San Diego, CA
Opinion: Clinical trials saved my life — California shouldn’t put them at risk
In 2022, my wife and I were ready to take the next step to start a family. Like many people, I began with a simple step: checking in with a doctor to make sure everything was on track with my health. I never imagined that visit would uncover a diagnosis that could take both my future and my life. And I certainly didn’t expect that my survival would depend on access to a clinical trial.
Three years ago, I was diagnosed with Lynch Syndrome, an inherited genetic condition that significantly increases the risk of colorectal and other cancers. Shortly after, a colonoscopy revealed a mass in my rectum. Because of a specific biomarker linked to my condition, I qualified for a groundbreaking clinical trial.
That trial changed everything.
Instead of enduring chemotherapy, radiation and invasive surgery, I received an innovative therapy. Within three months, the mass was undetectable. What could have been a devastating, life-altering medical journey became something entirely different.
Stories like mine are only possible because clinical trials exist, and because the system that supports them works.
Today, that system is at risk.
California lawmakers are considering Assembly Bill 1776, legislation intended to strengthen antitrust enforcement. But as written, the bill could unintentionally disrupt the cross-sector collaborations that make clinical trials possible. It expands the state’s authority to challenge business practices deemed “anticompetitive,” creating new uncertainty for the partnerships between researchers, hospitals and innovators that drive medical progress.
In biomedical research, collaboration is foundational, not optional. The same relationships that might raise concerns in other industries are often essential to developing new treatments and bringing them to patients through clinical trials.
California leads the world in clinical research, with thousands of trials actively recruiting patients across the state. These studies are not theoretical – they are where new therapies are tested, refined and delivered to people who need them most like me.
If AB 1776 disrupts the clinical trial pipeline, the consequences will be profound. Fewer clinical trials, slower research, and reduced access to cutting-edge treatments could become the new reality. For those of us facing rare or life-threatening conditions, time is not a luxury. Treatment delays can mean the difference between life and death.
I am one of the fortunate ones. My condition was caught early. A clinical trial was available. The treatment worked.
But not everyone will be so lucky if policies like AB 1776 unintentionally undermine the very system that made my recovery possible. I urge California lawmakers to reject AB 1776 and protect the clinical trials that save lives every day.
Jessica Acosta is a patient advocate who lives in San Diego.
San Diego, CA
Report: Phil Mickelson kicked out of San Diego club for inappropriate contact with female employee
Phil Mickelson has been kicked out of a San Diego golf club over allegations he made unwanted physical contact with a female employee, Golf Digest reported Thursday.
Golf Digest cited multiple sources as saying Mickelson is no longer welcome at The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California, where the six-time major champion has played and practiced for decades. The unwanted contact was said to have happened earlier this spring.
Mickelson, the chief recruiter in the launching of LIV Golf, has only played once this year because of a serious family health matter that has not been disclosed. He did not play the Masters and PGA Championship, and is no longer exempt for the U.S. Open.
Golf Digest said it verified the identity of The Farms employee and was withholding her name to protect her privacy. It said she declined to participate in the reporting of the story.
A spokesperson for Mickelson told Golf Digest, “Any misunderstanding has been cleared up. Phil continues to attend to a family health matter and is uncertain when he will be able to return to professional golf.”
Golf Digest cited sources in reporting Mickelson approached the woman in the clubhouse and made nonconsensual and inappropriate physical contact with her. The woman rejected his advances and reported it to her supervisors.
Officials at The Farms reviewed and investigated, Golf Digest reported, and then confronted Mickelson on the course. Mickelson, 55, was told to leave the premises.
The Farms said in a statement to Golf Digest, “Following a staff member report of member misconduct, the club provided immediate and ongoing support to the staff member, conducted a thorough independent investigation of the incident and took decisive action. This individual is no longer a member of The Farms Golf Club.”
“To protect the safety and privacy of our staff and member, we are unable to speak further on the matter.”
Golf Digest cited multiple sources in confirming the member was Mickelson.
The Farms, located about 10 miles from Torrey Pines, is a private club where several top players are members such as Annika Sorenstam and Xander Schauffele, both of whom have primary residences in Florida.
The development adds to what has become a dark chapter for Mickelson, who is married with three children and was once one of the most beloved public figures in golf for his bold and creative game, and for the time he spent after rounds signing autographs.
Mickelson was a relief defendant in an insider trading scheme in 2016 in which he was not criminally charged but agreed to repay nearly $1 million he made in a single trade. Noted gambler Billy Walters was involved in that case and sentenced to five years in prison.
Walters wrote an autobiography in 2023 in which he claims Mickelson has wagered more than $1 billion over the last 30 years, including one day in 2011 in which Mickelson was said to have placed 43 bets on Major League Baseball that resulted in $143,500 in losses.
Mickelson became the oldest major champion in golf history when he won the 2021 PGA Championship. A year later, he was a central figure in helping to launch Saudi-funded LIV Golf. He lost major sponsorships when he was quoted in early 2022 as calling the Saudis “scary mother (expletives)” and that he was only thinking of joining the league to gain leverage over the PGA Tour.
The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia is ending its financial support of LIV after this year.
San Diego, CA
Padres minors: Jhony Brito solid in El Paso start, Kerrington Cross leads Storm to win
Perhaps the Juan Soto trade isn’t done bearing fruit for the Padres.
Jhony Brito made his first start for Triple-A El Paso on Wednesday, striking out four while allowing a run over four solid innings.
The 28-year-old right-hander allowed the lone run on a solo homer to former top prospect Jarred Kelenic. He finished with four hits allowed and three walks while throwing 44 of his 77 pitches for strikes.
