MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center Foundation held its fall gala at Balboa Bay Resort in Newport Beach – apropos for its yachting theme. The annual black-tie event raised $275,000 to support Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley.

The evening began with a welcome by Paul Stimson, executive director of Orange Coast Medical Center Foundation. “We have been doing this event for 17 years, and we are so grateful to those of you who continue to attend and support Orange Coast Medical Center year after year,” said Stimson.

He turned the podium over to Marcia Manker, CEO of Orange Coast Medical Center, who told guests of the tangible impact their donations make, noting that their generosity enabled the hospital to complete an extensive emergency room expansion.

A live auction featured items such as a Duffy ride with Manker, a getaway to Terranea Resort and a suite at Angel Stadium. A surprise package for a luxury suite at the Honda Center for a Ducks game helped push the auction total to more than $39,800.

After the auction, Stimson introduced a video highlighting two patients who received treatment for cancer and how patient navigators were so instrumental during their treatment. “The complimentary patient navigation program plays an important role in supporting cancer patients and their loved ones,” he noted.

The world according to Jim:

• It is now official. Los Angeles in 2020 sounds pretty much like New Orleans in 2019.

• Remember? Saints fans exploded in rage over a pass interference penalty that was not called in the 2019 NFC Championship Game that helped the Rams get to the Super Bowl. Louisiana politicians fumed, ordinary fans vented, and one lawyer/fan filed a lawsuit against the NFL seeking to depose, among others, Commissioner Roger Goodell. It was laughed out of court, and most of us shook our heads at the whole thing.

• Flash forward a year. The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a motion Wednesday, introduced by councilmen Gil Cedillo and Paul Koretz, asking that Major League Baseball not only strip the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox of the 2017 and ’18 World Series titles, thanks to one sign-stealing scandal already uncovered and another still under investigation, but that the Commissioner’s Trophies for both years be sent to 1000 Vin Scully Ave. in Los Angeles.

• Think about it, folks. Obviously, the revelations of recent months shine a different light on those two World Series, and Dodger fans have a right, and a reason, to vent. (As do Yankee fans, which is a topic for a whole different conversation).

But do you really want to come off as this whiny?

• The L.A. City Council beat the Beverly Hills City Council by a week. That city’s mayor, John Mirisch, had planned to put a similar resolution on the docket for next Tuesday’s council meeting. Our suggestion, again: Let it go.

Let them live with their tainted championships. That should be consolation enough.

• It has been estimated that there have been more than 19,000 major league baseball players all time, going back to 1871 and the founding of the American Association. With Tuesday and the election of Derek Jeter and Larry Walker, 236 of them are Hall of Famers.

So if you wonder why your guy didn’t get in or didn’t get more votes? That’s why. It’s supposed to be exclusive.

• This Space’s ballot: Jeter, Walker, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, Billy Wagner and Omar Vizquel.

In other words: Two now certified Hall of Famers, two who are part of the PED discussion but who put up Hall of Fame-worthy numbers before the suspicions began, the best big-game pitcher of his generation, one of the dominant relievers of his time and a winner of 11 Gold Gloves (Ozzie Smith had 13) who also had 2,877 career hits. The four shortstops who had more hits are all in the Hall: Jeter, Ripken, Robin Yount – who played 11 seasons at short and got the rest of his 3,142 hits in nine seasons as an outfielder – and Honus Wagner.

• Is it safe to assume that the one voter who bypassed Jeter, out of 397 ballots cast, isn’t active on social media?

• If we voters had suspected that Walker would be wearing a Spongebob Squarepants shirt for that first post-election interview, he might have gotten into the Hall of Fame three years sooner.

• The Hall of Fame announcement came at a perfect time for baseball, and particularly for the MLB TV and radio networks. For a few hours, at least, they could shove Signgate into the background.

• And now that Jeter Watch is over, back to our regularly scheduled Mookie Betts/Kris Bryant/Nolan Arenado trade rumors, featuring the Dodgers as stalking horse.

• The biggest sports story in L.A. on Tuesday? That would be the arrival of Javier “Chicharito” Hernández to join the Galaxy. Those who follow soccer, and particularly those who consider El Tri their favorite team, understand that this could be a move with far more impact, short and long term, than not only the Galaxy’s Zlatan Ibrahimović acquisition two years ago but that of David Beckham in 2007, or even Landon Donovan in 2005.

That is how revered Chicharito is in the Mexican-American community, one that is still a difficult sell for Major League Soccer. The best part? Unlike the previous two international superstars, Chicharito is in training camp and will be with the club from opening day forward.

Meanwhile, the duels between Chicharito and LAFC’s Carlos Vela will take El Clásico to still another level. At some point, we might be saying “Zlatan who?” (He’d hate it if he found out.)

• There’s a point during every sport’s offseason, sometimes more than one, when the power of speculation just mows down logic and reality. We’ve already reached one of those points in the NFL, and we’re still a week and a half from the Super Bowl.

• The revelation by Philip Rivers that he and his family are moving to Florida permanently – just imagine the number of moving vans required for that relocation – had the rumor mill spinning into overdrive Sunday morning. The conclusion among many was that B follows A, thus Tom Brady is inexorably headed for the Chargers as their starting quarterback in 2020.

You think it might be a good idea to slow down?

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The Orange County boys basketball 3-point leaders through Jan. 20. Leaderboards are based on published stats available each Tuesday morning.

As investigations into multiple claims of sexual harassment and misuse of campaign funds by GOP Assemblyman Bill Brough drag on, leaders of two influential Orange County Republican groups on Tuesday called for him to immediately resign from office.

“It’s time for Bill Brough to step aside, resign, and open the door for a candidate who can represent South County without degrading the name of the Republican Party,” said John Warner, president of the Lincoln Club of Orange County, which has helped shape conservative politics for nearly 60 years.

Warner’s call was backed by Steve Craig, chairman of The New Majority, another well-heeled Orange County GOP group that previously rescinded its endorsement of Brough.

“The allegations against Mr. Brough are serious, and we take them seriously,” Craig said. “Every one of Mr. Brough’s constituents should too.”

Brough has denied wrongdoing in both cases, dismissing the accusations as politically motivated.

But it’s not clear that either of the state investigations into Brough will be wrapped up and made public before the March 3 primary whittles the field in Assembly District 73 from five to two candidates. And GOP leaders fear that they could lose the most solidly red Assembly District in Orange County if Brough squares off against a Democrat in November while battered by negative investigation results.

Republicans hold a 12.3 percentage point advantage in voter registration over Democrats in Brough’s south Orange County district.

Given those numbers, Brough wasn’t initially expected to face a tough race this cycle. In 2018, he won his third term with 56.2% of the vote, beating Democrat Scott Rhinehart. And, for months, Rhinehart was the only person challenging Brough for the 2020 primary.

But in mid-June, Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett and three other women came forward with accusations that in recent years Brough had made aggressive, unwanted sexual advances against them.

The California Legislature’s Workplace Conduct Unit, a new office that grew out of the #MeToo movement, opened an investigation. Bartlett told the Register on Tuesday that the state office questioned her months ago and that she’d heard interviews were supposed to wrap up around Thanksgiving.

Once the Workplace Conduct Unit finishes investigations, cases related to Assembly members typically go to Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon. His press secretary on Tuesday did not respond to requests for an update on the Brough investigation.

Brough also faces accusations that he used campaign funds for personal expenses.

