A surprisingly high number of Orange County\u2019s cities \u2014 roughly half \u2014 have equine and other large animal populations that must be considered during various emergencies, OCFA Battalion Chief Danny Goodwin estimated for Licas. Some firefighters, Goodwin acknowledged, have not had extensive experience with animals that can weigh anywhere from around 1,000 pounds to just over a ton, depending on their breed and build. It can obviously be a dicey proposition for those unfamiliar with the animals to rescue them from dangerous situations such as wildfires.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s one of the most dangerous calls we run, because we are around a large animal that is scared and that is a prey animal,\u201d Goodwin explained to the reporter. \u201cSo it\u2019s fight or flight.\u201d<\/p>\n
The battalion chief had riding experience and helped start the training program in 2021, after one of the Shea Center\u2019s horses fell down a ravine and had to be airlifted to a veterinarian. Goodwin led that rescue, which inspired him to lend a hand in creating the annual open-air schooling for other first responders.<\/p>\n
When the reporter attended the session a week ago, firefighters were being taught to read equine body language, how to safely approach them and guide them by the reins. <\/p>\n
\u201cCrews spent the day nudging horses down a winding trail through the San Joaquin Hills,\u201d Licas writes, \u201cbrushing their coats and getting to know the animals\u2019 mannerisms.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shea Center\u2019s chief executive, Dana Butler-Moburg, the resulting program is unique in the United States and she would encourage other such facilities to incorporate something similar.<\/p>\n
Jaqueline E. Johnson, doctor of veterinary medicine for Equine Veterinary Associates, assists with the training. She told Licas she\u2019s seen real life proof that the program works.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Equine rescues have] gotten so much better, so much smoother because the firefighters are like, \u2018Oh, I know how to be around horses, and have learned to have a relationship with veterinarians,\u2019\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n
MORE NEWS ![\"Grocery](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776270068_329_.jpeg\")
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Grocery workers participate in a \u201cMarch on the Boss\u201d rally into Mother\u2019s Market on Newport Blvd and 19th St. in Costa Mesa on Monday.<\/p>\n
(Don Leach \/ Daily Pilot)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Mother\u2019s Market workers launched a union drive<\/a> on Monday with a rally at the company\u2019s Costa Mesa store that was scheduled to be repeated at other Mother\u2019s Market locations throughout this week.<\/p>\n \u2022 Santa Ana is taking steps to erase images of the late farmworker leader C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez<\/a> in its parks, following the recent reporting of sex abuse allegations against him<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u2022 A puppy was abandoned outside a Mission Viejo animal urgent care facility<\/a> at around 3:25 a.m. Friday by a man driving a red, four-door sedan. On Tuesday afternoon, according to City News Service, animal services investigators said they had identified the puppy\u2019s owner, who was seen in surveillance video as the animal was tossed through the facility\u2019s gate.<\/p>\n \u2022 Members of the Huntington Beach City Council, apparently having come to the realization the city is likely on the losing end<\/a> of the state\u2019s lawsuit intended to force an audit of a controversial agreement with Pacific Airshow, voted 5-0 in closed session<\/a> last week to enter into settlement discussions. Mayor Pro Tem Butch Twining and Councilmember Gracey Van Der Mark were absent from the meeting.<\/p>\n \u2022 Although some members of the Costa Mesa City Council endorsed the idea of adopting a new code of ethics for city officials they were outvoted by their council colleagues<\/a> during last week\u2019s regular meeting. Mayor Pro Tem Manuel Chavez and Councilmembers Loren Gameros, Mike Buley and Jeff Pettis held the majority vote against it, with Mayor John Stephens joining Councilmembers Andrea Marr and Arlis Reynolds in favor of it.