NMUSD ditches 4x4 planafteropposition · Twitter:@dailypilot_hd Abrush fire that grew to more than...

WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 2020 /// Now including Coastline Pilot and Huntington Beach Independent /// dailypilot.com

A Huntington Beach man wasarrested on suspicion of kidnap-ping early Monday after allegedlyrefusing to end a date.

Ricardo Rodrigo Salas, 36, wasarrested near the Aliso Creek restarea off the 5 Freeway in San Di-ego County just after midnightfollowing a short pursuit, saidCalifornia Highway Patrol OfficerMark Latulippe.

Salas had reportedly taken awoman, who he had known for afew weeks, on a date in CostaMesa and when she asked to endthe date, the man refused andkept driving southbound on I-5,Latulippe said. After the manstopped at a lookout point for un-known reasons, the woman wasable to escape from the man’spickup truck and borrow a truckdriver’s phone to call 911.

Police from Camp Pendletonresponded to the lookout as CHPofficers were on an unrelated pur-suit at the time, Latulippe said.Camp Pendleton police brieflypursued Salas as he reportedlydrove south again before catchingup to him near the rest area.

Salas was later booked into theVista Detention Facility on suspi-cion of driving under the influ-ence, kidnapping, false impris-onment and battery, according toSan Diego Sheriff’s Departmentrecords. He remained in jail Tues-day in lieu of $100,000 bail pend-ing his arraignment, scheduledfor July 31.

The woman, 31, was uninjuredand was released to family mem-bers at the CHP Oceanside office,Latulippe said.

City News Service contributed tothis report.

Allegedbad dateleads toarrest ofH.B. manAuthorities say RicardoRodrigo Salas kidnappeda woman who escapedat a lookout point off I-5in San Diego County.BYHILLARYDAVIS

[email protected]: @dailypilot_hd

A brush fire that grew to morethan 62 acres burned the BolsaChica wetlands in HuntingtonBeach on Sunday.

The fire was contained by 7p.m. Sunday, Huntington BeachFire Department spokesman EricBlaska said, and no injuries orstructural damage were re-ported. Some residents in thenearby Brightwater neighbor-hood voluntarily evacuated.

The cause of the fire is stillunder investigation, Blaska said.

Blaska said the dispatch re-porting the fire just south ofWarner Avenue and east of Pa-cific Coast Highway came in at4:02 p.m. Sunday, and units wereon the scene within five minutes.

The Huntington Beach FireDepartment got assistance fromthe Orange County Fire Author-ity, with a hand crew and twowater-dropping helicopters, aswell as the Fountain Valley FireDepartment.

“Firefighters were able to makea stop approximately 100 yardsfrom the houses,” Blaska said.“They were able to make a greatstop right there. With the typical

Huntington Beach Fire Department

FIREFIGHTERS ON Sundayquickly brought under controlmost of a small brush fire thatburned in the Bolsa Chica wet-lands area of Huntington Beach.

62-acrefire burnsin BolsaChicaBlaze consumes brushnear Brightwaterneighborhood; noinjuries or structuraldamage are reported.BYMATT SZABO

See Fire, page A3

Following a week of opposi-tion and questions, which cul-minated in an in-person protestMonday, Newport-Mesa Uni-fied School District officialshave announced they will notmove forward with a dis-trictwide 4x4 learning model forsecondary school campuses inthe upcoming school year.

In a letter sent out Tuesday toteachers and parents, InterimSupt. Russell Lee-Sung ex-plained the reasoning for thereversal of a July 21 schoolboard decision to adopt a newform of block scheduling thatwould have had students takinghalf their courses in the fall andthe other half during the springsemester, instead of taking allclasses year round.

“Since the 4x4 model was an-nounced we have heard and re-ceived a large number of com-

ments, some in support andmany opposed to this model,”Lee-Sung said.

“While all of the features ofthe model are intended to sup-port students during theCOVID-19 pandemic,” he con-tinued, “there are wide differ-ences of opinions on the fea-tures and challenges that come

with this model, and the neces-sary support for success is notevident at all school sites.”

Except for Estancia HighSchool — where officials say theplan was met with more sup-port by parents and teachers —middle and high schools

Photos by Don Leach | Staff Photographer

STUDENTSWALK in front of Corona del Mar High as they rally with parents and teachers against the4x4 learning schedule adopted by Newport-Mesa Unified School District, which was abandoned Tuesday.

NMUSD ditches 4x4plan after opposition

A CROWD PROTESTS the NMUSD learning schedule. On Tuesday,the district repealed the plan for all schools but Estancia High.

See NMUSD, page A3

Estancia High is theonly campus that willstart the school yearunder controversiallearning schedule.BY SARA CARDINE

A twice-convicted child preda-tor who was somehow droppedfrom the state’s sex offender regis-try before his recent release froma psychiatric hospital is again re-quired to register.

The state attorney general’s of-fice told the Orange County dis-trict attorney’s office late Fridayafternoon that it agreed with theprosecutor’s assertion that CaryJay Smith needs to register as asex offender.

Smith, 59, was released July 14from Coalinga State Hospital out-side of Fresno after more than 20years of involuntary commitmentfor fantasizing about raping, tor-

turing and mur-dering youngboys. He wasbriefly free tomove aboutwithout restric-tion, but policetailed him as hebounced aroundthree countiesover a tense

week and a half checking into andout of motels and care facilities.

Police in Costa Mesa, then Or-ange, Corona, Lake Elsinore, theSan Diego area, Garden Groveand Santa Ana put out communi-ty alerts as Smith landed in theirareas. Neighbors furiously ob-jected and even rallied protests,

and he typically left within a dayor two.

He returned to Costa Mesa onWednesday and has been in anundisclosed facility since, accord-ing to Costa Mesa police. Spitzerand Board of Supervisors ChairMichelle Steel issued a publicwarning upon Smith’s releasefrom Coalinga and demandedGov. Gavin Newsom reinstateSmith’s lifetime registrant require-ment, which was dropped with-out explanation in 2005. Themother of one of his alleged tar-gets also organized an online pe-tition.

Smith was committed in 1999

State agrees released Costa Mesa sexoffender should go back on registryBYHILLARYDAVIS

Cary JaySmith

See Offender, page A2

Poseidon Water’s seawater desa-lination plant in HuntingtonBeach, first proposed in 1998,could be getting closer to begin-ning construction after more thantwo decades.