In August, the Register reported that Brough spent roughly $35,000 in campaign funds over the first six months of the year on travel, hotels, food, clothing and sports tickets. The state announced the next day that it was already investigating an ethics complaint that claims Brough spent roughly $200,000 in campaign funds on personal expenses over the past four years.

Brough’s attorneys have called for the complaint to be dismissed, insisting all of his expenditures were proper.

That investigation is ongoing, according to Jay Wierenga with the Fair Politics Practices Commission. He couldn’t give a timeline, but an FPPC report in November showed investigations into misuse of campaign funds average 347 days. That would take the Brough inquiry to early August.

Meanwhile, GOP leaders have thrown their support in the 73rd primary to Laguna Niguel Mayor Laurie Davies.

Republican Ed Sachs, a Mission Viejo City Council member, also is running, as is Democrat Chris Duncan, a Homeland Security attorney.

Some political observers say Brough’s political future isn’t set, despite losing official support.

“If I had to bet money on it, I think (Brough) will win reelection,” said Adam Probolsky, a veteran Orange County political pollster.

Probolbsky noted that there aren’t any criminal charges or proven violations, and added that many voters might not even be aware of the allegations. He added that it’s possible voters are becoming “desensitized” to negative political allegations given the claims that have been directed at the White House.

A full picture of how, or if, the scandals are affecting Brough’s fundraising won’t come until after Jan. 31, when candidates’ 2019 campaign finance reports are due to the state. But as the election gets closer, candidates must report all donations over $1,000 within 24 hours. And Brough’s contribution records show that late last year he received $33,900 from 10 donors, after the sexual harassment and campaign finance investigations became public.

A spokesman for UPS said Tuesday that the delivery company didn’t know about allegations against Brough when it made a recent $2,000 donation. He added that the company won’t make more contributions “until the matter has been resolved.”

Brough also received $4,700 from Edison International. Spokesman Robert Villegas said his company uses shareholder funds — not taxpayer dollars — to support candidates. But he added “Edison International would not support any candidate found to have engaged in the conduct alleged.”

Other recent major Brough donors — including Google, Weedmaps, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, the California Building Industry Association, the Unite Auburn Indian Community and the State Building & Construction Trades Council of California — didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Brough also didn’t respond to calls Tuesday. But his campaign sent a press release touting that he raised $233,000 in 2019 and that he earned a new endorsement from the conservative activist group, California Republican Assembly.

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The Orange County boys basketball assists leaders through Jan. 20. Leaderboards are based on published stats available each Tuesday morning.

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The CIF-SS girls basketball polls for all of the divisions were released Tuesday, Jan. 21.

(Selected by the CIF-SS Girls Basketball Advisory Committee)

OPEN DIVISION WATCH LIST

(Teams listed alphabetically)

Corona Centennial

Esperanza

Etiwanda

Harvard-Westlake

Long Beach Millikan

Long Beach Poly

Lynwood

Marlborough

ML King

Mater Dei

North Torrance

Orangewood Academy

Roosevelt

Rosary

Sierra Canyon

Troy

Windward

DIVISION 1

1. Sierra Canyon

2. Long Beach Poly

3. Mater Dei

4. Etiwanda

5. Rosary

6. Windward

7. Corona Centennial

8. Harvard-Westlake

9. Lynwood

10. Troy

11. Chaminade

12. ML King

13T. Esperanza

13T. Bishop Montgomery

15. Roosevelt

16. West Torrance

DIVISION 2AA

1. Orangewood Academy

2. Marlborough

3. Millikan

4. Saugus

5. North Torrance

6. Flintridge Prep

7. Fairmont Prep

8. Valley View

9. Santiago

10. St. Anthony

11. Los Altos

12. Ventura

13. St. Paul

14. Valencia/Valencia

15. Oxnard

16. Village Christian

DIVISION 2A

1. San Clemente

2. Whittier Christian

3. Peninsula

4. Oaks Christian

5. Burroughs

6. Bishop Amat

7. Leuzinger

8. Yucaipa

9. El Rancho

10. Cantwell Sacred Heart

11. Arroyo Valley

12. Mayfair

13. Sunny Hills

14. St. Bonaventure

15. Tustin

16T. Oak Hills

16T. Culver City

DIVSION 3AA

1. Santa Monica

2. Glendale

3. Crean Lutheran

4. Mira Costa

5T. El Segundo

5T. South Torrance

7. Santa Fe

8. San Juan Hills

9. Villa Park

10T. Thousand Oaks

10T. Twentynine Palms

12. Laguna Hills

13. Sage Hill

14. Covina

15. Corona del Mar

16. Murrieta Mesa

DIVISION 3A

1. Long Beach Wilson

2. Viewpoint

3. Eisenhhower

4. Yucca Valley

5. Grace Brethren

6. Torrance

7. Royal

8. West Covina

9. Chino

10. Dominguez

11. La Quinta/La Quinta

12. Anaheim

13. Providence

14. Yorba Linda

15. Riverside Poly

16T. Rosemead

16T. Rowland

DIVISION 4AA

1. Xavier Prep

2. Paloma Valley

3. La Salle

4. Ontario Christian

5. Westlake

6. Holy Martyrs

7. Orange Vista

8. Montclair

9. Bassett

10. Portola

11. Notre Dame/Riverside

12. Moreno Valley

13. Inglewood

14. Pasadena Poly

15. Santa Clara

16. Buena Park

DIVISION 4A

1. Marshall

2. Paramount

3T. Rio Hondo Prep

3T. Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks

5. Shalhevet

6. Campbell Hall

7. Dos Pueblos

8. Immaculate Heart

9. Shadow Hills

10T. Western Christian

10T. Capistrano Valley

12. Sherman Indian

13. Glenn

14. St. Monica

15. Rancho Christian

16T. Cate

16T. Bishop Conaty

DIVISION 5AA

1. Wildwood

2. Artesia

3. San Jacinto Valley Academy

4. CSDR

5. Santa Paula

6. Webb

7. Rubidoux

8. Filmore

9. San Gorgonio

10. Acad./Careers/Exploration

11. Riverside Co. Ed

12. Hesperia Christian

13. AGBU/Pasadena

14. Trinity Classical Academy

15. Hawthorne

16. Faith Baptist

DIVSION 5A

1. Ganesha

2. Bishop Diego

3. Calvary Chapel/Santa Ana

4. Santa Clarita Christian

5. La Reina

6. Coastal Christian

7. Magnolia

8. Villanova Prep

9. West Valley

10. Woodcrest Christian

11. Wiseburn da Vinci

12. Los Amigos

13. Century

14. Vistamar

15. Loara

16. Cornerstone Christian

Three defeats – two of them rather narrow – were all Cal State Fullerton had to show for its first three Big West Conference men’s basketball games when it played at Long Beach State on Saturday. The Titans had lost to Hawaii by six points, to UC Riverside by six points and to defending conference champion UC Irvine by 13.

Certainly, there was nothing to be embarrassed about because UCI (first) and Hawaii (fourth) were picked to finish ahead of Fullerton (fifth) in a preseason media poll and UCR (seventh) has, perhaps, turned out to be a more competitive team than most expected. Still, the Titans needed a victory and they got one, defeating Long Beach 66-62.

Afterward, Titans coach Dedrique Taylor spoke in relieved tones, and not just because it was a win over a rival.

“I’m excited about this group getting a win,” Taylor said following the game. “We needed a win in the worst way and I don’t care if it was against Little Sisters of the Poor. We needed a win.

