At the park, teaching candidates from Costa Mesa’s Vanguard University met with civil rights activist Sylvia Mendez, whose parents were among several Mexican American families who successfully challenged segregation in California schools in the 1940s — years before Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 Supreme Court ruling that would declare segregation unconstitutional.

“I remember we lived in a white neighborhood, so when the bus dropped us off, all of my friends were allowed to go to the school with the beautiful playground,” Mendez, who grew up in the area, shared at the event. “I wasn’t allowed to go to that school. I had to go to my dreadful school.”

In 1943, Mendez and her siblings were denied entrance to Westminster’s Seventeenth Street School because of their Mexican heritage. Mendez was 9 years old. She and other Latino students were told to attend “a nearby Mexican school” and forced to walk a half mile further to get to Hoover Elementary, the area’s segregated school.

Mendez’s parents and four other Mexican American families soon took their stories to California courts, filing a class action lawsuit (Mendez v. Westminster) against four different OC school districts — Santa Ana, Garden Grove, and what was then known as El Modena in East Orange — in 1947. Their successful case led to segregated schools being repealed in California, and built much of the groundwork to uphold Brown v. Board of Education, experts said.

At Tuesday’s event, Vanguard teaching candidates got to walk the same path, along Hoover St., that Mendez and her classmates took.

Today, the Mendez Tribute Monument Park, on the corner of Westminster Blvd. and Olive St., pays homage to the landmark case and the Mendez family’s story. A statue of Sylvia Mendez’s parents, Gonzalo and Felicitas, stands central to the park, along with a statue of two children walking to school — symbolizing the thousands of children who were represented in the ruling.

Sergio Contreras, the former Westminster councilman who worked with the community to build and open the park in 2022, said then that the Mendez family’s “fight to get a quality education… sowed the seeds of equality legislation for the nation. Who would ever imagine that Orange County would be the birthplace of desegregation in California and in our country?”

By creating the park, and the future Mendez Freedom Trail, local leaders and educators aim to preserve the ruling and its impact. Officials at Tuesday’s event say the new 2-mile pedestrian and bike trail will mirror the same walk Mendez and others took to get to their segregated school.

The trail will cost approximately $5 million, according to Westminister assistant city manager Adolfo Ozaeta.

The future Mendez Freedom Trail along Hoover St. will include interactive signs noting the history behind the desegregation case in OC schools. It will break ground and start construction in the coming weeks, Vanguard University officials said, and is currently projected to be finished by the end of the year.

Attendees also supported newly proposed legislation that, if passed, would mandate the Mendez v. Westminster case into California public schools’ history and social science curriculum. AB-1805 was filed in early January by Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana and Assemblymember Tri Ta, R-Westminster.

Mendez, now 87, hopes that the proposal goes through. She learned about the new trail getting the city’s official greenlight at Tuesday’s event. She said she was “so excited” that her parents’ legacy and family name would be honored again in this way, adding that her late mother, Felicitas, is her reason for working hard to raise awareness.

“I am just a storyteller,” Mendez told the future teachers, while giving them advice about working in education. “My mom and dad did all the hard work.”

Attendees were inspired by Mendez’s story and the history of the trail. The majority of teaching candidates said they didn’t know the story before their program at Vanguard.

Perla Gutierrez-Jacinto, 21, visited the tribute park last semester and was honored to walk the same path that Mendez walked in 1943. She said she was both “shocked” and “fascinated” to learn about the desegregation ruling only while in college.

“I have a personal connection to it just because I have grown up in a Mexican household,” Gutierrez-Jacinto, who lives in Costa Mesa, said. “Seeing how back then, you weren’t accepted because of your background, and seeing how it impacted people’s education, it made me more grateful to be able to have an education and to become a teacher.”

Gutierrez-Jacinto is in her last semester at the university, and is part of a dual enrollment program to earn both a Bachelor’s degree in liberal studies and a teaching certificate in four years.

“I think that it’s a great moment in history to share with others and reflect on how far we’ve come,” she said.

Dr. Jeffrey Hittenberger said he wanted to continue the legacy of the Mendez v. Westminster case with the Vanguard University community when he became its Dean of Education in 2023. Previously, he served as chief academic officer with the Orange County Department of Education, and helped the city around 2017, when Westminister officials reached out asking for education partners to create the Mendez Tribute Monument Park.

“For 70 years in Orange County, we had no place that people could go to learn about and commemorate the case,” Hittenberger, 62, said. “Now we have this space where the story is available to the larger community.”

For the last six semesters, Hittenberger said, Vanguard teaching candidates have visited the tribute park — even while it was under construction — and sometimes even get a chance to meet Mendez in person.

Hittenberger said that as a former history teacher, he loves when students can appreciate the “depth and complexity of our own history in Orange County.”

