foundation, a powerful conservative think tank, issued a report on poverty that read in part: “If the amount of work performed in poor families with children were increased to the equivalent of one adult working full-time through the year, the poverty rate among these families would drop by twothirds.” Take a moment with that implication: Here we are at a moment in history when 78% of Americans are living check to check, and the Heritage report wants to spin poverty as if it’s a work ethic issue. Not one of rising inflation or decades of wage stagnation. Not one of systemic racism. And certainly not a side effect of Trump’s tax cuts that redirected even more wealth away from working people and toward the rich. The Heritage Foundation has a plan for 2025 if Trump retakes the White House. Let’s just say when it comes to helping the poor (or not), the group’s views haven’t changed much. For the people in that room in Florida to whom Trump was airing his grievances, I’m sure that’s welcome news. In the big picture, Trump is just the latest conservative to rail against the federal government’s attempt to help poor people. President Nixon did it. Newt Gingrich’s “contract with America” was all about that. Both Bushes. It’s all part of the conservative narrative that looks at infrastructure failures of large cities run by Democrats as evidence of too many “welfare queens” getting handouts. You know, as opposed to the loss of tax revenue stemming from white flight. Or federal underinvestment in infrastructure since the 1960s. Meanwhile, the same predominantly white rural stretches that Johnson referenced 60 years ago are still among the poorest. And their residents keep voting for Republicans like Trump who slash attempts to help the poor. They don’t think a war on poor people hurts them. Presumably because they keep being told that they’re not the face of “welfare.” @LZGranderson New era, same racist ‘welfare’ dog whistle Trump claimed Democratic candidates rely on support from welfare recipients. But the poorest vote Republican. LZ GRANDERSON C alifornia’s Proposition 47, a milestone in criminal justice reform, is under threat. The proposed Homelessness, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act, which seeks to undo important aspects of Proposition 47, would take us backward to prioritize punishment over rehabilitation. Proposition 47 was passed in 2014 to revise penalties for nonviolent lower-level drug and property offenses. Before the reform, prosecutors had broader discretion to treat some property crimes as felonies or misdemeanors. The new law made shoplifting under $950 a misdemeanor and loosened some penalties for other property and drug crimes. It also applied retroactively, allowing incarcerated individuals to petition for release or sentence reduction. Proposition 47 worked quickly: In its first year, it reduced the state prison population by 4,700, according to an estimate from the Legislative Analyst’s Office. Over the last 10 years, the reforms have saved California more than $800 million. Notably, Proposition 47 mandates that 65% of those savings go toward treatment services with the goal of keeping people out of jail. From 2017 through 2023, the measure provided more than 53,000 defendants with services such as mental health and drug treatment as well as housing, job training, diversion and legal support. These powerful reinvestments spanned 16 counties, including L.A., San Francisco, Alameda, Marin and Santa Clara. Recidivism plummeted for people who completed a Proposition 47 reentry program (15% compared with other statewide rates typically between 35% and 45%). Felony drug arrests have also dropped in the wake of Proposition 47: An initial study found that they fell by about 76%, 66% and 74% for white, Black and Latino Californians and helped to reduce racial disparities in arrest rates for drug charges. Yet despite a decade of success, misinformation abounds. The proposed act, sponsored by the Californians for Safer Communities coalition and funded largely by retailers such as Walmart, Home Depot and Target, aims to increase penalties for drug dealers with a new “treatment-mandated felony” crimefor drug possession after two previous convictions. Offenders would be given the “option” to undergo drug and mental health treatment instead of incarceration, though it’s not clear what kind of programs they would enter and if those would even have capacity for new admissions. Additionally, it proposes felony charges for repeat theft offenders. The coalition announced last month that it had collected 900,000 signatures, more than enough to put the change before voters on the November ballot. Its supporters claim that Proposition 47 has increased property theft, overdose and homelessness. Following some high-profile retail crimes in California, emotions run strong on this issue. But the evidence is stronger. As a public health researcher, I know that involuntary treatment of the kind this act proposes can perpetuate homelessness and increase overdose risks. Involuntary interventions are more harmful than voluntary treatment. And not all treatment services are equal — medically assisted treatment for opioid disorder has proven efficacy, unlike detox and counseling-only strategies. It is a problem that there aren’t enough voluntary, researchsupported drug treatment services in California, especially since success depends on sustained participation in programs and the deficit subjects people to long waits. But forcing people into treatment, especially while not expanding the availability of needed services, is dangerous and inhumane. Moreover, felonies often lead to homelessness. In the past, punitive measures such as Zero Tolerance Policies increased incarceration rates and homelessness, creating significant financial and social burdens. Research we’ve done at UC San Francisco shows that institutionalization often precedes homelessness; one in five participants in a statewide study became homeless directly from an institutional setting (jail or prison) with scant access to prevention services. And felony convictions create barriers to housing and employment. California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act offers limited protections for people with criminal histories, and incarceration frequently perpetuates a cycle of unemployment, homelessness and severed personal connections. To be sure, Proposition 47 can and should be updated with an emphasis on humane policies. The evidence points toward the Housing First approach, which focuses on housing individuals regardless of their mental health, judicial or other needs and has been shown to promote economic stability. Proposition 47 can make longer-term investments in restorative justice approaches including reentry transition services for post-incarceration individuals and greater access to medically assisted treatment for substance use. The state can also divert more funding toward poverty reduction measures such as permanent supportive housing that are known to reduce root causes of crime and theft. But the proposed Homelessness, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act does not expand those resources. Instead, it would push California’s incarceration rates back up. Even prosecutors in the state have opposed the measure on the grounds that it would regress to failed policies. For the ballot initiative to advance, county and state officials have to review the supporting signatures to ensure they came from registered California voters. If that happens, California should reject the proposal and stand up against fear-based, evidence-absent approaches, much as voters rejected another attempt to weaken Proposition 47 in 2020. If we don’t, our prisons will become more crowded and cost taxpayers a lot. We risk losing another generation to the consequences of incarceration that we’ve finally begun to tackle. Meghan Morris is an associate professor of epidemiology at UC San Francisco and a public voices fellow with the OpEd Project. The views in this piece are her own. IN RESPONSE to theft, retail chains have added locks and other security. Some also want to impose harsher criminal penalties by changing Proposition 47, which voters passed in 2014. Mel Melcon Los Angeles Times This tough-on-crime push would just crowd prisons A proposed California measure, backed by big retailers, seeks to undo criminal justice reforms. By Meghan Morris W hen it was reported that a demonstrator near Columbia University had loudly suggested that Jews should go back to Poland, I was already there. My wife, son and daughter and I were visiting Holocaust sites in Eastern Europe. My father’s family is from Poland and Ukraine, and many of our relatives perished in the Holocaust. I don’t know if any of my ancestors were Zionists although I suspect some of them must have been. The definition of “Zionist” that I’ve always used is a person who believes the Jews deserve a state where they can be safe. That is something I believe. I also believe the Palestinians deserve a state where they can be safe, the Israeli occupation has been a disaster and Benjamin Netanyahu needs to be replaced. As for the suggestion that Jews, or more precisely Ashkenazi Jewish Israelis — those of European heritage — should book a one-way ticket to Warsaw, I realize it’s not a point of view representative of the whole of the protesters on U.S. campuses. Yet it is undeniably a reflection of the “settler colonialist” position on Israel, a narrative that has gained traction despite more than half of Israeli Jews being Mizrahi — that is, from the Middle East. Palestinians and Israelis are two Indigenous peoples occupying the land that is being fought over. And what about Poland? Almost 3 million Jews lived in Poland before World War II. Now the population that self-identifies as Jewish is less than 5,000. It’s instructive to remember that most of the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto, perhaps 300,000, were taken to Treblinka where they were murdered alongside another 500,000 or so Jews. Treblinka is now a vast field covered with a massive memorial consisting of hundreds of stones laid side by side, pointing heavenward. I wandered among them and thought about the catastrophe that led to this place and what was now unfolding at universities across America — the anti-Israel chants, Jewish students’ fear of being on campus, the protests and counterprotests creating a climate of menace. The same day my family visited Treblinka, another Columbia student, described as a leader of the protests there, was quoted in the New York Times as saying, “Zionists don’t deserve to live.” He apologized, and I don’t want to compare him to Nazis. He and his compatriots are young and with youth comes the right to let your heart dominate your brain. His words, however, wore a swastika. Of course, what has happened to the Palestinian people since 1948 has been its own catastrophe, of which the war in Gaza is the latest iteration. The number of civilian deaths is appalling, the suffering of the families profound and seemingly endless. It is not hard to understand the anger and heartbreak animating pro-Palestinian encampments, although one wishes more protesters would acknowledge that the Israeli onslaught did not occur in a vacuum, and that Hamas itself has an affinity for dead Palestinians. “Go back to Poland” taunts are grotesque and willfully misinformed. To read about them while in Poland, where a ghost country of murder victims exists alongside the current population, is deeply disorienting. Where a synagogue used to be is now a delicatessen; a ritual bathhouse is a police station; a cemetery a derelict patch of ground or a verdant grove in the woods bereft of gravestones because they were stolen to be used to pave roads. So many Jews died in Poland that you could say that the entire country is a Jewish cemetery. In Poland, Jews are like the Native Americans in America. They are celebrated, sometimes sincerely, but mostly they are erased. We visited a town that was nearly 100% Jewish before the war; now not one Jew lives there and there is virtually no indication that Jews ever made it their home. I am by inclination sympathetic to the protesters. I am even inclined to forgive their ahistorical point of view, although it is ironic given that so many of them are being educated at elite institutions. But they must know: Jewish collective trauma, like that of the Palestinians, is undeniable. One shouldn’t have to go to places like Treblinka to be reminded of this. Have we learned nothing? That the protesters are not all antisemitic is a given. Some will happily take a break from chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” to inform you that they count Jews among their number. And yet, from their encampments in privileged Los Angeles and Manhattan, they envision a progressive paradise where everyone’s wounds are salved and racism a dim memory, but there is no place for Zionists, which for many (once again: not all!) is simply a dog whistle meaning Jews. Go back to Poland? It is impossible. And the maximalist daydreams of American protesters will not help Palestinians. Seth Greenlandis the Los Angeles-based author of six novels and a memoir. His most recent book, “Plan Américain,” was published in France. Why a protester’s taunt, ‘Go back to Poland,’ is grotesque Have we learned nothing? Jewish collective trauma, like that of Palestinians, is undeniable. By Seth Greenland A PROTESTER flies a Palestinian flag at Columbia University on April 30. Stephanie Keith Getty Images Almost 3 million Jews lived in Poland before World War II. Now that population is less than 5,000.
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With the federal government, ITCextended through 2033; homeowners can be eligible for a rate reduction program to lower their utility bills and appreciate their property value. CALL US NOW FOR PRE-QUALIFICATION intern and working his way up to become the publication’s chief film critic before segueing to The Times. “It’s been my great honor and privilege at the L.A. Times to advocate for the art that I love, and the art that moviegoers in Los Angeles love,” Chang said during an emotional speech in a Zoom staff meeting convened to celebrate him and the contributions of others. “I know critics at other papers and other publications who’ve had to fight tooth and nail to cover the things that really matter to them. That was never a battle that I had to fight for one second at the L.A. Times.” The Times’ staff was selected as a Pulitzer finalist for breaking news for its coverage of the January 2023 mass shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park that left 11 people dead. About 20 minutes after the Lunar New Year shooting, the suspect walked into another studio in nearby Alhambra, but a young man disarmed him and he ran away. An enormous manhunt began and ended when law enforcement officers converged on a strip mall parking lot in Torrance, where the suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Times editors said the reporting demonstrated the paper’s commitment to covering L.A.’s diverse communities. “The Monterey Park shooting was an extremely difficult event to cover. ... There were a number of reporters who worked throughout the night, no matter how tired they were,” Managing Editor Hector Becerra said during the Zoom call. “We live in a state where a lot of things happen, from wildfires to mass shootings and all kinds of horrible events. And we step up — the staff steps up.” Times Executive Editor Terry Tang said, “The coverage of the Monterey Park shooting and the community and lasting well into the whole year is truly a public service — that’s why we are here.” In addition, Times staff writer Keri Blakinger was named a finalist for a feature story, “The Dungeons & Dragons Players of Death Row,” about how the fantasy game served as a lifeline for Texas inmates. She wrote the story while with the Marshall Project; it was published in the New York Times Magazine. Blakinger joined the L.A. Times last year to cover criminal justice and the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. The Times’ owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, joined the call to congratulate Chang and the finalists. He said the awards speak “to the spirit and the importance of what you do and it speaks really to your commitment. ... You write stories that matter.” The New York Times and the Washington Post each won three Pulitzer Prizes. The New York Times and Reuters news service were honored for their coverage of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and its aftermath. The Washington Post staff garnered the national reporting award for its “sobering examination” of the cultural impact of the AR-15 semiautomatic rifle. Judges bestowed the most prestigious Pulitzer award, for public service, to the nonprofit newsroom ProPublica for its reporting on a murky practice by some U.S. Supreme Court justices to accept lavish trips and gifts from billionaires. Marjorie Miller, administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes, kicked off Monday’s virtual announcement ceremony by noting the strain facing the industry and individual journalists. Miller noted that dozens of publications folded last year and cutbacks trimmed 3,000 journalists from the industry. Chang’s award marked the sixth year in a row that The Times won at least one Pulitzer, bringing the newspaper’s all-time Pulitzer total to 52. “Justin dives deep into his ideas with a rigor that’s not only rare but singular,” said Times film editor Joshua Rothkopf, who edited most of Chang’s columns that were submitted. “His clarity of thinking and creativity are beacons to all of us who love movies and well-considered writing on them. Our work together was immensely enjoyable.” Last year, The Times won the Pulitzer for breaking news for its coverage of a secret audio recording that exposed L.A. City Council members scheming in crude and racist ways — a jarring look at the city’s political factions and power struggles. Photographer Christina House also was awarded a Pulitzer in feature photography in 2023 for her images of a young unhoused woman who was living alongside the Hollywood Freeway while dealing with drug issues and childbirth. In 2022, Times photographer Marcus Yam received the breaking news photography award for his sobering images of the U.S. departure from Afghanistan. The newsroom celebrated Chang and his major accomplishment, which continued the recognition for several Times columnists who have captured the prize for criticism over the years. Times art critic Christopher Knight won the award in 2020. Five years earlier, senior critic Mary McNamara was honored for her columns that strayed beyond television to examine larger cultural trends. “We all know Justin is such an illuminating thinker about films, the artists who make them and the art form itself,” said Craig Nakano, assistant managing editor for entertainment and arts. “What folks might not know is that his intelligence and graceful writing are matched with an amazing work ethic and kindness, even under deadline pressure. All of his brilliant work since joining The Times in 2016 led up to this moment.” Chang’s columns focused on works for the screen, singling out those he felt deserved praise for artistry, humanity and sheer storytelling. Similarly, he did not hide his disappointment in other works, such as Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers.” His review of that film was titled: “Bah, humbug! ‘The Holdovers’ is a clunky, phony white-elephant gift of a movie.” In an interview, Chang praised his mentor, The Times’ longtime film critic Kenneth Turan, as his “first great teacher of film and film criticism.” “I learned a lot from Kenny just about how to carry oneself, how to approach the work with humility, which is something I’ve tried to do,” Chang said. “I have this thing in my head, it’s a formulation that I can’t let go of — which is that humility and authority go hand in hand. You start with the one, the other will follow.” “My years at The Times were just an amazing experience,” the 41-year-old Anaheim Hills native said. “From the moment I walked in the doors on Spring Street — when we were still on Spring Street — The Times gave me all the freedom in the world to approach this job as I saw fit. And I don’t take that for granted,” he said. “People have a lot of ideas and assumptions about what a critic should be, what a critic should cover, what they should prioritize, and sometimes those agendas are very much tied to the agendas of the American commercial movie industry. While I love the American movie industry, I’m really interested in other kinds of movies, too. I’m interested in the whole cinematic spectrum. And I’m so grateful to The Times because they’ve just always let me explore that spectrum to the fullest.” L.A. Times receives Pulitzer recognition A PERSON lights a candle during a vigil in January 2023 after a mass shooting at Monterey Park’s Star Ballroom Dance Studio left 11 people dead. Times staff was a Pulitzer finalist for breaking news for its coverage. Allen J. Schaben Los Angeles Times [Pulitzer, from A1]
CALIFORNIA T UESDAY , MAY 7 , 2024 :: L ATIMES.COM/CALIFORNIA B SPORTS ON THE BACK: Dodgers imagining Ohtani in October, Bill Plaschke writes. B10 More than 2,000 miles west of the nation’s capital, the battle for control of the House of Representatives in 2025 is being waged in farmland along Highway 99, fastgrowing commuter communities north and east of Los Angeles and beach towns and inland suburbs in Orange County. While Republicans have a razor-thin majority in the House, partisan makeup of next year’s Congress will be decided this November — at least in part — by a handful of hypercompetitive California races. California “is, along with New York, one of the two most important paths to potential Democratic control of the House,” said Dave Wasserman, senior editor and elections analyst for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Democrats underperformed in California and New York in 2022, in part because their in-state political dominance helped Republicans channel voter frustration into anger toward Democrats, Wasserman explained. But many of these districts are likely to perform Six California House races the U.S. is watching The winners in these districts will help determine who has control of Congress. By Julia Wick [See Districts, B2] Change has always come hard and fast to Little Tokyo. As one of the oldest neighborhoods in Los Angeles, it has shape-shifted over the last 140 years under the forces of urban renewal and gentrification, as well as the unjust wartime incarceration of its residents. Recent years have seen continued evictions, closures and relocations among businesses that were once staples of the community. The forced relocation of Suehiro Cafe sparked a recent street protest calling attention to the demise of establishments that once were the anchors of this historic community. Citing a need to save the identity of one of Los Angeles’ most culturally distinct neighborhoods, the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced Wednesday that Little Tokyo has been designated as one of America’s 11 most endangered historic places. “We hope that by bringing attention to displacement and gentrification occurring in the neighborhood, Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo can get the support and policy protections needed, so that the community can thrive long into the future,” said Carol Quillen, president and chief executive of the trust. Little Tokyo joins, among other sites, the Texas home of country singer Cindy Walker, a lighthouse on the Hudson River in New York, a sugar plantation on the U.S. Virgin Islands and one of the country’s first allBlack municipalities, Eatonville, Fla. The designation of Little Tokyo, which comes as the downtown L.A. neighborhood is about to celebrate its 140th anniversary, is the result of efforts by Sustainable Little Tokyo, a broad coalition of local interests that includes the Japanese American National Museum and the Little Tokyo Community Council. Kristin f*ckushima, managing director of the Little Tokyo Community Council, considers the trust’s deciLITTLE TOKYO is about to celebrate its 140th anniversary. Above, people walk past the Go For Broke National Education Center in front of the Japanese American National Museum in the area last week. Photographs by Carlin Stiehl For The Times Little Tokyo is named an endangered place National Trust for Historic Preservation cites changes to the area in recent years including displacement and gentrification MICHAEL OKAMURA, a museum volunteer, conducts a 1st Street tour last week. Supporters hope the endangered status will draw attention to the fragile character of the neighborhood. By Thomas Curwen [See Endangered, B5] In 2016, my beloved homeland of Orange County shocked political observers by favoring Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump, the first time we went with a Democrat for president since FDR. In 2018, O.C. voters made history yet again when we sent an all-Democratic congressional delegation to Capitol Hill. The following year, more people in O.C. were registered Democrats than Republicans — another first. Local and national media outlets tripped over themselves to report on this political earthquake. Orange County — land of Richard Nixon and kooky conservatism, crucible of evangelical Christianity and culture war politics, the place Ronald Reagan repeatedly said was “where the good Republicans go before they die” — now sported a political color never before associated with our suburban sprawl of 3.2 million people: Purple. In an era when Trump was ascendant, seeing O.C. turn more liberal offered hope to Democrats nationwide. Because if Orange County — Orange County! — could reject the GOP, it could happen anywhere. That narrative continued in 2020 as O.C. voters once again rejected Trump, even as Republicans Young Kim and Michelle Steel won congressional seats, and again two years later, even though Republicans won the county in all statewide elections. This year, political pundits are doubling down on the idea that Orange County’s mauve march continues. Publications from the Guardian to this one now regularly use the color to describe O.C.’s political hue. Longtime political consultant Mike Madrid will host a podcast this summer called “Red County, Blue County, Orange County” (I sat down for an episode), where he’ll argue that the future of American politics is here. The podcast is produced by UC Irvine’s School of Social Ecology, which recently released a poll including the cheeky assertion that “Orange is the New Purple.” In the poll of 804 Orange County adults, President Biden holds a healthy lead among likely voters, most of whom are also going with the Democratic candidate Democrats, beware of O.C.’s purple political haze GUSTAVO ARELLANO LUCAS UHM and Andrea Madrid register Democratic voters in Orange in 2019. In O.C. that year, for the first time, registered Democrats exceeded Republicans. Allen J. Schaben Los Angeles Times Despite headlines about the county’s shift to the left, Republicans are still a force, especially in local offices [See Arellano, B4] Cassandra Calles heard a strange noise coming from her daughter’s bedroom. The 38-year-old mother had just returned to her apartment that she shared with her two teenage daughters in the La Cruz neighborhood in the Iztacalco borough of Mexico City. When she opened the door to her daughter’s room, she saw a man standing over her daughter’s lifeless body. Mexican authorities believe that 17-year-old María José Calles was the last victim of what police believe is a serial killer who lived in the same apartment building and kept tokens of his victims in his home, including skulls, government IDs and other items. The man, referred to by Mexican authorities as Miguel N, also allegedly kept notebooks that detailed his cruel acts against his female victims. For years, Cassandra Calles lived in the same building with this man and exchanged few words with him as they passed each other coming in and out of the building. But on April 16, she confronted the assailant as he tried to escape the scene of María José Calles’ slaying. The man stabbed Cassandra Calles repeatedly after sexually assaulting her daughter, according to authorities and Cassandra’s sister, Angela Calles. He stabbed her in the throat, her lung and pelvis, her sister said. Then he tried to push her out of a secondstory window, but Cassandra Calles held on to a curtain and screamed for help. She scratched his face and tried to get to her daughter, but her attacker threw her onto her bed just before she passed out, Angela Calles said. The man must have assumed she died from her injuries, because he ran out of the apartment, according to her sister. A short time later, Cassandra Calles woke up, bleeding from her stab ‘I cannot give her daughter back to her’ An O.C. aunt tells of attack on relatives in Mexico, where police suspect a serial killer. By Nathan Solis [See Killing, B4]