“To come in here and get that type of win against that type of team, I think it says a lot of what this group is made of, but I also think it’s what we have to continue to push and challenge ourselves to continue to do because no night in the Big West Conference is going to be easy. Not one.”

Indeed, this was a game in which Fullerton (6-13 overall, 1-3 Big West) had to fight back from early deficits of 7-0 and 19-8. Considering that the Titans had already lost three difficult conference games, they could have quickly gotten down on themselves.

They did not.

“We’ve gotta be ready to battle that way and I think this group showed themselves, what they’re capable of and what they can do if they stick to it,” Taylor said.

JACKSON ROWE GETTING THERE

CSF senior forward Jackson Rowe missed the first 11 games of the season because of a knee issue, but he is averaging 13.9 points and 6.8 rebounds in 28.4 minutes in the eight games he has played since returning.

He likes his progression since coming back.

“I mean, I’m still getting used to playing these high minutes, high volume,” said Rowe, who was the Big West Freshman of the Year for the 2016-17 season and an honorable mention All-Big West honoree the past two seasons. “But I’ve been playing high minutes for the last two years, three years, so it’s just getting used to getting in that rhythm.”

It is only eight games, but the 6-foot-7 Rowe is shooting a career-best 42.1% (16 for 38) from 3-point range. He was 4 for 7 from beyond the arc on Saturday, scoring 16 points.

The Titans play at UC Davis on Wednesday and will host Cal State Northridge on Saturday night.

TOUGH LOSS

Long Beach and CSF were tied at 60-60 late when the LBSU’s Chance Hunter committed a flagrant 1 foul on the Titans’ Brandon Kamga, pushing Kamga from behind near the basket on a breakaway after Kamga stole the ball from Colin Slater.

Four consecutive free throws – two by Kamga, two by Wayne Arnold after Fullerton retained possession – sealed Long Beach’s fate. It was the type of setback that, according to LBSU coach Dan Monson, had Hunter feeling “awful” about his mistake.

However, getting past a setback like that can be done with good leadership. Slater, who scored a game-high 19 points Saturday, could be the player to take those reigns, based on the way he conducts himself on the court.

“A lot of the things, as far as leadership goes, I think goes behind the scenes as well,” said Slater, a junior guard averaging 10.7 points, third on the team. “It’s not necessarily what you see as a result on the court, it’s before that, what we’re doing. Am I sitting in film (sessions) with guys? Are we all hanging out, talking about, ‘OK, what are we gonna do to get better the next time?’

“I think that’s another aspect where I can improve as a player and as a teammate with my guys, just to continue to be more vocal and coach has been impressing that upon me ever since I got here: ‘You pull guys to the side and communicate, but be more vocal to the team.’ That is an aspect I will improve on and just continue to push just so we can be better.”

THIS AND THAT

UC Irvine (11-8 overall) is the only team with an undefeated conference record so far at 3-0. The Anteaters play Wednesday at Long Beach State (6-14, 1-3) and play host to Cal Poly (4-13, 1-2) on Saturday. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m. … CSUN junior guard Terrell Gomez leads the conference with a 20.9 scoring average. He is shooting a conference-best 93.3% from the free-throw line. … Joshua Morgan, a 6-11 freshman post at Long Beach, leads the Big West in blocked shots at 2.3 per game. He had a program-record eight in Saturday’s loss to Fullerton. … UCI leads the conference in rebounding at 40.8 per game. UC Riverside is next at 37.3.

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The Orange County boys basketball rebounds leaders through Jan. 20. Leaderboards are based on published stats available each Tuesday morning.

DALLAS — Kawhi Leonard scored 36 points, Landry Shamet hit two clutch 3-pointers late and the Clippers beat the Dallas Mavericks 110-107 Tuesday night for their fourth consecutive win.

Dallas saw its four-game winning streak end, and more importantly, lost a key piece in center Dwight Powell just as the Mavericks welcomed back Kristaps Porzingis.

Porzingis scored 10 points on 4-for-17 shooting in his return after missing 10 games with right knee soreness. Late in the first quarter, Powell went down on a non-contact play with a right Achilles tendon injury.

Luka Doncic had 36 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for Dallas. He scored 24 points in the second half to help rally the Mavericks after they trailed by double digits from late in the second quarter through most of the third.

A see-saw fourth quarter turned on Shamet’s 3-pointer from the left wing to give the Clippers a 100-98 lead with 2:48 to play. Montrezl Harrell added two free throws, then Shamet sank another 3-pointer from the top of the arc to put the Clippers ahead by seven. He finished with 18 points.

Maxi Kleber’s dunk brought the Mavs within 108-105, but after a Clippers turnover, Tim Hardaway Jr.’s potential tying 3-point attempt spun around and out. JaMychal Green missed two free throws, but then Doncic missed two – the second intentionally – and Leonard sealed it with two free throws.

With Powell out, Dallas got 16 valuable minutes from former Clipper Boban Marjanovic, who had 12 points and seven rebounds. His turnaround hook with 6:23 to play tied the score at 90, capping a rally from a 14-point, second-half deficit.

POWELL INJURED

Powell went down with 2:57 left in the first quarter. He started to drive toward the basket but fell to the ground and immediately slapped the floor in pain. He was helped to the locker room putting no weight on his right leg.

The team later announced that Powell had an Achilles tendon injury and he was out for the game. Powell’s teammate J.J. Barea – who tore his right Achilles tendon last season – was distraught as Powell was taken off the court.

Powell was averaging nearly 10 points through 39 games prior to the injury. With Porzingis out, Powell averaged 13 points over 10 games on 71 percent shooting.

TIP-INS

Clippers forward Paul George missed his sixth straight game with a left hamstring strain. … Clippers guard Patrick Beverley left in the second quarter with a groin injury and did not return. … Clippers forward Maurice Harkless returned after missing one game with a sore back. … Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle spoke before the game about Delonte West, who played for Dallas in 2011-12. A Maryland police officer has been suspended for shooting a video that shows West as he was being questioned while shirtless and handcuffed. “I think we all feel bad that he’s in the situation that he’s in,” Carlisle said. “The hope is that he will get help.”

UP NEXT

The Clippers continue their six-game trip on Wednesday  at 4:30 p.m. at Atlanta.

Cal State Fullerton faculty members were busy presenting and publishing in the last few months of 2019, and several received notable appointments or emeriti status:

Publications

Natalie Graham, associate professor of African American studies, had a poem titled “Unburning the Body” published in the book, “Graffiti.” It was published by Aunt Lune Books.

Tala Khanmalek, assistant professor of women and gender studies, is a contributing writer for Ideas on Fire. The site offers resources for teacher-scholars across the country. Khanmalek has penned articles on such topics as “Why and How to Write an Academic Book Review,” “Teaching Students How to Use Archival Sources,” and “How Faculty Can Make the Most of Office Hours.”

Dan Sutko, assistant professor of human communication studies, penned “Theorizing Femininity in Artificial Intelligence: A Framework for Undoing Technology’s Gender Troubles,” which was published in Cultural Studies.

Presentations

Twelve faculty members and alumni presented research and contributed to panels at the annual National Communication Association conference in Baltimore.

