In a commencement ceremony at Bradford Stadium, families and friends cheered as the graduates walked across the stage, marking the end of their high school careers and the beginning of their bright futures.

Lampman joined Placentia in 2022 as the city’s finance director and was promoted to deputy city administrator in March. Before coming to Placentia, she worked for several other Orange County cities, including Anaheim, Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach.

“Jennifer has been a critical part of our leadership team over the past three years, and her deep understanding of municipal operations and commitment to our community make her a great fit for this role,” Mayor Kevin Kirwin said in a city press release. “I am confident she will continue to lead the city with integrity and a strong focus on serving our residents.”

Lampman said she was “honored and humbled” by the appointment.

“Over the past few years, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside a team of dedicated employees that serve the city of Placentia,” she said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing our momentum, building upon the city’s successes, and working collaboratively with the City Council, staff and community to ensure Placentia remains a vibrant, strong, and forward-thinking city.”

Lampman’s appointment comes months after the departure of Damien Arrula in November, when the City Council voted to enter a separation agreement with the former administrator, who received a severance payment of 12 months of his salary, which equated to about $317,000. After more than a year as the interim, Arrula had been named the city administrator in 2016.

Officials said Lampman will oversee city operations and several upcoming priorities, including infrastructure improvements and Placentia’s centennial celebration in 2026.

There was the local run she did in honor of Nicol Kimura, who like Mayfield lived in Placentia. Then, there was the Valentine’s Day race she did in honor of a couple, Denise Cohen and Derrick Bo Taylor, also killed at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas.

Mayfield, 58, will mark her 58th marathon race this Sunday — the Hoag OC Marathon — this time dedicating the feat to all the families and friends of the 58 people killed in the 2017 mass shooting.

Mayfield and her family were at the music concert that tragic day, her husband, Lennie, was shot in the arm by the armed assailant who ripped gunfire into the crowd. But unlike the 58 “angels,” as she calls them, she and her family survived.

Mayfield had already been an avid and accomplished runner. After her mother passed away 17 years ago, Mayfield took up the sport as a way to cope with the loss and pain.

She had just reached her 24th marathon when the shooting happened. She was at the concert with her husband, daughter Anne Marie, son Charlie and his now fiancée, Bekah Scheussler.

As the night got later, the crowds started to fill in, so Mayfield said she and her husband and daughter moved to the back, while the others stayed in the front — just where the gunman aimed his fire, she added. “They were right there where most of the fatalities occurred.”

One woman standing just next to Scheussler, Carrie Barnette, was killed. Chaos ensued, people running for their lives.

Mayfield said she and her daughter were separated from her husband, running for two miles before pounding on the door of a small hotel room.

“Some very kind people allowed us in their room, along with 12 other people. We all just stayed there on the floor,” she said. “We just kind of sheltered in place for about six hours, in the little hotel room.”

Her husband was treated in the first aid tent and taken to the hospital, later released with the non-life-threatening injury.

Mayfield said she knew, based on how it helped her mourn her mother’s passing, that running would be her therapy. But she found going out alone was hard, especially in the darkness of the early-morning hours when much of the marathon training happens.

So she found a running group, which turned out to be more than people to train with, but also a support group.

The fellow runners chatted along their routes, allowing her to open up about her trauma. They suggested honoring the 58 lost lives by dedicating the marathons to them, the fellow runners-turned-friends also running in their memory.

“It is a beautiful, therapeutic thing,” Mayfield said. “We all just carry their stories with us as a beautiful memory of these people who lived big, bold, full lives and we want their families to know their lives have impacted ours. It has been an absolute honor, for all of us.”

When Mayfield does a marathon for a particular person, sometimes more than one, she adds their names to her race bib and the group talks about what they know of that person to share their legacy.

“We saved No. 58 for families and friends. We’re really just going to hold them closely to our heart,” she said.

Mayfield and fellow runners from her group will be wearing T-shirts designed with the 58 names on the back. She hopes, for the families, it feels like a hug from someone they may not know, but who wants them to know their loved one is loved and appreciated.

“It’s been an absolute honor,” she said. “We will not forget them.”

The OC Marathon starts off at 5:30 Sunday morning from Fashion Island, traveling first toward Newport Coast and then along the shore to turn to run by the Back Bay and through parts of Costa Mesa and Santa Ana before ending at the OC Fair & Event Center.

This is the marathon’s 21st year, it is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon.

Barker Pacific Group and Kingsbarn Realty Capital bought the property from the investment firm Barings in El Segundo. The complex was 55% leased at the time of the transaction, according to CBRE.