“Ultimately, the message is that people working together can make positive change for our society; change that’s more reflective of our American ideals.”

Staff writers Kaitlyn Schallhorn and Allyson Vergara contributed to this report. 

Snowfest has become a popular annual tradition in the town.

Families played in snow throughout the day, sledding down Mount Pittsford.

Omar Velazquezhuar was convicted Nov. 27 of first-degree murder in the killing of 48-year-old Dora Maria Rosas Moreno of Santa Ana, who was attacked Feb. 26, 2021, and taken to a hospital in critical condition. She died from her injuries on March 17, 2021.

But jurors, who deliberated for about three days, rejected a special circumstance allegation of murder by lying in wait.

Velazquezhuar and Moreno were together for 20 years and had two adult children. Moreno split from the defendant seven months prior to her death, Senior Deputy District Attorney Janine Madera said in closing arguments.

The victim worked as a nanny for an Irvine family and lived with them for several months during the pandemic. At the time she was killed, she had returned to the Santa Ana apartment she previously lived in with the defendant.

Five days before the victim was beaten to death, Velazquezhuar had dinner with his children at the apartment they all had lived in together. During the get-together, he noticed some home improvements and grew angry when he suspected his estranged partner’s new boyfriend was behind the changes, Madera said. Velazquezhuar took a hammer to the changes and left, she said.

Later that night, after their son drove his mother’s car to work at a local Walmart, he came back to the car to find the windows had been smashed in, Madera said.

The defendant testified he had been drinking and doing cocaine while taking his medication the night of the killing and found a tire iron in a bar parking lot, which he took with him to confront the victim.

Madera argued that the defendant had four days to calm down, but instead confronted his estranged partner and fractured her skull with the weapon.

“He finds out about the new boyfriend four days before the murder,” Madera said. “He had all of those days to cool off.”

Velazquezhuar even apologized for the vandalism and paid for the damage, she said.

Velazquezhuar knew where she worked and parked the car out of sight so she wouldn’t get a heads up he was there, Madera argued.

“He wants it all to happen quickly before she can respond,” Madera said in closing arguments. He arrived early to beat her to work, she added.

“He had to plan all of that,” she said in her argument for first- degree murder, which requires a showing of premeditation and deliberation.

“He ambushed the victim before she could get out of the car,” Madera said. “At some point she sees him and he has the metal pipe in his hand. … He hid his car to avoid giving her any warning. He stood and waited for the victim to arrive with the murder weapon in his hand.”

The prosecutor said, “All of the fatal blows were to the back of the victim’s head.”

Despite the defendant’s inebriation, he was still clear-headed enough to call his clients and cancel appointments so he could carry out the attack, Madera argued.

“There was absolutely no provocation at the scene of the murder,” she argued. “Even if you believe his story that she said, `get out of here I don’t want to talk to you,’ that’s no provocation.”

The victim had made it clear several times previously she wasn’t interested in hashing things out, Madera said.

Madera argued that the defendant grabbed the victim as she got out of her car and pulled her back in. As the victim attempted to get away by crawling out through the passenger’s side, he pulled her back in and beat her over the head with the metal pole, Madera argued.

Defense attorney Paul Rogers of the Orange County Public Defender’s Office argued that it was unlikely any planning went into the killing because it was done about 7 a.m. in a heavily congested, quiet neighborhood. He also said it would have made more sense to confront the victim after she got out of the car instead of trying to chase her through the vehicle.

“His actions are not okay. They’re inexcusable,” Rogers said. “But your job is simply to assign the right crime for the conduct. Why do you think there are so many pictures of Dora with the birthday cake? They tell you they don’t want you to be emotional, but they’ll keep showing you pictures of her with the birthday cake. Their trying to confuse you with emotion is not justice.”

Rogers argued for lesser charges of second-degree murder or manslaughter because he said the killing was done in the heat of the moment.

“He chose the dumbest weapon in the world,” Rogers said of the tire iron.

If he intended to kill the victim and wanted to get away with it, he shouldn’t have brought his phone with him because investigators can use records to trace your steps with the devices, Rogers said.

“He brings his phone with him. That’s pretty dumb,” Rogers said.

Rogers faulted Irvine police for not following up multiple leads to back up or refute evidence of planning the attack.

“They didn’t really do any investigation on the phone. That was obvious,” Rogers said. “You want to say Dora was afraid of him. Show me that message. Any threats anywhere.”

Their son saved his text messages, Rogers said.

“I read them,” he said. “I guarantee you they have not.”

Police did not do a blood draw on the suspect to test his claim that he was intoxicated, Rogers said.

“How am I supposed to go back and do a blood draw on that?” he said.

