Good morning. It’s Wednesday, Oct. 15. I’m Carol Cormaci, bringing you this week’s TimesOC newsletter with a look at some of the latest local news and events from around the county.
For the past dozen years, Melody Health, a program operated by Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties, has provided birth control, cancer screenings, diabetes management and behavior health services to thousand of low-income women.
What it has not provided is abortions.
As readers have likely learned since it was passed, President Trump’s “Big, Beautiful” megabill prohibits Planned Parenthood from seeking Medicaid reimbursements from federally-funded programs. So Melody Health, which is sustained by such funding, will meet its demise by mid-December, my colleague Sara Cardine reported Tuesday for the Daily Pilot.
Here’s the kicker, according to the reporting: The provisions of the bill that is killing the Melody Health program “won’t actually impact Planned Parenthood’s ability to continue to offer pregnancy termination, funded by the state,” Cardine writes.
“[The federal cuts were] absolutely about abortion,” PPOSBC President and Chief Executive Krista Hollinger said. “[But] the greatest irony about this is federal funds never paid for abortions. They came after abortion, but they’re taking away everything else that we do.”
Cardine reports officials estimate that over the past year, PPOSBC administered more than 500,000 tests for sexually transmitted infections and logged 42,000 clinic visits for birth control from low-income and disabled clients covered by Medi-Cal, the state’s version of Medicaid.
“This is a very vulnerable population, and we have more Medicaid cuts coming down the line,” Hollinger said. “It’s been a challenge for us to keep our doors open. And if Planned Parenthood closes its doors, there’s not going to be a safety net for patients to access care.”
MORE NEWS 
Former Congressmember Katie Porter, shown speaking speaks at the Governor Candidate Forum held Sept. 28, was contrite Tuesday following criticisms of her demeanor in a recent interview and of the brusque way she has spoken to staffers.
(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)
• So, the past week saw gubernatorial hopeful Katie Porter of Irvine swinging from a high of having received the endorsement of Emily’s List to the low of realizing a combative media interview and damaging videos released of her chastising staffers might have seriously hampered her campaign to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom when he leaves office next year. The Los Angeles Times reported that on Tuesday, the Democrat was contrite, admitting she “could have handled things better.”
• On a 4-2 vote, the Santa Ana City Council last week ordered the launch of an investigation into formal complaints filed by three police officers against Councilmember Johnathan Hernandez. According to TimesOC, on the night of the council meeting “Hernandez wore a shirt that read, ‘Arrest the cops who killed Brandon Lopez,’” in reference to a 2021 Anaheim police shooting in Santa Ana that killed his cousin.
• Some of them seemingly miffed at not being invited to hold a leadership role in the recently formed South Orange County Beach Coalition, which is focused on sand replenishment work that needs to be done for the coast’s eroding beaches, members of the San Clemente City Council agreed the city would join the effort, but wanted a more meaningful seat at the table. The coalition will be involved in the allocation of $300 million in state and federal funds for coastal resiliency projects. County Supervisor Katrina Foley, O.C. Parks, the O.C. Flood Control District, Capistrano Bay Community Services District and the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians are the coalition’s current voting members.
• Fountain Valley officials have been mulling switching up its status as a general law city to a charter city. So far, at least among residents attending a recent town hall on the subject, the idea is not being embraced. A second town hall is set for 1 p.m. this Saturday at the Fountain Valley Recreation Center. In California, 121 of 482 cities have adopted a charter, including Huntington Beach, Irvine and Newport Beach.
• A significant storm arrived Monday evening. as promised by forecasters and continued into Tuesday. O.C. officials on Tuesday morning issued mandatory evacuation orders for some areas below the Airport fire burn scar — Trabuco Creek, Bell Canyon including Starr Ranch and Hot Springs Canyon — due to the risk of debris flows, The Times reported, but those orders were lifted by 5 p.m. According to City News Service, one person was found dead in the rain-swollen Santa Ana River near MacArthur Boulevard in the Fountain Valley area around midday Tuesday, although the circumstances surrounding the person’s death were not known at the time the report was made.
PUBLIC SAFETY & CRIME 
Huntington Beach firefighters view the crash site where a helicopter fell mid-flight at Pacific Coast Highway and Huntington Street on Saturday, The crash was reported around 2:09 p.m. near the Cars ‘N Copters on the Coast event site, in front of the Waterfront Beach Resort.
(Allen J. Schaben /Los Angeles Times)
• Eric Nixon, the pilot who crashed his Bell helicopter Saturday near the Waterfront Beach Resort in Huntington Beach “was known for leaning into thrills during some of his flights, according to a review of his social media,” The Times reports. Nixon and four others were transported to a hospital for treatment after the 2:09 p.m. crash.
