Jackie Johnson's Forecast — From the O.C.

It's perfect summer weather.

And it was Los Angeles Rams' Family Day at U.C. Irvine.

Jackie Johnson reports. She says there's a low pressure system coming in over the weekend, which should cool it down a bit.

I'm sure fire-fighters will appreciate that.

Via CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Folks Hit the Beach on Sunday to Beat the Heat (VIDEO)

It's supposed to be 100 in Irvine today. It got up to 96 yesterday.

Great time to get outside and get into the water.

At CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Irvine Girl Gets Thumbs-Up from Katy Perry for 'Katy Perry' Costume (VIDEO)

Totally cool.

My wife watched this video and she's going, "Oh. My. God!"

Via CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Piper Cherokee Aircraft Lands on Red Hill Avenue in Irvine (VIDEO)

This would have to be the trippiest thing you ever saw.

Watch, at the O.C. Register, "Video: Small plane seen touching down on Irvine street."

And at LAT, "Video captures plane speeding down Irvine street":

A week ago, a small plane landed on an Irvine street.

Now, video has emerged showing the Piper Cherokee aircraft quickly gliding down Red Hill Avenue, looking much like a normal car.

The plane was approaching John Wayne Airport when its engine failed. No one was hurt, and the plane eventually came to a stop.

A flight school owns the plane. Here is the video...

Baby Boy Born on the Sidewalk in Irvine

At the O.C. Register, "Mother delivers baby on Irvine sidewalk."

And watch, at CBS News 2 Los Angeles, "After Rush Out the Front Door, Baby Born on Irvine Sidewalk":

Benjamin Paul Grindstaff arrived a couple of weeks later than expected, but when he finally decided it was time to come into the world, he didn’t waste any time.

Brazen Coyotes in Irvine

I've seen coyotes plenty of times around here, once right in my apartment complex.

They get used to being around people and they attack pets.

At KCAL News 9 Los Angeles, "Animal Control Officers In Irvine Use Paintballs to Turn Back Brazen Coyotes."

Man Dies After Being Swept Away in Flash Flood While Hiking Near Mill Creek Crossing in Forest Falls

It's in San Bernardino.

Watch, from yesterday, at ABC News 7 Los Angeles, "MAN SWEPT AWAY IN FLASH FLOOD WHILE HIKING IN FOREST FALLS."

Sad. The dude was on a first date.

We had a tropical downpour just a few minutes ago in Irvine. It happens so fast. You can see how dangerous it would be in mountainous areas.

Black Woman from Los Angeles, 26, Arrested for 'Aggressive' Panhandling in Irvine

I haven't been approached lately, but they are aggressive. The tell you they ran out of gas.

At CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Yosemite Campers Killed by Falling Limb Identified as Two Teenagers from Tustin (VIDEO)

This was an already heartbreaking story. I blogged it here, "Massive Tree Limb Falls, Crushes Two Kids Camping at Yosemite."

Now there's a local angle that makes this even more sad. My youngest son's still in middle school.

Watch, at ABC News 7 Los Angeles, "2 KILLED BY FALLING TREE LIMB AT YOSEMITE IDENTIFIED AS ORANGE COUNTY TEENS":

Vigil 7pm tomorrow at Irvine's Northwood High. Honoring Justin Lee & Dragon Kim, killed by falling tree in Yosemite. pic.twitter.com/YFzLRyCwQ1

— Elex Michaelson (@ABC7Elex) August 18, 2015

TUSTIN, Calif. (KABC) -- Two minors who died when a limb from an oak tree fell on a tent at a Yosemite Valley Campground early Friday have been identified as high school students from Orange County.

Dragon Kim, 14, and Justin Lee, 15, died around 5 a.m. Friday when the tree fell on their tent at the Upper Pines Campground. A park spokesman said the teens were on a camping vacation with family.

"I heard a loud crash, a loud boom. It almost sounded like a gunshot when it came down. I heard a woman screaming at the top of her lungs and I knew something was wrong," said witness Daniel Moore.

Both teenagers had attended Pioneer Middle School in Tustin and also played water polo together.

"I'm extremely sad and heartbroken to report that Dragon Kim and Justin Lee passed away over the weekend. The whole club sends their thoughts and prayers to the families of this tragedy," the Northwood Water Polo Club posted on Facebook.

Kim was a sophomore at Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana, where Lee was set to start next week.

Los Angeles Unified Hopes for a Good First Day Back to School

Oh boy.

I'm glad my kids don't go there, or a least my little kid. My 19-year-old graduated from Irvine High last year, and that was tough enough.

At the Los Angeles Times, "L.A. Unified looks for smoother tech operations this school year":

Getting students into the right classroom on the first day of school is a modest goal.