Mission Ridge has 232,000 square feet of leasable space in two, four-story office buildings at 27101 and 27201 Puerta Real. Completed in 2000, it was renovated inside and out in 2021.

Tenants include Partners Bank of California, Wells Fargo Advisors, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Fidelity, Maguire Insurance, US Investment Corp, and Charles Schwab.

“We are acquiring the highest quality office asset in the submarket for an extremely compelling basis, which will allow us to compete favorably in the marketplace,” said Mark Handin, managing principal at BPG.

BPG said the Mission Ridge acquisition brings its office portfolio to more than 1 million square feet in Orange County.

This deal marked the third joint venture in Orange County for the firm and Kingsbarn.

In 2021, the venture bought Fullerton Towers, and then in 2023 the venture scored a deal for the 13-story twin Griffin Towers, which it bought for $82 million. Blackstone bought the Santa Ana property at 5 and 6 Hutton Centre Drive for $129 million in 2014, according to CommercialObservor.com.

Even though the office market faces post-pandemic vacancy woes,  the Mission Viejo campus will remain an office space.

“We believe in the future of high-quality office environments with great locations and robust amenities … regardless of the current market challenges for owners of office building,” said Will Dickinson, vice president at BPG.

As in Mission Viejo, investors are still finding deals in Orange County office spaces.

According to a 2024 fourth-quarter office market report by NAI Capital, sales were down 33.2% compared with year-end 2023. Sale prices also were down 23.4% quarter over quarter to $212 per square foot.

The good news for landlords: Occupied office space increased 353,370 square feet, tightening vacancy to 12.3%, a 100-basis-point decline year-over-year, NAI’s J.C. Casillas wrote. That brings total occupied space to more than 110 million square feet.

Costa Mesa’s Victoria Plaza sells for $7.2M

Newport Victoria Plaza, a 43,249-square-foot office complex at 2183 Fairview Road in Costa Mesa, traded hands March 12 for $7.2 million, according to CBRE.

The brokerage represented the seller, which it did not identify. The buyer was identified in public documents as Royal Tulip Investments, according to PropertyShark.

“The opportunity to purchase a low-rise office property in a fundamentally strong market like Costa Mesa is rare,” said Anthony DeLorenzo at CBRE.

Placentia office plaza sells for $5.75 million

The Cobblestone professional office building in Placentia sold in recent weeks for $5.75 million.

Marcus & Millichap did not identify the seller of the two-story, 23,500-square-foot property at 201-261 Lakeview Ave.

“The seller had owned and managed the property for over 28 years and our team was able to show them how they can sell this asset to exchange into a less management-intensive product type and increase their cash flow by at least three times,” said Alex Mobin, at Marcus & Millichap.

The buyer, also not identified, was an owner/user who use it for medical use once the building is renovated, Mobin said.

The buyer was represented by Keller Williams.

Stanton storage site adding freight service

A 2.59-acre parcel with two buildings in Stanton sold March 6 for $9.8 million, according to DAUM Commercial Real Estate Services.

Dynamic Export LLC will use an existing conditional use permit to add trucking and freight to the site, DAUM said.

“This was a rare opportunity for our client to acquire a site with low building coverage of approximately 20%, for use as a truck terminal,” said Michael Chase at DAUM.

The brokerage’s Capital Markets Group represented the buyer, and its Newport Beach office team repped the seller. Brokers declined to identify either of them.

The industrial outdoor storage site at 11121 Dale St. includes 112,820 square-foot parcel that is fenced and paved. The larger freestanding building is 19,375 square feet while the smaller building is 4,000 square feet.

On the move

Ayda Kach recently joined Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors as a vice president. She specializes in investment sales, leasing and repositioning assets and most was a managing director at PacWest Management.

The real estate roundup is compiled from news releases and written by Business Editor Samantha Gowen. Submit items and high-resolution photos via email to  sgowen@scng.com . Please allow at least a week for publication. All items are subject to editing for clarity and length.

The merging and weaving over several lanes to make the exit slows down traffic on the already congested 91 Freeway, where even more drivers are merging and weaving to get to where they need to go. To help remedy the issue, a joint project by the Orange County Transportation Authority and Caltrans is underway to reduce the merging madness and let drivers destined for the 55 Freeway get on directly from Lakeview Avenue.

Local officials commemorated the start of construction of the 91 improvement project between the 55 and 57 freeways at a ceremony Friday, March 7, in Anaheim.

The 91 Freeway is the main link between Orange and Riverside counties and sees regular bumper-to-bumper traffic. The project will rebuild bridges, add new connectors and build new lanes in sections throughout the five-mile stretch from the 55 to the 57 Freeway.