• A 31-year-old Costa Mesa man, Max Blumencranz, was arrested early Tuesday on suspicion of homicide after a woman who had been found bloodied and unresponsive in a motel on South Coast Drive at 6 a.m. Monday died in a hospital. The victim was identified as 32-year-old Yu Wang of Laguna Niguel.
• Jose Rafael Andrademembreno, 29, and Edwin Francisco Diaz, 25, were both convicted Tuesday of first-degree murder with special circumstances in the Oct. 1, 2018 killing of Marco Morales at a Lake Forest apartment complex in a machete and knife attack. They are scheduled to be sentenced in January, according to City News Service.
• Also from CNS, Abdulaziz Munther Alubidy, 35, was convicted Tuesday of strangling and beating 56-year-old Jessie Villesca on July 30, 2020 with a tow hitch in his pickup truck when she refused to spend more time with him following an intimate act in Anaheim.
SPORTS 
Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson is mobbed by teammates after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime of an NHL hockey game against the San José Sharks on Saturday.
(Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)
• It’s ice hockey season again! According to reports in The Times, the Ducks on Thursday lost their opener in Seattle. They fared better in San José Saturday night, when Leo Carlsson scored 46 seconds into overtime, giving the Ducks a 7-6 win over the Sharks.
• Citing an unamed source, The Times reports that Albert Pujols recently met with Angels officials to talk about their opening for a new manager. Pujols played first base and designated hitter for the Angels from 2012 to 2021.
• Newport Beach residents and friends Jill Carter, Julie Hart, Linda Wirta, Shannon Eusey, Patricia Fasola and Jennifer Buckley have completed all seven of the Abbott World Marathon Majors. The Daily Pilot reports that their latest group trip was to Australia to compete in the TCS Sydney Marathon on Aug. 31.
LIFE & LEISURE 
Baratunde Thurston, a writer, comedian and cultural critic, was the keynote speaker during the Orange County Grantmakers Summit held at the Marriott Hotel in Anaheim on Thursday.
(James Carbone)
• More than 520 people from throughout the county who fund, direct or otherwise support nonprofit agencies that serve the community attended the annual Orange County Grantmakers Summit, this year themed “Brave Leaders, Bold Moves.” It was held last Thursday at the Marriott Anaheim Suites in Garden Grove and featured as its keynote speaker Baratunde Thurston, a writer, comedian and podcaster who hosts the PBS show “America Outdoors.”
Dirty Chai Latte Martini at The Winery, part of the District’s Fall Cocktail Crawl.
(Courtesy of OC Foodies)
• Halloween season is a time for spirits of more than one variety. This roundup by my colleague Sarah Mosqueda gives revelers a taste of what they might find at area bars that are offering special cocktails and other treats throughout the month. The article reminded me of the time several years ago when my sister told me that in her neighborhood of a Chicago suburb, while kids were walking door-to-door on Oct. 31 chiming the familiar “trick or treat,” gleeful parents were not far behind with cups in their hands shouting “dynamite or drink!”
CALENDAR 
Visitors examine pieces on display at the Huntington Beach Art Center as part of “Personal Data: What is a Portrait?”
(Eric Licas)
• An exhibit titled “Personal Data: What is a Portrait?” runs through Nov. 8 at Huntington Beach Art Center, 538 Main St., H.B. It coincides with the center’s 30th anniversary, according to this feature story that offers a glimpse of the show, which showcases works of 28 artists. The center’s gallery hours are noon to 8 p.m., Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, noon to 6 p.m. Fridays and noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays.
• A reminder: the Newport Beach Film Festival, themed “Reel It In,” opens tomorrow and runs through Thursday, Oct. 23. In case you missed it, here’s a link to a story we published about its lineup having been announced a few weeks ago. More than 50,000 people are expected to grab some popcorn and take in one or more of the 100 films and 250 shorts screened throughout the festival.
• The 69th annual Silverado Days sponsored by the Buena Park Noon Lions Club will draw visitors to Peak Park this weekend for carnival rides, games, contests, arts and crafts booths, music and, of course, food. There is no entrance fee and parking is free. The park is located at 7225 El Dorado Drive. Here’s the event schedule so you can make the baby classic, pie-eating and hula hoop contests on time.
• Irvine Barclay Theatre on Sunday will host the Onco-Ballet Community Performance from 4 to 8 p.m., featuring more than 40 local cancer patients, survivors and supporters joining professional dancers on stage “for an evening of healing through dance,” according to a news release. The show will benefit the Onco-Ballet Foundation, which provides free ballet classes for the cancer community. Pacific Symphony’s Heartstrings will provide musical accompaniment. Tickets can be purchased here.
Until next Wednesday,
Carol
KEEP IN TOUCH
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