Los Alamitos High School’s robotics team, the Golden Griffins, celebrated their 10th anniversary with a community open house that brought together students, families, and supporters for an inside look at one of the school’s most dedicated programs. Among the guests were Los Alamitos Unified School Board Vice President Diana Hill, Superintendent Andrew Pulver, board members Chris Forehan, Matt Bragman, and Farnaz Pardasani, and Communications and Public Information Officer Nichole Pichardo.
Team 6220, the Golden Griffins, is made up of Los Alamitos High School students passionate about pursuing careers in STEM. The team competes each year in FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a nonprofit organization founded in 1989 that encourages young people to explore STEM education and careers. During the competition season, high school teams from around the world have just weeks to design, build, and program robots weighing up to 125 pounds to complete specific field challenges. FIRST Robotics Competition is widely regarded as the ultimate sport for the mind, combining the excitement of athletic competition with real-world engineering and problem-solving. For the Golden Griffins, the work continues long after competition season ends, with members spending the offseason sharpening their skills and mentoring newer students joining the program.
Courtesy Photo Golden Griffin’s design team explains to Los Alamitos Unified School Board Vice President Diana Hill, Superintendent Andrew Pulver, and board member Chris Forehan their role in the team.
Visitors were guided through a series of hands-on workstations, each representing one of the team’s specialized subteams. At the Manufacturing station, members walked guests through the tools used to build robot components. The Electrical subteam demonstrated the wiring systems and control boards that power the robots on the competition field. The Business subteam shared their work in grant writing and securing the sponsorships that fund the program from year to year. Over at the Marketing station, team members displayed their design work and social media presence. The Design subteam showcased their use of CAD software with Onshape to accurately design the entire robot. The Programming subteam rounded out the tour by demonstrating the code behind the robots, which controls everything from basic driving to complex automated sequences during matches.
The crowd favorite of the night was the live demo, where two of the team’s robots, one built during the team’s 2025 LAEF summer camp and another used for testing critical robot functions every season, were out on the floor and available for guests to drive themselves. All of the guests took a turn at the controls, getting a feel for just how much engineering and skill goes into making the robots move with speed and precision.
The team is thankful to everyone who came out to support them and share in the celebration of ten years of robotics at Los Alamitos High School. As the Golden Griffins look toward the next decade, they remain focused on growing the program, welcoming new members, and continuing to show their community what student driven engineering looks like up close If you are interested in supporting the Golden Griffins, please take a moment to look at our website at team6220.org or reach out at losalfrc@gmail.com! The team is constantly looking for new avenues for partnerships in order to not only construct their robot, but also provide educational opportunities for the entire school district and community.
Coming off a CIF-SS Championship season, the Los Alamitos High softball team is looking to replace several key graduates from last year’s team. The Griffins are young, but Head Coach Rob Weil said he is very pleased with the progress of the players who are taking over this year.
The Griffins opened Sunset League play with an 11-1 win over Fountain Valley on Thursday, led by the pitching of Jaliane Brooks and Faith Pulsifer. Brooks, a freshman, came into her own late last season and anchored the pitching through the championship run.
Brooks, along with Pulsifer, a senior, gives the Griffins two solid pitchers that Weil said will keep the team in every game this season. Pulsifer also adds power at the plate. She hammered a two-run double against the Barons.
The Griffins had taken a 1-0 lead in the second inning, on a sacrifice squeeze by senior catcher Jordan Castrellon. In the third, the Griffins broke the game open with a five-run rally, with doubles by sophomore shortstop Aspen Natori and senior third baseman Alexis Galicia. Sophomore Ryann Velazquez capped the rally with a home run. Galicia was 2 for 3 with an RBI and two runs. The Griffins recently returned from the Tournament of Champions in Bullhead City Arizona, where Weil said the team played very well.
“We’re growing, I mean, we grew a lot the last two weeks at Bullhead, we really came into our own,” Weil said of the team’s progress.
The Griffins are at Huntington Beach on Thursday, at 6 p.m. and will host Newport Harbor on Tuesday, at 3:30 p.m.
Discover the fascinating world of Owls with acclaimed author, speaker, and wildlife photographer Paul Bannick at the Aquarium of the Pacific’s First Wednesday lecture April 1.
The Aquarium announced this week that Bannick will present a comprehensive program about different owl species found in California, their habitats and every stage of their life cycle while enjoying breathtaking visuals on our theater screen.
His award-winning work has been showcased in the NY Times, Smithsonian, Audubon, Sunset, Nature’s Best Photography, NPR, and NBC Nightly News.
Following the lecture with Q&A, you will have the chance to mix and mingle in our art gallery, with music, crafts, Paint-a-Fish exhibit, and a cocktail bar. Drinks will be available for purchase before and after the talk.
This program is recommended for adults of all ages. Photography enthusiasts will find engaging interactions with our guest speaker! Reservations are required. First Wednesdays regularly sell out, so be sure to book your tickets early.
Aquarium of the Pacific is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization which depends on your support to fulfill its mission: to instill a sense of wonder, respect, and stewardship for the Pacific Ocean, its inhabitants, and ecosystems.
This inspiring presentation will explore the fascinating world of owl species found in California, including the Northern Pygmy, Burrowing, Great Gray, and Snowy owls. Throughout the seasons, we will dive into their lives in four unique habitats.
From courtship, mating, and nesting in the spring, fledging and feeding of young in summer; dispersal and gaining independence in fall; and, finally, the migrations and food competitions of winter. Each stage is beautifully documented. Discover the challenges faced by owls, and their remarkable survival journey while enjoying Bannick’s dramatic visuals on our theater screen.
Owl photos by Paul Bannick
Following the presentation, guests will have the opportunity to enjoy music, crafts, cocktails (available for purchase), and conversations in our Art Gallery, along with our Paint-a-Fish exhibit. The lecture will also be live-streamed.
The Aquarium of the Pacific’s First Wednesdays series focuses on animals, nature, and conservation efforts. The events bring scientists, authors, and other experts into its Honda Pacific Visions Theater for an illustrated talk paired with book signing or meet and greets and cocktail/social hours with music and crafts. The programs are best suited for high school and college students, young professionals, and adults of all ages.
The event will be held Wed., April 1, from 7 – 9 p.m. at the Honda Visions Center at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 on the day of the event (pending availability).
Parking is $6.00 for the first 2.5 hours in the structure located directly across from the Aquarium. Drinks available for purchase before and after the lecture.
About Paul Bannick Paul Bannick is an award-winning author and photographer who makes images to inspire education and conservation. He is both the author and photographer of five books including two best-selling bird books, Owl: A Year in the Lives of North American Owls and The Owl and the Woodpecker, Encounters with North America’s Most Iconic Birds. Owl received the Gold Medal in the 2017 Independent Publisher Book Award “Animals” category.
Paul Bannick, courtesy photo
Most recently, Woodpecker was named a finalist for the 2025 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award in the Nature category. Paul’s photography won awards from several prestigious contests, including those hosted by Audubon Magazine and the International Conservation Photography Awards.
His work can be found prominently in many bird guides, including those from Audubon, Peterson, and The Smithsonian and has been featured in a variety of publications including The New York Times, Audubon, Sunset, and Nature’s Best Photography Magazine. His many TV and Radio appearances include pieces on NBC Nightly News, PBS, and NPR.
Paul is an active public speaker with dozens of multimedia Owl programs at bird festivals, fundraisers, and conferences across the continent every year. The Aquarium of the Pacific’s First Wednesdays series focuses on animals, nature, and conservation efforts. The events bring scientists, authors, and other experts into its Honda Pacific Visions Theater for an illustrated talk paired with book signings or meet and greets and cocktail/social hours with music and crafts. The programs are best suited for high schools and college students, young professionals, and adults of all ages.
Los Alamitos High Football Head Coach Ray Fenton is leaving his job to become the head coach at Orange Lutheran High School, Fenton and the school announced at a press conference, Friday at Orange Lutheran.
Fenton, who led the Griffins for 10 seasons, finished his tenure with a record of 80-33 and capped that run with a CIF-SS Division 2 Championship last year. Fenton came to Los Alamitos after a short stint with Fountain Valley, where he helped a struggling Baron program back to a winning record.