OCTA CEO Darrell Johnson said the improvements from the $779 million project aren’t going to eliminate rush-hour traffic on the 91 Freeway, but they will make driving in the area safer and relieve some of the congestion.

Johnson labeled this section of the 91 Freeway, along with the interchanges to other freeways, a “hot spot” for bottlenecks.

“It’s a big investment,” Johnson said, “but the idea is to keep the flow going.”

Supervisor Don Wagner said those slow travel times delay not just people commuting for work, but also thousands of trucks daily delivering goods throughout the region.

“If we want to thrive … in this county we need this corridor and we need to assure goods movement and people movement through this corridor,” Wagner said.

Around 321,000 vehicles travel on that stretch of the 91 Freeway daily, many bringing Inland Empire residents to jobs in Orange County, and traffic is expected to grow in the coming years.

The five-mile project along the 91 Freeway corridor will be broken up into three segments that will break ground at different times over the next year.

The improvements are funded by the countywide sales tax revenue from Measure M, state funding through SB1, federal money and excess revenue from the 91 Express Lane tolls.

Segment 1, which starts construction now, will rebuild the Lakeview Avenue bridge that crosses the Santa Ana River and give drivers destined for the 55 Freeway a new direct ramp along with improvements to the connection to the 91 Freeway.

“From safety and operation, the idea is to try to minimize weaving and merging, which creates friction among drivers and slows down (traffic),” Johnson said.

“We think that’s going to be a real game changer in this area,” he added.

The new Lakeview Avenue bridge will include shoulders for bicyclists and sidewalks. Segment 1 will be under construction until late 2027, officials said.

Segment 2 focuses on the parts of the 91 Freeway between the 55 and 57 freeways, and will add a new eastbound general lane. The North Kraemer Boulevard and Tustin Avenue overcrossing along the 91 will also be rebuilt.

That segment will start construction next year and be completed in 2030, officials said.

Segment 3 aims to improve westbound traffic and the connection to the 57 Freeway southbound to minimize lane changes.

A bypass ramp will be added for those taking the 57 Freeway Orangethorpe Avenue exit before passing the 91 Freeway to get rid of needing to merge across several lanes at the interchange.

La Palma Avenue’s overcrossing will also be reconstructed. Segment 3 will start construction later this year and go through 2029, officials said.

Eric Carpenter, a spokesperson for OCTA, said the agency doesn’t have details yet for what closures construction will require. He said the goal is to have as many closures be nighttime only as possible to minimize the impact on commutes, but he encouraged drivers in the area to stay informed by following OCTA’s announcements online.

Carpenter said a driver on the 91 Freeway takes around 14 minutes to traverse these five miles of the corridor, and without the project that would have jumped to an estimated 24 minutes by 2050. Average daily traffic is expected to grow by 10% over the next 25 years.

Long-term, Johnson said the OCTA is working to add a connector from the 241 toll road to the 91 Express Lanes and invest in Metrolink service between Orange and Riverside counties by building a new station in Placentia.

But the 91 Freeway represents a substantial investment that officials hope will start paying off in time for the 2028 Olympics.

“This will cause some inconvenience in the next few years, and we really appreciate your patience, support and understanding in advance,” said Caltrans District 12 Director Lan Zhou. “And then your temporary sacrifice will deliver permanent benefits for Southern California and Orange County forever.”

Some of the county’s murals were painted decades ago and tell the rich history of towns and the people who made their mark on the community. Other murals have gone up in recent years, adding to the character and identities of the places they now call home.

“Every work of art tells a story,” Arts Orange County President and CEO Richard Stein said. “It enriches our lives through the ability to see what would otherwise be a blank space, animated with color or story telling.”

Murals are often created in conjunction with a city’s public art program, with more than 1,368 art pieces cataloged so far, Stein said. And, that number is constantly changing, he noted, with some art added and others taken away over time.

Santa Ana is home to the most public art in the county, while Brea has the oldest Art in Public Places program, dating back to the ’70s. Irvine, a city with a reputation for its beige-and-tan hues, just finished a Public Art Master plan, done in conjunction with Arts OC.

Among the public artwork are hundreds of murals on walls throughout Orange County – some large, some small, some old, some new.

While it would be tough to visit them all, we did a quick list of a few must-know murals and a few unexpected, off-the-beaten path pieces you might enjoy checking out.

Emigdio Vasquez’s Cypress Street, Orange

When you talk about Orange County’s murals, there must be a mention of Emigdio Vasquez, an American-Chicano artist who painted 32 murals across its northern cities.