Zac Johnson, assistant professor of human communication studies, and Rikishi Rey ’14, ’19 (B.A. communications-entertainment studies, M.A. communication studies) presented “Perceived Instructor Humor Orientation and Its Impact on Perceived Instructor Power and Learner Empowerment.” Johnson also delivered a talk on “Confirmation in the College Classroom: The Influence of Teacher Behavior on Student-Student Communication.”

Robert Gass, professor emeritus of human communication studies, lectured on “Surviving the Mob: Using ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and ‘Fury’ to Teach the Concept of Deindividuation.”

Peter Lee, lecturer in human communication studies, spoke on “Intercultural Communication Apprehension, Self-Regulatory and Language Competence of University Students.”

Erika Thomas, associate professor of human communication studies, presented “Becoming a Trans Reality Star: The Cisgender Privilege Behind Trans Portrayals and the Impact on Future Survivability.”

Jessica Kamrath, assistant professor of human communication studies, and Rikki Tremblay ’11, ’14 (B.A. speech communication, M.A. communication studies) gave a talk on “Communicating Leadership Beyond Classroom Boundaries: An Investigation of Two Leadership Pedagogies.”

Stella Ting-Toomey, professor of human communication studies, and Tenzin Dorjee, associate professor of human communication studies, presented “Navigating Perceived Identity Gaps in Intrafaith Romantic Relationships: If You Were a ‘Good’ Christian, You Would … “

Waleed Rashidi, assistant professor of communications, spoke on “Songs and Stories of and From the Road: How Independent Rock Musicians Survive Tours and Tour to Survive.”

Faculty members Alyssa Samek and Dana Cloud also participated in the conference.

Terri L. Snyder, chair and professor of American studies, was the keynote at the Untamed: Women and the Law in Early America symposium at the Jamestown Settlement in Williamsburg, Va. She also gave a lecture and podcast interview for the series, “Ancestries of Enslavement,” at the Center for Lowcountry and Atlantic World Studies at the College of Charleston in Charleston, S.C.

Appointments

Roberto Soto, assistant professor of mathematics, has been invited to serve on the Executive Council of the National Alliance for Doctoral Studies in the Mathematical Sciences, which encourages underrepresented students to pursue doctoral programs and degrees. Soto attended the Mathematical Field of Dreams Conference in St. Louis with CSUF students to connect them with opportunities and faculty in doctoral programs.

Mark Ellis, professor of secondary education and director of the Center for Maximizing Teacher Impact and the Mathematics and Science Teaching Initiative, has been appointed to serve on the Certification Council of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards for 2020. Ellis also was actively involved with revising the NBPTS’ Standards Development Handbook. As part of a National Science Foundation grant project Ellis directs, 12 master teaching fellows who teach middle school and high school mathematics recently became National Board Certified teachers.

Emeriti named

President Fram Virjee recognized the following individuals with the conferral of emeritus status:

Pamela Bradley, performing arts technician III emeritus, for 28 years of service

Joyce L. Jones, accounting technician III emeritus, for 35 years of service

Cassandra Newby, confidential office support emeritus, for 20 years of service

Bruce Rubin, lecturer emeritus, for 17 years of service

May Wong, chief of operations emeritus, for 19 years of service

Charles Frost and Tranece Harris, chaplains for the Cal State Fullerton Police Department, have different levels of experience but say they share a desire to serve as a spiritual minister to police officers — and in a recent addition to their duties — to students.

Police Chief Raymund Aguirre brought the two on about six months ago.

“They ride with officers on patrol, offer marriage services if needed, and are ‘listening ears’ to officers who want to confide in them,” Aguirre said. “They can provide burial services if need be as well. CSUF PD is lucky to have not one but two chaplains who have committed to our officers.”

A 52-year veteran, Frost started the chaplaincy program in Bakersfield. He also served as chaplain in Sacramento and eventually for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Aside from CSUF, he is an on-call chaplain for La Habra, Brea, Placentia and Fullerton police.

“I want to make a difference in police officers’ lives,” said Frost, 79. “I want to cut down on divorce rates, suicide rates. What they see and what they experience is so traumatic in many cases that you can’t even imagine it, describe it. It takes a very special person.”

This is the first chaplain position for Frost’s CSUF partner. At one time Harris wanted to get into the police academy but her life took a different direction when she had her first child and her job as manager of a credit union branch took off.

She eventually went back to school, majoring in political science at Cal State Long Beach and considering law school. Instead, she found her niche in a full-time ministry, and then the CSUF position opened up.,

“Being an African American woman I know what it feels like to have your whole group judged based on a few bad decisions of a few people,” said Harris, a mother of three who expects her fourth child later this month. “I look and see there are so many good officers out there that uphold their oath and do a great job but get such ridicule for the few bad stories out there in the media that don’t represent them as a whole.”

Chaplains volunteer their time and can work anywhere from 10 to 30 hours a month. They complement police administration by being the people the officers can turn to for support and guidance, Aguirre said. They are ordained and bound by confidentiality.

One thing Frost and Harris both emphasize is that chaplains do not evangelize. Chaplains are considered interfaith, they said.

“It’s important that people understand that’s the way it works,” Frost said. “It’s not just a situation where it’s Protestants or Catholics, it’s all religions.”

Chaplains representing the Jewish, Islamic, Sikh and other faiths are available if requested, he said.

In recent weeks, Aguirre has been talking to Harris and Frost about being available to CSUF students on an on-call basis, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Students would meet with the chaplains at the police department.

“Many times they just need someone to talk to,” Frost said. “It’s something they can’t tell their mom and dad. So you just sit and talk with them. Love them.”

Chaplains continually take training courses. Harris said an important one for her involved critical incident briefing, which helps people process a traumatic event 24 to 48 hours after it occurs. Individuals are 75 percent less likely to experience post-traumatic stress if they get the debriefing, Harris said.

That training was useful in August when 51-year-old retired CSUF administrator Steven Shek Keung Chan was stabbed to death in his vehicle in the College Park parking lot. The incident stunned the CSUF community.

The chaplains would talk only in general terms about the situation, but said they held a debriefing session for anyone involved in the incident — dispatchers, people working the desk, officers, student officers helping with the traffic.

“We help them process everything, get it out and talk,” Harris said. “We are also available to talk to officers individually because not everyone wants to open up in front of the group.”

Harris said she didn’t know what to expect coming into such a male-dominated profession. CSUF has 27 officers, seven of them women, which is one of highest percentages of female officers in Orange County, said department public affairs and communications specialist Marissa Garza.

“I thought it would take time to build trust, establish rapport, get people to trust me,” Harris said. “But they’ve really been open, really nice. It’s going really well.”

Students who wish to speak or meet with a chaplain may call 657-278-2515.

While UCLA’s defeat of California on Sunday marked its first home-court win since Dec. 8, the Bruins have yet to win more than twice outside of Pauley Pavilion this season.

This week, the Bruins will face their first-ranked opponent in the Pac-12 in what is scheduled to be one of, if not the, hardest road trip of their regular season.

“There’s only so much you can prepare for,” redshirt freshman guard Tyger Campbell said. “You can’t know what the fans are gonna say, know what the fans are gonna do or how the other team is gonna play because every team plays good at home – most teams do.”

UCLA (9-9 overall and 2-3 Pac-12) faces Oregon State on Thursday night in Corvallis, then takes on No. 12 Oregon on Sunday afternoon in Eugene.

Concluding its nonconference schedule with a 10-2 record for its best start since the 1984-85 season, Oregon State has lost four of its first six Pac-12 games. Yet, with only one loss at home so far this season, the Beavers (12-6, 2-4) are still holding on to the hope of making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016.