Prior to Fountain Valley, Fenton coached at his Alma Mater, Cypress High, where he coached the Centurions to a CIF-SS Championship in 2007. Over the course of his career, he has built or re-built several programs into winning form. He’s won several state and regional coach of the year honors, including LA Times Coach of the Year.
“Coach Fenton brings proven leadership and a deep commitment to developing student-athletes who compete with integrity and grace,” Orange Lutheran stated in a social media post about his hiring. Los Alamitos High put out a statement thanking Fenton for his commitment to the Griffin program, noting the incredible 10 years.
“Your commitment to our athletes went far beyond the field,” the football program stated in a social media post directed to Fenton. “Through your leadership, you taught our boys the value of discipline, hard work, and accountability while inspiring them to become strong leaders and teammates.”
Part of Fenton’s program often entailed non-football activities, such as assigning books to be read by the players over the summer break. In 2018, Fenton assigned the book Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual, by Jocko Willick, a former Navy Seal turned author and motivational speaker.
The team then reached out to Willick to see if he would visit the school. Willick responded with a challenge. He said if the students could do 1 million burpees in a month, he would visit. The team began counting their burpees and enlisted the community through word of mouth and social media, to get others to contribute to the total.
The movement went viral, with students throughout the school and groups doing burpees on short videos and sending them to the team to be added to the count. Teenagers at their fast food jobs were knocking out a few burpees and sending in the video. Board members at meetings were doing the same. Groups from universities as far away as Tennessee and Wyoming were sending videos with #losalmillionburpees to be added to the count.
Fenton also met with Los Al players on Friday to inform them of the change. Fenton noted in news reports that the response was mostly happy for him. Fenton will move from the Alpha League to the Trinity League, which he called the toughest league in the country.
Orange Lutheran made the decision to seek a new coach, after the team went 3-9 and 1-4 in league play in 2025. The private school league also includes Santa Margarita, St. John Bosco, Mater Dei, Servite and JSerra Catholic.
Los Alamitos and the communities that surround it have long been known for their many non profits serving wherever there is a need. But these service groups are only as successful as the individuals in those communities who keep them on course. They are the lifeblood of any successful nonprofit. Like the organizations themselves, these dynamic individuals come and go. Some stay long enough to ensure the mission passes on to a next generation of volunteers. A few individuals have the fortitude to hold it together through multiple generations under their leadership. Communities have precious few such leaders within their nonprofit ranks that match the lifelong commitment to non profit causes as our own Dave Appling, who passed away on March 2.
Dave cut his teeth in business as a capable mechanic and manager of a multi gas station chain, then grew a successful commercial insurance business in Los Alamitos. Early in his career he decided to apply his business success and hands-on experience with the public to throwing his wholehearted support behind a Los Al High School football scholarship fund, giving talented but not-so-privileged athletes a needed financial boost to go to college whether they played sports or not for which he raised many thousands of dollars and provided hundreds of grants.
Soon he was asked to collaborate in standing up a much larger in scope Los Alamitos Education Foundation to support a broader range of student assistance and major campus undertakings and upgrades. There too, Dave excelled at the very thing that made him a successful businessman, his ability to reach across any aisle and enlist the support of disparate groups of donors behind a common community goal. As eventual president of the Greater Seal Beach, Los Alamitos and Cypress Rotary Club Dave Appling distinguished himself as a tireless fundraiser for numerous institutions and cultural centers around town such as the Los Al Museum, Heart of the City, Precious Life Shelter, and the Youth Center.
Long time Los Alamitos Youth Center president Tom Stretz remembers well the “deadly grip” of a Dave Appling handshake when he approached you for a contribution to one of his worthy causes. “When Dave came to the Youth Center he immediately stepped up and rebooted our whole fundraising effort. He just elevated it to another level, one handshake, one smile, one joke at a time. He had this easy way to make you feel like a personal friend that was truly sincere. Who could say no to Dave?”
Courtesy photo Dave was a consummate joke teller and he had one for every occasion.
Still, by all accounts Dave Appling was a quiet man, centered in his mission and certain of his cause, but always open to what others had to say and patient to hear them out, says Debbie Kent, current president of the Los Alamitos Museum who spent many a museum board meeting watching and learning, she says, from the Dave Appling approach to getting things done. “He didn’t say a lot, mostly listened, but when he spoke everybody listened to him. Because with Dave you felt there was no ego, no political or personal agenda. It was always just ‘what’s best for the kids.’”
Perhaps the person who knew Dave Appling best and the longest was long time LAEF and Rotary collaborator Dave Barnes. “I wasn’t three months initiated into Rotary when I got “the handshake” from Dave about a newly formed annual fundraiser he called the Finest Annual Trout Invitational Tournament out at Crowly Lake near Bishop. He only had a couple dozen participants at the time but he radiated such enthusiasm for the event and for its potential for good, I was hooked.” That was 40 years ago says Barnes, and today the once a year fundraiser fishing derby raises thousands of dollars for the Los Al Museum and other nonprofit centers in the area, and is now supported by over 150 participants spanning four generations of donors. “That’s a fact Dave has always been particularly proud of,” says best friend Dave Barnes who is sure a lot of people, like himself, consider Dave Appling their “best friend.” “That’s how he made you feel. Like you were the most important person in his life when you were in his presence, and you weren’t in his presence very long if he didn’t leave you laughing.”
Dave was a consummate joke teller and he had one for every occasion. I recall on the occasion of receiving the Los Alamitos Museums Honored Citizen Award in 2013 (along with co-honoree Dave) I asked him after the ceremony why the applause for his award was so much louder than my own. He said, without skipping a beat, “O That’s because I packed the audience with every family member and friend I could drag in here.” And through the years since that day whenever I saw Dave at a community function he would make a point to walk ove to me a say “Hello Mr. honored citizen” . . . to which I would respond “Hello to you Mr. honored citizen.” The honor for me was that Dave and I had this little inside joke personal to just us. Turns out Dave had that little unique and personal inside connection with just about everybody he came in contact with. We were all “best friends” to Dave.
When I recently asked Dave’s longest “best friend,” Dave Barnes, to distill down for me the essence of a man like Dave Appling who has the innate skills to bring a stranger, a room full of people, a board of directors, a community together with his simple tools of kindness, respect, and humor, Mr. Barnes simply quoted the adage that Dave left all of his “best friends” over the years with, “Keep smiling.” Sounds like good advice coming from a guy who has more best friends than anyone I’ve ever known.
She first appeared about 8 a.m. on the 19th of May 1536. A beautiful young woman, married to the powerful Henry VIII, King of England, as she walks slowly, yet proudly toward Tower Green, belying the fate that soon awaited her. Anne Boleyn was about to become the first English Queen ever to lose her head and her life by order of her husband, the King.
“I pray God save the King and send him long to reign over you, for a gentler nor a more merciful prince was there never,” she says with dignity to the small crowd before the sword ended her life.
Historians still debate Boleyn’s age, but she was either in her late 20’s or mid-30’s, and in a handful of years, together with Henry, she had changed the world. Boleyn was a smart, strategic woman who prompted the formation of the Church of England and a fracturing of the Holy Roman Catholic Church (along with many other cultural reforms).
Nevertheless, the words and imagery that execution, and others to follow in the 16th century still reverberate in the 21st century and the producers of the hit Broadway musical “Six” have found a format to allow all six of Henry VIII’s queens to finally have their own say.
It is girl power that even Henry VIII could not have imagined.
“From Tudor Queens to Pop Icons, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a Euphoric Celebration of 21st century girl power as the hit musical opens March 10 and runs through March 15.
This new original musical is the global sensation that everyone is losing their head over! SIX won 23 awards in the 2021/2022 Broadway season, including the Tony Award® for Best Original Score (Music and Lyrics) and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical.
The SIX: LIVE ON OPENING NIGHT Broadway album debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard cast album charts and surpassed 6 million streams in its first month.
The current cast includes Emma Elizabeth Smith as Catherine of Aragon, Nella Cole as Anne Boleyn, Kelly Denice Taylor as Jane Seymour, Hailey Alexis Lewis as Anna of Cleves, Alizé Cruz as Katherine Howard and Tasia Jungbauer as Catherine Parr with alternates Reese Cameron, Anna Hertel, Carlina Parker and Abigail Sparrow.
Cole landed the prized role of Anne Boleyn after countless auditions, she said, but landing the role was “totally a dream come true.”
