Frustrated by what it characterizes as unequal treatment that violates the law, a homeless advocacy group has sued Orange County officials over their restrictions on public comments at meetings.

The People’s Homeless Task Force, backed by the ACLU of Southern California, filed a lawsuit Tuesday, April 9, alleging the Orange County Board of Supervisors’ rules for comments improperly restrict speakers’ rights under the First Amendment and state open meeting laws, and that the rules are unevenly applied. The suit also argues the county’s public records policies are contrary to state law.

In a statement, county spokeswoman Molly Nicholson said the county has received the suit, but “While we cannot comment on it in its entirety at this time, we do believe that our rules regarding public comment and public records comport with state and federal law.”

Supervisors Andrew Do and Michelle Steel, who are both mentioned by name in the suit, could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.

The lawsuit says county supervisors have discouraged and stifled constituents’ input by holding public comments near the end of their meetings, limiting speakers’ time more than the typical 3 minutes at the mic – even when relatively few people had asked to comment – and treating critical speakers differently than those who praised the board.

Brendan Hamme, an ACLU of Southern California staff attorney, said an example that illustrates the task force’s concerns is a policy that bars speakers from addressing an individual supervisor.

“The First Amendment absolutely protects the right to address government officials, especially with critical comments, and the purpose of meetings as recognized by the board itself is to allow constituents to address their representatives,” Hamme said.

The group also objects to the county’s policy allowing certain records to be destroyed sooner than the two years state law requires most records to be kept, and a policy never to release footage from county security cameras, the suit says.

The ACLU asked the county to address its complaints before filing the suit, Hamme said, but only got an acknowledgement that its email was received. The suit seeks policy changes and money to cover attorney fees.

Such disputes are not uncommon because while people have the right to participate in public meetings of their elected representatives, numerous court decisions have held that reasonable rules can be placed on how and when people exercise that right, said Frank Zerunyan, who teaches governance at USC’s Price School of Public Policy. He is also a Rolling Hills Estates city councilman.

As to how specific officials enforce those rules, and whether they do it fairly, Zerunyan said, it’s often “like beauty – it’s in the eye of the beholder.”

UCLA has a new man in charge of its men’s basketball program. After what former UCLA player and current Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers called a “thorough and extensive search,” UCLA plucked Mick Cronin from Cincinnati on Tuesday to take over the school’s most cherished athletic program. Here are five things you need to know about the 14th head coach in UCLA men’s basketball history.

HE WASN’T UCLA’s FIRST CALL

During the past 10 days, UCLA was publicly turned back three times before hiring Cronin a long 99 days after firing former head coach Steve Alford on New Year’s Eve.

A reported offer worth more than $7 million per year did not challenge John Calipari’s current $9.2 million salary at Kentucky, and the four-time Naismith Coach of the Year then turned it into effectively a lifetime contract with the Wildcats. UCLA then appeared to rebound with Texas Christian’s Jamie Dixon, but tripped over an $8 million buyout. On Monday night, Tennessee’s Rick Barnes looked like a front-runner but the 64-year-old coach stayed with the Volunteers after receiving a counteroffer.

About 14 hours later, UCLA officially hired Cronin.

DOLLAR, DOLLAR BILL

Cronin signed a six-year, $24 million deal with UCLA. The $4 million annual salary is worth nearly twice the $2.2 million he made at his alma mater Cincinnati last season. According to USA Today’s salary database, only six men’s basketball coaches in the country made more than $4 million last season: Calipari, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, Virginia’s Tony Bennett, Kansas’ Bill Self and Louisville’s Chris Mack.

CONSISTENT CONTENDERS

Cronin, who took over at Cincinnati in 2006, led the Bearcats to the NCAA Tournament in each of the past nine years. Only six coaches have led their programs to the tournament in the last nine seasons.

Between three years at Murray State and 13 at Cincinnati, Cronin leads the country for most NCAA Division I victories (365) among active coaches under 50.

COMING UP SHORT

Despite Cronin’s regular-season successes at Cincinnati, he has never made it past the Sweet 16, which he reached only once (2012). Cronin’s best team, the 2018 squad that tied the school record with 31 wins, only reached the second round after earning a No. 2 seed.

LOCK IT DOWN

Cincinnati’s calling card under Cronin was tough defense. The Bearcats are just one of two teams in the country to be among the top 25 in the country in points allowed per game in each of the past seven seasons. The other, Virginia, won the national title on Monday.

UCLA, on the other hand, was ranked 319th in points allowed per game this year.

Several players with Southern California ties will be listening for their names during the WNBA Draft on Wednesday.

UConn’s Katie Lou Samuelson, a former Mater Dei standout from Huntington Beach, headlines the field of local prospects, who also include UCLA’s Kennedy Burke (of Sierra Canyon High School), USC’s Mariya Moore and Aliyah Mazyck, Long Beach Poly’s Arica Carter (via Louisville), and Channon Fluker, of Cal State Northridge and Pasadena Maranatha High School.

Samuelson is expected to be a high first-round pick. A versatile 6-foot-3 forward, with UConn she played played in four Final Fours, including winning a national title in 2016. Her older sister Karlie plays for the Sparks, who have the seventh, 19th and 31st picks.

The Sparks, who lost to the Washington Mystics in the second round of the playoffs last season, have a higher first pick than they’re typically accustomed to. The Las Vegas Aces will pick first for the third consecutive season in a draft that’s considered especially deep.

The event will be held starting at 4 p.m. at Nike New York Headquarters. The first round will air live on ESPN2 and the second round will be broadcast on ESPNU.

Former Lakers point guard Derek Fisher, the Sparks’ first-year coach, said the idea is to find balance between selecting the best-available athlete and filling a need — although he’ll angle toward fit.

