This was supposed to be Dennis Farrell’s victory lap.

After four decades of affiliation with what is now known as the Big West Conference, and the last 28 years as the conference’s commissioner, Farrell had announced his retirement in December. The idea was that the springtime would be a coast to the finish, his biggest task being to leave things in proper order for whoever his successor might be.

Uh, guess again.

The effects of the coronavirus pandemic snapped everyone in sports to attention two weeks ago and brought college athletics to a screeching halt, with a financial impact that is still being sorted through. Now the task is to attempt to plan for a future about which no one is quite sure.

The Big West was already facing transition with two new schools, Cal State Bakersfield and UC San Diego, joining in the fall. And now a conference that is a coupon-clipper, in comparison with more famous and more prosperous conferences, finds its financial lifeline frayed.

In the wake of the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament, the association announced this week that its distribution to schools and conferences would be $225 million instead of the expected $600 million. The Big West’s share of that isn’t certain yet, but Farrell estimated it would be around $4.6 million.

“The number one topic,” Farrell said earlier in the week, “is how do we deal with what’s expected to be severe budgetary cuts that our member institutions and everyone across the country (will) have to deal with, at least on a temporary basis for the 2020-21 academic year.

“We’re starting to put together some options for the membership to consider going forward. And that’s what will probably be the No. 1 topic of all of our spring meetings.”

It is an especially vexing question in the Big West, with its wide variance of programs’ athletic budgets and levels of community support.

Hawaii’s budget, for example, was more than $48 million for the 2017-18 academic year, the last one available in the Knight Commission’s database of athletic spending. But Hawaii also plays Division I-A football in the Mountain West Conference and is responsible for travel subsidies for visiting teams as well as paying for its own travel, a condition of its conference membership.

Beyond that, there are two Division I-AA football schools in the Big West: UC Davis ($36 million budget in that survey) and Cal Poly ($28.8 million). And there are six non-football schools, whose expenses for that last reporting period ranged from UC Santa Barbara’s $23.8 million to CSUN’s $17.7 million.

Moreover, five Big West institutions were in the top 35 in percentage of subsidized athletic expenses (i.e., support from their campus administration) in that 2017-18 period, according to USA Today’s database. UC Riverside (91.09 percent) was No. 1 in the country, ahead of New Jersey Institute of Technology. CSUN (82.07 percent, 21st), UC Davis (81.9 percent, 22nd), Cal State Fullerton (80.20 percent, 30th) and UC Irvine (79.4 percent, 35th). It’s not likely that those ratios have changed much since.

So while the amount a conference gets from the March Madness pool is generally predicated on how successful it has been (number of teams, number of victories) over a six-year period, even the minimum payment will help schools for which every dime matters.

The full payout to the Big West will include an automatic yearly payment of between $1.6 million and $1.7 million, which the conference uses as its administrative budget. The rest is allocated by various funding categories, and the conference’s board of directors (i.e., chancellors and presidents) will meet later in the spring to divide it among the schools.

It’s enough to make a commissioner – or a columnist – thankful that smartphones have calculators.

But the diverse nature of this conference brings into focus the skill required to navigate it through 28 years, and a membership that has included 26 different schools as either full or affiliate (single-sport) members.

Farrell “has been, in my opinion, the kind of leader that allows the membership to gather and communicate and work together,” UC Irvine athletic director Paula Smith said. “He’s provided great direction for us, he’s provided information regarding what’s happening in the industry, and he’s helped varied interests come to compromise and collective decisions. It’s not easy for someone to sit back and let that unfold, and not be an authoritarian type.

“If you look at the membership it’s varied, from the Cal States to the UCs to Hawaii, but I feel like the conference is homogeneous in manner. We all want to be in the business of collegiate athletics and be there for young people, and do things the right way. We collaborate to the best of our abilities and compromise where we can when that will help everyone go forward.”

That sort of collegiality helps a lot in times of crisis. The decisions two weeks ago to first play the conference basketball tournaments without fans and then to cancel altogether were done in consultation with the presidents and chancellors. And it was Farrell who returned phone calls and emails from those upset about the cancellations.

“And then what kind of closed the circle was that when we actually went ahead and canceled the tournament on Thursday, I heard back from one of those parents who thanked us for doing that.”

Farrell and deputy commissioner Rob Halvaks, who also is scheduled to retire at the conclusion of this school year, can’t very well coast through this springtime of uncertainty. But the suspicion is that they will leave things better for the new leaders, whoever those might be.

And if they need to take a little extra time, so be it.

“I am ready for retirement,” Farrell said. “I’ve been kind of pointing toward this time for a while and I’m ready for it.

“But one of the things I’m hoping to do in retirement is to travel. Well, right now’s a bad time to be doing that.”

Alana Uriell tried to sneak onto a golf course the other day.

The second-year LPGA Tour member ventured out onto Aviara Golf Club in Carlsbad, her home course, which this week was supposed to host the LPGA’s Kia Classic.

That tournament, like five others so far, was postponed by the LPGA. Earlier, in February, the tour also canceled three stops in Asia because of the growing coronavirus outbreak that now has shuttered scores of golf courses throughout Southern California, Aviara included.

Itching to work on her game, Uriell said she figured playing alone on a wide-open golf course would be safe and appropriate social distancing, so she gave it a shot.

“I was like, ‘This is gonna be great!’ No one was out there,” Uriell said by phone. “And the first hole, a security guard comes over in a golf cart and says, ‘You have to leave.’ I tried to say, ‘I’m just trying to make a living! I’m a pro golfer! Can you make an exception?’ But no.

“And I totally get it, if there were other people out there, I’d feel cheated too. And we should stay inside and quarantine, I totally support all that. But I had to try.”

LPGA golfers accustomed to spending hours toiling in vast, open-air expanses, are now, like everyone else, cooped up, trying not to lose their minds – or their competitive edge. Many of them also are stressing, like so many in other lines of work, about bills and job security.

“We’re the most average professional athletes that there can be,” Uriell said. “Your struggles? I feel it too.”

There’s a “force majeure” clause in the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement allowing that, during the most dire of disruptions, players’ pay can be reduced by 1/92.6th for each game lost (so, conceivably, according to Sports Illustrated’s Michael McCann, that could amount to a fifth of this season’s wages, which are worth an average of about $7 million, per basketball-reference.com).

It’s a different situation for the women on the world’s top professional golf circuit, for whom wages either were lost or have been delayed indefinitely when the tour canceled or postponed events. By pulling the plug in early February on the Blue Bay LPGA on Hainan Island in China, the Honda LPGA in Thailand and the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore, the LPGA wiped out three tournaments that would have paid out $5.2 million of the season’s total of $75.1 million total prize money.

Since then, six other events have been postponed, including the L.A. Open at Wilshire Country Club and this season’s first major, the ANA Inspiration, in Rancho Mirage.

LPGA commissioner Michael Whan told the New York Times the unexpected break is keeping him awake at night: “If I had a tour full of billionaires and everyone had long-term deals, I’d be OK … but the majority of my tour is women who need to play, and play well, to make the economics of this career.”

Pro golfers are independent contractors for whom nothing is promised, even when events are on. They’re also responsible for covering all the expenses associated with the job, from coaches and caddies to travel, food and all the other related accommodations.

“You can miss cuts for a whole month and be in debt,” said the 23-year-old Uriell, who played 16 events and made $62,031 as a rookie last season, and who earned $8,540 in the two tournaments she was able to play this season, in early February in Australia.

