LOS ANGELES – The Dodgers traded right-handed pitcher Chris Hatcher to Oakland for international amateur signing bonus pool space and reinstated infielder/outfielder Rob Segedin from the 60-day disabled list on Tuesday.

Segedin, who missed 102 games because of a right great toe strain and right wrist surgery, appeared in a combined 10 rehab games with Triple-A Oklahoma City and rookie-level Arizona, hitting .333 (11 for 33), with three runs, three doubles and six RBI.

Segedin has reached base safely in 16 of 17 games with Oklahoma City this season, hitting .328 (22 for 67) with nine runs, five doubles, two homers and 10 RBI. In two games with the Dodgers prior to his stint on the disabled list, he went 1 for 4 (.250) with a run scored.

Hatcher, who missed 42 games with a thoracic inflammation, last pitched on June 22 for the Dodgers allowing one run on one hit in 1-1/3 innings with one strikeout against the Mets. In 26 relief appearances this season, he has gone 0-1 with a 4.66 ERA (36-2/3 innings, 19 earned runs) and struck out 43 while allowing 12 walks and 37 hits.

The Dodgers acquired Hatcher in 2015 from the Marlins. He has appeared in 49 games, going 8-10 with four saves, while posting a 4.64 ERA.

I just got back from seeing “Hamilton” at the beautiful, historic Hollywood Pantages, and I really enjoyed the show. As a longtime season ticket holder, I have some tips to make your experience even better.

1 Arrive early. They won’t seat you immediately if you arrive after the curtain goes up. They’ll make you wait until what they consider a “suitable break,” so it’s worth the hassle to make sure and arrive well before the curtain. Parking and traffic can cause significant delays, so go even earlier than you think necessary. If you have extra time, enjoy the ornate Art Deco ornamentation on the exterior and in the lobby, with its gilt chevrons, zigzags, starbursts and statues. My favorite place for a selfie is in front of the show poster under the overhang, before you get inside the building. Security will search your bag before you enter, so leave the Smith & Wesson at home. People do tend to dress up a bit here, though you don’t need to wear a tuxedo.

2. Order your intermission drink before the show. I learned to do this in London: Find the first floor bar under the staircase and order your soda, wine, beer or cocktail for later before the show. When intermission comes, the bartenders will have it waiting for you atop a napkin with your name on it. That way, you save yourself from waiting in the long line of thirsty fellow theater-goers. (And note that your phone won’t work down there.) There is a full bar, but I always simply order a $4 Diet Coke and split it with my friend.

3. Use the lavatory beforehand. There’s always a line for the ladies’ room here, so it pays to think ahead. Note that the women’s restroom off the downstairs bar area is my favorite for its beautiful Art Deco beveled glass mirrors, though the restroom on the opposite side of the auditorium is often quicker. If you have a call of nature during the show, jump up from your seat the moment intermission starts and race to the restroom. You’ll save yourself a long line that will build up in a few minutes. It’s better not to leave the auditorium during the show, however, because they won’t let you back in until a break in the action.

4. Buy parking online in advance. The huge parking lot across Hollywood Boulevard that formerly catered to Pantages customers is now halfway to becoming a high rise, so parking is less available and more expensive than ever before. You can go online to the Pantages website and find your options. Most convenient is the underground garage for the Eastown apartments across the street, though you’ll pay $20 if you buy in advance online, and even more if you just show up and buy on-site. Today, for the first time, I used ParkingPanda.com to find and buy advance parking, and it worked great. I paid $8.50 to park in a lot about four blocks from the theater, at 1632 N. Wilcox Ave. (That was for matinee parking, it might be more at night.) You can also valet park across the street at the swanky W Hotel for $20, but you will then have to wait for them to bring your car around after the show.

5. Get your swag before the show. If you know you’re going to want to buy “Hamilton” merchandise – which includes T-shirts, books and such –you’ll save yourself grief by getting to the theater and buying early. During intermission and after the show, you’ll have to wait in long lines to buy.

6. Know the music. Especially in the beginning, the dialogue is delivered in rapid-fire hip-hop and I found it quite hard to follow, though I knew it was important to try because it was delivering background I needed to understand the plot. If you’re the type who doesn’t mind hearing the music before seeing the show, this would be a good one to buy the album in advance, so it’s easier to follow what’s going on. You may be able to reserve it for free from your local library; if not, you can get the Broadway “Hamilton” soundtrack from Amazon here.

7. Study American history. I’m of two minds about this. On one hand, you don’t want to learn so much detail that any artistic liberties the writers took with the historical record are going to set your teeth on edge. But on the other, if you’re not entirely sure of the difference between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, a quick brush-up wouldn’t hurt. After all, you might not see a hip-hop discussion of the Constitutional Convention and Revolutionary War again any time soon.

8. Eat a meal. Our season tickets are for Saturday afternoons, so we usually have lunch on Hollywood Boulevard before the show or dinner afterward. If you give yourself plenty of time to eat beforehand, then any delays won’t cut into your theater time, and you won’t go in hungry and eat a bunch of candy from the snack bar. You can check out the Pantages dining guide here. We usually meet at the Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop, a fast casual healthy place inside the Eastown development. When we want to splurge, we eat across the street at the yummy Delphine in the W Hotel, 6250 Hollywood Blvd., which styles itself as an eatery in the south of France. They also have a small bar. If you don’t mind walking a few blocks, we also love the Palms Thai restaurant which is delicious, at 5900 Hollywood Blvd. A quick, inexpensive but tasty Mediterranean meal with counter service can be ordered at the Feast Kitchen and Grill at 6282 Hollywood Blvd. If you just want a cocktail, the Frolic Room is a famous dive bar right next door to the theater.

9. Take the Metro. You can avoid the whole parking hassle by taking the train and Metro to the Pantages. Not only does the station deposit you literally right across the street from the theater, but it’s a Hollywood-themed, art-filled station that’s cool to see in its own right. If you take the train to Union Station, you can then ride the Red Line directly to Hollywood in only a few minutes. Give yourself extra time, though, in case of delays.

10. Win the lottery or buy from Stubhub. If you don’t have tickets yet or you hope to score them, you can enter an online lottery running for every show. Go to luckyseat.com/hamilton-la/ to enter.  Or download the app. Learn more here: hamiltonbroadway.com. You could win the right to buy tickets for $10. This will be hard to win for awhile, because every Tom, Dick and Harry is entering, but stay strong. After awhile, most folks will give up and you may score. If you just want to see the show, check Stubhub for “Hamilton” tickets before you call a ticket broker; you might find someone who just has to sell and won’t demand a huge markup. Make sure you buy authenticated tickets you can download from Stubhub, though, so you know they’re not counterfeit.

More tips from Marla Jo

12 tips for saving money on restaurant meals

10 ways to save on vacation lodging

10 best places to take a break at Disneyland

Why you should get to Cuba now!