But it's a huge improvement over last year, when thousands of students in the Los Angeles Unified School District were left without class assignments and teachers couldn't even take roll.

Officials this week are trying to right two major technology debacles: a malfunctioning records system and a now-abandoned plan to provide iPads to all students.

Last year, the records system caused chaos at campuses around the district. The iPad project led to an ongoing FBI investigation. And both contributed to the departure of the superintendent and other top administrators.

As schools opened Tuesday, officials are hopeful that they've turned the corner on their technology fiascoes.

A recent spot check of district schools found about 3% of students still needed to be assigned classes. At Jefferson High School, south of downtown, only one student, a new arrival to the campus, was lacking a schedule.

This time last year, Jefferson couldn't determine how many students it had, and few, if any, had correct class assignments — let alone accurate transcripts or grade-point averages needed for college applications.

Although Jefferson may have been most affected, the system failed districtwide. It couldn't handle the volume of data or the complexity of tasks.

"We feel good that students are in the right classes," said Jefferson Principal Jack Foote. "We had kids pick up their schedules last week."

The student records system had seemed like a bargain at first — it was based on free computer code, obtained from Fresno Unified, which could be modified as needed. It was intended to unite all student records in one place, including attendance, course schedules, emergency contacts, past performance and special needs. Such coordination, officials hoped, would lead to faster and more appropriate services for students and more efficient business practices.

The new program, called My Integrated Student Information System (MISIS), cost $133 million to get on track. Officials set aside $80 million this year to pay for additional fixes.

Veteran school system lawyer Diane H. Pappas was placed in charge of salvaging the records system. She assembled consultants, district technicians, volunteers from the private sector and staffers from schools.

A software company might update a program two or three times a year, Pappas said, whereas the district has had to push through 100 fixes some weeks.

"We've been rebuilding on what was here," Pappas said. "MISIS was in a complete state of disarray."

More.

Note that the district had a graduation rate of 77 percent for the 2013-14 school year, an improvement from previous years, but still meaning that almost one fourth of all students don't receive a diploma. Irvine Unified has a 95 percent graduation rate, which is on the high side of statewide averages. You can see why families like living in Irvine.

Also, "The mismatch between LAUSD's diversity of students and teachers."

Out for My Walk Yesterday

Better late than never, I guess.

I'm going to make an effort to get back in shape.

I walked about 4 or 5 miles. Very nice.

That's probably a heron, not an egret. I wasn't sure.

Is that an egret? Don't know if they come in gray? Beautiful. #Irvine pic.twitter.com/TTfIhtLxvd

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) August 11, 2015

She's sticking her head up now. #Irvine. pic.twitter.com/NWC5Pwu3Tf

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) August 11, 2015

Nice little pond in the flood channel. The ducks can chill. #Irvine. pic.twitter.com/zNVajmdold

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) August 11, 2015

Stopping for a break at Culver and Irvine Blvd. #Irvine. pic.twitter.com/GEblzU7bzf

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) August 11, 2015

The Attack on FrontPage Magazine from the Leftist Jewish Federation of Orange County

From the editors at FrontPage, "The Attack on Frontpage from the Jewish Federation of Orange County":

Unable to withstand criticism from their shameful attacks on Jewish students and pro-Israel activists exposed by Frontpage, the Jewish Federation of Orange County (JFOC) has taken to the media to slander our publication. These calumnies must not go unanswered.

On May 4th, Frontpage made public serious reports of misbehavior on the part of the JFOC at a student-run pro-Israel event held at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). One of the most notable revelations of the piece was a report that JFOC representative Lisa Armony was witnessed attempting to move pro-Israel activists waving Israeli flags away from anti-Israel protesters who ambushed the event.

Writing on behalf of the JFOC in the Jerusalem Post, Armony’s primary complaint was that Frontpage’s coverage was based on “unsubstantiated” information from “unnamed sources.”

In fact, the information directly related to Lisa Armony and the JFOC in this incident was based on a named eyewitness’ account of Armony’s activity. Gary Fouse, a lecturer at UCI and credible witness, confidently affirmed to Frontpage what he saw. We subsequently reported this eyewitness account, taking the utmost care with the accuracy of its presentation. As such, accusations that Frontpage’s coverage of this incident was flawed are simply false.

Of course, the JFOC’s reprehensible behavior as detailed in Frontpage’s May 4th report involves much more than just flags. Of note is what the JFOC did not deny in its article in the Post. JFOC President and CEO Shalom Elcott engaged in an unhinged verbal attack on the 21-year-old female student president of Anteaters For Israel (AFI), the student group that hosted the campus pro-Israel event at UCI. Numerous witnesses recounted to Frontpage Elcott screaming at this young pro-Israel leader, bringing her to tears in the middle of the public event. The student herself, Sharon Shaoulian, confirmed this to Frontpage.