She said people respond to the show, especially women, because they see it as “girl power” as people see it all six former Queens on stage as metaphors for them, in all walks of life, as reclaiming the powers they’ve lost.
“I think because I think a lot of women and young women and just people you know, depending who you are, where you are, and your walk of life, they see themselves in this story, because I think everybody has felt oppressed in some way, and what they’re what you’re seeing is people reclaiming their power, and everybody can relate to that,” said Cole in an interview with ENE this week.
“Everybody can relate to saying to that inspired feeling of like, ‘no, I’m going to write my own story, and I’m going to take my power back and I’m not going to let you define me anymore,’” she added.
“I think that it really resonates with a lot of people. And I do think people leave feeling inspired and empowered and feeling like they can do that in their own lives,” she said.
Cole said she knows that because the six queens interact with the audience and consistently gather at their stage door after the show.
“They love the queens, and it’s so beautiful to receive. We get so much love. We really do. We can feel the audience, and how locked in they are with us, and like they’re super loud and always cheering. And we love that, and they get really excited,” said Cole.
“And then, after the show, our Stage Door is always crowded with people who want to take pictures and talk to us, and it’s just amazing.”
What’s more, the fans now come to the shows dressed in their best 16th Century attire.
“It’s so special to see all the little girls who come to our show and come dressed up, so it is special to feel like I can be a small role model in their lives or in that moment, but it’s universal. It’s absolutely universal,” said Cole.
“I think it’s really great to know the history of it, because it just, it kind of informs the whole piece, even though it is obviously it is only pop musical theater,” said Cole.
“We’re singing and we’re dancing and we’re acting, but it’s just good to keep in the back of your mind that these were very real people, and their circumstances were, you know, really intense, especially at that time, being a woman in the situations that they were in was very difficult. I think it’s always important to keep that in the back of your mind and remember that they are truly real people.
While Anne Boleyn is certainly one of the most popular of Henry’s six queens, each of the Queens have their own legion of fans, she said. “They love their queens,” said Cole, adding, “we get so much love.” She thinks the costumes, the lyrics and music in “Six” oddly channels a 500-year-old history lesson into a powerful motivator for modern audiences.
“The play inspires me to think that one person can change the world. And I feel inspired, I feel emboldened by her (Anne Boleyn), to just kind of go after what I want and not be afraid to be seen or heard. I think she’s just a super inspiring person, and getting to step into those shoes every night, I see how it’s affected me and my confidence, and like, how I show up in the world and how I’m willing to be heard.”
Tickets start at $99 and information is available at scfta.org.
The City of Los Alamitos Recreation and Community Services Department offers a Fall Camp for ages 5 – 12! Fall Day Camp will occur November 25-27, and 29. Regular hours 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and extended hours 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. options are available! Participants will enjoy organized indoor and outdoor games, fall-themed crafts, and activities. Morning and afternoon snacks are provided.
Register your 5-12-year-old today at https://losalrecreation.myrec.com or at the Los Alamitos Community Center (10911 Oak Street, Los Alamitos). Join MyRec Rewards, sponsored by MemorialCare Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital Long Beach, for 5% off your registration. Scholarships are also available for eligible Los Alamitos residents. Please visit cityoflosalamitos.org/recreation to apply!
Quietly and without fanfare, Los Alamitos girls basketball coach Maya De Anda reached the 100-win career milestone in this year’s first league game, a 28-20 defensive victory over Corona del Mar on January 6, before the Griffins subsequently finished the season with a 20-8 overall record, an 11-1 league record, and a fourth consecutive Sunset Conference league title.
“Honestly, I didn’t know that I had 100 wins,” said De Anda. “During league, I try to stay focused on the next game, but it’s pretty cool to look back at what we accomplished.”
By the end of the season, De Anda’s seventh at Los Alamitos, her career record stood at 110-70. However, when she first arrived, victories were hard to come by.
“Los Al had a successful basketball program before I got here,” De Anda said, “but in my first year here, before I even started coaching, the team’s best players either graduated, transferred, or stopped playing. The girls played hard, but that first year we were only 5-20.”
The Griffins soon started winning, and in De Anda’s fourth season, 2022-23, Los Alamitos won the first of four league titles, which included three seasons of 20 or more victories and one season with 19 wins. Her overall record during that time is 83-33, a 72 percent winning ratio.
Her record for league games in that span is even better, 31-5, an 86 percent winning ratio.
Before coaching the Griffins, De Anda was an assistant coach for two years (2017-2019) at Vanguard University, her alma mater. She also was an assistant coach for one season at Pacifica Christian High School in Newport Beach.
After coaching the Griffins to a second straight league title in 2024, De Anda was chosen that spring to be the All-Star Coach for the North Team in the 57th annual North vs. South 12th-Grade-All-Star game.
De Anda says she was fortunate to play for outstanding coaches in high school and college and she says those experiences prepared her to be a head coach.
“As a point guard, I had to know all the plays for every position,” De Anda said, “so I learned a lot from two great coaches.” De Anda played at Huntington Beach High for veteran coach Russ McClurg, who has over 530 career wins, three Runner Up CIF finishes, a Division-4 CIF championship (in 1999, when he coached Calvary Chapel), and seven Sunset Conference league championships.
At Vanguard University, De Anda played for NAIA Hall-of-Fame coach Russ Davis, who has over 700 victories, five Final Four NAIA finishes, an NAIA National Championship, and 13 Golden State Athletic Conference championships.
As a player in high school, De Anda earned three first-team-all-league awards and two All-CIF awards. As a senior, she also won her school’s Marine Corp Distinguished Athlete Award for averaging 13.5 points per game and helping the Oilers (26-6) win the Sunset League championship and make it to the CIF Southern Section Division 1A championship game. Besides playing point guard, the 5’9” De Anda also played shooting guard and at times played at all five positions.
At Vanguard, she was a three-year starter and played point guard, shooting guard, and small forward while leading the team in three-point shooting each year. As a senior, she was the team’s second leading scorer, averaging about 10 points a game and hitting 66 threes as the Lions went 30-4, won the Golden State Athletic Conference championship, and made it to the Final Four at the NAIA National Tournament.
De Anda said, “I tell my players that if we can play together, play smart, and give our best effort, we can be happy with the results.”
The Los Alamitos High boys soccer team will play for a CIF State Championship on Saturday in Sacramento, after defeating Bishop Amat, 2-1, on Saturday in the CIF Division 3 semifinals.
The Griffins have been on a magical run since the end of the regular season. They reached the finals of the CIF-SS Division 3 and were awarded the championship on forfeit, after their opponent, Calabasas discovered they had used an ineligible player. The Griffins were awarded the section title and Runner Up was vacated.
Los Alamitos then received a first-round win on forfeit when Bonita Vista had also discovered they had used an ineligible player. But the Griffins had found their stride towards the end of the season and had been on a roll in the playoffs. They posted three straight shutouts in the playoffs, before holding off Godinez, 3-2, in the CIF-SS semifinals.
“We have some kids that listen, they follow instructions, and defensively, we’re pretty solid,” Head Coach Donovan Martinez said. In their two CIF State playoff games, the Griffins defeated Mt. Carmel, 2-0, and Bishop Amat, 2-1. The roller coaster ride actually started at the beginning of the season, when Head Coach Donovan Martinez learned that 13 of his expected top players had made MLSNext development teams. This made them ineligible for high school competition.
This meant that the younger players who would have been depth players, were moved up into starting roles. The young team struggled to find the right fit for the new lineups.
Junior Aiden Phan tries to control a deep clearing kick. Photo by Ted Apodaca
“So, it took us a long time to kind of sort it out and get some players used to the physicality, because they’re all new players to varsity, so it took us a while to really figure it out,” Head Coach Donovan Martinez said.
But down the stretch, they won two of their final three games to finish tied for fourth place in the Sunset League. They needed a play-in game for the final playoff spot and held off Huntington Beach, 3-2, just to get into the playoffs.
Senior Ethan Phung scored the game-winner in the playoff game and in five playoff games, he had scored five goals, including one in the semifinal win over Mt. Carmel. The Griffins will play Watsonville High for the State Championship at 3 p.m. at Natomas High in Sacramento.