5 free things you can get for your birthday

Go to movies for half price Tuesdays at Cinemark

Nature plays the starring role in Florida’s Key West, says Laguna Niguel resident Aleks Bogoeski. “It’s the perfect blend of ocean, sun and nature.” The island, the southernmost Florida key, was one of author Ernest Hemingway’s favorite places and is known for its spectacular nightlife and tropical scenery. “It exudes an exotic, off-the-grid magnetism,” Bogoeski says. The water is a standout for him. “It’s crystal clear, making it a great place to snorkel or scuba dive.” One of the reasons Bogoeski likes to travel is because it creates family memories. “I enjoyed teaching my kids about the history of Key West. It has a wonderful blend of unique cultures and amazing food.” Bogoeski works in Irvine, where he’s the vice president of sales and dealer network at AutoGravity, which focuses on auto financing nationwide As told to Rosemary McClure

WHY KEY WEST?

Visiting Key West is like walking into a music video for Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville.” The island attracts an eclectic mix of people,
from entrepreneurs to writers to artists, making the island a unique place to explore. You can fly there, but the drive through the islands from Miami is beautiful.

BEST BITE

You’ll find many good restaurants. My favorite is Caroline’s Cafe (carolinescafe.com), with a friendly, casual atmosphere and amazing down-home food, such as po’boys and conch fritters. Caroline’s has an elevated outdoor seating area, making it a prime spot for people and chicken watching; one of the charms of Key West is the abundance of chickens walking through the streets.

SECRET TIP

Check out the porches of local residents. Most people paint the ceilings of their porches blue, which is believed to ward off evil spirits.

BUY IN

The best shopping is on Duval Street, which has a ton of quirky stores selling a range of Key West souvenirs and beachy trinkets. Check out the local art scene in the galleries on the side streets.

AFTER DARK

Similar to New Orleans, the streets of Key West are filled at night with performers, food and music. Duval Street comes alive at night. If you like dive bars, take a look at Captain Tony’s Saloon, which calls itself the oldest bar in Florida (capttonyssaloon.com). It’s a historic saloon Ernest Hemingway was known to frequent. It’s built around a famous “hanging tree” still growing in the middle of the bar.

MUST DO

Duval Street, where you’ll find a mix of Victorian mansions, art galleries, boutiques, inns and bodegas, is high on my list. Another must-see is Ernest Hemingway’s home, which has been turned into a museum. Hemingway lived and wrote in Key West for more than 10 years. Looking for a fun evening excursion? Try a ghost tour. You might end up visiting Robert the Enchanted Doll, which was once owned by Key West painter and author Robert Eugene Otto. The doll, alleged to be cursed, was the inspiration for Chucky, the evil spirit in the horror movie series. And no trip to Key West would be complete without visiting Southernmost Point Buoy, marking the southernmost point in the continental United States.

TIME IS RIGHT

Winter temperatures in the 70s and 80s draw crowds from the frozen north. The shoulder season, from March through May, offers pleasant temperatures without the crush of sunseekers. But I think the best time to visit Key West is any time of the year, even during the summer. There are events and festivals year-round, and you can enjoy outdoor activities such as fishing and snorkeling any time.

Danielle Liu is not only a top scholar, she is also a top musician. She and her sister, Sarah, were the featured violinists for the Pacific Symphony’s “Symphony in the Cities” program under the direction of Maestro Carl St.Clair. She is also a grand prize winner of the Satori Strings contest, received numerous awards via the Southwestern Music Festival, won first place in the American Protégé Piano and Strings International Competition and has performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall.

Academically, on all six Advanced Placement exams she took during her junior year – calculus BC, physics I, language and composition, U.S. history, psychology and Spanish – she received fives, the highest score that can be earned. She plans to take seven more AP exams during her senior year and attend medical school in the future.

Name: Danielle Liu

School: Crean Lutheran High School

Grade: 12

Hometown: Yorba Linda

Q: What instruments do you play?

A: The violin is my primary instrument, but I also play the piano and the tuba.

Q: We heard that you took six AP tests last spring and scored a 5 on all of them. Tell us how you were able to do this in balance with your music activities.

A: I am blessed to be a student at Crean Lutheran High School, where my teachers played an essential role in preparing me for my AP exams with their incredible support and clear delivery of instruction. The effort that each of them put into preparing the students and teaching the classes also motivated me to try my best in my classes, so I am very thankful for them.

Balancing my academics with my music activities this past year required me to keep my priorities in check. Since I am pursuing a career in medicine, my academics are always my first priority; if I have big tests coming up — like the AP exams — I will study sufficiently before I start practicing. On the other hand, as music is also an important commitment in my life, I try to set aside as much time as possible to go through my solo, quartet and orchestral repertoire; sometimes that means practicing during lunch break at school. Writing out what I need to do in the day and creating a schedule for myself helps me to stay on top of everything that I need to get done, including practicing.

Q: How did you get involved in music?

A: Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My mom has always been a part of the worship ministry at our church, and she led the children’s choir when I was a baby. She asked me when I was 4 years old whether I wanted to learn the violin or piano first; I chose the violin. At that young age, I practiced three to four hours a day, not because I was forced to, but because I enjoyed learning the music and improving on my instrument. At the age of 6, I started learning the piano, and music has ever since been an integral part of my life.

Q: Who have been your influences? Did you have a mentor in your development as a musician? If so, how did they help you?

A: My mom is the greatest influence in both my music and academic careers. When I started violin, my mom sat with me for hours, playing the piano alongside me so that I could hear and match the pitches. My mom is the one who always encourages me to try my best in all I do, to be expressive in my music and to remain humble. My younger sister, an incredible violinist, pianist and oboist, has also influenced me: She is my second set of ears in every practice session (and her ears are far sharper than mine), and her drive to practice all three of her instruments consistently while still being the top student of her grade inspires me to always work all the more diligently.

My previous violin teacher, Miss Eunhee Kim, mentored me for eight years and brought me to where I am today as a violin performer, especially influencing my phrasing and musicality. In the two months during which I have studied under my current violin teacher, Mr. Sam Fischer, he has already stretched me with challenging repertoire and has helped me to improve my tone, technique and control in playing. Miss Helen Weed, conductor of the Prelude Strings Orchestra, was the first mentor who taught me at a very young age what it means to act professionally. Mr. Jonathan Pratt, conductor of the Crean Lutheran High School orchestra, has allowed me to develop my skills as a leader, sometimes allowing me to take the podium in rehearsals. Mrs. Irene Kroesen, conductor of the Pacific Symphony Santiago Strings; Maestro Alejandro Gutierrez, conductor of the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra in my freshman year; and Maestro Roger Kalia, current music director of the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra, have truly impassioned me to be an artist, influencing me to love the orchestral repertoire and cherish the intimacy of great music-making with other phenomenal players in the Pacific Symphony Youth Ensembles.

Q: What inspires you?

A: The greats of violin (in my opinion) — Itzhak Perlman, Sarah Chang, Hilary Hahn — inspire me. Perlman’s deep tone and powerful vibrato, Chang’s personality in her music, and Hahn’s flawless technique and clarity are all attributes in my music I strive towards.

Q: Other than music, are you involved in any other activities? If yes, what are they?