The Santa Ana Regional WaterBoard will hold online hearingsthis week and decide whether toissue Poseidon a permit. The hear-ings begin at 9 a.m. Thursday andare scheduled to continue Friday,as well as Aug. 7 if needed, with avote scheduled at the end of thehearings. The hearings can beviewed at cal-span.org.

Should the regional board ap-prove the plant, Poseidon wouldalso need a permit from the Cali-

fornia Coastal Commission beforeit could purchase water from theOrange County Water District andbegin construction.

Poseidon’s controversial propos-al for its Huntington Beach plant,which would be located adjacentto the AES power station on New-land Street, includes producing 50million gallons per day of desali-nated water. That’s more than 18billion gallons a year, enough toserve about 400,000 OrangeCounty residents. The company isbilling the $1.4-billion project asthe largest local, drought-proofwater supply in Orange County,and a recent study by Oakland-based M.Cubed found the projectwould support more than 3,000jobs during the construction phase

and 282 jobs annually during theoperation phase.

“We applied for this amendmentand renewal of the permit in 2016,so it’s been four long years to getback to the point where the boardcan authorize this permit,” Posei-don Vice President Scott Malonisaid. “The [Santa Ana Regional Wa-ter Board] staff is recommendingapproval, so I’m confident that thestaff has done their work and thatthe permit they’re recommendingto their board is both scientificallysound and legally defensible.”

Poseidon’s operating permit wasoriginally granted in 2006, but thestate has implemented new regu-lations for desalination plants

Poseidon desalination plant in H.B. set for hearings this week

Allen J. Schaben | Los Angeles Times

THE PROPOSED Poseidon water desalination plant would be locatednext to the AES power station in Huntington Beach. See Plant, page A2

BYMATT SZABO

LAGUNA BEACH HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS’ WATER POLO ADDS2 MORE COLLEGE COMMITMENTS PAGE A6

ALSO FROM THE DAILY PILOT:

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A2 WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 2020 DAILY PILOT | COASTLINE PILOT | HUNTINGTON BEACH INDEPENDENT WWW.DAILYPILOT.COM

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after his then-wife found aletter detailing his desiresto victimize a 7-year-oldboy in his Costa Mesaneighborhood. He arguedfor his freedom in severalcivil trials over the years asthe state hospital agencysought to renew his hold,but he was always kept incustody.

The state hospitalagency did not renew itshold against Smith thisyear, allowing it to expire.

“From the second Ilearned that this danger-ous predator was being re-leased back on to ourcommunities without any

restrictions or supervision,I directed the OrangeCounty district attorney’soffice to do everything wecould to ensure our resi-dents had the informationthey needed to protecttheir children,” Spitzersaid in a statement. “To-day, the children of OrangeCounty and all of Califor-nia are safer as a result ofthese restrictions onceagain being imposed.”

Though Smith was ne-ver charged with a crimeover the letter, he previ-ously pleaded guilty to twoseparate sexual offensesagainst children in the1980s, the D.A. said.

In 1984, he pleaded toannoying or molesting achild under the age of 18.

He then later pleadedguilty to soliciting lewdconduct from a minor in1985. Both of these of-fenses required lifetimesex offender registration atthe time.

The state removed theregistration requirementfor the later offense be-cause of a change in statu-te. It remains unclear whySmith was not required toregister as a sex offenderfor his earlier conviction,however.

Once he’s reregistered,the public will be able tolook Smith up on the Cali-fornia’s Megan’s Law web-site, meganslaw.ca.gov.

Continued from page A1OFFENDER


since then. Maloni said thatPoseidon originallyplanned to use the waste-water that the AES plantwas using, not draw waterfrom the ocean, before thestate forced power plants todecommission their sea-water cooling systems.

Maloni said Poseidonhas made amendments toits plans in recent years, in-cluding reducing the vol-ume of seawater used andinstituting a screen that hasone-millimeter slot widthsto limit marine animal loss,as well as installing a brinediffuser.

Several prominent localenvironmental groups op-pose the plant. Ray Hiem-stra, the executive directorof programs of Costa Mesa-based Orange CountyCoastkeeper, said he is notopposed to desalination ingeneral but also not con-vinced that HuntingtonBeach needs the Poseidonplant.

“In Orange County, wehave a lot of local water,”Hiemstra said. “Especiallyin north Orange County,where the Poseidon plant isbeing proposed. It’s reallyabout, do we need to killthe marine life, do we needto pollute the ocean rightthere, and do we need topay that much money, all

for water we don’t need?Nobody’s really been ableto show a real need. Theysay they would like to haveit. The analogy I use is,‘Hey, I’d like to have a Fer-rari too, but I have no ideahow I’d pay for it and I haveno idea where I’d put it if Ihad one.’”

A UCLA study publishedlast year concluded that thePoseidon plant wouldmake drinking water for fi-nancially disadvantagedhouseholds in OrangeCounty moderately to se-verely less affordable.

“We have so many moresolutions that can be im-plemented right away thatwill create good, cleanjobs, like conservationand rainwater capture,”said Andrea Leon-Gross-man, deputy director ofLatino community organi-zation Azul. “They are alot more sustainable and alot easier on the pocket-book of families, espe-cially now with the publichealth crisis and the econ-omic downturn.”

However, a telephonesurvey conducted in Mayby Newport Beach-based J.Wallin Opinion Researchfound that 76% of likelyvoters at least somewhatsupported the Poseidonplant.

Under the permit draftedby the regional waterboard, Poseidon would alsobe responsible for the up-

keep and restoration of theBolsa Chica Ecological Re-serve wetlands.

“It’s not just a water sup-ply project now, it’s an envi-ronmental enhancementproject as well,” Malonisaid.

Former HuntingtonBeach Mayor Shirley Dett-loff, who is a board mem-ber of the Amigos de BolsaChica nonprofit, said thegroup supports the miti-gation work being done atBolsa Chica. Poseidonwould restore an additional15 acres of wetlands, shesaid, and also fund keepingthe Bolsa Chica ocean inletopen.

“Without that title inletbeing open, we will destroythe wetlands, and of courseI’ve worked most of myadult life to save BolsaChica,” Dettloff said. “Thatocean inlet is very, very im-portant, and having 15acres restored is a great as-set to the natural resourceitself and certainly to thecommunity.”

The Bolsa Chica LandTrust stance is that it op-poses the plant “due to thesignificant environmentaldamage that the plant willinflict to our preciouscoastal environment.” TheLand Trust is remainingneutral during discussionof proposed mitigation.

