Funds shrouded from an O.C. community college district board — is it illegal use of taxpayers' money?
Good morning. It's Wednesday, March 26. I'm Carol Cormaci, bringing you this week's TimesOC newsletter with a look at some of the latest local news and events.
Rancho Santiago Community College District, which oversees Santa Ana and Santiago Canyon colleges, has been at the center of recent reporting by my colleague Sara Cardine, who for just over two years has been unraveling some eyebrow-raising actions — and relationships— between a vendor and a couple of former district administrators.
When I say two years, it's a bit misleading. It is true she started digging into this complex story in January 2023, but, given the modest size of our staff, we could not spare her more than one day a week to devote to it. So she's plugged away quietly every Monday, interviewing stakeholders and availing herself of the California Public Records Act to request internal documents from host of a entities so she could put all the pieces of the puzzle together. What she has reported so far is roughly a third of that jigsaw; more pieces are awaiting at the side, tantalizingly so, until the time is right to put them into place.
Readers might remember the first stories that materialized from Cardine's findings and were published in September, 'How one Orange County community college district found $8M of its own money,' and '2 retired Rancho Santiago CCD employees have deep moorings in ASCIP risk pool,' both of which (we heard through the grapevine) were sniffed at by at least one embarrassed (or perhaps nervous) insider as not worth worrying about because the Daily Pilot is 'just an insert' in the Los Angeles Times. The online readership stats for those stories belie that sentiment. Sometimes it's a true pleasure to be underestimated.
Around the time those stories broke, a member of the district's board of trustees, Phil Yarbrough, pressed for an audit to get to the bottom of how it could be possible that $8 million had been essentially (maybe even intentionally?) hidden from the board. Those dollars might have been used to meet urgent needs over the years, yet they remained the knowledge of just a few people who, for whatever reasons, kept the info to themselves.
On a recent Monday, the forensic audit was presented to the district's board. It confirmed every detail Cardine had discovered during her own investigation into the problematic relationship between RSCCD and the entity that held funds belonging to it without clear accounting for them, the Alliance of Schools for Cooperative Insurance Programs, or ASCIP, the unaccredited joint powers authority that provides districts with various types of insurance.
Which led to our most recent articles, published in Sunday's paper: 'Community college district's audit of secret $8M insurance rebate fund exposes violations' in which Cardine reported, 'Accountants found that current and former district employees violated California's education code, state budgetary guidelines and the board's own policies by failing to publicly disclose the fund's balance, including in annual district audits.'
The sidebar to that story was a not entirely unexpected reaction to that audit's findings, inasmuch as breaking ed code is unlawful: 'Rancho Santiago stakeholders take forensic audit findings to O.C., L.A. investigators.' Yes, the matter was sent to the district attorneys of both counties.
Not only were there violations at the district level, but there still remain, as Cardine reports, 'the wider implications of ASCIP's practices involving the 140 public school district members it serves, from San Francisco to San Diego counties.'
How many of those districts remain unaware ASCIP is holding funds back from them at a time when they could use the funds, wonders Barry Resnick, a source for Cardine's reporting.
'This is not the way taxpayer funds should be handled,' he said.
• As had been predicted by many, celebrity chef Andrew Gruel was appointed from among three earlier mentioned candidates and immediately sworn in as the newest member of the Huntington Beach City Council last week. It also might not come as a surprise that the audience — representing both sides of the political divide — would became so loud in their bipartisan disagreement over the appointment that the police would be forced to clear the chambers of everyone except the council. Note the sign on the dais indicating Gruel's appointment to replace Tony Strickland (recently elected to the state Senate) had apparently been decided ahead of the meeting.
• On a 4-1 vote last week and over the objections of some residents, the La Habra City Council gave the green light to the Diocese of Orange to build 21 market-rate apartments on a 1.6-acre grassy field at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. According to TimesOC, a consultant for the Diocese told the council, 'It's just like any other apartment complex, it just happens to be owned by the Diocese.' Here's a lukewarm endorsement from one of the council members, Daren Nigsarian: 'I favor the project because I don't think we have a choice,' he said.
• The three adult daughters of undocumented immigrants Nelson and Gladys Gonzalez, longtime residents of Laguna Niguel, were stunned to learn that when their parents showed up Feb. 21 for a routine annual check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement as part of an agreement to remain in the country, they were detained and sent back to Colombia. The L.A Times reports that, according to a statement from ICE, the married couple entered the country illegally in 1989 near San Ysidro. Their daughters, who are all U.S. citizens, wrote on a fundraising website, 'They have never broken the law, never missed an appointment [with ICE] and this sudden occurrence has left us in shock.'