A: Outside of music, I am the president of my school’s Science Olympiad team, National Honors Society and Christian Club. Further, I am a part of the Crean Lutheran High School Medical Cohort program, and I volunteer at the Orange County Global Medical Center, helping in the maternity ward. I also started a music therapy club at my school called the Healing Sounds of Music, in which students play soothing music in medical facilities and senior centers. Another activity I am involved in is the Ambassador Internship program at Crean Lutheran High School, in which students are given the opportunity to not only develop their professional skills but shadow prospective students and advocate for the school at various admissions events.

Q: What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

A: I am an actress! I enjoy acting and will jump at every opportunity I have to act. Speaking in various accents is another hobby of mine.

Q: The next challenge I want to take on is …

A: Senior year! I will be taking seven AP classes, serving as co-concertmaster of the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra, leading as president of five different clubs at school, and all the while working through college applications. Thus, I know that staying on top of all of my academics and activities will be a huge challenge, but I am excited to embrace it.

Q: How do the arts figure into your long-term goals?

A: Although I want to be a medical doctor, music will always be a part of my life. I would love to continue teaching violin privately and participating in orchestra and chamber ensembles through college and beyond.

Q:  What is the best advice you have received? 

A: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” — Philippians 2:3

Q: I hope my legacy as an artist will be ...

A: An inspiration. I hope to inspire the generation of musicians younger than me to fall in love with classical music and the beauty of the art. Further, I hope to touch the lives of many through the power of music.

CONTACT VARSITY ARTS: 714-796-2258 or varsityarts@ocregister.com

The Buzz is the Register’s weekly political news column.

If your political commentary goes viral — in this case, a giant inflatable chicken that resembles the president — you can rest assured there will be blowback.

For Taran Singh Brar, whose 30-foot-tall balloon spent much of Aug. 9 on the Ellipse between the White House and the Washington Monument, the attacks have been  brutal.

“Your (sic) a immature idiot,” reads one of the messages that Brar has copied to his Facebook page.

“How dare you stand on free ground runing (sic) your loud mouth making a fool (sic),” says another comment, many of which cannot be reprinted in a family newspaper. “You are sickening.”

“GO BACK TO THE MIDDLE EAST WHERE YOU BELONG!!!!!!” wrote a third critic. “YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY A MEMBER OF ISIS!!!!!! YOU’RE MAD AT TRUMP BECAUSE OF ALL THE ISIS LEADERS HE’S HAD KILLED!!!!!”

“Even people in (Donald) Trump shirts were taking pictures and enjoying it,” said the 31-year-old, who saw the photos go viral around the globe both on social media and in the traditional press. “To do something like this — it’s fun and cute. Trump uses anger and fear to take control of how people think. This took his media sucking skills and turned it on its head. Jujitsu.”

Of course, Brar didn’t arrange the stunt to amuse Trump supporters. After seeing an internet photo of the Trumpian chicken, taken at a mall in China shortly after the November election, he tracked one down on the Chinese shopping site AliBaba and bought it for $1,300. He thought the chicken was well suited to mock Trump.

“He’s too afraid to release his tax returns, too afraid to stand up to Vladimir Putin and playing chicken with North Korea,” he told USA Today — one of numerous major outlets to report on him, including Time magazine, The New York Times and NPR.

Brar debuted Chicken Donny — #ChickenDonnyBoy on various social media sites — at the April 15 anti-Trump Tax March Chicago, which he helped organize. Then came Washington, global fame and endless puns.

“Chicken-hawk foreign policy.” “Hiding his nest eggs.” “Fowl behavior.”

As he was taking down Chicken Donny the evening of Aug. 9, he told an interviewer from China Central Television, “The daily fire hose of lies from Trump is pretty deflating, like Chicken Don right now.”

‘Thick skin’

Brar was born in Canada to immigrants from India, grew up in Irvine and received a bachelor’s degree in molecular cell biology from UC Berkeley. He holds dual citizenship in the United States and Canada. He’s a documentary filmmaker working on a movie about U.S. physicist Charles Townes, who invented the laser.

He speaks with confidence about America’s global status.

“I think the United States is one of the best countries in the world and the most important country in the world in terms of the government being representative of freedom and democracy,” he told me.

Asked about the insults he’s received, the conversation turned to racism. Brar said that he’s developed a thick skin over the years.

“Our country has a history of racism,” he said days after a car allegedly driven by a white supremacist plowed into a crowd in Charlottesville, killing one woman. “Racism is one of our original sins.”

He sees the United States evolving in a positive direction in regards to ethnic bigotry — but says Trump isn’t helping.

“Trump has made it worse,” he said. “People take cues from their leaders.”

But back to the inflatable Chicken Donny:

“Images speak a thousand words,” Brar said. “People didn’t need to read an article to understand what it was — they could just see the image. That’s why it went viral.”

Brar has already applied for permits for his followup, tentatively scheduled for November, in which a sea of Chicken Donnys will parade through Washington, protected by inflatable Russian tanks, fighter jets and missile launchers.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — When both blacks and whites in a city that was a cradle for apartheid are shocked by racial violence in America, it’s beyond shameful.

It is Sunday, the day after Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old paralegal, was mowed down in Charlottesville, Va., by a driver said to be a white supremacist. Every person I talk to — black and white — is shocked by what they have read in newspapers, seen on television.

Yes, it’s not just America that is witness to the violence in Charlottesville. It is the entire world.

I walk the streets of the biggest city in this country as well as the streets of Soweto, a township that symbolizes the worst of apartheid and the best of the human spirit.

More than a million people live in Soweto and only 26 years ago, nearly all of them — by law — couldn’t live in the nicer and wealthier parts of Johannesburg.

In short, they couldn’t live in the white areas.

Still, Soweto proudly claims two Nobel Peace Prize recipients, Bishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela.

In some ways, I am surprised how many people in Johannesburg know what happened halfway around the world. After all, how many Americans are aware that thousands of people were killed in the storm at the end of apartheid?

In other ways, I am not surprised that Africa keeps a keen eye on the U.S. While much of America looks inward, the rest of the world looks outward. Plus, for many the United States of America remains a place of promise.

But this week, America fails its promise of freedom and equality.

The headline in one of Johannesburg’s newspapers, The Citizen, on Monday declares: “Rally Tragedy: Trump slammed. Under fire: President quiet on far-right groups.”

The Star newspaper headline screams, “Trump under fire as fascist violence erupts.”

A black bus driver who offers only one name, Zulu, smiles politely and shakes his head in disbelief about the hatred and violence in Charlottesville.

Like many in this city, both black and white, Zulu laughs at President Donald Trump’s tweets. But he turns serious when discussing their meaning and says he struggles to understand how Trump’s vision supports American ideals.

Zulu admits his country, too, has an odd president, Jacob Zuma. Like other young black Africans, Zulu calls South Africa’s president “J.Z.,” a tongue-in-cheek reference to the hugely successful American hip-hop artist and entrepreneur, Jay-Z.

Some call Trump a joke, others call him dangerous. But they call J.Z. corrupt. Last year, Zuma was nearly impeached after a unanimous court ruling saying he had used government money to upgrade his rural home and had failed to uphold the constitution.