If you’re a fan of the arts, musical theatre or symphonies, you already know the Segerstrom Center for the Arts is one of the premier artistic venues in Orange County and, in fact, in the Western United States.
But don’t be surprised if you see a television camera capturing scenes before or after performances or an artist performing a major hit outside among the ticket holders at some point in the future as the center keeps pace with trends of the street.
These are some of the innovations being considered by Casey Reitz, President and CEO of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, who has just announced a blockbuster Broadway season while tracking the industry’s hot topics.
The anniversary season for the Segerstrom will be legendary, he said, offering a bit of entertainment for everyone.
Casey Reitz, President and CEO of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Courtesy photo
“I am thrilled to share this sensational Broadway lineup with our community. This season is especially meaningful as we celebrate 40 years of presenting Broadway in Orange County, something we’ve proudly done since our very first season. The 2026–2027 lineup is a true celebration of Broadway at its very best, bringing remarkable productions directly from New York to our stage. These stories continue to uplift, inspire, and transform us, and I cannot wait to welcome both new and returning audiences to another unforgettable season at Segerstrom Center for the Arts,” he said.
Kicking off the season with a tale as old as time is Beauty and The Beast, Disney’s first North American touring production of the beloved musical in over 25 years, with members of the original creative team reuniting to bring this enchanting and timeless tale to life. Based on S.E. Hinton’s acclaimed novel, the rumble-ready Tony Award®-winning Best Musical, The Outsiders, brings the story of brotherhood and resilience to life in a powerful new way.
Grabbing the reins just before COVID, Reitz has been busy stabilizing the business as the county is finally managing escape velocity from those paralyzing years. And during an interview with ENE, Reitz made it clear that, going forward, he is keeping it fresh and innovative.
“We try to provide a variety of things that are new,” he said, “what’s fresh from Broadway, what’s right now hitting Broadway. And I think we’ve done that with shows like ‘The Outsiders,’ it’s going gangbusters, won ‘Best Musical,’ and then another like ‘Maybe Happy Ending.’”
“It’s a bit quirky about two robots who’ve fallen in love,” said Reitz, “but I think it’s just innovative and charming and sweet and funny as anything I’ve seen on Broadway in a long time.”
Also, said Reitz, the musical is a peek into the next wave of techno-infused musicals “and what they’re going to look like.”
Reitz knows for the Center to stay relevant, he faces the task of keeping multiple generations of theatre goers happy at the same time, so he’s bringing back timeless favorites like “Beauty and the Beast” while also booking the techno-infused hits.
“Beauty and the Beast hasn’t toured in 25 years so to get that back is really wonderful,” he said. “And you know, the shows that people kind of grew up with, they want to revisit, like Jersey Boys, Book of Mormon, etc.”
The old stuff mixed in with the new stuff is always a good, he said. And when you mix in musical premieres, that makes the next Broadway schedule awesome.
“This year, we have a lot of premieres, and in large part, it is a year of new stuff,” said Reitz. “I mean, this is the first time we’re getting “The Outsiders,” “Water for Elephants,” “Buena Vista [Social Club],” “Great Gatsby,” and others that will arrive at Segerstrom as they depart Broadway and tour the country.
“It tends to take a year or 18 months after a show has its premiere on Broadway to get onto the road,” he said, and in that time, you’ve had time to check out The Tony Awards to see “what you have and haven’t won.”
In addition, Reitz said another challenge is the cost of funding a touring Broadway show has roughly doubled since COVID, with an average production now costing approximately $25 million. Moreover, the expanding production costs causes casualties as well, he said, expressing disappointment that they were not able to schedule “Almost Famous” and “Queens of Versailles” because of their financial difficulties.
“We were hopeful for those two, but COVID certainly affected what was going to make it on the road. Some shows just came and went,” he said.
“It’s been a much more challenging economic time on Broadway,” said Reitz, but even so, he monitors Broadway, London’s West End and other entertainment hubs to keep SoCal audiences served with top entertainment.
Accordingly, Reitz said the Segerstrom has put together an outstanding Broadway lineup for the coming year and is also looking at “immersive” and other new age type productions for the future.
Reitz said he visited one such production in New York where producers reinvented an abandoned building and built out with modern technology a totally immersive production of “Phantom of the Opera.”
He said there is a similar building in London dedicated to an immersive “Guys and Dolls” production.
“We don’t have the room to do that here but there are things we can do,” he said. Already, he said digital technologies are, in some cases, replacing large, bulky set pieces in major musical theatre productions.
“And you know, that’s why you’re starting to see shows on Broadway, start to film people doing things outside. You know, what can you do that’s different from what people have seen? And we’ve done a little bit of that with the camera going backstage, the camera going outside, with a with a dance piece we did a couple years ago,” he said.
“So that’s the other thing is, you know, maybe you start to follow the artists away from the stage itself. I mean, in London, they just did an ‘Evita’ where [the title character actor] was performing, ‘Don’t cry for me, Argentina,’ to the people on the street, not the people in the theater. And that never had been done before, or really not in that scale,” he said.
“So, people are playing with form a lot more, and I think that’s what you’re going to start to see, is just those unique tweaks to things to make people feel, ‘Oh, this is a new experience for me than what I’ve had before,’” said Reitz.
The Segerstrom CEO said that’s why he’s so happy with the extremely variety of emotion and storytelling wrapped around next year’s Broadway lineup even as he looks for ways to enhance the “experiential” realm of the Segerstrom.
Reitz saved the best for last, then a laugh in the upcoming 40th season lineup.
“Maybe Happy Ending, the reigning Tony Award® Best Musical winner, tells the deeply human story of a chance encounter that sparks connection, adventure, and maybe even love. It’s the totally original new musical adventure that explores what it means to be human. Even if they are not,” said Reitz.
Then the pinnacle season ends with the outrageous humor, jaw-dropping visuals, and immortal ambition of the drop-dead entertaining musical comedy Death Becomes Her.
“You just never know,” said Reitz. “From rock and roll to water for elephants, we have an amazing Broadway lineup for next season that should touch the hearts of just about everyone along the way.”
Subscriptions for the 2026-2027 Broadway Season are available now. Packages are available in the full 10-show Mega Broadway Season, the 7-Show Broadway Season, or the 3-Show Curtain Call Season option. Tickets for individual performances will go on sale at a later date. Visit the Center’s website www.scfta.org for more information. For Group sales call (714) 755-0236.
And along with the Broadway talent inside the Segerstrom, don’t be surprised to see entertainment vignettes soon blossoming all across the complex, as Reitz keeps his eyes open, and his mind focused on what’s next in the rapidly evolving entertainment ecosystem.
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Broadway on the Segerstrom stage for the 2026-27 season.
Apparently, even the Cypress Board of Trustees was among those caught off guard when Cypress School District Anne Silavs announced via email late on Friday that she will retire at the end of this school year.
“After 35 years in public education, including 11 years serving as Superintendent of the Cypress School District, Supt. Anne Silavs has announced her retirement, effective July 1, 2026,” said the Superintendent in a statement distributed by the district.
Suffice it to say that the District Administration and its Board of Trustees are having some animated discussions of late, prompted by the staff’s overspending of approximately $3.5 million in the current fiscal year.
Just last week, in a special meeting, the board demanded an accounting of the so-called “Fund 40,” a special ledger that apparently documents the district’s substantial income from non-traditional sources such as apartment income and private school leases.
Subtly, during one of the sharper discussions in their regular board meeting that preceded the special meeting, Silavs hinted at her thoughts during the debate over officials qualified to be placed on the list for layoffs, reductions, etc.
“You’re going to need a superintendent,” she told the board during one of the discussions, “whether it’s me or somebody else, you’re going to need one,” said Silavs, and left it at that.
Silavs will depart at the end of the school year. Courtesy photo
Two weeks later, she announced her resignation.
Even the board, apparently, the Trustee Board President was caught off guard by their Superintendent’s surprise announcement.
“While the Cypress School District Board of Trustees was aware of Superintendent Silavs’ plans to retire in the near future, the public announcement was made without our prior knowledge,” said Trustee Board President Lydia Sondhi, Ph.D.
“On behalf of the Board, we extend our best wishes to her and remain committed to collaboratively working together to manage the next steps effectively,” she said in a brief statement.