“That’s the tough balance that we’re going to try to strike,” he said on a conference call with reporters last week. “I lean toward fit vs. stockpiling talent (and) players who play same position and trying to figure it out later.”

Fisher said his team’s already-existing depth — led by two-time WNBA MVP Candace Parker and fellow former MVP Nneka Ogwumike — will make it challenging for any draft pick to carve out a major role this season, which begins for the Sparks on May 26 in Las Vegas.

“Our players are going to be rounded out pretty good, so even for our pick at seven, she’s going to have a hard time breaking through with opportunities and minutes with the veterans we have at every position,” he said.

It’s almost here, two days to go. #GoSparks #WNBADraft @WNBA pic.twitter.com/1uZVLv4NCc

— Los Angeles Sparks (@LA_Sparks) April 8, 2019

The top prospects entering the draft include Louisville’s Asia Durr; Notre Dame’s Jackie Young and Arike Ogunbowale; Mississippi State’s Teaira McCowan; Cal’s Kristine Anigwe and UConn’s Napheesa Collier.

Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu was a favorite to be selected first before she opted to return to school for her senior season. But Fisher indicated the Sparks have interest in another Duck, Maite Cazorla, a guard from Spain.

“Maite is one of those players that literally, on any basketball team, she would have an impact because of her ability to make decisions with the basketball, her ability to shoot in terms of catch-and-shoot … she adds a lot of value to a really successful team,” said Fisher, who noted that he’d also had an opportunity to watch the L.A. area college teams a lot since being hired in December.

Scores and stats for the Orange County games on Tuesday, April 9.

BASEBALL

SOFTBALL

BOYS GOLF

SOUTH COAST LEAGUE

Capistrano Valley 202, San Clemente 211

Bella Colina CC (par 36)

Medalist: Karsh (CV) and Fitzgerald (CV) shot 38

SUNSET WAVE

Fountain Valley 198, Marina 210

Meadowlark GC (par 35)

Medalist: Dang (FV) 36

BOYS TENNIS

SEA VIEW LEAGUE

Mission Viejo 12, Laguna Hills 6

SOUTH COAST LEAGUE

San Clemente 12, Tesoro 6

Festival Pass is a weekly newsletter that lands in your inbox on Thursdays. But during prime festival season you get bonus editions, too! Subscribe now.

Festival Pass for Tuesday, April 9

Coachella is only a few days away and as we await set times (and the inevitable set conflicts), we’ve got some suggestions on who to see this weekend.

Also, we talked with Nic Adler, the festival’s culinary director, about the new Postmates Pickup partnership and how that’s going to work.

If you have burning Coachella questions or want more suggestions on who to see, reply to this email or hit me up on Twitter at @vanessafranko.

We’ll be sending more frequent editions of Festival Pass throughout the month, but here’s where you can find all of our Coachella coverage if you don’t want to wait for the updates. (You can follow us on Flipboard, too.)

Who to see: There are more than 160 artists playing Coachella, and that’s without Solange. To make it manageable, I picked five acts to see each day (or watch from home if you’re into Couch-ella.)

A Coachella return: Jimmy Vallance recounts with lingering horror how Bob Moses, his electronic rock act with Tom Howie, survived a near-disaster of a debut at Coachella 2016 just as the duo with the singular name was taking off. We talked to Bob Moses about returning to the fest and the new album “Battle Lines.”

Food on the go: Coachella is teaming up with Postmates Pickup for mobile ordering at the festival. We found out about the partnership, how it’s going to work and the food you can only get if you use the app.

What to pack: If you need a last-minute guide on what to pack, here’s a list I wrote a while back, which reminds me, I should treat myself to a new bandana. And if you didn’t see it last week, Richard wrote about what you should buy and have waiting for you at the Amazon Lockers. And what you shouldn’t.

ICYMI: I put together a photo slideshow of the history of Coachella’s art installations. Which was your favorite piece over the years?

Flipping out: If you’re a Flipboard user, you should definitely follow our Coachella magazine. We’ll be bringing you the best in festival coverage, and it all shows up in your phone. If you’re not a Flipboard user, you should sign up because it’s pretty rad.

Get Festival Pass delivered to your inbox weekly.

The Kings had the second-worst record in the NHL this past season and went into the draft lottery with the second-best odds to pick first overall, possibly taking top overall prospect Jack Hughes. Instead, the Kings slipped from second to fifth in the lottery Tuesday.

The Ducks dropped from eighth to ninth.

The New Jersey Devils won the lottery and will select first. The New York Rangers moved up to second and the Chicago Blackhawks went from 12th to third.

The NHL draft will be June 21-22 in Vancouver.

More to come on this story.

Orange County will appeal to Gov. Gavin Newsom in a bid to continue using the National Guard armory in Fullerton as night shelter for homeless people.

The move comes after the California Military Department turned down a request to extend the shelter program into June.

In his April 4 response to the county, Major General David S. Baldwin, adjutant general of the California National Guard, said that access to the drill floor at the armory, where homeless people bed down on mats, is essential to training part-time soldiers.

“Ensuring that our troops and their equipment are ready for the challenges they will face both here at home and abroad is my primary mission, and the primary purpose of National Guard Armories,” Baldwin wrote. Members of the Guard respond to domestic emergencies, ranging from wildfires and other natural disasters to civil unrest.

Without intervention from the governor, the winter shelter programs at the armories in Fullerton and Santa Ana will end as scheduled on Wednesday, April 10, when homeless people at the facilities must be out by 6 a.m.

An extension would only involve the Fullerton Armory, because Santa Ana opened a 200-bed temporary shelter in November. Either armory can sleep up to 200 people. Last year, use of both armories as nighttime shelters continued into July, a rare step taken with the support of both the military and then-Gov. Jerry Brown.