The mistreatment of Shaoulian is deeply disturbing and warrants a public apology. While the JFOC decries Jews “turning against one another” in its Post article, the first place to start to remedy this is clearly at the federation itself.

Also conspicuously absent from the denials issued by the JFOC is the report, witnessed last year by Shaoulian, of a student being screamed at by another representative of the federation after she called police following her injury from anti-Israel protesters. Such behavior should only be expected from an organization that donated tens of thousands of dollars to a campus group, the Olive Tree Initiative, that arranged a secret meeting between students and a leader of the terrorist organization Hamas in 2009. This same campus organization exposes students to indoctrination by world leaders in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and the terrorism-supporting International Solidarity Movement (ISM). This, again, was neither denied nor explained by the JFOC in its attack on Frontpage in the Post.

Without a doubt the JFOC has much to answer for. The JFOC can be assured Frontpage will continue our no-holds-barred coverage of its brazen attacks on Jewish students and pro-Israel activists without apology.

Leftists are terrible people, but you knew that.

More from Gary Fouse, "UC Irvine Gets a Mention in the Jerusalem Post -- For All the Wrong Reasons." And, "Pro-Palestinians Mar I-Fest at UC Irvine."

Leftists just can't let anyone else be. They just can't. If they don't like you and your positions, they'll try to destroy you. That's what they do. That's who they are. Hateful, despicable ghouls.

Irvine Police Arrest Three BLACK MALE Suspects for Residential Burglary

I never see black thugs like this in Irvine. I seriously cannot recall ever seeing people like this around here. These mofos were from out of town, shakin' down the Irvine locals.

I wish the media would call these people out by race. The press has no problem identifying "white" policeman shooting "unarmed black" suspects. But identifying black criminals on the streets in Irvine. That's racist!

At CBS-KCAL 9 Los Angeles:

IPD @IrvinePolice Three Suspects Arrested for Residential Burglary http://t.co/0Ip8lCNE9b pic.twitter.com/njxLmuvDcr

— KCBS KCAL (@KCBSKCALDesk) April 24, 2015

And from the press release:

IRVINE, CA – Three suspects have been arrested for burglarizing an Irvine home. Derron Anthony Jefferson, 26, Quincy Carnell Keaton, 25, and Shatavia Sharon Phillips, 18, were arrested by Irvine Police Department (IPD) officers after a City of Irvine employee observed a burglary in progress.

At approximately 9:15 a.m. on April 23, 2015, a City of Irvine Code Enforcement Officer was driving in the area of Lorraine Way and Irvine Center Drive, where she observed Jefferson and Keaton attempting to load a large safe into the front seat of a black Nissan Altima parked in front of a residence. Upon seeing the City vehicle, the suspects quickly got into the vehicle and fled the scene, leaving the large safe on the parkway in front of the home.

The Code Enforcement Officer immediately contacted IPD, reported her observations and provided a description of the suspects and their vehicle. An alert IPD officer observed the suspects’ vehicle driving on West Yale Loop, approximately two miles from the location of the original call.

A vehicle stop was conducted and the three suspects in the car, Jefferson, Keaton, and Phillips, were detained and ultimately arrested for residential burglary. Inside the vehicle, officers located burglary tools, gloves, and stolen property from the victim’s residence. The investigation showed that the suspects had forced entry into the burglarized home by prying open a side window. Once inside, the suspects ransacked the home seeking valuables. All of the property stolen from the residence was recovered from the suspects’ vehicle.

Jefferson and Keaton are on parole for burglary. The investigation is ongoing and anyone with additional information is asked to contact IPD Detective Ramon Lerma at 949-724-7233.

Associated Students at UC Irvine Vote to Ban the American flag as 'Hate Speech'

So fucking stupid it's actually hilarious.

At CBS News Los Angeles, "UC Irvine Student Leadership Panel Votes To Remove American Flag from Campus Lobby":

IRVINE (CBSLA.com) — Students at UC Irvine have voted for a more “inclusive space” by banning the American flag on part of the campus.

Under resolution R50-70 passed Thursday, the Associated Students of UCI voted to remove all flags, including Old Glory, from a student government work room on campus, according to the Associated Students website.

A portion of the resolution reads: “(F)lags construct paradigms of conformity and sets homogenized standards for others to obtain which in this country typically are idolized as freedom, equality and democracy.”