• College Hospital Costa Mesa announced earlier this month it had discovered that more patient information had been exposed during a data breach last year than had earlier been reported. Those impacted were notified that a 'threat actor' had accessed certain files within the hospital sometime between Aug. 14 and Sept. 17, 2024.
• Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer announced Friday his office is charging 48-year-old Irvine resident Saritha Ramaraju with one felony count of murder and one felony enhancement of personal use of a weapon. Ramaraju was arrested for allegedly slitting her 11-year-old son's throat with a kitchen knife after after they spent three days exploring Disneyland.
• California Highway Patrol is investigating a multi-car crash involving a Huntington Beach police officer that sent six people to the hospital Sunday night. The crash occurred at about 10:15 p.m. near where Beach Boulevard meets Yorktown Avenue.
• A round-up of some of the local public safety briefs reported by City News Service over the past several days: — A 35-year-old man was charged Friday with stabbing an O.C. Sheriff's Department deputy in San Clemente on March 18. Moses Paulisin was charged with attempted murder, willful resisting a peace office resulting in injury, assault with a weapon on a peace officer and obstructing an officer, all felonies. The deputy was treated for a neck wound and released from a hospital — Michael Carl Hallgreen, 70, was sentenced Friday to 16 years to life in prison for fatally stabbing a fellow resident in a care home in Anaheim on Nov. 20, 2018. — The man who was charged with molesting two girls over a seven-year period while living in a crowded Cosa Mesa home with their mother was found guilty Monday. Nelson Anibal Saavedra is scheduled to be sentenced May 9.
· The Angels acquired right-handed starter Ian Anderson from the Atlanta Braves on Sunday in a trade for left-hander José Suárez, according to this Associated Press story in the Los Angeles Times. Bill Shaikin's lasted column on their team, also for the The Times, will no doubt resonate with die-hard Angels fans. Shaikin wonders out loud what, exactly, the plan is for this season, inasmuch as the team has the longest playoff drought in Major League Baseball.
• Golfing legend Jack Nicklaus was the featured guest last week when the Hoag Classic, the annual tournament for pro golfers 50 years old and up, held its pre-tournament Breakfast with a Champion at the Balboa Bay Resort. The three-day tournament got underway Friday, with Brendan Jones leading at the end of the day, Fred Couples tying for lead with Spain's Miguel Angel Jiménez at 11 under par on Saturday and Jiménez finishing the tournament at 15 under par to win by a stroke.
• One of the senior players on Newport Harbor's baseball team was crushed in February to learn that his 47-year-old father had died unexpectedly while on vacation in Cabo San Lucas. This story by Daily Pilot writer Matt Szabo about the way the team and coach have been rallying behind him is inspirational. 'It's definitely one of the coolest brotherhoods I've ever witnessed,' the player's mother said of her son's teammates, some of whom had been coached by her late husband when they were younger.
• In honor of Holi — the Hindu festival of colors — the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel is hosting an afternoon tea service reimagined for the holiday. This special service, which is being offered on Saturdays, is dubbed Chit, Chat, Chai. Priced at $138 per person, it is being served up in the resort's restaurant Kahani, helmed by New Delhi native chef Sanjay Rawat. Reservations for Kahani are available on OpenTable.
• In partnership with Charitable Ventures and UCI, the Samueli Foundation and Orange County Community Foundation recently surveyed more than 600 county nonprofit leaders for a needs assessment report, which revealed obstacles they typically encounter in their field. The main challenges uncovered included investing in staff and leadership, infrastructure and financial sustainability, collaboration and restrictive funding models. It was announced last week the Corona del Mar-based Samueli Foundation has committed $15 million to three initiatives to help meet that those needs.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts presents American Ballet Theatre's premiere of 'The Winter's Tale,' inspired by Shakespeare's play, from Thursday, April 3 through Sunday, April 6. Tickets start at $44.07. Visit scfta.org for more information.
• WonderCon returns to the Anaheim Convention Center this Friday through Sunday and will feature more than 900 exhibitors, cosplay, panels and entertainment. The San Diego Comic Convention (Comic-Con International), which also organizes Comic-Con in July at the San Diego Convention Center, puts on the Anaheim event.
• The OC Japan Fair is set for Friday, April 4 through Sunday, April 6 at the Orange County Fair & Event Center. General admission is $15 if purchased in advance and increases to $18 beginning April 4. Free admission for ages 6 and younger or 66 and older. Parking is $12. Hours Friday are 4 to 10 p.m., Saturday, noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more details visit OC Japan Fair.
