This is the place to find all of OCVarsity’s coverage of the Week 0 high school football games on Thursday and Friday.

Friday’s games, Aug. 23

Fryer on football: Corona del Mar’s offense could be amazing

Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

Whicker: Can you be No. 1 and underrated? Mater Dei looked like it Friday

Ethan Garbers sets Orange County record with 8 TD passes as Corona del Mar crushes Downey

OCVarsity photos: See the highlights from Friday’s season-opening football games

Roundup: Canyon rallies from 20-point deficit to stun Nevada opponent

Capistrano Valley uses a fourth-quarter rally to get by Tustin

Mater Dei makes it another romp against Centennial

Marina shakes off rough start to top Laguna Hills

Fullerton’s Arthur Shaw too much for Santa Fe in opener

Newport Harbor arrives motivated, knocks off Woodbridge

Santa Margarita football outlasts Redlands East Valley

Big plays for Muir football carry Mustangs past Western

Orange Lutheran’s young players, defense too much for San Juan Hills

Katella football fends off Valencia rally to win season opener

High school football: Friday’s scores, Aug. 23

Thursday’s games, Aug. 22

OCVarsity video: Phillips, Zanelli star in La Habra’s huge win over Upland

Beckman uses experience, turnovers to hold off Troy in football opener

High school football: Thursday’s scores, Aug. 22

Makai Lemon, La Mirada shut down El Toro in football opener

Clark Phillips III, Ryan Zanelli lead La Habra past Upland in season-opening thriller

Cypress quarterbacks play big role in victory over Peninsula

How many times have you made a financial decision that backfired in the end? Maybe you intended to be helpful or the decision was made quickly, without thinking about negative ramifications. Whatever the initial circumstance, you regretted your decision later.

Think twice before you find yourself in the following situations:

Lending money to a family member or friend

According to a recent article in Forbes, nearly three-quarters of people who borrow money from friends or family never pay the loan back in full. Often these loans are by parents lending money to adult children. Chances are that when you lend money to a family member or a friend, you will never see the money again. Only lend what you’re comfortable losing. Instead of expecting to get paid back, consider it a gift.

If someone is asking you for money, evaluate the situation before committing. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

• Have I lent this person money before, and did they pay me back?
• Is this an emergency?
• Why are they coming to me instead of going to a bank?
• Will the loss of this money affect my finances?
• If they don’t pay me back, how will our relationship be affected?
• Are they willing to sign a note for the loan, with market-rate interest?
• Leasing a vehicle instead of purchasing ears

When you lease a car, you will have lower monthly payments than if you finance a car with a loan. You can transition to a new car every two to three years by simply returning the car back to the dealer at the end of your contract.

Unfortunately, you will not own the car when the lease expires. And you will need to refinance the debt or pay off the outstanding balance if you want to keep the car when the contract has reached full term. Also, you will be penalized if you terminate your lease early, exceed the allotted annual mileage (usually 12,000 miles) or damage the vehicle through excessive wear and tear.

Co-signing on a lease or loan

Co-signing a lease or loan for a family member or friend seems honorable but may have consequences. When you co-sign, you are responsible for the entire amount. Can you afford the monthly payments if the co-signee defaults? Have you thought about the effect on your credit if the person doesn’t pay on time? And you may be declined for future credit because your debt is too high or because your credit score has dropped due to late payments.

Adding an authorized user to your credit card

You may be helping someone with poor or no credit by offering access to your credit card. This good intention can quickly turn ugly, especially if your card is at the limit or the payments are not made when due. Ultimately, you’re responsible for the debt and will reap the negative repercussions.

Paying for your child’s education

As parents, we often feel that we are responsible for our children’s education even when we can’t afford it. If you did not fund a 529 Plan for your child and are now facing the reality that your teenager is about to attend college, discuss strategies with your child that will not have negative implications on your retirement. You do not want debt that will take years to pay off. Your child has his or her lifetime to repay outstanding student loans; your timeline is much shorter.

Discuss the following options with your child:

• Taking advanced placement classes in high school with the goal of testing out of future college classes
• Living at home while attending a local college
• Attending community college prior to transferring to a four-year university
• Applying for grants and scholarships
• Working to pay for school
• Applying for student research positions
• Completing the FAFSA (fafsa.ed.gov) to determine what types of government aid are availableHolding an investment to avoid capital gains

If you are holding one stock in a taxable account that is a disproportionate amount of your portfolio to avoid capital gains, be careful with this approach. You may be tax-averse but could be positioning yourself for a future disaster should the value of the company quickly decline. You might want to sell some of the stock in order to create a diversified portfolio or gifting the stock to charity.

Delaying saving for retirement

This often means that you will be working well into your later years. There is not a simple solution if you are in this situation. If you are over 50 and have not established a retirement account or the one that you have is dangerously underfunded, take the time to meet with a financial advisor to implement a strategy. If you wait any longer to fund your retirement, you may have ignited a fire that you will never be able to extinguish.

Before committing to financial decisions that could negatively affect you in the long term, evaluate your position and think about your personal finances if the action backfires. Don’t be afraid to place your needs first, and learn to say no when it’s in your best interest.

Teri Parker CFP, is a vice president for CAPTRUST Financial Advisors. She has practiced in the field of financial planning and investment management since 2000. Reach her via email at Teri.parker@captrustadvisors.com

Any time you open your house to strangers, you are opening your house to potential harm.

This is true whether it’s listing your house for sale; leaving a key in the lockbox; vacating your house so your agent can invite complete and utter strangers to walk around, potentially opening all of your drawers, cabinets, and closets; or hiring a contractor and allowing him to bring a random assortment of subcontractors hired from Craig’s List.

So when you open your house to strangers, you need to take precautions.

Here are a few safety measures you might want to consider.

Protect your finances and personal information by securing your home Wi-Fi system.

Most Wi-Fi devices have the default password displayed on the outside of the unit. I’m no tech wizard, but you might want to look into changing the password or putting in place other security measures to prohibit the strangers from entering your network and potentially accessing your personal information.

In addition, secure all of your laptops, tablets and smartphones by keeping them with you at all times. Never leave the house without taking your devices with you.

Protect your valuables by securing them inside your house or in an off-site location. Pack up your sterling silver, diamonds, Rolex watches and bricks of gold and take them over to your neighbor’s house, your parent’s house, your kid’s house or your safe deposit box.

Or put them in a safe that is firmly affixed to the studs inside your closet and locked with a combination lock or a fingerprint recognition system.

Protect your pets by taking them with you or keeping them by your side you while you are at home.

When that is not possible, consider isolating them to one room of the house and posting a note on the door such as, “Do not enter – elderly cat inside.”  I’ve gone through many of my listings at the end of an open house only to discover an upstairs balcony door left open. Don’t leave your pets in a situation where they might run away.

Lastly, protect your home from intrusion by unwanted visitors.

Just as you don’t want your beloved pets to run away, you don’t want to give other critters the opportunity to move in.