“We’re independent contractors, we don’t have a contract like NBA players, who once they sign their name they get the money; there’s no guarantees for us,” Uriell continued. “I was projected to play from February to the end of the year, and now, going three months without income, I’m thinking, ‘Gosh, how am I gonna pay my rent? How am I gonna pay for Netflix or gas next month and food?’ That’s not usually what you think a professional athlete has to worry about, but it’s a weird thing for golfers.

“We don’t get the million-dollar contracts that the NBA sees, or football players get. Even the PGA (Tour), they’re making multi-millions on tournaments, and that’ll set you fine for three months. For the LPGA, we don’t get paid multi-millions for every tournament we play. That’s not to say the PGA guys aren’t struggling, they’re definitely having a hard time, too – it’s just different.”

In addition to missing pay, the interruption in play also is disrupting golfers’ lives, they said.

“In order to be a professional golfer, it’s all-encompassing,” said Sydnee Michaels, an LPGA player who is recovering from back surgery and planned to return to competition in a U.S. Open qualifying event April 27 – until it was canceled. “One of the important things about playing on tour is to keep playing competitively. It’s totally a different ballgame playing 18 holes with friends and being under pressure in a tournament. That takes practice.”

Beyond being denied that private round at Aviara, Uriell said she’s spending her downtime reading and trying to sharpen her mental focus. Two-time Solheim Cup participant Angel Yin – who played only once this year, in January at the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio in Florida – is catching up on sleep, getting familiar with podcasting software, and trying to distract herself with trashy reality TV at home in Arcadia.

Like others on her tour, the 21-year-old Yin said she has been monitoring the spread of COVID-19, which seemed to sneak up on other American sports leagues but began affecting the LPGA and some of its membership much earlier. Yin said she’s prepared for a long delay.

“I started talking about it within my friend circle before (the tournament in) China was canceled,” she said. “It blew up in early January, with China shutting down. We were monitoring it then. So many Americans think this is normal flu, but this is just starting out.”

To all sponsors who endorse @LPGA athletes. PLEASE consider disregarding # of events they play or how many times they are televised in ‘20! I know they want to play, but we are keeping them (and others) safe. Please don’t penalize them for my decisions!! Respectfully, Mike

— Michael Whan (@LPGACommish) March 13, 2020

Often, we think of Waldorf Salad as a treat for a special occasion or part of a holiday tradition. But that’s a shame, especially if the ingredients are designed to make it a welcome sweet-tart concoction. It’s easy to prepare and delicious.

This version tops off the salad with fresh blueberries, an addition that not only looks pretty but also adds a welcome spark of acidity.

The formula also includes toasted pecan for crunch and depth of flavor. To toast the pecans, place them in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Place in middle of a 350-degree oven until nicely toasted, about 4 to 6 minutes (if chopped they will toast more quickly). Watch carefully because nuts burn easily.

Waldorf Salad with Blueberries and Toasted Pecans

Yield: 10 servings (use half of the ingredients if you want a smaller yield)

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup raisins or golden raisins

2/3 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

6 crisp apples, such as Fuji or Gala, unpeeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch cubes or 1/4-inch wedges

4 stalks celery, trimmed, diced

1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

Butter lettuce leaves or mixed baby greens

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup fresh blueberries

PROCEDURE

1. Place raisins in small bowl. Cover with warm water. Set aside for 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in separate small bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar and juice; stir to combine.

3. In large, nonreactive bowl, combine apples, celery and pecans. Drain raisins, discarding liquid. Add drained raisins and mayonnaise mixture to apple mixture; toss to combine. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

Source: “Melissa’s Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce” by Cathy Thomas

A local congressman wants Orange County manufacturers to start producing medical equipment.

Rep. Lou Correa, a Democrat from Santa Ana, says his 46th congressional district — which includes much of Santa Ana and Anaheim — is home to about 3,000 manufacturing companies in all types of industries. Many, he believes, can make masks, gowns and medical devices currently in short supply during the mounting coronavirus pandemic.

Such equipment could keep health care workers from getting sick.That, in turn, could prevent the nation’s health care system from crashing as more people need care.

“Healthcare workers are desperately in need of protective equipment to keep themselves and their patients safe,” Correa said in a prepared statement from his office.

The $2.2 trillion relief package passed Friday includes $29 billion to boost medical supplies, though it’s unclear how that money might go to companies changing their operations during the crisis.

Correa’s office said companies interested in making equipment, and anybody looking to donate the same, can call (714) 559-6190 for information.

As the world faces a pandemic, eating well at home takes on a high priority. Many home pantries showcase canned goods including a lineup of canned beans, the cornerstones of spur-of-the-moment meals that are high in protein and fiber. The whush-whirl sound of lid parting can announces that dinner is just minutes away. It’s a welcome tune to a frazzled cook’s ears.

Purists might argue that cooked-from-scratch beans are better, insisting that canned beans are saltier and more expensive. True, but dried can take an hour or two to cook, eliminating them as a candidate for quick-to-prepare meals. Folks with concerns about salt can plop the beans from the can into a colander. Once rinsed with cold water, they shimmer like tiny pebbles in a shallow stream. As a general rule, don’t add much salt to the dish until it is completed; add salt to taste to the finished dish.

To substitute canned beans in a recipe that calls for from-scratch cooking, remember that in the cooking process, dried beans expand to almost three times their size; 1/2 cup of dried beans becomes about 1 1/3 cups of cooked beans. A 15-ounce can contains about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups of beans, but measurements can vary from one producer to the next. Fortunately, recipes that call for beans generally don’t require exact measurements.

For an easy bean soup, cook 1 small onion (chopped) and 2 peeled carrots (diced) in 2 tablespoons olive oil in large saucepan or Dutch oven until onion softens, about 5 minutes. Open two 15-ounce cans of navy beans, great northern white beans or cannellini beans (rinse in colander if concerned about salt); add to onion mixture. Add 2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, vegetable broth or water. (If desired, add a 1/2 cup diced ham.) Bring to boil on high heat; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove about 1 1/2 cups of soup and puree (in blender or food processor — or if you have an immersion blender, place wand in soup and whirl long enough to puree about 1/3 of the mixture). Return pureed mixture to soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper, or some seasoned salt such as Spike or Lawry’s. I usually add a little hot sauce to jazz it up; Frank’s RedHot is a favorite because it adds both “heat” and a welcome acidity.

Crispy-Crunchy Roasted Cannellini Beans

If you have a can of cannellini beans, start your canned bean culinary adventure with these Crispy-Crunchy Roasted Cannellini Beans. They make a delightfully noisy out-of-hand snack, as well as a scrumptious topper for salads or roasted vegetables. A word of caution: They are addictive. Enjoy within 2 to 3 hours for the best crunch.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

One (15-ounce can) cannellini beans

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 to 3 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 large garlic cloves, smashed, peeled

Optional: small pinch dried red pepper flakes

Coarse salt

Optional: freshly ground black pepper

PROCEDURE

1. Place beans in colander and rinse with cold running water. Shake colander a couple of times to remove excess water and turn out onto a clean dish towel. Bring up corners of towel and gently pat beans dry. Allow to rest and further dry out while oven heats up. Adjust oven rack to middle of oven and turn to 425 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, toss beans with oil, rosemary, garlic, and (if using) dried red pepper flakes (I use a silicone spatula for tossing because it is gentler on the beans). Turn out onto a rimmed baking sheet (don’t worry if some of the beans are cracked). With spatula, spread beans out into single layer so that they aren’t crowded together. Season with coarse salt and if desired, black pepper. Roast 30 minutes, turning after 15 minutes. Beans should be crunchy and golden brown.