Vasquez, who considered himself a “social realist” painter, drew from everyday life, usually working class life, with scenes captured through portraits, still life images and murals.

“Through my art, I want to convey a powerful sense of the human struggle for dignity within the urban experience of 20th century America,” he once said.

His artwork challenged the perception that Orange County was made up of wealthy coastal communities, his art instead showcasing the rich Chicano culture found throughout the county.

Stein called Vasquez “one of the most famous muralists in Orange County,” saying his murals are “beautiful, realistic and they are boldly colored.”

“Often he will tell a story, he will have figures in them, historic figures such as Ceasar Chavez or they represent early settlers in Santa Ana, farm laborers,” Stein said.

Vasquez’s work has started to deteriorate, but there’s an effort underway to restore any in disrepair, Stein said. His own family have used their talents to help.

Among Vasquez’s most famous work is the “El Proletariado de Aztlan,” a 60-foot-long Cypress Street mural that wraps around a building in Orange between Walnut and Sycamore avenues, illustrating 450 years of Mexican American history.

Dream Court: Pearson Park Basketball Court, Anaheim

More than 600 murals can be found around the world paying tribute to NBA star Kobe Bryant, who along with his daughter, Gianna, died in a helicopter crash in 2020.

Several are in Orange County, where the Bryant family lived for several years in Newport Beach.

In 2022, at a basketball court in Anaheim’s Pearson Park, a “Dream Court” was created with tiles in the royal purple and gold of the Los Angeles Lakers used for the playing surface. At the center court, a white circle surrounded by purple butterflies is inscribed with the names of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna. On one side of the court is a large butterfly-shaped mural of their faces, created by artist Brian Peterson.

The court and sculpture were funded by former WNBA player Nancy Lieberman’s charity and Vanessa Bryant’s Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation.

Art under the freeway, Placentia

Los Angeles graffiti artist Alejandro “Man One” Poli Jr. painted the sloped walls under the 57 Freeway at West Crowther Avenue in Placentia – a project to beautify the 10,730-square-foot stretch.

The artwork is “based on the mythology of the sun and the moon and how it relates to our current views on housing, shelter and community,” the artist said in 2023 when he finished the work.

When the city cleared the area of a homeless encampment, Poli was commissioned for the Placentia Gateway Public Art Project, done in collaboration with the Clean California Initiative through Caltrans, which commits $1.2 billion toward road and neighborhood beautification projects.

Poli’s piece in the tunnel is called “Good People Under Our Sun and Moon.”

The moon side of the underpass, in hues of pink and purple, features an abstract outline of a woman sleeping and dreaming. The sun side hosts shades of blue with a splash of “Solar Energy” yellow.  An abstract man is crouching and holding up the weight of the world.

Stein called Poli one of the most celebrated graffiti artists in Southern California.

“If you’re driving though this underpass on the 57, you’re not in a museum, you’re not in a gallery or browsing art in a building – this art hits you,” Stein said. “In 10 seconds you have an art experience without having to stop and study it.”

“Home Sweet Home,” Costa Mesa

On the exterior of a campus building at First United Methodist Church of Costa Mesa, Brian Peterson, known for his “Faces of Santa Ana,” created artwork that encourages a humanizing look at people experiencing homelessness.

The “Home Sweet Home” mural illustrates a furnished family room with a yellow couch and side chair, potted plant in the corner. Having on the wall is a portrait of Robert Morse, a former homeless man who now helps others without shelter.

A portion of a couch protrudes from the mural, allowing people to sit “in” the home and take photos. Another side of the building asks, “What solves homelessness?”

The historic Costa Mesa church, founded in 1912, donated its public space for the mural.

“Among Heroes,” Santa Ana

Artist Carlos Aguilar, on the side of the popular La Chiquita Restaurant, pays homage to 160 Mexican-American soldiers who fought in World War II with a 20-by-34-foot mural, “Among Heroes.” 

Aguilar studied graphic design at Saddleback College and started doing murals in Santa Ana in the mid-2000s.

It was in 2012 when the artist started painting his vision, and it wasn’t long before veterans and their families were bringing their photos, asking to be added to the wall.

The mural at Washington Avenue and Custer Street has become more than a work of art since its debut in 2016, evolving into a place for veterans and their families to gather, a classroom for college students and a place to learn about the some 500,000 Mexican-Americans who helped during the war.

Whale Walk, Dana Point

There’s no shortage of whale paintings splashed across the coastal parts of Orange County. The likely most well known found in Laguna Beach, marine artist Wyland’s first-ever Whaling Wall, recently recreated at the Pacific Coast Highway home of his gallery to depict the original painted in 1981.