The last thing you want to deal with is the damage caused by a fruit bat that flies into your upstairs guest bedroom while the contractors are installing the new flooring and leave the balcony door open. The bat could claw and bite the shutters on the door throughout the night before being set free when the contractors return the next day.

Not a pleasant situation for you — or the bat.

Leslie Sargent Eskildsen is an agent with Realty One Group. She can be reached at 949-678-3373 or leslie@leslieeskildsen.com.

Head coach Chip Kelly talks about the injuries to Theo Howard and Alec Anderson heading into the season opener and what challenges Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder present to the Bruins.

The consensus box of picks comes from handicappers Bob Mieszerski, Art Wilson, Terry Turrell and Eddie Wilson. Here are the picks for Saturday Aug. 24 at Del Mar.

Trouble viewing on mobile device? See consensus picks

Enjoy the consensus horse racing picks online? Subscribe

One person was killed Saturday when a bicycle and motorcycle collided in Trabuco Canyon.

The crash was reported just after 6 p.m. in the 19900 block of Live Oak Canyon Road at Monastery Road, said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Jon Muir.

During the crash, the motorcycle slammed into a tree, Muir said. The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Orange County coroner’s office was called to the scene at 6:40 p.m., according to the CHP.

A SigAlert was issued at 6:28 p.m., temporarily shutting down Live Oak Canyon Road in both directions for the investigation.

Update: An earlier version of this story incorrectly located the crash in Rancho Santa Margarita.

Register reporter Jonah Valdez contributed to this report.

Thousands of fans watched an afternoon of riding and roping Saturday, Aug. 24, at the 19th annual Rancho Mission Viejo Rodeo.

The two-day event at the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park continues Sunday, Aug. 25, with gates opening at 11:30 a.m.

Cowboys and cowgirls are competing for a share of the $180,000 purse. The event’s proceeds benefit several charities in San Juan Capistrano.

Tickets are $30 for adults and $10 for children. Information: rmvrodeo.com.

LOS ANGELES — In the only preseason game at the Coliseum, there wasn’t a lot of excitement or scoring against the Denver Broncos on Saturday, a theme that has remained consistent for the Rams through three preseason games as they continue to sit starters.

The Broncos didn’t exactly light it up either, and that allowed the Rams to post their first win of the preseason, winning 10-6 in front of 66,899.

But the big talk of the night wasn’t even about the Rams, it was about Colts quarterback Andrew Luck announcing his sudden retirement. It was the first question asked of Rams coach Sean McVay.

“He’s the epitome of class,” McVay said. “He’s been a great player, great competitor. I don’t know enough to really have any more of an opinion other than I have a lot of respect for him. He’s been a great player and I hate for our game to lose such a great player due to injuries. He’s only been playing for so many years but he certainly made his presence known in this league.”

The Rams have just 23 points through three preseason games, but none of it surprising or a reason to sound the alarm. Even Rams back-up quarterback Blake Bortles didn’t play, which McVay explained.

“He did a really good job of establishing himself as the clean No. 2,” McVay said. “It’s not a situation where he hasn’t played a lot of football, but when you look at it what’s really to gain? Let’s start to get ourselves in the mindset and mentality of what are we going to do toward the season. A lot of this stuff we’re running is very different in terms of concepts and different things we want to run and do.”

Brandon Allen started and played most of the night, throwing a 51-yard pass to Michael Thomas on the opening drive that stalled in the red zone, and he couldn’t finish a drive with a first down at the 2 early in the third quarter.

But he put up decent numbers anyway, converting 12 of 19 passes for 162 yards.

John Wolford, who is battling Allen for the third-string quarterback spot, led the Rams to their go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, completing a four-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Greene with 12:38 to go. That was about all Wolford did, completing six of 12 for 64 yards.

McVay was pleased with what he saw.

“I thought (John) and Brandon both, even though there weren’t a lot of points to show for it I thought the ball moved under those guys leadership,” McVay said. “They got up and own the field pretty efficient and had some sustained drives where they were able to get some rhythm and get some plays off.

“But I was really impressed with John. You look at the fourth and four touchdown pass where he sits in there and works through a progression. Even in the four-minute drive to have the presence and athleticism he keeps that ball to get to a second and short. It was just really good poise by him. He was able to evade the rush and make some plays with his legs”

In the backfield Darrell Henderson Jr., started and finished with 28 yards and John Kelly had 32, so it was hardly a fireworks show. But give the Rams’ defense credit, they didn’t let Broncos quarterbacks Kevin Hogan (8-for-12, 69 yards) or Brett Rypien (14-for-23, 80 yards) do much and they kept the Broncos out of the end zone.

While it’s not all that fun to watch, you can’t really blame Rams coach Sean McVay for protecting his teams’ health, not after watching offensive lineman Aaron Neary and linebacker Josh Carraway carted off in the first half with injuries. It was just more proof that the season can’t get here soon enough.

The Rams will likely follow the same script in their preseason finale at Houston on Thursday before opening the regular season on Sept. 8 at Carolina.

So with no Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, Aaron Donald or anyone else that mattered, McVay’s biggest job over the next week is trimming the final roster from 90 to 53.

“It’s going to be a lot of tough decisions but that’s a good thing,” McVay said. “I think the biggest thing we want for all these players if it doesn’t work out for the Rams hopefully they’re getting a chance to showcase their skills and it works someplace else.”

For players like Goff, that’s not always easy to watch as he explained earlier this week.

“It’s never fun,” said Goff. “You build relationships with a lot of these guys that unfortunately won’t make the team. But, on the flip side, there is a galvanizing part of it where you find out who the final guys are and really come together from there.”

Goff is not worried about stepping into game action after missing all of the teams’ preseason games for a second straight season. He didn’t even make the preseason trip to Hawaii last week to face the Cowboys.

“I don’t think it will be any different than last year,” Goff said. “I think it’s just the same. I think obviously there’s no substitute for it, but with the way that we approach things in the preseason, that’s the way we do it and I think it will be just fine. I’m not worried about it. I’m excited to get hit, I guess. Kind of get that first one out of the way, but no, I’ll be fine.”

Not only was Saturday’s game the only preseason game at the Coliseum, it was the Rams’ first visit since the completion of its $315 million renovation that finished in August.

The renovation reduced the seating capacity from 93,000 to 77,500 and replaced every seat in the stadium, and featured major renovations to the press box and luxury suites.

REYNOLDS CONTINUES TO IMPRESS

Earlier this week McVay was asked about receiver Josh Reynolds and the leaps he’s made since last season.

Reynolds may have a tough time finding the field with Cooper Kupp returning from last season’s injury to an already deep receiving core, but he did have 29 receptions for 402 yards and could jump into a starting role if someone gets hurt.

Still, he figures to see plenty of action.