Local representatives at the city, county and state level are hoping Newsom can weigh in on behalf of the shelter extension.

“We are working with the Governor to see if he can appeal the decision,” said Rebecca Leifkes, Fullerton’s housing and neighborhood services manager. “Hopefully we will hear something positive soon.”

Anticipating the planned end of the armory program, Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton, recently sent a letter to Newsom, evoking the governor’s own words about homelessness during his State of the State address in February.

“In your State of the State, you described the challenge of housing the homeless as an ‘urgent moral crisis.’ I could not agree more,” Quirk-Silva told Newsom in the letter dated March 18. “Now, your compassion and leadership is requested to extend the (armory program) for an additional 90 days.”

Spurred by a 2018 homeless civil rights lawsuit, Fullerton officials are working with other north county cities to open regional homeless shelters in Buena Park and Placentia. Without shelters those cities won’t be allowed to enforce anti-camping laws. But those so-called “navigational centers” are not expected to open until later this year, so Fullerton asked the county and Quirk-Silva to help keep the armory program in place.

In denying the request, National Guard commander Baldwin said training sometimes can take place on short notice and requires “around-the-clock” access to the military facility.

Using armories as nighttime shelters during colder months — typically from December to April — delays military activities to warmer months, Baldwin wrote. “This increases the need for the commander to have access to the armory and the armory drill floor.”

Since April 1, the number of people bedding down at the Fullerton armory has ranged from 65 to 89, less than half capacity. Leifkes said more than two-thirds of the homeless people who have slept at the Fullerton armory this winter came from other north county cities.

Former Fullerton mayor Doug Chaffee, who in November was elected to the county Board of Supervisors, said Tuesday that the county will keep looking for a solution. “I am working with the Governor’s office to keep the Fullerton Armory open to be sure we have sufficient shelter to meet the needs of our homeless population until the other shelters are available to open.”

A former U.S. Army Reserve employee from Orange County pleaded guilty Tuesday, April 9, to stealing more than $400,000 by billing the government for phony expenses.

Ramon Torry, 54, of Irvine, admitted to one count each of wire fraud and theft of government money during a court appearance Tuesday in San Jose, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Public Affairs.

The charges allege Torry conspired to commit fraud with a production company associate contracted to create a promotional video. The video was for the U.S. Army Reserve’s 63rd Regional Support Command at Moffet Field in Mountain View.

In February 2016, Torry began creating bogus invoices totaling $414,000.

The invoices were for training and services, related to the video but never actually performed, according to the release. After the money was paid out by the government, an associate of the production company redirected a portion back to the defendant.

Torry himself collected $300,000 in embezzled funds, according to prosecutors.

Torry is scheduled to be sentenced on July 30.

One year after smashing the world record for the largest convention dedicated to a single video game during its Los Angeles debut, “Minefaire: An Official Minecraft Community Event” is back.

The gaming event, which pops up Saturday, April 13 at the L.A. Convention Center through Sunday, April 14, plunges young super fans into this celebration of the virtual world where they make real-world connections.

“For parents,” added Minefaire co-founder Chad Collins, “it’s a chance to breathe a sigh of relief. Your introspective children who express themselves through video games are not alone. At Minefaire, they not only belong – they thrive.”

A new VR building experience makes players do the heavy lifting.

Other highlights include a Minecraft Escape Room, costume contest, and Build Battles Stage in which kids compete against each other before a live audience. Meet-and-greets with stars of Minecraft gaming YouTube channels, a Learning Lab and a marketplace of new, rare and custom Minecraft merchandise you won’t find anywhere else round out the event.

All-inclusive tickets start at $39.99 and can be purchased at www.minefaire.com.

UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero introduces new head men’s basketball coach Mick Cronin. Guerrero talks about the process of hiring Cronin and Cronin talks about why he came to UCLA, what his plans for the program are and what he expects.

When Mark Anderson heard the rumblings that a FINA Diving Grand Prix meet could be held in Mission Viejo, he quickly aimed to qualify.

The former Mission Viejo Nadadores and University of Texas standout focused on the U.S. Winter Trials in Atlanta, Ga., in December and his first synchronized competition with another Austin-based diver, rising U.S. star Jordan Windle.

Anderson and Windle placed second in the men’s 3-meter springboard synchronized event, setting in motion a homecoming for Anderson this week. Mission Viejo’s renovated Marguerite Aquatics Center plays host to the first FINA Grand Prix meet in the U.S. since May 2013 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Anderson, 23, will be one of four divers with Southern California ties in the meet, once considered USA Diving’s crown jewel event. Mission Viejo will host divers from 25 countries – none from diving powerhouse China — in the meet, which runs Thursday through Sunday.

“It’s good to be home,” said Anderson, whose meet begins Friday. “It seems kind of surreal. … (This meet) was definitely a goal for me to make.”

Anderson climbed the ranks with the Nadadores from about age 8 through 18. In 2012, he competed in his first U.S. Olympic Trials as a 16-year-old during the summer before his senior year at El Toro High.

He qualified for the NCAA championship all four of his seasons at Texas and was a five-time Big 12 champion.

Anderson resides in Austin and trains at Texas with hopes of qualifying for the 2020 Olympics.

He has given up platform diving, once part of his arsenal, to focus on the 3-meter springboard and the 3-meter springboard synchronized with Windle.

Windle, a sophomore at Texas, was adopted from his native Cambodia at 18 months. He won the platform at the recent NCAA championships at Texas.

He and Anderson are committed to competing together at the U.S. Olympic Trials next summer in Indianapolis.

Anderson is balancing his training with a part-time finance job. He said his job “takes the pressure off” diving and vice versa.

