Connect with us

California

Former MLB star Garvey makes play for Latino votes in longshot bid for California US Senate seat

Published

on

Former MLB star Garvey makes play for Latino votes in longshot bid for California US Senate seat


LOS ANGELES — Republican former baseball star Steve Garvey is making a late-hour push for Latino support in his longshot U.S. Senate campaign against Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff for the California seat long held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

The low-key contest has been largely overlooked nationally in a year when control of the Senate will turn on a handful of competitive races, including in Ohio, Michigan and Nevada. Republicans are outnumbered by Democrats in California by a staggering margin – nearly 2-to-1 statewide – and a GOP candidate hasn’t won a Senate race in the state since 1988.

Voting is already underway — mail-in ballots went out to each of the state’s 22 million voters no later than Oct. 7.

Schiff, 64, has recently displayed outward confidence, traveling to Pennsylvania and Ohio to campaign on behalf of other Democratic Senate candidates. With California considered a secure seat for Democrats, he has plans to campaign for Democratic candidates in battleground states in the next month and also has raised money for national Democrats.

Advertisement

If the race has lacked drama, it nonetheless represents a turning point in California politics, which was long dominated by Feinstein, former U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, former Gov. Jerry Brown and a handful of other veteran Democratic politicians. The matchup also means that California won’t have a woman in the Senate for the first time in more than three decades.

Garvey announced last week he planned to spend $5 million on advertising in the run-up to Election Day aimed at the Latino community, including a TV spot in Spanish, the campaign’s first statewide ad. It hits on familiar themes for Garvey, including inflation and gas prices, crime and the state’s notoriously high taxes.

It’s not clear how much good it will do to change the trajectory of a lopsided race in which Schiff has held an edge in polling and campaign finances. The last time a Republican candidate won a statewide race in California was in 2006, nearly two decades ago, underscoring the Democratic advantage.

The race has loosely followed the contours of the national fight for Congress.

Schiff has warned of GOP threats to abortion rights, after the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 stripped away women’s constitutional protections for abortion, and the potential return of former President Donald Trump to the White House. Schiff, a longtime Trump foil, calls the former president a threat to democracy.

Advertisement

Garvey, who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres and was National League MVP in 1974, has hammered Schiff and Democratic leadership for soaring grocery and housing prices, a long-running homeless crisis and other qualify of life concerns in a state that has seen its once-booming population drop in recent years.

Trump figured prominently at a prickly and probably little-watched debate this week, in which Schiff depicted Garvey as a Trump acolyte cloaked in a baseball uniform, while Garvey suggested Schiff was obsessed with Washington partisan politics while ignoring pressing California problems back home.

One Schiff ad recalls the Jan. 6, 2021 mob attack on the U.S. Capitol and the Trump impeachment. “When our democracy was in danger, he stood up,” a narrator says.

Claremont McKenna College political scientist Jack Pitney said Democrats are likely to benefit from an elevated turnout in a presidential election year, with Vice President Kamala Harris, a former California U.S. senator and attorney general, leading the party’s ticket. He noted that state Republicans have struggled for years to enlist viable candidates for marquee offices — voters could choose from only two Democrats for U.S. Senate in the 2016 and 2018 general elections. Garvey, while known to an older generation of baseball fans, would probably be a cypher to many younger voters.

Given California’s political tilt, Garvey’s chances of pulling off a surprise on Election Day “are about equal to my chances of becoming Pope,” Pitney said.

Advertisement

Feinstein, a centrist Democrat who was elected to the Senate in 1992, died at 90 in September 2023. Laphonza Butler, a Democratic insider and former labor leader, was appointed to the seat following Feinstein’s death and decided not to seek a full term this year.



Source link

California

Southern California police vow to quash planned ‘takeover’ event following recent chaos

Published

on

Southern California police vow to quash planned ‘takeover’ event following recent chaos


Huntington Beach police are vowing to prevent a potential “takeover” event being promoted across social media that they believe could get out of control.

Police said they became aware of the event from a flyer online advertising an “end of summer beach bash” in the city.

“Dear ‘Beach Bash’ organizers…” police said in an Instagram post Thursday. “Thanks for the flyer. We’ve seen it too.”

They continued, “We have no intention of allowing that to happen here.”

Advertisement

No further details were provided about when the event was planned to take place or the exact location.

Police and the city of Huntington Beach said they’re working to prevent the event following similar events in Southern California that resulted in violence, vandalism and other criminal activity.

One chaotic event that was held in Newport Beach on the Fourth of July ended with more than 400 people being arrested, according to police. Some partygoers were seen fist fighting, while others allegedly vandalized property and local businesses, including a Pavilions grocery store.