• Green thumb alert: The San Clemente Garden Club is hosting its 2025 GardenFest on Saturday, April 12, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The club's website touts it as the city's 'Biggest, Best Plant Sale and Garden/Household Goods Flea Market.' From free garden tool sharpening to children's activities,it looks like there will be a lot going on during the event in addition to the plant sale and flea market. San Clemente Community Center, 100 N Calle Seville.
Until next week,Carol
I appreciate your help in making this the best newsletter it can be. Please send news tips, your memory of life in O.C. (photos welcome!) or comments to carol.cormaci@latimes.com.
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Los Angeles Times
6 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
‘Either there will be safer streets in Newport Beach or I'll be dead,' says father of young DUI victim
Good morning. It's Wednesday, June 4. I'm Carol Cormaci, bringing you this week's TimesOC newsletter with a look at some of the latest local news and events from around the county. On the last Sunday of May there was a somber assemblage near the Balboa Fun Zone to mark the first anniversary of the death of a 14-year-old girl mowed down in a DUI crash on the evening of Saturday, May 25, 2024. Rosenda Elizabeth Smiley, 'Rose' to all who knew her, had been enjoying a day in Newport Beach with friends after making the trip there that Memorial Day weekend from her dad's home, about 20 miles away from Big Bear Lake. They were in a crosswalk about a block from the Fun Zone when a dark sedan knocked Rose down. By the time first responders made it to her side she had succumbed to her injuries. Joseph Alcazar, 30, of Fontana, the man behind the wheel of the car, remained at the scene, where he was interviewed by police officers and arrested. Four days later he was charged with second-degree murder and two counts of driving under the influence and causing injuries, along with a misdemeanor count of child abuse and endangerment, the latter charge filed because Alcazar's own 8-year-old daughter was in his car that night, the Daily Pilot reported. His blood-alcohol level at the time of the crash was .16, prosecutors alleged in the complaint, twice the legal limit. In no time, a makeshift memorial filled with flowers took shape on a curb near where Rose's death occurred, and a vigil was organized to mourn yet another innocent victim of a DUI crash. The teen's mother and father — Glori Smiley and Fillmore Smiley — though divorced, were united not only in their grief, but also in their determination to stop such accidents from ever happening again in Newport Beach. With the support of Glori and his partner Lori, Fillmore Smiley has been lobbying city officials to install elevated and blinking crosswalks at some of Newport's heavily trafficked intersections and possibly implementing portions of a 'Vision Zero' policy adopted in Sweden 30 years ago that cut traffic-related deaths in half, reporters Sara Cardine and Eric Licas related in this Daily Pilot story about the anniversary vigil. He's not yet been successful with those pleas, he said. Smiley, a recovering addict himself with 21 years of sobriety who earned his doctorate and counsels others battling addition, is also asking Southland pols to introduce into the state Legislature 'Rosenda's Law.' It's a proposed bill that would impose tougher penalties for repeat DUI offenders and even passengers who knowingly get in a car with a drunk driver. According to The Pilot, Rosenda's Law 'suggests treatment for initial offenders and mandatory drug court for a second DUI. A third conviction would incur a 16-month minimum sentence and a fourth offense would call for five to 10 years. Anything after that would come with a life sentence.' The passengers who willingly climbed into a vehicle driven by someone under the influence could be charged with a misdemeanor reckless endangerment charge that would be erased after a series of educational classes, Smiley explained. Few legislators he's spoken to have wanted to take on introducing the proposed law, except for Assemblyman Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale). On May 27, the state Assembly declared May 25, 2025 'Rosenda's Day,' via a resolution introduced by Lackey. Smiley traveled to Sacramento for the occasion. 'In the past year, Rose's family members and friends, clad in pink T-shirts, bearing a rose and a picture of the teen with the words 'JusticeForRose,' have packed every courtroom hearing ahead of Alcazar's impending trial for murder, felony DUI and child endangerment,' according to the story. Smiley has also formed the group 'Rosenda's Gift' to help the families of other victims secure remembrances such as memorial plaques and benches, tributes he considers 'cathartic.' As to striking out — so far, anyway — with Newport Beach officials in his lobbying efforts for pedestrians to be made safer from the threat of DUI drivers, Smiley is determined to keep going. 'If I can't get Newport Beach to work with me and do the right thing, maybe I can do something at the state level and get some things implemented,' Smiley told The Pilot. 