Authored by student Matthew Guevara, the resolution goes on to state that since “the American flag has been flown in instances of colonialism and imperialism,” its display “does not express only selective aspects of its symbolism but the entire spectrum of its interpretation.”

After citing freedom of speech as a “valued right that ASUCI supports,” the resolution states that “freedom of speech, in a space that aims to be as inclusive as possible can be interpreted as hate speech.”

Also at Campus Reform, "U. California students remove offensive American flag from 'inclusive' space." (Via Memeorandum.)

ADDED: At the Other McCain, "The United Hates of America."

Classic: Leftist Loon in Irvine Drives Toyota Prius with Smorgasbord of Obama-Cult 'Progressive' Bumper Stickers

This dolt needs to update her array of bumper stickers. I mean, "Obama 2012" is pretty dated, to say nothing of "marriage equality," an Orwellian perversion of the language that is nevertheless passé in 2014.

And Troy Davis? That's so 2011. And lame. The dude was in fact a poster boy for the death penalty.

Meh. If you're driving a Prius it's de rigueur to sport the regressive bumper sticker array. Freakin' morons.



A classic brain-dead leftist, in any case. The kind seen frequently at Legal Insurrection, heh.

Seeking Relief from the Heat

It was 102 degrees during yesterday's Angels game at Anaheim Stadium. And it was pushing 100 degrees in Irvine.

Thank goodness for air conditioning.

At LAT, "Southern Californians seek relief from soaring temperatures."

Former Irvine Mayor Larry Agran Under Fire as 'Great Park' Execs Say Millions of Taxpayer Dollars Wasted

The Irvine Great Park development project, which has been under planning since the early-2000s, has been a slush fund for the local Irvine Democrat Party machine. Former Mayor Larry Agran, who ran for the Democrat presidential nomination in 1992, is pushing back hard against allegations that the city wasted millions of taxpayer dollars on the Great Park boondoggle.

At the Costa Mesa Daily Pilot, "Great Park execs testify to dysfunction, waste of millions":

Irvine Councilman Larry Agran is brushing off scathing testimony from current and former Orange County Great Park executives that allege millions of taxpayer dollars were wasted through poor budget planning and incompetence under a dysfunctional management system.

Among the allegations are that powerful consultants, one with close political ties to Agran, were authorized to run the project above the direction of city staff members.

The allegations were revealed July 21 through the release of testimony given over the past three months as part of the Great Park forensic audit approved by the Irvine City Council last year. The audit is examining more than $200 million spent on the Great Park so far.

The cost of the audit has risen to more than $1 million, and a final report is expected by September. Four of the audit depositions were released July 21 on a public records request.

Agran served as chairman of the Great Park Corp. for five of the seven years, 2005-12, covered by the audit. The corporation was folded into city operations in 2013.

"It's the kind of gossip and backbiting that's part of any major project," Agran said after stating he had not read the depositions two days after they were released.

Assistant city manager Mike Ellzey has functioned as the Great Park chief executive since shortly after he was hired by Agran in 2008. Ellzey told investigators he immediately encountered an unusual power structure in which consultant Arnold Forde, under a contract to his PR firm Forde & Mollrich, had more decision-making power than he did as CEO. Forde has served as a strategist in several of Agran's City Council and mayoral campaigns.

Ellzey submitted that with Forde as his right-hand man, and Yuhedi Gaffen of the design management firm Gafco, Agran created a "triumvirate of power" within the Great Park Design Studio. He testified the Design Studio routinely operated ahead of proper oversight by city staff members.

"That was just wrong," Ellzey stated in his deposition on June 18. "It was just wrong that a contractor/consultant was directing a public body."

Similar testimony was offered by former Great Park CEO Walter Kreutzen, former Chief Financial Officer Colleen Clark and former Manager Mary Ann Burgess. Ellzey is the only one among the four that remains attached to the Great Park project.

Ellzey said excessive contracts, with sloppy invoicing and design work that often could not produce deliverables, churned through millions of Great Park funds. Forde & Mollrich was paid $100,000 per month for public relations work — a figure Ellzey placed as much as 300% too high.

The release of the depositions hasn't moved Agran from his stance that the entire forensic audit is nothing more than a "political witch hunt," as he has stated in the past.

Right.

A "witch hunt," because public accountability for a leftist Democrat taxpayer boondoggle is all about politics. What a typical big-government leftist. Siphoning money off the public purse for his own cronies. The park's budget is over $200 million and after more than a decade all they can show for it is balloon rides.

Freakin' crook should do time. He and his leftist city council thugs and cronies. Sheesh.

Constituents Outraged at Irvine Councilman Larry Agran Proposal for 'Friendship City' in Communist Vietnam

Yeah, and this from a Democrat who ran for his party's 1992 presidential nomination.