Still, in markedly different ways both blacks and whites I talk to applaud their government’s concerted efforts to end racism. Billboards call for racial harmony. And on the surface at least, people agree apartheid was terrible and say they welcomed its end.

But in truth, deeply held beliefs are slow to change and conversations about race often are troubling in a place that arguably has the most complex racial history on the planet.

My seven days in Johannesburg found older white Africans paternalistic at best, deeply racist at worst.

One older man who fought in South Africa’s war to hold onto Namibia (the country finally became independent in 1988) condemned apartheid, said it was immoral and never should have happened.

Later, however, he grew comfortable enough to say black Africans build homes next to roads to show off their wealth and that black people lack three-dimensional vision.

When it comes to health care, education and economic opportunities, there are vast chasms between races. If parents can afford it, they put their children in private schools. But comparatively few blacks can afford private schools.

It’s tempting to report that South Africa’s millennial generation is sowing a more harmonious landscape, as are millennials in the U.S. But a week in a city isn’t enough time to gauge. Regardless, there remains a foundation in South Africa for unforgettable forgiveness.

After supporting apartheid, South African President F. W. de Klerk said, “”I apologize in my capacity as leader of the NP to the millions who suffered wrenching disruption of forced removals … who over the decades suffered the indignities and humiliation of racial discrimination.”

A video at the Apartheid Museum in this city shows a white man forgiving a black man for shooting and killing several people in church, including his wife. Similarly, a black family forgives a man for murdering their daughter.

On Tuesday night, Trump for the second time blamed both sides for violence in Charlottesville. The videos of what happened show that the president is correct in his assessment. But blame is not leadership.

Bringing about nonviolent change is leadership.

On Wednesday at her daughter’s funeral, Heyer’s mother, Susan Bro, said, “You have to find in your heart that spark of accountability. …You take that extra step. You find a way to make a difference in the world.”

In Soweto, I walk toward a monument commemorating the 1976 uprising and the slaughter of hundreds of students. Inscribed in stone, there is a quote from Mandela: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

A southerly wind overnight pushed smoke from a wildfire at Camp Pendleton throughout Orange County, where residents as far north as Huntington Beach reported smelling a burning odor.

The fire began at 11:45 p.m. and burned 81 acres of vegetation at the San Mateo helicopter landing zone.  The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Officials with the Air Quality Management District in Diamond Bar recorded a small rise in air pollution at the Anaheim monitoring station early Wednesday.  By mid-afternoon, air quality returned to a good-to-moderate range, said Sam Atwood, spokesman for the district.

Cities including Newport Beach and Laguna Beach tweeted that air quality had been affected locally.

That smoky smell is coming from a vegetation fire at Camp Pendleton. https://t.co/wUureYMsVD

— CityofNewportBeach (@newportbeachgov) August 16, 2017

“HB residents may notice a smell of smoke and haze this morning from a brush fire burning in South Orange County at Camp Pendleton,” tweeted the Huntington Beach Fire Department.

HB residents may notice a smell of smoke and haze this morning from a brush fire burning in South Orange County at Camp Pendleton

— Huntington Beach FD (@HBFD_PIO) August 16, 2017

OCVarsity Kickoff 2017: The Register has put together its annual preview for the upcoming high school football season.

In the coming days we’ll have previews online of every team and league in Orange County, plus much more, including our O.C. Hot 150 rankings of the top players in the county.

Here are the links to the content that you can find online now:

RANKINGS & Honors
O.C. Preseason Top 25
Preseason All-County Team
Top 10 O.C. Quarterbacks
Top 10 O.C. Receivers

TEAM PREVIEWS
Crestview League: Canyon, Foothill, Villa Park, Yorba Linda
North Hills League: Brea Olinda, El Dorado, El Modena, Esperanza
Garden Grove League: Bolsa Grande, Garden Grove, La Quinta, Los Amigos, Rancho Alamitos, Santiago
Golden West League: Loara, Ocean View, Orange, Santa Ana, Segerstrom, Wesminster
Orange League: Anaheim, Century, Katella, Magnolia, Santa Ana Valley, Savanna

Team Pages: Schedules, Roster, Stats, Updates

COMING THURSDAY
League previews and analysis
O.C. Hot 150
Must-see games for the 2017 season

As she sits at the front of the ballet studio at Southland Ballet Academy in Fountain Valley, Salwa Rizkalla watches a dancer so closely you can almost see her think before she speaks.

“Point your toes harder when you step out,” Rizkalla says as the dancer practices her pique turns. It’s a small correction, hardly noticeable to the untrained eye. But as Rizkalla’s students have been taught, it’s the little things that separate the good from the great.

And great, not good, is Southland Ballet’s goal — perhaps at a level that’s unexpected.

This ballet class is in Fountain Valley, not a ballet Mecca like Paris or Moscow or New York. This ballet studio used to be a 7-Eleven, not a theater. And this ballet teacher, Rizkalla…

Well, OK, she’s big league. Her reputation, in fact, is a big reason why Southland plays an outsized role in the dance world.  Her students land scholarships and awards that sometimes vault them into the uppermost rungs of ballet. She’s connected to directors and instructors from the world’s leading companies.

And, this week, Rizkalla has managed to bring the most famous ballerina of this generation — Misty Copeland — to Orange County. Copeland will perform Friday (Aug. 18) in Costa Mesa as part of a local dance community fundraiser, “Gala of the Stars.”

Standards count

In some ways, Southland’s connection to Copeland isn’t a stretch.

Copeland, 34, famously started her career in a place not unlike Southland. She didn’t study ballet until age 13, and took her first class at a Boys and Girls Club in San Pedro. She eventually pushed through tough circumstances to achieve international success. Today, she’s a role model for young dancers, appealing to many who don’t come from wealth.

Copeland’s journey is one Rizkalla appreciates and relates to her own diligence in building a world-class ballet school in Orange County.

It’s something others in the ballet world can understand, too.

“I can’t name five schools like this,” said Jean-Yves Esquerre, artistic director of the Dutch National Ballet Academy, the leading ballet school in the Netherlands.

Esquerre doesn’t teach for private schools, but he recently taught a class during Southland Ballet Academy’s International Summer Intensive. He made the exception, he says, because of Rizkalla.

“By teaching here, you don’t feel like you’re betraying what you do,” Esquerre said. “Salwa has the same standards.”

Standards, he added, aren’t a luxury. In the dance world, form is about survival.

“Nowadays there are (fewer dance) jobs, and more dancers, than ever,” he said. “The equation is the opposite of 30 years ago, so the structure of the teaching is so crucial.”

The program Rizkalla directs at Southland has sent students to study and perform at the San Francisco Ballet, The Royal Ballet School, the American Ballet Theatre and several other internationally known academies. Southland’s pre-professional dancers routinely achieve top awards at competitions such as the Youth America Grand Prix.