“We’re going to get their best shot,” UCLA head coach Mick Cronin said. “Any team trying to make the NCAA Tournament has gotta win at home, so you got to understand what’s coming.”

Oregon State is led by Tres Tinkle with 19.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Junior guard and Bishop Montgomery High grad Ethan Thompson follows Tinkle with 16.1 points per game and leads the team with 4.6 assists per game.

One of the Beavers’ biggest advantages is their height. They have five players on their roster listed as 6-foot-10 or taller – the most on any Pac-12 team this season.

UCLA has just two players that height in Jalen Hill and Alex Olesinski.

Hill, a redshirt sophomore, earned his return back into the starting lineup last week and is averaging a career-high 9.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. While he’s still learning how to utilize his size in a controlled and efficient manner – Hill had 10 deflections against Cal yet also recorded four turnovers – Cronin called him the “microcosm” of the team as Hill averages the third-most (24.9) minutes.

“I’m out there asking him to do things for 32, 35 minutes at a high level for the first time in his career, so there’s going to be mistakes,” Cronin said. “My whole thing with him, you’ve got to stand in there and fight and keep scrapping. If you do, we’ll get some wins, and he’ll become who he wants to become as a player.”

Notable

UCLA men’s basketball got its first commit of the 2021 class late Tuesday afternoon. Four-star guard Will McClendon is ranked as the No. 4 recruit out of Nevada by 247Sports.com. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Las Vegas native chose UCLA over Arizona, Arizona State and Ole Miss. Along with five-star point guard Daishen Nix (class of 2020), Cronin now has two commits to the program since being hired in April.

Confirmed by UCLA, redshirt senior guard Prince Ali did participate in Tuesday’s practice. He sat out Sunday’s game against Cal after rolling his ankle in last Friday’s practice.

UCLA (9-9, 2-3) at Oregon State (12-6, 2-4)

When: 8 p.m. Thursday

Where: Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore.

TV/ Radio: FS1/ AM 570

While you can’t bet on Super Bowl 54 between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb 2 in Southern California’s casinos this year, you can check out all the action and enjoy some specially planned activities.

Many of the casinos will throw big parties full of giveaways, food and drink specials and even the chance to get pictures with, and autographs from, former NFL players. Here’s a list of what’s going down at 12 different casinos.

Agua Caliente Casino Palm Springs 

401 E. Amado Road, Palm Springs. 888-999-1995, aguacalientecasinos.com.

Casino wide: Radio station Mix 100.5 FM will do a remote broadcast and there will be promotional drawings.

Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage 

32-250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage. 888-999-1995, aguacalientecasinos.com.

360 Sports: The sports bar will host a viewing party that will include appearances by former Atlanta Falcons running back Jamal Anderson and former San Francisco 49ers center Jeremy Newberry, a special game day menu and giveaways of T-shirts, rally towels and pom poms. Radio station KCLB 93.7 FM will do a remote broadcast. The sports bar will be open from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., close for 30 minutes and reopen from 2-11 p.m. People who are already in for all day-seating don’t have to leave during the closure time. For all-day reserved seating guests must spend a minimum of $150 per person for general admission and $300 per person for VIP. For reserved seating after 2 p.m. they must spend a minimum of $75 per person for general admission and $150 per person for VIP. Reservations must be made and can be made by visiting Agua Caliente’s website.

The Show: The resort’s performance venue will host a viewing party. Entry includes a hot dog, a souvenir T-shirt and the chance to take away some swag during crowd giveaways. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. $10.

Cahuilla Casino 

52702 Highway 371, Anza. 951-763-1200, cahuillacasinohotel.com.

Casino-wide: There will be $500 free play giveaways every five minutes on the game clock. The bar will offer happy hour drink specials throughout the game.

Harrah’s Resort Southern California 

777 Harrah’s Rincon Way, Valley Center. 760-751-3100, harrahssocal.com.

The Events Center: The casino will host a Super Bowl party that includes the game being played on a jumbo LED screen, tailgating snacks, bar specials and a VIP area featuring couches and recliners. The party will be hosted by former Kansas City Chiefs and Chargers running back Donnie Edwards and include appearances from other retired pros. Doors open at 3 p.m. Free to watch the game, $40 for early entry, tailgate food and celebrity meet and greet and $100 for VIP lounge access (includes lounge seating, beverage service and private cash bar).

Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa 

49500 Seminole Drive, Cabazon. 951-849-3080, morongocasinoresort.com.

Morongo Grand Ballroom: Former Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jim Everett, other former NFL players and cheerleaders will be at Morongo’s “Big Game Blitz” party. Guests can watch the teams compete on large, high definition TVs. Entry also includes an all-you-can-eat tailgate buffet, two drinks, a swag bag, souvenir photos and raffles for football memorabilia. Party starts at 2 p.m. Guests must be 18 or older. $54.

Elsewhere in the casino: Cheerleaders will entertain on the casino floor and the game will be broadcast from high definition TVs at the new Crystal Hearts bar, Good Times Cafe and at screens in the table games area. Some Morongo Rewards members will win up to $1,000 every time a touchdown, field goal, fumble, sack or interception happens during the game.

Casino Morongo:  Next door, at 49806 Seminole Drive, Casino Morongo will have a Big Game giveaway where a different person will win special prizes every 30 minutes from 3:45-8:15 p.m.

Pala Casino, Spa & Resort 

11154 Highway 76, Pala. 877-946-7252, palacasino.com.

Luis Rey’s Sports Bar: The game will be shown on the sports bar’s new 14-foot Jumbotron with ultra 4d technology. The menu will feature three new appetizers at $11.95 each — barbecue pork riblets with cole slaw, spinach and artichoke dip with toasted french bread and cheddar and bacon spud skins. There were also be San Francisco- and Kansas City-themed drink specials.

Casino floor: The game will be shown everywhere on the gaming floor without volume, including at the table game pits and other floor monitors. There will be a Super Hot Seats promotion one person will be selected every five minutes to receive $100 in free play among guests who are using their player’s card at any slot machine, table game or poker table.

Pechanga Resort Casino 

45000 Pechanga Parkway, Temecula. 877-711-2946, pechanga.com.

Kelsey’s: The restaurant will have a game day buffet featuring meat carving stations. There will also be drink specials, including $4 Coronas, $5 draft beers and $12 beer buckets. Doors open at 2 p.m. $49 per person for buffet.

Kelsey’s Loft: The loft area will have a party that will include a hot buffet with build-your-own nachos and sliders stations and drink specials, including $5 Patron, $6 margaritas and $12 beer buckets. Before the game begins, there will be clips from past championships and Super Bowl halftime shows as well as a prize giveaway. Doors open at 1 p.m. $30 per person for buffet and party.

San Manuel Casino 

777 San Manuel Blvd., Highland. 909-864-5050, sanmanuel.com.

One Club Serrano member will take home $25,000 in promotional chips in a game day drawing at San Manuel. Participants in the drawing will include club members who previously took home chips in earlier drawings as well as club members who were randomly selected during wild card drawings at 11 a.m., 12 p.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., for a total of 100 entrants. The drawing will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the Blazing 7’s pit in the Rockin’ Casino area.