Continued from page A1PLANT

[email protected]: @mjszabo

Several motorists werehospitalized on Monday af-ter a wrong-way driver onNewport Boulevard in CostaMesa collided with multiplevehicles near the street’sbusy intersection with East19th Street at around 10:47a.m. in a suspected felonyDUI incident.

Roxi Fyad, spokeswomanfor the Costa Mesa PoliceDepartment, said at leastfour victims, one of them aminor, were taken to nearbyhospitals for non-life-threat-ening injuries sustainedduring the collision.

Suspect Fernando Rodri-guez Rabago, 24, was ar-rested on suspicion of fel-ony DUI after being trans-ported to an area hospitalfacility, Fyad confirmed. Hislast known address is a resi-dence in Whittier.

The incident prompted aSigAlert bulletin, as lanesnear the busy intersectionwere temporarily closed toallow for the extrication andtransportation of injuredmotorists, vehicle towingand cleanup of the immedi-ate vicinity.

A southbound left-hand

turn lane on Newport Boul-evard used to access 19thStreet — where wreckedcars were still being clearedat around 11:30 — wasblocked by police motor-cycles, causing traffic onNewport to back up to the55 Freeway.

Fyad confirmed the sus-pect was seen by witnessesprior to the accident drivingsouth in the northboundlanes of Newport Boulevardand said the driver mayhave been driving under theinfluence.

— Sara Cardine

Several hospitalized after collisionwith wrong-way driver in C.M.

Courtesy of the Costa Mesa Police Department

FIRST RESPONDERS investigate a Monday morning collision that occurred when awrong-way driver on Newport Boulevard crashed into multiple cars near 19th Street.

Attorneys for the NewportBeach surgeon and his girlfriendaccused of serially drugging andraping several women in thedoctor’s seaside home continueto argue that the judge assignedto the case should step aside be-cause of a possible bias towardan alleged victim’s attorney —and that the attorney’s protesta-tions are tough to believe, owingto a reality-TV-show pitch thatpositioned him as one of thestars.

In a twist fitting with the sen-sational case against Dr. GrantRobicheaux and Cerissa Riley,their lawyers, Philip Kent Cohen,Scott Borthwick and Shawn Hol-ley, backed their bias claim thisweek in a Monday court filingwith a two-minute “sizzle reel”video and accompanying slide-show produced in 2018 pitchinga reality show with the workingtitle of “Orange County Justice.”The lineup of stars included for-mer District Atty. Tony Rack-auckas, his chief of staff SusanKang Schroeder and Matt Mur-phy, a then-deputy district attor-ney who “might be OrangeCounty’s most eligible bachelor.”

“He’s a shark in the courtroomand an adventure-seeker outside

of it,” the pitch declared.The Robicheaux case is one of

the examples in the video ofwhere “beneath the beauty lies adark truth” in “the country’smost glamorous Zip code.” Mur-phy was a prosecutor when thepitch was made but later wenton to be a victims’ rights attor-ney to two of Robicheaux andRiley’s accusers.

The show was not picked up.The allegation of judicial bias,

which Robicheaux and Riley’s at-torneys first filed in June, stems

from a closed-door meeting be-tween Murphy and OrangeCounty Superior Court JudgeGregory Jones the day before aFebruary hearing to determine ifall charges should be droppedagainst the couple. Current D.A.Todd Spitzer sought the dismiss-al for insufficient evidence aftera fresh review of the case, whichhe said was ginned up to — ulti-mately unsuccessfully — helphis predecessor Rackauckas bereelected in 2018.

Murphy said his meeting with

Jones was to discuss Murphywithdrawing as a victims’ rightslawyer for one of the accusers.He has denied wrongdoing, andJones has argued to stay on thecase. Currently, it is temporarilyin the hands of a Los AngelesCounty Superior Court judge.

Jones declined to drop thecharges about a week before thedefense team filed its motion tohave him disqualified.

In his official response to thelawyers’ motion, Murphy deniedthat he was a close ally of Rack-

auckas. But “Mr. Murphy’s prot-estation’s ring hollow,” the de-fense team said in their filingpressing for Jones’ dismissal.

“The ethical questions per-taining to a proposed reality TVshow by the D.A.'s office regard-ing active criminal cases is notgermane to this particular mo-tion. What is germane however,are the revelations and contra-dictions brought to light by thecontents of the reel and, indeed,by its very existence,” the de-fense wrote. “Mr. Murphy andMr. Rackauckas were co-stars ina television production salespitch, wherein the professionaland personal life of each of themwas the subject. Mr. Murphydidn’t just have a fleeting inter-est in Rackauckas’ reelection butrather his potential televisionstardom relied upon it.”

They also reiterated that theconditions surrounding Murphyand Jones’ private conference“appear suspicious and createthe appearance of impropriety.”

On the subject of being attrac-tive, charismatic reality TV fig-ures, Robicheaux and Murphyhave a couple things in com-mon.

Robicheaux appeared on a re-ality TV show called “OnlineDating Rituals of the AmericanMale” in 2014, and in 2013 wasnamed Orange County’s most el-igible bachelor by the local life-style magazine Orange Coast.

‘Sizzler’ filed in bid to get rape-case judge nixedLawyers of N.B. pairaccused of drugging andraping several womenclaim bias toward analleged victim’s attorney.

Allen J. Schaben | Los Angeles TimesDR. GRANT ROBICHEAUX, center, and girlfriend Cerissa Riley listen to his attorney, Philip Kent Cohen,during a press conference on a break from court in Newport Beach on Oct. 17, 2018.

BYHILLARYDAVIS


WWW.DAILYPILOT.COM DAILY PILOT | COASTLINE PILOT | HUNTINGTON BEACH INDEPENDENT WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 2020 A3

Dat Kim ChoyAugust 27, 1930 - June 1, 2020

Dat Kim Choy, born on August 27, 1930, passed away onJune 1, 2020, at the age of 89 in Reno, NV. He traveled tothe United States as a child with his parents from ZhongShan,Canton, China, and settled in Isleton, CA, for several years.The family relocated to Reno, NV, and operated the MandarinCafe. Kim graduated with a BS degree in Physics from theUniversity of Nevada, Reno, and was recognized by PhiKappa Phi, Nu Sigma Mu, and Pi Mu Epsilon for his academicachievements. Kim traveled to Germany, courtesy of the U.S.Army in July, 1954, and returned in June, 1956, as a reservist.He was awarded an honorable discharge in June, 1962.During this time, Kim secured entrance and an assistantshipinto Cornell University, NY, completing his Master of Sciencedegree in Physics. Kim relocated to Laguna Beach andworked as a research scientist in Newport Beach for FordAerodynamics (later Loral Space and Communications). Afterhis retirement, Kim continued as a consultant to contribute hisknowledge and expertise. Laguna Beach was his home for 60years. Kim is survived by a large family of brothers , sisters,nephews, nieces, grandnephews and grandnieces. His senseof humor will be missed and he will live in the hearts andminds of all. Military tribunal services were held at MountainView Mortuary in Reno on June 24 for the immediate family.