'I'm going to keep at it — either there will be safer streets in Newport Beach or I'll be dead.' • Much to the surprise of Mayor Pat Burns and others in the know about Huntington Beach's stand with President Trump against illegal immigration, Surf City was the only Orange County municipality on this list of sanctuary cities that was released Thursday by the Department of Homeland Security, accusing them of 'defying federal immigration law.' Curiously Santa Ana, an actual sanctuary city, did not. The list was taken down sometime Sunday, the Daily Pilot reports. Burns called the city's inclusion on it either a misprint or a serious mistake and notified the DHS of its error. National Sheriffs' Assn. President Sheriff Kieran Donahue called the list 'arbitrary' and created without any input, criteria of compliance or method of objecting to the designation, The Pilot reported. Before the list was removed from the DHS website, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem defended it Sunday morning on a Fox News program. 'Some of the cities have pushed back,' she said. 'They think because they don't have one law or another on the books that they don't qualify, but they do qualify. They are giving sanctuary to criminals.' • The coastal rail linking Orange and San Diego counties is expected to resume service next month after closing in April when the California Coastal Commission approved emergency construction because sections of the rail were reported to be unstable. Service from Dana Point in south Orange County to Oceanside in San Diego County — is set to resume June 7, the Los Angeles Times reports. • Civic leaders turned out last week to cheer the wrecking ball when Anaheim demolished yet another seedy motel along Beach Boulevard, the former Rainbow Inn, to make way for much-needed town homes and affordable housing units. 'We want to clean up this area in west Anaheim,' Rep. Lou Correa said at a press conference in front of the motel, according to this TimesOC story on the demolition. 'This is what good government is all about. It's about listening to our locals, to our constituents, responding to their needs and moving forward.' • Some 4,000 people attended the California Democratic Party annual conclave at the Anaheim Convention Center over the weekend. Speakers on Saturday included possible 2028 presidential hopefuls Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker. • Dismayed that his fellow state legislators are not taking up his battle to allow licensed manicurists to work as self-employed contractors without taking a rigorous test now required by law — even though licensed barbers, cosmetologists, estheticians and electrologists can continue the practice without it — Republican Assemblyman Tri Ta announced Monday he was filing a federal discrimination lawsuit. Ta noted that 82% of manicurists in California are Vietnamese, with 85% of those being women. 'This lawsuit seeks only one thing — to make sure that all professionals in the beauty industry are treated equally and to eliminate the obvious discrimination against the Vietnamese community,' the complaint reads. • The Mission Viejo City Council last week moved forward with the adoption of an updated state map that identifies homes in 'very high' or 'high' wildfire hazard zones. The approval was made with some reluctance, according to TimesOC, as residents raised the specter of how much their already-high homeowners insurance would be raised as a result. 'Mission Viejo is one of 16 Orange County cities with very high wildfire hazard areas,' reporter Gabriel San Román explains. 'Adoption of the Cal Fire map is mandatory and cities do not have the authority to change the risk designations, though they can offer feedback to scale an area's hazards upward.' • A 657-unit mixed-use development to be built on the former site of a Boomers family amusement center in Fountain Valley is on the table. If it gains all the necessary approvals, the Magnolia street project will help the city meet its state-mandated Regional Housing Needs Assessment, under which Fountain Valley must add 4,839 residential units by 2029. • Orange Coast College students in the aquarium science program on Friday released 200 tagged white seabass into the ocean at Bayside Beach, near the Orange County Sheriff's Harbor Patrol Division office. The college coordinated with the nonprofit Get Inspired, which works with O.C. schools to nurture white seabass, green abalone, Pismo clams and other species before releasing them into the ocean. Before Friday's release, students spent a few months caring for the fish on campus, said Mary Blasius, instructor and aquarium coordinator for the Orange Coast College Dennis Kelly Aquarium. • In hopes of reducing air pollution, the Buena Park City Council plans to hold a study session where it will learn about the possibility of banning delivery trucks from idling while making their rounds. The session was proposed by Councilmember Susan Sonne, according to this TimesOC article. 'Pollution is certainly a big concern here, because in my district, there's a number of commercial areas that back up against homes,' she said. 