Soboba Casino 

22777 Soboba Road, San Jacinto. 951-665-1000, soboba.com.

The Cabaret: There will be an all-you-can-eat buffet featuring items such as hot dogs, hamburgers and nachos.  Giveaways included four autographed NFL jerseys (one per quarter). Drink specials include $12 Corona, Michelob Ultra or Bud Light pitchers. Former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Andre Reed and former Saints, Steelers and Falcons wide receiver Lance Moore will sign autographs and taking pictures from 2:30-6:30 p.m. Promotional items, including keychains, drawstring backpacks and stress balls, will be given out from 2-6 p.m. The event starts at 1 p.m. and runs until the end of game. $25 for club members, $35 for nonmembers.

Spotlight 29 Casino 

46-200 Harrison Place, Coachella. 760-775-5566, spotlight29.com.

The game will be shown on a 20-foot screen at the casino’s Hot Spot bar and there will be food and drink specials, including $10 wings, $3 nachos and $10 draft beer pitchers during the game. Radio station U 92.7 FM will do a live broadcast and will give away concert tickets, NFL items and gift certificates. One person will win a 60-inch TV.

Tortoise Rock Casino 

73829 Baseline Road, Twentynine Palms. 760-367-9759, tortoiserockcasino.com.

Casino floor: There will be giveaways. Multiple people will receive $500 in free play between 3-7:30 p.m.; one person will receive $1,000 in cash between 8-8:30 p.m.; and one person will receive $3,000 in cash at 9 p.m.

Shelly’s Lounge: There will be food and drink specials. Radio station KIX Hot Country will do a broadcast and give away prizes, including Monster Jam and Supercross tickets.

Valley View Casino & Hotel 

16300 Nyemii Pass Road, Valley Center. 760-291-5500, valleyviewcasino.com.

The game will play on all of the casino’s TVs.

LOS ANGELES — Its three-game winning streak has the USC men’s basketball team tied atop the Pac-12 standings at 4-1 in conference play. How long this partial reign lasts depends on how USC responds to its greatest test this season.

The Trojans (15-3) start their road trip to the Beaver State on Thursday, facing No. 12 Oregon before heading to Oregon State on Saturday.

USC has played several good teams during its 15-3 start, but none quite so talented as the Ducks (15-4, 4-2 in Pac-12 play).

“It’s huge,” USC guard Jonah Mathews said of the game. “Not in the aspect of them being ranked, but us keeping our first place, us getting the tiebreaker with them if we win. We don’t play them twice. Even for our net worth status, it’s a big game for us overall in many aspects.”

The Oregon backcourt rolls deep, but is led by senior Payton Pritchard, the leading candidate for Pac-12 player of the year. He’s surrounded by a trio of guards – Chris Duarte, Will Richardson and Anthony Mathis – who all shoot about 35% from 3-point range.

The Ducks have talent in the paint, too. Freshman center N’Faly Dante was a five-star prospect in high school, and senior forward Shakur Juiston is a reliable presence on both ends of the court.

But Pritchard is the straw that stirs the drink. He leads Oregon in scoring (19.5 points per game), assists (5.7) and steals (1.8). In the Ducks’ last game, he hit a long 3-pointer with 3.4 seconds left in overtime to beat Washington 64-61.

“He makes exceptionally tough shots from deep,” USC head coach Andy Enfield said. “So we just have to have a body on him. Ethan [Anderson] will have his chance. Jonah, everybody else. All our guards have to be ready. Even our bigs will be on him at times. We have to have a good team defensive game against Oregon, especially on their home court.”

The Ducks have not lost at home this season, their closest call being a pair of one-point overtime wins over Michigan and Arizona. But USC has been good away from the Galen Center, too, going 4-1 in true road games.

Keeping that record intact in Eugene and Corvallis, both notoriously tough road trips in the Pac-12, will be a challenge. If the Trojans do, their status atop the conference standings will have to be taken a little more seriously.

NOTABLE

Guard Drake London is not expected to travel with the team on the Oregon road trip as he continues to deal with a viral infection that has kept him away from the bench the past two games.

USC at Oregon

When: 8 p.m. Thursday

Where: Matthew Knight Arena, Eugene, Ore.

TV/Radio: ESPNU/AM 790

Joely Richardson wasn’t sure just what she’d experienced the first time she read the screenplay for “Color Out Of Space.”

“I was incredibly sick — I think I had a fever — and I got the script and I read it,” says Richardson, who stars as Theresa opposite Nicolas Cage as husband Nathan. “And I was like, Seriously? I didn’t know what was my flu and what was (the story). Is it meant to be scary or funny?

“So, I was really of two minds,” she says.

An entirely understandable place to be.

“Color Out Of Space” is an adaptation of a 1927 story by sci-fi horror writer H.P. Lovecraft in which a mysterious meteorite crashes near a Massachusetts farmhouse. Strange colors flow out of this space rock, slowly threatening the sanity and lives of the Gardner family who live there.

Add to that Cage, an actor with a big personality who is never afraid to dial things up to 11, and writer-director Richard Stanley, whose career nearly ended after Hollywood scapegoated him for the disastrous 1996 film “The Island of Doctor Moreau,” and you can see why Richardson says she needed a moment.

“Obviously, I knew Nic was in, and then this mysterious fellow called Richard Stanley was the director,” she says. “So I looked him up and I watched this documentary about him and ‘The Island of Dr. Moreau,’ and I was like, ‘Oh my God, this guy is fascinating.’”

So she reread the script and decided she was in.

“It was the total curiosity of, “Maybe I’m crazy, but Nic and Richard and this script?” Richardson says. “It’s just too out there to say no to.”

The story is set in Lovecraft’s fictional town of Arkham, Massachusetts, but filming took place in Portugal where Richardson, Cage and the three young actors playing their children quickly bonded after an unusual introduction to the production.

“(Cage) and Richard as a twosome were quite extraordinary,” Richardson says. “Our first big rehearsal, Richard was bringing in books and magic toys and stones that bled, Nic was telling us about his dreams, and I was like, ‘Whoa, this is a trip.’”

She laughs at the memory and quickly adds that both were the nicest, kindest collaborators.

“The most important thing about Nic, with my experience, is that he’s very much a team player,” she says. “We really needed to be a family, and if one of us hadn’t been a team player it would have really turned off the dynamic.

“But that wasn’t the case. I found him absolutely great to work with.”

Stanley, for whom she’d developed great empathy after watching the documentary on the ill-fated “Doctor Moreau” production, was equally terrific on-set.

“Richard really is a lovely man and a very intelligent man,” she says. “You might not be into what he’s into, but he’s weirdly down to earth — if someone can be completely out there and down to earth at the same time.”

The first half of “Color Out Of Space” slowly builds an ominous mood as the meteorite produces odd events. When things really get bonkers, it’s Richardson’s character who, without giving away too much, is the first to experience its true power.

“Again, it was a trip,” she says. “Literally, the trip of going to Portugal, all staying in the same place in Sintra, but our location was in a strange, derelict house right up a hill in the middle of nowhere. It was very haunted, very spooky, like mold all over the walls and freezing, colder inside than outside.

“It starts with the family all being well and everything’s happy, and then we all kind of — I can’t say go mad or get haunted — it was this sort of family journey through this awful trauma of the color out of space,” Richardson says.

Tommy Chong landed the role of Ezra, a reclusive old hippie living in the woods near the Gardner’s farm.

“Richard Stanley was a fan, a Cheech and Chong fan, and then he became a Tommy Chong fan, and the next thing you know I’m in Portugal doing three hours a day in make-up, and the rest is history,” the 81-year-old actor and comedian says.