“I just think the confidence,” McVay said of Reynolds. “I think he’s getting better, really, in all phases. He’s got great body control for a player of his size, he’s got excellent hands, he’s got a great catch radius just because of the length that he has and I think he’s getting more and more comfortable as he continues to play.”

I thought last year was great where you could see no moment is too big for him. Making big time plays.  He’s gotten better and better and I think (Goff) mentioned the other day, we look at him as a starting player and he’s going to continue to play a lot for us.”

HAGER MAY GET HIS OPPORTUNITY

There are still questions about who replaces second-year linebacker Micah Kiser, who suffered a pectoral injury and was a near shoe-in to start. Now that he’s expected out a significant amount of time and probably the season after having surgery, Bryce Hager appears to have the inside track toward being named a starter.

Saturday’s contest against the Broncos was another opportunity for undrafted Georgia rookie Natrez Patrick to impress, and he did just that along with others hoping to to make the final roster.

While Patrick has been one one of the biggest surprises of the summer, and is making a strong argument to make the team, all signs point to Hager in terms of starting.

“I think it’s to be determined,” McVay said. “I think you feel good about Bryce stepping into that role because he and Micah were competing for that.

“Bryce is a guy that’s played a lot of football and he’s done a nice job for us. He’s got some familiarity with our system having played in it now for the last couple years. He’s a great communicator, so I think he’s done a really good job.”

It’s not the way anyone wants a starting spot, but it appears Hager has done enough, and after mostly four years of competing on special teams, he’s likely relishing the chance.

“When he’s gotten his opportunities – you feel his presence,” McVay said. “I think he’s going to do a nice job. You hate it for Micah, but both those guys were players that we had a lot of confidence in. Unfortunately, as a result of the injury that occurred to Micah, it kind of naturally brings Bryce into that role. But, those guys were competing for that role as is and now Bryce will have that role because of the injury.”

CARSON — Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson marched onto the field in full uniform for pre-game warm ups, but that wasn’t a definite indication that the star player was going to play Saturday night against the Chargers.

Unlike New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees a week ago, Wilson kept his helmet on after the Chargers received the opening kick-off.

This time it was clear. The Chargers’ defense was getting their first preseason challenge against an established quarterback.

The results weren’t pretty for a first-team defense that was missing safety Derwin James and pass rushers Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. The defensive ends are expected to return, but James won’t be back any time soon, and what Wilson did to the Chargers’ secondary in the first half could be a sign of things to come in the regular season.

Wilson went deep often and the Seahawks had their way on the ground to hand the Chargers a 23-15 loss before an announced crowd of 23,377 at Dignity Health Sports Park. The Chargers fell to 0-3 in exhibition play with one preseason game left against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday.

“The first three quarters, there wasn’t a whole lot to be excited about,” Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said.

Before a fourth-quarter rally led by rookie quarterback Easton Stick to trim a 23-3 deficit, the Chargers struggled on both sides of the ball through three quarters.

The defense allowed 185 rushing yards with 125 coming in the first half, including two rushing touchdowns. Wilson went 6 of 9 for 73 yards and had three carries for 31 yards.

Wilson’s biggest play came on a 30-yard pass to Tyler Lockett, who beat cornerback Desmond King on the coverage.

“One thing we didn’t do very well in the first half, was contain their quarterbacks,” Lynn said.

The Chargers’ defense avoided facing Brees last week. He was in full uniform, but took off his helmet before the opening kick-off. The Chargers instead got Teddy Bridgewater, and Cardinals rookie quarterback Kyler Murray in the preseason opener.

Life without James will be an adjustment for the Chargers’ secondary. James, who has a fractured right foot, will be placed on injured reserve when the regular season arrives, which will force him to miss at least the first eight games.

Wilson, however, didn’t win on every deep pass attempt Saturday night. Chargers safety Rayshawn Jenkins displayed his athleticism in the first quarter after leaping to break up a Wilson pass to a wide open Lockett down the field.

“They were definitely big-play hunting,” Jenkins said. “They thought they were going to complete that one. As a defense, we’re always taught to bend, but never break.”

Chargers cornerback Casey Hayward would have been on the sidelines with most of the starters, but he requested to play.

“I haven’t tackled anybody to the ground since last year, so I told myself that I needed to get a little action before the season starts since they gave me the first two games off,” Hayward said.

The Chargers’ secondary will need all the reps they can get to prepare for life without James in the regular season, and they received a taste of it from Wilson and the Seahawks offense.

Night of debuts

Jatavis Brown got the start at weakside linebacker for his return to game action.

Brown displayed quickness and a nose for the ball to record seven combined tackles in the first half.

He’s been the forgotten man in the Chargers’ deep competition at linebacker. Brown started next to middle linebacker Kyzir White. Denzel Perryman entered the game in the second quarter and Thomas Davis got the night off. Perryman tweaked his ankle, but was able to return to the field.

Uchenna Nwosu, a pass rusher and linebacker, didn’t play because of an undisclosed injury.

Brown injured his ankle in the regular-season finale in Denver last year, which forced him to miss the team’s playoff run and offseason program.

Rookie safety Nasir Adderley was dressed for his first NFL game, but never entered the game. The 2019 second-round pick returned to practice this week after missing most of training camp with a hamstring injury.

Wide receiver Dontrelle Inman was also in uniform for his second Chargers debut. Inman signed with the Chargers on Thursday after asking for his release from the New England Patriots. Inman’s first stint with the team was from 2014 to 2017.

Okung’s pregame workout

There’s no timetable for left tackle Russell Okung’s return, but he showed signs of progress before game time.

Okung joined center Mike Pouncey for drills on the field. The two offensive linemen were later joined by quarterback Philip Rivers and wide receiver Keenan Allen. All four starters didn’t play Saturday night.

Okung missed all of training camp because of the pulmonary embolism he suffered in June. He was limited to stretching and rehab work on the side.

Okung was in good spirits as he danced to the music from the stadium speakers. He also protected Rivers’ blindside for a four-man formation drill, with the quarterback taking snaps from Pouncey and throwing passes to Allen.

It’s unknown how much training Okung has done behind closed doors, but Saturday’s workout could be a positive sign for the left tackle moving forward.

Luck retirement

The Chargers won’t be facing quarterback Andrew Luck for the regular-season opener against the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 8.

Luck informed the Colts on Saturday that he’s retiring from the NFL. The 29-year-old star quarterback made four Pro Bowls in his seven-year career.

Quarterback Jacoby Brissett is in line to start for the Colts and face the Chargers’ defense in Week 1 of the regular season.

Editor’s note: This op-ed is part of the SoCal Policy Forum, a partnership between the Southern California News Group and the Center for Social Innovation at UC Riverside. For more SoCal perspectives on the problems of housing affordability and homelessness, visit socalpolicy.org.

Earlier this summer, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a $214.8 billion state budget that included $2 billion in new spending to address California’s housing and homelessness crisis. While Governor Newsom and the state legislature should be applauded for their efforts, we must also acknowledge that California cannot spend its way out of the housing affordability crisis that has engulfed the state.