Source: Anna Stockwell, Epicurious.com

Black Bean Salsa

A topping of tangy black bean salsa perks up grilled fish fillets, sautéed tofu, chicken breasts or ground turkey burgers. It can be used as a simple blueprint that can be augmented with ingredients that you have on hand, such as 1/2 avocado (chopped), 1 medium mango (chopped), 1/2 cup corn kernels (fresh, canned or thawed frozen) or 1/2 red (or green or yellow) bell pepper (diced).

Yield: about 1 1/2 cups

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup cooked black beans (drained, and if canned, rinsed in colander)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 large ripe tomato (seeded and chopped)

1/2 pickled or fresh jalapeño (finely chopped), or to suit your taste, see cook’s notes

1/3 cup chopped red onion

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice.

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cook’s notes: Use caution when working with chilies; upon completion, wash hands and work surface and do NOT touch your eyes or face.

PROCEDURE

1. Combine all ingredients in nonreactive bowl. Toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed, adding more salt, pepper or lime juice to suit your taste.

Lucy’s Beans

Tuscans, known by their countrymen as mangiafagioli (bean eaters), are famous for their bean dishes. When spending a week with Lucy Luhan at her bed and breakfast outside Florence, our group tasted her incredible butter beans on more than one occasion. I experimented with regular store-bought canned butter beans, leeks and an off-the-shelf, high-quality extra-virgin olive oil. The dish isn’t exactly the same, but it is very, very good.

Yield: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

3 large leeks, trimmed, white and light green portion (2 cups when sliced)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 (14-ounces each) butter beans (fagioli bianchi di Spagna) with liquid

Pinch dried red pepper flakes

Salt to taste, if needed

PROCEDURE

1. Cut leeks (white and light green portion) in half horizontally. Place under cold running water and pull layers apart to wash away any dirt. Place cut side down on cutting board and cut into thin slices.

2. Heat olive oil in large saucepan or Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes or until leeks start to soften. Reduce heat to low and cook gently 3 minutes (do NOT brown). Add beans, liquid and pepper flakes.

3.Bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer gently 10 to 15 minutes. Canned beans have varying amounts of liquid with them. If pan becomes too dry, add a little water or chicken broth. If there is too much liquid after simmering, continue to simmer until desired consistency is reached. Taste and add salt and/or more chili flakes as needed.

Source: Lucy Luhan, Villa Lucia, Tuscany, Italy

White-Bean Bruschetta with Sugar Snap Peas

Cannellini beans, those large white kidney beans that are so

popular in Italian cuisine, make creamy spreads to use as appetizers. Here the earthy mash is augmented with a little extra-virgin olive oil along with vinegar, parsley, basil, red onion and tomato. The mixture can be prepared several hours in advance and stored airtight in the refrigerator. The optional sugar snap peas can also be prepared in advance. Once blanched, refresh with cold water and remove the strings; wrap peas in a clean kitchen towel, place the towel in a partially closed plastic bag and refrigerate.

Yield: 8 servings, about 2 per person

INGREDIENTS

4 (1/2-inch wide) slices rustic whole wheat bread, such as sourdough wheat

1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon, divided use, see cook’s notes

1/8 teaspoon coarse salt

Optional garnish: 16 sugar snap peas

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley

1 tablespoon minced fresh basil

2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

1 Roma tomato, cored, seeded, finely diced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Optional: 2 ounces thinly slice prosciutto, cut into 1/4-inch wide strips

Cook’s notes: If you prefer to eliminate the oil, toast the bread without brushing with olive oil. Canned beans can be salty, so use caution when adding salt in step 3 to taste; none may be needed.

PROCEDURE

1. Adjust oven rack to a position about 8- to 10-inches below broiler element. Preheat broiler. Place bread in single layer on rimmed baking sheet. Brush both sides of bread lightly with oil, using 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil. Broil until bread is brown on the outside edges but slightly soft in the center. Turn, sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon coarse salt and repeat broiling method. When cool enough to handle, cut each slice in half crosswise; cut each half in half again to make 16 crisp pieces of bread.

2. If using sugar snap peas: Add about 4 cups of water to a large saucepan. Bring to boil on high heat. Add sugar snap peas and blanch until tender-crisp, 30 to 60 seconds. Drain and refresh with cold water. If present, remove strings when cool enough to handle.

3. Place cannellini beans in medium bowl; mash to a coarse consistency with fork. Add 1 tablespoon oil, vinegar, parsley, basil, red onion, tomato, salt and pepper; stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

4. If using, top each toasted bread with 1 or 2 prosciutto strips. Top each with a spoonful of bean mixture. If desired garnish each with a sugar snap pea. Serve. Meatless option: omit prosciutto.

Source: “50 Best Plants on the Planet” by Cathy Thomas

The coronavirus pandemic is now on track to be far less lethal than first predicted by the Imperial College London study that set off the alarming response we’re living in today. But it could turn out to be fatal to the plans of so-called urbanists in California.

These are the advocates for “transit-oriented housing,” high-density apartments near public transportation, who have been telling Californians for years that single-family homes are a waste of resources and bad for the planet.

That argument can now be buried. It turns out to be much safer to build houses that allow people to be at least six feet away from the neighbors, where families can isolate peacefully in private yards that can grow fruits and vegetables in case the supply chain collapses.

This used to be known as the California lifestyle, before the government fell under the control of activists who throttled the water supply, demonized the automobile and declared that housing shall not be built beyond the “urban boundary.” These activists see a future of stacked apartments radiating out from bus stops and train stations. And they have skillfully and quietly used the power of government to force their vision into existence.

The origins of today’s housing crisis in California can be traced to a piece of legislation signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. On Sept. 30, 2008, one day after the Dow Jones industrial average dropped 778 points and triggered the then-giant TARP bailout (seems so quaint today), Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill 375 to make it tougher to build houses in California.

The law was called the Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of 2008. “It will be necessary to achieve significant additional greenhouse gas reductions from changed land use patterns and improved transportation,” the legislation declared, essentially blaming climate change on people living in the suburbs and driving to work.

Construction permits for residential housing in the state had climbed steadily from the mid-1990s until 2004, when they began a sharp decline. By 2007, the number of permits for housing construction was down 49 percent from the peak three years earlier, but activists were still agitated about the “sprawl” of housing developments and the commuters who lived in them.

So SB375 empowered the California Air Resources Board to set greenhouse gas emissions targets for entire regions of the state. It required local authorities to submit plans showing how their regions would reach the targets that CARB made up, out of the air, if you will. And even if you won’t.

It’s government force.

Every local government and agency in California is now wasting everybody’s time figuring out how to meet targets for reducing “vehicle miles traveled.” This is part of the story behind the idiocy of road diets, the tolerance for skull-cracking scooters and the insanity of city plans such as Warner Center 2035 in the west San Fernando Valley, which is enabling the construction of tens of thousands of high-rise apartments with no new road capacity. The unsupportable assumption is that traffic won’t be affected because residents will take the Orange Line bus.

Speaking of traffic, we are currently engaged in a regional study of how many cars can be taken off the road if people are able to work at home.

Judging from online traffic maps, the preliminary finding is, all of them.

Obviously not everyone can work at home, but it’s clear now that Southern California’s traffic problem can be made to disappear by empowering employers and employees to decide whether driving or remote work is the best option on any given day.