'There's also a noise consideration, and I've had residents who've reported large commercial trucks that have idled, not just for a few minutes, but for hours in the middle of the night.' • Costa Mesa police on Tuesday were searching for leads in a homicide case, with the suspect still at large, after a 20-year-old woman who was found shot on a Lukup Lane sidewalk Monday night died from her injuries. The victim was identified as Monserrat Colorado, of Huntington Beach. • Four male suspects from Riverside, including one juvenile, were arrested Sunday night after a man was shot during an altercation near a bar at Oceanfront and 23rd Street on the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach. • Orange County Superior Court Judge Judge Gary Paer began hearing the case early this week of 45-year-old Nolan Pascal Pillay, who was charged with two counts of murder with special circumstances in the deaths of his mother and brother on Jan. 31, 2017 at their Irvine home. On Tuesday, Pillay, who on Monday waived the right to a jury, was ruled insane when the crime occurred by Paer and is facing an indefinite commitment to a state mental hospital. • A 14-year-old armed with flare gun who allegedly shot and killed a 29-year-old man in Huntington Beach on the night May 23 was taken into custody, according to police. The victim, who died later at a hospital, was identified by the Orange County Coroner Division as Jose Manuel Nares of Huntington Beach. Police are seeking security camera footage and additional information. • The trial started last week in the murder case against Antonio Calizto Navarrete, a 45-year-old convicted drunk driver accused of killing Isadora Stabel, 20, on Aug. 22, 2020 in Irvine. Calitzto Navareete is charged with second-degree murder, hit-and-run with permanent and serious injury and driving under the influence of alcohol in excess of the legal limit of .08% causing injury, all felonies. • Having put in a lot of work after losing 15-3 its first game of the season to Woodbridge, the Estancia High School baseball team on Saturday captured its second CIF championship. Senior Jake Humphries, the only remaining player from the program's first CIF title team in 2022, hit a bases-loaded triple to deep right field in the bottom of the seventh inning to score three and help Estancia earn a 4-3 victory over Pasadena Marshall. • For the first time in three long decades, the Marina High School softball team is basking in the glow of having won the CIF title. Avi Valbuena and Eva Mazzotti each drove in four runs, as Marina beat Westlake 8-1 on Friday at Deanna Manning Stadium. • Four Newport Harbor High School Sailors made a splash when they helped Team USA Cadet win women's water polo gold at the recent Pan Am Aquatics Championship in Medellin, Colombia. • Someone who purchased a Powerball lottery ticket at a supermarket in Orange for the May 28 drawing is $1.23-million richer, according to California Lottery officials, having picked five of the six winning numbers. The entire jackpot in the very next Powerball draw, held Saturday night, is worth $204.5 million and is going to someone who purchased the lucky ticket at a 7-Eleven in Arleta, a San Fernando Valley neighborhood. • Watermark Laguna Niguel senior living community recently debuted a unique exhibit titled 'Feeling Our Age,' featuring portraits of older women 60 years or older painted by artist Kathleen Cosgrove. What makes the project especially compelling is that each one of those artworks is accompanied by a personal essay written by the portrait's subject sharing her own experience while aging. • Byblos Cafe served Mediterranean cuisine and was a favorite in the Orange Circle for 36 years when its owners, Adel and Zalfa Mahshi, decided they were ready to retire and hand the business over to their son, Tim. There was one obstacle: Tim Mahshi fell ill. So the couple spoke to a regular customer and the owner of a neighboring restaurant, JT Reed of Bosscat Kitchen and he offered to become a partner, to collaborate and mentor Tim Mahshi so the family could keep it. The two new partners transformed Byblos Cafe into the quick service Baba G, which recently opened its doors. My colleague Sarah Mosqueda tells the whole story in this feature article. • Bowers Museum has opened its latest exhibit, 'World of the Terracotta Warriors: New Archaeological Discoveries in Shaanxi in the 21st Century.' The museum is the first in North America to host the new traveling exhibit, which features more than 110 recently unearthed treasures, according to this TimesOC story. It will be on view through Oct. 16. Bowers Museum is located at 2002 N. Main St. Santa Ana. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. For tickets visit • 'Feed me!' The annual announcement of this event always brings to my mind the musical 'Little Shop of Horrors' and its man-eating plant, Audrey II: The day of the Carnivorous Plant Show and Sale at Sherman Library & Gardens is almost upon us. Presented by the Southern California Carnivorous Plant Enthusiasts, the judged show will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 14. The Sherman is located at 2647 East Coast Highway, Corona del Mar. Admission is $5. • Orange County Museum of Art on June 21 will open 'California Biennial 2025: Desperate, Scared, But Social,' a new exhibit featuring artworks that span generations, from early works from established California artists to contemporary collaborations between artists and their children. The exhibit took its title from the 1995 album by Orange County riot grrrl band Emily's Sassy Lime. OCMA is located at 3333 Avenue of the Arts, Costa Mesa. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Admission is free. Until next Wednesday,Carol We appreciate your help in making this the best newsletter it can be. Please send news tips, your memory of life in O.C. (photos welcome!) or comments to
Los Angeles Times
28-05-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Case of mistaken identity leads to a unique way to raise funds in support of O.C. homeless families, individuals