There are no quick fixes when it comes to alleviating the state’s housing woes. California’s housing crisis is the result of decades of legislative and regulatory actions at both the state and local levels which have constrained, and in many instances outright stopped new home construction. If measurable progress on housing affordability is to occur, there are several key legal hurdles which must be overcome.

First and foremost, there needs to be a serious effort by Governor Newsom and the state legislature to mend – not end – the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Signed into law in 1970, CEQA was created to ensure that certain environmental protections were in place with new development projects, such as housing. Despite its original intent, CEQA has evolved from a tool into a trap, ensnaring practically all new housing, regardless of how locally necessary or environmentally friendly.

From senior retirement communities to homeless shelters, hundreds of CEQA lawsuits have crushed sorely needed new housing proposals. CEQA abuse has become so widespread that based on a study by the law firm Holland & Knight, between 2012 – 2015,close to 14,000 housing units in the Southern California region (minus San Diego) were targeted by CEQA lawsuits.

Along with the need to reform CEQA, the state must also make significant changes to prevailing wage requirements for new home construction. Prevailing wage is essentially the average hourly pay for construction work within a specific geographic region, and it applies to a wide variety of trades including carpenters, electricians, and plumbers.

Under state law, home builders are required to pay prevailing wage on most low-income housing developments receiving public financing, thus leading to a substantial increase in costs. A report from the California Homebuilding Foundation found that prevailing wage requirements can mean as much as a 37 percent increase in construction costs, which equates to about $84,000 for a typical new home.

To avoid adding additional hurdles to housing growth, it’s imperative that any new prevailing wage requirement fully recognizes, with metrics, the economic realities of each geographic region throughout the state.

In those cases where new housing developments are approved, residents will often seek to curtail new home construction by placing “slow growth” or “no growth” measures on the ballot. Cities including Costa Mesa, Thousand Oaks, and Redondo Beach are among several Southern California municipalities that have passed voter-approved initiatives which effectively limit new housing.

It’s because of these types of legal impediments that the Building Industry Association of Southern California formed the nonprofit Building Industry Legal Defense Foundation, which has worked tirelessly to protect the home building industry from laws and regulations aimed at preventing new housing.

There is only one way out of California’s housing crisis, and that’s to ensure that home builders can do business in a legislative and regulatory environment where actual construction can take place.

Jeff Montejano serves as CEO of the Building Industry Association of Southern California. Headquartered in Irvine, the Building Industry Association of Southern California is a leading advocate for thousands of building industry leaders who are committed to a better future for California by building communities, creating jobs and ensuring housing opportunities for everyone.

After seeing news about yet another round of mass shootings in the United States, Anu and Shivani Sharma were nervous about bringing their twin 9-year-old daughters from their home in Melbourne, Australia for a vacation in Orange County.

The parents are originally from India, so they worried their skin color could make them targets.

In the end, a desire to not give in to fear – and the allure of visiting Disneyland – won out. As they headed back to the busy theme park Tuesday, the family said the climate didn’t feel much different than back home in Australia. But Shivani Sharma said the concern did rear its head from time to time, like when her husband reminded her to ignore a man pushing his way through the line for a ride.

“Here in this country,” he said, “you don’t know who is carrying a gun.”

The United States’ global reputation for embracing gun ownership, coupled with news of mass shootings that claimed the lives of 31 people over the first weekend in August, has some international visitors reconsidering plans to come to Southern California – which depends heavily on tourism to help power its economic engine.

Those concerns for visitors were amplified by Amnesty International, which recently joined a growing list of organizations and countries that have issued travel advisories warning tourists about the risk of gun violence in the United States.

The advisory from the prominent human rights group “calls on people worldwide to exercise caution and have an emergency contingency plan when traveling throughout the USA.” It urges tourists to avoid places where large crowds gather, such as churches, schools and shopping malls, and to be cautious in bars and nightclubs. And Amnesty states that travelers could be at a higher risk of being targeted by gun violence depending on their “gender identity, race, country of origin, ethnic background, or sexual orientation.”

Uruguay and Venezuela also both issued U.S. travel advisories in the wake of the Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas shootings. However, Venezuela’s warning – which says U.S. officials encourage indiscriminate gun possession – is seen by some as the government equivalent of trolling, since it was issued four months after the U.S. State Department warned Americans not to visit Venezuela due to ongoing violence that continues to land the country at the top of multiple rankings of most dangerous countries in the world.

The Japanese Consulate in Detroit included this caution in an email seeking information on any Japanese people involved in the Dayton shooting: “Japanese residents should be aware of the potential for gunfire incidents everywhere in the United States, a gun society, and continue to pay close attention to safety measures.”

Other countries that have cautioned visitors to the United States about the prevalence of guns or gun violence in recent years include New Zealand, Belgium, Germany and Ireland. And a current advisory from Canada notes that while mass shootings do occur in the United States, such incidents account for only a small percentage of homicide deaths and are not likely to specifically target tourists.

The U.S. State Department routinely issues travel advisories for other countries, ranking them in terms of safety on a scale from one to four based on assessed risks for crime, terrorism, civil unrest, natural disasters and more. An official with the department said they don’t offer any guidance on safety within the United States. And, while an official map ranks the U.S. as a low-risk destination, with the last U.S. update late last year, he declined to comment on how this country would rate itself on the four-point scale based on current conditions.

But the recent warnings about travel to the United States, along with a closer look at safety statistics, flip that traditional narrative on its head.

Data from different groups and tracking a variety of security issues put the United States just above the middle of the pack when it comes to international safety rankings. For example, the latest Global Finance report on the world’s safest countries – which factors in political unrest, personal security and natural disaster risk – ranks the U.S. at No. 65 out of 128, primarily because of a higher-than-average homicide rate.

The United States has the 28th-highest rate of deaths from gun violence in the world, according to recent figures from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. By that metric, the U.S. is on par with South Africa and four times more dangerous than Turkey.

But a vast majority of that gun violence in the United States takes place in homes or on streets, not in gathering places where tourists are likely to congregate. And most people who are shot knew their assailants. When data is stripped out to focus on random violence, the risk of tourists or anyone else dying in a mass shooting is statistically lower than the risk of dying in a plane crash or by choking on food.

Still, while most violent crime in the United States has become less frequent over the past 25 years, that’s not true of mass shootings. A recent Harvard study found the frequency of mass shootings tripled from 2011 to 2014.

Karolina, a woman who lives in Norway and is going by her first name due to privacy concerns, was planning a trip to the United States with her husband for her birthday in February. The plan was to fly into San Diego and drive up the coast through Orange County to San Francisco before heading to the Grand Canyon.

“But then after the recent mass shootings, especially the one in the Walmart in Texas, everything changed for me,” Karolina said in a Facebook message to the Southern California News Group. “I was reading an article on the news about the shooter, how he was specifically targeting Mexicans and brown people. This is literally genocide. He was hunting them as if they were animals. And still no change. This is too much for me.”