Police did not attempt to get surveillance video from the bar the defendant was at that night or interview anyone who was there, Rogers argued.

Anyone experiencing or at risk of domestic violence can obtain help by calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.

MORE: Read all the candidate responses in our Voter Guide

Name: Dom Jones

Current Job Title: Businesswoman + television host

Political Party Affiliation: Democrat

Incumbent: No

Other political positions held: None

City where you reside: Huntington Beach

Campaign website or social media: Website: www.domjones.org; Instagram: domjones.unity

Gov. Newsom has been front and center lately in global affairs, from a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping discussing climate action to a trip to Israel where he met with victims of the Hamas attack. Aside from the governor’s trips, what do you see as the role California should play when it comes to foreign affairs?

California is positioned to become the fourth largest economy in the world, following the U.S., China and Japan. Due to our pivotal role in America’s gross domestic product, I believe California should continue to take a leadership role in strengthening diplomatic and economic relations. This is critical to continue driving economic prosperity for our strong labor workforce and advancing global policy initiatives to combat climate change.

There have been recent efforts at the local level to change voting requirements — from a proposed voter ID requirement in Huntington Beach to an effort to open up voting to noncitizens in Santa Ana. What changes, if any, should be made to California’s voting laws?

I firmly believe in a person’s right to vote and participate in our democratic process. It is well known that voter ID requirements suppress voter participation, particularly among historically disenfranchised Black, Latino, Asian and Native American communities. California has led the way to enshrine and expand on the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and I fully support the laws we have in place that intend to protect voters’ rights and increase voter turnout. I believe the primary and general election days should be designated state holidays to ensure every voter has the opportunity to vote.

The latest state budget projections show California’s deficit has swelled to a record $68 billion, leading to calls for spending cuts. Give us two specific ways California could address the deficit.

California can address the budget deficit through a balanced approach to tax fairness, including requiring the wealthiest individuals and corporations that are currently receiving the largest tax breaks to pay their fair share. And we should be identifying waste and duplication in the budget so we keep it lean and efficient.

Speaking of the budget, what are your top three budget priorities?

My top three priorities are:- Making housing more affordable.- Guarantee access to affordable healthcare to reduce costs and prevent medical debt.- Ensuring our public schools, colleges and career training programs are building opportunities for strong careers.

The legislature garnered national headlines when an effort to increase penalties for child sex trafficking initially stalled. How would you, in the legislature, balance criminal justice reform with public safety concerns?

While there must be a balanced approach to these sensitive issues, the safety and welfare of our children, women, families and communities would be a top priority of mine when making critical decisions dealing with the justice system.

Homelessness continues to be a concern for Californians. While there is no simple solution, what is one proposal you have that could reduce homelessness in our communities?

An effective approach to alleviating homelessness involves streamlining bureaucratic processes at the local level. This enables collaboration among municipalities, nonprofits and the private sector to expedite housing production, meeting the growing demand and enhancing affordability. Implementing incentives that encourage density, transit-oriented development and exemptions to mitigate rising construction costs can yield positive outcomes.

The governor recently signed a law that set a first-in-the-nation minimum wage standard for healthcare workers. Should minimum wage standards vary by industry? Why or why not?

Due to the rising cost of living, I believe we should explore the minimum wage standards across industries. Having been a small business owner, I understand there are concerns about the potential hardship this can place on local businesses. I’m interested in exploring what this may look like for larger businesses and corporations that have the revenue to support a higher minimum wage standard.

What is one environment or climate policy you’d champion if elected?

Climate change is a public health issue and an economic issue. I would champion policies that support protecting and cleaning our oceans, beaches, ports and the communities most impacted by the plastics and pollution we see across the district.

What is one capital improvement project you’d like to see financed and completed in your district?

Our coastline is critical for our economy and way of life. A key capital improvement project for the Orange County coastline would be investing in coastal erosion mitigation measures to protect the beaches and shoreline infrastructure in Huntington Beach, Seal Beach, Laguna Beach and Newport Beach. This would include the implementation of critical seawalls, beach nourishment and flood barrier restoration to safeguard against erosion and enhance resilience to rising sea levels.

The state recently began rolling out the CARE Court program in some counties, the state-funded effort that allows first responders, family and other designated people to petition a court to have someone with untreated severe psychotic disorders receive treatment and services. What other ways can the state prioritize mental health care for its residents, including those with less severe disorders?

We must prioritize behavioral health facilities and supportive housing programs with wrap-around services that can provide 24/7 support to people with less severe disorders. These facilities should be rooted in providing humane and holistic approaches, with qualified and trained professionals who can help provide treatment and connect people to further critical resources.

Describe your political philosophy in 10 words or less.

People and solutions, not politics.

What is your go-to campaign trail snack or drink?

Fruit and veggies.