Good morning. It's Wednesday, May 28. I'm Carol Cormaci, bringing you this week's TimesOC newsletter with a look at some of the latest local news and events from around the county. If there's one thing we've learned over the years, it's that everyone we meet has an interesting story to tell. News outlets do their best to identify — often via tips — willing subjects who have found themselves in the middle of a unique situation and don't mind sharing the details publicly. In Sunday's Daily Pilot & TimesOC edition, my colleague Matt Szabo reported on an incident he came across, about an artist carrying his baby in a sling while out on a walk and was mistaken for a homeless man by someone in his own Huntington Beach neighborhood. This neighbor called the police on him. To my mind, it's a gem of a tale, because it led to a more positive outcome than one might have expected. Also because it seems this 32-year-old dad, Chapman Hamborg, has a heart as toasty as they come. His appearance that day was decidedly casual — and wearing a Patagonia jacket. His long hair was pulled back in a bun, the clothes he'd put on were worn and one of his slippers had a hole in it. The babe in his arms is the youngest of four, so he has a busy household. The neighbor actually followed him as he strolled back to his home that April day so she could tell law enforcement where he could be found. Perhaps if you use Instagram you saw Hamborg's viral reel of the policeman coming to his door and his surprised response. 'When he explained what happened, that someone had called the cops on me thinking I was a homeless person then had followed me back to my house, I was shocked,' Hamborg told Szabo. 'I couldn't believe it at first. I was trying to laugh it off, I guess, and then he asked for my ID. I came inside, and that's when I started recording the video, when I was looking for my ID and telling my wife what was going on.' As of last Friday, that video had received nearly two million views and more than 32,000 comments. Surely some of those views were generated by an article on the incident by People magazine, who beat us to this story. But hey, it's one worth repeating. Hamborg holds no ill will against the neighbor who called the cops, but he's looking to turn the experience into something positive. 'He wants to talk to her, not to scold her but partially to thank her for her vigilance,' Szabo writes. 'She's a neighbor concerned for the safety of the baby and the neighborhood, but also, it's crazy for people who are dealing with homelessness to have to deal with this kind of stuff,' he said. 'What if it was a great parent who is trying to get their baby to sleep but they happen to be unhoused? Why should the cops be called on them? Just because they're experiencing homelessness doesn't mean that the baby is in danger, or that the mom is a bad mom or the dad is a bad dad.' So, it occurred to Hamborg that a self-portrait he had completed before the incident, in which he is depicted dressed similarly and with a child on his back, might be used to raise funds to help support people experiencing homelessness. 'It looks like this beautiful scene, but there's kind of this darker undertone to it, at least to me personally,' he said. 'When this whole experience happened, I thought that painting and those aspects about it are even more true for unhoused families, which I was mistaken for being. The imagery and the meaning behind the painting already lined up, and I wanted to connect it to the story and the conversation that was already happening from the video around people experiencing homelessness.' To that end, he's selling limited edition prints of his original painting, 'Unseen Paths,' with 20% of the proceeds going to Orange County United Way's United to End Homelessness initiative. 'Chapman's curiosity around homelessness has been something so wonderful to engage with,' said Becks Heyhoe-Khalil, executive director of the program. 'Getting to know Chapman and just the beautiful heart that he has and the compassion that he has, the desire to use this for the greater good, it fit beautifully with the mission we have at United to End Homelessness at United Way. It's been a really natural way to collaborate.' Hamborg and Heyhoe-Khalil will be guests at an Orange County Museum of Art 'Conversations with Artists' event on June 4 at 4 p.m., hosted by Heidi Zuckerman, OCMA's chief executive and director. No registration is needed. They'll also host a livestream event titled 'Art and Advocacy: A Studio Conversation with Chapman Hamborg,' on June 21 at 9 a.m., from his Hamborg Academy of Art studio in Huntington Beach. 'One of the things I love about what Chapman is doing is helping open people's eyes, ask questions and challenging assumptions,' Heyhoe-Khalil said. 'Many of the people who have watched the video online have said, 'You do look like you're homeless.' The flip side of that is that they're walking past people, driving past people every day who don't look like they're experiencing homelessness but who are, and they have no idea.' The prints of 'Unseen Paths' are available at Hamborg's website, • As reported for some time now, Huntington Beach voters will be asked to decide two ballot measures, A and B, during a special election set for June 10. Both measures are related to the public library and are opposed by the Huntington Beach City Council (perhaps you'll remember the flap caused by a council member forming his own political action committee and posting signs around town telling people to vote no and alleging there is porn in the library). Well, the Ocean View School District Board of Trustees unanimously endorsed both measures on May 13. One week later, the City Council voted (also unanimously) to investigate the legality of the school board passing such a resolution. We're