That can save us tens of billions of dollars. We can repeal all those extra sales taxes that pay for transit construction. Look how fast that happened — one minute we were whining about the old Red Car tracks being ripped up, and the next minute we saw the good sense of it.

The unexpected future of public transportation will be buses, shuttles and app-enabled ride-share. We were all expecting flying cars, but when there’s no traffic, driving on the freeways is almost as good.

The coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated that dense urban living has unique risks. In New York, where the virus has infected 15 times as many people as in California, Gov. Andrew Cuomo acknowledged, “We have one of the most dense, close environments in the country. And that’s why the virus communicated the way it did. Our closeness makes us vulnerable.”

Millions of Californians have said “Ewwww” to that kind of closeness and moved to the expansive West. While none may have feared a pandemic at the time, that’s all changed now. The coronavirus outbreak and the state’s response to it will leave a mark. What Californians consider “a safe place to live” is more likely than ever to be a single-family home with a yard for the kids and a garage for the cars.

That’s at odds with the housing-policy goal of SB375. The California Air Resources Board’s 2018 “progress report” explains, “Building compact neighborhoods where people of all incomes live within safe walking or cycling distance of daily errands could have significant climate benefits,” adding, “By increasing physical activity, it could also greatly improve public health.”

“Compact neighborhoods” is a euphemism for high-density apartment complexes, and cycling to daily errands won’t protect your health when 1,000 people are pushing the same elevator buttons without washing their hands.

So it’s good news that we have discovered another way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. California can safely drop these destructive restrictions on housing construction, freeing developers to increase the housing supply by building new communities where people can buy affordable homes. We don’t need transit-oriented housing to solve the housing crisis.

Let’s repeal SB375.

Susan Shelley is an editorial writer and columnist for the Southern California News Group. Susan@SusanShelley.com. Twitter: @Susan_Shelley

There are many reasons for America to spend its money wisely and not rack up debt. But the best reason is to be prepared for emergency situations like a pandemic.

As such, it’s not the $2.2 trillion price tag on the coronavirus stimulus package that concerns me — it’s the trillions of dollars that preceded it. In fact, these are the times that the government should intervene, especially since it is the government that ordered the economy to close.

For what it’s worth, I believe the COVID-19 crisis is real and I agree that the most effective way to slow the spread of the virus is through mandatory quarantining. The government has made the right call.

But that doesn’t mean the government is absolved of its responsibility to the workers and businesses its actions have affected.

The stimulus bill is a way to stave off financial calamity. And frankly, it’s probably not enough.

It does bother me, though, that this stimulus package will drive up our trillion-dollar deficit and dump even more debt on our country, which already exceeds $23 trillion. It shows just how badly we wasted the last economic recovery by doing nothing to tackle the debt.

As the editors of National Review put it, “The enormous spending involved [in the stimulus bill] would be easier to stomach if legislators and presidents had shown greater restraint before this crisis hit or showed any interest in getting the national debt on a sustainable trajectory.”.

It also shows the there is little difference between Republicans and Democrats in Congress in terms of spending. The Tea Party revolution that popped up after the 2008 financial crisis is all but gone.

Not long ago, there were Republicans will to default on the national debt to rein in spending. Those days are long gone.

Both the debt and deficit have increased under President Donald Trump, as they had under many of his predecessors. What’s different about Trump is that we’ve stopped even pretending to care.

As a candidate, Trump promised to eliminate federal debt within eight years, but it has only increased under him–and that was before the stimulus bill. He has vowed not to touch entitlement spending, which is by far the largest driver of the deficit. His tax reform might have been decent tax policy, but without any spending offsets it ran up the deficit. And as my colleague Steven Greenhut recently argued, Trump has embraced the progressive idea that deficits don’t matter.

“Who the hell cares about the budget? We’re going to have a country,” Trump said.

None of that is meant as a criticism of the president. It’s just a statement of fact and a marker by which to gauge the future.

As Republicans consider the direction of the party after Trump is out of office — either next year or after another term — many have embraced a more interventionist government. Senators Marco Rubio, R-Florida, and Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, are two of the leading voices. Both have well-intentioned proposals to regulate and reorder markets and the economy.

But as Jonah Goldberg points out, advocates of top-down planning used to be mostly on the left, and the idea was something conservatives used to look upon with great skepticism.

“That’s not true any longer,” Goldberg writes. “And it remains to be seen whether top-down planning from the right works any better than it does from the left.”

It’s not anti-conservative to spend big on something. It’s how the money is spent that matters. It is pure fantasy to think the government is going to cure all of society’s ills with money it doesn’t have.

For all the fuss that’s made about the effect of celebrities’ bad behavior on impressionable children, no one ever complains that America’s personal debt problem is encouraged by the bad example set in Washington.

Our nation is constantly borrowing more to spend now with no real intention of paying it back. What does that say to those amassing substantial credit card debt? How can we say with a straight fact that we want to tackle student loan debt when we are $23 trillion in the hole?

At some point, the excessive spending and the exorbitant debt will become a crisis, though now is not the time to have this fight.

But as we emerge from this impending economic crisis, we need our lawmakers to get our finances in order. Our future emergencies depend on it.

Matt Fleming is a member of the Southern California News Group’s editorial board. Follow him on Twitter: @FlemingWords

There were no ivory table cloths. No dusty rose napkins. No gold table numbers.

But Halley Taylor had a veil, a floral beaded headband and a white, floor-length gown with layers of lace and sequins.

Taylor married her fiancé, Jacob Frank, in a tiny ceremony in a private backyard on the Palos Verdes Peninsula early Saturday evening, March 28, under wisps of clouds dotting the springtime sky, the Pacific Ocean lapping in the distance.

It wasn’t the day the couple spent the prior two years planning; in the days and weeks leading up to their chosen wedding date, the novel coronavirus expanded its reach to farther corners of the country and world, leading governments to shut down events big and small to stem its spread.

Their wedding, originally slated to include 98 people at the Long Beach Museum of Art, shrank to about 80, then 50, until, finally, it was seven people — along with the couple’s 4-year-old Australian shepherd/boxer mix — in a secluded spot along seaside cliffs.

It was not the day they imagined. But it was, as they will always remember, the day they chose to forever entwine their lives, the day two became one.

Taylor, 28, and Frank, 27, met when they were both in elementary school in Sebring, Ohio, a village midway between Cleveland and Pittsburgh with a population of a little more than 4,000 people.

They attended different schools, but their district gathered its gifted elementary students — including Taylor and Frank — into the same space for a weekly class.

Taylor, a fourth grader at the time, was a good student who loved her teacher and had grown her hair so long it nearly hit the back of her knees.

Frank, in third grade, wore spiked hair with frosted tips — “it was really cool, back in the ’90s,” Taylor recently recalled — and a puka shell necklace.

“He was very California for an Ohio kid,” Taylor said. “He was just too cool.”

They were both smitten.

“I remember going to my third grade friends, being like, ‘Oh, I have this girlfriend, but she goes to a different school, like, you guys don’t know her,’” Frank said, “and they’re like, ‘Shut up, no you don’t.’”

They had no way of knowing then what those crushes would become — a devotion that would take them across the country, two decades on, to a quiet bluff on a bright, vernal day.

In another universe, where a virus hadn’t spread across the globe, where medical masks and toilet paper are in heavy supply, where it is not illegal to gather in public spaces, Saturday looked very different for the Midwestern couple.

Two weeks ago, even, in this universe, another plan would have unfolded.