According to the District, Silavs joined the Cypress School District in 2015 with a commitment to strengthening educational opportunities for all students while building upon the district’s long tradition of strong schools and community support.
In the statement, the district claims that during Silavs’ tenure, “the district launched several new programs designed to expand opportunities for students, including the establishment of districtwide music and STEM programs and the creation of a new state preschool program to serve the community’s youngest learners.”
“These initiatives broadened learning opportunities for students while helping position the district to meet the evolving academic and developmental needs of its community,” the district statement said.
“Under her leadership, the district made sustained investments in high-quality professional development centered on evidence-based instructional practices. These efforts contributed to increased student achievement in mathematics and English/language arts,” said the district’s statement.
“These accomplishments are particularly noteworthy as the district’s student population evolved, with growing numbers of socioeconomically disadvantaged students, English learners, and foster youth. Throughout these changes, Cypress schools remained focused on maintaining high expectations and providing strong academic and social-emotional support for every student,” the district contends.
“The district’s response during the COVID-19 pandemic marked a defining period of Ms. Silavs’ leadership. Amid unprecedented public health challenges and rapidly changing requirements, the Cypress School District provided families with three instructional options—full-time in-person learning, hybrid instruction, and distance learning—allowing families to select the model that best meets their needs,” the district claimed in the statement.
Silavs received the Orange County School Boards Association’s Maureen DiMarco Award in 2020 for exemplary leadership during the pandemic and was later named Orange County Superintendent of the Year in 2021 by the Association of California School Administrators, Region 17.
For now, however, Silavs has a gaping budget hole to fill and, based on the last meeting, a lot of complicated financial questions to answer Reflecting on her career, Ms. Silavs shared, “It has been an honor to serve the children and families of the Cypress community. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to work alongside dedicated administrators, educators, and classified staff, and I appreciate the support and collaboration I experienced from members of the Board of Trustees throughout my years of service. Together, we accomplished important work on behalf of students.”
After more than three decades in education, Ms. Silavs looks forward to spending more time with family, pursuing personal interests, and exploring new opportunities beyond her professional role. Reflecting on her years in Cypress, she expressed deep appreciation for the opportunity to serve the district’s students, staff, and families.
“I leave knowing the district stands on a strong foundation built by talented staff and supported by families and a community that values education. I wish the Cypress School District continued success in the years ahead.”
Silavs’ last day, ironically, comes two weeks after the Board of Trustees must make their final selections (May 15) of employees to be laid off, furloughed, reduced in pay or otherwise affected by the overspending of her administration of the district’s budget.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated since it first appeared, adding a reaction from the Trustee Board President.
The City of La Palma is saddened to announce the passing of former Mayor Alan I. Priest, who passed away on December 18, 2025, just days shy of his 87th birthday. Priest served on the City Council from 1976 to 1980, including one term as Mayor, leaving a lasting impact on the community through his leadership and dedication to public services.
During his time in La Palma, Priest balanced a distinguished career as a Detective Level III with the Los Angeles Police Department, while simultaneously serving on the La Palma City Council. A graduate of law school and a member of the California State Bar, he also operated a law practice in La Palma alongside his wife, Sandy.
Following his retirement in 1982, Priest moved to Oregon, where his commitment to civil service continued. He was eventually appointed by Oregon Gov. Neil Goldschmidt as the State Corrections Ombudsman.
In his private life, Priest was known for his vibrant hobbies and deep faith. He was an active member of the USC Trojans Club, a skilled sailor, and won awards at the Oregon State Fair for his specialty jams and home-brewed beers. Priest is survived by his children — Todd, Craig, and Kimberly — and his granddaughters, Erica and Savannah “Former Mayor Priest represented the very best of La Palma – a commitment to family, a passion for service, and a neighborly spirit,” said Mayor Nitesh P. Patel. “His contributions to our city helped shape the community we enjoy today.” The City of La Palma extends its deepest condolences to the Priest family and honors former Mayor Priest’s legacy of service to his community.
After receiving nearly one year of rehabilitation and medical care at the Aquarium of the Pacific, a rescued green sea turtle has made its way back into the wild. Aquarium staff released the sea turtle along the San Gabriel River because of the proximity to a resident green sea turtle population. When the turtle was initially rescued in March of 2025, it was in a life-threatening condition and transferred to the Aquarium of the Pacific for medical evaluation and care because of the Aquarium’s expertise in treating and releasing stranded and injured sea turtles.
Aquarium staff rescued the subadult green sea turtle in the San Gabriel River on March 5, 2025, thanks to a partnership and permit with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) West Coast Region.
This rescue occurred during the Aquarium of the Pacific’s Southern California Sea Turtle Monitoring community science program, where Aquarium volunteers gather weekly and monthly field data on the green sea turtles seen in the San Gabriel River. Volunteers observed that the turtle was stuck in the same location in the river because of a fishing line tangled in debris that was wrapped around its flipper that prevented it from swimming away. They continued to watch over the turtle to ensure a successful rescue by Aquarium staff.
Porkchop, a rescued green sea turtle is released into the San Gabriel River after nearly a year of rehabilitation and medical care at Aquarium of the Pacific on Friday, February 27, 2026 in Long Beach, California. Aquarium CEO Jeffrey Flocken joins in to assist. Photo by Robin Riggs.
The turtle arrived at the Aquarium with 90 percent of a front flipper dead from no blood circulation, which was caused by a severe monofilament fishing line constriction injury. X-rays showed that the turtle also had a fishing hook lodged in the back of its mouth. The Aquarium’s veterinary staff were able to successfully remove the hook from its throat and the dead part of the flipper through surgery.
Animal care staff then continued to tend to the turtle’s wounds and continually monitored its progress. “When this turtle first arrived, we did not know what the outcome would be because of its critical condition. We are thrilled that this turtle was able to heal and gain its strength, so much so that it was able to return home,” said Dr. Brittany Stevens, Aquarium of the Pacific veterinarian.
The Aquarium of the Pacific also opened its new sea turtle rehabilitation area on January 28, 2026. It received a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation with support from NOAA, as well as contributions from the Molina Family
Foundation and the KM Shimano Family Foundation to construct this new area near its Molina Animal Care Center. The new space includes an approximately 4,000-gallon rehabilitation pool to accommodate rescued sea turtles found in Los Angeles County and beyond and an audio-visual display where visitors can learn more about these efforts. The new space doubles the non-profit’s capacity for caring for future stranded, sick, or injured sea turtles, so they have a chance to heal and return to their natural habitats.
Porkchop was the first rescued sea turtle to use the new rehabilitation area at the Aquarium of the Pacific before being released. The public is invited to help the Aquarium answer the call of turtles in need with a donation to the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Program. One rescue is never the last. The Aquarium is raising $50,000 to help its response, expert medical care, and rehabilitation for injured turtles that come to its organization.
The Aquarium of the Pacific has rehabilitated and released rescued sea turtles since 2000. Some have been fitted with satellite tracking devices that allowed scientists to gather data about their migration patterns and habitats. The Aquarium recently rehabilitated and released a green sea turtle in September 2025 and is currently caring for an over 200-pound green sea turtle (rescued in January 2026) with the goal of release to the wild. All species of sea turtles found in waters of the United States are listed as either endangered or threatened and are protected by the Endangered Species Act. If you see a stranded sea turtle in the San Gabriel River or elsewhere, please call the West Coast Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding Network’s 24/7 hotline at 562-506-4315.
The nonprofit Aquarium of the Pacific is a community gathering place dedicated to connecting people to and conserving nature. The Aquarium’s vision is to foster an inclusive community that works together to create our sustainable future. Home to more than 12,000 animals, Aquarium exhibits include Our Living Coastline, the Southern California Gallery, Pacific Visions, and Shark Lagoon.
The Aquarium offers memberships with unlimited FREE admission for twelve months and other special benefits. To make a donation to help support the Aquarium, please visit the donation webpage. To visit, reservations are required for everyone and can be made at aquariumofpacific.org or by calling (562) 590-3100.
Duncan shows his work in Seal Beach. Photo by Larry Duncan.
You can find Larry Duncan at the Seal Beach Reading Room on Main Street where he volunteers regularly, sharing information about faith and spiritual healing – and you can even see his inspired works displayed in rotating photo exhibits there. Drawing inspiration from the beauty of Seal Beach’s surroundings, Duncan uses his training under legendary photographer Ansel Adams who held photo workshops in Yosemite National Park during his storied life.