But head down to Doheny State Beach in Dana Point to find a lesser-known whale mural, not on a wall, but on the sidewalk of the popular beach boardwalk just steps from the ocean.

Former State Parks ranger Jim Serpa, volunteers and art students have been maintaining the Whale Walk since it was first painted 1995, showing up every few years when the marine mammals fade and need touchups.

All the whales that pass by in nearby waters – the gray whales, blues, orcas and humpbacks – are depicted on the walkway.

“The blue whale is the best we’ve ever done, it looks phenominal,” Serpa said last week following a spruce up of the whale paintings.

The whales are painted life-size on the ground, so beachgoers can see just how large the sea creatures can grow to become.

“Pleasures Along the Beach,” Orange

“Pleasures Along the Beach” by Millard Sheets is a massive mosaic mural that is both old and new – find it on the exterior of Chapman University’s Hilbert Museum of California Art in Orange.

The mural depicting a California beach scene was created in 1969 on the side of a Home Savings & Loan branch in Santa Monica.

After the branch closed, the glass-and-tile mosaic spent years broken into its pieces so it could fit in storage. But last year, the 40-by-16-foot artwork was unveiled at the Old Towne Orange museum, part of a vast collection of artwork donated by philanthropists Mark and Janet Hilbert.

The artist, who had worked decades earlier for Sheets, including on this mural, had to piece back thousands of squares of glass and tile, a painstaking task to get the puzzle back together.

“Welcome Home” by Shepard Fairey, Costa Mesa

You can’t miss the 55-foot-tall mural “Welcome Home,” with its red, blue, yellow and white backdrop on the side of a Costa Mesa apartment complex just off the 55 freeway.

The artwork was completed in 2017 by renowned street artist Shepard Fairey, known for his OBEY art campaign and the clothing brand with the same name, born in Costa Mesa.

A woman with a lotus flower in her hair is framed by blocks of color, with silhouette palm trees and a blue curling wave. There’s also a dove and surfers riding waves on the 7,000-square-foot canvas, located at Baker Block apartments, the artwork commissioned by developer CityView, which brought Fairey into the project to beautify the walls of the 240-unit complex.

The mural required 460 cans of spray paint and stretches 136 feet wide.

Olympic surfers, San Clemente

The sky’s colors scream a vibrant red and orange, contrasted with the deep and teal blues of the ocean. There’s the iconic San Clemente pier that cuts through the painting, and, of course, the surfers shredding the waves on American flag-themed boards.

The painting is an ode to the first-ever Olympic competition, held in Tokyo in 2021, and two local surfers who were among the first to compete for Team USA.

Riding the waves are San Clemente’s former World Tour surfer Kolohe Andino and Florida-born Caroline Marks, who has made the beach town her home the past decade. (If Marks’ name sounds familiar, it’s because she went on to win a gold medal at the second Olympic surf competition over the summer in Tahiti.)

It takes a bit of searching to find the artwork tucked in an alleyway on the side of Nomads Canteen restaurant, but once you stumble upon it, you can’t help but be mesmerized by the piece.

It was created by local San Clemente artist and surfer Jeff Lukasik, who said at the time he wanted the piece to be immersive.

“It’s such a big wall, I want people to be able to stand in front of it and feel like you’re in the ocean with these two surfers,” he said after spending weeks painting the mural in 2021. “It just represents San Clemente in a cool way.”

Flight at Tustin Legacy – Tustin

It could have just been an ordinary parking structure – but the developers of Flight at Tustin Legacy off Barranca Parkway in Tustin wanted something bold.

Three gigantic, multi-story murals were painted at mixed-use building, done by artists John Park, Bunnie Reiss and Josh “Shag” Agle.

The artwork helped the development project win the Outstanding Public Arts award from Arts Orange County. The building is near Red Hill Avenue.

Second Harvest, Irvine

On one side, a man holds a bag of oranges and a woman cradles a head of lettuce. On the other side, a boy and girl clutch a bag of apples and a bunch of celery.

The people in the images are real people who have been served by the Second Harvest Food Bank.

The two-story mural at the Irvine distribution center was created in 2021 by New York-based artist Sarah Rutherford to showcase Second Harvest’s commitment to getting fresh, nutritious food to those in need.

“Mission Garden,” San Juan Capistrano

The mural decorating the Ortega Capistrano Trading Post is a reproduction of the painting “Mission Garden — San Juan Capistrano” by Orange County artist and rancher Nellie Gail Moulton.

The 12-by-15-foot mural depicts a plein air landscape at the nearby mission that Moulton painted around 1920, a way for The Alliance of San Juan Art, a local art organization, to bring art history back to San Juan Capistrano.