B2 TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 LATIMES.COM better for Democrats in a presidential cycle, given former President Trump’s spot at the top of the Republican ticket. (The former president remains unpopular in California and faces criminal prosecution in four cases, making his presence on the ballot a hindrance for California GOP candidates.) “If Democrats are to have any hope of winning the majority, they probably need to win at least three Republican seats in California,” Wasserman said. The Cook Political Report has rated 10 California races as competitive; six of them are rated as either lean Democratic or lean Republican or a tossup. Those six most competitive races are being targeted by both the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee, with establishment party backing likely to bring more attention and funding into the districts. Five of the six seats are held by Republicans; four of those are in congressional districts that were won by President Biden in 2020. The other four races — which include the seats held by Reps. Josh Harder (DTracy), Mike Levin (D-San Juan Capistrano), Young Kim (R-Anaheim Hills) and Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) — are in Cook’s slightly less pliable “likely Republican” or “likely Democrat” categories. With a little more than six months to go until election day, here are the races to watch. CA-27: Rep. Mike Garcia versus George Whitesides The district at the northern edge of Los Angeles County’s suburban sprawl was Republican territory for more than a quarter-century before 2018’s blue wave, when a young, dynamic candidate flipped the seat and helped retake Democratic control of the House. Katie Hill’s meteoric rise met a quick fall less than a year later, with the freshman congresswoman resigning amid a sex scandal. What had been a coveted Democratic victory became a rare special election for a competitive open seat — one that was filled by Republican former U.S. Navy pilot and defense industry executive Mike Garcia. He won a full term in 2020 and again in 2022, facing off against the same Democratic opponent, Christy Smith, in all three races. (Garcia won by a few hundred votes in 2020 but by more than 12,000 in 2022.) The Democrats are backing a new candidate this time: George Whitesides, the former chief executive of space tourism company Virgin Galactic. Whitesides has put more than $1 million into his campaign, which will help in one of the most expensive media markets in the country. The district includes Santa Clarita, Palmdale and Lancaster, encompassing suburbs and high desert. Democrats have a nearly 12-percentage-point registration advantage, and Biden won the district by more than 12 points in 2020, according to data from California Target Book. Voters stating no party preference account for more than a fifth of the electorate. Whitesides has far more money in his arsenal: $3 million versus Garcia’s roughly $1.8 million, according to the most recent campaign finance filings. CA-47: State Sen. Dave Min versus Scott Baugh California’s 47th District is the only open seat of the bunch, and that’s a good thing for Republicans. In 2022, Republican Scott Baugh narrowly lost to Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine), coming just a few points short of unseating a nationally known Democratic Party superstar backed by her own fundraising juggernaut. With Porter and her whiteboard out of the picture after a failed Senate bid, the former GOP Assembly leader’s competition appears less formidable this time around. The Democratic challenger, state Sen. Dave Min, has little of Porter’s star power. During the March primary, fellow Democrat Joanna Weiss battered him over a 2023DUI arrest, a controversy Baugh and Republicans are expected to focus on throughout the campaign. That rough primary put Min at a financial disadvantage going into November. He and Baugh have both raised around $2.3 million, but as of the last campaign finance filing period, Min had a little more than $400,000 left in his war chest, whereas Baugh had $1.9 million. The coastal Orange County district includes the cities of Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Irvine and Newport Beach. It’s a majority-white district with significant Asian and Latino populations. Democrats have a narrow registration advantage, although no-party-preference registrants account for nearly a quarter of voters. Biden won the district by more than 10 points in 2020, according to California Target Book. Baugh also has vulnerabilities, including a political misconduct case in the 1990s that resulted in a $47,900 fine. During the 2022 cycle, Porter hammered Baugh on those campaign violations, as well as on his antiabortion stance. Still, the district would be easier for Democrats to hold onto with Porter’s incumbency and financial reserves, according to Wasserman. “Democrats remain the favorites here because Porter spent so much of her money defining Scott Baugh negatively last cycle,” Wasserman said — though he noted that Min’s DUI offers opportunity for Republicans. CA-45: Rep. Michelle Steel versus Derek Tran First elected in 2020, incumbent GOP Rep. Michelle Steel will be fighting to defend her seat in a C-shaped inland Orange County district that includes a sliver of L.A. County. Democrats held a 5-point registration advantage as of late February, and Biden won the plurality-Asian district in 2020. But despite the registration advantage, Republicans turned out in higher numbers than Democrats in the 2022 midterms. Noparty-preference voters account for more than a fifth of the electorate. Derek Tran emerged out of a packed crowd of Democratic primary contenders, finishing several hundred votes ahead of Kim NguyenPenaloza, who came in third. Tran is the son of Vietnamese refugees, works as an attorney and owns a pharmacy. Steel, one of the first Korean women elected to Congress, previously served as an Orange County supervisor and California State Board of Equalization member. Her husband is a former chair of the California Republican Party. As a first-time candidate emerging from a crowded primary, Tran faces the challenge of building name recognition against a candidate who is well known in the district. That will be compounded by two factors, according to UC Irvine political science professor Louis DeSipio. Steel has a massive fundraising advantage, with more than $3 million on hand, versus Tran’s nearly $200,000. She also has the benefits of incumbency. “I think Tran has much more of an uphill battle to be able to get his issues and his name into voters’ minds,” DeSipio said. The fact that Tran is the son of Vietnamese immigrants could help him build name recognition but won’t be determinative, DeSipio said. The district includes Orange County’s Little Saigon, and Vietnamese Americans account for about 17% of voters, according to Political Data Inc. CA-41: Rep. Ken Calvert versus Will Rollins This is yet another rematch from 2022, with Democratic former federal prosecutor Will Rollins again hoping to unseat Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona), the longest-serving member of California’s congressional delegation. Calvert — who has represented parts of the Inland Empire for more than three decades — narrowly staved off Rollins last cycle in a race that was far more competitive than expected. This time, Rollins will be aided by the full backing of the Democratic Party and far more fundraising support. The Riverside County seat became slightly more favorable to Democrats in the last round of redistricting, with the addition of Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage on its eastern edge. The majority of the district remains on Calvert’s home turf of the Inland Empire, but the desert additions give it one of the largest concentrations of LGBTQ+ voters in the nation. Calvert has a history of voting against LGBTQ+ rights but said during the 2022 campaign that his views had evolved. That record will almost certainly come under fire in the Coachella Valley as he faces off against Rollins, a gay man who lives with his partner in Palm Springs. Still, culture war issues are likely to take a back seat to the bread-and-butter economic matters driving daily discourse in the bulk of the district, including inflation, the cost of housing and the extreme commutes faced by many community residents. Public safety and immigration will also factor into the campaign. Democrats and Republicans are virtually tied in registration numbers; the GOP had an advantage of several thousand voters as of early April. Trump won the district in 2020 by a little more than 1 percentage point, according to California Target Book. Rollins had about $3.2 million on hand as of the last filing period, while Calvert had about $2.6 million. CA-13: Adam Gray versus Rep. John Duarte In a heavily agricultural San Joaquin Valley district that encompasses all of Merced County and parts of Fresno, Madera, San Joaquin and Stanislaus, Republican Rep. John Duarte of Modesto will once again face off against Adam Gray after narrowly vanquishing the Democrat in 2022. Two years ago, this was the second-closest House race in the nation, with Duarte winning by just 564 votes. It will be one of the most avidly watched races again this year. “Right now, the single most vulnerable Republican incumbent is John Duarte, in my view,” Wasserman said of the California races. “Adam Gray came within a hair of winning the seat [in 2022]. Duarte is not yet as established a political brand as [David] Valadao,” Wasserman explained, comparing the freshman representative to his five-term GOP counterpart to the south. “And in a presidential cycle, this district ought to vote for a Democrat.” The district had low Democratic turnout in 2022 but favored Biden by 11 points in 2020, according to California Target Book. Wasserman stressed that there are questions about the strength of Biden’s support among Latino voters. A scenario in which Trump manages to make inroads with those voters would favor Duarte, Wasserman said. The district has a slight Latino majority, while white voters account for nearly 40% of the electorate, according to California Target Book. The district includes the cities of Madera, Ceres and Merced and portions of Modesto and Turlock, as well as rural swaths of the San Joaquin Valley. Despite Biden’s doubledigit margin of victory in 2020, Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Dahle beat Gov. Gavin Newsom by more than 8 points in the district in 2022 — a partisan seesawing that speaks to the large number of independent voters, as well as strong Republican turnout in the 2022 midterms. As of late February, Democrats held a 13-point registration advantage. No-party-preference voters made up more than a fifth of the electorate. Gray outraised Duarte in the most recent filing period, ending March 31. But Duarte has more cash on hand, $1.8 million, versus Gray’s $1.2 million, according to federal filings. CA-22: Rep. David Valadao versus Rudy Salas Once a safely Republican domain, California’s 22nd Congressional District is in a part of the San Joaquin Valley that has grown increasingly purple in recent years, with Democrats now holding the registration advantage. As in the 13th District to the north, economic issues and inflation will likely be top of mind for these voters. Issues regarding water — including access for agriculture, as well as quality and availability in wells — will also be crucial, along with healthcare access, said Thomas Holyoke, a professor of political science at Fresno State University. Tulare County dairy farmer Rep. David Valadao has been in office since 2013, aside from a two-year interlude when he was ousted by Democratic challenger T.J. Cox during the 2018 blue wave of congressional victories nationwide. Valadao regained his seat in 2020 and was one of 10 House Republicans to vote for Trump’s impeachment after the Jan. 6 insurrection. The 22nd is a majorityLatino district that includes parts of Kern, Tulare and Kings counties, several small towns and a portion of Bakersfield. Voters favored Biden over Trump by 13 points in 2020, making Valadao one of the most vulnerable GOP incumbents in the country. He prevailed over Democratic challenger and former Assemblymember Rudy Salas by 3 points in 2022, and the two will meet again in November. Democratic infighting in the 2024 primary, when Salas faced competition from Melissa Hurtado, cost the party establishment millions to consolidate support behind Salas. Salas significantly outraised Valadao in the last quarter but has far less cash on hand. Six districts to watch in House elections REP. David Valadao (R-Hanford) prevailed over former Democratic Assemblymember Rudy Salas in 2022, and the two will meet again in November. Jacquelyn Martin; Rich Pedroncelli Associated Press REP. Mike Garcia (R-Santa Clarita) is taking on former Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides, a Democrat who has put $1 million into his campaign. Reed Saxon Associated Press; J. Scott Applewhite Associated Press REP. Michelle Steel (R-Seal Beach) will fight to defend her mostly Orange County district against Derek Tran, who won a packed Democratic primary. Alex Brandon Associated Press; Derek Tran campaign REP. Ken Calvert (R-Corona) faces a rematch with former federal prosecutor Will Rollins, a Democrat who waged a competitive race in the last election. U.S. House Office of Photography; courtesy of Will Rollins DEMOCRAT Adam Gray will again take on Rep. John Duarte of Modesto, the “single most vulnerable Republican incumbent,” according to one analyst. Associated Press STATE. SEN. Dave Min (D-Irvine) has been battered over a DUI arrest, a controversy that’s sure to be a focus of Republican competitor Scott Baugh. Rich Pedroncelli Associated Press; Gary Coronado Los Angeles Times These California congressional districts could determine control of the House Five of the six districts are currently represented by Republicans. The other is an open seat, soon to be vacated by Democratic Rep. Katie Porter. 13 22 27 41 45 47 - Open seat Los Angeles Times Irvine San Jose Fresno [Districts, from B1] PARTISAN makeup of the next Congress could depend on races in California. Patrick Semansky Associated Press
LATIMES.COM TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 B3 CITY & STATE By the time police officers breached the pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA on Thursday morning, there were only about a dozen journalists there on assignment to document the final showdown at a space that for nearly a week had played host to both peaceful student protest and attacks by violent outsiders. The confrontation would last for hours. Hundreds of arrests would be made, and blood would flow. For two young journalists new to the profession, it was a baptism by fire. Staff and freelance reporters and photographers were there representing mainstream outlets including the Los Angeles Times, Reuters and LAist. And then there were Taylor Parise and Caylo Seals of the Corsair, Santa Monica College’s tiny school newspaper. It was the assignment of a lifetime for the two young journalists. Seals, a 21-yearold photographer who moved to Los Angeles from Colorado about three years ago, had shot a few other major events, including an abortion rights rally in downtown L.A. that Vice President Kamala Harris led in April 2023. For Parise, a 24-year-old reporter who moved west from Kansas when she was 18 to study theater before deciding to pursue journalism, the last stand of the UCLA encampment was the first prominent news event she had ever covered on the ground. This is her third semester working for the Corsair, and until a few months ago she was arts and entertainment editor, a position that allowed her to write about important issues such as last year’s strikes by Hollywood writers and actors, but mostly she reported from behind a computer screen. “This is my first big breaking story,” she told The Times inside the encampment early Thursday morning during the hours-long lull between when police declared it an illegal assembly and when they began arresting the protesters inside. When the two reporters got word on Wednesday afternoon that something was afoot at UCLA, Parise and Seals rushed to Westwood from a May Day protest they had been covering in Hollywood. After arriving at the campus around 5:15 p.m., they tried repeatedly to go into the encampment via various entry points, but protesters were barring entry to outsiders. So they interviewed student supporters nearby and kept trying. Shortly after 11 p.m., a former Corsair photo editor gained access to the space and vouched for them, which allowed them to get in before protesters blocked the entrances in a doomed attempt to keep police at bay. “They were chaining the steps in behind us,” Seals said, “so we didn’t have a way out, really.” Two other Corsair photographers, Seals said, were there to capture the event for the community college newspaper, which has a staff of about 25. One was outside the encampment near the police, and the other was with the hundreds of protesters who stood outside the encampment into the wee hours of Thursday morning, chanting, “Free Palestine” and “You don’t scare us, we’re not leaving.” What Parise and Seals didn’t know at the time was that, once inside, they would be there for six more hours. And they were woefully unprepared. As the hour grew late and temperatures dipped into the low 50s, Parise, without long sleeves, was left to shiver in her T-shirt. And although, as Seals said, he and Parise had mentally prepared for the potential they’d be arrested when police moved in, neither had the helmets, masks or other equipment that most protesters and other journalists wore to protect them from rubber projectiles, tear gas and other potential threats. Parise did don a pair of goggles that she found on the ground inside the encampment. But the pair didn’t have food, or even extra water. “We didn’t eat all day,” Parise said. “We were running on fumes.” By the end, an app on the student’s phone said she had walked 13 miles. Yet they got their story — without being hurt or arrested. They made the decision to stick near other, more experienced members of the media for strength in numbers, which provided some comfort. Still, it was a “very strange” experience, according to Parise, who said she was impressed by the level of organization and sense of community that seemed to permeate the encampment. “You’re in this bubble once you enter inside,” she said. “It does give you this end of the world and all or nothing mentality. … It’s an almost postapocalyptic feeling.” Seals said he “went into it super-nervous” that they could get arrested or hurt and at times felt hemmed in. But that all faded once the showdown with police began. “As soon as stuff started happening, this sense of zen came over me, and that sense of claustrophobia went away,” he said. “I wonder if it’s just that separation where you have the camera in front of your face.” Seals said he ended up in one dicey situation where he was trapped among some of the more aggressive demonstrators, one of whom screamed at him and hit his camera with a board. But, ultimately, the Corsair journalists made it back home unscathed if a little worse for wear, with adrenaline pumping through their veins. They skipped class Friday to write up the story and edit their photos. Within hours, their work was posted on the Corsair website. Parise’s story ended with a quote from Mona, a UCLA student whom she interviewed in the pro-Palestinian encampment. “At the end of the day, no matter what happens to the camp, no matter how the administration has neglected us, we will continue to pressure the university, because student voices can make an impact,” said Mona, who declined to give Parise her last name. Similarly, Parise and Seals say they will carry the lessons they learned reporting last week as they develop as journalists. “I was pretty proud that we had gotten access because some photojournalists I admire were on the outside and didn’t get access,” Seals said. “I thought it was going to be a really good story, and it turned out to be.” POLICE move in Thursday morning to clear a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA. A reporter and photographer from Santa Monica College found themselves inside, documenting events as they unfolded Wally Skalij Los Angeles Young journalists wind up in middle of action Two from Santa Monica College cover showdown from inside UCLA encampment. By Connor Sheets REPORTER Taylor Parise was on her “first big breaking story.” Taylor Parise PHOTOGRAPHER Caylo Seals was “supernervous” at first. Taylor Parise Late spring winds whipped through Southern California over the weekend and fanned multiple brush fires while dashing the hopes of music festival-goers in Redondo Beach. The forecast for Tuesday promises to bring more strong gusts in smaller pockets of the region. That includes the Interstate 5 corridor near the Grapevine and parts of Santa Barbara, according to the National Weather Service, with projected gusts reaching 40 mph to 50 mph in the evening. The Antelope Valley is also expected to receive wind gusts up to 30 or 40 mph around the same time, forecasts show. A storm system brought cooler temperatures and light rain alongside the formidable wind gusts to the region, starting Saturday. While the winds were nothing to sneeze at, the gusts are common in late spring. “It was a pretty good wind event, but it wasn’t what I would call record-breaking,” meteorologist David Gomberg with the National Weather Service in Oxnard said. Gusts reached 68 mph at a weather station in the mountains east of the Cajon Pass, 55 mph in Santa Barbara Island and 53 mph in Montecito Hills north of Santa Barbara over a 24- hour period starting Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. The widespread winds arrived with the weak storm front that passed through the region, Gomberg said. The timing was unfortunate for fans of My Morning Jacket and Courtney Barnett, whose performances at the BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach were canceled along with the rest of the event’s third day because of the “serious wind event that put the general public at risk,” organizers said in a Facebook post. Fans were able to attend shows on Friday and Saturday, when Sting and Incubus were among the performers. “While we take extraordinary measures to keep our fans, staff and artists safe, and while absolutely none of our engineered structures or systems failed, winds quickly reached very dangerous speeds and we put safety first,” organizers said in their post. The wind did not discriminate with its ruination. Strong winds toppled a scaffolding four to five stories tall onto a set of power lines in the 1000 block of North St. Andrews Place in Hollywood on Sunday, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The scaffolding was erected against a building, but was swept out by the wind around 2 p.m., forcing emergency responders to divert traffic and pedestrians away from area. There were no reported injuries as firefighters responded to the scene, and no one was on the scaffolding during the incident, according to the Fire Department. LAFD firefighters also had to respond to a quarteracre brush fire fanned by persistent winds in North Hollywood shortly before 3 p.m. near the 170 Freeway at Burbank Boulevard. Firefighters were able to contain and put out the fire within 25 minutes, LAFD said. Roughly 30 minutes later, firefighters responded to reports of a brush fire in the Sepulveda Basin in the 6100 block of North Woodley Avenue. Dry vegetation burned near an archery range, forcing employees and customers to temporarily leave the area; firefighters put out the blaze in about 70 minutes, LAFD said in a news alert. The flames were fanned by wind gusts of 20 mph to 30 mph, according to the Fire Department. Starting Wednesday, Southern California will see a light offshore event that will bring north and northeast winds to Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The winds will bring “very light and breezy conditions,” Gomberg said. Those winds will be coupled with decreased humidity and warmer temperatures, but thanks to the recent rains, vegetation in the region should not become too much of a fire hazard, he said. Southern Californians are not the only ones who will be battling head winds. The National Weather Service in Sacramento cautions drivers that gusty winds are expected to kick up starting Tuesday from Vacaville north to Redding, with a high probability for gusts to reach 40 mph. No matter where drivers are heading during strong wind events, Gomberg said, they should be on the lookout for downed branches, fallen power lines and other wind-blown hazards in their general surroundings. Strong winds stir trouble in Southland Brush fires burn, a music festival is called off, and scaffolding falls onto power lines. By Nathan Solis WINDS TOPPLED a tree that fell onto a vehicle on Sunday in Culver City. No injuries were reported. Genaro Molina Los Angeles Times Two men were found dead Sunday morning in a “human-dug” cave in a Northridge embankment, officials said. The hollowed-out space was about 2 or 3 feet high. There is no foul play suspected in the deaths at this time, LAPD spokesperson Tony Im said. An unknown white powder was found near the bodies, which spurred the Los Angeles Fire Department to call out a hazardous-materials team. An urban search and rescue team also was summoned to the site to determine whether the embankment needed shoring up. It didn’t. The makeshift cave sits near a homeless encampment. No further information was available of Sunday. 2 men found dead in human-made hillside cave in Northridge No foul play is suspected in the deaths near a homeless camp. By Rachel Uranga A Los Angeles Police Department detective has been charged with hit-andrun exactly one year after she allegedly rear-ended another vehicle on the 5 Freeway while off-duty. Prosecutors allege that the detective, Stephanie Carrillo, 47, crashed an unmarked LAPD vehicle into a civilian’s vehicle on May 3, 2023, damaging its rear. Both parties initially pulled over, but Carrillo allegedly got back in her vehicle and fled the scene, according to a statement from the L.A. County district attorney’s office. Later that day, Carrillo filed a report at a California Highway Patrol station in Orange County stating that she had been in a hit-andrun, according to the statement. “Irresponsible and unlawful behavior by law enforcement as allegedly exhibited by Officer Carrillo not only violates public trust but goes against the oath taken by law enforcement to keep the public safe,” Dist. Atty. George Gascón said. The CHP’s East Los Angeles station investigated the incident. The LAPD said in a statement Friday that Carrillo has worked for the department for 24 years. “The Los Angeles Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division initiated an administrative investigation into this allegation, and Carrillo was relieved of her police powers pending the resolution of the administrative investigation,” the statement said. “With the oversight of the Inspector General, the department will ensure administrative accountability in this matter.” Carrillo’s arraignment on a single charge of misdemeanor hit-and-run is scheduled for May 22 at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in L.A. She faces up to six months in jail if convicted. It was not immediately clear from court records Friday evening whether Carrillo had retained a lawyer. LAPD detective charged in hit-and-run By Connor Sheets Stephanie Carrillo allegedly rear-ended someone on freeway while off-duty.