While Duncan retired from the aerospace industry desinging and manufacturing microelectronic parts, he’s always found time to take pictures and hone his skills studying under Ansel Adams in 1978, again in 1979 and into 1980 when he attended several of the photo workshops Adams offered. In 2015 Duncan participated in a National Geographic Magazine workshop with a handful of photographers taking pictures at three different sites, then having their works critiqued after the photo sessions. Early in his career Duncan was able to use his creative talent in the United States Navy as the Ships Photographer for The USS Pogy, doing event and Intelligence Photography. He’s currently a member of The Los Angeles/Pasadena United States Submarine Veterans Incorporated, an organization that maintains the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station Submarine Memorial.
“It’s always fun to see what Larry’s doing next,” said Joanne Fernbach, the clerk of The Reading Room in Seal Beach: “He has some great photos from his trips to national parks, but guests coming in especially love the local scenes of beaches, birds and wildlife.”
The Los Alamitos-Seal Beach National Junior Basketball 2nd Grade Division 4 boys team won the recent Southern California Championship, with a 34-28 win over Long Beach on Feb. 22, at the MAP Sports Facility in Garden Grove.
The Championship was game tight, but with chip on their shoulder from a loss in pool play, Los Alamitos banded together as a team playing tight ball and making good looks and shots throughout, learning from the game the prior day to secure victory.
From initial tipoff against Long Beach with Connor O’Dell winning the jump feeding the ball to Jack Proper who drove in with a fake shot and quick assist to Leon Chalmers in the corner for a jump shot to start, the team was off to the races. Whether it was skilled ball handling and playmaking from Nolan Cheung and Kareem Jabi, to shot blocking smack downs from Dean Stone and Ezra Ong and continual steals by Alex Medizadeh and Grant Nguyen, and leading team scorers Eli Skiles and Jack proper everyone played their part in the fight together.
“In just three weeks, these 10 strangers became a team. Watching them learn to trust and support each other to accomplish a goal was more rewarding than the final score—that’s what being an ‘All-Star’ is all about,” Head Coach Nate Cheung said.
In Pool Play, Los Al/Seal Beach rolled to a 40-7 win in their first game. Jack Proper and Eli Skiles each scored 15 points to lead the way. In a tight defensive battle, Los Al/SB lost their only game, 20-19 against Juropa Valley. Juropa Valley secured the win with two free throws with :47 left in the game.
Going into Bracket/Elimination Play, Los Al/SB battled in another tight game, holding off Whittier, 24-20. Major defensive steals late in game by Dean Stone helped secure victory. Whittier played tight defense, but Los Al persisted and was playing classic pacer style ball being completely unselfish to move ball away from tight attacks and double teams. Los Al/SB defeated Whittier again, 32-18, this time with relentless defense, led by seven blocks by from center Connor O’Dell, to reach the title game.
“Los Alamitos has built something truly special in youth basketball. From the 6th graders winning the National Junior Basketball title in Las Vegas last year to Los Alamitos High School capturing the CIF championship, it’s clear this success isn’t accidental, it’s cultural. With over 2,000 local players participating each year, the Los Alamitos NJB chapter, led by Chris Levaque, has created one of the strongest basketball communities in the country. For our kids to bring another title for Southern California back to Los Al and represent this legendary basketball town means everything,” Assistant Coach, Peter Chalmers, said.
Just as the Cypress Elementary School District’s Board of Trustees seeks financial answers and has request breakdowns of all of the district’s spending, Supt. Anne Silavs has suddenly announced her retirement from the system.
In an unexpected press release issued Fri., Feb. 27, at 2 p.m., Silavs said the retirement was simply a chance to spend more time with her family and with time now for “exploring more opportunities beyond her personal role” after a career of 35 years.
The ENE has reached out to Dr. Lydia Sondhi, President of the Board of Trustees for comment.
The development comes as the district struggles to remain solvent as the board grapples with a $3.3 million budget deficit they did not expect. Undoubtedly, having to search for a Superintendent will likely only complicate that task.
Here is the statement issued Silavs and released by the District.
“After 35 years in public education, including 11 years serving as Superintendent of the Cypress School District, Anne Silavs has announced her retirement, effective July 1, 2026.
Ms. Silavs joined the Cypress School District in 2015 with a commitment to strengthening educational opportunities for all students while building upon the district’s long tradition of strong schools and community support. During her tenure, the district launched several new programs designed to expand opportunities for students, including the establishment of districtwide music and STEM programs and the creation of a new state preschool program to serve the community’s youngest learners. These initiatives broadened learning opportunities for students while helping position the district to meet the evolving academic and developmental needs of its community.
Under her leadership, the district made sustained investments in high-quality professional development centered on evidence-based instructional practices. These efforts contributed to increased student achievement in mathematics and English/language arts. These accomplishments are particularly noteworthy as the district’s student population evolved over time, with growing numbers of socioeconomically disadvantaged students, English learners, and foster youth. Throughout these changes, Cypress schools remained focused on maintaining high expectations and providing strong academic and social-emotional support for every student.
The district’s response during the COVID-19 pandemic marked a defining period of Ms. Silavs’ leadership. Amid unprecedented public health challenges and rapidly changing requirements, Cypress School District provided families with three instructional options—full-time in-person learning, hybrid instruction, and distance learning—allowing families to select the model that best met their needs while ensuring continuity of learning for students. In recognition of this work,
Ms. Silavs received the Orange County School Boards Association’s Maureen DiMarco Award in 2020 for exemplary leadership during the pandemic and was later named Orange County Superintendent of the Year in 2021 by the Association of California School Administrators, Region 17.
Reflecting on her career, Ms. Silavs shared, “It has been an honor to serve the children and families of the Cypress community. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to work alongside dedicated administrators, educators, and classified staff, and I appreciate the support and collaboration I experienced from members of the Board of Trustees throughout my years of service. Together, we accomplished important work on behalf of students.”
After more than three decades in education, Ms. Silavs looks forward to spending more time with family, pursuing personal interests, and exploring new opportunities beyond her professional role. Reflecting on her years in Cypress, she expressed deep appreciation for the opportunity to serve the district’s students, staff, and families.
“I leave knowing the district stands on a strong foundation built by talented staff and supported by families and a community that value education. I wish the Cypress School District continued success in the years ahead.”
The ENE will follow up with additional coverage next week in the print edition.
The multi-million-dollar deficit in the Cypress Elementary School District budget has blown open the district’s complicated funding mechanisms, prompting the board to ask for a complete accounting for all its commercial properties and income.
The Board is now grappling with a somewhat unexpected deficit of more than $3 million as they held another special meeting this past week to consider cuts or other means to balance the budget.
The board has until May 15 to choose whatever means it deems necessary to balance the budget, including furloughs, layoffs, or other reductions.
In another special meeting this past week, the board approved two resolutions listing dozens of employee positions within the district that will be considered eligible for layoff, furlough, or reduction.
In a dramatic meeting last week, the board rejected the two resolutions because, according to the board, the list did not include enough top administrative staff for layoffs.
After making some final adjustments to the two resolutions, the board unanimously approved them.
“As we move forward between now and May,” said Board President Lydia Sondhi, Ph.D., “when final decisions have to be made in terms of who has to be laid off, or not, be assured that we will be very strategic in terms of looking and working with our partners,” she said.
Sondhi said the board will include the opinions of all stakeholders before making any final decisions. “I know that the impact on anybody who’s going to be potentially laid off is not something any of us want,” said Sondhi.
Board President, Lydia Sondhi, Ph.D. dny photo
“We know that we’re going to have to make tough cuts and make tough decisions about certain things, and I am going to put my faith in all of you and all of our administrators to be working together with us to make the best decision we can make,” the board president said.
In addition, Sondhi, as well as other board members, repeatedly suggested that the staff was capable of bringing better solutions to the board for consideration.
Trustee Meghna Parikh, who at the last meeting said bluntly she had requested information four times and still did not have it, urged the staff to be more “helpful.”
“It would be helpful if you would work together to bring us some new ideas as far as how we can recoup funds, and about properties and things like that. I think that would be really helpful,” said Parikh.
In addition, the board demanded a full accounting of the district’s real estate and other commercial ventures.