But no matter what happens this week, Anderson already feels like a winner because he is back home representing Team USA.

“This will definitely be one of the highlights of my diving career,” he said.

Other Southern California divers representing the U.S. this week are Purdue junior Brandon Loschiavo (Huntington Beach High School), two-time NCAA champion Olivia Rosendahl of Northwestern (Immaculate Heart High School) and Pasadena Poly sophomore Sophia McAfee.

Thursday’s schedule includes semifinals for the women’s 3-meter springboard and men’s platform. For ticket information, click here.

ANAHEIM — Mike Trout’s groin told him he shouldn’t play quite yet, and so did the calendar. The weather report might even play a role in determining if Trout returns this weekend.

“If it was later in the season and it was a tight race, I’d obviously want to be out there,” said Trout, who was not in the lineup on Wednesday because of the injury.  “But you have to be smart, especially this early in the season. It’s April 10 or whatever, so if I miss a couple of games here, it’s no big deal.”

Trout came out of Tuesday’s game because he felt tightness in his groin. Speaking Wednesday afternoon, Trout said he felt “a lot better” after a day of treatment, but he seemed to support the decision to take at least two more days off. Trout will have another day to rest because of the team’s scheduled off day on Thursday.

The Angels open a series against the Cubs on Friday in Chicago, where the high temperature is forecast to be in the low 50s all three days, weather conducive to muscular injuries. Manager Brad Ausmus said it was a “possibility” that Trout could play on Friday. However, the weather “would be a consideration when it came to Trout.”

After the three games in Chicago, the Angels head to much warmer weather in Arlington, Texas, and then home for an eight-game homestand.

The interruption comes just as Trout was off to the best start of his career, hitting .406 with five homers and a 1.529 OPS in the Angels’ first 12 games.

Trout had just reached base for his second hit of the game on Tuesday when he felt something as he was trying to beat a force at second. He continued for an inning in the outfield before coming out of the game.

Without Trout, the Angels moved Brian Goodwin to center field and put David Fletcher in left on Wednesday night.

OHTANI UPDATE

Shohei Ohtani said again that he’s ready to proceed at quicker pace than the Angels have for him in his rehab from Tommy John surgery.

“Honestly I feel like I’m ready to go right now, but I still have that medical check ahead of me,” Ohtani said through his interpreter. “I need to clear that first, and we’ll see from there.”

Neither Ohtani nor Ausmus would say exactly when Ohtani’s follow-up appointment is, but it is likely within the next few days. Ohtani has been taking batting practice on the field for two weeks, so he’s now awaiting clearance to face live pitching.

It’s unclear how many at-bats he would need against pitchers, but Ausmus has not indicated that anything has changed much from their schedule of bringing him back in May.

ALSO

Jaime Barría was recalled on Wednesday and put into the Angels bullpen, at least temporarily. Ausmus said the Angels needed bullpen coverage for Wednesday’s game, after using a lot of relievers over the previous few days…

Luke Bard went down to make room for Barría. Bard, who pitched 1-2/3 innings on Tuesday was sent down because he would not have been available on Wednesday and he had options. Justin Anderson went down on Monday when the Angels needed an extra infielder. Ausmus said neither of the demotions were performance related…

Slumping Zack Cozart (1 for 30) was not in the lineup, but Ausmus said Cozart had a breakthrough during his final at-bat on Tuesday. Ironically, Cozart struck out, but nonetheless something “clicked,” in that last at-bat, Ausmus said. He said the plan was for Cozart to put in extra work with the hitting coaches to lock in that feeling on Wednesday, and then “hit the reset button” and be back in the lineup on Friday.

Who leans best might finish first.

The field for the boys 300 hurdles is a close one for the Orange County Track and Field Championships.

The top four county leaders in the 300 hurdles this season are separated by .24 seconds per their season bests. All four are entered for the O.C. meet Saturday at Mission Viejo High.

Mission Viejo junior John Burns is No. 1 at 39.18. The next three, all grouped with Burns in the sixth heat of the 300 hurdles, are Los Alamitos senior Abraham Lofty (39.23), Santa Margarita junior Michael Ventura (39.28) and Aliso Niguel senior Jonah Kim (39.42).

The boys shot put and discus competitions also will vie for best-event status at Saturday’s meet.

County shot put leader Jeff Duensing, an Esperanza junior with a season-leading toss of 65 feet, 71⁄2 inches, throws against Newport Harbor junior Aidan Elbettar, whose 62-91⁄2 is second-best in O.C. Also in the event is San Juan Hills senior Sean Rhyan (60-91⁄2), an All-Orange County offensive lineman (he’s 6-foot-5, 300 pounds) who signed with UCLA for football.

Elbettar is No. 1 in the county in the discus at 197-4. Duensing is second with a mark of 179-3.

County girls sprint leaders Tessa Green, a Santa Margarita senior, and Valencia junior Chrystal Aluya are in the 100 and 200 meters races. Green became the O.C. leader in the 100 this season with her time of 12.04 this past Saturday at the Arcadia Invitational.

The boys distance races should be good, too, with JSerra junior Anthony Grover and senior Peter Herold together in the 1,600 and 3,200. Newport Harbor senior Alexis Garcia, sharp at the Arcadia Invitational last week, also is in the 3,200.

Orange County’s leader in the 100, Jake Burns, a Trabuco Hills senior, won’t go Saturday. He still is recovering from a recent flu experience and with an important South Coast League dual meet this week with Mission Viejo, it was decided the league meet would be Burns’ choice.

The meet starts with varsity field events and the girls frosh-soph 1,600 at 8:30 a.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and for students without valid student identification, $3 for students with valid student ID and $2 for children 9 and younger. A program is $3.