B4 TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 LATIMES.COM in their congressional districts. The respondents were almost evenly split in their party identifications, with about a third Republican, a third Democrat and a third choosing another option. UC Irvine’s findings are already getting attention and exciting Democrats. Money will probably flow toward congressional races, because taking out Steel and Kim and keeping the seat currently occupied by Rep. Katie Porter can help flip the House. But Orange County’s purple revolution reminds me of Jesus’ bitter comment in the Gospels that a prophet is honored everywhere except in his hometown, and among his own family. While the rise of Democrats in O.C. has made all the headlines, the facts on the ground tell a different story. In terms of local political power, Republicans still rule — and it’s not even close. They hold every countywide elected position and all the seats on the Orange County Board of Education. While reform-minded sheriffs and district attorneys have won in major metro areas in recent years, O.C.’s top lawmen are proudly regressive Republicans — and voters love it. Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer won his 2022 reelection bid outright in the primary. Sheriff Don Barnes did even better that spring: There was no election because no one bothered to run against him. There are more Republican Assembly members from O.C. than Democratic ones, and a majority of city councils in the county lean GOP. Democrats do hold all but one state Senate seat, but on the Board of Supervisors, their majority is only putative because Doug Chaffee, who represents northern Orange County, has the pesky habit of siding with his GOP colleagues a bit too much. Political change is happening here, but to act as if a purple Orange County exists is dangerous for Democrats. It lulls them into believing their own hype — and local history offers a cautionary tale. In 1990, Republicans held a 22% voter registration advantage over Democrats, and the idea that Democrats could matter outside of Santa Ana and a handful of other cities was never considered, because it was so outlandish. What did the GOP do with that advantage? They let it erode like the shoreline in San Clemente. Pundits attribute this development to the exodus of white Republicans to other states, the emergence of the Latino vote and an increase in college-educated voters, who overwhelmingly sided with Biden over Trump in the UC Irvine poll. No, it was hubris — that grand leveler of the mighty — that did the GOP in. The party alienated Latino voters for a generation by backing the anti-immigrant Proposition 187, and it let a once-vaunted farm system of candidates dry up. Leaders decided to stand athwart a liberalizing Orange County instead of adapt. Democrats, on the other hand, capitalized on openings — the GOP war on LGBTQ+ and abortion rights, court-mandated district elections, everincreasing cost of living — with two successive party chairs, Fran Sdao and Ada Briceño, who played to win instead of settling for perpetual second-banana status. The historic developments of 2016, 2018 and 2019 all came because of an underdog mentality that assumed nothing. I hope Orange County Democrats remember this. Their victories have worked like chlorine in the whiny conservative swamp that was Orange County. But thinking we now wade in a purple wonderland proved disastrous in 2022. Besides the reelections of Spitzer and Barnes, the party endorsed a more progressive Democrat to take on Chaffee, only to see Chaffee win decisively. Even worse was what happened in Huntington Beach. Leading up to the general election, four of the city’s seven council members were Democrats — a once-unthinkable development in MAGA-by-the-Sea. All local liberals had to do was win one of those seats, and they could have created a blue beachside haven akin to HB’s rival for the Surf City nickname, Santa Cruz. Instead, a bunch of Democrats ran and canceled one another out. Republicans, meanwhile, formed a slate and took over the City Council. This new majority has turned Huntington Beach into a poster child for Trumpism, and they’re not done: Another slate of hard-right candidates is taking on the three remaining Democratic council members in November. Democrats have already staged key victories this year, hinting that they’ve learned their lessons. They beat back a recall of Santa Ana Councilmember Jessie Lopez and helped recall two conservative members of the Orange Unified school board. In both cases, they were going up against better-funded opposition and fought as if they lived in the ruby red O.C. of not that long ago. Leave the thoughts of a purple reign to Prince, O.C. Dems — there’s still a lot of work to do. GOP still strong in ‘purple’ O.C. VOLUNTEERS help a Democrat register to vote at the Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa in 2019. Allen J. Schaben Los Angeles Times [Arellano, from B1] wounds, and heard the sound of police outside her window. Neighbors who heard her screams had called for help and stepped in to stop her attacker, according to authorities. Cassandra Calles had just enough strength to climb down the flight of stairs and let police into the building. She told them her attacker was her neighbor, Angela Calles said, leading to the man’s arrest. Cassandra Calles was transported to a hospital and placed in the intensive care unit, but María José died in her home from her injuries, according to authorities. “She always asked her mom’s permission when she could go outside,” Angela Calles said from her home in California’s Orange County. “She was never a bad girl.” María José was known around her neighborhood as the teenage girl who walked her two pet Chihuahuas daily. She wanted to study business administration and travel abroad. She hoped to land a career that would allow her to give her mother a better life and maybe one day buy her a home. “This has been hard for us because it was like someone stole her dreams,” Angela Calles said about her niece. “She’s not going to be able to get married, she’s not going to be able to finish her career. She’s not going to be able to help her mom anymore.” Multiple Mexican news outlets identified the suspect as Miguel Cortés Miranda, a biologist who lived alone in Cassandra’s building. Mexican authorities revealed only the suspect’s first name, as is customary in Mexico, and said he sexually assaulted his victims before he allegedly killed them. Days after the attack, investigators with the Mexico City attorney general’s office searched the suspect’s apartment and discovered the human remains of several women. They also found a saw, cellphones, CDs, a memory stick and DNA evidence, along with the notebooks that allegedly detailed his crimes. “We are working on the genetic study to determine who the remains found in the homes belonged to,” attorney general spokesperson Ulises Lara said in a video statement. The suspect is being held in police custody on suspicion of femicide and attempted femicide, according to authorities. He’s scheduled to appear in court sometime in the next six months as authorities continue their investigation. Angela Calles and her husband traveled to Mexico City after María José’s killing to support her sister and other niece. She plans to return to Mexico for any court hearings in the case, but Angela Calles, a medical assistant based in California, will have to schedule those visits around her chemotherapy treatment for Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. The family plans to bury María José after her mother is able to leave the hospital and say one last goodbye. Five of the IDs found in Cortés apartment belong to women who are still alive, Lara with the Mexico City attorney general’s office said. It’s unclear how many other IDs belong to women who are missing or presumed to be dead, Lara said. The attorney general’s office drew criticism in the Mexican news media and among residents after the suspect’s arrest, because one news outlet claimed that prosecutors had information about Cortés before the April 16 killing in connection to another case. Lara “categorically rejected” such allegations in a video statement and said that his office would hold accountable anyone who released false information about the investigation. Relatives of Frida Sofía Lima Rivera, a woman who went missing in 2015, were contacted by investigators because they believe she could be one of Cortés’ victims, according to Mexican news outlet Milenio. The family is waiting for more information from a DNA test that could prove that Cortés targeted his victims more than a decade ago. Angela Calles accuses Mexican investigators of minimizing crimes against women and girls. “Every time a female is killed, [Mexican authorities] try to cover it up and say, ‘Oh, nothing is happening,’ ” Angela Calles said. “In the case of my niece, this is a lie. My niece has to be killed so we can know what has been happening all this time.” Before the attack, Cassandra Calles sold flowers and other goods in an outdoor market in Mexico City. Now she will need therapy after she’s released from the hospital, according to her family, who started a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for funeral expenses and medical bills. Her sister doesn’t know what to say or how to help her rebuild her life. “I cannot help my sister,” Angela Calles said. “I cannot give her daughter back to her.” Police in Mexico suspect serial killer in attack MARÍA José Calles was killed in Mexico City in April by a man who also stabbed her mother repeatedly. Courtesy of Angela Calles [Killing, from B1] 09CL397 Sell your unwanted items where they’ll be appreciated. latimes.com/marketplace A baby grand in the baby’s room Pass it on. ? HOW TO PLACE AN AD ADVERTISING POLICIES For Los Angeles Times advertising terms and conditions go to: www.latimes.com/about/la-ads-terms-20181105-htmlstory.html Self-service 24/7: latimes.com/placead Contact us by phone 24/7: 800-234-4444 Palos Verdes Bluff Beautiful Home on large lot Magical Ocean Views Desert Pacific Properties DRE 01420416 / 02198860 Claire Harvey 760.636.3501 agt HOMES FOR SALE LA COUNTY SOUTH BAY FOR SALE MARKETPLACE JOBS · REAL ESTATE · MORE latimes.com/placead To place an ad call 1.800.234.4444 RFP HVAC Replacement and Maintenance Green Dot Public Schools CA is accepting proposals for HVAC Replacement. RFP is available at ca.greendot.org/rfp Bids Wanted SUMMONS CITACION JUDICIAL) Case Number (Numero delCaso): 23SMCV05249 NOTICE TO DEFENDANT: (AVISO AL DEMANDADO): BMGM, LLC; George Saad; Bishoy Saad;Josue Santiago; and DOES 1-100 YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF: (LO ESTA DEMANDANDO EL DEMANDANTE): Nikhil Sawhney NOTICE! You have been sued. The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days. Read the information below. You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and haveacopy served on the plaintiff.Aletter or phone call will not protect you. Your written response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www. courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court. There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service. If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web Site (www. lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association. NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court’s lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case. іAVISO! Lo han demandado. Si no responde dentro de 30 dias, la corte puede decider en su contra sin escuchar su version. Lea la informacion a continuacion. Tiene 30 DIAS DE CALENDARIO despues de que le entreguen esta citacion y papeles legales para presenter una respuesta por escrito en esta corte y hacer que se entregue una copia al demandante. Una cartaouna llamada telefonica no lo protegen. Su respuesta por escrito tiene que estar en formato legal correcto si desea que procesen su caso en la corte. Es posible que haya un formulario que usted pueda usar para su respuesta. Puede encontrar estos formularios de la corteymas informacion en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California (www.sucorte.ca.gov), en la biblioteca de leyes de su condado o en la corte que le quede mas cerca. Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentacion, pida al secretario de la corte que le de un formulario de exencion de pago de cuotas. Si no presenta su respuesta a tiempo, puede perder el caso por incumplimiento y la corte le podra quitar su sueldo, dinero y bienes sin mas advertencia. The name and address of the court is: (El nombre y direccion de la corte es): Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles - Santa Monica Courthouse 1725 Main Street Santa Monica, CA 90401 The name, address, and telephone number of plaintiff’s attorney, or plaintiff without an attorney, is: (El nombre, la direccion y el numero de telefono del abogado del demandante, o del demandante que no tiene abogado, es): McNulty Law Firm 827 Moraga Drive Los Angeles, CA 90049 310-471-2707 Date: (Fecha) 11/07/2023 David W. Slayton Clerk (Secretario) M. Elder Deputy (Adjunto) Legal Notices (Answers tomorrow) Now arrange the circled letters to form the surprise answer, as suggested by the above cartoon. THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME By David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek Unscramble these Jumbles, one letter to each square, to form four ordinary words. ©2024 Tribune Content Agency, LLC All Rights Reserved. Get the free JUST JUMBLE app • Follow us on Twitter @PlayJumble GARFT DUXEE ININMO OCPULE GRIME WAGER SYSTEM MODEST Yesterday’s Jumbles: Answer: She was exhausted after baking so many sugar cookies and was ready for — SWEET DREAMS Legal Notices SUMMONS CITACION JUDICIAL) Case Number (Numero delCaso): 23SMCV03802 NOTICE TO DEFENDANT: (AVISO AL DEMANDADO): Agnes Itzhaki, an individual, Rontal Development, LP, a California limited partnership, Rontal Development, LLC, a California limited liability company; and DOES 1 to 50, inclusive YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF: (LO ESTA DEMANDANDO EL DEMANDANTE): Messner Reeves LLP NOTICE! You have been sued. The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days. Read the information below. You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to fileawritten response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff.Aletter or phone call will not protect you. Your written response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www. courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court. There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service. If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services fromanonprofit legalservices program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web Site (www. lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association. NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court’s lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case. іAVISO! Lo han demandado. Si no responde dentro de 30 dias, la corte puede decider en su contra sin escuchar su version. Lea la informacion a continuacion. Tiene 30 DIAS DE CALENDARIO despues de que le entreguen esta citacion y papeles legales para presenter una respuesta por escrito en esta corte y hacer que se entregue una copia al demandante. Una carta o una llamada telefonica no lo protegen. Su respuesta por escrito tiene que estar en formato legal correcto si desea que procesen su caso en la corte. Es posible que haya un formulario que usted pueda usar para su respuesta. Puede encontrar estos formularios de la corte y mas informacion en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California (www.sucorte.ca.gov), en la biblioteca de leyes de su condado o en la corte que le quede mas cerca. Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentacion, pida al secretario de la corte que le de un formulario de exencion de pago de cuotas. Si no presenta su respuestaatiempo, puede perder el caso por incumplimiento y la corte le podra quitar su sueldo, dinero y bienes sin mas advertencia. The name and address of the court is: (El nombre y direccion de la corte es): Superior Court of California 1725 Main Street Santa Monica, CA 90401 The name, address, and telephone number of plaintiff’s attorney, or plaintiff without an attorney, is: (El nombre, la direccion y el numero de telefono del abogado del demandante, o del demandante que no tiene abogado, es): Andrew S. Hollins 650 Town Center Drive, Suite 700 Costa Mesa, CA 92626 (949) 612-9128 Date: (Fecha) 12/07/2023 David W. Slayton Clerk (Secretario) C. Meeks Deputy (Adjunto) Legal Notices Legal Notices
LATIMES.COM TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 B5 Pressure: L Low C H High Warm Front old Front Jet Stream Trough –0 0s 10s 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s 100+ Rain T-storm Snow Ice Temps ◗ ▲ Monterrey Monterrey 105/74 Chihuah Chihuahua 96/63 Los Angeles 74/56 Washington Washington 78/65 New York 80/61 Miami 88/76 Atlanta Atlanta 87/69 Detroit 69/57 Houston Houston 89/75 Kansas City 78/54 Chicago 75/57 Minneapolis Minneapolis 72/51 El Paso 89/63 Denver 60/33 Billings 49/36 San Francisco 67/52 Seattle 59/44 Toronto 65/49 Montreal 69/47 Winnipeg 62/49 Monterrey 105/74 Chihuahua 96/63 Los Angeles 74/56 Washington 78/65 New York 80/61 Miami 88/76 Atlanta 87/69 Detroit 69/57 Houston 89/75 Kansas City 78/54 Chicago 75/57 Minneapolis 72/51 El Paso 89/63 Denver 60/33 Billings 49/36 San Francisco 67/52 Seattle 59/44 Toronto 65/49 Montreal 69/47 Winnipeg 62/49 Good Moderate Unhealthful for: Sensitive people All Not Available South Coast Air Quality Management District forecasts air quality Air quality Today in Southern California Today in North America 5-day forecasts High/low temperatures are average forecasts for entire zone. L.A. Basin Valleys Beaches Mountains Deserts Surf and sea POINT CONCEPTION TO MEXICO California cities* Tides Almanac UV index Sun and moon L.A. Outer Harbor, in feet. County Height Period Direction Temp Monday Downtown readings Minutes to burn for sensitive people Temperature Los Angeles Fullerton Ventura* Today’s rise/set May 7 May 15 May 23 May 30 Los Angeles Co. Orange Co. Ventura Co. VENTURA CO. LOS ANGELES CO. RIVERSIDE CO. SAN BERNARDINO CO. SANTA BARBARA CO. SAN DIEGO CO. ORANGE CO. Santa Barbara Ventura Oxnard Ojai Camarillo Santa Paula Westlake Village Woodland Hills Santa Monica Torrance Long Beach Newport Beach Santa Ana Laguna Beach San Clemente Mission Viejo Irvine Oceanside Escondido Poway Ramona San Diego Temecula Hemet Palm Springs Fullerton Chino Riverside Ontario Pomona/ Fairplex San Bernardino Yucca Valley Hesperia Whittier Hills UCLA Simi Valley Chatsworth Burbank Monrovia Santa Clarita L.A. Downtown Key: Su sunny; Pc partly cloudy; Cy cloudy; Fg foggy; Prcp precipitation; Dr drizzle; Hz hazy Sh showers; Ts thunderstorms; R rain; Sn snow; Sf snow flurries; I ice; Rs rain/snow; W windy; Tr trace. Notes: National extremes exclude Alaska and Hawaii. * - data estimated. Monday’s readings as of 2 p.m. U.S. cities City Hi Lo Prcp. Hi Lo Sky City Hi Lo Prcp. Hi Lo Sky World City Hi Lo Prcp. Hi Lo Hi Lo City Hi Lo Prcp. Hi Lo Hi Lo City Hi Lo Prcp. Hi Lo Hi Lo Sun 5:58a/7:42p 5:57a/7:40p 6:01a/7:46p Moon 5:29a/7:41p 5:28a/7:39p 5:32a/7:46p Sunny 74/57 Mostly sunny 76/54 Sunny 76/56 Mostly sunny 77/60 Sunny 79/54 Mostly sunny 78/54 Sunny 82/55 Sunny 82/59 Mostly sunny 68/56 Partly sunny 70/54 Sunny 70/55 Partly sunny 67/56 Sunny; cool 60/29 Mostly sunny 60/34 Mostly sunny 64/39 Sunny 66/34 Sunny 92/66 Sunny 94/71 Mostly sunny 97/72 Hot 99/70 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny Mostly sunny Mostly sunny Breezy in the p.m. Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Today Inner waters: Wind east at 5-10 knots, becoming west at 10-20 knots in the afternoon with wind waves of 1-3 feet. West-southwest swell at 3-5 feet. Surf zone: The risk for strong rip currents is moderate at the S.B. and Orange county beaches and high elsewhere. Santa Barbara 2-4’ 9 sec W 54 Ventura 3-6’ 9 sec W 54 Los Angeles 3-6’ 15 sec W 59 Orange 2-4’ 17 sec SW 60 San Diego 3-6’ 17 sec SW 63 Today 9:46a 4.3 Hi 3:32a -1.0 Lo 9:16p 6.6 Hi 3:00p 1.1 Lo Wed. 10:41a 4.0 Hi 4:18a -1.3 Lo 9:52p 6.6 Hi 3:36p 1.5 Lo High/low 70/55 73/50 64/50 Normal high/low 73/57 76/57 69/51 High/low a year ago 68/53 70/51 63/49 Record high/date 97/1990 94/2020 89/1949 Record low/date 43/1892 50/2024 41/1964 24-hour total (as of 2 p.m.) 0.00 0.00 0.07 Season total (since Oct. 1) 22.15 16.59 24.69 Last season (Oct. 1 to date) 28.02 21.31 26.96 Season norm (Oct. 1 to date) 13.89 11.46 15.77 Humidity (high/low) 71/34 89/36 76/42 Precipitation Los Angeles Fullerton Ventura* Las Vegas, 10 Los Angeles, 10 Phoenix, 10 San Francisco, 25 74/56 77/54 68/55 66/29 95/66 69/49 76/47 66/50 68/50 75/48 73/49 74/50 76/53 69/57 72/57 67/58 66/56 68/55 70/55 73/51 70/56 68/60 73/46 74/48 70/51 72/55 70/58 68/55 75/54 73/56 78/50 76/47 95/66 75/45 74/56 69/54 77/54 76/51 81/52 74/54 77/55 82/41 75/51 76/52 79/50 83/56 Forecasts by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2024 High 95 in Fort Stockton, Texas Low 15 in Grand Canyon, Ariz. Monday Today Monday Today Albany 78 51 .03 78 53 Su Albuquerque 71 48 -- 79 47 Su Anchorage 47 41 .32 52 38 Pc Aspen 38 26 .19 43 19 Sf Atlanta 85 67 .07 87 69 Su Austin 85 74 .06 91 73 Ts Baltimore 74 63 .04 78 63 Sh Boise 57 42 .08 55 36 Sh Boston 76 48 .28 69 50 Su Bufalo 69 53 -- 75 59 Cy Burlington, Vt. 75 53 .03 71 47 Su Charleston, S.C. 85 69 .31 89 71 Pc Charlotte 78 67 .21 87 69 Ts Chicago 69 48 -- 75 57 Ts Cincinnati 74 62 .38 79 63 Ts Cleveland 65 54 -- 75 60 Ts Columbia, S.C. 80 69 .34 89 70 Pc Columbus 70 62 1.14 80 64 Ts Dallas/Ft.Worth 84 71 .01 90 74 Su Denver 57 49 .02 60 33 W Detroit 67 48 -- 69 57 Ts El Paso 86 68 -- 89 63 W Eugene 57 47 .19 61 36 Sh Fort Myers 90 70 .01 91 74 Su Hartford 76 50 .12 82 53 Su Honolulu 84 72 .03 83 70 Sh Houston 84 72 .02 89 75 Pc Indianapolis 74 61 .04 76 60 Ts Jacksonville, Fla. 88 69 .10 93 68 Pc Kansas City 75 55 .01 78 54 Pc Knoxville 80 65 .49 84 67 Ts Las Vegas 78 58 -- 85 57 Su Louisville 75 66 .76 84 65 Ts Medford 59 41 .05 63 38 Pc Memphis 84 66 1.12 86 70 Ts Miami 85 75 .02 88 76 Pc Milwaukee 64 48 -- 71 55 Ts Minneapolis 74 51 -- 72 51 Ts Nashville 80 67 .65 84 69 Ts New Orleans 86 75 -- 88 76 Pc New York 73 52 .05 80 61 Pc Norfolk 83 68 .23 80 68 Ts Oklahoma City 80 60 .20 81 64 Su Omaha 75 52 .13 75 49 Pc Orlando 89 68 .04 93 71 Ts Philadelphia 73 59 .06 81 61 Cy Phoenix 86 61 -- 92 66 Su Pittsburgh 72 60 .05 80 66 Ts Portland, Ore. 60 49 .18 60 43 Sh Providence 68 47 .41 76 50 Su Raleigh/Durham 81 69 Tr 88 69 Ts Reno 66 36 -- 64 37 Su Richmond 81 67 .48 82 66 Ts St. Louis 78 62 .24 84 58 Ts Salt Lake City 55 35 .10 49 38 R Acapulco 88 73 -- 85 72 Cy Amsterdam 64 48 Tr 65 49 Pc Athens 76 50 -- 76 60 Pc Bangkok 102 88 .02 96 82 R Barcelona 68 57 .01 66 54 Su Berlin 68 45 -- 61 46 Cy Cabo San Lucas 86 69 -- 86 70 Hz Cairo 82 64 -- 82 63 Su Dubai 99 82 -- 100 85 Su Dublin 57 50 .56 61 45 Pc Havana 90 74 .12 92 72 Sh Ho Chi Minh City 97 81 Tr 96 83 Su Hong Kong 86 79 .09 86 76 Ts Istanbul 64 48 -- 70 57 Su Jerusalem 64 54 .15 70 49 Su Johannesburg 77 48 -- 78 56 Su Kuala Lumpur 91 77 .12 90 75 Ts Lima 73 65 -- 73 65 Cy London 58 49 .32 69 48 Pc Madrid 72 50 -- 74 45 Su Mecca 105 72 -- 102 70 Hz Mexico City 89 60 -- 90 62 Cy Montreal 72 52 Tr 69 47 Pc Moscow 46 37 -- 43 30 Cy Mumbai 90 84 -- 93 82 Su New Delhi 104 82 -- 108 83 Su Paris 64 52 .03 68 49 Pc Prague 66 48 .30 56 47 R Rome 70 48 -- 69 53 Cy Seoul 59 57 .40 62 50 Cy Singapore 90 80 .07 87 79 Ts Taipei City 84 76 -- 86 71 Ts Tokyo 72 66 .21 71 65 W Vancouver 59 46 .11 59 43 Su Vienna 77 52 .22 68 53 Cy Seattle 54 46 .16 59 44 Pc Tampa 88 74 Tr 89 76 Su Tucson 82 55 -- 90 59 Su Tulsa 79 58 .08 84 64 Su Washington, D.C. 76 67 .04 78 65 Sh Wichita 70 59 .56 81 52 Su MONDAY’S EXTREMES FOR THE 48 CONTIGUOUS STATES Anaheim 75 53 -- 74 53 76 54 Avalon/Catalina 67 52 -- 64 53 66 53 Bakersfield 73 48 -- 76 52 80 56 Barstow 80 54 -- 87 51 81 52 Big Bear Lake 60 39 -- 66 29 60 29 Bishop 77 40 -- 82 44 73 40 Burbank 72 54 -- 74 54 77 55 Camarillo 73 51 -- 73 49 74 54 Chatsworth 77 52 -- 77 54 79 55 Chino 78 52 -- 78 50 81 50 Compton 70 54 -- 73 55 74 59 Dana Point 66 54 -- 67 56 68 57 Death Valley 87 81 -- 94 85 90 81 Del Mar 68 56 -- 62 51 64 57 Escondido 71 47 -- 73 51 76 50 Eureka 56 42 Tr 57 41 62 43 Fallbrook 70 48 -- 72 50 74 50 Fresno 73 50 -- 75 52 78 56 Fullerton 73 50 -- 73 56 76 59 Hemet 77 46 -- 76 47 82 50 Hesperia 72 46 -- 79 41 72 43 Huntington Beach 68 57 -- 67 57 69 61 Idyllwild 66 49 -- 67 46 70 48 Irvine 70 54 -- 72 55 73 56 L.A. D’ntown/USC 70 54 -- 74 56 74 57 L.A. Int’l. Airport 66 54 -- 68 55 68 57 Laguna Beach 64 57 -- 66 56 67 58 Lancaster 75 50 -- 78 46 79 45 Long Beach 74 56 -- 72 57 73 60 Mammoth Lakes 54 26 -- 61 24 56 25 Mission Viejo 71 53 -- 70 51 74 55 Monrovia 76 55 -- 77 55 77 54 Monterey 61 48 -- 60 47 69 50 Mt. Wilson 57 50 -- 54 48 51 44 Needles 85 60 -- 94 65 83 63 Newport Beach 68 59 -- 67 58 68 62 Northridge 78 53 -- 78 53 79 54 Oakland 63 49 -- 68 49 76 53 Oceanside 71 50 -- 70 55 71 54 Ojai 74 48 -- 76 47 75 50 Ontario 76 54 -- 76 52 78 51 Palm Springs 89 62 -- 95 66 92 66 Pasadena 70 53 -- 75 54 77 54 Paso Robles 73 44 -- 76 42 81 42 Redding 70 49 -- 76 57 80 59 Riverside 77 48 -- 75 45 80 51 Sacramento 72 46 -- 75 51 81 54 San Bernardino 79 50 -- 79 50 82 52 San Diego 67 56 -- 68 60 69 59 San Francisco 62 50 -- 67 52 74 58 San Gabriel 73 54 -- 76 55 79 56 San Jose 69 50 -- 72 50 81 52 San Luis Obispo 74 50 -- 72 50 75 49 Santa Ana 72 57 -- 70 58 71 61 Santa Barbara 65 49 -- 69 49 71 51 Santa Clarita 78 50 -- 81 52 82 51 Santa Monica Pier 66 53 -- 68 55 68 56 Santa Paula 74 49 -- 75 48 76 50 Santa Rosa 70 44 -- 75 46 82 51 Simi Valley 74 48 -- 76 51 77 53 Tahoe Valley 52 27 -- 56 26 53 33 Temecula 76 47 -- 74 48 80 49 Thousand Oaks 72 48 -- 74 49 77 53 Torrance 68 56 -- 69 57 66 59 UCLA 67 53 -- 69 54 70 57 Van Nuys 78 52 -- 77 53 79 55 Ventura 64 50 -- 66 50 63 52 Whittier Hills 73 53 -- 75 54 77 56 Woodland Hills 82 52 .02 76 53 77 54 Wrightwood 62 50 -- 66 41 61 41 Yorba Linda 76 51 -- 74 51 77 52 Yosemite Valley 59 31 -- 64 37 69 36 Mon. Today Wed. Mon. Today Wed. Mon. Today Wed. Turning warmer: High pressure will continue to build across the state from off the eastern Pacific Ocean, bringing a good deal of sunshine outside coastal northwestern areas. Temperatures will be slightly higher Tuesday, the beginning of a stretch of much warmer air, probably ending up 10 to 15 degrees above average by the end of the week away from the immediate coasts. Severe weather shifts into Ohio Valley: After widespread severe weather Monday across the Plains, the threat for strong storms will shift eastward into the Ohio River Valley on Tuesday. They’re not expected to be as widespread, but severe storms can bring damaging winds and hail. sion “another step in a long journey looking at preservation as a tool for survival, securing our future and fighting off displacement.” “It doesn’t come with guarantees or funding,” she said, “but it does provide us with a national platform to spotlight our neighborhood.” Since 1988, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has published an annual list of sites — homes, neighborhoods, even highways — that are vulnerable to redevelopment and that “illustrate the complexities and challenges that have always been part of what it means to be American.” Many of these locales — often landmarks in ethnic communities — have been overlooked or ignored. Last year’s list included Philadelphia’s Chinatown, which f*ckushima said helped inspire Little Tokyo’s application. In awarding this status, the trust looks for places of historical significance “that tell the whole American story,” Quillen said, and among other criteria, offer a solution — “a path toward enlivening the site so it becomes the center of activity that those preserving it want it to be.” This year, said Quillen, the trust received 111 letters of intent from 40 states and territories; 28 were advanced to the next round, and of those, 11 were selected. In describing Little Tokyo’s application, Quillen pointed to the vision that the Sustainable Little Tokyo coalition has for its future. “Their initiatives are policy-directed,” she said, and include expanding the city’s legacy business program; giving the community a voice in new development projects; and preserving cultural heritage, while serving the present community. “This is not a place to be frozen in amber but is instead looking to create a Little Tokyo that is vibrant and alive and serving communities in the present through this rich cultural heritage,” she said. The Sustainable Little Tokyo coalition hopes the endangered status will draw attention to the fragile character of the neighborhood, which is home to 400 small businesses that are facing pressures related to development in the area. Fifty of them are considered “legacy businesses” — defined as at least 20 years old. From 2008 to 2023, at least 50 businesses 10 years or older have closed or relocated due to rising rent, according to the Little Tokyo Service Center, which has been fighting for more control over development that would provide more affordable housing, cultural centers and green spaces. “We would have had more legacy businesses if we hadn’t lost so many over the years,” said f*ckushima. Suehiro Cafe’s 1st Street location is one of the most recent casualties — the restaurant is now operating at 4th and Main streets — but it is not alone. Little Tokyo Arts & Gifts has closed, as has the Family Mart convenience store. Anzen Hardware is moving to a building down the street. Little Tokyo Cosmetics was forced to leave on the eve of its fifth anniversary. Shabu Shabu House — the first restaurant of its kind in the U.S. — closed after 32 years. The neighborhood was especially affected by Metro’s Regional Connector project, with its construction delays, and by the effect that transit projects often have on the cost of rental properties. “Little Tokyo is facing a number of existential threats that are causing changes to the neighborhood, including driving up rents and driving out small businesses,” said Kristen Hayashi, a curator for the Japanese American National Museum. Hayashi cites among these threats not only the pressures of gentrification and the Regional Connector project, but also the city’s plan to replace the former LAPD headquarters, Parker Center. “Saving Little Tokyo is definitely daunting,” f*ckushima said, adding a $2-billion mega-project coming to the Arts District to her list of concerns. “We talk to some community members who have been doing this work for 50 years, and there is fatigue,” she said. “They ask, ‘What can we do about it? The gears are in motion. How can we stop these broader impacts that other communities have not been able to do anything about?’ But Little Tokyo’s history is rooted in a stubbornness that doesn’t allow us to give up.” Hayashi said that Little Tokyo’s importance to Los Angeles extends beyond its boundaries. “Why should we care about Little Tokyo?” she asked. “In addition to being at the heart of the Japanese American community in Los Angeles, it reflects the diversity that has always characterized this city. It represents a time in the city’s history when housing covenants dictated where Japanese Americans could live, and this became their refuge from discrimination, a place that provided them a taste of home.” Although over the years its footprint has grown smaller, Hayashi is confident the community will endure. “This community cares too much,” she said. “We’re trying to future-proof Little Tokyo, to preserve its history and make sure people don’t forget the roots of the place.” Little Tokyo an endangered historic place [Endangered, from B1] “THIS is not a place to be frozen in amber but is instead looking to create a Little Tokyo that is vibrant and alive,” said Carol Quillen, president and chief executive of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Above, Michael Okamura gives a tour of Little Tokyo last week. Carlin Stiehl For The Times