The couple — who now lives in an apartment in Long Beach’s East Village neighborhood with their dog, Kismet — was determined to be wed in their new hometown.

“They all wanted us to get married in Ohio,” Taylor said of the pair’s family and friends back east, “but we were like, ‘No way, we’re going to get married in California, and you guys are going to come to us.’”

They secured the Long Beach Museum of Art, which offers a spacious lawn for outdoor ceremonies and receptions overlooking the East San Pedro Bay, at a discounted rate because their date fell just before peak wedding season would begin.

“We were just really excited to have it outside,” Taylor said, “and to have all of our family come and see us.”

Invitations were sent to 120 people, and seating was arranged for the 98 who said they would come. The open-air venue would be complemented with rustic touches, like chalkboard signs and small blush and green bud vases.

“It was going to be a bohemian, kind of eclectic, sort of style,” Taylor said. “I had so many ideas and was just really excited about getting to see it all together.

“And now,” she said last week, “that’s never going to happen.”

The first case of the novel coronavirus in the United States was reported Jan. 21 in Washington, according to the state’s Department of Health.

Two days later, the Chinese government ordered a lockdown of Hubei, the province home to Wuhan — the epicenter of what the World Health Organization would later declare a global pandemic.

Frank, who’s in the midst of his hospital residency, was keeping a closer eye on the outbreak than most.

But early on, he didn’t think it would impact their plans.

“We were aware of it, but not taking it too seriously,” he said, “and then the cases just kept developing.”

Cases were confirmed in Illinois. California. New York. New Hampshire.

By March 7, three weeks before Taylor and Frank’s wedding day, more than two dozen states had reported confirmed cases of the coronavirus.

Then, March 9, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced three residents had contracted the virus, the state’s first confirmed cases. DeWine declared a state of emergency in Ohio the same day.

“It started shifting from, ‘Everyone’s going to come,’” Frank said, “to, ‘Those with health conditions or who are older may not be able to.’”

Three days later, Taylor got a call from her sister-in-law to let the couple know she and Taylor’s niece — who was supposed to be the flower girl — couldn’t come.

“Her work basically said they would fire her if she came,” Taylor recalled. “For me, that was like, ‘Oh my gosh, is it even worth doing it anymore?’”

Seeds of doubt about whether the day could continue were planted, but Taylor and Frank decided not to cancel the wedding. Not yet.

A cascade of government orders and recommendations, becoming ever stricter, followed over the next week; their guest list winnowed.

Taylor and Frank waited to hear from the venue on whether a cancellation would be necessary.

Finally, last Thursday, March 19, Long Beach issued an order prohibiting all events of more than 10 people.

A museum representative reached out to let the couple know their wedding would be canceled.

“We had already come to terms with it,” Taylor said.

“Every day, we were just kind of grasping at straws,” she said. “Like, ‘Can we still make this happen? Can we still accommodate the few people who wanted to come?’”

Each time they solidified a new plan, they would have to start again.

“It just kept falling apart,” Taylor said.

After circling each other for their whole lives, Taylor and Frank dated briefly in high school before heading to Ohio State University. They reunited in the fall of 2013 and have been together ever since.

The pair landed in Long Beach in 2018, after Frank was matched with a residency program here.

The day the couple found out they would be moving to the West Coast, almost exactly two years ago, is another that is indelibly etched into their memories.

That evening, at a dinner surrounded by family and friends — ostensibly to celebrate Frank’s news — he got down on one knee.

“I would be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity,” he told Taylor, “to ask you to spend the rest of your life with me.”

Two years and a cross-country move later, it was clear their wedding day would not be the one they planned. But Taylor and Frank were resolved to move ahead with it anyway.

The photographer they hired for the initial bash, Liz Erban, is ordained to officiate weddings; she offered to marry the couple in an elopement-style ceremony on the date they had already booked, if they wanted to move forward with it.

Taylor and Frank agreed.

“We feel like we’re breaking the law, getting married illegally,” Taylor said. “But I’m so determined to make the most of it.”

So they did.

As the sun shone down on them Saturday evening, they pledged themselves to each other, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer — in sickness and in health.

While the coronavirus raged on, continuing to overshadow daily life across the world, Taylor and Frank added their own bit of light.

“I’m glad we did it,” Taylor said. “I think it was a nice moment. It will be a happy memory.”

The couple plans to have a larger celebration, filled with family and friends, likely next summer, back in Ohio.

It wasn’t the day they envisioned, but they are still grateful for it — and for their many other fortunes.

“At the end of the day, I still have a job,” Frank said. “Halley still has a job. Compared to everyone else, and all of the thousands of people who lost their jobs, it’s not that bad.”

If anything, the couple agreed, the turn of events helped them remember what’s really important.

“Everyone worries about every little detail of their wedding,” Frank said. “I remember, less than a couple of weeks ago, we were bickering about whether the shades of gray my groomsmen were wearing would match.”

While friends and family have reached out to share their sympathy, Taylor said some of those feelings are misplaced.

“We have friends and family who are like, ‘I can’t believe it. It’s so sad,’” she said, “and I’m like, ‘You just lost your job! That’s so much worse than having to cancel our wedding.’ So many people are suffering so much worse.”

So, the couple, now husband and wife, are finding silver linings.

“It almost just helps you put it in perspective and focus your energy elsewhere, other than on the wedding,” Taylor said. “You’ve got to look on the bright side of what to be grateful for.”

Although the guest list dwindled into nearly nothing, the couple’s list of blessings has only grown. And they have now cemented what they have known for so long — that each other’s placement at the top of that list will now, and forever, endure.

In his first year with UCLA men’s basketball, coach Mick Cronin shattered expectations and brought a revival to the program.

While the Bruins did not get the chance to perform under the bright lights and high pressures of the postseason, with the Pac-12 and NCAA Tournaments canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cronin has already made strides to continue his success into the 2020-2021 season.

Scholarships opening up after 2019-20

With the departures of redshirt seniors Prince Ali and Alex Olensinski and the midseason transfer of Shareef O’Neal, Cronin will have four scholarship spots open for next season. Ali and Olensinski played five seasons for the Bruins after suffering individual injuries during the 2016-2017 season. O’Neal played 13 games for UCLA as a redshirt freshman this year before transferring in January.

Current commits in 2020 class

So far, Cronin has snatched up two commits heading into the 2020-2021 season.

Daishen Nix was the first recruit Cronin landed since his hire last April. The five-star recruit, who signed in November after committing to the Bruins in August, is the No. 1 point guard in the 2020 class, according to 247Sports.com’s composite rankings, and the No. 1 player out of Nevada. Standing 6-foot-5, Nix secured McDonald’s All-American status and was invited to play in the annual All-American Game before its cancellation due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Rancho Cucamonga native Jaylen Clark has also committed to playing with the Bruins next season. The four-star shooting guard from Etiwanda High is listed as the No. 13 player in California by 247Sports and is Cronin’s first commit from California.

How UCLA could fill out the class

As of March 26, UCLA’s 2020 class is ranked No. 2 in the Pac-12 and No. 36 in the nation by 247Sports. With the loss of Olesinski, the Bruins will have only three bigs with Cody Riley, Jalen Hill and Kenneth Nwuba, who redshirted the 2019-2020 season. Cronin could also look to the transfer portal to fill his open spots.