MORE: Read all the candidate responses in our Voter Guide

Name: Diane Dixon

Current Job Title: State Assemblymember

Political Party Affiliation: Republican

Incumbent: Yes

Other political positions held: Former Newport Beach City Councilmember and mayor

City where you reside: Newport Beach

Campaign website or social media: Website: www.dianedixonforassembly.com; Instagram: @Diane_Dixon_

Gov. Newsom has been front and center lately in global affairs, from a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping discussing climate action to a trip to Israel where he met with victims of the Hamas attack. Aside from the governor’s trips, what do you see as the role California should play when it comes to foreign affairs?

California is the fifth largest economy in the world. While I do believe international relations should be handled at the federal level, in extreme circumstances as well as international conflict, constituents should know where their representatives stand.

I immediately condemned the Hamas terror attack on Oct. 7 and co-authored Assembly Concurrent Resolution 119. This resolution calls for the release of all hostages as well as condemnation for Hamas’ theft of relief supplies intended for Gazan civilians among many other atrocities.

There have been recent efforts at the local level to change voting requirements — from a proposed voter ID requirement in Huntington Beach to an effort to open up voting to noncitizens in Santa Ana. What changes, if any, should be made to California’s voting laws?

Voting is a right for all American citizens, and while guaranteeing that every vote is counted accurately should be our top priority, we must ensure that the right to be heard is not encroached upon for any voter. Every voter should be able to verify their identity simply to limit any potential fraud and restore faith in our system.

The latest state budget projections show California’s deficit has swelled to a record $68 billion, leading to calls for spending cuts. Give us two specific ways California could address the deficit.

Sacramento politicians have created a bloated government with excess spending, and taxpayers have little to show for it. We must take swift action to address the $68 billion budget shortfall. Let’s start by ending taxpayer-provided healthcare for illegal immigrants which will only encourage more illegal immigration and exacerbate this financial burden.

Our state agencies brag about spending $9.8 billion on a failed high-speed rail project and hundreds of millions of dollars converting the San Quentin Correctional Facility into a resort for criminals. As a member of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, I see almost every bill that has a cost associated with it. On some of these bills, I simply ask my Democratic colleagues where the funding will come from. After telling me they aren’t sure, they still vote in favor of the bill.

Speaking of the budget, what are your top three budget priorities?

Simply put, we need to reel back frivolous spending, and we need to do it now. That is priority No. 1.

Second, we should be focused on eliminating fraud that has impacted state programs like EDD.

Finally, we should consider zero-based budgeting, and every program should justify its need and effectiveness. Overall, the legislature needs to do a better job of prioritizing the dollars we do have to ensure taxpayers get the most bang for their buck. Unfortunately, California has become unaffordable for middle-income residents. We have the fourth-highest income taxes and the highest gas taxes in the country. These taxes and regulations are driving businesses and their jobs out of California. There is much work to be done.

The legislature garnered national headlines when an effort to increase penalties for child sex trafficking initially stalled. How would you, in the legislature, balance criminal justice reform with public safety concerns?

I am married to a 40-year career major crimes prosecutor; public safety is a dinner table conversation. Our lawmakers need to stay focused on victims. When my colleagues in Sacramento didn’t want to increase penalties for child sex traffickers, I was proud to be one of the few to spotlight their pro-criminal policies, and as a proud coauthor, helped pass SB 14.

Legislators need to focus on helping victims of crime, not harming them further. For example, in a reverse situation last year, my colleagues introduced SB 94 which would allow for the early release of the worst of the worst criminals sentenced to life without parole. My fellow Republicans and I were prepared to share victims’ stories to shine a spotlight on how these convicted murderers and rapists could be released into our communities if this legislation was passed. At the last minute, Democrats caved and the bill was pulled from a vote. Policies like this come year after year; this one included. We need to let victims’ families as well as all voters know that their voice matters in opposition to criminal-friendly legislation. We all need to be an activist to keep our communities safe.

Homelessness continues to be a concern for Californians. While there is no simple solution, what is one proposal you have that could reduce homelessness in our communities?

Homelessness is not an issue that the state government can afford to continue burning money with little to no results. More than $20 billion has been spent in the last four years while the problem has become much worse with nearly 50% of the nation’s homeless population living in California. Homelessness has always been an issue handled most effectively at the local and regional levels. In Orange County, sadly, the fastest-growing homeless population is our seniors. I have long been a supporter of increasing affordable senior housing opportunities in my district.

The governor recently signed a law that set a first-in-the-nation minimum wage standard for healthcare workers. Should minimum wage standards vary by industry? Why or why not?