She’s hoping to reschedule if there are changes to U.S. gun policies and the political environment.

Local tourism bureaus weren’t eager to discuss the issue, either ignoring or declining interview requests.

While tourism worldwide continues to grow, international tourism to the United States is already on the decline and expected to continue falling for at least another few years, according to projections from the U.S. Travel Association.

The United States’ share of the international travel market reached a high of 13.7% in 2015. But it’s been dropping since then, the travel association reports, to 11.7% in 2018. That translates to 14 million fewer international visitors, which the travel association says has triggered a $59 billion drop in traveler spending and a loss of 120,000 U.S. jobs.

The United States also recently dropped from No. 2 to No. 3 on the list of most-visited countries, with France and Spain now holding the first two slots.

Travel economists peg the decline on several factors, including the strong U.S. dollar and soft global market. But they’re also saying domestic politics play a role, triggering what’s come to be called the “Trump slump.”

A report from Oxford Economics, for example, cites “uncertainty surrounding the Trump administration” as a contributing factor to declining international tourism. A Tourism Economics study attributes steep drops in visitors from China on trade tensions under Trump and declines in German visitors on “unpopular U.S. diplomacy and policies.” And other studies show drops in visitors from Muslim countries under Trump’s travel ban plus fewer international workers due to increased visa restrictions.

Those factors all matter to Linda Freeman. The British Columbia resident loves Las Vegas and other parts of the United States, but she says the gun violence and other political rhetoric will keep her away.

“(It’s) definitely affecting my future travel plans,” Freeman said, citing “fear of getting mowed down, lack of political action with gun control, heightened racism and the political climate.”

Such sentiments aside, critics of the Amnesty International advisory note this is the first time the organization has issued such a warning. They note that Amnesty hasn’t issued an advisory for, say, North Korea or Venezuela.

Amnesty officials acknowledge the advisory wasn’t just about statistics.

The warning was also a political statement aimed at bringing attention to the lack of movement by the U.S. federal government to enact gun safety laws, according to Ernest Coverson, campaign manager for Amnesty’s End Gun Violence campaign.

He said the United States has an obligation under international human rights law to regulate access to guns and protect people’s right to move about freely, and that his organization believes the U.S. isn’t doing enough to try to meet that obligation.

Coverson added that Amnesty will consider lifting its travel advisory for the United States if the federal government starts to put in place “commonsense gun laws.”

Trump has said he supports increased background checks and so-called “red flag” laws, which let authorities take guns from individuals if a judge deems them dangerous. But he’s since issued conflicting statements on some of those positions. And so far, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has blocked related legislation passed by the House from making it to the Senate floor.

The President of the United States is clearly crazy. He offered Denmark $100 million in gold for Greenland and even dangled parts of Alaska to sweeten the pot! Insane, right?

The crazy President was Harry S. Truman. The year was 1946.

Which isn’t to say our current president didn’t have millions Googling the 25th Amendment last week by playing the “Let’s buy Greenland” card 73-years after the Danes said no to Truman.

Wanting to buy Greenland is not what makes people question the president’s sanity.

Getting into a fight with the Danish Prime Minister and canceling a foreign visit for turning him down does.

To no one’s surprise, the Danes — Greenland’s landlords — were not interested in selling their 660,000 square mile backlot.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the idea, “absurd” and said Greenland is not on the market. She’s right. I checked Zillow and Greenland’s not even listed. But President Trump considers himself a savant when it comes to real estate deals and objected to having his brainstorm called “absurd.”

So, how did he respond? By doing the most absurd thing a president could do — he cancelled a scheduled trip to Copenhagen and called the Danish Prime Minister, “nasty.” This coming in the same week the president called the communist dictator of China, “a good man” and lobbied once again for Vladimir Putin’s Russia to be restored to the G7.

I have no idea if buying Greenland is a good idea or not. I’m still debating the wisdom of buying a vacation home on the Oregon Coast where it rains all year. The president has yet to say what he wants to do with Greenland. He did tweet out a picture of a giant Las Vegas-style Trump Tower building photoshopped onto the tundra with the caption, “I will not do this to Greenland”, so we know what he wouldn’t do.

Given that 80 percent of Greenland is covered with ice and snow the options are somewhat limited. Then again, Donald Trump is a deep thinker with a big brain while the rest of us can’t see an inch past our noses. He may be playing the long game, counting on climate change as free snow removal. Voila, suddenly Greenland is over-flow parking for Canada!

If it had just been Greenland, last week would have been almost benign by Trump standards. Unfortunately, the president also had things to say about the Jews.

The president questioned the “loyalty” of Jews in America. Not to America, but to Israel. “If you vote for a Democrat, you’re very, very disloyal to Israel and to the Jewish people,” said the president.

Which is a reboot of the ancient and lethal anti-Semitic trope of the “disloyal Jew” who’s first allegiance is to their religion, not dissimilar to JFK being asked if he’d take his orders from the Pope back in 1960. By the president’s standard, I was disloyal to Ireland and Catholicism because I did not support Ted Kennedy.

Absurd.

The president then doubled-down, as he almost always does when his Twitter finger itches, and retweeted a long, messianic, posterior-kissing post from the former sports handicapper and current conspiracy theorist, Wayne Allyn Root. Root crowned Donald Trump, “King of Israel,” a title uncomfortably close to “King of the Jews,” a title previously given to Jesus Christ, and then went on to claim Mr. Trump is loved in Israel, “like he is the second coming of God.” Root also pronounced our 45th president, “the best President for Israel in the history of the world,” apparently ignoring the aforementioned Harry Truman who was indispensable to the creation of Israel after Second World War.

This president is a sucker for flattery and he’s not particularly particular about its source.

How long before he tweets an offer to buy Israel?

I do not dislike everything the [resident has done, including moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Israel’s enemies don’t get to determine where Israel’s capital is located. I support border enforcement. I believe businesses have been over-regulated and China is a currency manipulator and prolific violator of copyright and patent protections. I think the Iran deal was a bad idea. With that said, I dislike nearly everything about how the president conducts himself.

Sadly, this will not change. At 73 years of age, this is the finished product. Donald Trump is who he is. For all their bluster, the Democrats will not impeach him. It will be up to us to decide next November if the new abnormal is to continue for another four years.

Doug McIntyre’s column appears Sundays. He can be reached at: Doug@DougMcIntyre.com.

Times may have changed, but Old Towne Orange’s Rod’s Liquor hasn’t really.

Sure, the store now sells hemp wraps and energy drinks, but just as in 1949 when Rod’s opened, visitors pull up their cars under a brick roof inches from the store’s door, walk into a hodgepodge of shelving and liquor bottles to be greeted by a clerk who knows them by name.