Look ahead to 2021

With such a young and still inexperienced roster, the majority of this year’s Bruins are expected to stay. Without having to go through the bumps of learning a new coach and jelling as a team, like they did last fall, the Bruins could have a high advantage next season. As of now, the only would-be senior listed on UCLA’s roster is guard Chris Smith, who was honored as the Pac-12’s Most Improved Player of the Year.

Cronin has one commit for 2021: four-star shooting guard Will McClendon of Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas.

A series of events the past two weeks have shuffled the USC men’s basketball roster. Here’s a look at the Trojans’ scholarship situation as it stands now:

Scholarships opening up after 2019-20

The Trojans had four graduating seniors on scholarship this past season – Jonah Mathews, Nick Rakocevic, Daniel Utomi and Quinton Adlesh. Center Onyeka Okongwu declared for the NBA draft on Wednesday. Charles O’Bannon Jr. transferred to TCU midseason, while it was reported Tuesday night that guard Kyle Sturdivant is entering the transfer portal. It’s still possible for Sturdivant to exit the portal and remain at USC, but for this exercise, let’s assume he leaves L.A.

So at the moment, USC has five scholarship players returning for 2020-21: Elijah Weaver, Isaiah Mobley, Ethan Anderson, Max Agbonkpolo and Noah Baumann, a guard who redshirted this past season after transferring from San Jose State.

Current commits in 2020 class

USC currently has four roster spots filled for next season. The Trojans added Santa Clara grad transfer Tahj Eaddy on Tuesday, adding some experience at the guard position with a reputation as a shooter, though his 3-point average dropped to 33.3% last season. On Friday, Utah Valley grad transfer wing Isaiah White committed to USC over Arizona. The former Damien High standout averaged 14.5 points and 8.4 rebounds as a junior. They join Rancho Christian center Evan Mobley, the top-ranked recruit in the country, and three-star San Gabriel Academy center Boubacar Coulibaly.

How USC could fill out the class

With nine roster spots accounted for, USC has four scholarships it can play with. With two centers, two forwards and five guards, the Trojans can afford to look for the best available players, though adding a backup point guard to replace Sturdivant should be a priority.

The dream situation for USC would be to add five-star Sierra Canyon small forward Ziaire Williams. The No. 5 recruit in the country, according to 247Sports.com’s composite rankings, At 6-foot-7, Williams could play either forward spot in college with his length. He can stretch the floor and finish around the basket. Combining Williams with the Mobley brothers, not to mention Agbonkpolo, would give USC an extremely versatile front court.

USC can also look to the transfer market to fill out the roster, maybe adding another grad transfer or two to provide immediate impact in 2020-21.

It’s also possible USC elects to leave a scholarship slot or two open in the next season. The Trojans did the same for 2019-20, starting the year with 12 scholarship players. After receiving a notice of allegations from the NCAA in December, it’s possible USC is hit with sanctions that could include a scholarship reduction. Should this happen, USC could start serving that punishment early if it has open scholarships.

Look ahead to 2021

USC has three commits for 2021: Mater Dei center Harrison Hornery St. Bernard shooting guard Reese Dixon-Waters and Damien shooting guard Mailk Thomas.

After witnessing a surge in visits the day before, all 280 California State Parks will now be closed to vehicle access, according to a statement.

“On Saturday, many state parks once again experienced visitation surges that made it impossible for the public to implement appropriate social/ physical distancing practices,” a statement said from the California Department of Parks and Recreation.

State parks have already closed all campgrounds, museums and visitor centers, cancelled all events and were closed to vehicular traffic at certain parks and beaches. The department said it would continue to monitor visitations and physical distancing at all state parks to determine whether additional measures would be taken such as fully closing all parks including trails and bathrooms.

With L.A. County beaches and bike paths closed along with closures and strict social distancing rules on beaches throughout Southern California, nature preserves and state parks seemed about the only outdoor activity left for many people this weekend. The overriding message from public health officials has been no matter how great the weather is, people are to stay home.

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and others have said that if people need exercise or want to walk their dogs to do so around their own neighborhoods rather than popular spots like the beaches and parks.

Rancho Palos Verdes, which oversees the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve, closed access to its trail system last week. Palos Verdes Estates too limited public parking for those who wanted to walk along trails that border the cliff tops.

LA County in addition to closing beaches, beach bathrooms, piers, promenades and beach bike paths, previously announced closures of public trails, according to the statement. And in Orange County, parking lots at all beaches, regional and wilderness parks were closed along with parking spaces at all trailheads.

The Pilgrim, an icon at the Ocean Institute, has keeled starboard and is sinking in Dana Point Harbor.

Officials at the center were informed at 5:15 a.m. Sunday, March 29, that the beloved vessel, which served as an inspiring real-world classroom to hundreds of thousands of students and visitors, keeled overnight in the slip at the Ocean Institute’s dock.

Dan Goldbacher, director of Maritime and Facilities, met Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol at the dock, said Wendy Marshall, executive director of the Ocean Institute. A boom has been placed around the ship and an inspection is forthcoming.

“We are concerned it will keel more when the tide comes up,” she said.

The ship — a full-scale replica of the ship immortalized by Richard Henry Dana in his classic book Two Years Before the Mast — was also a favorite during the Ocean Institute’s Tall Ships Festival is valued at $6 million.

It was not immediately clear Sunday morning what caused the ship to sink.

This is a developing story. Please check back for details.

Sprouts Farmers Market has announced that an employee who worked in its Tustin Marketplace store tested positive for the novel cornavirus. The last day the person worked was March 20.

“We followed CDC guidelines and coordinated with local health authorities,” Sprouts spokesman Diego Romero said in an email Sunday, March 29.

“We informed all of our team members in the store and identified those who may have come into close contact with the affected team member to assess whether they should be quarantined,” Romero said. “We then conducted extensive professional cleaning and sanitizing of the entire store to minimize any risk of surface transmission.”

“At this time we have had no reports of any other team members at the store having any symptoms or testing positive,” Romero said.

The company also said employees at stores in Houston and Lone Tree, Colorado, tested positive for the virus.

“The health and safety of our team members and customers remains our priority,” Romero said, adding that stores “have invested additional labor hours” into cleaning, especially high-tough areas such as service counters, restrooms, carts and checkout lanes.

“We’ve also implemented steps to promote social distancing at the registers and are installing plexiglass barriers at the registers to add extra protection for team members working the front end,” Romero said.

Whole Foods confirmed Wednesday, March 25, that an unidentified employee at its market in the Bella Terra mall had tested positive and was quarantined. The company said it was identifying co-workers who’d come in contact with the infected employee, had made extra efforts to disinfect the store and was keeping its doors open for business. The employee last worked in the store March 19.

The store remained open for its usual business hours after it was cleaned overnight, he said.

Updates about Sprouts stores and the coronavirus can be found at sprouts.com.

A 77-year-old father and his 30-year-old son were found dead in a Garden Grove home on Saturday from an apparent murder suicide, police said.

The bodies were discovered at around 4 p.m. after another adult son of the father called police, reporting he hadn’t heard from his brother or father in several days.

Police forced their way inside the home, located in the 11800 block of Stuart Drive, and found both the father and son dead of what they believed were stab wounds.

It’s not clear how long the bodies were inside. Police said the home belonged to the father.

Police haven’t said which of the men they believe was the killer.

The investigation was ongoing, and police asked anyone with information to call them at (714) 741-5800.

This past week, COVID-19 cases in the U.S. spiked from 13,678 to more than 100,000, making it the country with the most cases. It is estimated that a person carying the virus could infect anywhere from 2.2 to 3 people. We consulted with a physician and a math expert to calculate a worse-case scenario of how the virus could spread in just 10 cycles of infection.Population density and safety practices like social distancing are among factors that can influence these numbers.