While I do not support government-mandated minimum wages, they certainly should not vary by industry. SB 525 is one of the most costly laws the state has seen in decades. After signing the bill, the governor’s administration projected this wage hike would cost private healthcare providers approximately $4 billion in the 2024-25 fiscal year alone. In California, the public healthcare provider costs are an additional $4 billion.

In addition, hospitals that cannot afford to include these higher wages in their razor-thin margins are anticipated to outsource work to people outside of California. We cannot afford to lose these jobs, especially in rural communities that would be the hardest hit, and hospital closures are now becoming real. Over the next year, you will start to see everything increase in cost — driven by the ripple effect of higher wages throughout the workforce. At a time when high inflation is already impacting the average Californian with high food costs and high fuel costs, these wage increases will ultimately be passed to the consumer in the form of higher prices.

What is one environment or climate policy you’d champion if elected?

I represent more than 30 miles of Orange County’s beautiful 42-mile coastline. These coastal cities attract approximately 30 million tourists each year and support our local economies. There is much to be done to protect our beautiful beaches and our economies.

Seal Beach began a long overdue sand replenishment project in December to combat our coastal erosion. In the 2023 budget, I brought in nearly $3 million in state funding for beach protection and accessibility. Part of this funding helped complete the Newport Beach Trash Wheel, a project I started as a councilmember in Newport Beach which will prevent garbage from entering the Pacific Ocean.

In 2024 and beyond, I plan to bring the same technology to Seal Beach where the San Gabriel River collects garbage from 19 inland cities and dumps that waste into Seal Beach. I will also be introducing a coastal package this legislative cycle with the intention of cleaning our beaches and oceans.

What is one capital improvement project you’d like to see financed and completed in your district?

I regularly meet with the elected officials and city staff in each of the eight cities I represent to discuss what I can be doing to help them. Many of the cities have great community projects that I am working to help fund. A key project that would have a significant impact would be a community center in a low-income and English-as-a-second language region of Lake Forest. Built near the 5 Freeway, this community center would benefit residents from Lake Forest, Laguna Hills, Laguna Woods and Aliso Viejo.

The state recently began rolling out the CARE Court program in some counties, the state-funded effort that allows first responders, family and other designated people to petition a court to have someone with untreated severe psychotic disorders receive treatment and services. What other ways can the state prioritize mental health care for its residents, including those with less severe disorders?

I led the charge on an audit of the Department of Health Care Services because we need to know what works and what doesn’t. This audit should be completed this year and my colleagues and I plan to use this information to identify and streamline operations that waste taxpayer dollars and promote the programs that help people recover and get the treatment they need.

Describe your political philosophy in 10 words or less.

Fiscally responsible conservative working to make Californians’ lives affordable.

What is your go-to campaign trail snack or drink?

Whether I am running between committee meetings in Sacramento or district events in Orange County, I can’t live without my protein bars.

The dedicated food week will feature deals and prix-fixe menus ranging from $15 to $25 for lunch, and $25 to $45 for dinner, a date-night lineup and even luxury menus offering a more tony experiences for $60 to $120.

New to this year’s lineup include Irvine’s Benny and Mary’s, Bloom Restaurant and Bar in San Juan Capistrano, Le Shrimp Noodle Bar in Costa Mesa, Mission Viejo’s Dizzy Bird and Oliver’s Trattoria in Irvine, to name a few.

This year’s week-long event will also highlight family-friendly dining, which is a great way at getting kids to learn about cuisine and dining out, and vegetarian dining, ideal for those who either eschew a carnivorous lifestyle or yearn for a more vegetable-forward menu.

The annual event is put on by the Orange County Restaurant Association. Diners can find participating restaurants’ menus and prices at www.OCRestaurantWeek.com.

This year’s restaurants are as follows:

1886 Brewing Company – Orange

399 Vietnamese Kitchen – Tustin

Anaheim White House – Anaheim

Angelina’s Pizzeria – Irvine

AnQi Bistro – Costa Mesa

Apola Greek Grill – Yorba Linda

Aria Kitchen – Irvine

AVEO Table + Bar – Dana Point

Avila’s El Ranchito – San Clemente, Santa Ana

Benchmark – Santa Ana

Benny and Mary’s – Irvine

Billy’s at the Beach – Newport Beach

Blaze Pizza – Newport Beach

Bloom, Restaurant + Bar – San Juan Capistrano

Bluegold – Huntington Beach

Bodega Laguna – Laguna Beach

Bottega Angelina – Laguna Niguel

Brio Italian Grille – Irvine

BRU Grill and Market – Lake Forest

Brunos Italian Kitchen – Brea

Cabo Wabo Beach Club – Huntington Beach

Cafe Sevilla Spanish Restaurant and Tapas Bar – Costa Mesa

Cambalache Grill – Fountain Valley

Cappy’s Cafe – Newport Beach

Casa Ramos – Santa Ana

Cha Cha’s Latin Kitchen – Brea

Cha Cha’s Latin Kitchen – Irvine

Chapter One: the modern local- Santa Ana

Chelas Mexican Kitchen – San Clemente

Churriño – Costa Mesa

Citrus City Grille – Orange

Citrus Fresh Grill – Aliso Viejo

City Cruises Anchored by Hornblower – Newport Beach

Congregation Ale House – Santa Ana

CUCINA enoteca – Irvine, Newport Beach

CUCINA enoteca – Newport Beach

Descanso – Costa Mesa

Dizzy Bird – Mission Viejo

Eureka! – Irvine

Falasophy – Irvine

Farmhouse at Roger’s Gardens- Corona Del Mar

Fermentation Farm – Costa Mesa

Five Crowns – Corona Del Mar

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar – Newport Beach

Fly N Fish Oyster Bar and Grill – Newport Beach

Gracias Madre – Newport Beach

Great Maple – Anaheim

Great Maple – Newport Beach

Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken – Santa Ana

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ – (Huntington Beach, Tustin)

Haagen-Dazs – Irvine

Habana – Costa Mesa, Irvine

Hammer Burger – Santa Ana

Harborside Restaurant – Newport Beach

Hatam Restaurant – Mission Viejo

Haven Craft Kitchen + Bar – Orange

Henry’s Coastal Cuisine – Huntington Beach

High Horse Saloon – Fullerton

HoléSmokes – Costa Mesa

Il Fornaio – Irvine

Il Sole La Nuova Cucina – RSM

Indigo | Modern Indian Bistro – Huntington Beach

Ironwood, Cellar. Craft. Cook. – Laguna Hills

Izakaya Osen – Irvine

JA Jiaozi Authentic Dumplings- Irvine

Jars Sweets & Things – Laguna Niguel

Khan Saab Desi Craft Kitchen- Fullerton

Le Shrimp Noodle Bar – Costa Mesa

Left Coast Brewing – Irvine

Lido Bottle Works – Newport Beach

Lighthouse Cafe – Newport Beach

Little Sister – Irvine

Lola Gaspar – Santa Ana

Luciana’s Ristorante – Dana Point

Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que- Brea, Lake Forest, Orange, Tustin)