“The Nellie Gail mural provides a visual testament to the art, culture and long history of this town that is so unusual for Southern California,” said the organization’s founder Rich Heimann, when the mural was unveiled in 2023. “The mural promotes local tourism as it inspires visitors to walk a short distance for a rare experience: A view of the same vista of the Mission she painted 100 years ago in an almost unchanged courtyard.”

Check out  ArtsOC Public Art Directory around Orange County here. 

At least 93 people could lose their jobs in the closures, according to a notification sent to California’s Employment Development Department.

Marty Maloney, Walgreens’ director of media relations, said via email on Friday that “increased regulatory and reimbursement pressures” were weighing on costs associated with rent, staffing, and supply needs.

“It is never an easy decision to close a store,” he wrote. “We know that our stores are important to the communities that we serve, and therefore do everything possible to improve the store performance. When closures are necessary, like those here in California, we will work in partnership with community stakeholders to minimize customer disruptions.”

Maloney said the company intends to redeploy the majority of its affected associates to other stores.

The stores closing include:

• Orange: Closing March 25 with 8 potential layoffs at 3237 E. Chapman Ave.
• Placentia: Closing March 24 with 19 potential layoffs at 1201 E. Yorba Linda Blvd.
• Stanton: Closing March 26 with 13 potential layoffs at 11900 Beach Blvd.
• Whittier: Closing March 20 with 26 potential layoffs at 11604 Whittier Blvd.
• Los Angeles: Closing March 27 with 27 potential layoffs 617 W. 7th St.

Walgreens noted in its notice to the state that the closures are permanent. A list of affected jobs includes pharmacy technicians, pharmacists, cashiers, customer service associates, store managers and inventory specialists.

Drugstore operators have struggled since the pandemic, with hundreds of stores closing nationwide as consumer habits shift. Opioid settlements also have laden chains with debt. Last spring Rite Aid marked 31 stores in California for closure in a bankruptcy restructuring plan. At the time, the pharmacy chain was facing slumping sales and several opioid-related lawsuits.

Blizzard campaign raises $2M for CureDuchenne

A fundraising campaign launched by CureDuchenne and Blizzard Entertainment in Irvine raised $2 million for the nonprofit, which supports families and research to find a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

The campaign was inspired by the late Mats Steen, a World of Warcraft player who went by the avatar Ibelin. The online role-playing video game was created and released by Blizzard in 2004.

Steen suffered from Duchenne muscular dystrophy and died at age 25. Netflix made a documentary about his life called “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin.”

WoW players adopted (bought) a limited edition pet named Reven (the Norwegian word for fox). Reven followed players during their gaming adventures, with proceeds going to CureDuchene.

The nonprofit said the fundraiser was “the most significant contribution that CureDuchenne has received from a corporation to date.”

“The World of Warcraft community has shown that gaming can be a powerful force for good, and we are deeply grateful to Blizzard, the Steen family, and to every player who joined us in honoring Mats Steen and making a real difference in the lives of those affected by Duchenne,” said Debra Miller, the founder and CEO of CureDuchenne.

The money raised will go toward research and care programs for individuals affected by the rare neuromuscular disease.

Wine gala fundraiser is March 1

Napa in Newport returns March 1 at Pendry Newport Beach.

The fundraising event features Napa Valley vintners serving their finest wines, with proceeds benefiting CureDuchenne. The nonprofit raises money to fund research to cure Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Napa in Newport includes a grand tasting, dining tables, dinner with wine pairings and an auction. This year’s Vintner Chair is Morlet Family Vineyards, a family-owned winery with the food curated by Michelin-starred chef and author Philip Tessier of Press Restaurant in Napa Valley.

For more information and tickets, go to napainnewport.org

Birthday party at Michael’s

Michael’s Sports Pub & Grill in Westminster is celebrating its 25th anniversary the weekend of March 29-30. During the Sunday festivities, the pub will feature a car show, wing-eating contest and a commemorating plaque from the city for its years of business.

Address: 15192 Goldenwest St. in the Goldenwest Plaza.

New ventures

Stretto, a law firm with offices in Irvine, Denver and New York, recently launched a legal claims administration services division. The team specializes in mass tort, regulatory remediation, and consumer and securities class action cases. For more information about the firm, go to stretto.com.

Danielle Tolentino Tuason last week opened Seniors Helping Seniors in Orange. The company offers franchise opportunities to caregivers who provide in-home help, errands, light housekeeping and companionship for seniors. Tolentino Tuason’s office is at the City Tower in Orange. Address: 333 City Blvd. 17th Floor. Her office services clients in Orange, North Tustin, Yorba Linda, Placentia, Brea and Fullerton. For more information, call 657-608-2273 or email seniorcare@shsorange.com.