How the math was done: COVID-19 calculations were based on an R-naught of 3. The R-naught is the estimate of how many people one person could infect with the virus. We calculated 3 to the 10th power and added the sum of previous cycles to derive the number of potential infected people. These numbers are calculations based on a worse-case scenario.

Sources: Business Insider; Time; Johns Hopkins University; Gary Whittaker, Cornell University; World Health Organization

Six Flags Magic Mountain has extended the temporary coronavirus closure of the Valencia amusement park amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has forced theme parks throughout California and across the United States to shutter operations.

The temporary 19-day closure at Magic Mountain has now been extended to mid-May “or as soon as possible thereafter,” officials said.

pic.twitter.com/l4qwPbmO4h

— Six Flags (@SixFlags) March 30, 2020

Six Flags Magic Mountain closed on March 13 due to the coronavirus outbreak and initially planned to remain shuttered through the end of the month.

“While there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 at the properties, the safety of our guests and team members is always our highest priority,” Six Flags said in a statement. “We will continue to closely monitor this evolving situation and follow the most current guidance from federal, state, and local officials.”

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo along with Six Flags parks across the United States will remain closed through mid-May.

Prepaid tickets will be valid until the end of 2020 and season passes and memberships will be extended.

SEE ALSO: West Coast Racers delivers twice the fun for tween thrill seekers at Six Flags Magic Mountain

All Southern California theme parks remain closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Knott’s Berry Farm has extended its closure through mid-May while Universal Studios Hollywood has pushed its closure to April 19. Disneyland, Disney California Adventure and SeaWorld San Diego remain closed until further notice.

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The all-league girls water polo teams for the 2019-20 season. | Coaches and school administrators can email complete all-league team lists to preps@ocregister.com.

CRESTVIEW LEAGUE

MVP: Mallory Reynoso, Foothill

First Team: Julia Janov, Foothill; Malia Allen, Foothill; Celeste Wijnbelt, Foothill; Kaya Barrett, Canyon; Anna Vaughan, Canyon; Amanda Ellerbroek, Esperanza; Maddie DeRado, Villa Park.

Second Team: Michaela Strickland, Foothill; Morgan Rios, Foothill; Kristen Hemmila, Foothill; Brittney Pino, Canyon; Elise Whitworth, Esperanza; Gabriella Spoonhower, Esperanza; Jaden Ochs, Villa Park.

NORTH HILLS LEAGUE

MVP: Isabella Alcazar, El Dorado

First Team: Emily Jack, El Dorado; Rachel Kirchner, El Dorado; Tori Portillo, El Dorado; Chloe Wilber, El Modena; Annaliese Ryan, El Modena; Kaitlyn Pasillas, Brea Olinda; Madison Angel, Yorba Linda.

Second Team: Alexis Ward, El Dorado; Fiona Murphy, El Dorado; Camille Tome, El Modena; Juliet Otellio, El Modena; Alexandra Haluska, Brea Olinda; Hannah Adoian, Brea Olinda; Riya Raghute, Yorba Linda.

EMPIRE LEAGUE

MVP: Leila Egusa, Cypress

Offensive Player of the Year: Amber Rocha, Valencia

Defensive Players of the Year: Amy Manzanares, Valencia; Kennedy Smith, Tustin; Lacie Vadkerti, Pacifica

First Team: Grasibella Bucio, Pacifica; Karla Corzo, Valencia; Faith Hernandez, Kennedy; Atlea Johnson, Tustin; Kylie Kozai, Cypress; Isabelle Ramirez, Valencia; Ashley Slaton-Ramos, Cypress

Second Team: Bailee Broderick, Cypress; Laura Chikami, Pacifica; Ashley Hollenbeck, Cypress; Samantha Martin, Tustin; Priscilla Martinez, Valencia; Paige Melanson, Pacifica; Ivanna Zamora, Crean Lutheran.

GOLDEN WEST LEAGUE

MVP: Destiny Hernandez, Segerstrom

First Team: Leslie Casas, Segerstrom; Jazmien Cervantes, Western; Faith Cuevas, Segerstrom; Autumn Knox, Ocean View; Lucia Lopez, Garden Grove; Nevaeh Padovano, Western; Carolyn Putman, Westminster; Persephone Taylor, Garden Grove; Kasity Trejo, Segerstrom.

Second Team: Alexandra Arriero, Garden Grove; Joselyn Bernal, Godinez; Angelina Franzetti, Ocean View; Christy Gonzalez, Segerstrom; Diana Hernandez, Segerstrom; Aurania Luna, Western; Jair Monroy, Garden Grove; Katherine Tran, Garden Grove; Diamond Trinh, Westminster.

ORANGE COAST LEAGUE

MVP: Kira Anderson, Costa Mesa

First Team: Sey Currie, Costa Mesa; Ta’iuta Uiagalelei, Costa Mesa; Hanna Jackson, Costa Mesa; Sydni White, Estancia; Gidget Brestel, Estancia; Cassie Corrigan, Estancia ; Andrea Oliveros, Santa Ana; Gladys Rodriguez, Santa Ana; Lucy Lundell, Orange; Norma Ayala Ramirez, Saddleback.

Second Team: Michelle Kiefer, Costa Mesa; Mailia Tufuga, Costa Mesa; Giannina Bauer, Estancia; Connie Guzman, Estancia; Nora Alvarez, Santa Ana; Alondra Rodriguez, Santa Ana; Maria Iniestra, Orange; Aliyah Mahoney, Orange; Trisha Aguirre, Saddleback.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

MVP: Valerie Wraith, Northwood

First Team: Hannah Miller, Northwood; Sanjana Venkatesh, Northwood; Melissa Quan, Irvine; Sisily Cook, Irvine; Julia Cho, Woodbridge; Lauren Kwan, Woodbridge; Ashley Wallin, University; Mandy Lagerlof, Irvine; Isabelle De Souza (goalie), Beckman.

Second Team: Akemi Nakachi, Beckman; Maria Langlois, University; Shaivi Bandatmakur, Portola; Ella-Blue Wilmount, Northwood; Lauren Nguyen, Northwood; Becky Rookard, Irvine; Yanya Sediq, Woodbridge; Jillian Miller, Beckman; Noora Roushdy (goalie), Portola.

SOUTH COAST LEAGUE

MVP: Grace Pelkey, San Clemente

First Team: Lang Csira, San Clemente; Aidan Flynn, San Clemente; Audry Brown, El Toro; Allie Gaetano, El Toro; Kat Besanceney, Dana Hills; Paige Riester, Dana Hills; Kathryn Butler, Tesoro; Megan Moorehead, Aliso Niguel.

Second Team: Adrian Daniel, San Clemente; Kendall Patrick, San Clemente; Jenna Dickstein, El Toro; Mia Prange, El Toro; Madison McGowan, Dana Hills; Ashley Bellavia, Dana Hills; Elisabeth Mericle, Tesoro; Alexandra Brunnell,  Aliso Niguel.

SEA VIEW LEAGUE

MVP: Kimora Farry, San Juan Hills

First Team: Sarah McClaskey, San Juan Hills; Bailey Van Blarcom, San Juan Hills; Carolina Brandt, San Juan Hills; Alaina Stapf, Laguna Hills; Megan Taylor, Capistrano Valley; Meghan Yates, Capistrano Valley; Cherish Ewell, Mission Viejo; Em Galus, Trabuco Hills.