JOHN Gabriel MACKMay 8, 1937 - July 20, 2020

Johnny Mack passed away peacfully in his sleep on July 20,2020 from a long battle with lung cancer. He is survived bythree sisters, Kathleen, Mary (Dave), and Ronnie (Norman),his wife, Shaye, five children, Karen (Ken), Tracey (Ron),Craig (Jamie), Chad (Stefanie) and Amy, 21 grandchildrenand 5 great grand children. He was an avid sailor and golfer.He was a wonderful husband, father and friend, a very caringman and he will be greatly missed by all who knew him.“Always late, but worth the wait!”, Sail on Johnny Mack!

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CROSSWORD AND SUDOKU ANSWERS

onshore winds that wehave in the afternoon, thatwas going to present a bigchallenge for us ... Whenyou get fire in that kind ofcondition sitting nearhomes, usually it’s not agood outcome, but wewere able to prevent that.”

Huntington Beach resi-dent Erin Meyer, who livesnearby in the HuntingtonHarbour community, saidher son, Chris, texted herabout the fire just after 4p.m. as he went via skate-board on a trip to a localconvenience store.

Meyer went to the sceneand began taking picturesof the firefighting effortfrom the north side ofWarner Avenue, inlandfrom Pacific Coast High-way.

“Once the choppersstarted coming in, youcould see an immediatedifference,” Meyer said. “Icould see two choppersthrough my lens, OrangeCounty Fire Authority 1and Orange County FireAuthority 2 ... and theywere just one right afterthe other. I mean, I lost

count in the 20s of howmany dumps there were.They were just reallyquick.”

The Bolsa Chica Ecolog-ical Reserve, known for itsrare seabirds, is a key ele-ment of the wetlands.Blaska said the Bolsa ChicaConservancy InterpretiveCenter was not damaged,and the Bolsa Chica LandTrust said in a release thatits Growing Space plantnursery was spared fromthe flames due to havingdefensible space around it.

Meyer said she went

back to the wetlands Mon-day to assess the damage.

“A lot of people wereworried because they havereally popular owls backthere,” Meyer said. “Theeucalyptus trees where theowls live, the palm treeswhere the herons nest andall of these big, dead treeswhere all of the raptors,the hawks, the osprey andthe falcons sit ... they’reuntouched back there. Isaw a mom [owl] and onebaby sitting back there,and they’re untouched.”

Huntington Beach May-

or Lyn Semeta, who cele-brated her 60th birthdaySunday, took to Facebookto thank the firefighters fortheir efforts.

“Throughout all of it ourcommunity came togetherout of concern for thewildlife, the homes, thefirefighters and the BolsaChica Conservancy,” Se-meta wrote Monday. “So itwas a great birthday, un-usual yes, but a happy onefor sure.”

Courtesy of Ed Smith

ORANGE COUNTY Fire Authority and Huntington Beach firefighters battle flames in the Bolsa Chica wetlands ofHuntington Beach where a fire consumed 62 acres on Sunday near the nearby community of Huntington Harbor.

Continued from page A1FIRE


throughout the district willcontinue to operate underthe six- or eight-periodmodels they used lastschool year.

The news came as a reliefTuesday for many in theCorona del Mar HighSchool community, whereabout 200 people protestedthe board decision. There,students shared concernthe concentrated classmodel would cause unduestress for AP students andcreate conflicts between ac-ademics, electives and pos-sibly sports.

“I was so excited — it wasreally nice to have ourvoices be heard,” said in-coming senior Gabi Gomes,who helped circulate anonline petition to recall the4x4 plan that garnered2,156 signatures. “As stu-dents, a lot of times ouropinions and what we haveto say gets lost in trans-lation with adults. Having[the district] listen was areally powerful thing for meto see.”

Corona del Mar motherJen Schafer organized Mon-day’s protest alongside fel-low parent Kristen Jamesand kept an open line ofcommunication across par-ent groups. In a meetingSunday with Lee-Sung andCorona del Mar High ad-ministrators, the pair brokedown the model’s issuesand sought clarity on how itwould accommodate vastlydifferent student groups.

Schafer said she believesthe district’s reversal on the4x4 plan was not a direct re-sult of any one comment,meeting, or even Monday’sprotest, but of all the ac-tions and input provided bydistrict stakeholdersthroughout the past week.

“There were so manycomponents to this,” shesaid Tuesday. “There wasthe willingness of the com-munity to speak up, thewillingness of the district tomeet with us and of Kristenand I to take this on. If eachcomponent had not been

there, it would not haveelicited change.”

Following Tuesday’s an-nouncement, Estancia HighSchool will be the onlycampus moving forwardwith the 4x4 plan. Theschedule will be in effectwhether students are learn-ing online, in person or in ahybrid mix throughout thepandemic and the 2020-21school year.

Estancia PrincipalMichael Halt introducedthe new model at the July21 meeting, where a panelof principals and teachersexplained the plan wouldlet kids concentrate onfewer subjects at a time andreduce student populationsfor teachers who will likelyhave to start the new yearon Aug. 24 online.

“The benefits for stu-dents are significant,” Haltsaid in his presentation.“Because they are only tak-ing three to four classes asemester, they are able togo deeper in each class[and] they have fewer totaldemands being placed up-on them.”

While Halt did not re-spond to a request for com-ment Tuesday, Newport-Mesa Unified spokeswom-an Annette Franco said theprincipal will work closelywith teachers and parentsin the coming weeks.

“Estancia wants to do it,and the principal believesthey have the communitysupport for it, so he’s goingback to the school commu-nity to make sure there’ssupport for the model,”Franco said.

Tamara Fairbanks, presi-dent of the Newport-MesaFederation of Teachers, saidwhen union representativeswere first introduced to the4x4 model on July 17, theyhad many questions thatstill hadn’t been answeredwhen the board adopted itfour days later.