Newport Beach police said social media posts drew a large influx of people to Newport Pier in a short amount of time, and the event got out of control.

Huntington Beach PD warned that anyone who organizes, promotes or participates in criminal activity associated with a takeover event may be arrested or prosecuted. Charges may include incitement to riot, vandalism, theft, assault, reckless driving, unlawful assembly, conspiracy or other applicable offenses.

Advertisement

They also warned that juveniles would not be exempt from punishment, and parents or guardians may also be liable for damages caused by their child’s actions.

The HBPD Special Investigations Bureau has already identified individuals believed to be involved in organizing and promoting the event, according to police.

If you have information regarding this event, you are urged to contact Huntington PD’s Special Investigations Bureau at 714-536-5991.





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

California

Popular California Fast-Casual Chain Mendocino Farms Opens 100th Location in Santa Barbara – edhat

Published

on

Popular California Fast-Casual Chain Mendocino Farms Opens 100th Location in Santa Barbara – edhat


Santa Barbara has become home to a milestone location for a popular sandwich and salad chain.

Mendocino Farms has officially opened its doors at La Cumbre Plaza, marking the company’s 100th location.

Located at 3851 State Street, the restaurant is Mendocino Farms’ first location in Santa Barbara.

Announcing its new store in a social media post, Mendocino Farms said the restaurant offers chef-curated sandwiches and fresh salads using seasonal ingredients.

Advertisement

“Whether you’re fueling your next adventure or settling in for a sunny lunch with friends, we can’t wait to be part of your community. Here’s to our next chapter, together!” the business wrote on Instagram.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Advertisement

The restaurant features a custom mural by local artist DJ Javier, as shared by Mendocino Farms in an Instagram post.

The store opened on June 30 and marked its first day with a host of activities to celebrate its launch.

The opening day featured a live DJ, activities such as ‘Rodeo Riviera’, a hat bar, live sandwich-making sessions with the chefs, and a postcard station.

The location is open daily between 10:30 a.m. and 9 p.m., according to its website.

Diners can enjoy a special summer menu along with the regular options of sandwiches and salads that Mendocino Farms is known for.

Advertisement

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

In addition to its menu options, the restaurant also offers catering services with deliveries available from 10 a.m. onwards.

Advertisement

The space occupied by Mendocino Farms earlier housed Panera Bread, which closed in 2025, per the Restaurant Guy.

About Mendocino Farms

The Los Angeles-based fast-casual chain is known for its selection of freshly made sandwiches, salads, wraps, and soups.

Founded in 2005, Mendocino Farms offers classic as well as limited signature items.

The company opened its first location below the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and has since expanded into a regional brand, according to the Restaurant Guy.

In addition to California, Mendocino Farms has locations in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Texas, and Washington, the company’s website shows.

Advertisement

The restaurants feature a rotating menu of items, along with a range of kids’ menu items that are served with a beverage and a choice of side.

Additionally, the chain offers a variety of dessert options, packaged chips, and packaged beverages.

The company is known for sourcing all its ingredients from ethical local farms and small producers.

All meat and poultry items served are antibiotic-free and humanely raised, while eggs are sourced from cage-free farms, according to its website. Fruits and vegetables are hand-picked, and bread is locally and freshly sourced.

The menu includes a range of items to accommodate all types of diets, such as flexitarian, vegan, and gluten-free.

Advertisement





Source link

Continue Reading

California

Toddler sustains brain injury in fall after California childcare worker threw him into the air, lawsuit says

Published

on

Toddler sustains brain injury in fall after California childcare worker threw him into the air, lawsuit says


A fitness club is being sued after an employee at one of its childcare facilities in Southern California threw a 23-month-old child in the air and failed to catch him, resulting in a traumatic brain injury, according to the complaint.

Matthew and Elena Kittle filed the lawsuit July 2 against The Bay Club, an upscale club with multiple locations, including one in El Segundo, just south of Los Angeles.

They allege that while their son, identified by the initials C.K., was at the daycare center at The Bay Club El Segundo on March 17, 2025, an employee tossed him into the air — 6 feet above the ground — but failed to catch him, the lawsuit says. C.K. fell to the ground and hit his head on the hardwood floor, and the employee fell backward and landed on top of him, the suit says.

It says The Bay Club downplayed the severity of the fall to the boy’s parents. C.K. sustained a concussion and still experiences side effects from the fall, the suit says.