On the move

Jennifer Mower is the new director of the GWC Foundation at Golden West College in Huntington Beach. She started Jan. 29, replacing longtime foundation director Bruce Berman, who retired last June. Mower comes to GWC from the Orange County Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, where she served as director of development since 2016.

News from last week

Surfwear stores closing: Beach reporter Laylan Connelly had the latest on Liberated Brand, the retail operator behind surfwear heavyweights Quiksilver, Billabong on Volcom. Liberated filed for bankruptcy last week and is now getting ready to close 100 retail stores nationwide. The actual brands will live on as Authentic looks to new operators to resume sales through other retailers and e-commerce sites.

Costco strike averted: The Teamsters union and the warehouse retailer reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, avoiding a strike last week. Details of the agreement, which must be approved by members, weren’t immediately available.

Status Update is compiled and written by Business Editor Samantha Gowen. Submit items and high-resolution photos to sgowen@scng.com. Allow at least one week for publication. Items are edited for length and clarity.

Along with Superintendent Alex Cherniss — who has been the district’s superintendent for over a year — the board also voted unanimously during closed session of the special meeting on Thursday, Dec. 19 to place six other employees on paid administrative leave, including Deputy Superintendent Issaic Gates, an assistant superintendent, two executive directors, a director and a principal.

The board appointed Renne Gray, an assistant superintendent, to serve as the district’s interim superintendent. Gray has worked with the district for nearly 11 years and served as an assistant superintendent for the past year.

The announcement was made by recently appointed Board President Marilyn Anderson. She was voted in as the PYLUSD’s board president earlier this week and called for Thursday’s special meeting.

Anderson did not explain why Cherniss and the other employees were placed on leave during the nearly five-hour-long meeting. But in a letter sent to district personnel Friday, she said the seven administrators were placed on paid leave “pending the completion of an internal review.”

“We understand that this decision may raise questions and concerns, and we want to assure you that the Board is united in its commitment to ensuring a fair and thorough process, we are working collaboratively with Mrs. Gray and district staff to ensure that services and support for our students and staff are not impacted,” Anderson said.

She said in the board is not able to share additional information due to employee confidentiality protocols.

Cherniss, who had his contract extended to June 2028 over the summer, said in an email Friday that the decision to place him and the six other employees on leave right before the holidays is “mind-boggling.”

He said he filed a hostile work environment claim against Anderson with the district’s human resources department earlier this week. After his claim was filed, he said Anderson called for the special board meeting to vote on his future with the district. He provided a copy of his email informing board members of the complaint but did not share the complaint itself or comment on the nature of his allegations.

“I’ve done nothing wrong and wasting taxpayer money that should go to kids on this circus is ridiculous,” Cherniss said. “For Marilyn Anderson to call a public meeting for my termination an hour after my filing of a claim against her is retaliatory and will be dealt with through legal channels.”

At a November meeting, the board voted in a split decision to amend Cherniss’ contract by adding a supermajority clause. This means that four out of the five board members would need to agree to fire him.

The controversial decision to increase the voting threshold also applied to the deputy and assistant superintendents. Previously, the PYLUSD board only needed a simple majority (three votes) to fire them. Many parents and two other board members, Anderson and Carrie Buck, expressed concerns about the decision.

Trustees Leandra Blades and Todd Frazier, who have publicly voiced support for Cherniss, voted in favor of the supermajority clause in November but were part of the unanimous vote to suspend him Thursday night.

Blades said Friday that she feels like she didn’t have all the information necessary before Thursday’s meeting.

“The information presented in closed session is not accessible before the meeting, and I made the best decision I could with the information I had,” Blades said.

“Due to broken protocols, it is my opinion Marilyn Anderson tied the board’s hands and forced a vote from our board,” Blades said. “I have the utmost respect for the seven administrators put on administrative leave and believe an injustice was done to them by Marilyn Anderson’s haste to retaliate against our superintendent.”

Anderson did not reply to requests for comment on Friday about Cherniss’ complaint or Blades’ allegations.

Cherniss has worked with the district since May 2023 as its superintendent. He previously served as the superintendent of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District for five years and was a superintendent of the San Marino Unified School District.

At PYLUSD, he backed the district’s controversial athletics-based school program, the Universal Sports Institute. The program has generated mixed reactions from parents, with many concerned about how much it will cost the district and whether or not it will exclude certain students.

Newly elected Trustee, Tricia Quintero was also part of the unanimous vote Thursday night.