His scenes took place in a ramshackle squatter’s cabin where the Gardners’ oldest son Benny occasionally stops in for a smoke and some stoned wisdom.

“He’s got the answers,” Chong says of his character Ezra. “He’s not going to go around and tell anybody, but if they come to him, he’ll say whatever you need to hear.

“My character, it’s almost biblical if you look at it some ways,” says Chong. “A John the Baptist kind of thing, you know?”

Chong says he and the director found a good working process together.

“Richard, the director, he sort of hovered over me like a mother hen. In the end, because of the philosophy of the movie itself, I’m so in tune to it, you know? And that was perfect marriage for me,” says Chong.

That philosophy Chong describes as a sense of unknowable wonder for the mysteries of the universe.

“There’s a lot of mystery and intrigue,” Chong says. “Where you’re dealing with the spiritual world or the invisible world, it’s very exciting.”

In “Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie,” one of four films by the duo that Chong also directed, he is abducted by aliens only to return to earth with “space coke,” which ultimately rockets him and Cheech into outer space.

In reality, though, he’s not convinced we’ll ever be visited by aliens.

“I had an epiphany and it was pretty strong,” he says. “I came to the conclusion that this universe belongs to earth and nobody else. This, the physical universe, is where we come to learn. You can’t learn anything in the spiritual universe because there’s no need, want, or desire. But in the physical universe, there is, and that’s why I realized that hell is part of the physical universe. It’s definitely not part of the spiritual universe.”

Chong says he’s yet to see the finished film — traffic on Sunset Boulevard was so bad for the premiere he never got there — but he’s looking forward to experiencing Stanley’s total vision.

“I’m still waiting for that moment in my life,” he says. “I’m quite sure I’m going to be taken on the trip that Richard wants to take us on, you know, and it’s going to be fun.”

The ensemble cast from Universal Pictures and Illumination’s “The Secret Life of Pets” films will reprise their roles in the all-new The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash! attraction, which is set to open at Universal Studios Hollywood this spring.

The ride, which is located adjacent to the Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem ride and Super Silly Fun Land, will include the voices of numerous actors that helped bring the furry pets to life in the films and give theme park goers a look into what their pets are doing when they’re not home.

Comedians Kevin Hart and Patton Oswalt will reprise their roles as Snowball and Max, Eric Stonestreet will voice Duke, Jenny Slate as Gidget, Tiffany Haddish as Daisy, Lake Bell as Chloe, Dana Carvey as Pops, Steve Coogan as Ozone, Chris Renaud as Norman, Hannibal Buress as Buddy, Bobby Moynihan as Mel, Jessica DiCicco as Princess and Tara Strong as Pickles.

Since adoption day is the most special day for both domestic animals and their human counterparts, it serves as the inspiration for the ride which has guests assume the roles of stray puppies that set out on the journey to find forever homes. It will blend live, dimensional and animated characters with hyper-realistic media and projection mapping to fully immerse guests into the New York City landscape.

Riders will hop into cars designed to look like cardboard boxes and travel along a track towards a pet adoption event. The ride will employ a series of technological firsts that combine sophisticated facial recognition with enhanced gesture tracking, which helps identify each guest as a unique stray puppy for the duration of the ride, according to a press release issued by Universal Studios Hollywood on Wednesday.

Every time guests experience The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash! they are likely to see themselves characterized as a different stray puppy, ultimately creating a unique experience for each visit.

The attraction will also be surrounded by scenes from the “Secret Life of Pets” films as Baker Street has now become Pet Place with all-new store front facades that emulate New York City.

Universal Studios Hollywood has undergone a major transformation within the park over the past handful of years. In 2019, it reimagined its popular Jurassic Park—The Ride and updated it to reflect the new “Jurassic World” films with Jurassic World—The Ride. The DreamWorks Theatre officially opened in 2018 and continues to showcase the “Kung Fu  Panda: The Emperor’s Quest.” Of course, in 2016, the opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter along with two rides: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and Flight of the Hippogriff, was a ginormous undertaking.

The Joyful Child Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in memory of Samantha Runnion and dedicated to preventing crimes against children, will host its third annual BRAVE Race 5K on Sunday, Jan. 26, at Aliso Niguel High School in Aliso Viejo.

The event includes a Child Safety Expo and Joyful Costume Fun Run that’s free for all. Packet pickup and registration begin at 6:30 a.m. The  5K starts at 8 a.m., 1K at 9:15 a.m. and Fun Run at 9:30 a.m. Costs range from $15 to $55. There will be a fairy and dragon costume contest and lots of bubbles!

IF YOU GO

When: 8-11 a.m. Sunday

Where: Aliso Niguel High School, 28000 Wolverine Way, Aliso Viejo

Information: 866-756-9385 or thejoyfulchild.org

By BRIAN SLODYSKO

WASHINGTON — The watchdog group Common Cause filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday, alleging that Our Revolution, a political nonprofit organization founded by Bernie Sanders, violated campaign finance law by accepting donations in excess of federal limits while boosting his White House ambitions.

The complaint comes after The Associated Press reported earlier this month about the donations.

Our Revolution has denied any wrongdoing. A spokesman declined to comment. Sanders’ campaign also did not respond to a request for comment.

The campaign finance act says groups established by federal officeholders or candidates cannot spend or raise money for federal electoral activity that exceeds the limitations of the law. Those contributions are currently set at $2,800 for candidates and $5,000 for political action committees. Additionally, such groups cannot spend money raised in excess of those limits on federal elections.

Our Revolution has taken in nearly $1 million from donors whose donations exceeded those limits and whose identities it hasn’t fully disclosed, according to tax filings for 2016, 2017 and 2018. Much of it came from donors who contributed six-figure sums.

The group has paid for some social media ads backing Sanders’ campaign and is working to turn out voters who will support the senator in the Democratic presidential primary. The group will not have to disclose its 2020 spending until after the election.

“Because Sanders set up Our Revolution and they have raised and spent money in candidate elections, Our Revolution is required to comply with contribution limits, register with the FEC and discloses its donors — but it hasn’t,” said Paul S. Ryan, an attorney for Common Cause. “It’s his establishment of the group that triggers these laws. That means a $5,000 limit, full donor disclosure and no contributions from prohibited sources.”

Candidates are barred from accepting contributions from corporations, labor unions, federal contractors and foreign nationals. The group does not fully disclose who its contributors are.

For years, Sanders has railed against the torrent of money allowed to flood the political system in the wake of the Supreme Court’s landmark 2010 Citizens United decision. But he has saved special ire for super political action committee, or super PACs.

Our Revolution is not a super PAC. But the tax-exempt political nonprofit functions much like one — but without having to reveal its donors. Like super PACs, these nonprofits were similarly empowered to raise and spend unlimited sums after the Citizens United decision.

But such groups must take steps to keep their activities separate from the candidates they support.

“I believe that the analysis is more complicated than has been suggested, and that Our Revolution will be able to show Sanders is no longer affiliated,” said Dan Petalas, a former FEC attorney now in private practice who previously represented Our Revolution. “And even if that’s incorrect, Our Revolution should be able to demonstrate that they used money in ways that comply with the law.”

Sanders on Sunday sought to distance himself from Our Revolution during a candidate forum with New Hampshire Public Radio. While he acknowledged that he founded the group and had “no apologies for that,” he also suggested he was legally prevented telling them to stop.