Parking is potentially difficult. But it’s a good meet and worth it.

Taking a look around Orange County high school sports:

• The CIF-Southern Section Council, the CIF-SS rules-making and rules-changing legislative body in which every league has a voting representative, voted down a proposal that would have exempted competitive cheer teams from the CIF-SS ban on Sunday competition. Sea View League representative Craig Collins, Trabuco Hills principal and Empire League representative and Kennedy athletic director Dave Jankowski said their leagues and others voted against the proposal for concern that other sports would follow with their requests for Sunday competition.

• Three leagues that voted in favor of allowing cheer teams to compete on Sundays were the Academy, San Joaquin and Trinity Leagues. That’s perhaps surprising as those three leagues include Christian-based schools.

• The CIF-SS has a transfer committee that is looking into potential workable changes to the CIF-SS transfer policy. Among the ideas is moving the sit-out period for transfers who did not change residence from the first half of the season of sport to the second half of the season of sport.

• CIF State executive director Roger Blake, retiring at the end of this school year, said his goodbyes to CIF-SS folks at the council meeting Tuesday in Long Beach. Everybody who worked with Blake has good things to say about him. The CIF State executive director salary is $233,643.

• Three prominent candidates for county baseball player of the year are Huntington Beach pitcher/first baseman Josh Hahn, Orange Lutheran pitcher/infielder Max Rajcic and Cypress pitcher/infielder Cameron Repetti. Several weeks remain so other candidates will emerge.

• Three CIF-SS baseball championship games May 18 will be played at Dodger Stadium. The other four will be at UC Riverside. It will be announced May 14 which games will be played at Dodger Stadium and which ones will be at UCR.

• The O.C. baseball all-star game is May 21 at La Palma Park’s Glover Stadium in Anaheim.

• Orange Lutheran registered a protest in the seventh inning of its 2-1 baseball win over JSerra on Tuesday. JSerra took an unprecedentedly long time (in this observer’s long experience) to make a pitching change. The relief pitcher selected to enter the game was sitting next to this observer at the media table behind home plate.

• It just might be that Foothill and its former boys basketball coach Rusty Van Cleave have patched up their differences sufficiently enough that Van Cleave could emerge as a candidate to return to the school as its coach.

• Mater Dei point guard Devin Askew was named boys basketball state sophomore player of the year by CalHiSports.com. Askew (6-4) averaged 14 points and seven assists a game.

• Collision All-Star Basketball Games, with a CIF-Los Angeles City Section vs. CIF-SS format, are April 20 at Los Angeles Harbor College. The girls game is at 5 p.m., the boys at 7 p.m. Admission $10. O.C. players scheduled to play on the CIF-SS team are Max Agbonkpolo and Shengzhe Li of Santa Margarita, Kofi Aboagye of Fairmont Prep, Festus Ndumanya of Capistrano Valley Christian, DJ Rodman of JSerra and AJ Perry of Canyon. County girls scheduled to play are Cailyn Crocker of Mater Dei and Kenedy Lilly of El Dorado.

The Jockeys’ Guild is postponing an apparent stunt in which jockeys planned to ride without whips Friday at Santa Anita racetrack.

The guild’s leadership said it had intended to collect feedback from jockeys about how horses respond in situations where a crop would have been used, according to a letter from the Guild to the California Horse Racing Board. The CHRB is currently accepting comments for a proposed statewide change that would limit the use of whips, or riding crops, to “corrective safety measures.”

The guild is opposed to the change.

The Thoroughbred Owners of California asked the jockeys to cancel the plan, according to Terry Meyocks, guild president and CEO.

“For the past month, we have received virtually no support from industry organizations in California until contacted by the TOC in the last day and a half,” Meyocks said in a statement. “In the interest of moving forward to create a safer environment for both equine and human athletes, we have agreed to work with the TOC to come to a mutually agreeable position on riding crop usage in California to be submitted to the CHRB.”

Jockeys on Friday will instead use a newly developed “Gentle Touch” riding crop designed to protect horses without limiting the rider’s control, the guild announced. The organization represents approximately 1,200 members, including active, retired and disabled jockeys.

“We owe it to the riders to work with them to ensure that they’re on board with the steps we are taking to create the safest environment possible for our athletes,” said legendary trainer Bob Baffert, a TOC board member, in a statement.

Last month, The Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, announced plans to limit the use of whips, among other reforms, following the deaths of nearly two dozen horses at the racetrack since Dec. 26. The CHRB unanimously adopted the new rule statewide last month. However, the process requires a 45-day public comment period before the regulatory agency finalizes its decision.

Riders are not required to use a crop, but the guild supports its continued use for encouragement and safety reasons. Current state regulations already prevent riders from using “unreasonable force” that would cause welts or cuts. Jockeys are also not allowed to strike a horse more than three times in succession without giving it a chance to respond.

At the CHRB’s March meeting, the guild’s general counsel, Tom Kennedy, argued the riding crop was not implicated in any of the deaths at Santa Anita.

“The riders believe today’s crop is safer for the horse and does not compromise the horse’s welfare,” Kennedy said.

The state board members moved forward with the changes anyway, as they believed the public’s negative perception of the use of whips hurts the industry. One board member noted camera crews left as soon as the vote on whips passed.

The Huntington Beach City Council has postponed a vote on a proposed homeless shelter for at least two weeks, City Manager Fred Wilson said Wednesday, April 10.

“Things have been moving quickly, and we are just not ready,” Wilson said.

Rather than set a possible vote on the item for April 15, the City Council and staff members will discuss the shelter in a study session at 3:30 that afternoon.

“We encourage the public to attend,” Wilson said. “We will recap where we are now on the shelter and on the purchase of the building.”