B6 TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 LATIMES.COM When Gian Neglia took over as sporting director of the Las Vegas Lights in February, it was a team in name only. That’s not a figure of speech but a literal description of the situation Neglia inherited. The Lights, who played in the second-tier USL Championship, had no coach, no players and no employees on the soccer side when he joined the team less than two weeks before training camp was scheduled to start. “We didn’t know where we were going to have training camp. So we needed to find a place, we needed to set up games,” Neglia said. “You really sit down and think about everything that we did and everything that needed to be done in the time frame that it needed to be done, you might think to yourself, well, maybe this isn’t the right move to make.” He certainly wouldn’t have thought that three months later the Lights would be preparing for arguably the biggest match in team history, a U.S. Open Cup round of 32 match against LAFC on Wednesday in Las Vegas. LAFC’s short-lived relationship with the Lights is one of the reasons the cupboard was empty when Neglia arrived. For two seasons the team was the MLS club’s affiliate in the second-tier USL Championship, with the players living and training in Los Angeles, then traveling to Las Vegas for home games. Steve Cherundolo, who has taken LAFC to consecutive MLS Cup finals, got his U.S. managerial start there in 2021, and former and current LAFC players — including Danny Musovski, Christian Torres, Bryce Duke and Tomás Romero — played there. But the affiliation agreement, which was actually separate one-year deals, ended after the 2023 season, leaving the Lights to hire a new coaching staff and 25 new players. That team won just three games last season, and in January, founding owner Brett Lashbrook sold the rights to the Lights to former baseball all-star José Bautista. Some assembly was required since the team once again had no coaches or players. But for Bautista, that made the investment more desirable. “It’s somewhat of a rescue project,” he said in a video interview from his home office in Tampa, Fla. “You have to get your hands dirty. But I liked the fact that it was a project that you have to rebuild somewhat the organization from top to bottom. “That allows you to put your own flavor and your own thoughts and your experiences in trying to build a new culture and reestablish a relationship between a fan base and an organization that has been deteriorating over the last four or five years.” Bautista, who made more than $100 million before retiring in 2018, was looking for a place to spend some of that money, but the cost was too high in the four major sports leagues. However, the USL Championship and Las Vegas seemed like a good bet. Bautista is just the latest in a flood of athletes and entertainers who have decided soccer is a good investment, a list that includes Hollywood heavyweights Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney, Natalie Portman, Will Ferrell, Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon and athletes Patrick Mahomes, Eli Manning, Kevin Durant, Naomi Osaka and Lindsey Vonn. “I felt like the USL was the best place to be,” said Bautista, who declined to discuss the cost of buying the team. “All the heightened awareness that’s been happening in soccer in North America in the last few years — it just checked a lot of boxes. It’s just the right place and the right time. And then the opportunity came about with Vegas.” Bautista concedes there’s much work to be done to win back a supporter base that has questioned ownership’s commitment in recent years. Winning will certainly help in that regard. The Lights have never made the playoffs — or even finished with a winning record — in six previous seasons and are 3-6-0 after Saturday’s 2-1 loss to New Mexico United, leaving them ninth in the USL Championship’s 12-team Western Conference table. And though the team is second to last in the 24-team league in attendance, averaging fewer than 1,500 fans a game at Cashman Field, the aging former baseball stadium that is its home, the crowd for the LAFC game will be the largest of the season. “I know there was some animosity with that relationship and the way that it ended. So from a fan perspective, there could potentially be that like ‘this would be a really good feeling to be able to beat these guys,’ ” Neglia said. “This is a great test to see where we are in our project, where we match up against quality opponents. “This round of 32 in the U.S. Open Cup is the furthest this club has ever gone. So it’s an exciting opportunity when you have a chance to kind of David versus Goliath, beat this prestige club from MLS. It’s really a kind of cool comingof-full-circle event.” Neglia, who was assistant sporting director at Venezia FC in Italy’s Serie B before coming to Las Vegas, took the job for the same reason Bautista bought the Lights: to be able to work with a blank canvas, building a team and a culture and a vision from scratch. “You are now looking at a pool of players that is vastly different than the pool I was looking at there. And so you really have to rely on your instincts, on certain metrics and data that you have to use,” he said. “The margin of error is always slim, even in Venezia. You can’t really afford to make major mistakes. “But here it’s even triple.” That challenge was made even more difficult by the fact Neglia didn’t start in the job until Feb. 2, 36 days before the regularseason opener. By then, most USL-caliber players already had a place to play, so Neglia and coach Dennis Sanchez had to get creative. They got Valentin Noel, the MVP of last season’s MLS NextPro Cup, on a transfer from Austin FC while Gaoussou Samake joined the Lights after his contract option was declined by D.C. United. Solomon Asante, 34, a two-time league MVP, signed with Las Vegas after Indianapolis allowed him to leave as a free agent while Cuban exile goalkeeper Raiko Arozarena, who played with little distinction in the third tier in Mexico and the U.S., came to the Lights after being released by the Tampa Bay Rowdies. “I think we did a really good job of being creative and getting some players in that are desirable players,” Neglia said. “But then, of course, there is a good part of the roster that were available free agents. You kind of have to adapt that mentality of misfit toys, right? Where can we get the best of the rest?” It’s far too early to say how it all will end. But a win Wednesday against a twotime reigning MLS Western Conference champion would certainly be proof that the Lights’ new management is on the right path. “I’ve been telling people we’re on Page 1 of a thousand-page book,” Neglia said. “Just playing in this game against this opponent is storybook, right? So if we can go out there and get a win, it would really put a cherry on top of what I think has been a pretty cool three months.” Bautista goes to bat to rebuild Las Vegas team Ex-MLB player and Neglia resurrect club, which takes on LAFC in the U.S. Open Cup. KEVIN BAXTER ON SOCCER STEVE CHERUNDOLO coached the Las Vegas Lights in 2021 before taking over LAFC in 2022. Bob Drebin, ISI Photos Getty Images Sandra Freeman February 20, 1936 - May 7, 2023 Sandra Freeman died in her sleep one year ago today on May 7, 2023. She was 87 years old. She was born Sandra Ruth Heald in Atchison Kansas in 1936 to Marjorie Heald (Hyder) and Berton Heald. Berton abandoned the young family and Sandra was raised by her mother. Her entire life she spoke fondly of a generous and loving older couple with the last name World that her and Marjorie lived with for a few years in Atchison. She called them Mommy and Daddy World. It was a bit of stability in a chaotic and marginalized childhood. She also a had a loving Aunt named Lillian that encouraged her intellect and independent streak. Growing up with a single mother in the 1940’s was not easy. Sandra encountered poverty, predators, and religious dogma in her tough childhood. She trudged thru and rose above it all. She always rooted and fought for the underdog because she was one herself. Despite the challenges, young Sandra always excelled academically. She moved frequently in the 30’s and 40’s before settling in San Antonio. In the early 1950’s Sandra and her mother followed family west and settled in the San Gabriel Valley where she attended Monrovia High School. After graduation, she received a scholarship to the Pasadena Playhouse. At the Playhouse, she studied acting and theater production. Many of her classmates went on to be famous actors. She was always happy for them and got a kick out of seeing them in movies and on TV. This is where she met her first husband Bill Freeman, an aspiring actor from Portland, Oregon. They married in 1958 and opened a small business in Encino. Sandra and Bill later sold the business, stepped away from acting, and embraced academia. Sandra completed undergraduate work in English at Cal State Northridge and the University of Iowa and received her master’s degree at the University of La Verne. She and Bill had a son in 1969 and settled in Glendora in late 1970 where she continued to live for over 50 years. Sandra began working as an English teacher in the Glendora school district first at Goddard Junior High and then for decades at Glendora High School. She loved being a teacher and was an asset to the community. Sandra was a strong and compassionate woman who spoke truth to power before it was cool. She was a proud liberal Democrat who believed in lifting someone up when they needed help. Gender, racial and economic equality were important to her. Sandra hated bullies and would not back down from a fight. In the 1960’s Sandra was a member of both Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). She was also an early member of the National Organization for Women. Sandra and Bill divorced in the early 80’s and she married fellow educator Don Eldridge in 1987. They loved each other deeply. They were a fixture in Glendora, everybody knew Sandra and Don. They had a grand retirement traveling the world, and she was at Don’s side when he died in 2022 at age 94. Sandra was close to her only child, Gage. She stuck by him through a turbulent young adulthood and helped him on his path towards peace and prosperity. She was proud of his career as a successful music manager. When her own career and travels ceased, she found great joy in following and participating in his. Sandra loved her daughter-in-law Corinne and loved being a dog Grandma to Carol. Sandra spent her final months near her son’s home in Monrovia, where her life in California had begun over 70 years before. She is survived by her son Gage Freeman and daughter-in-law Corinne Adams of Monrovia and a brother, Lynn Wolters of Las Vegas. The family would like to thank Lisa Madaras for her loving help in taking care of Sandra. At her request there were no services or memorials. If you want to honor Sandra, please consider donating to Impact Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center in Pasadena. Obituaries Placeapaid notice latimes.com/placeobituary Search obituary notice archives: legacy.com/obituaries/latimes To place an obituary ad please go to latimes.com/placeobituary or call 1-800-234-4444 Honor a life Sonia Friedenberg Garber Mount Sinai Mem Parks - H. Hills 800-600-0076 www.mountsinaiparks.org Yoshinori Akutagawa February 28, 1934 - April 8, 2024 (90), Veteran of Korean Conflict, passed away on April 8, 2024 in Los Angeles. He is survived by his daughters, Yuki Linda (Christopher Kho) Akutagawa and Susan Emi ( William Shimada) Akutagawa Shimada; grandsons, Ryan Hideyoshi and Rex Kiyoshi Shimada; brothers, Shoji (Kazuko), Mitsunobu (Emi) and Masahiro (Ruth) Akutagawa; sisters-in-law, Setsuko ( Takao) Sorida, Masae Wakimoto, Yoriko Wataya, and Kayoko Hatta; also survived by many nieces, nephews and other relatives in U.S. and Japan. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, May 11, 2024 at 3:00PM at LA Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple, 815 E. 1st St., Los Angeles. (213) 749-1449 www.kubotamortuary.com Florence Hofman 1947 - 2023 It has been one year since we lost our beloved Florence Hofman, PhD. Professor of Pathology at USC, neuroimmunologist, teacher, mentor, researcher, wife, mother, grandmother, friend, and always observant. If there was a Nobel Prize for Kindness, Florence would have been a recipient. To place an obituary ad please go online to: latimes.com/placeobituary or call 1-800-234-4444 Marc Bradley Lome Age 56 of Long Beach, CA passed away of natural causes on April 29, 2024. Preceded in death by parents, Paula Rae Lome and Bernard Lome; grandparents, Faye & Leo Singer and Miriam & William Lome. Survived by siblings, Stacy Lome and Lenny Lome; nieces, Peyton and Brianna; nephew, Tyson; and many family and friends. Graveside service 11:00 am CST on TUESDAY, May 14th at ADATH CHESED SHEL EMES CEMETERY, 3740 Winnetka Ave. N., Crystal. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to The Shelter Partners at https:// www.shelterpartnership.org/ SHIVA 7:00 pm on May 14th and 15th at 1900 E Medicine Lake Blvd, Plymouth MN 55441 (street parking and at East Medicine Lake Park, 1740 E Medicine Lake Blvd). May the shining light that Marc cast on so many be eternal and his memory be a blessing. Funeral is available on zoom: www.hodroffs.com/ MarcLome www.hodroffepstein.com Share a memory To sign a guest book please go to latimes.com/guestbooks Gloria Salata May 10, 1938 - April 25, 2024 Gloria Salata passed away peacefully on April 25, 2024, just short of her 86th birthday, as the result of a stroke,. Gloria was born on May 10, 1938, in Covina, CA to Chris Steve Adzovich and Audrey Clark Adzovich. The family, including older sister Darlene, lived in Baldwin Park, CA, then in Covina, CA. In 1959, Gloria married Tomislav Salata. Each of their families had been founding members of St. Stevens Serbian Orthodox Church. Their first children were twins, Stefanie and Valerie, followed by the arrival of Michael Brian 4 years later. Gloria was a wonderful, present mother. She volunteered for the Children’s Home Society of California (CHS), and then served as their statewide Director of Volunteers. Tom and Gloria lost their son Michael to a car accident in 1991. Through their faith in God, and reliance on family and friends, new life chapters lay ahead for Tom and Gloria. In 1996, they moved to Newport Coast, where they made new close friendships. Gloria is survived by her sister Darlene Robles of Covina, and daughters Valerie Glover (John) and Stefanie Davis (Mike), step-grandson Michael Davis, cousins, inlaws, and numerous nieces and nephews and godchildren. Funeral services are at St. Steven’s Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Alhambra on Saturday, May 11 at 11:00 am. The service will be followed by a reception and luncheon. Funeral services provided by White Emerson Mortuary. To place an obituary ad please go online to: latimes.com/ placeobituary or call 1-800-234-4444 Stories live on. Tell theirs. placeanad.latimes.com/obituaries Share your loved one’s story. In partnership with
Radek Faksa made a promise to his 21⁄2-year-old son when they were playing together before the Dallas Stars took the ice for Game 7. Faksa did indeed score in his return to the lineup after sitting out four games because of an undisclosed injury. His go-ahead goal came on a backhander 44 seconds into the third period, after his son had been taken home, and Dallas beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 on Sunday night to wrap up the first-round series. “I’m happy I did,” Faksa said. “And so I can show him the video in the morning, and we can watch it together.” Only captain Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin have played longer for the Stars than Faksa, a fourth-liner in his ninth season who got his goal from the circle to the left of goalie Adin Hill. Dallas also got another Game 7 goal from 20-yearold Wyatt Johnston. Jake Oettinger had 21 saves in his second Game 7 victory. He also had the Stars’ only penalty, though they killed that off after he was called for tripping Ivan Barbashev in front of the net midway through the third. “The last period was a clinic. Just so proud of the guys of how we responded,” Oettinger said. “It’s a long playoffs and you’re going to need different guys to step up at different times. A lot of hockey left so hopefully a lot more heroes. It’s going to be a run ride.” The Stars, the No. 1 seed in the West, move on to play well-rested Colorado in the second round. Game 1 is in Dallas on Tuesday night, a week after the Avalanche wrapped up their series against Winnipeg with a Game 5 victory. at N.Y. Rangers 4, Carolina 3: Mika Zibanejad helped the Rangers get off to a strong start in their first game in a week, and they held on to get a big win in their second-round series opener against the Hurricanes. Zibanejad had two goals and an assist, Artemi Panarin also scored and the Rangers took in Game 1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Vincent Trocheck had a goal and an assist, and Chris Kreider had two assists. Igor Shesterkin stopped 22 shots to become the third goalie in franchise history to open a postseason with five straight wins, joining Dave Kerr (1937) and Mike Richter (1994). Ducks goalie coach is now cancer-free Ducks goaltending coach Sudarshan Maharaj, 59, was declared cancer-free one year after his diagnosis. The Ducks said that Maharaj — better known as “Sudsie” — is free of pancreatic cancer. Maharaj, who received treatment in Toronto, triumphantly rang the bell at a party last weekend. Bowness retires Winnipeg Jets coach Rick Bowness is retiring after 38 seasons in the NHL, a career that included leading the Dallas Stars to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020 and more time spent behind the bench than anyone else in league history. At 69, the oldest with ahead role in the NHL, Bowness is a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year for the first time after leading the Jets to a franchise-record 52 wins and a second consecutive postseason appearance. NHL REPORT Faksa’s promise to son realized as Stars advance associated press LATIMES.COM TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 B7 WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS 1 Oklahoma City vs. 5 Dallas Gm 1 Tues. at OKC, 6:30, TNT Gm 2 Thu. at OKC, 8:30, ESPN Gm 3 Sat. at Dallas, 12:30, Ch. 7 Gm 4 May 13 at Dallas, TBA, TNT Gm 5 May 15 at OKC, TBA, TNT* Gm 6 May 18 at Dallas, 5:30, ESPN* Gm 7 May 20 at OKC, 5:30, TNT* 2 Denver vs. 3 Minnesota Timberwolves lead, 1-0 Gm 1 Minn. 106, Denver 99 Gm 2 Monday at Denver, late Gm 3 Fri. at Minn., 6:30, ESPN Gm 4 Sun. at Minn., 5, TNT Gm 5 May 14 at Denver, TBA, TNT* Gm 6 May 16 at Minn., 5:30, ESPN* Gm 7 May 19 at Denver, TBA* EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS 2 Boston vs. 4 Cleveland Gm 1 Tues. at Boston, 4, TNT Gm 2 Thur. at Boston, 4, ESPN Gm 3 Sat. at Clev., 5:30, Ch. 7 Gm 4 May 13 at Clev., 4, TNT Gm 5 May 15 at Boston, TBA, TNT* Gm 6 May 17, at Clev.,TBA, ESPN* Gm 7 May 19 at Boston, TBA* 2 New York vs. 6 Indiana Gm 1 Monday at N.Y., late Gm 2 Wed. at N.Y., 5, TNT Gm 3 Friday at Ind., 4, ESPN Gm 4 Sun. at Ind., 12:30, Ch. 7 Gm 5 May 14 at N.Y., TBA, TNT* Gm 6 May 17 at Ind., TBA, ESPN* Gm 7 May 19 at N.Y., TBA* * if necessary Times PDT, p.m. unless noted NBA PLAYOFF SCHEDULE WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND 1C Dallas vs. WC2 Vegas Stars win, 4-3 Gm 1 Vegas 4, Dallas 3 Gm 2 Vegas 3, Dallas 1 Gm 3 Dallas 3, Vegas 2 (OT) Gm 4 Dallas 4, Vegas 2 Gm 5 Dallas 3, Vegas 2 Gm 6 Vegas 2, Dallas 0 Gm 7 Dallas 2, Vegas 1 SEMIFINALS 1C Dallas vs. 3C Colorado Gm 1 Tue. at Dallas, 6:30, ESPN Gm 2 Thu. at Dallas, 6:30, TNT Gm 3 Sat. at Colorado, 7, TNT Gm 4 Mon. at Colorado, TBA, ESPN Gm 5 May 15 at Dallas, TBA* Gm 6 May 17 at Colorado, TBA* Gm 7 May 19 at Dallas,TBA* 1P Vancouver vs. 2P Edmonton Gm 1 Wed. at. Vancouver, 7, ESPN Gm 2 Fri. at Vancouver, 7, TNT Gm 3 Sun., at Edmonton, 6:30, TBS Gm 4 May 14 at Edm., TBA, ESPN Gm 5 May 16 at Vancouver, TBA* Gm 6 May 18 at Edmonton, TBA* Gm 7 May 20 at Vancouver, TBA* EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS 1A Florida vs. 2A Boston Gm 1 at Florida, late Gm 2 Wed. at Florida, 4:30, ESPN Gm 3 Fri. at Boston, 4, TNT Gm 4 Sun. at Boston, 3:30, TBS Gm 5 May 14 at Florida, TBA* Gm 6 May 17 at Boston, TBA* GM 7 May 19 at Florida, TBA* M1 N.Y. Rangers vs. M2 Carolina Rangers lead, 1-0 Gm 1 N.Y. Rangers 4, Carolina 3 Gm 2 Tue. at N.Y., 4, ESPN Gm 3 Thu. at Carolina, 4, TNT Gm 4 Sat. at Carolina, 4, TNT Gm 5 May 13 at New York, TBA* Gm 6 May 16 at Carolina, TBA* Gm 7 May 18 at New York, TBA* *-if necessary All times PDT, p.m. NHL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE terms of if you’re a believer in that the process determines the results, there were some good indicators there and yet we’re not naive to think that, hey, we just run it back and we’ll be all good. “That’s not how we look at team building. We look at this year as a lost opportunity, but it’s our job to be able to create a better opportunity for next season and we’re optimistic that we’ll be able to do so.” Frank said, “No. 1, we’d like to be able to bring back, retain Paul and James” to start the process. “Yeah, that’s our intent,” Frank said. “We want to retain those guys. We’re hopeful that we can, but also understand and respect the fact that they are free agents. Paul has a decision with his option. James will be an unrestricted free agent so our intent is to bring them back, but also realize that they are elite players and they’ll have a lot of choices.” The Clippers can offer George up to four years and $221 million. Other teams with salary-cap space can offer him up to four years and $212 million. It has been reported the 76ers and Magic will pursue George. Frank was asked if there was a limit the Clippers are willing to pay George, who has until July 1 to sign an extension. “We want Paul. We value Paul,” Frank said. “Paul has done some tremendous things here. He’s an elite player and our biggest thing is we always want to be able to treat players well and pay them fairly and we also have to build out a team, especially [because] there is a new CBA (collective bargaining agreement). But in terms of the exact money, I would never go into details other than we’ve had really, really good conversations over the course of the year and hopefully that we can get him to remain a Clipper.” Frank said Leonard would not have been able to play if the Clippers had a game Monday because of the inflammation in his right knee that kept him out for four of the six playoff games and the last eight regularseason games. He sat out the last two playoff games last season because of a torn meniscus in his right knee. “The encouraging thing is this seems, big picture, minor in nature in that it’s not a structural thing,” Frank said about Leonard’s current knee injury. “I think the reality is that we’re going to continue to try to learn how to manage his right knee that he’s had two surgeries on his knee. But he’s shown that he can be durable.” Westbrook eventually came off the bench for the Clippers this season. If he decides to exercise his option, there will be another conversation about his role. “I’ll sit down with Russ. TLue will sit down with Russ, talk with his representatives and you kind of outline what the role is going forward,” Frank said. “It’s very similar to when Russ came last summer. Like, we explained to him exactly what his role is, what it could be, the different guys that we’re looking at and then Russ has a decision to make. And so we’re kind of going through the process. So, I’m not going to speak for any player in terms of what they’re thinking, but that’s our process.” Lue has one year left on his deal and there have been no extension talks yet. The Clippers want him back after leading the team to a 51-31 record and a fourthplace finish in the supertough Western Conference. “I think Ty had a terrific year,” Frank said. “Our hope is that Ty is the coach of the L.A. Clippers for a long time. He’s an unbelievable partner. I love him as a person and as a coach. I think he’s one of the elite coaches in today’s game. … So, our hope is that Ty is here for a long time and we love Ty.” The Clippers will look to make improvements via trades, free agency and the draft; they have a secondround pick at No. 46. Clippers looking to re-sign Harden, George, Westbrook [Clippers, from B10] PAUL GEORGE has until July 1 to extend his deal with the Clippers, who can offer him a max deal. George also is reportedly a target of the 76ers and Magic. Gina Ferazzi Los Angeles Times Trevor Lewis and goaltenders Cam Talbot and David Rittich. “We still believe this group has made progress in a lot of different areas,” Blake said. “We have to find a way to get that to translate into the playoffs.” How much time Blake, 54, a Hall of Fame defenseman whose No. 4 jerseys hangs from the rafters at Crypto.com Arena, has to make that happen is uncertain. He is entering the last season on his contract as general manager, having assumed the position in 2017, then signing a three-year extension as that deal was expiring. And while the Kings have made the playoffs four times during Blake’s tenure, they have not advanced beyond the first round. It’s perhaps understandable that Blake has more questions than answers at this point since the Kings were expecting to be preparing for a second-round series with the Vancouver Canucks act changes that he would feel would go into place before we get a decision,” said Blake, who declined to say how long that process would take. One issue Blake conceded was certain to come up in those meetings with Hiller was the fate of the team’s 1-3-1 neutral-zone trap. The Kings have had success with that system, which uses three players to clog up the neutral zone and make it difficult for opponents to enter the offensive zone in control. But some players have complained the style of play has become too stale and predictable. “We have to have a deep discussion on that for sure,” Blake said. “When we talk a little bit about the systematic changes and different things that may be incorporated, we have to understand why the game didn’t translate into the playoffs. The team has had success, has gotten to playoffs. But by no means is that good enough.” Regarding Dubois who, not counting the COVID-interrupted 2020-21 season, had career lows for goals (16) and assists (24) in his first season with the Kings, Blake said the solution lies with the team, not the player. “We need to make him better,” Blake said. “He’s had a consistent performance over his career and deviated from that this year. So it’s up to us as a staff — coaches and management — to help him become more productive to us.” As for the goaltender situation, the Kings have only one goalie (Aaron Dell, a 35- year-old backup with the Ontario Reign) with any NHL experience in the organization. Blake, however, is high on 23-year-old Erik Portillo, who has played well for the Reign, the Kings’ AHL affiliate. “We don’t have as a longterm solution other than we have a young player that has played very well in Ontario,” he said. “It takes time for that position.” PIERRE-LUC DUBOIS had the least productive season of his career and has seven years left on his contract. Alex Gallardo Associated Pres Blake offers few specifics after Kings suffer early playoff exit [Kings, from B10] ‘The team has had success, has gotten to playoffs. But by no means is that good enough.’ — ROB BLAKE, Kings GM this week. Instead, they’re preparing for next season. Blake said he planned to spend much of the next few weeks talking with players and staff, including Hiller, who was tasked with getting the team to the playoffs when he replaced Todd McLellan in early February. He did that, but whether that was enough for him to earn him the job full time, neither the general manager nor team president Luc Robitaille would say. “Luc and I, some of the hockey staff, will meet with him and just go over the ex-