waiting to find out what the next volley will be in this battle. • It's been almost 30 years since conservationists began looking into how they might transform the former Banning Ranch oil field at the border of Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach and Newport Beach into one of the largest protected green spaces in O.C. The initial plans describing what Randall Preserve will eventually look like have been made public and more input is welcome. Those interested in helping shape the future of preserve have until July 14 to formally submit questions, comments and suggestions. More information can be found here. • Dr. Mark Linskey, a board-certified neurosurgeon and former chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery at UC Irvine, this month was awarded $5.8 million in damages by an Orange County jury, bringing a close to a whistleblower lawsuit that maintained university officials retaliated against him for filing a grievance regarding risks to patient safety, abuse of power and economic waste. 'The May 9 verdict covers retaliatory acts from November 2015 to the present date, a second phase of litigation,' my Daily Pilot colleague Sara Cardine wrote in her article about the jury's decision. 'Linskey was previously awarded $2 million in 2019 for actions that occurred prior to the conclusion of a university-level investigation.' • A civil lawsuit that got underway last week against the county, filed by former senior assistant Dist. Atty. Tracy Miller, accuses Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer and others of retaliation and trying to force Miller out of her job after she questioned Spitzer's actions as D.A. Among her allegations is that she was retaliated against for protecting female subordinates who had reported sexual misconduct by a male superior, Gary LoGalbo, who is since deceased. LoGalbo was once Spitzer's roommate and had served as best man at his wedding. The county is also facing eight sexual harassment lawsuits involving allegations against the late LoGalbo. • Looking at a $154-million budget deficit and declining enrollment, which is tied to funding, the Santa Ana Unified School District Board of Trustees voted 4-1 to lay off 262 employees. 'We are no longer a school district of over 50,000 students,' Board President Hector Bustos said. 'We are a school district of 34,000 students. We are no longer the second largest school district in Orange County. We are now the fourth [largest].' • The San Clemente City Council is considering the merits of forming a local committee to work on logistics, economic opportunity and host city duties ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games, when the the surfing competition will be held at Lower Trestles Beach. • Continuing a long tradition, several Laguna Beach Police Department leaders earlier this month traveled to Washington, D.C. for Police Week, during which they remembered one of their own with a wreath-laying ceremony for a fallen officer at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This year the Laguna Beach wreath was a memorial tribute to motor officer Jon Coutchie, whose end of watch was on Sept. 21, 2013. • Tragedy struck Laguna Beach Monday afternoon when a local father took his 15-year-old daughter to a parking lot in town to practice driving under her learner's permit. Police are still investigating the cause, according to a spokesperson, but one theory is that the teen stepped on the accelerator when she wanted to hit the brakes, sending their convertible Volkswagen over a 40-foot cliff and landing upside down on Coast Highway. The father, 64-year-old James Politoski, did not survive the crash. • While responding police investigated a traffic fatality in Fountain Valley Sunday night that involved a pedestrian who was struck down by a vehicle near the intersection of Warner Avenue and Los Jardines Street, a different motorist, who was allegedly driving under the influence, crashed into that same scene, hit a police car and was arrested. The 17-year-old driver who hit the pedestrian remained at the scene and cooperated with officers. The person he fatally hit was 35-year-old Alexandra Payerli of Santa Ana. Anyone with information regarding the fatal collision is encouraged to contact the FVPD Traffic Bureau at (714) 593-4481 and reference incident No. 25-16166. • Bikes, e-bikes, motorized scooters and pedicabs were recently banned from the sands at Newport Beach by a unanimous vote of the City Council, according to this Daily Pilot story. Those cited for riding on the sand may face a fine of up to $100 on their first offense, and up to $200 if they are caught doing it again. Subsequent violations of the new ordinance after that will come with a $500 fine. • Jonathan Reyes, 28, who was convicted Feb. 19 of fracturing the skull of his 2-week-old son in Santa Ana more than four years ago, has been sentenced to nine years in prison. • Following up on an item that appeared in this section last week, Santa Ana resident Alejandro Oliveros Acosta, 46, the alleged cat killer who was charged May 19 with two felony counts of cruelty to animals, one felony count of grand theft of a companion animal and one misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance, did not show up for his arraignment on Wednesday and an arrest warrant was put out on him. • Tammy Kim, Irvine's former vice mayor, has been charged by the Orange County district attorney's office with 10 felonies related to allegedly lying about her residency during her City Council tenure and while