The city also will share information with residents at an open house from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 13, at the Huntington Beach Central Library.

Earlier this week, the city reported it is considering an 11,200-square-foot warehouse at 15311 Pipeline Lane to house a 75- to 90-bed shelter facility.

That announcement came one week after the City Council was scheduled to vote on a site next to Marina High – a plan squelched by public outcry. The revised location, also in north Huntington Beach, is almost a mile from the school.

The owner of the largely vacant building is willing to sell, Wilson said, adding that no other option for a location has emerged.

“We have scoured the city, and that is the only other building we have been able to identify for a shelter,” Wilson said. “The judge wants us to move quickly.”

Overseeing a lawsuit filed on behalf of homeless people, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter ordered Orange County and several local cities to provide housing for 60 percent of their total homeless population based on a 2017 count. For Huntington Beach, that number was 119 people – meaning that it needs to produce at least 72 beds.

Furthermore, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last year that cities cannot enforce anti-encampment ordinances unless they offer alternatives to sleeping outside.

Called a Navigation Center, the shelter would house adult men, women and couples – providing services including health care, counseling and job training.

The shelter would not accept walk-ins or allow people to leave without notice, nor would it accept registered sex offenders or people with open felony warrants, the city said in a statement.

The Dallas Wings selected UCLA senior guard Kennedy Burke with the 10th pick in the second round, 22nd overall, in Wednesday’s WNBA draft.

The Sierra Canyon High alumna is the third UCLA player to be picked in the WNBA draft in the past two years, joining Jordin Canada (fifth overall last year) and Monique Billings (15th overall), and the fourth WNBA draft pick in head coach Cori Close’s UCLA tenure.

“Kennedy has always had a pro body,” Close said in a statement. “But the way she has grown her skill set and worked on her mental game will set her up for success at the next level. She is an elite defender, and she is one of the most versatile players in the draft.”

Thee 6-foot-1 guard was UCLA’s second-leading scorer this year, averaging 15.4 points with a team-high 48.4 shooting percentage. Celebrated by Close for her ability to play four positions, Burke added 6.2 rebounds per game as she helped the Bruins advance to their fourth straight Sweet 16. She was named honorable mention All-Pac-12 this season for the third straight year and an all-defensive team selection with a team-high 69 steals and 31 blocks. Her 2.0 steals per game ranked fifth in the Pac-12.

Burke played in 138 career games, fifth all-time in school history with 1,513 points, 657 rebounds, 258 assists and 123 blocks. She is just one of four players in UCLA history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks.

With the 22nd pick of the #WNBADraft, we have selected Kennedy Burke from @UCLAWBB. #WingsNation is ready for you! pic.twitter.com/VRcZ546lHY

— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) April 11, 2019

A potentially disruptive split has been averted: Irvine will not leave the Orange County Fire Authority, now that both have agreed to a $50 million deal to give the city what officials consider a fairer share of the public safety agency’s resources.

Irvine gave notice last year that in 2020 it might leave the authority, which serves 1.8 million people in 23 cities and unincorporated parts of the county. City leaders were frustrated by a funding formula that sees Irvine taxpayers contributing about 20 percent of the agency’s roughly $390 million annual budget.

In order to stay, Irvine wanted a joint police and fire training center, stepped-up fire service in the city and a faster pay-down of pension liability for OCFA employees. The agreement –approved by the Irvine City Council on Tuesday, April 9, and by OCFA’s board March 28 – does those things and several others. Irvine’s financial contribution to the agency, based on property taxes, remains the same.

While Irvine officials are pleased with the outcome, “It was a very frustrating process over the last four years,” Mayor Christina Shea said. “We thought we just needed to get more benefit for our residents because we pay so much into the authority, more than a majority of cities.”

Under the deal, the authority will build a training center in Irvine, likely at the Orange County Great Park, that firefighters and Irvine police can use. OCFA also will pay for amplifiers that improve radio communications, a public safety drone program, and up to $2 million a year to help reduce pension debt. Over the next 11 years, the agreement is expected to cost $50 million.

Other previously discussed items, including a new fire station in the Irvine Business Center and beefed-up staffing for existing stations and equipment, can go forward now that the contract dispute has been resolved, Irvine City Manager John Russo told the council.

When the city gave notice it planned to leave, it lost its seat on the authority’s board of directors, but will regain the seat with the new agreement in place.

Authority Chief Brian Fennessey said that part of his job is to see to his agency’s financial health, which could have taken a serious hit had Irvine left, but he was especially worried about how OCFA would have operated with a big hole in the middle of its service area.

“We don’t have to worry about that again,” he said. “I just can’t imagine the OCFA without Irvine being a part.”

We’ve taken for granted Major League Baseball as a recurring thought experiment in strategy. If players, coaches, managers and front office employees were handed a rulebook and left to their own devices, what would baseball look like? For the last 37 seasons, you could track the evolution of the sport with only the human beings and technology changing. The basic rules stayed the same.

That’s about to change.

The biggest story of spring training was the introduction of MLB’s first major rules changes since American League teams first used designated hitters in 1973. Beginning next season, relievers will have to face at least three batters unless the inning ends first. The number of roster spots will increase to 26, but the number of allowable pitchers will be capped. Position players will no longer be allowed to pitch except following the ninth inning of an extra-inning game or if their team is winning or losing by more than six runs at the time they enter.

Mound visits have already been reduced this year, from six to five. One pace-of-action construct was already imposed too, when between-innings commercial breaks were capped at 2 minutes. Another pace-of-action construct, a pitch clock, was not.

Against this backdrop, now is a good time to look at how the game on the field is trending. Thursday will mark three weeks since Opening Day in North America (and a little longer since the A’s and Mariners played their early regular-season games in Tokyo). Since it’s still early, it’s also worth asking whether each trend can continue until the end of September. I’ll offer my best guess on each.