<\/p>\n \u2022 Wrecking crews sent by O.C. Sanitation District have made their way to Rhone Lane in Huntington Beach<\/a>, where any structures \u2014 including swimming pools<\/a> \u2014 that had been placed behind homes on a county easement decades ago, have been, or soon will be, demolished. O.C. San maintains the unpopular move is necessary in case repairs are needed along a 69-inch wastewater pipeline that runs through there.<\/p>\n Guests sit in the shade during the \u201cWelcome to Little Arabia\u201d mural dedication ceremony at Al-Karmel Meat Market in Anaheim\u2019s Little Arabia district on April 3.<\/p>\n (James Carbone)<\/p>\n \u2022 A dedication ceremony was recently held at Al-Karmel Meat Market in Anaheim for the new \u201cWelcome to Little Arabia\u201d mural<\/a>. \u201cI hope this mural is like an invitation,\u201d said Amin Nash, policy and advocacy coordinator for the Arab American Civic Council. \u201cIt shows that there are images that represent the community. Hopefully, that will create more acceptance and beautify the [Little Arabia] district.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022 A recent UC Irvine poll of Orange County voters, regarding the gubernatorial primary that\u2019s coming up in June, showed that Republican candidates Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco are favored locally<\/a> and could elbow any Democrats off the ballot entirely. But it\u2019s still too soon to say, as 25% of the O.C. respondents were undecided on the governor race.<\/p>\n \u2022 Michelle Steel, 70, the former Orange County congresswoman who previously served on the county Board of Supervisors, has been nominated<\/a> by President Trump to serve as U.S. Ambassador to South Korea.<\/p>\n BUSINESS Guests stand next one of new Rove EV charging stations, and ReCharge by Gelson\u2019s micro market during the grand opening of the station in Costa Mesa.<\/p>\n (Don Leach \/ Daily Pilot)<\/p>\n \u2022 Rove opened a new 40-unit electric vehicle charging station with a Gelson\u2019s ReCharge micro-market<\/a> last week at 2666 Harbor Blvd. in Costa Mesa. The combo, the second partnership with Gelson\u2019s since a first location opened in Santa Ana last fall, allows people to stock up on snacks and grocery essentials while they wait for their vehicles to charge. <\/p>\n \u2022 King\u2019s Seafood Company has acquired the O Sea brand<\/a>, which operates a restaurant in Old Towne Orange that will close at the end of this month. King\u2019s Seafood Co. operates King\u2019s Fish House in Orange and Water Grill in Costa Mesa.<\/p>\n PUBLIC SAFETY Chef Rainer Schwarz, co-owner of Driftwood Kitchen the Deck in Laguna Beach was pronounced dead April 6 after his car drove off Crown Valley Parkway in Dana Point, police reported. <\/p>\n (Courtesy of Driftwood Kitchen)<\/p>\n \u2022 A motorist who died following a solo-vehicle collision in Dana Point last week was identified as a well-known Laguna Beach chef, Rainer Schwarz, 59<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2022 Two men were killed at about 12:35 a.m. Monday in a fiery, single-vehicle crash into a tree on Katella Avenue near the Orange (57) Freeway in Anaheim. Investigators were asking anyone who may have witnessed the crash to call Anaheim police, (714) 765-1900.<\/p>\n \u2022 A 19-year-old man was charged Monday <\/a>with drugging and raping a woman in Laguna Beach on Friday.<\/p>\n \u2022 A Fullerton resident, Jeffrey Lynn Clayton, 43, was charged Thursday with fatally shooting another man in Stanton on Easter Sunday. He\u2019s accused of killing Anthony Lee Carlos, 37, of Fullerton.<\/p>\n \u2022 Former Orange County sheriff\u2019s deputy and Irvine resident Fernando Melo Flores, 40, was charged this week with possessing child sexual abuse material, using a police database to pull information about his ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend, and violating a restraining order, prosecutors said Tuesday, according to this L.A. Times report<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u2022 Julia Elizabeth Royer, 36, pleaded not guilty Monday to charges stemming from an alleged DUI hit-and-run collision in Rancho Santa Margarita in February that injured a 17-year-old boy, CNS reported. Royer was allegedly driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.23, nearly three times the legal limit.