B8 TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 LATIMES.COM NATIONAL LEAGUE West W L Pct. GB L10 DODGERS 23 13 .639 — 8-2 San Diego 18 19 .486 51 ⁄2 4-6 Arizona 15 20 .429 71 ⁄2 3-7 San Francisco 15 20 .429 71 ⁄2 3-7 Colorado 8 26 .235 14 2-8 Central W L Pct. GB L10 Milwaukee 20 13 .606 — 5-5 Chicago 21 14 .600 — 5-5 Cincinnati 16 18 .471 41 ⁄2 2-8 Pittsburgh 16 19 .457 5 3-7 St. Louis 15 19 .441 51 ⁄2 5-5 East W L Pct. GB L10 Philadelphia 24 11 .686 — 9-1 Atlanta 20 12 .625 21 ⁄2 4-6 Washington 17 17 .500 61 ⁄2 7-3 New York 16 18 .471 71 ⁄2 3-7 Miami 10 26 .278 141 ⁄2 4-6 AMERICAN LEAGUE West W L Pct. GB L10 Seattle 19 15 .559 — 7-3 Texas 19 16 .543 1 ⁄2 6-4 Oakland 17 18 .486 21 ⁄2 8-2 Houston 12 22 .353 7 5-5 ANGELS 12 22 .353 7 2-8 Central W L Pct. GB L10 Cleveland 22 12 .647 — 5-5 Minnesota 19 14 .576 21 ⁄2 9-1 Kansas City 20 15 .571 21 ⁄2 5-5 Detroit 18 16 .529 4 4-6 Chicago 8 26 .235 14 5-5 East W L Pct. GB L10 Baltimore 23 11 .676 — 7-3 New York 23 13 .639 1 6-4 Boston 19 16 .543 41 ⁄2 5-5 Tampa Bay 17 18 .486 61 ⁄2 5-5 Toronto 16 19 .457 71 ⁄2 3-7 STANDINGS Through Sunday Today’s games Dodgers vs. Miami ............................... 7 p.m. Angels at Pittsburgh ........................ 3:30 p.m. Texas at Oakland ........................... 12:30 p.m. Detroit at Cleveland ............................. 3 p.m. Arizona at Cincinnati ........................ 3:30 p.m. Toronto at Philadelphia .................... 3:30 p.m. Baltimore at Washington .................. 3:45 p.m. Chicago (AL) at Tampa Bay ............... 3:45 p.m. Houston at New York (AL) ...................... 4 p.m. Boston at Atlanta ............................ 4:15 p.m. Milwaukee at Kansas City ................. 4:30 p.m. San Diego at Chicago (NL) ............... 4:30 p.m. Seattle at Minnesota ....................... 4:30 p.m. New York (NL) at St. Louis ................ 4:45 p.m. San Francisco at Colorado ................ 5:30 p.m. DODGERS 5, ATLANTA 1 Atlanta AB R H BI Avg. Acuña rf 3 0 0 0 .268 Albies 2b 4 0 0 0 .297 Riley 3b 3 0 0 0 .237 Olson 1b 4 0 1 0 .197 Ozuna dh 4 1 2 1 .306 Arcia ss 3 0 1 0 .271 Harris cf 3 0 0 0 .271 Duvall lf 3 0 1 0 .220 Tromp c 2 0 0 0 .219 a-Kelenic 1 0 0 0 .274 d’Arnaud c 0 0 0 0 .269 Totals 30 1 5 1 Dodgers AB R H BI Avg. Betts ss 3 1 0 0 .352 Ohtani dh 4 2 4 3 .364 Freeman 1b 3 1 0 0 .293 T.Herná rf 4 1 1 2 .252 K.Herná 3b 4 0 0 0 .216 Pages cf 4 0 0 0 .319 Rojas 2b 3 0 0 0 .259 Taylor lf 3 0 0 0 .074 Barnes c 1 0 0 0 .231 Totals 29 5 5 5 Atlanta 000 000 100 —1 5 1 Dodgers 200 002 01x —5 5 0 a-struck out for Tromp in the 8th. Walks—Atlanta 2: Acuña 1, Riley 1. Dodgers 3: Betts 1, Barnes 2. Strikeouts—Atlanta 7: Acuña 1, Albies 2, Riley 1, Ozuna 1, Duvall 1, Kelenic 1. Dodgers 8: T.Hernández 1, K.Hernández 2, Pages 3, Taylor 2. E—Olson (3). LOB—Atlanta 4, Dodgers 4. HR—Ozuna (10), off Paxton; Ohtani (9), off Fried; T.Hernández (8), off Fried; Ohtani (10), off Minter. RBIs—Ozuna (33), Ohtani 3 (25), T.Hernández 2 (25). Runners left in scoring position—Atlanta 0; Dodgers 1 (Pages). RISP—Atlanta 0 for 0; Dodgers 0 for 2. GIDP—Tromp, K.Hernández. DP—Atlanta 1 (Riley, Albies, Olson); Dodgers 1 (Betts, Rojas, Freeman). Atlanta IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Fried, L, 2-1.................7 4 4 4 3 7 108 4.23 Minter......................... 1 ⁄3 1 1 1 0 0 8 2.93 Chavez........................ 2 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 8 1.46 Dodgers IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Paxton, W, 4-0 ...........6 2 ⁄3 5 1 1 2 3 84 3.06 Kelly, H, 9 ................... 1 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 6 4.73 Treinen, H, 1 ................1 0 0 0 0 1 11 0.00 Grove..........................1 0 0 0 0 2 11 5.85 Inherited runners-scored—Chavez 1-0, Kelly 1-0. HBP_Fried (Freeman). U— Cory Blaser, Manny Gonzalez, Nestor Ceja, Todd Tichenor. T—2:07. Tickets sold—52,733 (56,000). CLEVELAND 4, ANGELS 1 Angels AB R H BI Avg. Schanuel 1b 4 0 0 0 .232 Moniak cf 3 0 1 0 .167 a-Pillar cf 1 0 0 0 .167 Ward lf 4 0 1 0 .279 Calhoun dh 4 1 1 0 .417 Drury 2b 4 0 0 0 .161 Thaiss c 3 0 0 0 .222 Adell rf 1 0 0 1 .261 Tucker 3b 3 0 2 0 .417 Neto ss 2 0 1 0 .237 Totals 29 1 6 1 Cleveland AB R H BI Avg. Florial dh 4 0 1 0 .200 Giménez 2b 4 1 1 0 .270 Ramírez 3b 3 2 1 2 .230 J.Naylor 1b 4 1 2 2 .271 Brennan lf 4 0 0 0 .242 Laureano rf 3 0 0 0 .153 B.Naylor c 2 0 0 0 .179 Freeman cf 2 0 0 0 .189 Arias ss 3 0 0 0 .239 Totals 29 4 5 4 Angels 010 000 000 —1 6 1 Cleveland 000 002 02x —4 5 0 a-grounded out for Moniak in the 8th. Walks—Angels 3: Thaiss 1, Adell 1, Neto 1. Cleveland 2: Ramírez 1, B.Naylor 1. Strikeouts—Angels 7: Schanuel 2, Drury 2, Thaiss 1, Tucker 1, Neto 1. Cleveland 8: Florial 1, Ramírez 1, Laureano 2, B.Naylor 1, Arias 3. E—Thaiss (2). LOB—Angels 5, Cleveland 4. 2B—Calhoun (3), Tucker (2), Ward (7). HR—Ramírez (6), off Canning; J.Naylor (8), off Moore. RBIs—Adell (12), Ramírez 2 (27), J.Naylor 2 (26). SB—Florial (2), Neto (5), Tucker (3), Adell (7). CS—Neto (3). SF—Adell. Runners left in scoring position—Angels 2 (Drury, Neto); Cleveland 2 (Arias, J.Naylor). RISP—Angels 0 for 6; Cleveland 1 for 4. Runners moved up—Calhoun, Freeman. GIDP—Schanuel. DP—Cleveland 1 (Arias, J.Naylor). Angels IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Canning, L, 1-4 ............6 4 2 2 1 5 87 6.69 Cimber........................1 0 0 0 0 2 14 2.93 Moore.........................1 1 2 2 1 1 20 5.11 Cleveland IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Carrasco, W, 2-2...........6 6 1 1 2 3 71 5.67 Barlow, H, 8.................1 0 0 0 1 2 16 2.60 Herrin, H, 4..................1 0 0 0 0 0 9 0.59 Clase, S, 10-12............1 0 0 0 0 2 10 0.52 HBP_Cimber (Freeman). WP—Carrasco. U— Charlie Ramos, Jeremie Rehak, Ryan Wills, Carlos Torres. T—2:15. Tickets sold—19,579 (34,788). PITTSBURGH 5, COLORADO 3 Colorado AB R H BI Avg. Doyle cf 4 0 0 0 .279 McMa 3b 3 0 0 0 .304 Díaz dh 4 0 2 0 .308 Montero 1b 4 0 0 0 .200 Rodgers 2b 3 1 2 0 .243 Stallings c 4 1 1 2 .351 Bouchard rf 3 1 2 1 .258 Beck lf 3 0 0 0 .143 a-Cave 1 0 0 0 .206 Trejo ss 3 0 0 0 .080 Totals 32 3 7 3 Pittsburgh AB R H BI Avg. Joe rf 4 1 1 0 .290 Taylor cf 0 0 0 0 .238 Reynolds lf 4 1 2 0 .243 Hayes 3b 4 1 1 1 .254 Cruz ss 4 1 2 2 .242 Tellez 1b 4 1 1 1 .211 Olivares dh 4 0 1 0 .203 Suwi cf-rf 3 0 1 1 .176 Grandal c 3 0 0 0 .143 Williams 2b 3 0 0 0 .275 Totals 33 5 9 5 Colorado 030 000 000 —3 7 0 Pittsburgh 000 104 00x —5 9 0 a-struck out for Beck in the 9th. Walks—Colorado 3: McMahon 1, Rodgers 1, Bouchard 1. Strikeouts—Colorado 6: McMahon 1, Díaz 2, Montero 2, Cave 1. Pittsburgh 6: Joe 1, Reynolds 1, Cruz 1, Olivares 1, Suwinski 1, Grandal 1. LOB—Colorado 5, Pittsburgh 4. 2B—Rodgers (6), Bouchard (3), Cruz (4), Reynolds (7), Tellez (3). 3B—Reynolds (1). HR—Stallings (2), off Falter; Bouchard (1), off Falter; Cruz (5), off Feltner. RBIs—Stallings 2 (7), Bouchard (2), Tellez (8), Hayes (11), Cruz 2 (12), Suwinski (10). CS—McMahon (4). Runners left in scoring position—Colorado 3 (Cave, Bouchard 2); Pittsburgh 3 (Grandal, Olivares, Hayes). RISP—Colorado 1 for 4; Pittsburgh 2 for 8. Runners moved up—Stallings, Tellez, Hayes. GIDP—Stallings. DP—Pittsburgh 1 (Cruz, Tellez). Colorado IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Feltner, L, 1-3 ............5 2 ⁄3 8 5 5 0 3 85 5.54 Kinley .......................1 1 ⁄3 1 0 0 0 2 22 11.57 Molina ........................1 0 0 0 0 1 11 9.00 Pittsburgh IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Falter........................5 1 ⁄3 6 3 3 2 3 80 4.34 Ortiz, W, 2-1 ..............1 2 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 16 2.89 Chapman, H, 7.............1 0 0 0 1 2 21 4.91 Bednar, S, 6-9..............1 1 0 0 0 1 13 9.69 Inherited runners-scored—Kinley 1-0, Ortiz 2-0. U— Doug Eddings, Mark Carlson, Dan Merzel, Stu Scheuwater. T—2:18. Tickets sold—12,912 (38,753). N.Y. YANKEES 5, DETROIT 2 Detroit AB R H BI Avg. Ibáñez 3b 3 0 0 0 .296 b-McKins 3b 1 0 0 0 .212 Vierling rf-cf 4 0 1 0 .287 Canha dh 4 1 1 0 .254 Greene lf 3 0 0 0 .269 Rogers c 3 1 1 0 .179 Torkelson 1b 3 0 2 1 .216 Keith 2b 2 0 0 0 .152 Báez ss 3 0 0 1 .177 Meadows cf 2 0 0 0 .097 a-Carp rf 1 0 0 0 .258 Totals 29 2 5 2 New York AB R H BI Avg. Volpe ss 3 1 0 0 .252 Soto rf 4 0 1 3 .316 Judge cf 3 1 2 1 .220 Stanton dh 4 0 1 0 .226 Verdugo lf 4 0 0 0 .261 Torres 2b 4 1 1 0 .222 Berti 3b 2 1 1 0 .238 Trevino c 3 1 1 0 .283 Cabrera 1b 3 0 2 1 .250 Totals 30 5 9 5 Detroit 000 000 20 —2 5 0 New York 110 000 30 —5 9 0 a-pinch hit for Meadows in the 7th. b-struck out for Ibáñez in the 8th. Walks—Detroit 2: Greene 1, Keith 1. New York 3: Volpe 1, Judge 1, Berti 1. Strikeouts—Detroit 11: Ibáñez 1, McKinstry 1, Canha 1, Greene 3, Rogers 1, Torkelson 1, Keith 1, Meadows 2. New York 13: Volpe 1, Soto 2, Judge 1, Stanton 3, Verdugo 2, Torres 1, Berti 1, Trevino 1, Cabrera 1. LOB—Detroit 5, New York 7. 2B—Torkelson 2 (11), Cabrera (5), Judge (8), Soto (7). HR—Judge (7), off Skubal. RBIs—Torkelson (12), Báez (10), Judge (20), Cabrera (19), Soto 3 (28). Runners left in scoring position—Detroit 2 (Carpenter, Keith); New York 5 (Volpe 2, Torres 3). RISP—Detroit 1 for 4; New York 3 for 11. Detroit IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Skubal ........................6 6 2 2 0 12 96 1.90 Miller, L, 3-4................ 1 ⁄3 1 3 3 2 1 18 4.60 Chafin ........................ 1 ⁄3 2 0 0 1 0 23 1.46 Lange ......................... 1 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 9 0.73 New York IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Cortes ......................6 1 ⁄3 3 2 2 1 9 97 3.72 Hamilton, BS, 0-1......... 1 ⁄3 1 0 0 1 0 14 2.60 González, W, 2-1 .......... 1 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 4 2.25 Santana, S, 2-2............1 1 0 0 0 2 17 3.45 Inherited runners-scored—Chafin 3-3, Lange 3-0, Hamilton 2-2, González 2-0. U— Edwin Jimenez, Jim Wolf, Alan Porter, Ryan Blakney. T—2:40. Tickets sold—35,119 (47,309). WASHINGTON 11, TORONTO 8 Toronto AB R H BI Avg. Springer rf 5 0 1 0 .205 Guerr 1b 4 1 2 4 .239 Turner dh 4 0 0 0 .283 Bichette ss 4 0 0 0 .195 Schnei lf 3 2 2 0 .270 Varsho cf 5 2 1 0 .236 Kirk c 3 1 1 0 .200 1-Jansen c 1 0 0 0 .297 K-Fale 2b 4 1 2 3 .258 Clement 3b 4 1 1 0 .271 Totals 37 8 10 7 Wash. AB R H BI Avg. Young cf 4 3 1 0 .308 Abra ss 5 1 1 0 .283 L.Gar 2b 4 2 4 4 .337 a-Var 2b 0 0 0 0 .310 Senzel dh 5 1 1 0 .242 Winker lf 2 2 2 3 .254 Mene 1b 2 0 0 2 .217 Ruiz c 5 0 0 0 .134 Rosario rf 4 2 2 2 .117 Lipsco 3b 4 0 0 0 .241 Totals 35 11 11 11 Toronto 051 020 000 — 8 10 2 Washington 101 501 21x —11 11 3 a-sacrificed for L.García in the 8th. 1-ran for Kirk in the 7th. Walks—Toronto 6: Guerrero 1, Turner 1, Bichette 1, Schneider 2, Kirk 1. Washington 5: Young 1, Winker 2, Meneses 2. Strikeouts—Toronto 6: Springer 3, Guerrero 1, Turner 1, Clement 1. Washington 8: Young 1, Abrams 2, Senzel 2, Ruiz 2, Lipscomb 1. E—Bichette (3), Swanson (1), Ruiz (1), Gore (1), Abrams (2). LOB—Toronto 9, Washington 8. 2B—Schneider (6), Kirk (2), Young (6), Winker (7), Abrams (7). HR—Guerrero (4), off Gore; L.García (3), off Manoah; Winker (4), off Manoah; Rosario (2), off Swanson. RBIs—Kiner-Falefa 3 (9), Guerrero 4 (15), Meneses 2 (16), L.García 4 (19), Winker 3 (18), Rosario 2 (5). SB—L.García (6), Schneider (1), Springer (5). SF—Kiner-Falefa, Meneses. S—Vargas. Toronto IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Manoah ......................4 6 7 6 4 6 92 13.50 Pearson.......................1 1 1 1 0 0 14 5.11 Cabrera, L, 1-1, BS, 0-1.1 2 1 1 0 0 7 6.23 Swanson .....................1 1 1 1 0 1 15 16.50 Pop ............................1 1 1 1 1 1 11 3.38 Washington IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Gore ...........................3 6 6 2 2 4 76 3.44 J.Barnes ......................1 1 0 0 0 1 11 1.29 Weems, H, 5................ 1 ⁄3 1 2 1 1 0 13 4.85 Law, BS, 0-2................ 2 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 11 3.32 Floro.........................1 2 ⁄3 2 0 0 1 0 34 0.52 Harvey, W, 2-1............1 1 ⁄3 0 0 0 1 0 15 2.45 Finnegan, S, 11-12 .......1 0 0 0 1 0 19 1.88 TAMPA BAY 7, N.Y. METS 6 New York AB R H BI Avg. Nimmo lf 3 0 1 1 .221 Marte rf 4 1 1 0 .274 Lindor ss 6 1 2 2 .207 Alonso 1b 5 0 0 0 .206 Stewart dh 3 0 0 1 .186 d-Martinez 0 0 0 0 .267 1-Taylor dh 0 0 0 0 .288 McNeil 2b 4 0 0 0 .231 Bader cf 5 2 1 0 .278 Baty 3b 4 1 1 0 .269 Narváez c 2 1 2 1 .186 a-Nido c 3 0 0 0 .179 Totals 39 6 8 5 Tampa Bay AB R H BI Avg. Y.Díaz 1b 4 0 2 2 .235 Palacios 2b 4 0 0 0 .295 Paredes 3b 3 0 1 0 .294 Arozarena lf 5 1 1 1 .143 Rosario dh 5 0 2 0 .313 Caballero ss 2 3 0 0 .264 Jackson c 3 1 1 1 .143 b-Shenton 1 0 0 0 .167 Rortvedt c 0 1 0 0 .351 DeLuca rf-cf 4 1 2 3 .273 Siri cf 2 0 0 0 .176 c-H.Ramírez rf 1 0 0 0 .261 Totals 34 7 9 7 New York 201 200 000 1 _ 6 8 0 Tampa Bay 031 000 001 2 _ 7 9 2 a-struck out for Narváez in 6th. b-lined out for Jackson in the 7th. c-flied out for Siri in 8th. d-walked for Stewart in 9th. 1-ran for Martinez in 9th. Strikeouts—New York 9. Tampa Bay 11. 2B—Paredes (4), Jackson (1), Y.Díaz (6). 3B—DeLuca (1). HR—Lindor (6), off Pepiot; Arozarena (5), off E.Díaz. New York IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Severino......................5 4 4 4 6 6 98 2.92 López, H, 4 ..................1 1 0 0 0 1 15 2.12 Garrett, H, 2 ................1 1 0 0 1 1 21 0.50 Reid-Foley, H, 1 ............1 0 0 0 1 1 12 0.00 E.Díaz, BS, 4-5.............1 2 1 1 0 2 19 2.63 Diekman, L, 1-1, BS, 0-1 .................................0 1 2 1 1 0 11 4.22 Tampa Bay IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Pepiot.........................2 3 3 3 1 3 44 3.68 Rodríguez ....................1 2 2 1 1 1 31 8.10 Kelly ...........................2 2 0 0 0 2 29 2.84 Cleavinger....................1 0 0 0 0 1 15 2.03 Armstrong....................2 1 0 0 2 1 35 3.06 Lopez .......................1 1 ⁄3 0 1 0 2 1 27 8.44 E.Ramírez, W, 1-0......... 2 ⁄3 0 0 0 1 0 12 6.48 BOSTON 9, MINNESOTA 2 Boston AB R H BI Avg. Ja.D cf-lf-cf 5 2 2 0 .262 Devers dh 5 2 2 2 .292 Refsnyder lf 2 0 1 1 .351 Hamilton ss 0 0 0 0 .214 c-O’Neill lf 2 1 1 0 .297 Abreu rf 3 1 0 0 .297 Grissom 2b 5 1 1 2 .125 Smith 1b 4 0 1 2 .250 McGuire c 4 1 2 0 .267 Raf ss-cf-ss 3 1 1 2 .202 Short 3b 4 0 0 0 .000 Totals 37 9 11 9 Minnesota AB R H BI Avg. Kirilloff lf 2 0 0 0 .239 a-Margot lf 3 0 0 0 .172 Julien 2b 3 0 0 0 .212 b-Farmer 2b 2 0 1 0 .148 Jeffers c 5 1 1 1 .291 Kepler rf 3 1 2 0 .293 Correa ss 2 0 1 0 .263 Larnach dh 4 0 2 1 .381 Castro cf 4 0 0 0 .277 Santana 1b 4 0 2 0 .189 Miranda 3b 4 0 0 0 .281 Totals 36 2 9 2 Boston 000 120 042 —9 11 1 Minnesota 001 000 010 —2 9 1 a-popped out for Kirilloff in the 5th. b-pinch hit for Julien in the 7th. c-doubled for Hamilton in the 8th. Walks—Boston 3: Hamilton 1, Abreu 2. Minnesota 3: Kepler 1, Correa 2. Strikeouts—Boston 8: Devers 2, Abreu 1, Smith 1, McGuire 1, Rafaela 1, Short 2. Minnesota 8: Kirilloff 1, Julien 3, Larnach 1, Castro 1, Santana 1, Miranda 1. E—Rafaela (6), Santana (3). LOB—Boston 5, Minnesota 10. 2B—Ja.Duran (7), Refsnyder (5), O’Neill (4), Grissom (1), Smith (1), Santana (4), Kepler (3). 3B—Ja.Duran (5). HR—Rafaela (3), off Ryan; Devers (4), off Jackson; Jeffers (6), off Criswell. RBIs—Refsnyder (8), Rafaela 2 (19), Grissom 2 (2), Smith 2 (3), Devers 2 (12), Jeffers (22), Larnach (9). SB—McGuire (3). CS—McGuire (0). S—Rafaela. Boston IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Criswell .....................4 1 ⁄3 5 1 1 1 5 80 1.74 Bernardino, W, 1-1 ....... 2 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 5 0.64 Kelly, H, 1 .................1 2 ⁄3 1 0 0 2 2 34 2.45 Booser, H, 1 ................ 1 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 5 3.72 Winckowski..................1 2 1 1 0 0 12 3.47 Jansen ........................1 1 0 0 0 0 15 1.69 Minnesota IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Ryan, L, 1-2.................6 4 3 3 1 5 95 3.54 Funderburk ................1 1 ⁄3 5 4 4 1 2 42 5.52 Jackson ....................1 2 ⁄3 2 2 2 1 1 35 4.58 Inherited runners-scored—Bernardino 1-0, Booser 1-0, Jackson 1-0. SEATTLE 5, HOUSTON 4 Seattle AB R H BI Avg. Rojas lf-3b 4 0 3 1 .360 Rodríg cf 4 0 0 0 .261 Polanco 2b 5 0 1 0 .193 Raleigh c 5 1 1 1 .210 France 1b 4 0 1 0 .255 Garver dh 4 1 1 0 .156 Raley rf 3 2 1 1 .230 Moore ss 3 1 1 0 .200 Urías 3b 3 0 1 2 .167 1-Hagge lf 0 0 0 0 .000 Totals 35 5 10 5 Houston AB R H BI Avg. Altuve 2b 4 1 2 0 .343 Tucker rf 3 1 1 2 .276 Alvarez dh 3 0 0 0 .250 Bregman 3b 4 0 1 0 .202 Peña ss 4 1 1 0 .323 Singleton 1b 4 1 2 2 .258 Diaz c 4 0 0 0 .274 Loperfido cf 2 0 0 0 .267 a-Dubón lf 2 0 0 0 .274 Cabbage lf 2 0 0 0 .250 b-Meyers cf 2 0 1 0 .232 Totals 34 4 8 4 Seattle 020 001 011 —5 10 0 Houston 000 002 200 —4 8 0 a-flied out for Loperfido in the 7th. b-singled for Cabbage in the 7th. 1-ran for Urías in the 8th. Walks—Seattle 4: Rojas 1, Rodríguez 1, Raley 1, Urías 1. Houston 2: Altuve 1, Tucker 1. Strikeouts—Seattle 8: Rodríguez 1, Polanco 1, Raleigh 2, France 1, Garver 2, Raley 1. Houston 5: Peña 1, Diaz 1, Loperfido 2, Meyers 1. LOB—Seattle 10, Houston 6. 2B—Rojas (4), France (5). 3B—Rojas (2). HR—Raley (1), off Montero; Raleigh (8), off Hader; Tucker (9), off B.Miller; Singleton (3), off B.Miller. RBIs—Urías 2 (10), Rojas (7), Raley (4), Raleigh (16), Tucker 2 (23), Singleton 2 (8). SB—Rojas (3), Meyers (1). Runners left in scoring position—Seattle 5 (France, Garver, Rodríguez 3); Houston 2 (Diaz, Tucker). Seattle IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA B.Miller .......................6 6 4 4 1 3 82 2.61 Saucedo .....................1 1 0 0 1 0 15 2.08 Stanek........................ 2 ⁄3 1 0 0 0 1 16 4.09 Muñoz, W, 2-2 ...........1 1 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 11 2.03 Houston IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Brown.......................4 1 ⁄3 5 2 2 4 5 91 8.89 Martinez...................... 2 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 11 1.89 Montero ......................1 2 1 1 0 0 12 3.78 Dubin .........................1 1 0 0 0 1 16 6.23 Abreu, BS, 0-2 .............1 1 1 1 0 1 21 4.32 Hader, L, 1-3 ...............1 1 1 1 0 1 15 6.14 TEXAS 3, KANSAS CITY 2 Texas AB R H BI Avg. Semien 2b 5 0 1 0 .257 Seager dh 4 0 1 1 .228 Lowe 1b 4 0 1 1 .327 García rf 5 0 1 0 .286 Heim c 3 1 1 1 .276 J.Smith ss 3 0 0 0 .293 Duran 3b 3 0 1 0 .235 a-Jankowski 1 0 1 0 .267 Wendzel 3b 0 0 0 0 .118 Carter lf 4 0 0 0 .227 Taveras cf 4 2 1 0 .234 Totals 36 3 8 3 Kansas City AB R H BI Avg. Garcia 3b 5 0 0 0 .232 Witt ss 4 2 2 0 .319 Pasquan 1b 2 0 1 2 .230 1-Blanco 0 0 0 0 .208 McArthur p 0 0 0 0 --- b-Velázquez 1 0 0 0 .215 Perez dh-1b 4 0 0 0 .328 Massey 2b 4 0 1 0 .292 Melendez lf 4 0 2 0 .186 Fermin c 4 0 1 0 .218 Frazier rf 3 0 0 0 .169 Renfroe rf 1 0 0 0 .157 Isbel cf 4 0 0 0 .214 Totals 36 2 7 2 Texas 000 000 011 1 _ 3 8 0 Kansas City 101 000 000 0 _ 2 7 0 a-singled for Duran in the 9th. b-lined out for McArthur in the 10th. 1-ran for Pasquantino in the 8th. Walks—Texas 2: Lowe 1, Heim 1. Kansas City 2: Witt 1, Pasquantino 1. Strikeouts—Texas 12: Semien 1, Seager 3, Lowe 1, García 2, J.Smith 1, Carter 3, Taveras 1. Kansas City 10: Garcia 3, Perez 3, Melendez 2, Fermin 1, Isbel 1. LOB—Texas 8, Kansas City 8. 2B—Taveras (7), Melendez (6), Witt (10), Pasquantino (8). 3B—Witt (5). HR—Heim (4), off McArthur. RBIs—Seager (10), Heim (20), Lowe (5), Pasquantino 2 (18). SB—Melendez (2), Blanco 2 (8). SF—Seager, Pasquantino. Runners left in scoring position—Texas 3 (Taveras, J.Smith 2); Kansas City 5 (Perez, Frazier 2, Massey, Velázquez). RISP—Texas 2 for 9; Kansas City 1 for 10. Texas IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Gray ...........................7 7 2 2 0 7 99 2.50 Yates, W, 3-0 ...............2 0 0 0 1 2 27 0.00 Robertson, S, 1-3 .........1 0 0 0 1 1 9 1.02 Kansas City IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Lynch..........................5 2 0 0 2 6 74 0.00 Zerpa, H, 4 ..................2 1 0 0 0 2 22 1.76 Schreiber, H, 8 .............1 1 1 1 0 1 10 1.10 McArthur, L, 1-1, BS, 7-9 .................................2 4 2 1 0 3 30 2.87 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 5, ST. LOUIS 1 Chicago AB R H BI Avg. Grossman lf 3 0 2 1 .221 Pham cf-rf 4 0 0 0 .286 Vaughn 1b 4 0 0 0 .186 Jiménez dh 4 1 1 1 .231 Sheets rf 4 1 2 0 .270 1-Ortega cf 0 0 0 0 .000 DeJong ss 4 2 2 1 .224 Ramos 3b 3 1 1 1 .333 Maldo c 4 0 0 0 .105 Shewm 2b 4 0 1 1 .148 Totals 34 5 9 5 St. Louis AB R H BI Avg. Donovan lf 4 0 1 0 .215 Contreras dh 4 1 1 1 .275 Goldsch 1b 4 0 0 0 .208 Arenado 3b 4 0 0 0 .287 Carlson cf 3 0 0 0 .000 Herrera c 3 0 0 0 .210 Winn ss 3 0 1 0 .266 Fermín 2b 3 0 0 0 .167 Nootbaar rf 3 0 1 0 .169 Totals 31 1 4 1 Chicago 010 000 400 —5 9 0 St. Louis 000 100 000 —1 4 0 1-ran for Sheets in the 8th. Strikeouts—Chicago 12: Pham 3, Vaughn 1, Jiménez 1, DeJong 1, Ramos 1, Maldonado 4, Shewmake 1. St. Louis 11: Donovan 1, Contreras 3, Goldschmidt 2, Arenado 2, Herrera 1, Fermín 2. LOB—Chicago 4, St. Louis 3. 2B—Grossman (4), DeJong 2 (7), Sheets 2 (10). HR—Jiménez (4), off Gallegos; Contreras (6), off Crochet. RBIs—Ramos (1), Jiménez (11), DeJong (7), Shewmake (3), Grossman (4), Contreras (11). SB—Grossman (2), Shewmake (5). SF—Ramos, Grossman. Runners left in scoring position—Chicago 4 (Vaughn, Jiménez, Pham, DeJong); St. Louis 1 (Goldschmidt). RISP—Chicago 3 for 11; St. Louis 0 for 1. Runners moved up—Vaughn. Chicago IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Crochet, W, 2-4 ............6 3 1 1 0 6 88 5.31 Wilson ........................1 0 0 0 0 2 15 3.00 Leasure.......................1 1 0 0 0 1 22 2.57 Brebbia.......................1 0 0 0 0 2 16 4.00 St. Louis IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Liberatore..................3 2 ⁄3 3 1 1 0 5 50 2.70 Leahy .......................2 1 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 2 29 4.91 Gallegos, L, 2-1............0 3 3 3 0 0 10 12.00 King .........................1 2 ⁄3 3 1 1 0 3 35 4.50 Robertson .................1 1 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 2 12 0.00 Inherited runners-scored—King 1-1, Robertson 1-0. WP—Crochet, Liberatore. CHICAGO CUBS 5, MILWAUKEE 0 Milwaukee AB R H BI Avg. Frelick rf 4 0 1 0 .252 Contreras c 3 0 1 0 .336 Black 1b 4 0 1 0 .211 Adames ss 4 0 0 0 .258 Turang 2b 3 0 0 0 .299 Hoskins dh 3 0 0 0 .225 Dunn 3b 4 0 1 0 .233 Perkins cf 4 0 1 0 .266 Chourio lf 2 0 0 0 .219 a-Bauers lf 1 0 0 0 .194 Totals 32 0 5 0 Chicago AB R H BI Avg. ho*rner 2b 5 1 1 2 .282 Tauchman rf 3 1 1 0 .269 Happ lf 3 0 1 0 .235 Morel 3b 1 0 1 1 .220 Madrigal 3b 0 0 0 0 .195 Busch 1b 4 0 0 0 .261 Swanson ss 4 1 1 1 .220 Wisdom dh 3 0 1 0 .261 C.-Armstr cf 2 1 1 0 .242 Amaya c 3 1 0 0 .188 Totals 28 5 7 4 Milwaukee 000 000 000 —0 5 0 Chicago 000 031 10x —5 7 0 a-struck out for Chourio in the 7th. Walks—Milwaukee 3: Contreras 1, Turang 1, Hoskins 1. Chicago 7: Tauchman 1, Happ 1, Morel 3, Wisdom 1, Crow-Armstrong 1. Strikeouts—Milwaukee 9: Frelick 2, Black 1, Turang 1, Dunn 1, Perkins 3, Bauers 1. Chicago 7: Happ 1, Busch 4, Wisdom 1, Amaya 1. LOB—Milwaukee 8, Chicago 8. 2B—Contreras (9), Frelick (5), ho*rner (10). HR—Swanson (4), off Vieira. RBIs—ho*rner 2 (10), Swanson (12), Morel (21). SB—Crow-Armstrong (2). CS—Happ (1). S—Crow-Armstrong. Runners left in scoring position—Milwaukee 6 (Contreras, Adames, Perkins, Black, Dunn 2); Chicago 4 (ho*rner, Busch 2, Amaya). RISP—Milwaukee 0 for 7; Chicago 2 for 8. Runners moved up—Black, Turang, Frelick, Hoskins, Tauchman, Happ. LIDP—Swanson. DP—Milwaukee 1 (Dunn, Black, Dunn). Milwaukee IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Peralta, L, 3-1 ..............5 3 3 3 6 5 97 3.49 Vieira..........................1 1 1 1 0 0 16 5.40 Junk ...........................2 3 1 1 1 2 38 9.00 Chicago IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Assad, W, 3-0 ..............6 4 0 0 3 4 94 1.66 Almonte ......................2 0 0 0 0 3 19 3.68 Palencia ......................1 1 0 0 0 2 12 4.50 HBP_Peralta (Amaya). WP—Peralta. PB_Contreras (4). U— John Tumpane, Marvin Hudson, Nick Mahrley, Hunter Wendelstedt. T—2:23. Tickets sold—39,299 (41,363). MIAMI 12, OAKLAND 3 Miami AB R H BI Avg. Chish cf 4 2 2 1 .234 DLCru dh 3 2 1 0 .264 Bell 1b 3 0 2 2 .197 1-Riv 3b 0 0 0 0 .205 J.Sán rf 5 2 0 1 .218 Ander ss 5 1 1 1 .218 Gordon lf 4 2 4 3 .207 Bruján 2b 5 0 1 1 .286 Bri 3b-1b 5 1 1 2 .167 Bethanc c 5 2 2 1 .070 Totals 39 12 14 12 Oakland AB R H BI Avg. Toro 2b 5 0 0 0 .267 Nevin 1b 4 0 0 0 .289 Bleday cf 3 0 0 0 .246 Rooker dh 3 2 2 0 .256 Brown lf 2 0 0 0 .176 a-Schue lf 2 0 1 1 .172 Butler rf 3 1 0 0 .186 Hernaiz ss 4 0 1 1 .194 McCann c 3 0 1 1 .375 Harris 3b 3 0 0 0 .182 Totals 32 3 5 3 Miami 410 003 004 —12 14 2 Oakland 000 200 010 — 3 5 0 a-struck out for Brown in the 6th. 1-ran for Bell in the 9th. Walks—Miami 5: Chisholm 1, De La Cruz 2, Bell 1, Gordon 1. Oakland 5: Bleday 1, Rooker 1, Butler 1, McCann 1, Harris 1. Strikeouts—Miami 8: Chisholm 1, De La Cruz 2, Bell 1, J.Sánchez 2, Anderson 1, Bruján 1. Oakland 7: Toro 1, Nevin 1, Bleday 1, Rooker 1, Schuemann 1, Butler 1, Hernaiz 1. E—Bell (3), Gordon (1). LOB—Miami 6, Oakland 7. 2B—Gordon (3), Bride (1), Bethancourt (1), Rooker (4). HR—Gordon (4), off Boyle. RBIs—J.Sánchez (14), Gordon 3 (15), Bell 2 (13), Bride 2 (2), Bethancourt (3), Chisholm (19), Anderson (6), Bruján (5), Hernaiz (4), McCann (7), Schuemann (3). SB—Chisholm 2 (7), J.Sánchez (5). CS—Gordon (1). Runners left in scoring position—Miami 4 (J.Sánchez, De La Cruz, Bethancourt 2); Oakland 3 (Toro 2, Brown). Miami IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA S.Sánchez ...................4 3 2 2 3 2 65 7.50 Smith, W, 2-0...............1 0 0 0 0 1 9 3.12 Nardi ..........................1 0 0 0 0 1 22 7.07 Bender........................1 0 0 0 1 0 16 7.07 Faucher.......................1 2 1 1 0 2 21 2.31 Villalobos ....................1 0 0 0 1 1 20 0.00 Oakland IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Boyle, L, 2-5 ................1 1 4 4 3 1 35 7.16 Spence .....................4 2 ⁄3 6 4 4 1 5 72 3.80 Kelly.........................2 1 ⁄3 1 0 0 1 2 36 2.61 McFarland ...................1 6 4 4 0 0 33 6.23 Inherited runners-scored—Kelly 1-1. HBP_Kelly (Bell). BALTIMORE 11, CINCINNATI 1 Balt. AB R H BI Avg. Hende dh 3 1 0 0 .274 Rutsch c 5 0 2 2 .324 Mount 1b 5 1 1 0 .289 Santa rf 4 2 3 5 .218 Westb 2b 5 1 1 2 .286 Mateo ss 4 0 0 0 .245 McKen cf 3 2 1 1 .375 Cowser lf 3 1 1 1 .276 Urías 3b 3 3 2 0 .196 Totals 35 11 11 11 Cincinnati AB R H BI Avg. Benson cf 3 1 0 0 .195 DL Cruz ss 3 0 0 0 .271 Steer lf 4 0 1 0 .246 Fraley rf 4 0 1 1 .292 E-Strand 1b 4 0 1 0 .195 India 2b 3 0 0 0 .219 Martini dh 3 0 0 0 .177 Espinal 3b 3 0 0 0 .169 Maile c 3 0 0 0 .146 Totals 30 1 3 1 Baltimore 300 010 205 —11 11 0 Cincinnati 000 000 001 — 1 3 0 Walks—Baltimore 5: Henderson 2, Santander 1, McKenna 1, Cowser 1. Cincinnati 3: Benson 1, De La Cruz 1, India 1. Strikeouts—Baltimore 10: Henderson 2, Rutschman 2, Mountcastle 2, Santander 1, Mateo 3. Cincinnati 8: Benson 2, De La Cruz 2, Encarnacion-Strand 1, Martini 1, Maile 2. LOB—Baltimore 3, Cincinnati 5. 2B—Mountcastle (9), Rutschman (6), Urías (2), Cowser (8). HR—Westburg (6), off Lodolo; McKenna (2), off Suter; Santander (5), off Pagán. RBIs—Santander 5 (23), Westburg 2 (23), Rutschman 2 (22), McKenna (2), Cowser (19), Fraley (5). CS—Cowser (1), Westburg (2). Runners left in scoring position—Baltimore 2 (Mountcastle 2); Cincinnati 4 (India 2, Espinal 2). RISP—Baltimore 5 for 9; Cincinnati 2 for 6. Runners moved up—Martini. Baltimore IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Kremer, W, 3-2 .............6 1 0 0 1 6 93 3.57 Suárez ......................2 1 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 24 2.04 Baumann .................... 2 ⁄3 2 1 1 2 1 20 4.73 Cincinnati IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Lodolo, L, 3-1 ..............5 4 4 4 2 6 85 2.79 Suter ..........................2 3 2 2 1 2 38 4.15 Moll............................1 1 0 0 0 0 11 0.00 Díaz ........................... 1 ⁄3 2 4 4 2 1 21 6.57 Pagán......................... 2 ⁄3 1 1 1 0 1 11 5.93 Inherited runners-scored—Pagán 3-3. HBP_Lodolo (Urías). U— Paul Clemons, Andy Fletcher, Mike Muchlinski, Jansen Visconti. T—2:37. Tickets sold—31,514 (43,891). ARIZONA 11, SAN DIEGO 4 San Diego AB R H BI Avg. Arraez 2b 5 0 1 0 .455 Tatis rf 5 1 2 0 .250 Crone 1b 5 0 1 0 .278 Macha 3b 4 0 1 0 .258 Profar lf 4 0 1 0 .344 Bogae dh 4 1 1 0 .217 Merrill cf 4 1 2 2 .284 Kim ss 3 1 1 0 .214 Higash c 4 0 2 1 .207 Totals 38 4 12 3 Arizona AB R H BI Avg. McCar lf 4 3 3 2 .311 a-Gric lf 1 0 0 0 .261 Marte 2b 4 1 1 2 .307 Alex 2b 0 0 0 0 .286 Smith rf 4 1 1 0 .200 Walker 1b 3 2 2 2 .280 Peder dh 4 1 1 2 .297 Suár 3b 4 0 0 0 .222 Carroll cf 4 1 2 2 .203 New ss 4 0 1 0 .179 Barn c 3 2 2 1 .219 Totals 35 11 13 11 San Diego 031 000 000 — 4 12 1 Arizona 420 410 00x —11 13 0 a-struck out for McCarthy in the 8th. Walks—San Diego 1: Kim 1. Arizona 3: Marte 1, Walker 1, Barnhart 1. Strikeouts—San Diego 6: Tatis 1, Cronenworth 2, Bogaerts 1, Merrill 1, Higashioka 1. Arizona 4: Grichuk 1, Pederson 1, Suárez 2. E—Merrill (2). LOB—San Diego 8, Arizona 3. 