Larissa Saveliev, founder and director of the Grand Prix, arguably the most prestigious youth ballet competition and scholarship program, said Rizkalla provides the tools that aspiring dancers need to take the next step in their careers. Some will join ballet companies, others will audition for university dance programs. Many, eventually, will become teachers.

“My goal through (Youth America Grand Prix) is to find the talent… This is a place I know I can always find the talent,” said Saveliev. “I have been coming here for more than 20 years because I like to go. The students are well-trained, number one, but they are also educated as human beings, not just dancers.

“They all carry the same passion that Salwa has,” said Saveliev.

Small start, big finish

Rizkalla, 69, started dancing in her native country, Egypt.

By 10, she was enrolled in the new Russian ballet school in Cairo. She grew as a dancer and spent several years performing lead roles with the Egyptian ballet company. But in 1973, Egypt and Israel went to war, and the broadening conflict eventually sapped Egypt’s financing for the arts.

“We were very well treated before the wars, so it was hard for us. Many dancers left,” said Rizkalla who left Cairo in the mid-’70s and started teaching in Alexandria.

“It was really, really, really sad. But when you are faced with reality, you cannot do anything. You go away or you accept what is happening.”

In 1979, she and her husband, Sabri Rizkalla, moved to the United States. Four years later, she opened her initial Southland dance studio in Fountain Valley, teaching in a converted 7-Eleven off Garfield Avenue and Bushard Street.

“I was the receptionist, the ballet teacher, everything,” said Rizkalla.

“I did not ever think it would be more than that.”

Many of those early students quit. The classes were too advanced for American dancers who weren’t brought up in the Russian tradition.

But, over time, Rizkalla adjusted her approach and her students stayed.

Today, Southland has 600 students and nine studios across two locations in Fountain Valley and Irvine. Rizkalla also directs the nonprofit professional ballet company Festival Ballet Theatre, which she founded in 1988. The company produces two evening-length ballets per year in addition to an annual performance of “The Nutcracker.”

Festival Ballet Theatre regularly welcomes guest artists to perform leading roles – Isabella Boylston, Maria Kochetkova, Julie Kent, Gillian Murphy, to name a few. They come because, like her students, they appreciate Rizkalla’s knowledge and grit.

Dancers also say Rizkalla doesn’t play favorites.

“Even though it was clear I wasn’t going to pursue ballet as a career, Salwa was such an important mentor in my life because she cared so much about me and everyone,” said Ruth Benton, 31, of Huntington Beach. Benton studied with Rizkalla for 13 years before dropping ballet to pursue at business degree at USC.

Marcelo Gomes is a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, but he’s also performed as a guest artist with the Fountain Valley company for ten years, recently taking on the role of Basilio in Festival Ballet Theatre’s production of “Don Quixote.”

“Salwa…  takes her productions very seriously,” said Gomes, who studied in his native Brazil. “You can tell Salwa is demanding.”

The performance that will feature Copeland this week, in Costa Mesa, will raise money for Festival Ballet Theatre and celebrate the end of Southland’s summer program. Copeland will dance “Romeo and Juliet” with Alexandre Hammoudi, also of American Ballet Theatre. The cast will include other notable artists from The Royal Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and New York City Ballet.

Imagine a pick-up baseball game that put the best high-school players in Los Angeles on a field with, say, Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw.

Rizkalla, and others, see value in bringing young protégés to the world stage by placing them in contact with current stars in the ballet world.

“When the students see the best, that becomes the standard,” said Christopher Powney, director of England’s Royal Ballet School.

For the students, sharing a stage with the best dancers in the world is an experience that will last, regardless of what happens in their dance careers.

“Any exposure to that is inspiration,” said Powney. “That’s what Salwa can offer.”

“Gala of the Stars”

When: 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18

Where: Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

Tickets: $65-$95

Info: festivalballet.org

Tom Hawkins, a former Lakers player who later served as a Dodgers executive, passed away at his home in Malibu on Wednesday. He was 80.

A 6-foot-5 forward, Hawkins starred at Chicago’s Parker (now Robeson) High School before playing at Notre Dame, where he became the first African-American student-athlete to earn All-America honors for the Fighting Irish.

Hawkins was the first Irish player to average in double figures for scoring and rebounding during each of his three seasons (freshmen were ineligible during his collegiate career). His 1,318 career rebounds remains the oldest standing program record.

He was selected by the then-Minneapolis Lakers with the third pick in the first round of the 1959 NBA draft, and enjoyed a productive 10-year career in the league. Hawkins played one season in Minnesota, before moving with the team to Los Angeles. Hawkins played six seasons with the Lakers (two stints), averaging 9.0 points and 5.7 rebounds in 454 games.

He was in the top 10 in the league in field-goal percentage in each of the three years of his second stint in L.A. (1966-69) and led the Lakers in that category in 1966-67. He also played for the Cincinnati Royals and finished his career with 6,672 points and 4,607 rebounds.

Hawkins’ life off the basketball court was as distinguished as his playing career. As a player representative, he played a key role in the first collective bargaining agreement with the player’s union and the NBA.

After his playing days, Hawkins became a radio and television personality in the L.A. area before spending 18 years as an executive with the Dodgers, serving as vice president of both communications and external affairs.

“We are saddened to hear the news regarding Tommy Hawkins. He was and will always be part of the Lakers family,” Lakers CEO and controlling owner Jeanie Buss said in a statement. “He was a member of the Lakers when the team moved from Minneapolis to Los Angeles and he made L.A. his home. Tommy not only contributed as a player but also as a sports executive and broadcaster. His baritone voice and easy demeanor made him a favorite of the fans and media as well as everyone who had the honor of calling him a friend. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Hawkins family.”

The Lakers family is saddened by the passing of Tommy Hawkins. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. https://t.co/oIZfrV0eDv

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 16, 2017

An in-demand public speaker and a man of the arts, in 2012, Hawkins authored a book on poetry entitled Life’s Reflections: Poetry for the People.

“I feel blessed and privileged that I got to develop a relationship with him as the head coach at Notre Dame,” Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said in a press release. “Tom was a trailblazer, a class act and a true ‘Notre Dame Man.’’’

“He was a groundbreaker as an African-American student, but also as a basketball player. And then the manner in which he represented himself and the class act that he was, not only while he was here, but also later in life, he’s an unbelievable role model.”

Hawkins was always proud of the righteous stand Notre Dame took during a time of turbulent social upheaval as the civil rights movement swept across America.

“This was a time of major racial conflict, and nationally segregation was the name of the game,” Hawkins said of playing in the late 1950s. “(Then Notre Dame president) Father (Theodore) Hesburgh at a press conference in 1955 told the world that anywhere Notre Dame’s minority students weren’t welcome, neither was Notre Dame. This was huge, because this was nine years before the first civil rights legislation, this was before Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott.”

Notre Dame refused to schedule schools that didn’t allow African-American student-athletes on their campus, and Irish teams would not stay at segregated hotels or dine at segregated restaurants.

“Notre Dame was one of the first schools to take that kind of stand,” Hawkins said before his 2015 Notre Dame Ring of Honor induction.