<\/p>\n SPORTS Corona del Mar\u2019s Alexa Rokos (4) eludes tacklers with a spin move during a Battle of the Bay girls\u2019 flag football game against Newport Harbor.<\/p>\n (Don Leach \/ Daily Pilot)<\/p>\n \u2022 Two Back Bay rivals, Maia Helmar (Newport Harbor High) and Alexa Rokos (Corona del Mar High), have signed to play for the first NCAA Division I flag football program on the West Coast<\/a>, at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. \u201cWe\u2019ll finally be on the same team, which I think will be super fun,\u201d Rokos told the Daily Pilot.<\/p>\n \u2022 Times columnist Eric Sondheimer on Tuesday posted the top 20 high school softball teams in the Southland as ranked by CalHiSports.com. Check here<\/a> to see if your favorite O.C. team made the list.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n \u2022 Sondheimer also reported that Orange Lutheran, the midseason No. 1 team in Southern California high school baseball, completed a four-game sweep at the Boras Classic South<\/a> on Friday night, winning the championship game 4-1 over Norco.<\/p>\n \u2022 Pat Verbeek<\/a>, general manager of the Anaheim Ducks, has agreed to a multiyear contract extension<\/a> with the organization<\/a>, The Times reported<\/a>. Verbeek first stepped into the role in February 2022.<\/p>\n CALENDAR The Huntington Beach Union High School District auditorium originally opened in 1926<\/p>\n (Courtesy of Tara Choat)<\/p>\n \u2022 100 years and counting: The Huntington Beach Union High School District auditorium originally opened in 1926. A centennial celebration show, \u201cA Century of Stars and Stories,\u201d<\/a> is planned for this Saturday at the auditorium, 1905 Main St., Huntington Beach. A reception will be held at 6 p.m., prior to the show at 7 p.m. Tickets are available here<\/a> and priced at $25 for balcony seats, $50 for general admission and $100 for a VIP package.<\/p>\n \u2022 Hoping to make it into the Guinness Book of World Record<\/a>s, dancers will assemble at the Peninsula Park Athletic Field next to Balboa Pier on April 19 in a bid to take part in the biggest swing dance lesson ever. The event begins at 10 a.m. and is free and open to dancers 13 or older. Singles are welcome and will be paired with a dance partner. Sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2022 The annual Fullerton College Jazz Festival<\/a> is taking place this Friday through Sunday. The educational festival features competitions, live performances, clinics and more. A schedule of concerts can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2022 Aces Car Club hosts its annual Hot Rod Resurrection <\/a>event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 25 at Old World Village in Huntington Beach. The show features pre-1965 traditional hot rods and vintage bikes only.<\/p>\n \u2022 Discovery Day at the Farm<\/a> is coming up next week at the OC Fair & Event Center. On Wednesday, April 22, from 9 a.m. to noon, children of all grade levels, and their parents or chaperones, can enjoy seed planting, chick and crops education, an oxen demonstration and more. Admission and parking are free.<\/p>\n KUDOS Gabriel San Rom\u00e1n.<\/p>\n (Ricardo DeAratanha\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n \u2022 Pardon my in-house boast, but Daily Pilot & TimesOC writer Gabriel San Rom\u00e1n was honored last week<\/a> with the prestigious Ruben Salazar Award presented by the California Chicano News Media Assn. for a story he wrote last summer about Arturo, a man in his late 20s who arrived in Orange County from Mexico as an infant and made the decision to self-deport<\/a> with his wife and child, both of whom are U.S. citizens, ahead of the ICE raids. Also \u2014 and equally exciting for us \u2014 veteran journalist Stephanie Chavez, an editor with our mother ship, The Times, captured the Association\u2019s honors as Latina Journalist of the Year.<\/a> Well done!<\/p>\n Stephanie Chavez<\/p>\n (Ricardo DeAratanha \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n![\"Guests](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776270069_986_.jpeg\")
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