Heh.

Remember, the O.C. is home to the largest number of Vietnam refugees in the country.

Gotta love that Democrat Party ethnic sensitivity, lol.

At LAT, "As anger builds, Irvine official drops plan to bond city with Vietnam":

John Duong, who lives in Irvine and heads the city’s Finance Commission, said he was “floored” that a veteran politician like Agran would make such a proposal.

“I don’t think he understands our sentiments and emotional scars,” Duong said. “Why bring back painful memories for people who value freedom?”

Well, obviously Democrats don't truly value freedom. Shoot, Communist Vietnam is right up there with Cuba as the cool spot for leftist happy campers!

Shoot, they can't wait for Americans to adopt the Cuban healthcare system! At National Journal, "Sen. Tom Harkin Visits Cuba, Is Pretty Impressed With Its Public Health System." Makes sense: Castro loves ObamaCare!

Damned Communists, sheesh!

Marie Elizabeth Johnson, 16-Year-Old Irvine High School Student, Dies in Santiago Canyon Car Crash

Another one of my son's friends. He'd been going to school with the girl, Marie Elizabeth "Lizzie" Johnson, since 8th grade.

Last time, in the Newport Beach crash in May, the driver was going at least 100mph and hit a tree on the center divider. This time two Honda Civics were driving out on Santiago Canyon Road, a winding two-lane highway in the O.C. back country. This was at 1:45am on a Monday morning! One of the drivers slammed on his brakes after seeing a deer and the second driver slammed his brakes and lost control of the vehicle. Lizzie wasn't wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the car on impact. The driver, 19-year-old Antonio Escamilla, was arrested for driving under the influence.

At KTLA, "16-Year-Old Killed in Silverado Crash; 6 Others Injured."

My wife forwarded me the email sent by my son's principal, and the IUSD has published it, "Superintendent issues statement after car crash claims the life of an Irvine High student":

Today, we mourn the loss of Marie Elizabeth Johnson, an Irvine High School student whose life was cut tragically short as the result of a car accident along Santiago Canyon Road. Lizzie, as she was known to friends, would have begun her junior year on Tuesday. At 16 years old, her life was just beginning, and now we are left to grieve and cope with a loss that is difficult to comprehend.

To assist our students and staff, the Irvine Unified School District will dispatch additional counseling support to Irvine High for as long as there is a need. These professionals, including counselors, guidance assistants and psychologists, will specifically reach out to friends and classmates, but they will also be available to anyone who may need extra support. Additionally, Irvine High will open up a space for students who wish to speak with a counselor or share their feelings in writing.

Above all, at this difficult hour, our thoughts and prayers are with Lizzie’s family, friends and loved ones.

Needless to say I'm pretty upset with this. But talking to my son he said he wasn't surprised because he knows a lot of kids at his school who are running on the wrong side of the law, drinking and doing other things. My son's a good kid, thank goodness. He keeps safe. Plus, we keep good tabs on him and his friends, and I'm almost always warning him about doing drugs or drinking alcohol. He's a licensed driver now. You can't be too careful.

I'll say a prayer for the family when I bed down for the night.

Teen Driver Hit Speeds of Over 100 MPH in Fatal Newport Beach Crash

Lots a new details on the crash.

At LAT, "Teen driver in fatal O.C. crash may have been going 100 mph."

Also, "Teen driver in fatal Newport Beach wreck was unlicensed":

The 17-year-old high school student who was at the wheel when his car spun out of control in a horrific Memorial Day crash in Newport Beach did not have a valid driver's license, according to DMV records.

The crash left five teens dead, all high school students from Irvine. Two sisters were among the casualties.

Police said speed was a contributing factor to the wreck. Investigators didn't say how fast the teen's Infiniti was going, but the mayor in the beach city said he was told the car may have been traveling at 100 mph or faster.

The driver of the car, identified as Abdulrahman M. Alyahyan, received a citation in April for violating his provisional license, among other offenses, court records showed.

The high school junior, records show, was pulled over just blocks from his Irvine home and cited for making a prohibited modification to the exhaust system of his gray 2008 Infiniti — which bore the personalized license plate "KHASONA" — and having tinted windows that obstructed the driver's view.

Although the citation lists a driver's license number, a DMV official said that number actually corresponded with Alyahyan's application for a license.

The single-car crash occurred on a downhill stretch of Jamboree Road where the posted speed limit is 55 mph. It's less than a mile from the spot where the co-founder of mixed martial arts apparel company TapouT was killed in 2009 when his Ferrari was struck by a Porsche traveling at 100 mph.