2B—Higashioka (2), Tatis (6), Walker (4), Barnhart (2), McCarthy (4). HR—Merrill (2), off Nelson; Marte (6), off Waldron; Pederson (3), off Brito. RBIs—Merrill 2 (16), Higashioka (2), Marte 2 (17), Carroll 2 (7), McCarthy 2 (9), Walker 2 (24), Pederson 2 (7), Barnhart (1). Runners left in scoring position—San Diego 2 (Machado, Arraez); Arizona 2 (Pederson, Newman). RISP—San Diego 1 for 5; Arizona 6 for 15. Runners moved up—Machado, Tatis, Smith, Marte. GIDP—Machado, Marte, Smith. DP—San Diego 2 (Arraez, Kim, Cronenworth; Arraez, Kim, Cronenworth); Arizona 1 (Newman, Marte, Walker). San Diego IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Waldron, L, 1-4 ............3 8 8 7 3 2 65 5.82 Brito ...........................3 5 3 3 0 0 42 4.91 Kolek..........................1 0 0 0 0 1 8 3.57 Peralta ........................1 0 0 0 0 1 9 4.11 Arizona IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Nelson, W, 2-2 .............5 8 4 4 1 3 99 5.23 Martinez......................1 1 0 0 0 0 18 1.00 Mantiply......................1 1 0 0 0 1 10 3.95 Thompson ...................1 1 0 0 0 1 17 1.32 Ginkel .........................1 1 0 0 0 1 17 2.57 PHILADELPHIA 5, SAN FRANCISCO 4 S.F. AB R H BI Avg. Lee cf 5 0 1 0 .244 Wade 1b 3 1 1 0 .333 Flores dh 4 0 0 0 .222 Conforto lf 4 0 2 1 .258 Chpmn 3b 4 0 0 0 .215 Ystrzmski rf 4 1 1 0 .229 Estrada 2b 3 1 1 2 .256 Sabol c 2 0 0 0 .400 a-Slater 0 0 0 0 .121 Reetz c 1 1 1 1 1.000 Ahmed ss 3 0 0 0 .235 Totals 33 4 7 4 Philadelphia AB R H BI Avg. Schwarbr dh 4 1 0 0 .206 Realmuto c 4 1 3 0 .259 Harper 1b 4 1 1 3 .234 Bohm 3b 4 1 1 0 .360 Marsh lf 4 0 1 0 .264 Cstellnos rf 4 1 1 0 .185 Stott 2b 3 0 1 1 .242 Sosa ss 4 0 1 1 .276 Rojas cf 4 0 0 0 .219 Totals 35 5 9 5 San Francisco 100 000 201 —4 7 2 Philadelphia 014 000 00x —5 9 0 a-hit by pitch for Sabol in the 7th. Walks—San Francisco 2: Wade 1, Ahmed 1. Philadelphia 2: Schwarber 1, Stott 1. Strikeouts—San Francisco 11: Wade 1, Flores 2, Chapman 2, Yastrzemski 2, Sabol 2, Ahmed 2. Philadelphia 17: Schwarber 3, Harper 1, Bohm 1, Marsh 1, Castellanos 3, Stott 2, Sosa 3, Rojas 3. E—Ahmed (3), Conforto (1). LOB—San Francisco 6, Philadelphia 8. 2B—Conforto (7), Stott (3), Bohm (13). 3B—Conforto (1). HR—Estrada (5), off T.Walker; Reetz (1), off Alvarado; Harper (7), off Webb. RBIs—Conforto (17), Estrada 2 (19), Reetz (1), Sosa (4), Harper 3 (21), Stott (17). SB—Stott (7), Sosa (1), Castellanos (1), Marsh (5). DP—Phila. 1 (Stott, Sosa, Harper). San Francisco IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Webb, L, 3-3................4 6 5 4 2 6 98 3.50 Hjelle..........................2 2 0 0 0 6 30 2.70 Ta.Rogers.....................1 1 0 0 0 2 19 3.65 R.Walker......................1 0 0 0 0 3 12 2.50 Philadelphia IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA T.Walker, W, 2-0..........6 1 ⁄3 5 3 3 1 7 90 6.39 Soto, H, 4 ................... 2 ⁄3 0 0 0 1 0 16 6.10 Hoffman, H, 5 ..............1 1 0 0 0 3 19 1.12 Alvarado, S, 7-7 ...........1 1 1 1 0 1 17 4.30 HBP_T.Walker (Estrada), Soto (Slater). U— Edwin Moscoso, D.J. Reyburn, Brian Walsh, Adam Hamari. T—2:45. Tickets sold—41,058 (42,901). BASEBALL : SUNDAY FLASHBACK only figures he would soak it all in. I asked him after Sunday’s game if he could feel the big-game atmosphere. “Yeah, very much so,” he said through interpreter Will Ireton. He was asked what it feels like to hit a ball 464 feet, the longest Dodgers homer this season, a leadoff shot in the eighth inning that landed deep in the left-center field seats. “Slug is part of my game,” Ohtani said. “So being able to express that in a game situation like that … is important as well.” That first part belongs on a T-shirt, no? Slug Is Part Of My Game. “That’s deep, people don’t hit the ball out there,” said Roberts when asked about those traveling 464 feet. Equally as deep is a Dodgers roster dotted with key new players who do not bear the dark stain of postseasons past. This Dodger team has a new pitcher, James Paxton, who is now 4-0 with a 3.06 ERA after throwing 6 2⁄3 strong innings Sunday. Paxton has a 3.46 postseason ERA in three starts for the New York Yankees, so he understands the importance of this weekend’s furor. “We played really well,” he said. “We showed how well we can play against a really good team.” This Dodgers team also has a new outfielder, Teoscar Hernández, who hit his eighth homer Sunday and has equaled Ohtani’s 25 RBIs. Hernández has two homers in four postseason games, so he also seems suited for the big stage. “With our offense, every game is winnable,” Roberts said. With Ohtani in the middle of it all, every game this weekend felt like a victory from the first pitch to Randy Newman. The Dodgers outscored the Braves 20-6 and trailed for only brief spells in what amounted to a three-day fiesta capped by Sunday’s Cinco de Mayo roars. “I saw signs of postseason … it was good to see our guys play to the level and energy that the fans had this series,” Roberts said. Ohtani said the feeling was contagious. “I just feel like we’re overall playing really well, so that’s really helping me have quality at-bats and just feeling good overall,” he said. The scary part for opponents is that both of his Sunday home runs were essentially opposite-field hits, which means his bat has discovered its mojo. “When I feel confident that I can hit in that direction, then I know I can cover other pitches really well,” Ohtani said. Paxton explained that in human terms. “He’s awesome,” the pitcher said with a gasp. “So much power.” The Dodgers could have used that power last October when they were swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in a series in which they never led. The Dodgers could have used that slug two postseasons ago when they couldn’t score in a fourgame loss to the San Diego Padres. And, yes, certainly, they will need every bit of Ohtani this fall if they once again meet the Braves. They are 3-1 against Atlanta during their postseason run, but it is the Braves who delivered the most recent blow with a four-games-totwo triumph in the 2021 National League Championship Series. It’s far too early to be forecasting a rematch. It’s way too reckless to be celebrating a May sweep. Yet as this weekend proved, it’s not too early to start believing. For the last 11 years, the Dodgers didn’t have anyone like Shohei Ohtani. Now they do, and anything is possible. Imagining an October with Ohtani [Plaschke, from B10] SHOHEI OHTANI, here stealing second base, signed with the Dodgers because he wanted to experience the sort of playoff setting that eluded him during six years in Anaheim, Bill Plaschke writes. Wally Skalij Los Angeles Times
LATIMES.COM TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 B9 TUE WED THU FRI SAT 7 8 9 10 11 DODGERS MIAMI 7 SNLA MIAMI Noon SNLA at San Diego 6:30 SNLA at San Diego 5:30 SNLA ANGELS at Pittsburgh 3:30 BSW at Pittsburgh 9:30 a.m. BSW KANSAS CITY 6:30 BSW, FS1 KANSAS CITY 6:30 Apple TV KANSAS CITY 6:30 BSW GALAXY REAL SALT LAKE 7:30 Apple TV LAFC at Las Vegas* 7:30 VANCOUVER 7:30 Apple TV ANGEL CITY MAY 12: VS. HOUSTON, 4:30 P.M., BSW SPARKS: Friday at Phoenix (preseason), 7 p.m. PDT Shade denotes home game. *-U.S. Open Cup PRO CALENDAR TIME EVENT ON THE AIR BASEBALL 12:30 p.m. Texas at Oakland TV: MLB, ESPN+ 3:30 p.m. Angels at Pittsburgh TV: BSW R: 830 4 p.m. Houston at New York TV: TBS 5:30 p.m. San Francisco at Colorado TV: MLB 7 p.m. Miami at Dodgers TV: SNLA R: 570, 1020 BASKETBALL 4 p.m. NBA playoffs, second round, Game 1, Cleveland at Boston TV: TNT, TruTV 6:30 p.m. NBA playoffs, second round, Game 1, Dallas at Oklahoma City TV: TNT, TruTV COLLEGE BASEBALL 3 p.m. Portland at Washington State TV: Pac-12 4 p.m. Louisville at Vanderbilt TV: ESPN2 4 p.m. Auburn at Georgia Tech TV: ACC 6 p.m. USC at Long Beach State TV: ESPN+ 6 p.m. UCLA at UC Irvine TV: ESPN+ 6:30 p.m. Arizona at Arizona State TV: Pac-12 COLLEGE GOLF Noon PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship, second round TV: Golf COLLEGE SOFTBALL 4 p.m. SEC tournament, Mississippi vs. Kentucky TV: SEC HOCKEY 3:30 p.m. NHL draft lottery TV: ESPN 4 p.m. NHL playoffs, second round, Game 2, Carolina at New York Rangers TV: ESPN 6:30 p.m. NHL playoffs, second round, Game 1, Colorado at Dallas TV: ESPN LACROSSE 4 p.m. Premier Lacrosse League draft TV: ESPNU SOCCER 8 a.m. Canada, Forge FC vs. CF Montreal TV:FS2 Noon UEFA Champions League, semifinal, Paris Saint-Germain vs. Borussia Dortmund TV: Paramount+, Univision 7 p.m. U.S. Open Cup, Orange County SC vs. Oakland TV: MLS stream TENNIS 2 a.m. (Wed.) Italian Open, ATP / WTA early rounds TV: Tennis TODAY ON THE AIR SPORTS EXTRA For late coverage of Dodgers, Angels, Lakers and Clippers games and more, see our daily digital eNewspaper. Subscribers get free access to an exclusive “Sports Extra.” View it on your phone, tablet or computer at latimes.com/enewspaper. The Rams, Chargers and Dallas Cowboys are here every summer, and now the New Orleans Saints and Las Vegas Raiders are on their way. Southern California has become to NFL training camps what Arizona and Florida are to MLB’s spring training. The Saints plan to hold training camp at UC Irvine this summer, and the Raiders are putting the finishing touches on a deal to move their camp to Costa Mesa. Both are one-year agreements. There is no other place in the country with such a cluster of training camps, especially notable considering the Los Angeles market went without an NFL team from 1995 through 2015. The proximity makes it more convenient for teams to hold joint practices, increasingly common in recent years. “It’s not a surprise, given the weather, the number of players from here and the overall experience that they would want to come back and hold training camp,” said Kevin Demoff, chief operating officer of the Rams. “There are not many places to practice in the summer, or in any time of the year, than Southern California.” The latest round of musical sites was set in motion by the Rams and Chargers moving forward on their permanent facilities. The Costa Mesa site became available because the Chargers are moving to their new practice facility in El Segundo, where they will hold training camp. “Now the fields are in, they’re mowing, we’ve got growing going,” said Fred Maas, Chargers chief of staff. “Believe it or not, when we broke ground, we had opening scheduled for June 8, and we’re going to get the keys on June 8. “I think the day we open, we are going to be the standard-bearer for the NFL.” NFL camps begin July 29. The Rams used to hold training camp in Irvine, but they are moving camp to the L.A. area this summer — they haven’t announced their new site — in preparation for their eventual move into the practice complex the club is constructing in Woodland Hills. The Costa Mesa City Council is meeting Tuesday, presumably to give final approval to the Raiders for use of the Jack Hammett Sports Complex this summer. Those practices would be open to the public. Already, the city’s mayor is rolling out the silver-andblack carpet. “I’m pleased to welcome the Las Vegas Raiders and their loyal fans, ‘Raider Nation,’ to the great city of Costa Mesa for training camp this summer,” Costa Mesa Mayor John Stephens said in a news release. That release details the terms of the proposed agreement, including the $165,000 in rent the Raiders would pay, along with club contributions to include $600,000 in improvements to the fields at the complex, staging a “junior training camp” for kids ages 6 to 12, and donations of tickets, money and equipment to select local youth groups and high schools. The Raiders, in an effort to escape the blistering heat of a Las Vegas summer, have entertained various training camp options, including sites in the Reno area. They trained in Oxnard from 1985 through 1995. The Saints are moving their camp to Irvine this summer due to construction on the club’s permanent facility in Metairie, La. Their practices will not be open to the public. The Rams made the Irvine facility their summer home from 2016 through 2019, and, after a COVID-19 interruption, from 2021 through 2023. So there will be five NFL teams in Southern California this summer. A sixth undisclosed NFL franchise has looked into staging a future training camp at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, where the Rams have had their inseason facility since moving back to Southern California in 2016. The Cowboys, who trained in Thousand Oaks from 1963 through 1989, have spent at least part of training camp in Oxnard off and on since 2001. Raiders to set up practice in Costa Mesa Las Vegas is poised to join four other NFL teams holding training camps in Southland. SAM FARMER ON THE NFL RAMS offensive tackle Rob Havenstein (79) and Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) vie at a joint practice in Thousand Oaks in 2023. Ryan Sun Associated Press Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, 51, signed a multi-year contract extension with the team on Monday. The Mavericks announced the move a day before opening their secondround playoff series at Oklahoma City. The Hall of Fame point guard, who won an NBA title with the Mavericks in 2011, is in his third season coaching Dallas, and guided the Mavs to the Southwest Division title with a 50-32 record — his second 50-win season with the team. The team did not disclose the length of the contract extension. The move also comes at a time when Kidd was being mentioned as a potential head-coaching candidate for the Lakers, where he previously served as an assistant. Victor Wembanyana, the Spurs star from France, was announced as the NBA’s rookie of the year. He’s the third San Antonio player to win the award, joining David Robinson in 1990 and Tim Duncan in 1998. Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren and Charlotte’s Brandon Miller were the other finalists. ETC. Larson edges out Buescher to win Kyle Larson came around Chris Buescher on the final lap and banged doors with him all the way to the finish line where he was declared the winner of the Cup Series race by officials at Kansas Speedway in the closest finish in NASCAR history. The official margin was a thousandth of a second — every bit as close as the Kentucky Derby a day earlier — and Buescher was left both dumbfounded and dejected. His team had begun to celebrate before learning he had finished second. The dramatic finale Sunday came after a caution for Kyle Busch’s spin forced a green-white-checkered finish. Larson pulled behind Buescher on the backstretch of the last lap, then came around him on the outside of the final corner. Buescher looked as if he had pulled in front, and even Larson thought he had finished second, before the call came through that he had won. “That was wild,” Larson said of the race that was delayed three hours because of heavy rain. “I was thankful for that caution. We were dying pretty bad. I was happy to come out third.” It was a brilliant start to a busy month of May for Larson, who will attempt to run the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day Memorial Day weekend. The Chargers added some depth to their wide receiver room by signing DJ Chark Jr. The veteran had 35 receptions for 525 yards with Carolina last season, and led the team with five receiving touchdowns. Right-hander Mike Clevinger was recalled by the Chicago White Sox from triple-A Charlotte and started Monday night’s game at Tampa Bay. ... Texas Rangers rookie outfielder Wyatt Langford was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. ... The Tampa Bay Rays reinstated outfielder Josh Lowe from the 10-day injured list before Monday night’s game with the Chicago White Sox. Lowe has been out since opening day because of a right oblique strain. ... Cleveland placed outfielder Steven Kwan, who leads the AL with a .353 average, on the 10-day injured list with a strained hamstring. Talor Gooch of LIV Golf gets to play in at least one major this year. He announced Monday on social media that he received an invitation to play in the PGA Championship next week. In MLS, John McCarthy finished with five saves for L.A. and Stefan Frei stopped three shots for Seattle as the Galaxy and Sounders played to a scoreless draw on Sunday night. McCarthy had four saves and Frei stopped the only shot he faced in the first half. Snoop Dogg is teaming with the Arizona Bowl for what will be the first partnership between an alcohol brand and a college bowl game, the rapper and media personality announced. The “Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl Presented by Gin & Juice By Dre and Snoop” is scheduled for Dec. 28 at Arizona Stadium and will match teams from the Mountain West Conference and Mid-American Conference. Belgian rider Tim Merlier won the third stage of the Giro d’Italia after race leader Tadej Pogacar almost caught the sprinters by surprise in the finale. KYLE LARSON holds his trophy aloft after winning the Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway on Sunday night. Larson edged out Chris Buescher by a thousandth of a second, the closest finish in NASCAR history. Colin E. Braley Associated Press THE DAY IN SPORTS Dallas locks up Kidd with extension wire reports
S T UESDAY , MAY 7 , 2024 PORTS :: L ATIMES.COM/SPORTS B10 NFL deepens its roots in the region Southern California has become a hotbed for training camps, with the Saints and Raiders next to come. B9 Coaching candidate is off the board Jason Kidd won’t be available to the Lakers after he signs a multiyear extension with the Mavericks. B7 A rebuilding project in Las Vegas The Lights, a USL soccer team, will have a shot at glory when it takes on LAFC in the U.S. Open Cup. B6 The 2023-24 season ended in disappointment yet again for the Clippers and now they will turn their attention to next season and how they can reach their goal of winning an NBA championship with a core group that’s getting older. It’ll start with Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, his front-office staff and owner Steve Ballmer having to make some decisions on the best path forward. The Clippers and Paul George were unable to reach a contract extension during the season, which means he can become a free agent if he opts out of a contract that would pay him $48.7 million next season. James Harden, who made $35 million this season and whom the Clippers acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers in October, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Russell Westbrook has a player option for next season of $4.027 million. Along with a healthy Kawhi Leonard, Frank said the team would like to bring back the entire group, along with giving Clippers coach Tyronn Lue an extension. First, the Clippers must deal with being eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the first round of the playoffs. “Obviously the biggest thing for us is it’s been four years in a row that we haven’t been able to have our best players, best team on the court in April, let alone in the ensuing months,” Frank said in his exit interview Monday. “So, it’s disappointing, yet the regular season in JAMES HARDEN made $35 million last season and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Clippers said they would like the chance to retain him. Wally Skalij Los Angeles Times [See Clippers, B7] Frank calls Clippers’ season another ‘lost opportunity’ He says team wants to bring back its core, and also seeks to sign Lue to a new contract. By Broderick Turner For all those disappointed with the Kings’ third straight exit from the NHL playoffs in the first round, Rob Blake, the team’s general manager, has a message: He feels your pain. “Just a very difficult end to the season,” Blake said Monday in his first public comments since the Kings were eliminated from the postseason by the Edmonton Oilers last Wednesday. “A lot of disappointment, a lot of frustration, a lot of anger. I don’t think we performed at nearly the level we needed to to have success in the playoffs.” As for what he intends to do about that, check back this summer. Because while Blake’s news conference was long on frustration and disappointment, it was short on the specific steps he plans to take to fix things. Which isn’t to say he said nothing. He did say the team had no intention of buying out the last seven years of center Pierre-Luc Dubois’ $68-million contract. He also said the fate of interim coach Jim Hiller remained undetermined and that the longterm solution at goaltender “probably isn’t in place in this team right now.” And though Blake has a strong core to build around — forwards Anze Kopitar, Kevin Fiala, Adrian Kempe, Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore along with defensem*n Drew Doughty and Mikey Anderson, who are all under contract for at least two more seasons — the Kings have seven players set to become unrestricted free agents, among them defenseman Matt Roy, forward Kings facing tough choices GM Blake is short on specifics on how to come back from latest postseason failure. By Kevin Baxter GM Rob Blake says the fate of interim coach Jim Hiller is undetermined. Morgan Hanco*ck Getty Images [See Kings, B7] This wasn’t October. This can’t be confused with October. This has nothing to do with October. Yet make no mistake, the Dodgers’ weekend sweep of the Atlanta Braves at a rollicking Dodger Stadium was a fair predictor of an entirely different sort of October. An October with Shohei Ohtani. Goodness, the imagination soars, like a 464-foot blast into the lunging grasps of the pavilion partiers. My, the possibilities seem endless, like a 412-foot rocket that disappears over the center-field fence. Ohtani authored both moments during Sunday’s 5-1 sweeping victory, once again leaving witnesses searching for adjectives. “He just keeps doing things that we haven’t seen before,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Leading this team to its first full-season title in 36 years would qualify as something else few have seen before, wouldn’t it? Heavens, the potential is enormous. Ohtani, who was elsewhere while the Dodgers were failing in 10 of their previous 11 postseasons, filled his first playoff atmosphere here with ohhs and ahhs and oh yeahs. Ohh, he wrecked the pitching staff of the team with baseball’s best record for eight hits in 12 at-bats with three home runs and six RBIs in the three games. Ahh, he had a score-tying single in extra innings on Friday, a tonesetting homer on Saturday, and two homers among his four hits on Sunday. Oh yeah, he signed with the Dodgers this winter because he wanted to experience the sort of playoff setting that eluded him during six years in Anaheim, so it SHOHEI OHTANI starts circling the bases after hitting the first of his two homers in the Dodgers’ 5-1 win over Atlanta on Sunday. Kyodo via AP images Will he be the Fall Classic guy? With Ohtani, Dodgers could see an entirely different sort of October BILL PLASCHKE [See Plaschke, B8]
It took all of seven pitches for Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler to exceed the expectations of manager Dave Roberts, who prefaced Buehler’s first major league start in 23 months Monday night by saying, “I don’t expect to see the 96-97 mph that he had before [Tommy John] surgery.” After completing his warmup pitches with Rage Against the Machine’s “Bulls on Parade” blaring on the Dodger Stadium publicaddress system, Buehler went into his windup with the signature high leg-kick and fired his first pitch, a 96-mph fastball, by Miami’s Jazz Chisholm Jr. for strike one. Buehler hit 97 mph with his seventh pitch of the game, a fastball that Chisholm fouled off, and just for good measure, Buehler touched 97.6 mph with his eighth pitch, which was also fouled off by Chisholm. The rest of his return from a nearly two-year absence was a bit of a mixed bag, with Buehler getting tagged for three runs and five hits in the first two innings before blanking the Marlins in the third and fourth, but there was plenty from Buehler during a 6-3 victory over the Marlins for the Dodgers to be encouraged about. Buehler needed 49 pitches to complete the first two innings, in which he gave up RBI singles to Bryan De La Cruz and Jesus Sanchez in the first and Nick Gordon’s solo home run — which a leaping right fielder Andy Pages got his glove on before it bounced over the wall — in the second. But he struck out two of four batters in a scoreless third, Jake Burger looking at a 92-mph sinker and Josh Bell swinging at a 92-mph cut-fastball, and he whiffed Gordon with an 80-mph curve and got Nick Fortes to ground into a double play in a scoreless fourth, needing 28 pitches to complete his last two innings. That finished a four-inning, 77- pitch start in which Buehler gave up three runs and six hits, struck out four and walked none before yielding to left-hander Ryan Yarbrough, who gave up one hit and struck out two in three scoreless relief innings to earn the win. Blake Treinen, pitching for the second time in two days after being activated Sunday, retired the side in order with a strikeout in the eighth, and left-hander Alex Vesia retired the side in order in the ninth for the save. The first four hits of the game were home runs for the Dodgers, who won for the 12th time in 14 games and have outscored opponents 89-28 and hit 25 homers during that stretch. Shohei Ohtani followed Mookie Betts’ leadoff walk in the bottom of the first with a two-run shot that traveled 441 feet to center field, his major league-leading 11th homer of the season, and Freddie Freeman followed with a solo shot to center to give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead. Struggling center fielder James Outman, who entered with a .165 average, .559 on-base-plus-slugging percentage and was mired in a three-for-28 slump, hit a two-run shot that traveled 437 feet to rightcenter for a 5-3 lead in the second, and Teoscar Hernández’s solo shot to left made it 6-3 in the third. Ohtani, who was selected National League player of the week earlier Monday, also singled in the fourth inning, stole two bases and is batting .389 (21 for 54) with seven homers and 16 RBIs in his last 13 games. Buehler had not pitched in a big league game since June 10, 2022, when he felt his elbow “grab a little bit” in the third inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. He pitched through discomfort in the fourth inning but was unable to start the fifth. An MRI test confirmed another ulnar collateral ligament tear, and Buehler, who had Tommy John surgery in 2015, the year the Dodgers drafted him in the first round out of Vanderbilt, underwent his second ligament-replacement procedure. So began a nearly two-year grind that included a year of physical rehabilitation, an aborted comeback attempt last September, a delayed start to spring training, a lengthy throwing progression and a six-outing minor league rehab stint that culminated with Buehler climbing the Dodger Stadium mound Monday night. “It gets to be monotonous — you know, the same boring routine, not competing, and pitching in games that really don’t matter,” Roberts said before the game. “For a veteran guy, it gets hard and taxing on the mind.” WALKER BUEHLER pitched four innings in his return and gave up six hits and three runs, but he struck out four and the velocity on his fastball was impressive. Robert Gauthier Los Angeles Times Buehler throws hard as Dodgers win again By Mike DiGiovanna Edward Olivares hit his first career grand slam and Mitch Keller pitched a five-hitter to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 4-1 victory over the Angels on Monday night. Olivares’ slam came against Tyler Anderson in the third inning to break a scoreless tie as the Pirates won their third straight after a fivegame losing streak. The Angels lost for the 14th time in 17 games. The Pirates loaded the bases with no outs in the third as Andrew McCutchen and Ke’Bryan Hayes sandwiched walks around Bryan Reynolds’ double. One out later, Olivares hit a 424-foot drive into the left-field bleachers. Keller (3-3) gave up only one run on Zach Neto’s solo shot in the fifth inning and threw 109 pitches in his second career complete game. He struck out five and walked one while getting 14 outs on ground balls in a game that lasted just 1 hour, 55 minutes. Olivares’ grand slam accounted for all the runs scored off Anderson (2-4) in 6 1⁄3 innings, but the lefthander lost his fourth straight decision. Anderson gave up six hits, struck out five and walked three. Angels manager Ron Washington felt the turning point came an inning after the slam when Nolan Schanuel was thrown out at home when he tried to score from first base on a Mickey Moniak double. “They just scored four runs and we’ve got to be sure we score that run, if not then we have two runners in scoring position with no outs and our big hitters coming out,” Washington said. “[Anderson] deserved better than that.” NBA PLAYOFFS Wolves beat Denver for 2-0 series lead Anthony Edwards and KarlAnthony Towns powered Minnesota's 106-80 blitz of the Denver Nuggets that gave the Timberwolves a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals over the reigning but reeling NBA champions. Towns and Edwards both scored 27 points as the Wolves improved to 6-0 in the playoffs and gave themselves a chance to close out the Nuggets with wins Friday night and Sunday in Minneapolis. Aaron Gordon led Denver with 20 points, and Nikola Jokic had 16 points and 16 rebounds, but their third-leading scorer was sub Justin Holliday with 13 points. The Wolves staggered the Nuggets with body blow after body blow even though their starting center Rudy Gobert was back home in Minneapolis attending the birth of his son Sunday. at New York 121, Indiana 117: Jalen Brunson scored 43 points, becoming the fourth player in NBA history with four straight 40-point games in the postseason, as the Knicks beat the Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Brunson had 21 in the fourth quarter, rallying the Knicks after they trailed by nine early in the period, and joined Hall of Famers Jerry West, who had six consecutive 40-point games in the postseason, and Michael Jordan and Bernard King (both with four). Donte DiVincenzo hit the tiebreaking three-pointer with 39 seconds left and scored 25 for the Knicks, who opened the second round with the type of close finish that their first-round series against Philadelphia was full of. Josh Hart hada playoff career-high 24 points, along with .13 rebounds. NHL PLAYOFFS Swayman strong in goal as Bruins win Jeremy Swayman stopped 38 shots, Brandon Carlo scored a goal just a few hours after his wife gave birth to their son and the visiting Boston Bruins topped the Florida Panthers 5-1 in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series. Morgan Geekie, Mason Lohrei, Justin Brazeau and Jake DeBrusk also had goals for Boston, which improved to 5-0-0 against the Panthers this season. Pavel Zacha had a pair of assists for the Bruins, who scored three times in the final 7:08 of the second period to erase a 1-0 deficit and seize control. Matthew Tkachuk had the goal for Florida, which has rallied from a 1-0 deficit to win an NHL playoff series only twice in nine tries. Anderson gives up a slam as punchless Angels fall to Pirates associated press PITTSBURGH’S Edward Olivares crosses home plate after hitting a grand slam off Angels starter Tyler Anderson in the third inning, breaking a scoreless tie. The Pirates won 4-1 on Monday night. Gene J. Puskar Associated Press SP O RTS E XT RA A TIMES E-NEWSPAPER EXCLUSIVE :: TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 latimes.com/sports BONUS COVERAGE Go to our website for takeaways from The Times’ staff on your favorite home teams at latimes.com/sports. THE SPORTS REPORT Sign up for our daily sports newsletter at latimes.com/newsletters/sports-report. STAY CONNECTED 8 On Instagram @latimes_sports 8 On X @latimessports
