O.C. Supervisors deem Pride flag ‘divisive,’ ban it from display on county property
Good morning. It’s Wednesday, June 7. We are Carol Cormaci and Vince Nguyen, bringing you this week’s TimesOC newsletter. Together we’ve aggregated the latest local news and events.
June has been proclaimed LGBTQ+ Pride Month in the state of California. Yesterday, a narrow majority of the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted to ban flying the Pride flag over any county property.
Supervisor Katrina Foley, and her board colleague, Vicente Sarmiento, both Democrats, had made an effort to add to yesterday’s agenda an item calling for the Pride flag to be flown over the Civic Center but were told they were 15 minutes late filing their request, according to the Daily Pilot’s coverage of the meeting by reporter Matt Szabo.
Instead, the two found themselves on the losing end of the vote to prohibit the display of the LGBTQ+ community’s rainbow emblem, not only over the Civic Center, but any county holdings. The 3-2 vote followed a heated debate.
County Supervisor Andrew Do, who introduced the ban to the supervisors’ agenda with the support of Chairman Don Wagner, sees the Pride flag as causing a societal rift. So Do’s motion was to only allow county, state and U.S. flags, along with the POW/MIA flag, to wave in Orange County’s coastal breezes.
“Today, flags in general have become symbols that invite controversy and division within our community,” Do said.
Wagner forthrightly admitted, according to Szabo’s report, that the Pride flag “specifically was at the heart of Tuesday’s vote, calling the banner ‘divisive.’”
Do and Wagner, both Republicans, were joined in the majority vote by a Democrat, Supervisor Doug Chaffee, who at first indicated he wanted more time to think about the matter but then voted with the two proponents of the ban.
“I like to be neutral, I like to be open to everyone,” Chaffee said. “There’s a reason why this office is nonpartisan ... This is a distraction that takes me away from really working to make the county better, but I’m going to support the motion. I think we need to emphasize more the values in our American flag.”
Foley called the vote, which mirrored one that recently rocked Huntington Beach politics, a political move that was anything but inclusive, despite what they might claim.
“We’ve spent millions of dollars investing in suicide prevention,” Foley said. “But sometimes, suicide prevention is as simple as a rainbow flag flying in the wind on a government building, telling our most vulnerable children we welcome them, and we will keep them safe.”
MORE NEWS
• Landslides and falling debris near the Casa Romantica estate in San Clemente again forced suspension of Metrolink rail services Monday between San Diego and Orange counties, according to service alerts. Metrolink officials did not say when service is expected to resume.
• Funded largely by Irvine Co. Chairman Donald Bren, Caltech’s Space Solar Power Project is testing the feasibility of transmitting electricity converted from sunlight anywhere on the planet. On Thursday, the institution announced a power signal transmitted by a small demonstration unit orbiting 550 kilometers above the planet was recently detected. The small prototype was launched into orbit in January.
• The Crystal Cove Conservancy generated about $9.8 million in revenue in its most recent fiscal year, and nearly all of it was spent on educational programs, according to the organization’s annual report released in May. About $5.3 million came through donor pledges and contributions, while its historic beach cottage rentals brought in $1.5 million.
PUBLIC SAFETY AND COURTS
• A 29-year-old resident of San Rafael was arrested Saturday after allegedly making a series of shooting, death and bomb threats over the last six months against Laguna Hills High School, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said. The Los Angeles Times has the full report here.
• An Orange County man, Forrest Gordon Clark, was acquitted Thursday of charges of igniting the Holy fire in 2018 that scorched over 23,000 acres and destroyed 24 structures in the Cleveland National Forest. The jury did convict Clark of one felony count of making criminal threats, while two counts of resisting arrest were dropped in 2018.
• An Irvine woman who admitted to taping shut the mouths of multiple dogs was arrested on suspicion of three counts of felony animal cruelty, according to authorities. Gabriela Barrera, 21, was arrested May 27 after Irvine Police Department Animal Service officers responded to reports of whimpering dogs on the patio of a home on Eastshore. Seven dogs, including two puppies, were confiscated from the home, police said.
BUSINESS BUZZ
• Stowaway Tiki has found a new home since vacating the shuttered Union Market in Tustin. The new space offers cocktails and light bites and also has pool tables and more private areas like a skull cave with a waterfall and a cabana lounge that accommodates larger groups, according to TimesOC reporter Sarah Mosqueda. The business held a grand-opening yesterday at its new location, 14401 Newport Ave. in Tustin.