After Quintero joined the board and replaced outgoing Trustee Shawn Youngblood of Area 1, the board majority flipped. During the public comment portion of the meeting, people requested that Quintero abstain from Thursday night’s vote as this was her only second board meeting.

Neither Buck, Frazier or Quintero responded to requests directly for comment Friday. A spokesperson for the district, Lorely Meza, said the board members would not comment at this time.

This story has been updated. 

Along with stocking up for the weeks ahead, visitors tasted the savory and sweet tamales vendors were selling as they listened to live entertainment throughout the day and wandered the festival that has become a popular tradition in the city’s downtown. In the evening, the city hosted its tree-lighting ceremony.

f

Didn’t get the memo? You have another chance to fill your fridge and tummies at the Placentia Tamale Festival, which is celebrating 30 years on Thursday, Dec. 12.

The festival will be open 4 to 10 p.m. on the 100-200 block of Santa Fe Street and the 200 block of Bradford Avenue in Old Town Placentia.

A variety of tamales may be purchased from downtown restaurants and there will be live entertainment, a visit by Santa Claus and a craft beer garden. Information: placentiatamalefestival.org

So to get your belly into the holiday spirit here are five tamale festivals coming up this month.

But what if you can’t make it out to the festivals? Don’t worry, there are still tamales in your future since we’ve also included a few chain restaurants where you can find tamales to go near you.

LACC Tamale Festival

When: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7

Where: 4725 Maine Ave., Baldwin Park

Cost: $5

Information: calegion.org

The $5 wristband gets you tamale tastings at the American Legion’s fourth annual festival. There will be tamale competitions, live music and more food.

La Habra Tamale Festival

When: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7

Where: Euclid Street between La Habra Boulevard and Bridenbecker Avenue

Cost: Free admission

Information: lahabratamalefestival.com

About 10,000 people are expected at this annual event where of course they’ll get to try all sorts of tamales from dozens and dozens of vendors. Live entertainment will take place on three stages that will include music and kid-friendly shows. It’ll wrap up with a tree-lighting ceremony and fireworks.

Indio International Tamale Festival

When: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7-Sunday, Dec. 8

Where: Miles Park, 82524 Miles Ave., Indio

Cost: Free to enter

Information: indiotamalefestival.com

According to the organizers this event is recognized by the Guinness World Records as the Largest Tamale Festival with more than 50,000 people expected to attend to check out offerings from more than 200 vendors. Tamale vendors will compete for the coveted title of “Best Tamale” in three categories that include Traditional, Vegetarian, and Sweet. Guests can also compete in a tamale eating contest, check out Lucha Libre matches and even go ice skating on a free rink.

Placentia Tamale Festival

When: 4-10 p.m. Dec. 12

Where: Old Town Placentia, 100 and 200 blocks of Santa Fe Avenue and the 200 block of Bradford Avenue, Placentia

Cost: Free to enter

Information: placentiatamalefestival.org

When the sun starts going down the tamales take over the city of Placentia in this now 30-year-old festival that’s expected to attract up to 10,000 people to Old Town Placentia. Tamales are of course the main draw but visitors can also expect live music, a beer garden, dozens of vendors, a tree-lighting ceremony and pictures with Santa for the kids.

Long Beach International Tamale Festival

When: 1-9 p.m. Dec. 14

Where: Long Beach City College PCH campus, 1350 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach

Cost: $7-$95

Information: playalarga.co/lbtamalesfest/

The Long Beach festival will include traditional tamales and a Best Homemade Tamale Contest. Besides tamales there will be festive tequila tastings, live entertainment including Lucha Libre matches and Ballet Folklorico performances plus a visit from Santa Claus.

Pick up tamales

Acapulco Restaurant Y Cantina, Chevys Fresh Mex, and El Torito Mexican Restaurant

Where: Various locations

Information: xperiencerg.com

Since they’re all run by the same parent company, these Mexican chain restaurants will all be offering the “Tamales To-Go” and seasonal Cranberry Margaritas specials through Jan. 1. Customers can mix and match from a selection of chicken, carnitas or sweet corn tamales for $28 per dozen. And to wash them down the restaurants are offering a 32-ounce Cadillac Cranberry Margarita, made with Lunazul Reposado for $38.

Miguel’s Jr.

Where: At various locations in the Inland Empire and Orange County

Information: miguelsjr.com

The Mexican chain restaurant is bringing back its holiday tamale specials through Dec. 31. They include the returning Spicy Chicken and Chile Rojo Pork tamales plus the new Chile Cheese Tamale, which will be available through December 10.