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CALENDAR T UESDAY , MAY 7 , 2024 :: L ATIMES.COM/CALENDAR E W alking south on Vine Street past the Capitol Records Building, musician Jessica Pratt was reminded of the first time she visited her current home of Los Angeles. It was 2011, and she had recently watched “Mayor of the Sunset Strip,” a documentary about the infamous DJ and nightclub owner Rodney Bingenheimer that lays bare the glitz and sleaze of the ’70s music scene. It also features outsider figures, like Ronald Vaughan, a friend of Bingenheimer’s who has self-released music as Isadore Ivy, Spaceman at Large. Still taking in L.A.’s strange frequencies, Pratt saw Vaughan wandering outside the Capitol Building — probably not there on business, or was he? — and couldn’t help but be starstruck. “I was like, ‘Wow,’ ” she remembered, “ ‘I’ve really made it in Hollywood.’ ” Pratt, whose new album, “Here in the Pitch,” is an anachronistic, dreamlike blend of folk music and chamber pop, is no longer a true outsider herself. But she holds tight to a love of the bizarre L.A. underworld that often glitters in broad daylight in places like Hollywood. Pratt still looks as if she belongs to it too; as we headed toward Musso & Frank Grill, in search of a spot at the bar, her vintage boots clicked on the pavement and her bleachblond hair shone in the springtime sun. “I wear a lot of juniors department mall clothing from the ’90s,” she said, deJESSICA PRATT hangs tight to a love of bizarre L.A., as she demonstrates in her trademark suit. Linus Johnson For The Times Into a (gentle) wall of sound Jessica Pratt made a name with minimal recordings but goes bigger on ‘Here in the Pitch.’ Patience is rewarded. [See Pratt, E6] BY NATE ROGERS This ‘Wildcat’ has literary soul Ethan and Maya Hawke’s Flannery O’Connor biopic is a deep dive. Review, E2 Subtle portrait of a village fight A woodsy community confronts corporate malice in “Evil Does Not Exist.” Review, E2 A pioneering stuntwoman Trailblazer Jeannie Epper, who worked on over 100 films and TV series, dies at 83. E6 Comics ................... E4-5 Puzzles ...................... E5 NEW YORK — Frank Stella, a painter, sculptor and printmaker whose constantly evolving works are hailed as landmarks of the Minimalist and post-painterly abstraction art movements, died Saturday at his home in Manhattan. He was 87. Gallery owner Jeffrey Deitch, who spoke with Stella’s family, confirmed his death to the Associated Press. Stella’s wife, Harriet McGurk, told the New York Times that he died of lymphoma. Born May 12, 1936, in Malden, Mass., Stella studied at Princeton University before moving to New York City in the late 1950s. At that time many prominent American artists had embraced Abstract Expressionism, but Stella began exploring Minimalism. By age 23 he had created a series of flat, black paintings with gridlike bands and stripes using house paint and exposed canvas that drew widespread critical acclaim. His 1964 statement, “What you see is what you see,” became a Minimalist dictum. “[Stella] had effectively started a new art movement that would come to be known as Minimalism,” wrote Times art critic William Wilson in 1989. “It rejected the growing idea that art should return to depicting real things that would become Pop. It rejected the old idea that abstract art must be made in bursts of passion, fueled by existential angst and Old Crow. It posited the idea that art could be made by figuring it out. In one way it was a new classicism, in another it was a new form of corporate academicism.” Stella went on to create compositions of V shapes, interlaced circles and protractor curves. “Canvases throbbed with the cool glamour of florescent and metalflake hues ...,’ ” wrote Wilson. “Frank Stella became the painter to be reckoned with. In the ’60s no artist could pick up brush or spray-gun without dealing with Stella in their minds. He was just so damn smart.” FRANK STELLA, 1936 – 2024 Artist helped shape a new form Painter and sculptor’s early works provided a foundation for the rise of minimalism. associated press [See Frank Stella, E2] It wasn’t until Whoopi Goldberg tried to shut off her late brother’s phone, years after he had died, that she realized how long he’d been gone. “I told the phone company, I’ve been trying to shut this phone off for 11 years. It wasn’t until my assistant then told me, ‘It’s actually been 16 years.’ That’s when I thought, ‘Let me get my feet on solid ground,’ ” says Goldberg when asked why now was the time for her to write about grief. To encapsulate the memory of her brother, Clyde, and her mother, Emma, who died five years apart, in 2015 and 2010, respectively, Goldberg chronicles their lives in “Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me.” Emma Johnson, Whoopi and Clyde’s mom, instilled in her children a great deal of character. She taught them to own the consequences of their actions and to be themselves despite others’ opinions of them. It’s a philosophy Goldberg says she still carries with her today. “[That philosophy] has lost me friends and it’s gained me friends. As long as Idon’t hurt other people, I’m gonna keep being me,” says the 68-year-old EGOT winner. Early on in the book, Goldberg recounts her mother’s two-year experience at Bellevue Hospital after a male family member admitted her for “mental derangement,” a common excuse to hospitalize women who were not subordinate to their male family members. Emma was kept away from her children for two years and received endless forms of electric shock therapy. “When she finally got out, she had no idea who we were. Those were the days when husbands and brothers and fathers could make deciWHOOPI Goldberg’s memoir takes on loss. Blackstone [See Goldberg, E6] Actor shares grief in ‘Bits and Pieces’ Whoopi Goldberg talks about her new memoir and dealing with the loss of family. By Andrew Sciallo Hammer Director Ann Philbin got the celebrity treatment Saturday night as a host of arts and culture luminaries, including Jodie Foster, Mark Bradford, Hilton Als, k.d. lang, Lari Pittman and Will Ferrell, took to the stage at the museum’s annual gala to sing her praises as she prepares to retire after 25 years. Guest speakers took on a tone of reverence during the elaborate sit-down dinner as they paid tribute to Philbin’s many accomplishments, noting that she had emerged as a trailblazer, helping to transform the arts landscape in Los Angeles with her deep historical knowledge, her commitment to up-and-coming artists and her enthusiasm for a scene that in the last quarter-century has seen the city define itself as one of the world’s preeminent meccas of fine art. Artist Bradford recalled meeting Philbin in 1999, at a time when he didn’t know if he’d be able to scrape together a few dollars to pay the valet after attending parties she’d invited him to. He remembered her as both bold and vulnerable — a woman who could persuade collectors to give her Starry swan song for Hammer’s director Jodie Foster leads salute to Ann Philbin, who is stepping down at museum, at gala. By Jessica Gelt Photography by Allen J. Schaben HAMMER Director Ann Philbin grabs a selfie with DJ D-Nice at Saturday’s gala. Allen J. Schaben Los Angeles Times [See Hammer, E3]
E2 TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 LATIMES.COM/CALENDAR NOWHERE SPECIAL 1:30 PM SWEET DREAMS E 7:10 PM CLASSE TOUS RISQUESI 1:00 4:10 FAREWELL, MR. HAFFMANN 4:00 PM 7 W :30 HE PM N NIGHT IS FALLINGD CENT’ANNI 3:00 PM DRIFTING 5:00 PM THE TRAP 7:00 PM 1:10 4:10 7:10 THE FALL GUYC CHALLENGERS E 1:00 4:00 7:00 TERRESTRIAL VERSES 1:00 3:10 7:30 CIVIL WAR E 1:20 4:20 7:20 WICKED LITTLE LETTERS E 1:30 4:20 7:20 BEYOND THE RAGING SEA 4:30 PM COCONUT HEAD GENERATION 5:15 PM I AM GITMO 7:00 PM J’ACCUSE! 1:00 PM ROYAL 11523 Santa Monica Blvd. West L.A. MONICA 1332 Second Street Santa Monica www.LAEMMLE.com AFRAID OFSUBTITLES NOT Info Line 310.478.3836 TM BARGAIN IN ( ) FOR 5/7/2024 ONLY CHIEF OF STATION 7:20 PM 1:10 4:10 7:10 THE FALL GUYC CHALLENGERS E 4:00 7:00 NOWHERE SPECIAL 1:30 7:10 1:20 4:30 7:30 COUP DE CHANCEC WICKED LITTLE LETTERS E 1:20 4:20 FAREWELL, MR. HAFFMANN 4:10 PM J’ACCUSE! 1:00 PM 12:50 3:00 5:10 7:30 TAROTC 1:10 4:10 THE FALL GUYC THE FALL GUYCDVS; 7:10 PM BOY KILLS WORLD E 1:00 4:10 7:00 CHALLENGERS E 1:00 4:00 7:00 UNSUNG HEROB 1:20 4:20 7:20 THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE E 1:10 4:00 7:10 CIVIL WAR E 1:30 4:30 7:20 TOWN CENTER 17200 Ventura Blvd. Encino NEWHALL 22500 Lyons Ave. Santa Clarita CHALLENGERS E 1:00 4:00 7:00 NOWHERE SPECIAL 4:20 7:30 SASQUATCH SUNSET E 4:30 PM CIVIL WAR E 1:20 4:10 7:20 THE BEAST 1:10 7:00 LA CHIMERA 1:10 7:10 LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL E 4:30 PM J’ACCUSE! 1:00 PM GLENDALE 207 N. Maryland Ave Glendale SOMETHING IN THE WATER E 1:30 PM 1 T :10 4:10 7:10 HE FALL GUYC BOY KILLS WORLD E 7:20 PM CHALLENGERS E 1:00 4:00 7:00 WE GROWN NOWB 1:20 PM SASQUATCH SUNSET E 4:30 7:00 THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE E 1:00 4:10 7:10 CIVIL WAR E 1:20 4:20 7:30 ART COLLEGE 1994 1:10 4:20 7:20 KITTY THE KILLER 4:00 PM 1:10 4:10 7:10 THE FALL GUYC CHALLENGERS E 1:00 4:00 7:00 NOWHERE SPECIAL 1:30 7:30 THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE E 4:10 PM CIVIL WAR E 4:00 7:20 WICKED LITTLE LETTERS E 4:20 7:10 WICKED LITTLE LETTERS E 1:20 PM J’ACCUSE! 1:00 PM NoHo 7 5240 Lankershim Blvd. No. Hollywood CLAREMONT 450 W. 2nd Street Claremont CLOSED CAPTION NON-STANDARD PRICING In the late 1970s, Stella recreated himself in an aesthetic demolition when he began adding three-dimensionality to his visual art, using metals and other mixed media to blur the boundary between painting and sculpture. Stella continued to be productive well into his 80s, and his new work is on display at the Jeffrey Deitch Gallery in New York City. The colorful sculptures are massive and yet almost seem to float, made up of shining polychromatic bands that twist and coil through space. “The current work is astonishing,” Deitch told AP on Saturday. “He felt that the work that he showed was the culmination of a decades-long effort to create a new pictorial space and to fuse painting and sculpture.” In 2014, Stella visited Los Angeles while his sculpture “Adjoeman” was on loan to CedarsSinai Medical Center and displayed on a pedestal at the intersection of Beverly and San Vicente boulevards in West Hollywood. The artist was the son of a doctor, married a doctor, and two of his children are physicians. He told The Times, “People say [art] has an effect. Whatever healing effects art may have, it’s the attention that goes with the art that’s paid to the patient that really helps with the result.” Stella is survived by his wife, Dr. Harriet E. McGurk, four children and five grandchildren. Times staff contributed to this report. ‘WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU SEE’ Frank Stella in 2004 next to his sculpture “Adjoeman” in front of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The artist died Saturday at 87. Luis Sinco Los Angeles Times Minimalist blurred lines between painting, sculpture [Frank Stella, from E1] Charles Dharapak AP PRIZE-WORTHY President Obama awards Stella the 2009 National Medal of Arts. “Evil Does Not Exist” is quite the title to ponder as Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s great new film opens on a serene tracking shot through a wintry forest, accompanied by an Eiko Ishibashi score that is both subdued and foreboding. Could this be the untouched calm before a malevolent disturbance? We’re primed to think so, especially when the music cuts off abruptly and the sound of a chainsaw is heard. And yet to expect such genre mechanics from a patient, gently burrowing storyteller like Hamaguchi is a fool’s errand. Details may abound, but the only certainties here are mysteries, wherever this director takes us. The last journey was the exquisite “Drive My Car,” the Oscar-winning breakout that established Hamaguchi as a master with stories about modern lives and the strange workings of resilient hearts. The situation is nervier, however, with “Evil Does Not Exist,” an equally arresting, meditative followup that charts the emerging clash between a tight-knit rural community and a big company with intrusive development plans. Takumi (an expressively stoic Hitoshi Omika) is an odd-jobbing single father of few words who leads a simple life with his 8-year-old daughter, Hana (Ryo Nishikawa). Hana likes to explore nature while walking home from school whenever her dad is too busy foraging wild wasabi for his friend’s noodle shop to remember to pick her up. Looming over their town, however, is the imminent arrival of a ritzy glamping site for high-end tourists, a potential disruption of not just a way of life but also a carefully considered ecosystem. When a pair of company reps — frontperson Takahashi (Ryuji Kosaka) and soft-spoken Mayuzumi (Ayaka Shibutani) — come for a briefing with the village, every seat is filled. Nobody’s impressed by the everyone-benefits spin, and like a dryly funny townmeeting version of “Columbo,” in which each resident offers a polite “one more thing” point on matters of pollution, staffing, fire hazards and general respect for the environment, the company is revealed to be completely ill-prepared. Its presenters aren’t even real employees but talent agents hired by a consulting firm. It’s a riveting sequence. One of Hamaguchi’s supreme gifts is capturing every tense current of spoken communication in a long verbal exchange, and this one is another master class, like watching James Cameron handle an action scene, only it’s the laying bare of human stakes in a fight between impersonal profiteers and nature-conscious locals. The director is also a proven heavyweight with swerves of focus. After the meeting, it’s Takahashi and Mayuzumi we follow back to nearby Tokyo, first seen in an establishing shot almost exaggeratedly unappealing after the crisp countryside beauty in cinematographer Yoshio Kitagawa’s camerawork. In contrast to the warmly interconnected townsfolk we first met, these wage shills, who open up to each other in a long car ride, lead pinched, lonely, unrealized lives. But they want to help, no matter their greedy overseers. And when this pair heads back with an embarrassingly naive notion of how to persuade the reserved Takumi to sign on to the project, our sense of where this next confrontation could lead creates all kinds of unease. It’s a mood exacerbated by every lulling reemergence of composer Ishibashi’s searching score, which always gets interrupted, as if a plug had been pulled. The effect is never not a surprise. After so fruitful a collaboration on “Drive My Car,” Hamaguchi and Ishibashi may have topped themselves with something even more compelling. Eventually, as the day lengthens and circ*mstances and visual cues recall how we were first introduced to this world, a narrative darkening carries us into the final moments of “Evil Does Not Exist.” The ending probably will confound you, but its power lies in what particulars are provided, and how it leaves us wondering about the unstoppable dreams of humans and the ageless realities of nature. It’s as if Hamaguchi wanted to confirm our worst fears yet reveal the title to be strangely, maddeningly genuine. Flannery O’Connor’s thrillingly hard-edged tales about the unreconstructed South and its redemptiondeficient malcontents will never lose their power to scratch us awake with their violence, humor and ugly truth. Such great, complicated artists don’t deserve the shallow cradle-to-grave treatment common to so many biopics, and thankfully, Ethan Hawke’s new film, “Wildcat,” isn’t that. Rather, it’s a soulful, pointed and unconventional grappling with the mysteries of the deeply Catholic, normshattering Georgia native’s life and work. Concentrated on a pivotal time of promise and disappointment during O’Connor’s 20s, when her writing was getting noticed (as was the lupus that would eventually consume her), it’s anchored with aching intelligence by Hawke’s daughter Maya (“Stranger Things”), unrecognizably severe in cat’s-eye glasses and a frail countenance. The Hawkes deliver a portrait of O’Connor in all her fiercely self-aware outsiderdom, whether standing firm against a patronizing New York editor (Alessandro Nivola) who believes she wants to “pick a fight” with her readers or sternly defending her faith against glib comments at an Iowa Writers’ Workshop party. But we also see this O’Connor in weaker moments, shrinking in the presence of her protective mother, Regina (Laura Linney), when forced back home because of her illness, and almost crumbling in the presence of a priest (a wonderful Liam Neeson). Ethan Hawke’s screenplay, co-written with Shelby Gaines, was inspired by the letters to God that O’Connor wrote at the time, published posthumously as “A Prayer Journal” in 2013. This stretch of ambition and setback from an all-tooshort life is not all that’s served up in “Wildcat.” Maya Hawke’s acting duties also involve playing an assortment of O’Connor’s characters in abridged dramatizations of short stories — “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” “Parker’s Back” and a few other classic pieces. In the ones where bold, brash men bring thunder and change to unsuspecting women (all Maya), scene partners Steve Zahn, Rafael Casal and Cooper Hoffman do memorable work. These segments diverge in tone, color and movement from the muted palette and fixed compositions with which cinematographer Steve Cosens girds the biographical narrative. But they’re expertly threaded in, suggesting how a creative loner can experience flareups of imagination when the world reveals itself. Movies often struggle with conveying writerly inspiration, but these swatches earnestly make good on a potent quote of O’Connor’s that Hawke opens with: “I’m always irritated by people who imply that writing fiction is an escape from reality. It is a plunge into reality and it’s very shocking to the system.” Linney, meanwhile, at the top of her game, is another constant in multiple roles, vividly rendering a handful of O’Connor’s fictional mothers (including the selfrighteous women from “Revelation” and “Everything That Rises Must Converge”). Before she even shows up as poised, oldfashioned Regina, picking up her suffering daughter at the train station, we’ve seen her in a couple of these adaptation bursts (including a clever rendering of “The Comforts of Home” as a trailer for a lurid ’60s B movie). And yet, surprisingly, Linney’s and Hawke’s doubling duty never comes off as cheap psychologizing of the writer’s relationship with a parent who didn’t get her. It feels broader than that. (At the same time, O’Connor’s own views on race, the source of much reputational reassessment, aren’t exactly laid bare here, but neither are they ignored.) The symbolic payoff in Ethan Hawke’s brilliant use of his daughter and Linney is that we grasp both the intense narrowness of O’Connor’s subject matter as well as the rich versatility within her gothic archetypes. Coming on the heels of director Ethan Hawke’s excellent docuseries “The Last Movie Stars,” about Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, “Wildcat” shows that his gifts in front of the camera are being complemented behind it too, especially when the subject is a life woven through with art, passion and pain. MOVIE REVIEW ETHAN HAWKE directs his daughter, Maya Hawke, as writer Flannery O’Connor in the biopic “Wildcat.” Steve Squall Oscilloscope Laboratories ‘Wildcat’ Not rated Running time: 1 hour, 48 minutes Playing: AMC Century City Hawkes bring a soulful depth to their literary biopic ‘Wildcat’ A complex, pivotal moment in Flannery O’Connor’s life gets sensitive treatment. By Robert Abele ‘Evil Does Not Exist’ Not rated In Japanese with English subtitles Running time: 1 hour, 46 minutes Playing: AMC The Grove 14 MOVIE REVIEW A woodsy Eden confronts malice of a modern stripe By Robert Abele
LATIMES.COM/CALENDAR TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 E3 their finest pieces while at the same time worrying about whether or not her haircut was up to par. Als launched into a tender speech, delivered like a poem, beginning with, “I’m very nervous because I really love Annie and I don’t want to mess up.” Multiple speakers noted that the institution, once called the Armand Hammer Museum, had morphed from a bland corporate organization into a vibrant cultural center under Philbin’s care. Halfway through the night, lang received a rousing standing ovation after singing a soulful rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” The evening’s most raucous note came when comedian Ferrell made an unannounced cameo, striding up to the podium to declare that Philbin isn’t who she says she is but rather a woman named “Tiffany Sullivan.” “Let me tell you what the real Annie Philbin is like,” Ferrell said. “She was arrested twice at the Rose Bowl swap meet trying to sell Mark Bradford paintings. Often, she is seen walking around the museum with an empty martini glass in her hand, just licking works of art. ... She once told Joni Mitchell that her music wasn’t good and that nothing good ever came from Canada.” His jokes were followed by a slide show of Philbin um of Art Director Michael Govan and greeting a seemingly endless array of well wishers. Outside the event, about 20 UCLA faculty members protested, calling for amnesty for pro-Palestinian students arrested on campus recently. Speakers, including Foster and Philbin, acknowledged the Gaza protests. The evening also included a DJ set by D-Nice and an art component by Pae White. Other attendees included Alexandra Hedison, Viveca Paulin Ferrell, Keanu Reeves, Alexandra Grant, Jane Fonda, Owen Wilson, Ava DuVernay, Rufus Wainwright, Dana Delany, Joel McHale and Julian Morris. accosting famous artists like David Hockney and Ellsworth Kelly in the Hammer men’s room. “She is an HR nightmare,” Ferrell concluded. “Don’t be fooled by Annie. She’s never leaving this place. Just like Trump, she’s going to barricade herself inside her office and nationalize the National Guard.” By the time Philbin took the stage, she was almost too emotional to speak. “I am not a pretty crier,” she said. “I am really ugly when I cry.” Later, when the chocolate dome cake and white wine signaled the meal’s end, and the DJ cranked the music, Philbin was once again all smiles — hugging Los Angeles County MuseGATHERING with Hammer Museum Director Ann Philbin, third from left, at Saturday evening’s gala in Westwood are screen legend Jane Fonda, left, the Cultivist’s Talia Friedman and writer Evgenia Citkowitz. Photographs by Allen J. Schaben Los Angeles Times L.A. COLLECTORS Alan Hergott, left, and Curt Shepard pause for a greeting at the Hammer gala. PHILBIN, center, shares a moment of levity with actor Joel McHale and his wife, Sarah Williams, at the art museum’s annual celebrity-packed Gala in the Garden. A star-filled swan song for Hammer Museum’s director [Hammer, from E1] WILL FERRELL is in his element at the event, during which he made an unannounced cameo onstage. ACTOR-DIRECTOR and gala co-chair Jodie Foster is the center of attention at event, which featured a salute to museum’s outgoing director, music and more. Jeannie Epper, a pioneering stuntwoman who performed in more than 100 films and television series, has died. She was 83. Epper died Sunday night of natural causes surrounded by family at her home in Simi Valley, a spokesperson confirmed Monday. In a long career spent bursting through doors, kicking down walls and falling off roofs, Epper changed the course for women in the industry when she became Lynda Carter’s stunt double on the 1970s TV series “Wonder Woman.” It was Epper, standing in for Kathleen Turner, who was swept down a mudslide in “Romancing the Stone” — for which she received a 1985 Stuntman Award for most spectacular stunt in a feature film. In a blond wig, Epper took the blows for Linda Evans in those iconic catfights with Joan Collins on the nighttime soap “Dynasty.” It’s Epper’s stunt-driving that audiences see when Shirley MacLaine throws Jack Nicholson from her Corvette in the movie “Terms of Endearment.” Epper’s prolific career includes stuntwork in “The Bionic Woman,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “Robocop,” “The Italian Job” and “Kill Bill: Vol. 2.” She also was profiled alongside fellow stuntwoman Zöe Bell in the 2004 documentary“Double Dare.” Epper has been called the “godmother of stuntwomen” and “the grand matron of Hollywood stuntwomen,” working well past retirement age. At age 74, she performed stunts in the 2015 comedy “Hot Pursuit,” starring Sofia Vergara and Reese Witherspoon. “She certainly qualifies to be one of the greatest stunt coordinators,” said director Steven Spielberg, who worked with Epper on “Catch Me If You Can” and “Minority Report.” She was born Jean Luann Epper in 1941 to John and Frances Epper, both professional stunt performers. In the 1920s, Epper’s father immigrated to the United States from Switzerland and established a riding academy in Los Angeles, where he later became a stuntman for movies, specializing in horseback stunts and doubling for actors including Ronald Reagan and Gary Cooper. Jeannie Epper grew up in North Hollywood with five brothers and sisters — all of whom worked as stuntpeople. Her three children and grandchildren also went into the family business. Epper was a skilled rider, and at age 9, she broke into stuntwork, riding a horse bareback down a mountain for a 1950s TV show, becoming one of the first professional child stunt doubles. “My father said it could be dangerous, but he knew I was an excellent rider,” she told The Times in 1999. “He kept telling me to keep my head up, but that’s about all. I think he didn’t want to over-concern me. There’s a fine line between being concerned and destroying someone’s confidence.” The series marked the start of Epper’s gamechanging career in the maledominated industry. Although Epper came from a family of stuntpeople, it was typical when she began working for men to wear wigs while doing stunts for female actors. But thanks to persistence and shifts in attitudes and fashion, Epper changed the business. “Actresses began saying, ‘I don’t want a hairy-legged guy doing this for me,’ ” she told The Times in 1999. “And women were wearing less and less clothes in front of the camera, and it was so obvious it was a man.” Later, as a stunt coordinator, Epper recalled dealing with men who resented taking orders from a woman. While working on the 1980s police series “Cagney & Lacey,” she described a guest actor who not only couldn’t throw a convincing punch but also refused to be instructed by a woman, allowing only other stuntmen on set to show him what to do. “He threw the punch well enough to shoot the scene,” she said. “But he still couldn’t throw it like a man.” In 2019, on the occasion of Epper’s being honored at the Artemis Women in Action Film Festival, Melanie Wise — a producer, actor, stuntwoman and founder of the organization — said, “Jeannie inspired a wave of women to get into stunts. They are in awe of her.” Epper was a founding member of the Stuntwomen’s Assn. of Motion Pictures and an honorary member of the Stuntmen’s Assn. of Motion Pictures. She is survived by husband Tim Kimack, daughter Eurlyne Epper, son Richard Epper, five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by son Kurtis Epper, who was also a stunt performer. Times staff writer Nardine Saad contributed to this report. JEANNIE EPPER , 1941 – 2024 Hollywood stuntwoman reshaped her profession The trailblazer appeared in over 100 films and TV shows, including ‘Wonder Woman,’ ‘Dynasty.’ By Stacy Perman Runaway Films ‘GODMOTHER OF STUNTWOMEN’ Jeannie Epper, left, doubled for Lynda Carter on the popular 1970s TV series “Wonder Woman.” Eric Charbonneau WireImage HONORED Epper received an award at the 2007 Taurus World Stunt Awards.