But the Fraser family, which bought the building and opened the store those 70 years ago, plans to close Rod’s Liquor as early as October. Restaurant Bosscat Kitchen + Libations, which already has locations in Newport Beach and Houston, will lease the building from the family.

The closure marks the end of an era for the family, which once ran 23 liquor stores throughout the West, but has transitioned to operating 12 Rodrigo’s Mexican Grill locations in Southern California.

Leasing the Old Towne Orange building will be more profitable for the family than running the liquor store, owner Suzanne Fraser Fish said, but closing Rod’s Liquor was still a tough decision.

“It’s always been the family legacy,” she said.

In 1949, there weren’t a lot of places in downtown Orange to get liquor.  Rod Fraser, a World War II pilot, saw an opportunity and bought the former gas station and a tire shop, his son, Rick Fraser, said.

The price of alcohol was set by law, he said. “All you had to sell was service and convenience.”

Location and hard work by the Fraser family made the store a success – Rick Fraser remembers working in the “ice house” as a kid, sorting the supplies of cubed, crushed and blocked ice sold at the store.

In the ’70s, the family started to  move away from the liquor store business and into restaurants. Far-off stores – in Needles and in Arizona – were shuttered.

But family members just couldn’t bring themselves to let the first Rod’s Liquor go.

“I was raised in it,” Rick Fraser said. “There’s a lot of emotional things about that store.”

It has been an institution in Old Towne Orange – hundreds signed a petition to keep Rod’s Liquor open during this year’s Orange International Street Fair. For decades, “Rod’s Girls” have sold and poured beer at the store during the popular fair.

“They’re Rod’s grannies now,” Rick Fraser quipped.

Chatting at the cash register with Dave Mesesan, the store’s manager, Orange resident Carol Keck, 62, lamented the store’s pending closure.

“I’ve been to Rod’s forever,” Keck said, calling the spot “cute and fun.”

Mesesan, who has been at the store for 19 years, said he’s “grateful for the years I’ve had” – he remembers climbing to the roof to watch the transport carrying the Space Shuttle Endeavour fly right over them in 2012 en route to Los Angeles.

But Mesesan said he doesn’t have any hard feelings about the closure. “It’s been a happy livelihood.”

But some Old Towne regulars are still grappling with the loss.

Kevin Hodge, 55, works just a block away and visits Rod’s Liquor regularly, whether to get a corn dog as a snack or to get alcohol for parties.

So, when he first heard of the closure a short time ago, he said he felt something beyond simply losing a store:

“It’s like losing a friend.”

“Be it resolved that the California Federation of Women’s Clubs endorses the principle of equal suffrage.”

These were the words brought to the floor at the Virginia Hotel in Long Beach during the 10th annual California Convention of Women’s Clubs on May 17, 1911, laying the groundwork for women’s right to vote. Some 300 delegates representing more than 25,000 statewide members voted nearly unanimously in the passing of Amendment 8 to the state Constitution that October, giving California women the right to vote nine years prior to the ratification of the Constitutional Nineteenth Amendment on Aug. 18, 1920.

With almost a century passed since its ratification, community members gathered at the corner of Pacific Avenue and Ocean Boulevard, just blocks away from the grounds where the Virginia Hotel once stood, Saturday, Aug. 24. They honored the activists of 1911 — and those who have continued to lead fight for equality.

The event served as an early celebration of what became Women’s Equality Day on Aug. 26 in 1971.

“Each women is capable of being in charge of their own lives,” said Zoe Nicholson, director of Long Beach Suffrage, at the beginning of the gathering.

Adorned in their elegant “suffrage whites,” nearly 50 participants made the mile-long walk down Ocean Boulevard to Cesar E. Chavez Park, leading marchers past the new City Hall in a proud display of remembrance.

Prior to the march, community members convened at the Cesar E. Chavez Park Amphitheater in the afternoon for a children’ singing circle with a communal singing of historic songs from the Women’s Suffrage Movement by Christina Wilson.

During the walk the marchers, or suffragettes as some called themselves, recalled many of history’s most prominent women who’ve dedicated their lives to equal rights, including Susan B. Anthony and Clementina Rind.

“We’ve been in neutral,” said Deborah Betance, a teacher at Longfellow Elementary School, in regard to the spotlight notable women have received in public education. “But now we’re kicking it into high gear.” Betance, along with her Little Suffragettes, plans to host educational events in the near future that tasks young women with highlighting prominent women in history.

Though women’s struggle for equality has continued since the Nineteenth Amendment’s ratification, participants spoke of the accomplishments reached since 1920. Women receiving education, serving in the armed forces, and experiencing diversity in government (especially within Long Beach) were just a few, according to marchers Martha Duncan and Jane Hansen.

“Were at a pinnacle,” said marcher Amy Eriksen. “The suffrage work is never finished.”

After arriving at the park, a one-woman show hosted by Nicholson led spectators through a live memoir saluting American suffragist, feminist, and founder of the National Women’s Party Alice Paul. Nicholson told the story of Paul’s history of nonviolent direct action with historic photographs and newspaper clippings accompanying the presentation.

These events marked the beginning of what will be a year-long celebration organized by Long Beach Suffrage 100 for the centennial anniversary of women gaining the right to vote next August. Suffrage! A History in Word and Song, an event showcasing historical protest songs and even one original song, will take place at the First Congregational Church of Long Beach Saturday, Sept. 21.

Community members are also invited to submit notable women who have contributed to Long Beach throughout its history. Striving to highlight 100 women leading up to a gala set for March 2020.

“Ask where the women are,” Nicholson said to the crowd of marchers. “They’re always just a thought away.”

When you’re going to a party, you know you need to dress up.

And D23 Expo 2019 is one big fan party for Disney so you know the cosplay vibe is strong here.

Whether lining up to get merch or learning about the Avengers Campus expansion, the fans are all about celebrating their favorite fandoms — from the big reveals about Star Wars properties “The Mandalorian” and “The Rise of Skywalker” to favorites like the return of Lizzie McGuire and Black Panther.

Sometimes all that excitement makes you want to sing — and sometimes it makes you create elaborate award-winning outfits that look like Disneyland attractions.

Check out some of our favorite cosplay outfits as seen by our photographers Drew A. Kelley and Jeff Gritchen.

Southern California’s hotel building boom is heating up just as tourism faces everything from declining visitor growth, a labor shortage and rising costs.

Atlas Hospitality Group’s mid-year reports on lodging development and sales activity tell us there’s little cooling in hotel construction in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties:

(1) 20 hotels with 2,478 rooms opened in 2019’s first six months vs. 11 hotels with 1,712 room a year earlier.

(2) 89 hotels with 14,016 rooms were under construction at mid-year. That’s 20 hotels than June 2018.

(3) 462 hotels with 67,964 rooms are on drawing boards at mid-year. That’s up 60 hotels planned in a year.

And this building boom is not just a local trend. Statewide, 36 hotels opened this year vs. 26 in 2018. Under construction? 234 hotels, up 51 in a year. In planning? 1,143 hotels, 184 more.