Cypress, like other school districts, is experiencing falling enrollment. As people leave the state or find other options for their children’s education, there are fewer students in the system and thus, less reimbursement from the state.
While public school financing also includes a smattering of federal funds, special purpose funds, and local donations, the bulk of its funding comes from state reimbursement awarded on a per student basis.
Cypress School District operates on a budget of about $56 million annually, with slightly more than 3200 students. While the district finds itself embroiled in funding controversy, it’s not the first time.
George Pardon, a co-founder of Citizens for Responsible Development, questioned the district’s modernization bond program as early as 2008.
George Pardon, Courtesy photo
“I started raising concerns about financial actions being taken by the Cypress School District when they sold bonds to renovate the schools in 2008-9,” said Pardon, who attended the special meeting this week.
Ultimately, after its founding in 1895, the Cypress Elementary School District system eventually grew to 10 elementary schools but had only nine schools when the bonded indebtedness was undertaken in 2009.
From nine elementary schools, the system eventually closed three schools, selling the property around one of them outright and leasing the other two, which operate today under contract as private schools.
According to an Orange County Grand Jury Report issued in 2014, property taxpayers in Cypress are now on the hook for the bonding and will pay back seven dollars for every dollar in bonds, apparently because of the types of bonding instruments used.
The voters approved a bond measure authorizing the district to borrow up to $53, 600,000 for school renovations in Nov., 2008. The district issued $17 million in Series A bonds in May of 2009, the majority of which were CIBs (Current Interest Bonds).
The district also issued Bond Anticipation Notes in aggregate of approximately $7 million the same month (a bond anticipation note is essentially a promissory note for a term no longer than five years that promises to pay the proceeds of the note with a future bond issue that has already been approved by voters).
The district then issued Series B-1 and B-2 bonds in April 2011 in the aggregate amounts of $20.1 million and $4.53 million respectively. The Series B-2 bond was a qualified school construction bond (QSCB). The bonds were mostly CIB’s, but did include some CAB’s (Capital Appreciation bonds), according to the Grand Jury.
In 2012, the district found itself in a situation where matching funds were insufficient to complete the construction, so they issued $7.3 million in Certificates of Participation. A COP is not a bond, but similar, and is an instrument that allows the purchaser to a pro-rata share of a specific pledged revenue stream, so the district created the Cypress School District Public Financing Corp., and pledged it to the school and grounds connected to Juliet Morris Elementary School with the lease payments going to a financial trustee to redistribute payments to the COP owners.
The Grand Jury said there is “nothing unusual” about the transaction.
In fact, the Grand Jury said it “applauds” CSD for trying to fully utilize all available facilitites and said it was “very impressed” with the renovations that were completed with the bond money.
Regardless, that total indebtedness is now a tax on property owners, and while the district received the funds, they are not responsible for paying them back.
The Grand Jury report estimated that the $41 million in CSD bonded indebtedness will cost property owners $210 million by the time the bonds are paid off in 2050.
Pardon said “while I am saddened and disappointed by the budget crisis the district is currently dealing with, and especially the lives it is impacting, I am not surprised by what is happening,” he said.
“My only surprise is that it has taken so long,” he added.
In addition, the OC Grand Jury in 2013 suggested that Cypress merge with three other small, non-unified districts, Magnolia, Centralia, and Savannah, so that one Superintendent and administrative team could manage the elementary districts instead of each small system having its own financial burden of top-heavy administrative salaries.
If the smaller districts had been merged into one unified district, the Grand Jury report inferred as much as $80 million annually (in today’s dollars) could have utilized to provide instruction rather than have separate superintendents and top staff at each of of these small districts.
Capistrano Unified, by contrast, serves more than 54,000 students.
Apparently, as the Cypress School District closed schools, they system chose to acquire investment properties and lease properties over other options.
Accordingly, the district owns an apartment complex in Costa Mesa, an apartment complex in Redondo Beach, and two school sites that have been leased to private schools, among other assets.
In 2021, the Board of Trustees agreed to sell its acreage and office building on Moody Street and purchase a glitzy corporate office building on Corporate Blvd. in Cypress for $7.7 million, which has since lost value and for which tenants are now hard to find, according to district officials.
The district did receive $9 million for the Moody Street property and incentives up to an additional $1.2 million after houses were built on the property, a six-acre parcel they sold to Melia Homes.
In short, while the board passed the prospective employee layoff resolutions, they also made it clear to the administration in their most recent meeting that they wanted a complete accounting of all of the properties, funds, rents, etc. associated with Fund 40.
Trustee Meghna Parikh, Courtesy photo
Parikh continued to express frustration about a lack of information, asking Assistant Supt. of Business Services, Larry Ferchaw, to explain “the funds that come from our properties, the assets we have, like the apartments, would you speak to where those funds go and how they are redirected?”
He said the funds from the apartments, school sites, and other commercial ventures of the district all go into a special fund called “Fund 40.”
He said the value of the commercial structure has gone down and they are having problems finding long-term tenants for the building because of a “soft” market.
The District still has three tenants in its commercial building, he added.
“Those funds from the rental income are deposited into Fund 40, which is the district’s capital, a special reserve for capital outlay and that is something the district has been depositing those proceeds into since the asset management program began,” he said.
For one thing, Ferchaw told the board the district needed to dip into the fund this year to the tune of $750,000 to keep the district “solvent” in the current fiscal year.
“Since our first interim presentation in December, there has been an identification of that to ensure that we meet the minimum reserve for economic uncertainty in the current fiscal year,” he said, “that we would make a one-time allocation of $750,000 from Fund 40,” Ferchaw told the board.
“We’re continuing to evaluate for the current and future fiscal years,” he added.
While the $750,000 transfer has yet to be made from Fund 40, Ferchaw told Parikh that an additional $6 million from Fund 40 was used as a cash borrowing tool to handle any low cash periods that we have as a district.”
Sondhi then floated the idea of using a one-time allocation of $3 million from Fund 40 to balance the budget.
“I’m not necessarily suggesting this is what we do, but we could actually save the full $3 million or whatever we’re supposed to be cutting this year by doing an actual transfer from Fund 40 right now,” she said.
“And we wouldn’t have to change a damn thing,” she added, drawing a big hand from a packed meeting room. Officials estimated that Fund 40 is worth approximately $12 million now.
Trustee Troy Tanaka grew a bit frustrated when Supt. Anne Silavs suggested they would have to order appraisals and could not provide a ballpark estimate of value.
Trustee Troy Tanaka seems skeptical as he and board try to get straight answers from staff. dny photo
“Do we even know,” said Tanaka, “we don’t even have continuous appraisals of where our properties are and what they’re worth?”
“At least we know where we are with this office (Corporate Blvd.),” he said. “I know we bought it at probably the worst time to buy it, because commercial real estate is going down, but maybe it’s time for us to cut our losses and move on,” he suggested.
Tanaka threw out several options, including even putting “bungalows” on property owned by the district, then perhaps renting or selling the district office building.
While executives now have single offices within the existing corporate structure, Tanaka said “cubicles” would be enough for school officials to get their jobs done.
“We don’t need offices,” he said.
While it is apparently legal for school districts to own real estate, the two complexes purchased by the Cypress School District could have, and should have, grown in value. Unlike commercial buildings, experts say the residential market has exploded in value since the pandemic.
Sources say the two apartment complexes owned by the district could now be worth between $25-45 million.
Even so, Ferchaw said Fund 40 revenues are governed by complex state laws that restrict the use of funds from outside investments.
Nevertheless, the board has now demanded a complete accounting of the district’s “Fund 40” ecosystem and may know more soon.
Throughout the debate, Tanaka has continued to stress that the district’s funding priority should be focused on teachers and administrators with the closest proximity to and responsibility for educating students.
Trustee Jaime Needham asked for continued public support as the district works through what will surely be difficult choices in the days and months ahead.
“Three of the five of us up here have children who are directly impacted by our decisions,” she said, “and the five of us are up here because we all care about how our decisions impact all children,” said Needham.
“This has a direct impact on our families and on the children in our community, so please continue to reach out to us and continue to help us problem solve,” said Needham. “Please work with us and know that we are calling these meetings because we have questions to ask and we want to make the most informed decisions that we possibly can make,” she said.