“We weren’t opposed tothe model, but we didn’tendorse the model at all,because we saw it had a lotof holes,” she said. “Wedidn’t have ample time toreally have good quality in-put from the staff.”

Fairbanks said she hopesTuesday’s reversal will allowmore time for that input tobe collected from acrossdiverse stakeholder groups.In the meantime, NMFTrepresentatives will com-municate with Estanciateachers and solicit theirviews on transitioning tothe new schedule.

“Our job as a union is totalk to all of those teachersand see what’s best forthem,” Fairbanks said.“We’re willing to fight forthem for whatever theyneed. If that model worksfor them, we’ll work ontheir behalf to make surethe plan has been thor-oughly vetted.”

Estancia High Schoolmath teacher Valerie Smithsaid she still has some con-cerns about how the con-densed schedule will im-pact course pacing and stu-dents’ retention of lessonsbut says there could bebenefits as students dealwith fewer classes and workwith teachers daily.

“That, to me, is consis-tency, and our kids needthat … especially in thispandemic,” Smith said.“There are some teacherswho are really opposed tothis and others who arewilling to try it. I was a little

in shock at first, then Ithought, you know, we are adifferent school. Our stu-dents are different. So, let’stry — let’s just go with it.”

Responding to whetherundoing the board’s 5-2vote on the adoption of the4x4 model would requirefurther board action, New-port-Mesa spokeswomanFranco clarified Supt. Lee-Sung consulted with New-port-Mesa Unified’s boardleadership before repealingthe plan.

Vice President KarenYelsey, who represents theCorona del Mar communityand who voted against theplan alongside TrusteeMichelle Barto, said shewas proud of the district forbeing willing to changecourse.

“Revising something af-ter you’ve already decidedon it is tough for everybody,but it shows a lot of caringon [the district’s] part,” saidYelsey, who says her phoneand email inbox have beenfilled to the brim since theJuly 21 vote.

“I’m really relieved we’vemade a decision,” she con-tinued. “Now, I just want tomove forward — we haveso much work to do beforeschool starts in a month.Actually, less than a

month.”

COUNTY CORONAVIRUSCASES DOWN,COVID-19 DEATHS UP

Orange County HealthCare Agency on Monday re-ported 187 new cases of co-ronavirus and 15 deathsfrom COVID-19.

With about 399,424 testsissued — and a currentpositivity rate of 11.1% —the number of OrangeCounty residents who’ve re-covered is about 21,066, of-ficials estimate. About 640people are currently beinghospitalized due to thevirus, with 203 beingtreated in intensive careunits.

Here are the latest cumu-lative case counts and

deaths for select cities inOrange County:

Santa Ana: 6,570 cases;147 deaths Anaheim: 5,954cases; 146 deaths Hunting-ton Beach: 1,643 cases; 45deaths Irvine: 1,132 cases;nine deaths Costa Mesa:1,140 cases; seven deathsNewport Beach: 793 cases;six deaths Fountain Valley:348 cases; eight deaths La-guna Beach: 130 cases;fewer than five deaths

Updated figures areposted daily at oc-covid19.ochealthinfo.com/coronavirus-in-oc. For in-formation on getting tested,visit occovid19.ochealth-info.com/covid-19-testing.

Continued from page A1NMUSD

[email protected]: @SaraCardine

Don LeachStaffPhotographer

PARENTSANDSTUDENTSstand in frontof Corona delMar High asthey joinparents andteachersprotestingthe 4x4learningscheduleadoptedand latermostlyabandonedby theNewport-Mesa UnifiedSchoolDistrict.

A4 WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 2020 DAILY PILOT | COASTLINE PILOT | HUNTINGTON BEACH INDEPENDENT WWW.DAILYPILOT.COM

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NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTERESTATE OF:

ARMAND BUTTS CRUMP SR.CASE NO. 30-2020-01146101-PR-PL-CJC

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingentcreditors, and persons who may otherwise be interestedin the WILL or estate, or both of ARMAND BUTTSCRUMP SR..A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed byANTOINETTE CRUMP in the Superior Court ofCalifornia, County of ORANGE.THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests thatANTOINETTE CRUMP be appointed as personalrepresentative to administer the estate of the decedent.THE PETITION requests the decedent's WILL andcodicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The WILL andany codicils are available for examination in the filekept by the court.THE PETITION requests authority to administer theestate under the Independent Administration of EstatesAct. (This authority will allow the personalrepresentative to take many actions without obtainingcourt approval. Before taking certain very importantactions, however, the personal representative will berequired to give notice to interested persons unless theyhave waived notice or consented to the proposedaction.) The independent administration authority willbe granted unless an interested person files an objectionto the petition and shows good cause why the courtshould not grant the authority.A HEARING on the petition will be held in this courtas follows: 09/03/20 at 2:00PM in Dept. C06 located at700 CIVIC CENTER DRIVE WEST, SANTA ANA,CA 92701

Notice of Public Cases(1) If you plan to appear, you must attend the hearingby video remote using Microsoft Teams; (2) Go to theCourt's website at http://www.occourts.org/media-relations/probate-mental-health.html to appear forprobate hearings; and for remote hearing instructions;(3) If you have difficulty connecting to your remotehearing, call 657-622-8278 for assistance.IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, youshould appear at the hearing and state your objectionsor file written objections with the court before thehearing. Your appearance may be in person or by yourattorney.IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditorof the decedent, you must file your claim with the courtand mail a copy to the personal representativeappointed by the court within the later of either (1) fourmonths from the date of first issuance of letters to ageneral personal representative, as defined in section58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 daysfrom the date of mailing or personal delivery to you ofa notice under section 9052 of the California ProbateCode.Other California statutes and legal authority may affectyour rights as a creditor. You may want to consult withan attorney knowledgeable in California law.YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. Ifyou are a person interested in the estate, you may filewith the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estateassets or of any petition or account as provided inProbate Code section 1250. A Request for SpecialNotice form is available from the court clerk.In Pro Per PetitionerANTOINETTE CRUMP313 CABRILLO ST. APT. BCOSTA MESA CA 926277/29, 7/30, 8/5/20CNS-3382493#NEWPORT HARBOR NEWS PRESS COMBINEDWITH DAILY PILOT