Yet hotel developers’ optimism seems askew from some travel industry benchmarks. Filling rooms is more challenging in 2019, as is filling staffs to clean those rooms. Plus, operations costs are rising. And investors are changing their buying habits.

“It’s pretty amazing how many hotel rooms are being added,” says Atlas president Alan Reay. “It’s a little bit of a head scratcher.”

Peek at one key business barometer: passenger traffic at the region’s five airports, as tracked by VisitCalifornia. In 2019’s first six months, 1.1% more passengers flew to and from Southern California. Yes, that’s more people but it trails 2018’s 4.1% growth and 2017’s 5.2% upswing.

Like the economy overall, tourism is not as hot as it once was.

Hard to fill rooms

Southern California hotel owners have found it tough to fill more rooms this year, limiting their ability to hike room rates as costs rise.

According to CBRE Hotels’ mid-year report on local hotel conditions, occupancy rates in 2019’s first six months rose in only 12 of the 31 hotel submarkets it watches in the four counties. That may not be as alarming it first sounds. Numerous local hotel markets have never filled this many rooms before, so further improvements in occupancy may be difficult.

Room rate hikes in the first half were seen in 19 of those 31 markets. That meant the key “RevPar” cash flow measurement increased in just 15 submarkets.

Those weak numbers come as hotel operators battle cost pressures in recent years, especially for the laborers who clean rooms and serve guests.

One measure of hotel pay shows the U.S. industry’s weekly wages are up 2.7% in 2019. And the Producer Price Index for hotel supplies shows costs increasing at a 3% rate in 2019’s first half.

Hard to fill jobs

Cost-conscious operators translate to Southern California hotel hiring hitting a post-recession low.

My trusty spreadsheet, looking at state employment data, found “accommodation” jobs in the four-county region grew by only 519 workers to 94,986 in the year’s first six months with the same period in 2018.

That meager hiring — equal to 0.5% yearly — is the slowest pace since the Great Recession crushed the local hotel industry and is roughly one-fifth of the hiring seen in 2013-18. That’s when Southern California hotel bosses averaged adding 2,543 workers yearly, or 2.9% annualized growth.

When unemployment runs near historical lows, as it is statewide, low-wage industries such as hotels have a tough time staffing up.

“Hotel operators have been heroic in their efforts to find employees and combat rising wage rates. Market conditions indicate that hoteliers must pay the prevailing wage rates, or better, to meet their staffing needs. We do not see this upward pressure on labor costs going away in the near-term,” analysts at CBRE Hotels wrote in a recent report.

To be fair, this hiring slowdown isn’t just tourism. The region’s labor shortage hits many employment niches. Job growth for all Southern California industries ran 1.1% in the past year vs. 2.5% annualized in 2013-18.

Buying smaller

Another sign of caution: Southern California hotel investors have switched gears, buying more but smaller properties in 2019’s first half.

According to Atlas Hospitality Group, 56 hotels in the four counties were bought in the first half vs. 41 in 2018. My trusty spreadsheet tells me the region represented 39% of all California hotel deal so far this year vs. 31% in 2018.

With the buying increase came a smaller appetite, per investment. The average Southern California hotel sold had only 68 rooms this year vs. 104 in ’18. That helps explain why the price per room paid locally was on average 22% lower this year.

The regional trend is a sharp contrast to dealmaking in the rest of the state where 89 hotels were sold in the year’s first six months. That’s down slightly from 93 in 2018. The size of the average sold was flat at 82 rooms and price per room inched up less than 1%.

“If you’re in it for the short-term, that’s dangerous,” Atlas’ Reay says of risks being taken by hotel owners. “In good locations, and if you’re in it for the long-long-long haul … you should be ok.” 

LOS ANGELES — Anyone who saw Sunday night’s edition of El Tráfico – at once intense, crazy, entertaining and exhausting – has to be rooting for LAFC and the Galaxy to play each other in the postseason.

And that includes Zlatan Ibrahimović, who is probably as much of an expert as anyone on the derby involving the 12 miles of freeway separating Banc of California Stadium and Dignity Health Sports Park.

Zlatan scored his seventh and eighth goals of the five games in this rivalry, within the first 15 minutes of what turned out to be a 3-3 draw. He tends to be in the middle of everything when the new team and the old team meet, be it scoring goals or challenging referees. (Or posing for billboards. Don’t worry; we’ll get to that.)

So, he is asked, would he like to see LAFC in the postseason?

“Absolutely,” he said. “Here, also. I want to play it here.”

That can be interpreted as either (a) braggadocio, (b) relishing a challenge, or (c) the idea that he enjoys what may be on its way to becoming the best rivalry in SoCal sports and may already be the fiercest.

The game in Carson last month had more of a rivalry vibe in the stands, with three different blocs of LAFC supporters filling sections in the Galaxy’s stadium and trading cheers, jeers and chants with the home crowd. The scene downtown Sunday night was a little more one-sided; Galaxy supporters filled one small corner of the upper tier at the south end, and otherwise Galaxy white shirts dotted the stands but were swallowed up (and their voices drowned out) by the home fans.

Those home fans were irrepressible, even when the Galaxy took a 3-1 first-half lead on Zlatan’s two goals and a third by newcomer Cristian Pavón, who also assisted on Ibrahimović’s first goal.

They roared when Latif Blessing scored his second goal of the game in stoppage time toward the end of the first half to provide a glimmer of hope. And the place was jumping when Carlos Vela tied it in the 53rd minute, shortly before coming out with a hamstring issue and providing an opportunity for new designated player Brian Rodriguez (who absolutely didn’t disappoint).

Then again …

“When we play at home it’s more global,” Ibrahimović said. “The stadium is too small for me here. But I make the stadium bounce anyway. It looks awful big when I play here.”

This was, of course, one of many Zlatan statements that should be accompanied by a nudge and a wink.

The established team still has not lost to the new guys in the two seasons of this derby, with two victories and three draws in the five games. This one maybe didn’t feel quite like a victory to LAFC, but clawing back from a 3-1 deficit seemed to be a good sign even for a team that seems to be running away with the Supporters Shield.

“Obviously, there’s just what’s hanging over our heads, which is beating the Galaxy,” LAFC coach Bob Bradley said. “When you don’t do it, there’s a part to it that still stings and it will continue to hang over our heads.”

That, he said, was reflected in maybe wanting to win so badly that his players forced things that weren’t there and left the Galaxy openings.

“But what goes with that is the part of continuing to grow as a team and I still think that the package of things it takes to be a great team, most are going in the right direction,” he added.

For this derby to truly take off, LAFC will need to win some of these games. It will need to step up its trolling game, too.

The Galaxy purchased two billboards within sight of Banc of California Stadium featuring Zlatan, one with him pointing at Vela and the other showing him gliding past a prone Blessing.

The El Trafico build-up continues ahead of Sunday with some top quality trolling by @LAGalaxy.