Second Team: Lola Fuhs, San Juan Hills; Alma Pike, San Juan Hills; Grace Warner, Laguna Hills; Olivia Crocker, Laguna Hills; Hope Neufeld, Capistrano Valley; Nicole Harkins, Capistrano Valley; Maddie Schwarz, Mission Viejo; Alexa Corrao, Trabuco Hills.

SURF LEAGUE

MVP: Nicole Struss, Laguna Beach

First Team: Molly Renner, Laguna Beach; Emma Lineback, Laguna Beach; Rachael Carver, Laguna Beach; Morgan Netherton, Newport Harbor; Olivia Giolas, Newport Harbor; Maya Avital, Corona Del Mar; Sofia Munatones, Los Alamitos.

Second Team: Morgan Van Alphen, Laguna Beach; Emma Singer, Laguna Beach; Taylor Smith, Newport Harbor; Emily Cantu, Newport Harbor; Grace Myers, Corona Del Mar; Kira Hoffman, Corona Del Mar; Lindsey Harris, Los Alamitos.

WAVE LEAGUE

MVP: Emily Tucker, Huntington Beach

First Team: Lizzie Lovat, Huntington Beach; Elaina Davey, Huntington Beach; Morgan O’Connell, Huntington Beach; Sam Worley, Edison; Lily Worley, Edison; Emma Marsh, Marina; Victoria Wilcox, Fountain Valley.

Second Team: Sierra Cavano, Huntington Beach; Jericho Callender, Huntington Beach; Ella Jensen, Edison; Madie Ambrose, Edison; Lily Ensley, Marina; Lana Kardos, Marina; Skylar Volz, Fountain Valley.

TRINITY LEAGUE

MVP: Anna Pearson, Orange Lutheran

First Team: Sasha Constandse, Mater Dei; Taylor Vangrin, Mater Dei; Jada Ward, Mater Dei; Janna Tauscher, Mater Dei; Honnie Vandeweghe-O’Shea, Santa Margarita; Caroline Christl, Santa Margarita; Mara Loughlin, Santa Margarita; Anna Pearson, Orange Lutheran; Isabella Gazzaniga, Orange Lutheran; Christy Marchese, Orange Lutheran; Lauren Woolley, Rosary; Katy Belle Sauers, JSerra.

Second Team: Mia Adsen, Mater Dei; Caitlin Cohen, Mater Dei; Genoa Rossi, Mater Dei; Savannah Burns, Santa Margarita; Isabella Rosensitto, Santa Margarita; Carly McMurray, Santa Margarita; Alissa Salgado, Orange Lutheran; Rachel Gazzaniga, Orange Lutheran; Delaney Palmer, Orange Lutheran; Amelia Gonzalez, Rosary; Sophie Kempf, JSerra.

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO

NEW YORK — Macy’s says it will stop paying tens of thousands of employees who were thrown out of work when the chain closed its stores in response to collapsing sales during the pandemic.

The majority of its 130,000, including stock people and sales clerks, will still collect health benefits but the company said that it is transitioning to an “absolute minimum workforce” needed to maintain basic operations. Macy’s has lost the bulk of its sales due to the temporarily closing of its stores starting March 18.

The move is perhaps the most dramatic sign that even big name retailers are seeing their business evaporate and that the $2 trillion rescue package passed by Congress last week may come too late to help out retailers. Nordstrom said last week it was furloughing a portion of its corporate staff.

More than 190,000 stores, including J.C. Penney and Neiman Marcus, have temporarily closed, accounting for nearly 50% of the U.S. retail square footage, according to Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail.

When announcing the temporary closures, most retailers said they would keep paying their workers. But that has now become increasingly untenable as the coronavirus rapidly spreads and forces people to stay cooped up in their homes.

The big question is how much of these furloughs will lead to permanent layoffs.

Macy’s said that there won’t be as many furloughs in its online operations, which continue to operate.

“Macy’s entered this crisis in a weak position and it is now one the retailers most affected by the decline in sales as consumer stay home,” Saunders said. “Given the scale of the collapse and the high cost base of Macy’s operations, furloughing staff has become inevitable as the shutdown of the consumer economy drags on.”

Macy’s said those who are enrolled in health benefits will continue to receive coverage with the company covering 100% of the premium.

“We expect to bring colleagues back on a staggered basis as business resumes,” the company said.

Macy’s temporarily closed all 500 its stores this month. To survive, it has suspended its dividend, drawn down its line of credit, frozen hiring and spending, and cancelled orders. Macy’s said is now evaluating all financing options.

The new music documentary, “Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert,” will open on YouTube for free at noon on Friday, April 10, the exact moment the 2020 festival was set to kick off until the novel coronavirus pandemic forced its postponement for six months.

Now what was originally intended as a March 31 appetizer for the 21st Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival will be the main dish, a meal that weaves together storylines from across the two decades the festival has thrived.

We spoke with director/producer Chris Perkel and executive producer Raymond Leon Roker, and we’ll be posting a story that explores the complicated, thrilling work they and the rest of the film team did to bring to life the varied narratives of Coachella, from its origins as a celebration of indie music to its gradual shifts into classic rock, electronic dance music, hip-hop and modern pop.

But for now mark the date on your calendar. You won’t be in line feeling the desert heat while waiting for staff to open the gates to Coachella — you’ll probably still be social-distancing at home on the coach — but it is still something to celebrate, to remember past Coachellas and look forward to the next come October.

A new Spider-Man comic from Marvel will offer the first glimpse of what riders can expect aboard the Web Slingers attraction coming to Avengers Campus once Disney California Adventure reopens after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first issue of the “W.E.B. of Spider-Man” comic series debuting in June will feature a storyline based on the new interactive dark ride set to open at the Anaheim theme park on July 18.

Disney California Adventure and Disneyland remain closed until further notice amid the coronavirus outbreak. Construction has halted at the two Disney parks, including the new Marvel themed land at DCA. It remains unclear how the coronavirus closure will impact the announced opening date for the Avengers Campus themed land.

Get your first glimpse at the new Spider-Man attraction coming to Avengers Campus with "W.E.B. of Spider-Man" #1!

: https://t.co/AzFVSgw5rv pic.twitter.com/z1IjgPEjY6

— Spider-Man (@SpiderMan) March 19, 2020

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The new Web Slingers dark ride coming to Avengers Campus will use gesture-recognition technology that will track the body and eye movements of riders as they sling virtual webs from their wrists.

Riders will enter the Spider-Man attraction through a W.E.B. Open House where new enhancements to Spider-Man’s suit are on display. The Worldwide Engineering Brigade — or W.E.B. — serves as the framing mechanism for the Spider-Man attraction’s backstory.

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The backstory of the new comic follows the exploits of budding scientist and teen troublemaker Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, inside the W.E.B. facility in Avengers Campus.

“Thanks to none other than Tony Stark, a new scientific research station for the teenage heroes of the Marvel Universe has just been completed — and Spider-Man just got an invitation to join,” according to Marvel. “Working alongside some of your favorite faces from the Marvel Universe and a whole bunch of awesome new gadgets, and with Iron Man keeping an eye on them, surely everything’s going to go great for the heroes, right?”

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The first comic book in the five-issue series will be written by Kevin Shinick with art by Roberto Di Salvo and a cover by Gurihiru.

Marvel previously produced comics tied to the launch of the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge themed land at Disneyland and the debut of the Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout indoor drop tower at Disney California Adventure.

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