• Steak boards are being offered in Orange County courtesy of Rare Society in San Clemente. The open-flame steakhouse comes from a San Diego-based restaurant collective, Trust Restaurant Group. Diners choose from a menu of 30 to 40 day dry-aged steaks or wagyu cuts.
• Volkswagen unveiled the new three-row, fully electric ID.Buzz in Huntington Beach on Friday. The reboot of the 1960s and ’70s era Volkswagen Type 2, also known as the VW Bus, will be available for purchase in North America next year.
LIFE & LEISURE
• Helping new mothers who might be having a tough time quickly became a passion for Rachelle King. In 2021, she started traveling around Orange County offering lactation support for mothers and their babies. “The goal is just to remind myself and other people that mothers are superheroes,” King said. “There’s probably no role in life that deserves more honor and respect.”
• The Irvine RC Tank Club is beginner friendly and offers loaner model kits for people who want to try out the hobby’s mock battles but aren’t quite ready to sink up to $200 on the remote-controlled toy tanks. Since a recent revival under a new president, the club has hosted four battles in Huntington Beach and one in Stanton.
• The Bolsa Chica Conservancy will host a pair of five-day educational camps this summer. The conservancy’s Wetland Explorers Program will host one session beginning June 26 for children who would be entering kindergarten through third grade this fall, and another on July 10 for kids going into fourth through seventh grade.
• A free exhibit of 26 oil and six watercolor paintings opened Saturday at UC Irvine’s Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art. “Indefinitely Wild: Preserving California’s Natural Resources” features works of California impressionism. The exhibit runs through Sept. 9, located at 18881 Von Karman Ave., Suite 100.
• Laguna Beach now boasts a second radio station, after longtime host Ed Steinfeld announced his departure from KX FM on May 30. Steinfeld’s new station, Voice of Laguna, launched online Monday. Steinfeld will spin more eclectic music for the new station. Unlike KX, the outlet will be a commercial venture, according to David Hansen, editor of Under Laguna in Laguna Beach.
SPORTS
• The Newport Aquatic Center women’s varsity rowing program, which has 11 seniors headed off to row in college, will be sending a program-record four boats to USRowing Youth National Championships in Florida tomorrow. The club’s top team — the varsity eight — is trying to medal for the first time in program history. The previous best was a fifth-place finish last year.
• Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon will not face charges stemming from an altercation with a fan at Oakland Coliseum on March 30. The Oakland Police Department, without naming Rendon, closed its investigation into a misdemeanor assault and misdemeanor battery, according to a redacted incident report received by the L.A. Times. Two videos of Rendon went viral showing him grabbing a fan’s shirt and cursing at the fan, who heckled the third baseman as the Angels left the field following their season-opening game against the Athletics.
• The Ducks are handing over the rebuilding process to a first-time NHL head coach in Greg Cronin. The 60-year-old spent the last five seasons leading the Colorado Avalanche’s successful AHL affiliate, and 12 years as an NHL assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Islanders. The Ducks have missed the playoffs in five straight seasons but have a talented young core, including the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming NHL Draft.
CALENDAR THIS
• A volunteer opportunity for your consideration: Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley is planning a Flag Day ceremony for June 14 in William R. Mason Regional Park in Irvine and is seeking volunteers to help this Friday, Saturday and Sunday for flag installation and manning community booths, then breakdown work after the event. The celebration will feature 248 American flags in honor of the U.S. Army’s 248th birthday and in recognition of military personnel, firefighters, police officers, medical personnel and first responders. Volunteers can sign up here.
• Looking for a new companion? The nonprofits Orange County Humane Society and Angels 4 Paws are planning a joint runway pet adoption event on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the OCHS, 21632 Newland St., Huntington Beach. For more information call (714) 536-8480.
• Also this Saturday, Circus Bella returns to Bluebird Park, 772 Cress St., Laguna Beach for free performances of their new summer show, “Bananas!” Show times are 1 and 3 p.m. Prepare to be amazed by juggling, unicycles, contortion, hula hoops, tight-wire acts and more.
• The Newport Beach Wooden Boat Festival returns this year, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. this Saturday at Balboa Yacht Club, 1801 Bayside Drive, Corona del Mar. Admission is $10 at the door (credit cards only, no cash) for the general public. The event promises a look at classic wooden boats, entertainment, exhibitors, food, beverages and more for visitors of all ages.
KEEP IN TOUCH
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