Spotted: Zlatan billboards placed outside Banc of California Stadium. Reminder: @LAFC best team in the league this year by a long shot, have never beaten the Galaxy. pic.twitter.com/N6OjvhyfGg

— Stu Holden (@stuholden) August 22, 2019

The latter billboard was subsequently defaced, but the point had been made.

“I was so mad,” Blessing said Sunday night. “That was so disrespectful … My family, my friends were talking about, ‘You saw the billboard?’ They were sending me the pictures.

“I feel like this game I needed to go all out, need to do my best, need to win this game.”

Almost.

The realization, of course, is that once the playoffs will begin – and this season, remember, everything is single elimination, with no more two-leg series – “almost” doesn’t cut it. LAFC got a taste of how that goes last season with its first-round elimination, at home, by Real Salt Lake. This season’s runaway success would make such a result even more crushing.

But the more that’s at stake, the more fun it will be. An all-L.A. matchup is no certainty; the Galaxy, currently one point out of second place in the West but also just two points ahead of the seventh and last playoff spot, seems to be a club capable of beating anybody, but also of losing to anybody.

And again, we will let Zlatan have the last word.

“We should focus on all the teams we play,” he said.

Fair enough. But we are under no such restraint. Bring on that postseason El Tráfico. 

jalexander@scng.com

@Jim_Alexander on Twitter

When Los Angeles Football Club captain Carlos Vela left Sunday’s rivalry game against the Los Angeles Galaxy with a hamstring injury to his right leg, it set the stage for Uruguayan attacker Brian Rodriguez, LAFC’s newest designated player, to make his team debut.

Vela pulled up with his injury in the 61st minute, just eight minutes after scoring his 27th goal of the season and equalizing the match against the Galaxy at 3-3. Bradley sent in Rodriguez, who signed with LAFC in the final moments of the summer transfer window, in Vela’s place. The young attacker made quite an impression in his 29 minutes on the pitch.

The former Penarol attacker took the field with confidence and made his presence felt on the pitch in his limited minutes. He was a constant influence on LAFC’s attack from the moment he got in the game, touching the ball 27 times in his 29 minutes. He took four shots, though he only forced one save from Galaxy keeper David Bingham.

Rodriguez was also adept at moving the ball; he completed ten of the 11 passes he attempted, while creating two chances for his teammates. The match ended in another draw, the third in five matches between these teams, but LAFC dominated the second half, and Rodriguez contributed heavily to the team’s improved performance.

“Brian was good right from the beginning, come on. It still takes a little bit more to get him totally in sync with people, but some of his ideas, especially when he comes inside, were really good,” head coach Bob Bradley said of Rodriguez. “He’s confident to take people on. He beat the defender to the left to get some balls across. For someone just coming into a team, I think those are all really positive.”

In his first five minutes in the game, Rodriguez made three separate runs into the LAFC’s attacking third, including a run during which he dribbled Galaxy defender Rolf Feltscher to the ground inside the box before sending a dangerous ball across goal.

Rodriguez also handled LAFC’s corners while he was in the game. One of his attempts found defender Walker Zimmerman’s head and set Adama Diomande up for a goal the center forward couldn’t finish. Based on Sunday’s debut, Rodriguez could become as important piece of LAFC’s attack as he continues to gain experience during the final matches of the regular season.

“We want him to find a way to be on the move to get towards goal, but we also ask certain things defensively so that when we defend the [attackers], as a group of three, set us up to try to win balls,” Bradley said. “Those things go hand in hand with how we play. So far he’s picked up ideas really well.”

@Brodriguez_16 nearly gives us the lead. Keep the pressure on. #LAFCvGAL 3-3 pic.twitter.com/Vv6XRJns4o

— LAFC (@LAFC) August 26, 2019

Here is how I voted today in the Register/OC Varsity Orange County football top 25 poll …

1. Mater Dei
2. JSerra
3. Mission Viejo
4. Corona del mar
5. Servite
6. La Habra
7. Villa Park
8. Los Alamitos
9. Orange Lutheran
10. Tesoro
11. Santa Margarita
12. San Juan Hills
13. San Clemente
14. Edison
15. Yorba Linda
16. Western
17. Katella
18. St. Margaret’s
19. Valencia
20. El Modena
21. Capistrano Valley
22. Cypress
23. El Toro
24. Segerstrom
25. Newport Harbor

On the bubble: Aliso Niguel; Brea Olinda; Foothilll Orange; Santa Ana; Sunny Hills; Trabuco Hills

Superheroes, villains, actors and writers are popping out of comic book pages and landing in the middle of downtown when the Long Beach Comic Con comes to town Aug. 31-Sept. 1.

The annual Comic Con will pack a lot of action into two days with hundreds of vendors and dozens of panels. Then there’s the popular Saturday night Cosplay Contest, plus the Space Expo, which is a con within a con that focuses on space exploration and science with talks and panels about topics such as space lasers, high-speed asteroid chases and the science behind cartoon physics.

Among the biggest draws are the invited artists, writers and celebrities who are signing autographs, participating in discussions and just walking around nerding out on comics like everyone else.

And here is just a taste of who you can meet at the Long Beach Comic Con this year.

Writers and artists

Shea Fontana 

Girl power is in the house with Fontana,  who is the developer and writer of the DC Comics  “Super Hero Girls” animated shorts.

Mike Kunkel

There’s no word on whether Herobear and the Kid will be in Long Beach with him, but the Eisner Award-winning creator of the all-ages books rarely misses the event.

Howard Chaykin

With a 40-year career as a comic book artist and writer, Chaykin is a true and respected veteran. He’s worked for Marvel and DC Comics and he launched the critically acclaimed “American Flagg!” for First Comics.

Wrestlers

Rikishi

Do not miss your chance to meet wrestling royalty. The former WWE Intercontinental Champion, and two-time World Tag Team Champion is a member of the legendary Anoaʻi family of Samoan wrestlers and a WWE Hall of Famer. So yeah, he’s a real life wrestling superhero.

Vickie Guerrero

Um, “Excuse me!” you can recite her famous catchphrase right back to this WWE heel, if you dare. On second thought, you better not.

Voice Actors

Greg Baldwin

Wait, does this guy kind of sound like Jack M. Crazy, that buff fish with the sweet mustache from “Spongebob Squarepants?” Or no, does he sound more like the wise Jedi Master Tera Sinube from “Star Wars: The Clone Wars?” Both are correct; Baldwin is the voice of the animated characters.

Keone Young

Wu hooo! It’s Mr. Wu on HBO’s “Deadwood” and not only that, he is the voice of  the deadly and mysterious ninja Storm Shadow in the animated G.I. Joe series. Just don’t tell Snake Eyes he’s there.

If you go

When: 10 a.m.- 7 p.m. Aug. 31; 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sept. 1

Where: Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.

Tickets: $35-$399

Information: longbeachcomiccon.com