E4 TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 LATIMES.COM/CALENDAR LIO By Mark Tatulli CANDORVILLE By Darrin Bell CRABGRASS By Tauhid Bondia PEARLS BEFORE SWINE By Stephan Pastis NON SEQUITUR By Wiley LA CUCARACHA By Lalo Alcaraz ZITS By Jerry Scott & Jim Borgman SIX CHIX By Bianca Xunise FRAZZ By Jef Mallett TUNDRA By Chad Carpenter BABY BLUES By Jerry Scott & Rick Kirkman JUMP START By Robb Armstrong MACANUDO By Liniers CRANKSHAFT By Tom Batiuk & Chuck Ayers BETWEEN FRIENDS By Sandra Bell-Lundy BIZARRO By Wayno and Piraro BLONDIE By Dean Young & John Marshall DRABBLE By Kevin fa*gan MUTTS By Patrick McDonnell PEANUTS By Charles M. Schulz PICKLES By Brian Crane LOOSE PARTS By Dave Blazek COMICS
LATIMES.COM/CALENDAR TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 E5 ACROSS 1 All __: medium for shouty emails 5 Meteorologist’s tool 10 Apple tablet 14 Feel sore 15 Adler played by Lara Pulver on “Sherlock” 16 Overhaul 17 Generic choice at the supermarket 19 Bank lobby conveniences 20 Sum 21 __ deck: cruise ship level 23 Formal neckwear 24 Sign at a packed theater 25 Emotional condition 29 Become misshapen 30 Tortilla chip dip, for short 31 Alan of “M*A*S*H” 34 Deciduous 26-Downs 37 Schnoz 40 Cue a jazz ensemble, e.g. 43 Hard to pick up 44 “Scram!” 45 Great Basin people 46 Sound from a 57-Across 48 Chirpy songbird 50 Inspire wannabes, maybe 54 Caspian __ 57 Feline 58 Layered cookie 59 Birth-related 61 Within 63 Stick out from the crowd, and what can be found in 17-, 25-, 40-, and 50-Across? 66 Puerto __ 67 Data assortment 68 Grain tower 69 Otherwise 70 Fritter away 71 Big name in ice cream DOWN 1 __ a ballot: votes 2 Many an A-lister 3 Camera output 4 Some hydrating skin care products 5 Tease 6 Flight status abbr. 7 Handed out a hand 8 “It’s the Hard Knock Life” musical 9 Clifford of kid-lit, for one 10 Gershwin brother 11 Frilly garment in many a costume drama 12 Online moderator, for short 13 Gave a couple of Advil, say 18 Olaf’s creator in “Frozen” 22 Practical 26 Backyard shade provider 27 Great grade 28 Topknot on a dude 29 Formal relinquishing of rights 31 __ Wednesday 32 Cell service initials 33 Theatrical behavior 35 Dashboard stat 36 Writer and abolitionist Harriet Beecher __ 38 Arles article 39 QB goals 41 Japanese city whose name means “capital city” 42 “Beep beep” maker 47 Polish capital 49 Novelist Ferber 50 Cause to jump, maybe 51 Native of Sri Lanka 52 Eye-catching aquarium fish 53 Sounds from big 57-Acrosses 54 Serious 55 Before the doors open 56 Choir section 60 Cathedral area 62 Mama deer 64 D.C. MLBer 65 Salon supply ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE 5/7/24 5/7/24 SUDOKU BLISS By Harry Bliss KENKEN Every box will contain a number; numbers depend on the size of the grid. For a 6x6 puzzle, use Nos. 1-6. Do not repeat a number in any row or column. The numbers in each heavily outlined set of squares must combine to produce the target number found in the top left corner of the cage using the mathematical operation indicated. A number can be repeated within a cage as long as it is not in the same row or column. FAMILY CIRCUS By Bil Keane CROSSWORD By Amanda Cook & Katie Hale © 2024 Tribune Content Agency SPEED BUMP By Dave Coverly DENNIS THE MENACE By Hank Ketcham FREE RANGE By Bill Whitehead MARMADUKE By Brad & Paul Anderson Edited By Patti Varol COMICS Aries (March 21-April 19): By honoring personal boundaries and staying true to yourself, you’ll come into a blend of politeness and stubbornness. Taurus (April 20-May 20): Aligning with likeminded individuals can amplify your voice, but it can also limit the music. Ideal teams are diverse. Gemini (May 21-June 21): You believe in your ideas and you refine them every time you present, which sharpens you and deepens your passion and purpose. Cancer (June 22-July 22): Financial matters will strain relationships if approached with emotional volatility. Adopt a mind-set of financial neutrality. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): If you are called to a job, it means someone thought you would be good for it, and maybe they see something in you that you don’t. Yet. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): If you always have to do extra things to make relationships bloom, you start to wonder if they just aren’t a natural fit. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23): Just because something doesn’t serve the function you want it to serve doesn’t mean it’s broken. Scorpio(Oct. 24-Nov. 21): The spiritual and emotional wounds of the past have a way of healing in quiet moments without your tinkering or involvement. Sagittarius (Nov. 22- Dec. 21): It is possible that the one who lacks confidence and command is also highly accomplished, extremely knowledgeable and has much to offer you. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): A responsibility is like a pebble in your shoe: it may seem insignificant, but when you’re continually stepping on it, it will become the foremost thing on your mind. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): When the inconsistency is glaring, you wisely perceive the red flag and proceed accordingly. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): You’re a wonderful friend. You will boost someone’s self-esteem when they’re feeling low. Today’s birthday (May 7): You’ll make small changes that have a big impact. Your economic status moves to match your dreams, and your strength and power grow to meet the demands of this exciting new cycle. More highlights: A dear influence makes domestic life sweet. Your reputation will attract those who need you and those who can help your mission too. Leo and Libra adore you. Your lucky numbers: 8, 4, 10, 21 and 13. Mathis writes her column for Creators Syndicate Inc. The horoscope should be read for entertainment. HOROSCOPE By Holiday Mathis “They say a woman’s work is never done,” Wendy said. “When I try to defend with Cy, it’s a constant trial.” Cy the Cynic, a chauvinist, and Wendy are adversaries even when they cut as partners in a penny game. In today’s deal, Cy had opened in spades, so Wendy, West, led the deuce against 3NT. Cy took the ace and returned the 10: jack, king, eight. Wendy then led her last spade, and South won, took the ace of diamonds and raced off six club tricks. At the end, Cy had to come down to the ace of hearts and Q-7 of diamonds, and South greedily exited with a heart to end-play him. Making four. “A man’s word is never done,” Wendy said sourly, “and Cy had to have the last word, of course. He said I beat 3NT if I shift to the jack of hearts at the third trick. The man’s a nutcase.” Cy must cash the king of hearts at Trick Two, then lead a spade. When Wendy wins, she will have no trouble leading the jack of hearts next. You hold: ♠ 8 3 ♥ Q 7 5 2 ♦ K J 10 6 4 ♣ A 10. Your partner opens one club. The next player jumps to two spades (preemptive), you double and partner bids three hearts. What do you say? Answer: Your negative double promised heart length, plus diamond length or club tolerance, and enough strength to compete to at least the three level. Partner’s three hearts “raised” the suit you showed. His hand may be minimum; he could have bid four hearts but didn’t. Pass. East dealer Both sides vulnerable NORTH ♠ 8 3 ♥ Q 7 5 2 ♦ K J 10 6 4 ♣ A 10 WEST EAST ♠ K 7 2 ♠ A 10 9 6 4 ♥ J 8 6 4 ♥ A K 9 ♦ 8 5 2 ♦ Q 7 3 ♣ 6 5 2 ♣ 8 4 SOUTH ♠ Q J 5 ♥ 10 3 ♦ A 9 ♣ K Q J 9 7 3 EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH 1 ♠ 2 ♣ Pass 2 ♦ Pass 2 NT Pass 3 NT All Pass Opening lead — ♠ 2 Tribune Content Agency BRIDGE By Frank Stewart Dear Amy: For 50 years, I’ve lied that I was in the military and served in Vietnam. I’m now 71. I want to come clean with my son/family. I ran away from a bad home life at 13 and lived on the streets. It was horrible. I was beaten up and sexually attacked. I tried to commit suicide twice. My self-esteem was so low for many years. It still is. I met a woman (older than me) and we had a son. I believe this is around the time when I started lying that I’d been in the military. I was drafted during the Vietnam War but didn’t pass the physical. I felt ashamed and embarrassed. Later on, when guys got together and started telling war stories, I joined in with mine. I kept telling more lies to cover the first one. I’m so afraid my son and grandson will be disappointed in me for lying for so long. Also, my health is not great, and I’m scared that if something happens, my son will go to the VA for help. I don’t want him to find out that way. Ihave never used my lie to gain anything from the VA. I kept this lie within my family, but of course they told others, which made it worse. I want them to know the truth but don’t want to lose them or be looked at as a liar and disrespected for the rest of my life. Can you help? Living a Lie Dear Living: The most important respect you can earn is self-respect. The way to gain more self-respect is to understand your original motivations for this lie, and choose to make things right. Telling the truth now will be hard to do, but it will liberate you from this burden. The truth also will liberate your son from unknowingly perpetuating this lie later. And telling the truth now is the right thing to do for the many who served inthe Vietnam War, and suffered because of their service. The way to have a hard conversation is to preface it by stating: “This is very hard for me to say. I’m worried about your reaction. I hope you will understand, and I hope you will find a way to forgive me for what I’m about to tell you.” My reaction to reading your story is one of understanding and compassion. If you tell the truth with humility and without being defensive — and if you accept the consequences of your disclosure — this act of personal bravery should inspire those who care about you to forgive you and move forward. Dear Amy: Every year, we host an exchange teacher’s aide from Latin America, as part of our child’s elementary school language program. Our current exchange guest is a 22-year-old who has less means than we do. He has given us unsolicited gifts — souvenirs from U.S. cities and theme parks he visited. A kind gesture, and we thanked him. That said, some are trinkets that we do not want and likely would throw out. I believe they would be meaningful mementos for him to bring home. Is there a way to politely give them back to him before he leaves in a few months? Polite Parents Dear Parents: Even though your motive is kind, no, I don’t believe there is a polite way to give back these gifts. Doing so would highlight all the wrong things. After the teacher’s departure, you could photograph the collection and send him the photo with a letter: “We thought you would enjoy this reminder of all of your adventures!” After that, you could donate these trinkets to Goodwill. Email questions to Amy Dickinson at askamy@ amydickinson.com. ASK AMY Correcting a longtime lie
E6 TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 LATIMES.COM/CALENDAR scribing her trademark black-suit look. Due to the changing of thrift-store eras, she said, it was becoming more difficult to find what she liked. “Which is sad,” she added, “because it’s how I get a lot of my trousers.” Pratt, 37, mainly grew up in the Northern California town of Redding but felt the allure of Hollywood before she ever stepped foot in the place. “Hollywood is tumblin’ down,” she sang on the song “Hollywood,” from her self-titled debut LP, which was recorded in 2007, when Pratt was 19. A stroke of good fortune led to the record’s belated release in 2012: Tim Presley, the musician known as White Fence, heard the music through a distant connection and decided to put it out himself. Pratt’s early catalog, bolstered by the more deliberate 2015 album “On Your Own Love Again,” bewitched a devoted fan base into existence with a minimal approach (mainly just nylon-string guitar and vocals) that hasn’t been particularly viable since Leonard Cohen arrived in the late 1960s. “It was definitely like stepping into a tapestry or a quilt or something,” said musician Angel Olsen, describing the feeling of discovering Pratt’s records. “The way her voice and harmonies continue in an endless stream — the way that her melody lines continue, like little separate rivers — it’s really wild.” Pratt’s 2019 album, “Quiet Signs,” subtly expanded the palette, adding touches of instruments like piano and flute; from the outside, it felt like a fuller sonic realization of someone in control of a grand vision. But when Pratt hears that record now, she’s brought back to some of the toughest years of her life. In the time leading up to “Quiet Signs,” Pratt said, she was dealing with the death of her mother and subsequently suffered from a period of poor health. She also was navigating the rekindling of a relationship with her father, who left the family when Pratt was 5 and who became completely estranged when she was 14. (Her father wore his body down with addiction issues and eventually died of COVID-19 in 2020.) Pratt was “running on fumes,” she said, unable to write music. “I tried to, but I didn’t really have the juice.” Helping her convalescence was Matt McDermott, whom Pratt had met when they were working together at Amoeba Music in Hollywood in 2014. Pratt was at Amoeba for only a short time, at one point helping with the events (“I’d be getting ‘Weird Al’ bottles of water or whatever”), but stayed friends with McDermott. The two eventually became involved romantically, and they’re now engaged. Alongside Pratt’s co-producer Al Carlson, McDermott ended up providing an ancillary musical hand in the studio on “Quiet Signs.” And for “Here in the Pitch,” the trio didn’t mess with the formula — except this time, Pratt’s music was coming together with a brightness and vigor that wasn’t there before. “I think she’s grown stronger during this whole period,” McDermott said over the phone from the home he and Pratt share in Elysian Heights. “And now you can really hear it, where her songs have a swagger that wasn’t there in the past.” He laughed, recalling Pratt coming back in the door one day and telling him, “I just walked around the block listening to [Frank Sinatra’s] ‘My Way’ five times in a row.” FEELING JUST SO The swagger is clear from the opening sounds of the record: a “Be My Baby”-style drum intro to the song “Life Is,” which is particularly notable for being the first time Pratt has featured percussion in her music. But the drums quickly retreat, and the record is at points sparse and sinister. In other words, it’s still clearly a Jessica Pratt production — one where restraint is just as much a factor as the ornate melodies and her idiosyncratic voice. “Here in the Pitch” runs just 27 minutes, and Pratt spent three years making it, returning over and over to a studio in New York, tinkering with every arrangement, waiting until it all felt just so. In an age of streaming freneticism — when people hardly blink when Taylor Swift releases a 31-track double album — it feels particularly jarring to be given a slice of something so clearly unconcerned with maximizing every aspect of itself. “Just because of the machine we’re up against,” said Ryley Walker, a notable indie-rock figure who also plays guitar on “Life Is,” “my tolerance for long amounts of time in between music has been totally sizzled and evaporated. Jessica has the gift from God of patience.” Pratt said she was “certainly happier and more present making this record,” but she still sees the gloom lurking within the music too. The title “Here in the Pitch” refers in part to pitch darkness, and Pratt said she envisions the phrase as “a threat or welcoming you into some shadowy realm.” There’s something conspiratorial in a song like “World on a String,” which plods forward with a slow menace, as inviting as it is eerie. “I want to be the sunlight of the century,” Pratt sings on that track, her claim becoming complicated in the song’s video, which appears to be a hazy, colorful depiction of a cult meeting of some kind. It ends with Pratt, the presumed cult leader, in a coffin. When asked about the cult element, Pratt is unabashed in the way her fascination with Charles Manson was drifting around in her mind while making this record. There’s the ordinary human-nature element of being interested in “sordid, frightening things,” of course. But Pratt’s fascination also is guided by the way that, from a certain perspective, you start to feel sorry for the members of the Family, heinous as they were to innocent people. “I don’t know, man,” she said, “I think a lot of people could fall into the same thing. To me, it’s no different than being in a gang or something, and killing people and going to jail for that.” Pratt likewise can’t deny that Manson’s nylon-string and vocals song “Look at Your Game, Girl” influenced her music — particularly her breakthrough 2014 track, “Back, Baby,” which was recently sampled by pop star Troye Sivan. “I think [Manson] really did it with that one,” she said, “and then he never did it again.” Manson, who generated some genuine interest as a songwriter before turning on the world, is perhaps the ultimate L.A. musical outsider. His story is a grim reminder of how poisonous the business can be to those looking to make it — but Pratt can’t help but feel somewhat uncomfortable in finding herself on the more fortunate side of things. “[This is] the first time I’ve ever had the big industry push,” she said, sitting at the Musso & Frank bar, doodling little stars and hearts on a napkin. “It kind of freaks me out a little bit, I won’t lie.” FULL OF MEANING Usually, when Pratt is asked what her songs are about, she’ll say that, while they all have “meaning” to her, they’re not really about anything in particular. Not so with the album finale, “The Last Year,” which she readily admits is about her and McDermott. “I think we’re gonna be fine,” she sings over a chord progression that feels almost elemental — like you can’t believe someone else didn’t come up with it before her. “I think we’re gonna be together.” It’s an optimistic song but slightly hesitant as well. Pratt is doing better now, but she continues to see garish images when she glances in the rearview mirror. “Even if you do recover from something like that,” she said, describing the trials at the heart of the song, “you have this sort of propensity to go a little crazy. I definitely don’t think I have the most solid mental health of anybody on the planet. It’s just like, ‘This is how it is, and I’m trying to do as well as I can.’ ” As we had been walking down the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Pratt mentioned a working theory that there might only be male waiters at 105-year-old Musso’s. But after we had settled in at the bar and were discussing which celebrities we’d seen there — Pratt’s favorite sightings were comedian Fred Willard and writer-musician Pamela Des Barres — we noticed a female bartender. Progress, I muttered. “I don’t really care, to be honest,” Pratt said. “If they want to live in the past, it doesn’t matter to me.” Diving into a (gentle) wall of sound [Pratt, from E1] JESSICA PRATT has “grown stronger during this whole period,” fiancé Matt McDermott says. “And now you can really hear it.” Linus Johnson For The Times sions about the women in the family,” Goldberg writes. “And here we are again! With men telling women what they can do with their bodies!” she says in regard to anti-abortion laws, including the recent near-total abortion ban in Arizona. As detailed in “Bits and Pieces,” much of Goldberg’s life has been steeped in political engagement. Goldberg began her career as an activist championing women’s reproductive rights. In the ’90s, she was one of the few celebrities calling for federal action to help mitigate the ongoing AIDS crisis. In one chapter, Goldberg remembers receiving an invitation to the White House to attend a fundraising event for Bill Clinton during his second campaign for president. Bringing her mother to the event was one of the proudest moments of her life. Goldberg says the current political climate reminds her of those early years. “When I was growing up, the country was being run by all white men. Hardly any women. No people of color. So this feels like where we’ve been before. But we have no collective experience, like World War II, to fall back on. Which is what makes this [time] so choppy.” Goldberg writes in “Bits and Pieces” that she’s relieved in a sense that her mother died before Donald Trump’s presidency in 2016 (Goldberg refers to him as “you know who”). When asked what her mom would think of America’s current political turmoil, Goldberg tells The Times, “It would make her very sad. It’s not the America she wanted to leave behind. It’s the promise of the country that we’re missing. There seems to be no more promise.” Goldberg, who moved to New Jersey in 2009, commutes to Manhattan four days a week to tape “The View,” which she has cohosted since 2007, live in front of a studio audience. As moderator of the Hot Topics table, Goldberg has had one resounding message every election cycle since 2016: “This [election] is up to you all!” She repeats it at least once a week, pointing to the audience or sometimes at the camera directly. “It doesn’t matter what we say. It doesn’t matter what the media says, what the polls say. This election is up to you.” The eldest in her family, Goldberg is the sole survivor of a certain era. When it came time to write about her mother and brother, she had only her memories to fall back on. “It was just about, ‘Let’s hope I remember enough to make a book out of this.’ It was nice to walk those paths again. To walk it with them.” Following a joyous childhood in Manhattan, Goldberg writes about the dedication it took to succeed as an up-and-coming actor in the early ’80s. It wasn’t until 1983 that her acting career began to blossom onstage with the opening of her one-woman “Spook Show,” which was renamed “Whoopi Goldberg” when it officially opened on Broadway in 1984. Though the beginning of Goldberg’s career had no shortage of challenges, it was the resiliency her mother taught her that she says allowed her to find success onstage. “Anyone who’s coming up in this business needs to be resilient. You have to be because the business is meant to flatten you. It can break you. And you have to be able to say, ‘OK, I’ve been beaten, but I’m not down. And I’m still going to move forward towards what I want.’ ” Goldberg’s early star status allowed her to befriend some of Hollywood’s biggest celebrities of the late ’80s and early ’90s. In one chapter she writes about the time Marlon Brando came over to her house, leaving both her mother and brother starstruck. “If there’s one thing I’m missing about them now, it’s being able to call them and tell them I’m doing this or that project. ‘You’re working with so and so!’ they would say. They were always so excited for me.” From the boardwalks of Coney Island to the lights of Broadway, “Bits and Pieces” is a tribute to the New York City of Goldberg’s adolescence. When asked what she thinks of New York in 2024, Goldberg responds with a sigh, “That’s a whole other book. We are one of the greatest cities in the world and I think we have major issues right now. That’s why I keep saying one of these years I’m just going to run for office [mayor of New York City].” Goldberg still nurses her ambition, just as her mother once taught her, and hopes to return to Broadway in the future. “I will probably do another one-person show because it will be cheaper for everybody. I might try to bring this [‘Bits and Pieces’] to life; see if that’s possible.” Whoopi Goldberg’s ‘gonna keep being me’ [Goldberg, from E1] WHOOPI GOLDBERG writes in her new memoir about the deaths of her mother, Emma Johnson, left, and her brother, Clyde, and how they influenced her. Ron Galella Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