The Rossmoor Community Services District this week welcomed the long-awaited completion of a shade canopy in Rossmoor Park, as the district’s General Manager and four of its five Directors gathered to dedicate the canopy and open it to the public.
It’s a bit ironic that the residential community of Rossmoor, whose own “Urban Forest” of more than 5,000 shade trees is the pride of its neighborhoods, needs a bit of shade, but the new structure will provide residents enjoying Rossmoor Park on a sunny day a place to gather in the shade.
“This canopy belongs to people of our community, and I can’t wait to see how Rossmoor enjoys it,” said Rossmoor CSD Board President Jo Shade.
“This has been long-awaited and arrived not soon enough,” said Shade during a brief ceremony at the facility this week. “It is a great addition to the park,” she said.
Already, the district has two shaded canopy areas in Rush Park, another of the district’s parks, but this is the first one in Rossmoor Park.
General Manager Sharon Landers said the district used the last of the Prop. 68 funds to complete the project, which includes a 22-foot by 32-foot concrete slab, covered with a sturdy shade mesh and fitted with metal picnic tables neatly across the underlying concrete.
Other Rossmoor Directors, including 2nd Vice President Tony DeMarco, and Directors Michael Maynard and Mary Ann Remnet, were present for the ribbon-cutting ceremony sponsored by the Rossmoor Homeowners Association.
In addition to the Directors, RHA President Art Remnet also welcomed the structure to the community park, commending Shade and the other directors for finally making it happen.
Zechariah Jauregui, a representative from State Sen. Tony Strickland’s office, brought congratulations from the Senator on the completion of the shade canopy project.
“This canopy is a great upgrade to the park, it’s an innovative way to bring shade in the summer at the picnic area. Thank you to the Rossmoor Community Services District for making our parks a welcoming place,” Oange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen said.
The open fields of Rossmoor Park demanded a shaded canopy, and after years of planning and funding, officials were delighted to cut the ribbon on the new facility. Landers said the project cost about $60,000 and was in the district’s capital improvement project.
Also, this past week, the Board voted unanimously to protect its parks by adopting an ordinance that will give the Special Services District and the police that protect it a bit more control over electric bikes.
The district has been working on an ordinance to protect its parks after suffering significant damage from e-bikes in various incidents over the past year.
Like other communities around the country, Rossmoor consulted with the public and with law enforcement authorities before determining that, although they had limited authority, they could at least protect the parks from additional damage. Landers told the board that while it will take 30 days for the new ordinance to become effective, “we will use that time to create some new signage,” she said.
In addition, Landers said the staff will be working on a general enforcement plan for the parks “since there are now several issues that we have to think about.”
“We’ve started thinking about what we might want to do, and I’m going to be interested in meeting with the parks and operations committee to start talking about ideas to bring back to the board,” said Landers.
“Hopefully that will be during the budget cycle, so we have a lot of meetings that are going to be happening soon,” she said.
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Editor’s note: This post has been altered to add a comment submitted by First District Supervisor Janet Nguyen, which is now included in the post.
After a vote Monday by the Cypress City Council, what seems like a new era is finally underway.
The board has a majority of new city council members, a new logo, a new legal counsel, a new meeting day and now, the Council has voted unanimously to approve Shannon DeLong as its new city manager.
She replaces former city manager Peter Grant, who left Cypress after nearly a decade in the driver’s seat and who is now the City Manager in the City of Yorba Linda.
“Shannon distinguished herself throughout the recruitment process with her depth of experience, strategic insight and clear commitment to public service,” said Mayor Leo Medrano in a statement.
“Her leadership marks an exciting new chapter for our City and we look forward to the energy and vision she brings to Cypress.”
Before she was hired by the Cypress Council, DeLong was the Assistant City Manager in Whittier.
“The City Council engaged in an extensive and comprehensive competitive search for its new City Manager. Following the completion of that process, the City Council has selected Shannon DeLong as the candidate who is best qualified to serve as the City Manager for the City of Cypress,” the city said in announcing the selection.
Shannon DeLong named new Cypress City Manager. She leaves Whittier as Assistant City Manager and starts her new position in Cypress March 30.
“Ms. DeLong has extensive experience in city management. For the past eight years, she has served as the Assistant City Manager for the City of Whittier. Prior to Whittier, Ms. DeLong worked for the City of Downey as the Assistant to the City Manager and the Library Director. Ms. DeLong possesses a BA and MBA and is an alumni of UCLA and Cal State Dominguez Hills,” it said.
Under the agreement approved by the Council, here are the parameters of her employment.
Term: Three years (March 30, 2026, to March 29, 2029), with two, one-year extensions Salary: $315,000 per year COLAs: Same as department heads, beginning in July 2027 – Deferred Compensation: $15,000 per year Vacation Leave: 80 hours (initial deposit), 160 hours accrued per year Sick Leave: 40 hours (initial deposit), 96 hours accrued per year Severance: 6 – 12 months depending on longevity, in the event of termination without cause and conditioned upon general release.
DeLong starts March 30 while interim CM Sean Joyce will remain until then.
“I am honored by the City Council’s trust in appointing me as City Manager,” she said in a statement. “Cypress benefits from strong leadership, dedicated staff, and engaged residents, and I am excited to build strong relationships with our community members and business owners as we work together to serve this exceptional city,” said DeLong.
When heroes roam the distant lands trying to find the lost treasure of yore, but get caught in fights between flying cows, knights who say “Ni,” and the French, you are in Spamalot!
Playing at The Segerstrom Center for the Arts from Feb. 17 to Feb. 22, Monty Python’s Spamalot is a hilarious take on the classic Knights of the Round Table story from Arthurian mythology. Based on the 1975 cult classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail and created for the Broadway stage in 2005, this tour brings the hilarity to a whole new level.
As mentioned previously, the musical is based on the film created by legendary British comedy troupe Monty Python. Known for their dry English humor and fourth-wall breaking gags, the stage production balances both of these elements for new and old fans alike.
Throughout the production, the book— created by Eric Idle— invites the audience in, beginning with classic jokes that are well known from the original film. Then as the show progresses, the antics become far more meta, ultimately acknowledging that what they are doing right now is a Broadway musical— much like how the film knows it is a film. This is a thread that shows up time and time again throughout, in order to balance the original that made everything possible, with more modern sensibilities, so new fans can join in on the fun.
One of the biggest changes notable in the production is the inclusion of women as prominent pieces in the plot. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a, well, more male venture. Many of the times women do appear in the movie, they are either played by men or are seen in lewd and (pretty much) demeaning ways.
But in this production, the character “The Lady of the Lake” gets her bright and shining moment, being the Broadway star she was born to be. This is helped by the fact that actress Amanda Robles is showstopping— literally, she stops the show to talk about how she has not been on stage for some time. Jokes aside, she is a tour de force, belting to the rafters, and being the central force of the show. Robles is a true theatre star.
The actors are not the only component of the show that harkens back to true Broadway. The entire production is a love letter to musicals of today and yesteryear. Jokes fly by making fun of or harkening to niche references in the Broadway community, from the iconic Wicked rift to understanding that a lot of famous actors in theater are Jewish. But in order to create sarcastic remarks and playful homages to musicals that everyone loves, one must have a level of compassion and care towards the item of “attack.” It is a thin line between love and hate, and man does Spamalot “hate” Broadway.
All elements of Spamalot come together in such a show-stopping way that brings the bright lights of Broadway all across America. This has to do with the combination of production design, choreography, and costume design. Every single one of these elements brings back the old Broadway glamor that feels like it has been left to a by-gone era. The hand-made set designs along with the Las Vegas showgirls-esque choreography and costumes give the fun edge that feels oddly refreshing. The balancing act between trying to make something that is classic a bit more modern, while still harkening back to what made musicals and Monty popular in the first place can be difficult, but Spamalot does it oh so well.
Spamalot is doing it like no one else. It is a fast-paced laughfest for everyone, young or old and whether you are a fan of Monty Python or have never even heard of them, you must see this silly, silly show.
Tickets for Spamalot at The Segerstrom Center for the Arts are on sale now. You can purchase them online at scfta.org, or at the Box Office. If you miss it at the Center, do not worry. The production will tour at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood from March 24 through April 12. Tickets are on sale there at broadwayinhollywood.com. Do not say “Ni!” Watch the hilarity of Spamalot now!