A lifelong jazz enthusiast, Hawkins often joked that he spent more time in jazz clubs and record stores during his playing career than he did on the basketball court. In a 2008 interview with the Los Angeles Times, he said he had about 8,000 vinyl records and 3,000 CDs in his music collection. If he hadn’t grown to 6-5, “I’d probably be wailing on a trumpet right now,” he said.

Remembering Tom Hawkins: Here’s the great story @ShaunGalNews did on Irish legend in 2015 when Hawkins entered the @NDmbb Ring of Honor. RIP pic.twitter.com/APIs8nZ4Ex

— Angelo Di Carlo (@angdicarlowndu) August 16, 2017

Two shops in the Downtown Disney area of the Disneyland Resort will be closing to make room for the new virtual reality experience based on the Star Wars movies.

The two shops, according to a Disneyland Resort official, are Disney Vault 28 and Fossil. The shops will close by the end of September 2017 to make way for the new experience. The announcement of the new experience was made earlier in August, but a location had not been finalized.

The experience is called Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire. It is slated to open in time for the 2017 holiday season.

It is being produced through a partnership between Lucasfilm’s immersive entertainment arm ILMxLAB and virtual reality creators, The Void, and is intended to “plunge fans into the Star Wars universe.”

Meanwhile, on the northwestern side of Disneyland, construction continues on the now named Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, slated to open in 2019.

In March, Knott’s Berry Farm opened its own VR Experience, “VR Showdown in Ghost Town.” It lets players defend its Ghost Town against ghostly villains.

Santa Ana police asked for the public’s help today in tracking down a serial robber suspected of at least four heists at phone stores.

The suspect uses a black, plastic rolling tote box to haul his loot in the takeover-style robberies, according to Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna, who said the latest heist occurred at a Verizon Wireless store at 1730 E. 17th St. about 9 p.m. Thursday.

The unidentified bandit is also suspected of robbing Verizon stores in Garden Grove on July 14 and in Seal Beach on Feb. 25. He’s also a suspect in a Los Angeles robbery, but it was not immediately clear when that crime occurred, Bertagna said.

In Thursday’s robbery, the suspect showed employees a handgun in his waistband and ordered them to lie on the floor as he stuffed phones, tablets and cash into his tote box, Bertagna said.

The suspect is a Latino man in his 20s, about 5-foot-10 to 6 feet tall and weighing 220 to 250 pounds.

Anyone with information about his identity or whereabouts was asked to call detectives at (714) 245-8545 or email jmendoza2@santa-ana.org. Orange County Crime Stoppers will accept anonymous tips at (855) TIP-OCCS.

Daisy Aparicio couldn’t believe her luck.

The 18-year-old Whittier teen, who wore a red heart that read “I Love LMM” on her left cheek, not only got to meet Lin-Manuel Miranda outside the Hollywood Pantages Theatre before Wednesday’s “Hamilton” ticket lottery and surprise performance, but she was the first name pulled in the $10 front-row seat lottery sale.

“It’s just a complete honor,” she said, scrolling through her phone for the pictures she took of Miranda that morning. “He said he liked my face paint. I was freaking out.”

“He even posted a picture of her on his Twitter,” added her friend, Megan Singer, also 18 and from Whittier, who would be joining Aparicio at Wednesday night’s opening night.

The teens were among about 1,500 fans who gathered outside the Hollywood Pantages Theatre on Wednesday for a live #Ham4Ham hosted by the “Hamilton” creator and featuring performances by the show’s cast. When Miranda stepped out to the microphone under the Pantages marquee, fans went wild.

Most people couldn’t see or hear when the “Hamilton” creator, sporting a black long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, shouted “Hello, Los Angeles” with a couple bounces. After explaining how the lottery works, he told fans “I didn’t want you to leave without an experience.”
And out came the cast of the touring production, along with Daveed Diggs, who starred in the show on Broadway.

“It’s super PR, and we kind of wish he was doing the show here for a couple of weeks,” said Kevin MacKelvie, who along with his wife, Karen, took the train out from North Hollywood after hearing about the live #Ham4Ham.

The couple, who wore matching black “Hamilton” T-shirts, caught a similar live event in New York while in town to see Manuel’s last matinee in the starring role.

“His star is huge in the heavens right now for what he’s accomplished in this show and ‘In the Heights,’ and even ‘Moana,’” he said. “His popularity is growing exponentially, so it’s good for him to do this to give the show more buzz.”

McKenna Beavers, a 10-year-old from Huntington Beach who was seeing the show Wednesday with her grandparents, brother and younger cousins, clutched onto a notebook that held a photo of her and Manuel taken in New York backstage at “Hamilton.”

“I got to meet him,” she said, adding she had just met his father at the L.A. event, too. “It was totally worth it.”

Beavers called herself “the biggest ‘Hamilton’ fan in my whole family.

“I listen to (the soundtrack) every day, go through the book every day, I read the biography on Hamilton,” she said, with breathless excitement.

She wasn’t the only one.

“I am a huge fan of Lin-Manuel Miranda, not only because of his amazing composing, but because his political heart is so needed right now,” said Suzanna Guzman, an opera singer from El Sereno who also walked away a pair of $10 front-row tickets. “That I get to see opening night, oh my God — I am hoarse from screaming; it is so exciting.”

If you are remodeling your bathroom or buying a new home, an interior designer might suggest a bidet.

It is one of the most fashionable accessories in the high-end bath, said Valerie Saunders, owner of Serendipite, an Irvine interior design company.

“People like a bathroom to feel more like a spa,” she added. “They are investing in wonderful appliances – steam showers, free-standing bathtubs.  Our lives are so busy, and they want to come home to a restful experience.”

Bidets historically have been mysterious and a bit troubling to Americans.  Many us first encountered them on a trip to France or Italy or Japan and were baffled by what to do with one. Were they associated with sex (tradition holds, WWII soldiers encountered bidets mainly when they visited prostitutes) or simply cleanliness? And how exactly did you use one?

When I first went to Europe in 1979, I was admonished by a college friend married to a Frenchman that a bidet was NOT a place for a tourist to wash her weary feet.

Good to know. Back then, a bidet looked essentially like a low sink.

Since then we’ve figured out their hygienic value for both men and women and modern bidet-toilets have moved into the digital age. The bidet I encountered in a $4 million home in Corona del Mar was in what can only be called a water closet:  A very small room away from the opulent shower, sink and dressing area.

But the DXV Washlet had everything needed for hygiene.  On a touch screen:  A heated seat.  Two cleaning water jets, one more forceful than the other.  A dryer.  A flush.

“It’s environmentally friendly and has become a luxury item,” said Saunders, who designed the house.

It was nothing like the bidet spoof in the 2016 movie “Why Him?”  For those who have watched the scene with Brian Cranston and Keegan-Michael Key, approaching a bidet/toilet  might be intimidating.  It’s the latest stereotype of the bidet, updated for the big screen.

The bidet installed in the women’s restroom in the bath/kitchen store Pirch in SoCo is a Toto Washlet, a regular toilet with a bidet seat.  It’s computerized, so has a control panel.  There is a choice of spray, and the water is warm.   It also has a dryer so no toilet paper is necessary.  Though there is a roll of tissue, in case the experience still feels a bit foreign.