Lumberyard Restaurant – Laguna Beach

Luna Rossa – Tustin

Maldon’s Bistro – Irvine

Market Broiler – Huntington Beach, Orange

Mayor’s Table at Lido House – Newport Beach

MESA – Costa Mesa

Mickey’s Irish Pub – Fullerton

Morton’s The Steakhouse – Santa Ana

Mozambique – Laguna Beach

Mr. D’s – Placentia

Muldoon’s Irish Pub – Newport Beach

Native Son – Santa Ana

Newport Landing – Newport Beach

NOVA Kitchen and Bar – Garden Grove

O Fine Japanese Cuisine – Irvine, Laguna Beach

O SEA – Orange

Oak – Laguna Beach

OC Fish Grill – Irvine

Offshore 9 Rooftop Lounge – Huntington Beach

Olea, Cellar. Craft. Cook. – Newport Beach

Oliver’s Osteria – Laguna Beach

Oliver’s Trattoria – Irvine

Pacific Catch – Tustin

Pacitas Modern Filipino Kitchen – Anaheim

Paradise Dynasty – Costa Mesa

Paul Martin’s American Grill– Irvine

Perla Mexican Cuisine – Santa Ana

Pieology The Market Place – Irvine

Pita Feast – Huntington Beach

Playa Mesa – Costa Mesa

Plums Cafe – Costa Mesa

Pressed – Newport Beach

Prime Cut Cafe – Orange

Pub Thirty-Two – Mission Viejo

Puesto – Anaheim

Puesto Los Olivos – Irvine

Puesto Park Place – Irvine

RA Sushi – Tustin

RAKKAN Ramen – Tustin

Rancho Capistrano Winery – SJC

Rangeen Kitchen – Laguna Niguel

Red O Restaurant – Newport Beach

Robata Wasa – Irvine

Rockin Baja Lobster – Newport Beach

Romano’s Macaroni Grill – Irvine

Rub Red’s BBQ – La Habra

Rumari – Laguna Beach

Sapphire, Cellar. Craft. Cook. – Laguna Beach

Scratch Bakery Cafe – Laguna Hills, Scratch Bakery Cafe

SideDoor – Corona Del Mar

Silver Trumpet Restaurant and Bar- Costa Mesa

Simply Fish – Costa Mesa

Skyloft – Laguna Beach

Starfish – Newport Beach, Laguna Beach

StillWater Spirits & Sounds- Dana Point

Summit House Restaurant – Fullerton

Sundried Tomato American Bistro & Catering – SJC

Sweetgreen – Irvine, Tustin

Taco Rosa – Irvine, Newport Beach

TACOMPADRE – Santa Ana

Tacos TJ Style – Santa Ana

Tangerine Room – Anaheim

Taste of Beauty – Fountain Valley

Tea Maru – Irvine, Santa Ana

The Bungalow Restaurant – Corona Del Mar

The Country Club – Costa Mesa

The Crack Shack – Costa Mesa

The Peel Craftbar & Kitchen – Orange

The Pizza Press – Santa Ana

The Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar – Tustin

The Yellow Chilli Tustin – Tustin

Thirty Four Bar & Bistro – Irvine

Vacation Bar – Santa Ana

Villa Roma – Laguna Hills

Vine Restaurant & Bar – San Clemente

Whitestone Restaurant & Bar – Dana Point

Wild Goose Tavern – Costa Mesa

Woody’s Wharf – Newport Beach

Ysidora Restaurant and Lounge – SJC

Zabb Thai Cuisine – Newport Beach

ZOOD – Newport Beach

The hack affected loan processing and phone services for the nation’s fifth-largest retail mortgage lender, according to a Jan. 8 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The company said its data was encrypted by the “unauthorized third party” who broke into company systems. It said certain unspecified systems were shut down to contain the incident.

Also see: OC-based LoanDepot cut corners in echo of 2008 mortgage crisis, suit says

Those system shutdowns are impacting customers who are attempting to make loan payments or begin a loan process, according to multiple users on social media such as Facebook and Twitter.

Dan O’Leary told the Southern California News Group that a week after the hack, he still can’t access the loan servicing portal where he makes payments. That same portal is where customers would request funds from home equity lines of credit, too.

More on lending: A secret bias in mortgage-approval algorithms is denying minority borrowers

“I haven’t tried calling yet myself, but others have reported the issues in the comments on their Facebook page,” he said.

LoanDepot said it had contacted law enforcement and was still assessing how the attack might affect its bottom line.

“We are working quickly to understand the extent of the incident and taking steps to minimize its impact,” the company said.

More on LoanDepot: How Anthony Hsieh went from cashier to mortgage billionaire

The incident bore all the hallmarks of a ransomware attack, but company spokesman Jonathan Fine would neither confirm or deny that possibility. The attack apparently began over the Jan. 6-7 weekend.

LoanDepot did not say whether any corporate or customer data was stolen during the break-in or when it was discovered. Ransomware criminals typically steal data before activating malware that scrambles data with encryption. That way, the criminals can extort the target even if it can quickly restore its networks from backups.

LoanDepot told customers on its website that recurring automatic payments were being processed and that they could make payments by phone.

Also see: LoanDepot CEO Anthony Hsieh buys Newport Coast mansion for record-setting $61 million

Yossi Rachman, a senior director of security research at Semperis, told Forbes that mortgage giants are not immune to “persistent threat actors” that look for weaknesses in companies’ security architecture. “Age-old phishing scams are still highly effective in breaching organizations, as hackers send emails to a wide set of employees within a company and wait until someone inadvertently clicks on an attachment with malicious software code,” he said.

The hack comes just a month after news broke that the lender Mr. Cooper also was hit by a cyberattack affecting some 4 million customers. The company said it would cover any late fees and penalties and help resolve bad credit reporting tied to delays in mortgage payments.

Founded in 2010, loanDepot has more than $140 billion in outstanding loans and 6,000 employees servicing more than 27,000 customers each month.

The Lake Forest-based chain is offering Snack Tacos for 60 cents on its Del Yeah! Rewards App through March 6, according to its website and a Facebook post.

The chain was founded by Ed Hackbarth, who opened the oldest existing Del Taco location at 401 First Ave., Barstow in 1964.

Information: deltaco.com

The large bird, only out of the nest for an estimated five or six months, was spotted Dec. 14 by a pair of fishermen 10 miles off the coast of Marina Del Rey, said Dr. Scott Weldy of the Orange County Bird of Prey Center.

“Maybe the bird was trying to fly to the islands out there, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Catalina, or maybe it was flying back,” he said. “It could’ve got tired and hit the water or it could’ve seen something in the water and went down on it to see what it was, because it’s a youngster.”

The fishermen plucked the water-logged bird out of the water, taking it to the Marina Del Rey harbor patrol where they turned it over to authorities.

Weldy, who also runs the Serrano Animal and Bird Hospital in Lake Forest, said the Marina Del Rey Sheriff’s Department reached out while looking for a rescue and he drove over to pick up the bird and bring it back to his hospital for tests.

“It was underweight, wet and just exhausted,” Weldy said.

Despite that, he said the bird “was actually supporting itself and doing really well.”