campaigning for mayor last fall. If convicted on all counts, Kim could spend up to 11 years and two months in state prison and county jail, according to the TimesOC report on the charges. • Barbara 'Corki' Rawlings has announced that at the end of next month she will close her Newport Beach shop, Corki's Embroidery, where she and two other seamstresses personalize all types of items. Yacht clubs have remained some of the shop's most loyal customers over Rawlings' 59 years in business, as have local fire and police departments, rowing teams and other aquatics programs at practically every high school in coastal Orange County. She told the Daily Pilot for this feature story on her shop's closure that when she settles into retirement (she's 90), she'll take her favorite vintage Singer 401A Slant-O-Matic from the store workshop to her desk at home. It sounds like she plans to keep her sewing skill sharp. • Wild Rivers at 1000 Great Park Blvd. in Irvine is open for the season, and TimesOC reporter Sarah Mosqueda was there for opening day, taking note of its attractions for this feature story. General admission starts at $79.99 and junior admission (under 48″ tall) starts at $54.99. Children age 2 and under are admitted free. Private cabanas, discounted tickets and season passes are available at • Fullerton's Airport Day is this Saturday, May 31, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It's a free, open house designed to let families and individuals see the workings of the municipal airport and possibly inspire future careers in aviation, along with educating about other city departments. Food will be available for purchase, as will airplane and helicopter rides. The airport is located at 4011 W. Commonwealth Ave. • Also this Saturday, the Orange County fairgrounds' Heroes Hall Museum invites the public to attend a free Speaker Series talk, from 2 to 4 p.m., titled 'Beyond the Battlefield: Navigating the Journey of Veterans with PTSD.' The event begins with a viewing of the documentary film 'The Volunteer,' which documents the journey of veteran Bruce Nakashima as he searches for and reconnects with a fellow Army Ranger and friend who saved his life in Vietnam. • Four of Edgar Allan Poe's macabre works, 'The Cask of Amontillado,' 'Annabel Lee,' 'The Pit and the Pendulum' and 'The Fall of the House of Usher,' will be served up with cocktails themed to match them during the Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy set for June 5-7 at Fairhaven Memorial Park & Mortuary in Santa Ana. 'As a lifelong Poe enthusiast, I've always wanted to create a unique experience that combines libations with literature. These are two of my favorite things. I've felt for a long time that there is a void for an event like this,' TimesOC learned from Julia Tirinnanzi, who came up with the idea for the unique experience. The Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy is for guests 21 years and up. For more information, including tickets, visit this site. Until next Wednesday,Carol We appreciate your help in making this the best newsletter it can be. Please send news tips, your memory of life in O.C. (photos welcome!) or comments to
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
Poway sues councilmember Tony Blain over alleged public records violations
POWAY, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — The City of Poway is suing Councilmember Tony Blain for allegedly withholding and destroying public records in violation of state law. The civil lawsuit filed in San Diego Superior Court is seeking to compel Blain to comply with the California Public Records Act after numerous public records requests over the past few months have gone unanswered. 'Despite multiple warnings, he hadn't been following the rules,' said Poway Mayor Steve Vaus. Vaus, along with other city leaders, are taking one of their own to court. The lawsuit announced Wednesday against Blain claims he is refusing to produce requested public records from private email accounts, apps and devices. While Blain denies using private email for official business, the city claims it has evidence showing otherwise. 'Texts and emails from Blain to Councilmember Maeda. He would say, 'I don't have any,' or he would say 'I destroyed them,' which is against the law. Meanwhile, Councilmember Maeda would turn them in.' The city also alleges Blain has asked others to delete messages, while encouraging them to use the encrypted signal app. Attorney Bob Ottilie says the CPRA ensures transparency and accountability from local government. 'The public, a member of the public can file a lawsuit to compel production. If that member of the public wins, the city is responsible for attorneys fees,' Ottilie said. Vaus says taxpayer dollars are funding the lawsuit. 'The expenditure thus far, just to this point, is about $40,000. It will probably be well over six figures if this goes to trial,' Vaus said. Blain refused to comment on the lawsuit, only stating his attorney will issue a press release Thursday. 'This is where the trust starts, is in this transparency, that doesn't exist in this case if you're concealing things or if you're deleting, and it's potentially criminal as well and I would think that the district attorney would want to take a look at this,' Ottilie said. Moving forward, Ottilie said it'll be up to the court to decide whether Blain must turn over and retain the requested communications – and if Blain violates that order, he could be held in contempt and sent to jail. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