“Bidets and Washlets are definitely popular and sought after,” said Beann Shumaker, assistant store director at Pirch.  “A lot of people go for the Washlet. You need an electrical outlet, but they are very easy to install on your existing toilet.”

Many toilet manufacturers sell them.

At Pirch, bidets range in price from $1,100 to $10,000.  The one installed in the women’s restroom is the $1,100 model.  For the $10,000 Toto, you have to make an appointment for before or after store hours.

At B&C Custom Hardware, customers have the opportunity to try out the luxury model Toto in an upstairs bathroom.

It has a nightlight.  When you approach, the lid raises.  When you sit, an air filter switches on.  When you are finished, the seat automatically lowers and the toilet flushes.  Then a UV light turns on and reacts with a zirconium lining in the toilet to help waste wash away.   Essentially, the toilet cleans itself.

“The bowl is pearlescent; it looks like a seashell,” said Rebecca Whiteleather,  one of the owners of B&C Custom Hardware.  “If there is any organic matter left in the bowl, it just disappears.  It’s like you have a brand-new toilet every time you use it.

The bidet-toilets are also water-saving to comply with all the California codes.

Lisa Conley, of  27 Diamonds Interior Design in Irvine has installed three in the past year.  “They are definitely clients with higher scale budgets,” she said.  Two recent installations were in houses in Newport Coast.  “They are well traveled.  They have encountered them abroad and wanted them at home.”

Want to watch a movie while cooling off in the pool with your family?

The city of Irvine will show Disney’s ‘Moana’ on a big screen during its Splash-In Movie & Recreation Swim on Aug. 26 at William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center.

The event kicks off with swimming at 6:30 p.m., before the movie starts at dusk. The fee is $2 for a child and $4 for an adult. No registration is required and all fees are due at the pool. Lifeguards will be on duty.

William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center is at 4601 Walnut Ave. For more information, call 949-724-6717.

DEL MAR — Lookin At Lucky was aptly named. Every time the horse looked up, luck was running somewhere else.

He was named Horse of the Year in the 2-year-old division and the 3-year-old division, in 2010 and 2011, and no horse had done that since Spectacular Bid (1978-79). He won the  2010 Preakness and six other major stakes.

But several bad moons rose to separate Lookin At Lucky from greatness.

He was the favorite in the Kentucky Derby but drew the No. 1 post position on a muddy day. “He got slammed into the rail and that was it,” said trainer Bob Baffert, who, on race day, said he quit watching the race “after the first bump.”

Lookin at Lucky was sick for the Breeders’ Cup Classic and was forced to take the scenic route when he lost the Santa Anita Derby.

He retired shortly afterward and tried his luck at breeding.

“Now he’s becoming the poor man’s Curlin,” John Sadler said. “His colts are affordable. Curlin’s not affordable anymore.”

One of those colts is Accelerate, trained by Sadler, who ran in the San Diego Handicap here on July 22 and caused lots of money to change hands.

Accelerate was supposed to serve as batting practice for Arrogate, Baffert’s Breeders’ Cup Classic champ and reigning Horse of the Year . Arrogate was a ridiculous 1-to-20 favorite. Bettors laid $2.4 million on him, including a $200,000 show bet from a New York horseplayer.

It was a blowout, all right. Accelerate ran his race. Arrogate left his somewhere else, maybe in the trophy case. Accelerate won by 8 1/2 lengths. Arrogate was fourth.

Baffert said Arrogate “laid an egg” and jockey Mike Smith said he “didn’t try today.”

This thickens the plot of Saturday’s Pacific Classic, which, in most years, is Del Mar’s Derby Day. In November, the track plays host to its first Breeders’ Cup.

But Saturday is no dress rehearsal, and invincibility is something a horse can only lose once. Arrogate is still the favorite, at even-money when Del Mar held its draw on Tuesday. He proved himself at the Travers, the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the Dubai World Cup  and the Pegasus. When you lose, they ask you to prove it again.

“My thought when I came out of the paddock that day was that the race was going to be closer than people thought,” said Sadler, Accelerate’s trainer. “Arrogate had been to Dubai and back. Sometimes that doesn’t go perfect, for a lot of reasons. And the distance (a mile) was probably in our favor. Arrogate likes to go a mile and an eighth or a quarter.”

Accelerate got the lead and Arrogate lurked on the backstretch. Everything seemed normal as they entered the far turn.

“But we were running easy,” Sadler said. “I knew he’d have to get us late. I peeked at him and he wasn’t running fast enough. Coming for home, I said to myself that they can’t catch us today.”

And another big crowd was reminded that horse racing is not death and taxes.

Is it the track? Del Mar is deeper than other tracks. Arrogate won there last year. More to the point, Accelerate is 3 for 3 at Del Mar.

“I remember when Mike was riding Zenyatta and he would say how much she hated Del Mar,” Baffert said. “Then she would come out and blow everybody away.”

“The first time we ran Accelerate long last year,” Sadler said, “he ran easy. He showed a lot of proclivity right off the bat. Is it the surface (at Del Mar) or the summer air? He’s an improving horse that’s run against good competition. He was third in the Breeders’ Cup Classic last year and could have been second. We figured it was time to see him in the big one and he responded.”

The early line had Accelerate at 3-to-1. But he and Arrogate have company. Baffert is bringing Collected, who has won all three 2017 starts and has six wins overall. On June 24, he won the Precisionist Stakes by a cool 14 lengths, with Accelerate third.

This will be Collected’s first shot at a mile and a quarter and his second race at Del Mar, where he finished second in the Cecil B. DeMille as a 2-year-old. He was the 5-2 second choice.

“Collected has been running really well down here,” Sadler said. “In my mind he’s the horse to beat.”

Accelerate and Collected will break from the 2 and 3 gates, both with early speed, while Arrogate is perched at No. 8 on the far outside.

City Zip, who sired Collected, won four races. All were shorter than a mile. Heredity, and its mysteries, is only one of the things that makes horse racing so inscrutable. Sadler just hopes luck can skip a generation.

The Irvine Fine Arts Center will present All Media 2017, a juried show featuring the work of Southern California artists.

An opening reception is 4-6 p.m. Aug. 26, with award presentations beginning at 4:45 p.m. The exhibition runs through Oct. 28.

Admission and parking are free. The center is at Heritage Community Park.

Juried by multidisciplinary artist Kim Abeles, the exhibition features painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, printmaking, ceramics, video, installation and more.

If you go

When: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday

Where: Irvine Fine Arts Center, 14321 Yale Ave.

Cost: Free

Details: irvinefinearts.org or call 949-724-6880.

The Laguna Niguel City Council could adopt an ordinance on Sep. 5 to lower speed limits on 11 roadways.

The ordinance was introduced to the council on Tuesday, Aug. 15 after a recommendation from the Traffic Commission, which reviewed the item on July 26. It will be up for adoption at the next council meeting.