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ADVERTISEMENT OF PUBLIC SALEIn accordance with the California Self-Service StorageFacility Act, Alton Self Storage LP, 2215 AltonParkway, Irvine, California 92606, will sell bycompetitive bid on August 13, 2020. Property to besold as follows: Miscellaneous household goods,personal items, furniture, clothing, and/or businessitems/fixtures belonging to the following.TENANT NAME SPACE NUMBERTeodora Dorina Dancu 2324Wasim Sabri 3308Tracy Mclellan 3346Tracy Mclellan 3607Alecx Lopez 1148Purchase must be paid for at time of purchase in cashonly. All purchased items sold as is where is and mustbe removed at time of sale. Sale is subject tocancellation in the event of a settlement between ownerand obligated party. Dated this July 29th, 2020 and Aug5th, 2020, Auction Listed on storagetreasures.com.Final bid at 12:00 noon.7/29, 8/5/20CNS-3383963#DAILY PILOT

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714-966-5777

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTERESTATE OF BEATRICE CRISCIONE

CASE NO. 30-2020-01135724To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingentcreditors, and persons who may otherwise be interestedin the will or estate, or both, of: Beatrice CriscioneA PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by FredCriscione in the Superior Court of California, Countyof ORANGE.THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that FredCriscione be appointed as personal representative toadminister the estate of the decedent.THE PETITION requests the decedent's WILL andcodicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will andany codicils are available for examination in the filekept by the court.THE PETITION requests authority to administer theestate under the Independent Administration of EstatesAct with full authority . (This authority will allow thepersonal representative to take many actions withoutobtaining court approval. Before taking certain veryimportant actions, however, the personal representativewill be required to give notice to interested personsunless they have waived notice or consented to theproposed action.) The independent administrationauthority will be granted unless an interested personfiles an objection to the petition and shows good causewhy the court should not grant the authority.A HEARING on the petition will be held on08/26/2020 at 10:30AM in Dept. C06 located at 700CIVIC CENTER DRIVE WEST SANTA ANA CA92701 CENTRAL JUSTICE CENTER.Notice of Public Cases(1) If you plan to appear, you must attend the hearingby video remote using Microsoft Teams; (2) Go to theCourt's website at http://www.occourts.org/media-relations/probate-mental-health.html to appear forprobate hearings; and for remote hearing instructions;(3) If you have difficulty connecting to your remotehearing, call 657-622-8278 for assistance.IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, youshould appear at the hearing and state your objectionsor file written objections with the court before thehearing. Your appearance may be in person or by yourattorney.IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditorof the deceased, you must file your claim with the courtand mail a copy to the personal representativeappointed by the court within four months from thedate of first issuance of letters as provided in ProbateCode section 9100. The time for filing claims will notexpire before four months from the hearing datenoticed above.YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. Ifyou are a person interested in the estate, you may filewith the court a formal Request for Special Notice (DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estateassets or of any petition or account as provided inProbate Code section 1250. A Request for SpecialNotice form is available from the court clerk.Attorney for Petitioner:Theodore M. Hankin SBN 076673Messina & Hankin, LLP1400 Quail Street, Ste. 200Newport Beach, CA 92660 Telephone: (949) 383-43567/22, 7/23, 7/29/20CNS-3381442#NEWPORT HARBOR NEWS PRESS COMBINEDWITH DAILY PILOT


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CAROL HELEN KENT AKA CAROL KENTCASE NO. 30-2020-01148109-PR-LA-CJC

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingentcreditors, and persons who may otherwise be interestedin the WILL or estate, or both of CAROL HELENKENT AKA CAROL KENT.A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed byGREGORY WERNER STENZEL in the SuperiorCourt of California, County of ORANGE.THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests thatGREGORY WERNER STENZEL be appointed aspersonal representative to administer the estate of thedecedent.THE PETITION requests authority to administer theestate under the Independent Administration of EstatesAct. (This authority will allow the personalrepresentative to take many actions without obtainingcourt approval. Before taking certain very importantactions, however, the personal representative will berequired to give notice to interested persons unless theyhave waived notice or consented to the proposedaction.) The independent administration authority willbe granted unless an interested person files an objectionto the petition and shows good cause why the courtshould not grant the authority.A HEARING on the petition will be held in this courtas follows: 09/09/20 at 10:30AM in Dept. C06 locatedat 700 CIVIC CENTER DRIVE WEST, SANTA ANA,CA 92701

Notice of Public Cases(1) If you plan to appear, you must attend the hearingby video remote using Microsoft Teams; (2) Go to theCourt's website at http://www.occourts.org/media-relations/probate-mental-health.html to appear forprobate hearings; and for remote hearing instructions;(3) If you have difficulty connecting to your remotehearing, call 657-622-8278 for assistance.IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, youshould appear at the hearing and state your objectionsor file written objections with the court before thehearing. Your appearance may be in person or by yourattorney.IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditorof the decedent, you must file your claim with the courtand mail a copy to the personal representativeappointed by the court within the later of either (1) fourmonths from the date of first issuance of letters to ageneral personal representative, as defined in section58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 daysfrom the date of mailing or personal delivery to you ofa notice under section 9052 of the California ProbateCode.Other California statutes and legal authority may affectyour rights as a creditor. You may want to consult withan attorney knowledgeable in California law.YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. Ifyou are a person interested in the estate, you may filewith the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estateassets or of any petition or account as provided inProbate Code section 1250. A Request for SpecialNotice form is available from the court clerk.Attorney for PetitionerPAUL HORN, ESQ.SBN 243227PAUL HORN LAW GROUP PC11404 SOUTH STREETCERRITOS CA 907037/29, 7/30, 8/5/20CNS-3382959#DAILY PILOT


CLIVE ELLIOTT BUCHAN, JR.CASE NO. 30-2020-01148327-PR-PW-CJCTo all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingentcreditors, and persons who may otherwise beinterested in the WILL or estate, or both of CLIVEELLIOTT BUCHAN, JR..A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed bySTEPHEN E. BUCHAN in the Superior Court ofCalifornia, County of ORANGE.THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests thatSTEPHEN E. BUCHAN be appointed as personalrepresentative to administer the estate of thedecedent.THE PETITION requests the decedent's WILL andcodicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The WILLand any codicils are available for examination in thefile kept by the court.THE PETITION requests authority to administer theestate under the Independent Administration ofEstates Act with limited authority. (This authoritywill allow the personal representative to take manyactions without obtaining court approval. Beforetaking certain very important actions, however, thepersonal representative will be required to givenotice to interested persons unless they havewaived notice or consented to the proposed action.)The independent administration authority will begranted unless an interested person files anobjection to the petition and shows good cause whythe court should not grant the authority.A HEARING on the petition will be held in this courtas follows: 09/10/20 at 2:00PM in Dept. C06located at 700 CIVIC CENTER DRIVE WEST,SANTA ANA, CA 92701

Notice of Public Cases(1) If you plan to appear, you must attend thehearing by video remote using Microsoft Teams; (2)Go to the Court's website athttp://www.occourts.org/media-relations/probate-mental-health.html to appear for probate hearings;and for remote hearing instructions; (3) If you havedifficulty connecting to your remote hearing, call657-622-8278 for assistance.IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, youshould appear at the hearing and state yourobjections or file written objections with the courtbefore the hearing. Your appearance may be inperson or by your attorney.IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditorof the decedent, you must file your claim with thecourt and mail a copy to the personalrepresentative appointed by the court within thelater of either (1) four months from the date of firstissuance of letters to a general personalrepresentative, as defined in section 58(b) of theCalifornia Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from thedate of mailing or personal delivery to you of anotice under section 9052 of the California ProbateCode.Other California statutes and legal authority mayaffect your rights as a creditor. You may want toconsult with an attorney knowledgeable inCalifornia law.YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. Ifyou are a person interested in the estate, you mayfile with the court a Request for Special Notice(form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory andappraisal of estate assets or of any petition oraccount as provided in Probate Code section 1250.A Request for Special Notice form is available fromthe court clerk.Attorney for PetitionerRICHARD V. MAHONY, ESQ. - SBN 12165627601 FORBES ROAD, #1-BLAGUNA NIGUEL CA 926777/22, 7/23, 7/29/20CNS-3381022#DAILY PILOT


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A6WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 2020

SportsCONTACT US

To report scores of high school and collegegames, or other newsworthy items fromyouth to pro sports, contact the Daily Pilotsports staff.

David Carrillo Peñaloza, Sports Editor(714) 966-4612, [email protected] Szabo, Sports Reporter(714) 966-4614,[email protected] Turner, Sports Reporter(714) 966-4611, [email protected]

Fountain Valley Highsenior forward Kat Luuearned the Wave Leaguegirls’ basketball MVPaward for leading the Bar-ons to their first league ti-tle since the 1995-96 cam-paign.

Luu averaged 10.3points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8assists and 1.6 steals pergame for the Barons (16-13, 5-1 in league), who lostto No. 3-seeded CalabasasViewpoint 47-32 in thefirst round of the CIFSouthern Section Divi-sion 3A playoffs.

Fountain Valley sopho-more guards Audrey Ten-gan and MadisonSuekawa were first-teamselections, as were Mar-ina senior power forwardGreta Graeler and juniorguard Kat Robinson.

The first team also in-cluded Newport Harborjunior forward Willa Rathand sophomore forwardEmma Fults, and LagunaBeach senior forwardMadilyn Garwal.

Tengan scored 6.5points to go with 3.2 re-bounds, 1.3 steals and 1.2assists per game. Shescored a career-high 25points in the Barons’ 60-48 road win over Marinaon Jan. 30.

Suekawa produced 6.2points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.4assists and 1.3 steals percontest.

Graelerpostedaveragesof 11.4points,9.3 re-bounds,1.5 stealsand 1.2blocksper game

for second-place Marina(8-21, 4-2), which lost totop seed and eventualchampion Long BeachWilson 62-19 in the Divi-sion 3A first round. Rob-inson averaged 8.6 points,4.3 rebounds, 2.8 stealsand 1.6 assists per game.

Rath contributed ateam-high average of 10points per game to gowith 7.6 rebounds, 2.2steals and 1.4 blockedshots for third-placeNewport Harbor (13-14,3-3). Fults led the Sailorswith 9.5 rebounds percontest, and she also av-eraged 6.8 points, 1.7 as-sists, 1.5 steals and 1.1blocks.

Garwal provided 4.1points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.9steals and 2.8 assists pergame for the last-placeBreakers (10-18, 0-6).

Laguna Beach coachMatthew Tietz said Gar-wal broke the school’s ca-reer rebounding record,totaling 917 rebounds inher three seasons.

— From staff reports

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

Fountain Valley’s Kat LuunamedWave Leaguegirls’ basketball MVP

Kat Luu, right

Los Amigos High sen-ior guard Kathleen Ngu-yen was a repeat first-team All-Garden GroveLeague selection in girls’basketball.

Nguyen averaged 10.8points, four rebounds,2.3 steals and 1.4 assistsper game for the last-place Lobos (11-16, 1-9 inleague). The Lobos im-proved by six wins overthe 2018-19 season,when they finished 5-22.

Nguyen had her sec-ond-best scoring gameof the season in a leaguegame at home against LaQuinta, scoring 20 pointsin a 47-41 loss on Jan. 10.

Her season-high scor-ing mark was 24-pointsin a 54-48 win in non-league play at Santa AnaValley on Nov. 26.

Santiago senior guardCarolina Jimenez earnedthe Garden Grove League

MVP award. She led theCavaliers (16-11, 10-0) tothe league crown. Shecontributed 8.4 points,four rebounds, 3.4 stealsand 2.3 assists per game.

Junior forward Bri-anna Landeros also tookhome the league’s Defen-sive Player of the Yearaward for the Cavaliers.She produced 14.5points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.8steals and 1.3 blockedshots per contest.

Sophomore guardBrittney Tran receivedthe Offensive Player ofthe Year honor for LaQuinta (13-14, 6-4), thethird-place team in theleague. She averaged 12.8points and 2.7 assists pergame.

Santiago’s Pablo Mar-tinez was named theGarden Grove LeagueCoach of the Year.


Los Amigos’ KathleenNguyen makes first-teamAll-Garden Grove League

ScottSmeltzerStaff Pho-tographer

LOSAMIGOS’KathleenNguyengoes upfor a shotat a GardenGroveLeaguegame.

Sage Hill School sopho-more point guard IsabelGomez earned first-teamAll-San Joaquin Leaguehonors in girls’ basket-ball.

She produced 17points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.9assists, 2.5 steals and 1.4blocked shots per game.Gomez averaged threemade three-pointerswhile shooting 34.5%from that distance.

Gomez helped SageHill (17-10, 4-4 in league)finish in third place in theleague. The Lightning de-feated Chino Don Lugo61-55 on the road in thefirst round of the CIFSouthern Section Divi-sion 3AA playoffs, beforefalling to No. 2-seededManhattan Beach MiraCosta 44-42 in the secondround at home.