THREE TRUE OUTCOMES (UP)

When Commissioner Rob Manfred talks about the amount of action on the field, this is the starting point. The three “true outcomes” – home runs, walks and strikeouts – inherently end every plate appearance without a ball in play. They reduce action.

They also are the three outcomes that pitchers (strikeouts) and hitters (walks and home runs) are being coached to pursue now more than ever. If you only started paying attention to baseball in, say, 2012, and stuck with it to the present day, the increase in three true outcomes might be the most conspicuous difference in game play.

So far, the trend isn’t changing. All three outcomes – strikeouts (22.3 percent to 22.9 percent), walks (8.5 percent to 9.4 percent) and home runs (3.01 percent to 3.41 percent) – have risen through Tuesday’s games compared to 2018.

Will the trend continue? Absolutely.

FASTBALL VELOCITY (STAGNANT)

From 2008-17, the average fastball got a little faster every season. A funny thing happened in 2018: the trend suddenly stopped. Pitchers collectively settled on 92.8 mph as the sweet spot, the midpoint for how hard they wanted to throw a fastball, or as hard as they could throw the pitch and still command it.

So it is again in 2019. Of the 26,444 pitches FanGraphs classified as fastballs, the average speed was a perfectly predictable 92.8 mph.

Will the trend continue? Probably not. The similarity to 2017 and 2018 is uncanny – a little too uncanny. As new, likely younger pitchers are summoned from the minor leagues over the course of this season, expect average fastball speed to tick up. Shorter starts and/or more “openers” might have the same effect (more on that in a bit). Three-batter minimums might have the opposite effect next year. But even a tenth of a mph in either direction wouldn’t change the broader idea that human beings have reached some kind of God-given limit for pitch speed. That’s a topic too profound for this paragraph.

OPENERS (DOWN)

Last season, the Tampa Bay Rays played 61 games in which their starting pitcher recorded six outs or fewer. Ryne Stanek epitomized the novel profile of the “opener.” He pitched a total of 40 innings in his 29 starts. In a copycat league, the A’s and Twins found the same role for Liam Hendriks and Gabriel Moya, respectively.

So far, Stanek is up to his old tricks (two starts, three innings pitched). The Orioles dabbled with an opener, Nate Karns, before placing him on the injured list. But the rest of the league hasn’t followed in lock-step, preferring the five-man rotation through their first two-plus turns.

Will the trend continue? Unlikely. The Rays only un-lucked into their strategy through a series of injuries. Stanek didn’t “open” his first game last year until May 31. Give this another two months before declaring the opener dead. We can safely say it isn’t any team’s Plan A outside of Tampa or Baltimore, but it might be some team’s Plan B.

SHIFTS (UP)

We haven’t quite reached Shiftaggedon, but the time is nigh. According to FanGraphs, the number of plate appearances that have ended with a defensive shift on (3,049) is closer than it’s ever been to the number of plate appearances with a shift off (4,958). Latecomers to the strategy, such as the Marlins, are helping to close the gap. The bottom line: a ban on shifts would disrupt more teams now than ever.

Will the trend continue? For now, yes. Like the opener, every team could abandon defensive shifts tomorrow. It’s more of a strategy than a skill – like, say, hitting ground balls through openings on the opposite side of the infield. If enough pull hitters hone that skill, defenses will adjust, but that could take years. In the short term, any shifting strategy that doesn’t prevent runs ought to disappear quickly. Any shifting strategy that works will only catch on.

PITCHERS HITTING (BETTER)

If National League pitchers want to convince the commissioner they deserve a chance to hit, their opportunities might be dwindling. Consider the last three weeks a cautious step forward: Through their first 342 plate appearances, pitchers had improved their batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage compared to 2018. Weighted runs created plus (WRC+), which takes the league-wide run environment into account, shows pitchers making progress too. A -8 WRC+ is still horrendous, but it would be the highest by pitchers in any year since 2011.

One argument in favor of the DH: pitchers are more specialists now than ever. Their -25 WRC+ in 2018 was the lowest of all-time, and they haven’t cracked 0 since 1982.  In that regard, this year’s crop of pitchers still have a ways to go.

Will the trend continue? Doubtful. I’m willing to believe 2018 was an outlier year for pitcher incompetence at the plate. But the same young flamethrowers who debut this season have specialized in pitching more than their 30-something counterparts. The general trend line doesn’t favor the Madison Bumgarners and Zack Greinkes of this world.

Once sheriff’s Deputy Lisa Dolan learned that there was a child inside the wrecked car she saw before her on Interstate 5 near the Grapevine, things changed.

“As soon as I heard that, everything shifted,” she said. “We literally broke the door apart.”

Alongside her was Deputy Kristyn Ellis, who now works patrol out of Lake Forest. On July 20, 2018 the two had been driving back from training when they saw the car that had been damaged in a crash.

They stopped, and as they raced to get the unconscious 12-year-old boy out of the car, a fire started. Clad in yoga pants and workout clothes, neither was ready to take on a burning vehicle. But the boy’s father was trapped inside.

“We just start pulling at the car with our bare hands…the fire was coming up and almost touching us. I thought my face was going to burn,” Dolan, who works out of North Operations, said.

Despite the danger, the women were able to free the man and get him and the boy to safety. Both survived.

Theirs was just one of the stories shared Thursday, April 11 at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department annual Medal of Valor ceremony.

Dolan and Ellis, and 24 other department employees, were honored for their acts of heroism and service at the Hotel Irvine. Some were honored for saving lives, others for courage and some for merit in their fields.