The complaint, filed against The Bay Clubs Co. LLC and Bay Club South Bay LLC, alleges negligence; negligence per se; negligent hiring, retention and supervision; negligent infliction of emotional distress; fraud — intentional concealment; intentional infliction of emotional distress; and battery.

Toddlers playing in a daycare playroom.
A screenshot from a video of the incident at The Bay Club’s El Segundo Clubhouse in El Segundo, Calif., in March 2025.via Rosen Saba Law

The Bay Club said it is unable to comment on ongoing litigation.

“At the Bay Club, the safety of our members, team members, and the families we serve is our highest priority,” it said in a statement.

Advertisement

The Bay Club LLC owns and operates private fitness and country clubs across the West Coast, including locations in Oregon, Washington and California.

Its El Segundo location has the El Segundo Clubhouse, which the club’s website describes as a 14,000-square-foot childcare center, where kids participate in activities under supervision.

The day of the incident, C.K.’s father dropped him off at the El Segundo Clubhouse. He told staff members he would be at the Bay Club Manhattan Country Club, a mile away, for the next three hours, according to the complaint.

C.K. was injured at 9:20 a.m., the suit says.

Security video, which was included in the lawsuit, shows a female employee holding a child by his hands and swinging him between her legs. She then throws the boy over her head, letting go of the child’s hands, and fails to catch him. The child falls to the floor behind her, and the employee falls backward and appears to land on top of him, the video shows. The employee then appears to hold the child while they are on the floor.

Advertisement

Other staff members react with shock and concern after the fall, the video shows.

The club called C.K.’s parents separately afterward. Matthew Kittle picked up the call at 9:30 a.m. and was told that C.K. had “fallen” and had since “calmed down,” the lawsuit says. He called back and said he would pick up his son at the end of his session.

At 9:45 a.m., the club called him again, suggested C.K. needed to be picked up and said that “they had not been able to settle C.K. down,” the filing says.

When Matthew Kittle picked up C.K. at 10:10 a.m., he found his son’s face was “badly bruised,” with his right eye swollen shut and his mouth swollen, the suit says. Once he was at home, C.K. was “extremely drowsy, lethargic, and irritable,” and his parents became concerned, the suit says.

Elena Kittle spoke with an employee, who described herself as the aquatics director, at 10:44 a.m., according to the filing.

Advertisement

The aquatics director said that C.K. “was being held by an employee who fell over while she was in a squatting position” and that “C.K. was only about ‘1.5 feet above the ground’ when the fall occurred,” the suit says. She also said that C.K. wanted to “go to sleep immediately after the fall” and that employees “had trouble keeping him awake,” the suit says.

An hour later, C.K. was checked into the emergency room at a medical center in Torrance. There, the medical staff also questioned the accuracy of The Bay Club’s description of the incident, “because the injuries weren’t consistent with a fall from 1.5 feet,” the suit claims.

C.K. underwent a CT scan and a neurological exam and was diagnosed with a concussion, blunt head trauma and facial abrasion, the complaint says.

At 2:22 p.m. that day, Elena Kittle spoke with The Bay Club’s general manager, who said she reviewed video of the incident and also claimed C.K. fell from 1.5 feet, according to the filing.

The parents asked for the video, which they received March 21, 2025 — which left them “shocked” by the “severity of the fall” and by “the fact that the Bay Club tried to cover up the true nature of the incident,” the suit says. The complaint says the video showed the child was at least 6 feet in the air — not 1.5 feet, as the club had said.

Advertisement

Weeks after the incident, C.K. had symptoms including sensitivity to light and sound, irritability, irregular sleep, lethargy and attachment issues, the suit says. A neurology specialist who examined him in April 2025 said C.K. was still experiencing concussion symptoms, the filing says.

“It was assessed that C.K. suffered a ‘definite concussion with a discrete enough force and clinical signs that indicate he’s in pain and behavioral changes,’” the complaint says. The filing says C.K. continues to experience symptoms, including loss of hearing.

The suit also alleges that the daycare center was not operating legally.

Under California law, childcare centers require licenses from the state Department of Social Services. Some child daycare programs can be exempt from licensing if parents and guardians are on the same premises and if they are not operated on certain sites, including malls or ski facilities.

The suit alleges The Bay Club does not fall under that exception because parents are not necessarily always on the premises. Children can be left at the Bay Club El Segundo Clubhouse while parents go to The Bay Club’s Manhattan Country Club a mile away, the suit says.

Advertisement

The club’s website says a parent or guardian has to be on-site during a reservation.

The parents, represented by the law firm Rosen Saba, demand a jury trial, exemplary and punitive damages and civil and statutory penalties.



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending