The deadline for Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign or veto bills sent to him by the Legislature was last weekend. Two weeks ago, this column highlighted a couple of the worst bills to get out of both houses this year. Now seems like a good time to revisit those bills and let you know how…
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[contact-form] Will California voters get a choice between parties for the U.S. Senate election on Nov. 5, 2024? They didn’t in two of the last three Senate elections, when it was only Democrats on the ballots. In 2018 the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein survived a challenge by Los Angeles Councilmember Kevin DeLeon, recently disgraced from…
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Between 2020 and 2022, Los Angeles lost nearly 2% of its population. While San Francisco’s exodus of 7.5% was even worse, these cities are not alone. People have also been fleeing San Jose, Long Beach and Oakland. It is not just that people are leaving the state; where they are fleeing to is also of…
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Santa Ana residents in Ward 3, the north and northeastern part of the city, are receiving their mail-in ballots and voter guides for a recall measure asking if Councilmember Jessie Lopez should be removed from office. The recall effort gathered enough signatures earlier this year to force the public vote; Ward 3 voters now have…
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Q. We have been growing pineapple plants from cut-off tops for about 15 years and have harvested about 6 in that time. Could you please tell me how to tell when the fruit is ripe and ready to cut from the plant? Growing pineapples from the part of the fruit that usually ends up being…
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Can falling mortgage rates – whenever that happens – revive homebuying in Orange County? Let’s first look at the lethargic sales pace. In the 12 months ending in August, just 28,981 Orange County homes sold, according to CoreLogic data. That’s 42% below the homebuying pace of two years earlier. This drop is linked to drastically falling…
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Groundswell, the new name for the OC Human Relations Council, is hosting a new nine-part series of free webinars to help combat hate speech, racism and more by talking about it. At the first community webinar on Wednesday, Oct. 25, organizers will discuss addressing racial slurs in schools. The online event begins at 6 p.m.…
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After recently writing here about Esperanza (Tecoma stans), a plant that flowers virtually non-stop with golden yellow, gramophone-shaped blooms, I received an email mentioning that, according to one report, this species is highly toxic to pets and people. Upon closer examination of the literature on this subject, the evidence is not conclusive as to Esperanza’s…
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5 things to do in the garden this week: 1. This is prime time for planting your fall vegetable garden. Plant the following vegetables from seed: bulb onions, shallots, leeks, chives, garlic, peas, radishes, beets, spinach, lettuce, chard, fava beans, celery, cabbage, kohlrabi and kale. This is also the time to transplant baby specimens of…
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Oceanside’s Caitlin Simmers earned a spot on the coveted World Tour and spent the year surfing against the best of the best. She dominated against more experienced surfers, with strong enough results to have a shot at a world title. Not to mention the 18-year-old surf phenom landed on Team USA and will compete at…
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