Potential roads impacted include:

Aliso Creek Road from Moulton Parkway to La Paz Road could see its speed limit reduced from 45 mph to 40 mph.

Aliso Creek Road from La Paz road to Alicia Parkway could see its speed limit reduced from 50 mph to 45 mph.

Avila Road from Moulton Parkway to La Paz Road could see its speed limit reduced from 40 mph to 35 mph.

Bear Brand Road from Camino del Avion to Gate could see its speed limit reduced from 35 mph to 30 mph.

Camino Capistrano from the north city limit to Paseo de Colinas could see its speed limit reduced from 40 mph to 35 mph.

Camino del Avion from the east city limit to Golden Lantern could see its speed limit reduced from 45 mph to 40 mph.

Camino del Avion from Golden Lantern to Bear Brand Road could see its speed limit reduced from 45 mph to 40 mph.

Chapparosa Park Road from Golden Lantern to the road’s end could see its speed limit reduced from 35 mph to 30 mph.

La Paz Road from the north city limit to Avila Road could see its speed limit reduced from 45 mph to 40 mph.

Ocean Way from Pacific Island Drive to Cannes could see its speed limit reduced from 30 mph to 25 mph.

Old Ranch Road from Golden Lantern to Gate could see its speed limit reduced from 35 mph to 30 mph.

The potential speed limit changes come about four months after the city found 46 street segments needing updated traffic surveys, according to a staff report. Surveys showed 11 of the 46 segments had a need for a speed limit decrease.

If the city approves the new speed limits, radar trailers will be used to warn motorists about the lower speed limits once new signs have been posted.

“We average 90 years old. We have a couple of guys 85 — they’re on probation,” jokes Fr. Christian Mondor, 92, when talking about the Huntington Beach-based band “Forever Young,” which bills itself as “America’s Oldest Act of Professional Entertainers.”

OK, so Mondor, a banjo player, may be slightly overstating the age of the senior troupe. There is a spate of “probationary” players, and even some in their 70s, who would qualify as diaper dandies.

However, in addition to Mondor, the nonagenarians-and-up include dancer Sid Hallburn, 93, and horn player Jimmy Noon, 91. The group also occasionally features dancers and singers Polly Sloan, 92, Letty Smyth, 93 and drummer Viola Smith, 104.

For its collective age, “Forever Young” has only been playing together since 2015. The band is next scheduled to play at Silverado Days in Buena Park on Oct. 21, though other shows may pop up in the interim. Most recently the band played at The Hangar at the OC Fair. The group has also played at the Senior Center at Central Park in Huntington Beach and is always on the lookout for new gigs.

The band was the brainchild of the father-son team of  Craig and Chris MacDonald, 67 and 36, respectively, of Huntington Beach along with Hallburn.

As Craig MacDonald tells it, he and his son are friends of Hallburn, who danced with the “Little Rascals,” among other gigs back in the day.

MacDonald said two years ago they brought Hallburn along to a talent show during Surf City Nights in Huntington Beach called Surf City’s Got Talent.

“I said, ‘Get out there and show them your stuff,'” he said of the challenge he gave to Hallburn. “The next thing we knew, he had attracted 300 people.”

The MacDonalds and Hallburn figured they were onto something and wondered if there were any other 90-somethings looking to gig. That led them to Mondor, a Franciscan priest at Sts. Simon and Jude Church, a mutual friend and musician, and Noon, who played with a number of big bands over the years.

Mondor may be best known in Huntington Beach as the “Surfing Padre.” He took up the sport when he was 70 and helped create the Blessing of the Waves for the Catholic Archdiocese, which has grown into a popular interfaith annual event that will be in its 10th year in 2017.

“It sort of kept going like that,” said Craig MacDonald. “Just like a jigsaw puzzle.”

Among the “probationers” are clarinetist Roger Mandel, 87, guitarist Tom Penderghast, 81, and dancer Marlys Pearson, 83.

Hallburn, who was a close friend of fitness guru Jack LaLanne, said one of the purposes of the group is to get seniors moving and keep them spry and active and show age can be subjective.

He also added, “We’re trying to inspire youth.”

Chris MacDonald agreed, saying, “It’s to inspire youths and seniors so they can go on.”

“They lift people up and give them hope,” Craig MacDonald added.

Hallburn first performed as a 4-year-old when he jumped on stage with “King of the Banjo” Eddie Peabody. That led him to formal training with a former Ziegfried Girl and hanging out and performing with Shirley Temple, Judy Garland, Jackie Cooper, Ann Miller and Mickey Rooney, among others.

Mondor also, coincidentally, has a connection with Peabody, whom he played with on stage. Mondor said Peabody told him he had the wrong kind of banjo for Dixieland and sent him a banjo that he still plays.

In the 1960s Mondor created a folk group called the Troubadors of St. Francis that he says “played for anyone who would listen to us.”

The group made several 45 records that have been remastered.

“I think we sounded pretty good,” he said. “This kind of reminds me of that.”

The MacDonalds and Hallburn say they are always looking to musicians who would like to play with the group, particularly those who are 90 or older, although they also will happily accept “probationers.”

Musically inclined seniors can call Hallburn at 714-968-7791, or email justlisted@yahoo.com

LOS ANGELES — Devon Modster has the arm. He has the legs. Now UCLA wants its backup quarterback to develop his voice too.

Modster is firmly entrenched as starting quarterback Josh Rosen’s understudy with three days of practice left in training camp. Offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch is impressed with the way the redshirt freshman has taken to the playbook. His decision making is faster and his throws are more accurate. As his confidence grows, the naturally quiet Modster is slowly coming out of his shell.

“We’re asking him to really push himself out of his comfort zone,” Fisch said. “Be louder, be more demonstrative, be more animated, but that comes with confidence and you have to kind of have that feel like, ‘I really know this.’”

Modster traded in his scout team jersey for a yellow quarterback practice jersey halfway through last season. Rosen’s season-ending injury elevated the Tesoro High alum to the backup quarterback position while Mike Fafaul took the reins for the final six games.

During spring, Modster competed with fellow redshirt freshman Matt Lynch for the backup position, but edged his way in front by the end and is only continuing to improve.

“I just try to come out here every day, get better, perfect the offense, learn the offense as much as I can,” Modster said.

Lynch and true freshman Austin Burton are sharing reps with the third and fourth teams. It’s been a swift rise for Burton, a Boston-area transplant by way of a Florida high school. The former three-star prospect joined the Bruins two days before spring quarter started. It took him six days of spring practice to earn even two snaps during a team period.

This fall, it took him less than one practice to turn in a highlight play: a 25-yard touchdown pass off his back foot to Jordan Lasley. Burton dropped the snap, picked it up and calmly lofted a pass to the end zone while defenders were bearing down on him.

He continues to mix attention-grabbing touchdown passes with rookie mistakes, such as not getting the offense lined up fast enough, but coaches are encouraged by his quick progress.

“He’s more confident trying to stick the ball in there when he knows where to go,” Fisch said. “The more plays that he knows where to go, the more you could see the velocity come out, you could see the ball jump off his hand, so that’s the exciting part with someone like Austin.”