About 770 employees, family members and city and county officials watched as Sheriff Don Barnes placed medals around the necks of the honorees during the department’s 31st ceremony.

“It’s the one time of year where we have an opportunity to recognize the exemplary efforts of our personnel,” Sheriff Don Barnes said before the ceremony. “The people standing here today on the stage are all deserving and make us proud. I think they personify the best efforts of 2018 for us as an organization.”

Troy Chavers was at the right place at the right time on June 5, 2018 when he and his wife, Christine Wilhelm, entered a business building in Tustin. He noticed a man sitting on the second-story railing with his feet dangling.

“I noticed that wrapped around the railing was a rope,” Chavers said. He told his wife to call 911 and then he started talking to the man.

“I said ‘Hey bud, what’s up?’ trying to get him to respond…but he didn’t,” the recent retiree said. The man was mumbling to himself but wouldn’t talk to Chavers, who worked for the department for 32 years.

“When I got close enough to him, I lunged and pulled him off the railing.” Chavers said he soon learned the distraught man had recently lost his wife.

“I don’t think I did anything heroic. I did anything that anybody else would do and that’s to help somebody that needed help,” he said.

During the awards luncheon, speakers lauded the department’s honorees efforts, which also included awards for merit such as one given to Cathy Borchardt, a supervising radio dispatcher. She was instrumental in the recent launch of the county’s Text-to-911 capabilities. Investigator Craig Goldsmith was given the Distinguished Deputy Award for his nearly 30-year career in the department mostly recently in the computer forensics detail where he has uncovered information that led to the arrests of suspected pedophiles and helped in murder investigations.

Ellis, one of the deputies who saved the boy and his father, said she was grateful for being recognized. But like several other recipients said she valued more that they were able to help.

“I’m just glad that we were there and we get to tell that story with a good outcome,” she said.

AWARD RECIPIENTS

Medal for Lifesaving

Deputy Daniel Merz: He jumped into the ocean to pull a suicidal woman who was drowning off of Dana Point Harbor Pier.

Deputy Richard Broadhead: He, along with Deputy Merz, pulled a suicidal woman who was drowning off of Dana Point Harbor Pier.

Deputy Mark Van De Kreeke:

Deputy Jeremy Buraglia

Deputy Kyle Pickard

Deputy Patrick White

Deputy Daniel Douthitt

Deputy Troy Chavers

Deputy Brenden Billinger

Deputy Lisa Dolan

Deputy Kristyn Ellis

Deputy Nathan Rivas

Deputy Kyle Bilton

Deputy Michael Kruggel

Deputy Cody Eversgerd

Deputy Virl Jones

Deputy Rodney Elcock

Investigator Matthew Stafford

Medal for Merit

Supervising Radio Dispatcher Cathy Borchardt

Supervising Communications Coordinator Derek Gard

Investigator Alain Sirgy

Investigator Jeffrey Jacques

Medal for Courage

Deputy Ryan Root

Sgt. Kristopher Kiltz

Correctional Services Technician Jason Luong

Distinguished Deputy Medal

Investigator Craig Goldsmith

In the wake of 23 horse deaths at Santa Anita Park, California legislators are pushing for a new bill that would give a regulatory board the power to “swiftly and decisively” suspend the licenses of racetracks when safety concerns exist.

Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, and Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, introduced the legislation Wednesday and announced plans to have a joint oversight hearing on horse racing safety in the next month. The bill was drafted after Dodd and Gray met with Chuck Winner, the chairman of the California Horse Racing Board, several weeks ago.

“This common-sense bill is one part of the solution, and Chairman Gray and I will be convening a hearing to determine whether there are additional steps the industry or the state should take to enhance safety,” Dodd said in a statement. “It’s clear that state regulators need the power to act swiftly and decisively when exigent safety concerns arise.”

Senate Bill 469 would allow the CHRB to call emergency meetings to suspend a license temporarily until any health or safety concerns are addressed. Currently, the CHRB must schedule its meetings at least 10 days in advance and it does not have the authority to force a closure.

The Stronach Group, which owns the storied Arcadia racetrack, voluntarily decided to shut down for two weeks in early March in light of a surge in equine deaths. Twenty-three horses have suffered catastrophic injuries and been euthanized since Dec. 26. The majority broke down while training or racing on Santa Anita’s main dirt track.

The Stronach Group is backing a series of reforms that include stricter limitations on medications and the number of horses on the track at any given time.

After the 23rd horse died March 31, the CHRB scheduled a special meeting to discuss potentially shifting Santa Anita’s racing dates to another venue. Under existing laws, however, such a move would have required the approval of The Stronach Group.

The meeting was canceled when no additional horses died on April 6, when both the Santa Anita Derby and Santa Anita Handicap were run.

“Due to the safe weekend of racing, the reason for the meeting no longer exists,” said Mike Marten, a spokesman for the CHRB.

A discussion on the topic is still planned for the board’s regularly scheduled April 18 meeting, Marten said.

Sen. Susan Rubio and Assemblyman Ed Chau, whose districts include Santa Anita, co-authored SB 469.

In a statement, Rubio said she backed the bill because she believes the “safety of the horses and the jockeys is a top priority.” The cause of the deaths at Santa Anita is still not known and may not be unique to one track, she said.

“A narrow focus on a track may not fix the problem of horses dying, and, worse, it may distract our attention away from continuing our work to identify the real culprit,” she said. “Therefore, I want to review all of the evidence, including what is presented at the informational hearing, before I draw any conclusions.”

A full and open dialogue with all stakeholders is needed to ensure legislation does not unnecessarily impact the livelihood of thousands of workers and their families throughout the San Gabriel Valley, she said. The cancellations of race days in the early part of the year led to reduced wages for clerks and jockeys.