Junior power forwardEmily Elliott made theall-league second team.Elliott contributed 16.8points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.2steals, 2.7 assists and 1.8blocks per game.

Senior center ZoeMazakas and sophomoreguard Megan Shean re-ceived honorable men-tion.

Orangewood Academysenior guard SydneyGandy, an Idaho-boundtransfer from Los Alami-tos, was the San JoaquinLeague MVP. Gandy con-

tributed 17.1 points, 3.5assists and 2.8 steals pergame.

Fairmont Prep’s SaraBrown earned the leagueCoach of the Year award.She was in her first yearwith the program aftercoming over from Edison.

Orangewood Academy(27-7, 7-1) and FairmontPrep (25-8, 7-1) split theleague title. The twoteams then met in the Di-vision 2AA championshipgame, with the Spartansbeating the Huskies 57-49.


Sage Hill’s Isabel Gomezgarners first-team All-SanJoaquin League honors

File Photo

SAGE HILL’S IsabelGomez jumps to take ashot in the paint againstWhittier Christian’s JulietteCorona, left, and HaleyGainer in a nonleaguegame in La Habra.

The Laguna Beach High School girls’ wa-ter polo team now has almost enough col-lege commits to fill a full starting roster.

Incoming seniors Molly Renner andImani Clemons recently committed toUCLA and UC Santa Barbara, respectively,bringing the total to six.

They joined 2019-20 Daily Pilot DreamTeam Player of the Year Nicole Struss(UCLA), Emma Lineback (UCLA), EmmaSinger (Cal) and Jessie Rose (Cal) as Break-ers who have committed to play in college.

These players have helped the Breakerswin back-to-back CIF Southern Section Di-vision 1 titles, and five in the last sevenyears.

“I’m proud of the program and proud ofour ability to prepare girls for the next leveleach year,” Laguna Beach coach EthanDamato said. “Specifically, this group issuch a talented and committed group.They’ve won at every level and they’veworked really, really hard. It’s pretty fitting[to see this many college commits], consid-ering the amount of talent that we have inthis class.”

Renner, an attacker and first-team All-CIF and Dream Team selection, had 63

goals, 43 assists and 34 steals for the Break-ers (33-1) last winter. The four-year varsityplayer said she picked UCLA partially dueto the camaraderie of the team, which willbe adding at least three current Breakersand already has Laguna alumni QuinnWinter (goalkeeper) and Alex Peros on theroster, with 2020 graduate Morgan VanAlphen on the way.

“Quinn gave me updates throughout herwhole training experience and said howmuch fun she had,” Renner said. “Eventhough it was a grind, everybody wasgrinding together. I like that idea, that ev-eryone is together ... I think four more yearswill be super fun, especially with Nicoleand Emma, just because they’re ballers.Playing with them is super fun, becauseyou get them the ball and they put it awayor do something good with it.”

Clemons is entering her third year onvarsity and had 27 goals, six assists and 15steals last year. She said UC Santa Barbaraalso has a Laguna feel, with alumni ClaireKelly and Evie Laptin on the team. She hasimproved a lot after not playing the centerposition until her freshman year.

“I think she’s one of the best centers inthe country,” Damato said. “I think shehappens to be playing behind, in my opin-

ion, the best one [Struss] ... When you haveNicole on one team at practice and Imanion the other, you know that the center po-sition is going to be really difficult to de-fend every day.”

Damato said he hopes to eventually haveall 11 seniors commit to play in college. Theother incoming seniors are Rachael Carver,Kenedy Corlett, Skylar Kidd, Mikayla Lopezand Ella Baumgarten.

The 2020-21 girls’ water polo season isset to begin with first matches on Dec. 28,pending health clearance due to COVID-19.The Breakers will more than likely be favor-ites for their third straight Division 1 title,which is something the program has yet toaccomplish despite its recent storied his-tory.

“I think everyone committing has been alittle bittersweet because we’re starting torealize that it’s coming to an end, and we’renot going to be all playing together on thesame team like we have been,” Clemonssaid. “But it’s also definitely been one of theproudest moments, being their friend andall of us committing. It’s super exciting, be-cause it’s what we’ve been working for.”

HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS’ WATER POLO

Jeff Antenore

MOLLY RENNER, shown in December 2018, scored 63 goals last year for CIF Southern Section Division 1 champion Laguna Beach.

Laguna Beach High girls’ water poloadds 2 more college commitmentsBYMATT SZABO


The Orange County Breakers earneda crucial World Team Tennis win Mon-day, beating the Chicago Smash 23-16in extended play at the Greenbrier Re-sort in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.

With their second straight win, theBreakers moved to 5-7 with two regu-lar-season matches remaining. Theyare in sixth place in the league; the topfour teams advance to the playoffs.

Orange County is one and a halfmatches behind the fourth-place NewYork Empire (6-5), but the Breakerscurrently own the head-to-head tie-breaker after a 24-14 win on July 20.

The Breakers play the Empire intheir next match, Wednesday at noonPacific Standard Time. The match willbe televised on the Tennis Channel.

Orange County earned a pair ofstrong 5-1 wins in men’s and women’ssingles in Monday’s win over Chicago(9-3). In men’s singles, the Breakers’Steve Johnson beat BrandonNakashima, while Jennifer Brady beatthe Chicago combination of EugenieBouchard and Sloane Stephens. Chi-cago substituted in Bouchard withStephens trailing, 3-1.

The Breakers also picked up a 5-3win in mixed doubles. Johnson andBrady, former USC and UCLA stars re-spectively, beat Stephens and RajeevRam.

“You either apply the pressure oryou receive it,” Johnson said in a re-lease. “Today we applied it. Jennyreally put us over the top today.”

Chicago’s Bethanie Mattek-Sandsand Bouchard beat Orange County’sBrady and Gaby Dabrowski 5-3 inwomen’s doubles, and the Smash alsowon 5-4 in men’s doubles as Ram andEvan King topped Johnson and Kra-jicek.

After playing New York on Wednes-day, the Breakers close out their regu-lar season against the Springfield La-sers (4-8) on Thursday.

Orange County is trying to make theplayoffs for the first time since win-ning its second King Trophy in 2017.

— Matt Szabo

Courtesy of World Team Tennis

JENNIFER BRADY of the Orange CountyBreakers eyes a forehand during the team's23-16 win over Chicago onMonday.

TENNIS

Breakers beatSmash, liftingplayoff hopes

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