“If I got on the phone and I told them what to do, that would be a violation of campaign finance law,” Sanders said.

However, legal experts say there’s nothing preventing him from asking them to stop.

“It’s dubious,” said Adav Noti, a former FEC lawyer who now works for the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center in Washington. “A full disavowal — ‘I do not want an outside group spending money from secret, wealthy donors to support my election’ — there’s nothing in the law that would prohibit a candidate from saying that.”

Sanders founded Our Revolution to further the political movement galvanized by his unsuccessful 2016 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, though Our Revolution leaders say he hasn’t held a formal role since its first governing board was appointed in 2016.

The group, which also includes hundreds of local affiliates across the U.S., initially backed a series of candidates in Sanders’ mold during the 2018 midterms. But after he entered the 2020 contest, its focus has shifted toward him.

Nina Turner, a former Ohio state senator and a co-chair of Sanders’ campaign, was president of the group until she took a leave of absence to work on his presidential bid. In May, she resigned from the role, which paid her $187,000 in 2018. Other Sanders surrogates, including radio commentator Jim Hightower and Palestinian rights activist Jim Zogby, have also served on the board.

There are other connections, too, between Our Revolution and people in Sanders’ orbit.

Sanders’ wife, Jane O’Meara Sanders, was a founding director of Our Revolution, according to business filings. In August 2018, the group also subleased Washington office space to Sanders’ Senate campaign, Friends of Bernie Sanders, Inc., a financial disclosure shows.

Our Revolution also provided a $105,000 seed loan to the Sanders Institute, a think tank founded by O’Meara Sanders and her son, David Driscoll. The Sanders Institute, which was mothballed after Sanders launched his 2020 campaign, paid Driscoll $100,000 a year to serve as its executive director. Driscoll previously was an executive for Nike and the Vermont snowboarding firm Burton, but had no previous nonprofit experience, according to his LinkedIn profile. The loan was paid off in 2018.

While Our Revolution doesn’t fully disclose donors, it does list many of them on its website, though they do not include donation amounts. They do grant anonymity, however, to donors who don’t want to reveal their identity.

Still, other tax filings and FEC records reveal who some of the top contributors are.

National Nurses United for Patient Protection, a super PAC that supported Sanders’ 2016 run, disclosed in a 2016 that it donated $300,000 to Our Revolution.

Sixteen Thirty Fund, a nonprofit group that allows donors to anonymously funnel large contributions to progressive and liberal causes, was the source of a $100,000 contribution in 2017.

When you’re going to wine and dine the music industry’s biggest stars during the annual Grammy Awards, the planning begins early – up to six months before the actual ceremony takes place.

For Manny Slomovits, Staples Center and Levy Restaurants executive chef, and Phillip Arriaga, cocktail mixologist and senior manager of luxury suites, the menus undergo numerous changes through the course of several tastings “until we find the sweet spot,” Slomovits said.

According to the chef, the 800 food and beverage team members will be opening more than 2,000 bottles of champagne, hand-rolling over 5,500 mini egg rolls, prepping and adding one ton of vegan and vegetarian offerings into the menu, serving over 200 pounds of chocolate, setting out over 20,000 gummy bears and carving 12,500 ounces of prime tomahawk steak on Sunday during the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

This year’s menu includes a slew of options including gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian dishes.

There’s house rolled sushi with salmon, tuna, yellowtail and vegan spring rolls; a tomahawk steak with roasted cauliflower and Himalayan sea salt-encrusted smashed potatoes with house-made steak sauce; Wagyu sous vide beef brisket with black garlic purple ube potatoes, pickled onions and a teriyaki demi-glace; truffled lobster mac & cheese, which was a fan-favorite last year; bulgogi cheesesteak egg rolls; the Dr. FeelGood Superfood Greens with shredded kale, cabbage, carrots, cilantro and green onions with a carrot ginger dressing; and a farm-to-table mezz board with marinated and grilled vegetables, smoked seafood ceviche, artisan flatbreads, local jerky, lemon hummus and various other spreads.

For snacks, guests can pick up house-made cheddar stuffed pretzel poppers; hoagie bites with shaved beef, pimento cheese spread and tomato jam; organic tortilla chips served with chorizo-truffle crema, fresh salsa and guacamole; or the Grammy Snack Party Mix, which is a combination of Popcornopolis popcorn, chocolate bites, gummy bears, Sour Patch Kids and Bugles chips.

“I’m a chef that likes to go to the movies, so I got my popcorn and my Raisinettes, some caramel corn, M&Ms, everything in there and I just like that salty-sweet explosion,” he said. “It takes me back to when I was a kid and people really do love it.”

On top of making sure there’s a flavor for everyone, Slomovits said their focus is also on sustainability. This year they’ll be using disposable bamboo dishes and cutlery to reduce plastic waste and they’ve teamed up with Melissa’s Produce, a local company, for fresh and organic fruits and vegetables.

“For us, it’s not a fad, it’s not a movement, it’s the way it is and we like to keep up with that and also play around with it and have fun with it,” he said. “People that are doing vegan right now are thinking about a hamburger and we’re really past that. That’s something Levy is excellent at. That as a company before the trend happens, we’re already way ahead of it.”

Dessert is an Artelice LA dessert sampler with mini eclairs, chocolate cookie bites, fresh fruit and delicate creme puffs in chocolate, vanilla and salted caramel flavors.

As well as the 2,000 bottles of champagne, they’ll also be opening about 100 bottles of wine and offering a trio of signature cocktails that will be served on the suites beverage carts.

There’s the Platinum 20, the venue’s official 20th anniversary cocktail made with Absolut Juice Strawberry, basil simple syrup, cranberry juice and it’s topped with Campo Viejo Carva Brut Rose and served with a strawberry lime salt rim.

The Magic Note is made with ELYX Premium Vodka, fresh lime juice, agave nectar and a transforming butterfly tea blend that turns the drink from blue to purple. The Avión 44 Gelee is an innovative cocktail that pairs a glass of Avión 44 Reserva Tequila with a lime gelee and smoked salt experience. It’s basically a very fancy shot of the tequila in a smokey glass followed by a spoonful of gelled margarita mix with a dash of lime and salt.

So even if someone doesn’t walk away with a trophy on Sunday night, at least they had a pretty good meal.

Dave Matthews Band has announced a 2020 summer tour and a commitment to help plant one million trees along the way in a collective effort with The Dreaming Tree Wines and DocuSign. The tour includes two-evenings at each stop and DMB is coming to FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine Sept. 11 and 12.

An online pre-sale for members of the DMB Warehouse Fan Association will begin at 7 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 23 at warehouse.davematthewsband.com. There’s also a Citi cardmembers pre-sale that begins at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18 and runs through 10 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20 at citientertainment.com. Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 21 via LiveNation.com.

As the band strives to plant the one million trees, they invite their fans to join them by contributing an optional donation of $2 per ticket to plant a tree with The Nature Conservancy’s Plant a Billion Trees campaign. It’s a major forest restoration effort with the goal of planting a billion trees around the world by 2025 and more details can be found at plantabillion.org/DMB.

DMB, which was named a UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador in 2019, will also be neutralizing the biggest contributor to a concert’s carbon footprint, the fan travel. In addition to the band’s footprint, Reverb will calculate the carbon footprint associated with fan travel to DMB shows in 2020 and the band will be neutralizing these emissions by supporting carbon reduction projects.