After a few days, Weldy said he transferred the golden eagle to a flight cage at the Bird of Prey Center. The bird soon began to fly straight up from the ground and back and forth between the high perches, a good sign, Weldy said.

“We did blood work on it, lead levels on it and those were normal. We radiographed it, those were all normal,” he said.

It’s not beneficial for large birds like the golden eagle to be kept in a cage for too long, so the decision was made to release it, he said. “Otherwise, they atrophy their muscles because they’re giant, big tanks, that fly.”

Black Star Canyon, where the eagle was released Sunday, is an area heavy with food and other eagles, Weldy said.

Weldy said he sees golden eagles on rare occasions in Orange County – most of the birds that come into the Bird of Prey Center are ospreys.

Zoologist Peter Bloom, who has been studying birds of prey for several decades, said the breeding population of golden eagles in Orange County is “essentially extinct” because of a loss of habitats to support them. The golden eagle is on California’s protected species list, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“As of a few years back, there are none breeding in Orange County,” he said. “We have at least one golden eagle here. He hangs around UC Irvine and some of the local county parks this time of year and then goes back into the Santa Ana Mountains.”

Bloom, who tagged the golden eagle before it was released, said he’s optimistic about its continued survival.

“It’s very healthy,” Bloom said. “Maybe it’ll be able to reproduce in Orange County.”

The new band on the bird’s leg and tag on its wing will let biologists and birdwatchers gather data on its movement and life history, Weldy said.

“I’m thankful for the people that were involved in picking up and bringing in this bird, because without being properly cared for, they don’t do well and die,” Weldy said. “Hopefully we won’t ever find the band again until she’s in her twenties or thirties, if we can get her that old.”

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  Skateboarder Ryan Sheckler, left, poses for a photo with Ollie Cazier, center, of Irvine as Brett Cherry, right, takes a photo at the Etnies Skatepark in Lake Forest as it celebrates its 20th anniversary on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Brandon Tafoya of Lake Forest rides his board at the Etnies Skatepark in Lake Forest as it celebrates its 20th anniversary on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Eric Metz, left, and Kevin Fernandez, a recreation supervisor at the Etnies Skatepark in Lake Forest, finish putting a new logo on a wall as it celebrates its 20th anniversary on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  A skateboarder rides to the entrance of the Etnies Skatepark in Lake Forest as it celebrates its 20th anniversary on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Brandon Burleigh of Mission Viejo, slides his board along the edge of a wall at the Etnies Skatepark in Lake Forest as it celebrates its 20th anniversary on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Skateboarder Ryan Sheckler speaks to a crowd gathered at the Etnies Skatepark in Lake Forest as it celebrates its 20th anniversary on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Skateboarders listen as Ryan Sheckler speaks at the Etnies Skatepark in Lake Forest as it celebrates its 20th anniversary on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Jannalynn Flower of Visalia skates at the Etnies Skatepark in Lake Forest as it celebrates its 20th anniversary on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Skateboarders take a break while riding at the Etnies Skatepark in Lake Forest as it celebrates its 20th anniversary on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Skateboarders Cody Long, left of Long Beach and Brandon Burleigh, right, of Mission Viejo, slide their boards at the Etnies Skatepark in Lake Forest as it celebrates its 20th anniversary on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  A skateboarder rides around the Etnies Skatepark in Lake Forest as it celebrates its 20th anniversary on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Cairo Lujan, 6, of Santa Ana rides his board at the Etnies Skatepark in Lake Forest as it celebrates its 20th anniversary on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Marking two decades of flips, grinds and adrenaline-fueled rides, the Etnies Skatepark in the heart of Lake Forest commemorated its 20th anniversary on Saturday, Dec. 16.

When it opened on Dec. 13, 2003, Etnies Skatepark cemented itself as one of the largest in the nation, the result of a partnership between Lake Forest and Etnies, a prominent skateboard shoe and apparel company, said Lake Forest spokesperson Jonathan Volzke.

Over the past two decades, the skatepark has evolved into a central hub for recreation, programming and community events. Notably, Transworld Skateboarding magazine bestowed the park with the recognition of being one of the “top 10 ride before you die” places to skateboard globally, said Volzke.

The facility’s widespread acclaim is not limited to the skateboarding community alone; it has made appearances in popular television shows on Disney, Nickelodeon and MTV in addition to the EA video game “Skate 2.”

The park’s first expansion project — from 2009 to 2011 — added a backyard-style swimming pool, cradle, X Games-style flow area, mini bowl and new street obstacles. The expansion increased the skatepark’s size to 62,000 square feet, making it one of the world’s largest, said Volzke.

More improvements are anticipated to be added to the city’s budget, and plans will be made after an outreach campaign sometime next year.