Brito’s two fastballs — a four-seamer and sinker — largely sat 95 mph in the outing, although it ticked downward a bit in his fourth inning of work. He also threw a high-80s slider, a knuckle curve, change-up and sweeper.
It was Brito’s seventh minor league start after missing all of 2025 following an elbow reconstruction. He has a 21-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio while posting a 3.18 ERA over 28⅓ innings so far in the minors, which included one run over 11 innings over his final two rehab starts with Double-A San Antonio.
Brito was then activated from the injured list and optioned to El Paso to continue to stretch out as an option to boost the big-league rotation.
The Padres acquired Brito in December 2023 alongside right-handers Michael King, Randy Vasquez and Drew Thorpe and catcher Kyle Higashioka for Soto and outfielder Trent Grisham. Thorpe ultimately helped complete the trade for Dylan Cease and Higashioka departed as a free agent after hitting a career-high 17 homers in 2024 for the Padres, but King, Vásquez and Brito remain in the organization.
At the time of the trade, Brito had just completed his rookie season with the Yankees, striking out 72 batters against 28 walks while posting a 4.28 ERA in 90⅓ innings split between the rotation and bullpen.
The Padres used Brito exclusively in relief in the majors in 2024 (4.12 ERA, 43 ⅔ IP) but was beginning to stretch him out in the minors when forearm trouble began to surface.
After losing all of last year to the elbow surgery, Brito will have one minor league option left to be used in 2027, a valuable commodity for an organization that traded away Stephen Kolek and Ryan Bergert last year, could lose King, Nick Pivetta, Walker Buehler, Griffin Canning, Lucas Giolito and Germán Márquez to free agency after this season and has yet to get Joe Musgrove back from his Tommy John surgery.
Wednesday’s scoreboard
TRIPLE-A EL PASO (28-37)
Round Rock 4, Chihuahuas 2: After Brito’s exit, RHP Logan Gillaspie (6.51 ERA), LHP Miguel Cienfuegos (1-2, 9.75 ERA) and RHP Ethan Routzahn (3.31 ERA) each gave up a run in an inning of work. RHP Ty Adcock (13.50 ERA) struck out two in a scoreless eighth inning. CF Carlos Rodriguez (.731 OPS) went 2-for-5 with an RBI to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 16 games. C Blake Hunt (1.075 OPS) went 1-for-3 with an RBI.
DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (25-34)
Frisco 5, Missions 0: DH Ethan Salas (.805 OPS) went 2-for-3 and was hit by a pitch. RHP Eric Yost (0-2, 3.38 ERA) allowed three runs in 3⅓ innings in the loss.
HIGH SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (24-35)
Dayton 14, TinCaps 2: RHP Maikel Miralles (0-7, 9.87 ERA) allowed four runs—three earned—in four innings in the loss. 1B Jack Costello (.757 OPS) went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored. DH Justin DeCriscio (.750 OPS) went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a walk.
LOW SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (34-25)
Storm 6, Ontario 1: RHP Jesus A. Castro (2.72 ERA) struck out 12 over 4⅔ shutout innings in the start, scattering three hits and two walks. RHP Nick Falter (2-1, 2.13 ERA) earned the win with 2⅓ scoreless innings. CF Ryan Wideman (.898 OPS) went 2-for-4 with a walk, a run and two steals to push his total to 39. 1B Kerrington Cross (1.029 OPS) went 1-for-3 with a double, two RBIs, two walks and two runs scored. DH Luke Cantwell (1.011 OPS) went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a walk.
ROOKIE ACL PADRES (15-13)
Padres 11, White Sox 6 (7): C Jack Mathey (.501 OPS) went 1-for-2 with a double, two RBIs and a walk. SS Dawson Willis (.933 OPS) went 1-for-4 with two RBIs.
ROOKIE DSL GOLD (4-2)
Padres 9, Dodgers 0 (7): LHP Carlos Alvarez (4.05 ERA) struck out three and allowed two walks over four no-hit innings in the start. 2B Yorvin Morla (1.023 OPS) drove in two runs on his first homer. LF Eddson Martinez (1.662 OPS) and DH Joniel Hernandez (.962 OPS) both drove in two runs on two hits. Martinez doubled.
Fernando Tatis Jr. hit just his second home run of the season with two outs in the ninth inning to lift the San Diego Padres to a 5-4 win against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday.
Tatis lined a 2-1 pitch from Chase Petty (0-1) into the first row of seats in left field, with a launch angle of just 18 degrees. He spread his arms wide in celebration as he approached second base and did an exaggerated stutter step around third. His jersey was torn off during a wild celebration.
He didn’t hit his first homer of the season until May 30 at Washington. Wednesday’s homer was the fifth career walk-off for Tatis and fifth of the season for San Diego, which won for just the fourth time in 16 games.
The Padres took two of three Cincinnati, who scored all their runs Wednesday on three home runs.
Cincinnati took a 4-2 lead on its third homer, by Eugenio Suárez off Ron Marinaccio with one out in the eighth.
San Diego tied it in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double by Gavin Sheets and a run-scoring single by Samad Taylor.
The rally got Michael King off the hook for what would have been his fourth straight loss. He has allowed six home runs in his last four starts, including two in each of his last two starts. Wandy Peralta (1-0) pitched the ninth.
King allowed Spencer Steer’s two-run shot into the second deck in left field in the fourth that gave the Reds a 2-1 lead.
San Diego tied it in the fifth when Tatis’ two-out single brought in Rodolfo Durán, aboard on a one-out double.
JJ Bleday homered off King with two outs in the seventh, his 11th, for a 3-2 lead.
Up next
Reds LHP Nick Lodolo (2-1, 5.51 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday night at home against Arizona.
Padres RHP Griffin Canning (0-4, 6.34 ERA) is expected to start Friday night at Baltimore.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
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