Just two years after the NFL returned to Los Angeles following a 22-season hiatus, a city bursting at the seams with sports stars already boasts an enviable amount of starpower on the football field. The Rams spent the offseason building the league’s latest super team, while the Chargers continue to look like one of the most talented — albeit snakebitten — rosters in the NFL. Nowhere else in the league does this much talent reside within a city’s limits.

Both L.A. teams hope to ride that starpower all the way to the Super Bowl this season. But first, they’ll clash on Sunday at the Coliseum in the first meeting of Southern California-based NFL teams since 1994. The game will be a showcase of L.A. football talent unlike the city has seen in some time. That prospect got us thinking …

As Los Angeles readies to ascend to the apex of the NFL world again, who are the players most pivotal to the success of the Rams or Chargers over the next few seasons? Which young stars are crucial for the long haul? And which players maybe aren’t as vital to L.A.’s long-term football vision as you might think?

So with an eye on the future — and especially the stadium’s opening in 2020 — we ranked the top 10 most important NFL players in Los Angeles.

10. MARCUS PETERS, CB, RAMSThe Rams have a choice to make here, because Peters is set to play the fifth-year option of his contract in 2019 and soon will need a new deal, but really, it’s not much of a choice. Fellow cornerback Aqib Talib soon will be in the twilight of his career, and Peters is just entering his prime and can be a centerpiece of this defense for years. The main question about Peters, when the Rams acquired him in a trade, was about his volatile personality, but so far, so good, and Peters already has a pick-six touchdown.

9. KEENAN ALLEN, WR, CHARGERS

The NFL’s best route runner is an irreplaceable weapon in a high-flying offense Chargers’ offense. He’s not the flashiest wideout Los Angeles has to offer, but when healthy, there’s no question he’s the most reliable. After missing most of the 2015 and 2016 seasons, Allen surpassed the century mark in receptions in his debut campaign in L.A. Through two games this season, he’s already on pace to do it again. Throw in the fact he’s only 26 with a reasonable contract that pays him $11 million annually through 2020, and his presence becomes all the more important to the Chargers’ future plans on offense.

8. DERWIN JAMES, S, CHARGERS

He’s only played in two NFL games, but already, James looks like a star. To think that 16 other teams passed on him in last April’s draft only gets more absurd by the week. The rookie safety has two sacks in his first two weeks of regular season action, as defensive coordinator Gus Bradley has deployed him all over the Chargers defense. It doesn’t feel like an overreaction to suggest that James could be one of the NFL’s best safeties in short order. He could also be the first Chargers star with no ties to San Diego.

7. MELVIN INGRAM, EDGE, CHARGERS

The other half of the Chargers’ dominant pass-rushing duo might get more glory, but over the past three seasons, Ingram has racked up 29 sacks and established himself as one of the more consistent edge rushers in the league. With the ability to move all along the defensive line, Ingram’s pass-rushing presence is crucial to Bradley’s defense. There’s a reason the Chargers handed him a huge contract, one that will keep their terrorizing edge duo together at least through the first season in the new stadium.

6. BRANDIN COOKS, WR, RAMS

Sean McVay is an offensive wizard, but every play-caller needs the proper pieces, and thus far, Cooks has been a perfect fit. Well-regarded for his speed and deep-ball skills, Cooks also has showed that he can run solid intermediate routes and catch balls in some traffic. It’s easy to see him teaming with Cooper Kupp as the Rams’ 1-2 punch at receiver well into the next decade. Cooks, who could be on his way to a 1,000-yard season, is under contract through 2023 and might turn out to be a bargain.

5. JOEY BOSA, DE, CHARGERS

A foot injury has kept him sidelined early on this season, but that doesn’t change Bosa’s status as the centerpiece of the Chargers’ talented defense. No pass rusher in NFL history had more sacks through 20 career games, and with Ingram across from him for the foreseeable future, there’s no reason to think that pace won’t continue. At 23, Bosa is already a generational talent, with an ever-growing toolbox of devastating pass-rush moves. The Chargers shouldn’t hesitate to lock him to a long-term, record-breaking deal when he’s eligible. He’s arguably the most vital young building block on their roster.

4. AARON DONALD, DT, RAMS

Doesn’t life seem a bit empty without contract holdouts to worry about? Probably not. Donald’s mood seems lighter this year, which probably has something to do with that $135-million deal he signed. It’s been a quiet start to this season for Donald, at least in a statistical sense, but he always will be the focal point of this defense and the constant target of double teams. Donald is consistent and durable, as hard of a worker as they come, and he’s a high-character teammate. The complete package.

3. TODD GURLEY, RB, RAMS

Sure, it’s a bit scary to commit $60 million to a running back these days, but Gurley is worth it, particularly in this offense. McVay said recently that Gurley is the most complete back he’s ever been around. Last season wasn’t a fluke. Gurley might not get to 2,000 yards from scrimmage this season, just because the Arizona game showed how intent defenses will be to stop him, but even in that game, he scored three touchdowns. Only an injury will prevent Gurley from remaining among the NFL’s elite running backs for years to come.

While we continue to wonder when the Chargers will draft their heir apparent at quarterback, Rivers continues to rack up eye-popping numbers, year after year. In each of the past five seasons, Rivers has thrown for at least 4,285 yards and 29 touchdowns. He hasn’t missed a start since 2006). Only a few quarterbacks across the league come close to matching that consistency, and all of them are shoe-ins for the Hall of Fame. The only reason Rivers doesn’t top this list is the uncertainty surrounding his future. The Chargers could, in theory, cut the 36-year-old loose after 2018. But something tells us it may still be a few years until they consider saying goodbye to the best quarterback in franchise history.

1. JARED GOFF, QB, RAMS

The question has shifted. No longer is it, “Is Goff good enough to be a starting quarterback in the NFL?” Now it’s, “Is Goff elite?” Stop and think how far Goff has come since the 2016 disaster, then think about how much more he might be able to improve, given that he’s just about to turn 24. This is the time for the Rams to win, with Goff still in the final two years of his rookie contract. Goff’s connection with McVay is the most important one on the team, and even though Gurley and Donald are dominant, this is Goff’s team.

ALSO CONSIDERED: Melvin Gordon, RB, Chargers; Casey Hayward, CB, Chargers; Russell Okung, LT, Chargers; Lamarcus Joyner, S, Rams; Michael Brockers, DE, Rams.

Los Angeles Rams beat reporter Rich Hammond contributed to this story.

Between the fumbles and the flags and the offense that was moving at a snail’s pace, what Petros Papadakis watched when the FOX Sports analyst called UCLA’s game against Fresno State on Saturday was a far cry from what Chip Kelly was supposed to have brought to Westwood.

“That’s not a football team that has it together,” Papadakis said Tuesday.

At 0-3 entering an open date this week, the present version of UCLA football looks rough. But the difficult start hasn’t deterred analysts from thinking brighter days are ahead for UCLA in the coming years.

“Even though I work for Pac-12 Networks, if I was worried, I would say it,” analyst Yogi Roth said. “There’s not an ounce of me that’s concerned about the future of this program.”

When players met with reporters after Saturday night’s game, they stressed it was still early, both for the season and the program.

“It’s just a learning process,” safety Quentin Lake said.

Here’s what we’ve learned about the Bruins and what we have left to figure out after this week’s bye:

WHAT WE LEARNED

This is going go be harder than previously thought

Every year, hope springs eternal from training camps around the country. UCLA’s seemed especially hopeful with the optimism surrounding the potential with Kelly’s hire.

Then came the loss to Cincinnati. Now two weeks later after losing to Fresno State when the Bruins showed progress against Oklahoma, the team seems like its further behind than where it started.

There is young talent and highly ranked recruits left over, but the haphazard way the former coaching staff put together its final recruiting classes, plucking a few big-name recruits without a clear intention for a particular scheme, could have Kelly struggling early.

“Chip’s idea of talent is different than Jim Mora’s idea of talent,” Papadakis said. “So they might have talent, but maybe it’s not talent Chip can use.”

The defense has potential

While the Bruins are still in the bottom third of the conference in most major defensive statistical categories, they are surely better than last year’s debacle. The tackling problem steadily improved throughout the first three games, and even the worn-down Bruins limited Fresno State to 2.9 yards per carry, the lowest average for a UCLA defense since Nov. 12, 2016.

Lake has strong moments as the lone new addition to the starting secondary. The sophomore from Mater Dei has three pass breakups and two quarterback hurries, but he was called for a costly roughing-the-passer penalty against Fresno State.

Kelly isn’t afraid to roll with youth

The coach chose unproven Dorian Thompson-Robinson over redshirt sophomore Devon Modster as the backup quarterback and picked Christaphany Murray, who moved to center just a few months ago, over redshirt freshman Zach Sweeney. Fellow true freshmen Atonio Mafi and Otitio Obgonnia have each already earned starts on the defensive line.

Modster’s role is the most interesting. The fact that the redshirt sophomore didn’t play in a blowout loss to Oklahoma, save for one emergency snap when Thompson-Robinson’s helmet came off, doesn’t signal that the staff particularly wants to turn to the former Tesoro High star, despite his history in the program and his 15-practice head start in spring.

WHAT WE HAVE LEFT TO LEARN

How will Wilton Speight’s health affect the quarterback rotation?

In limited snaps before suffering a back injury, Speight showed “solid command” of the offense, Roth said. He threw one interception with four incompletions on 12 pass attempts and showed his scrambling ability on a 13-yard scamper. Tight end Caleb Wilson said he believed Speight had much more to show.

But Thompson-Robinson is still the future of Kelly’s program. Kelly could choose to just keep the freshman in the fire and accept any burns as things that will strengthen him for the future.

How long will the running back by committee last?

UCLA rotated four running backs into the game on the first four plays against Fresno State. By the end of the night, a quarterback led the team in rushing.

“I think they’re throwing way too much spaghetti at the wall,” Papadakis said of the rotating cast of running backs.

Kelly’s rhythm-based offense needs a running game to survive. If the Bruins continue at 3.5 yards per carry, the key player on offense will ultimately become punter Stefan Flintoft.

Is this all the offense has?

Kelly is known to be an offensive mastermind, but he’s no miracle worker while working with true freshmen at quarterback and center.

Each week, the offense seems to unveil a different wrinkle. There was an option pitch against Oklahoma and deep passes late and two-tight-end formations against Fresno State, but the results largely stay the same. UCLA is last in the Pac-12 in points and yards per game, passing yards per attempt and rushing yards per carry.

Kelly has faced criticism for his play-calling, the most explosive coming from Thompson-Robinson’s father, but the coach is keeping his focus internal as the Bruins enter conference play.

“We’ve got to call better plays and execute better,” Kelly said during a Pac-12 conference call on Tuesday. “We’re all in this together.”

Chip Kelly’s lack of a Twitter account hasn’t stopped the social media platform from suddenly entering the UCLA coach’s world this week.

After UCLA’s 38-17 loss to Fresno State last Saturday, Michael Robinson, the father of freshman quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, took to Twitter to criticize Kelly for “lousy coaching and play calling.”

When asked Tuesday if he had been informed of the messages, Kelly said he had, and that he had no response.

“I mean, everybody’s entitled to their opinion, that’s the great thing about sports,” the first-year head coach said on the Pac-12 coaches conference call. “When you win, people say good things. When you don’t win, people don’t say good things. That’s life, you know?

“We all have to play better here,” he continued. “On the offensive side of the ball, we didn’t do a very good job on Saturday. So we’ve got to call better plays and execute better. We’re all in this together.”

After three weeks, the Bruins (0-3) are last in the conference in scoring, yards per game, yards per pass attempt and yards per carry. Thompson-Robinson has started the past two games due to an injury to grad transfer Wilton Speight.

On Sunday, Robinson responded to tweets from Bruin Report Online and a UCLA podcast host questioning the construction of the offense.

Bruin Report Online tweeted about how Thompson-Robinson, who threw for 151 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions on 10 of 24 passing, didn’t have a strong performance, but that the scheme “doesn’t look like an offense with a well-conceived passing game.”

“It is all about the coaching, lousy coaching and play calling,” Robinson responded in part. “Coach that is so bad that it demands closed practices… Million dollar coach who bares no responsibility… Just random observations from a frustrated dad!”

He is speaking on and about the factual… It is all about the coaching, lousy coaching and play calling… Coaching that is so bad that it demands closed practices… Million dollar coach who bares no responsibility… Just random observations from a frustrated dad!

— Michael Robinson (@DoriansDAD) September 17, 2018

Robinson continued with a response to another tweet that showed a GIF of Kelly speaking to Thompson-Robinson after an interception against Fresno State.

“Look, coach Kelly, if you wish to call him this is 4 and 26 for his last offensively called football games,” Robinson wrote, referencing Kelly’s struggles in the final stages of his NFL tenure. “Dorian has played in only 3 of the last 30 games… Can you say duped!”

Kelly was fired by the Eagles prior to the end of the 2015 season with a 6-9 record and then went 2-14 in his one season with the San Franscisco 49ers. The head coach known for calling his own plays is 7-23 in his last 30 games.

Look, coach Kelly, if you wish to call him this is 4 and 26 for his last offensively called football games… Dorian has only played in 3 of the last 30 games… Can you say duped!

— Michael Robinson (@DoriansDAD) September 17, 2018

Kelly made the jump to the NFL after four historically successful years at Oregon in which he went 46-7 after being promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach in 2009. He led the Ducks to BCS bowls every year with four straight conference titles.

Robinson called it all “simply a fluke on his part,” while responding to a tweet questioning why Kelly won’t return to the coach’s Oregon “blur” offense.

“I am sure that he stood on the shoulders of the actual player callers,” he continued. “Random thoughts, outside looking in, closed practices….”

His years at Oregon was simply a fluke on his part… I am sure that he stood on the shoulders of the actual player callers… Random thoughts, outside looking in, closed practices…

— Michael Robinson (@DoriansDAD) September 17, 2018

When asked if Robinson’s comments may put Thompson-Robinson in an awkward position with teammates as the freshman quarterback is just getting used to his first season in college, Kelly said it’s “a question you should ask Dorian.”

“I don’t speak for other people,” Kelly continued. “I love Dorian. Dorian’s awesome to coach. If he makes a mistakes, it’s a one-time mistake, I’ve said that about 100 times about him so far. He’s an awesome kid to coach. I really enjoy coaching him.”

Thompson-Robinson, a former four-star recruit, has completed 54.7 percent of his passes in three games for 522 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Both interceptions came on tipped passes against Fresno State.

He said he was nervous during this college debut when he was called upon suddenly in the second quarter following Speight’s injury. But he rebounded the following week on the road against Oklahoma, where he showed poise in the face of an intense pass rush and threw his first career touchdown pass. He then struggled against Fresno State as the Bruins dropped to 0-3 for the first time since 1971.

Police in Garden Grove shot one suspect while responding to a report of a domestic dispute on Tuesday, Sept. 18.

The incident happened sometime before 3:30 p.m. at the parking lot of the Ralphs grocery store near the intersection of Euclid Street and Chapman Avenue, according to a Twitter post from the Garden Grove Police Department. It said that a man had been attacking a woman prior to the shooting.

Update**The initial call was a domestic violence with a male attacking a female. Officers arrived on scene and an OIS occurred. The investigation will be handled by the OCDA shooting team and GGPD Detectives. #OIS #avoidthearea #GGPD32

— Garden Grove Police (@GardenGrovePD) September 18, 2018

One person was shot and transferred to a local hospital, according to the department’s Twitter feed. Further detail regarding their condition or the circumstances of the shooting were not immediately available from authorities.

Investigators from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the Garden Grove Police department are looking into the incident.

The Orange County high school football standings through Tuesday, Sept. 18.

FOOTBALL

Anthony Grover’s sophomore year was sensational.

His junior year, so far, is looking much the same.

Grover was the Orange County male cross country athlete of the year last season as a JSerra sophomore. He was victorious at the Orange County Championships and won championships at the CIF-Southern Section and CIF State meets.

This past weekend Grover ran a personal-best 14:44 at the Iolani Cross Country Invitational on Oahu. That’s the fastest high school time in the nation.

JSerra senior Peter Herold was second in the same race on a difficult course that featured some thick grass.

“It was kind of a breakthrough race for Anthony,” said JSerra coach Martin Dugard. “It’s really a big win for him.”

Next up is the Clovis Invitational on Oct. 6. That race is in Fresno at Woodward Park. The CIF State meet is run on that course.

Dugard and Grover talked about the Clovis race on the return flight from Hawaii.

“Anthony knows the course well,” Dugard said. “We talked a lot about the strategy for Clovis. He’s pretty dialed in.”

Grover’s Clovis strategy likely will be his usual approach – grab the lead early and steadily pull away.

Dugard said Grover is remindful of the late legend Steve Prefontaine in body type and approach. Prefontaine was more muscular than other distance runners. “Pre” would aggressively take the lead, challenging other runners to keep up with him.

Grover will get challenged in the Clovis meet. His chief competition likely will be Rubidoux senior Kevin Ramos. At the Laguna Invitational two weeks ago, Ramos won the seniors Division III race in 14:48.7. Grover won the juniors Division II race in that meet in 15:15.6.

SANTA ANA – The budding friendship between Shakobe Harper and Sean Dollars can’t be constrained by walls or any perceived barriers for that matter.

The seniors proved that recently as they approached a meeting room at Mater Dei.

“Shake and bake,” they could be overheard saying to each other amid laughter.

The running backs soon chuckled more that about the catchphrase, which doubles as their nickname. A fan dubbed them “Shake and Bake” after a game earlier this season.

“That just kind of stuck with me,” Dollars said smiling at Harper.

Mater Dei’s backfield mates are sticking together on the field, too.

In their first season together, Harper and Dollars have combined for 530 yards and nine touchdowns rushing on only 44 carries (12.0 yards per carry).

Their speed, power, quickness and versatility are strengths for Mater Dei (3-1) as it enters a national showdown against IMG Academy of Florida (3-0) on Friday at Santa Ana Stadium. Kickoff is 7:37 p.m.

“They’ll be key for sure,” said Greg Biggins, a national recruiting analyst for 247Sports and longtime follower of Mater Dei, the reigning national champion.

“They’re really complementing each other well.”

The 5-foot-7, 185-pound Harper has flashed his power in rushing for a team-leading 314 yards and four touchdowns for the Monarchs, ranked third in the nation by MaxPreps.

His physical style also makes him a valuable pass and run blocker.

Dollars, a 5-foot-10, 196-pound all-purpose back committed to Oregon, is a speed burner who has certainly grabbed the attention of IMG Academy, ranked No. 1 in the nation by MaxPreps.

A scoring threat from virtually any spot on the field, Dollars has rushed for 216 yards and has also lined up at slot receiver. Last month in the heat of Nevada, he scored on a 55-yard run and a 76-yard reception from the slot against nationally-ranked Bishop Gorman.

Harper also caught a touchdown against Bishop Gorman after quarterback Bryce Young scrambled out of the pocket.

So between the two backs, Mater Dei has received a plethora of contributions.

“Harper is more of a power back and a great blocker,” Biggins said. “Sean is explosive in space and has really good hands out of the backfield.”

The two have also shown Mater Dei how fun it can be to put aside personal goals in favor of team objectives.

Harper and Dollars were paired after Dollars transferred to Mater Dei from Rancho Cucamonga during the offseason.

The two didn’t know each other well at first. They shared a few group messages on social media and their paths had really only crossed in 2016 during Mater Dei’s semifinal victory against Rancho Cucamonga.

Dollars grew up in Rancho Cucamonga while Harper played youth football with the Cerritos Steelers, also the former team for IMG Academy wide receiver Josh Delgado, the one-time St. John Bosco player.

Dollars’ arrival gave Mater Dei essentially two returning 1,000-yard rushers. But Harper, who shared carries last season with Chris Street (now at JSerra), quickly struck a friendship with Dollars.

They shared their Christian faith and love of pitting their favorite NFL teams and running backs against each other, even in the middle of conversations about other topics.

Dollars sides with the Rams and Todd Gurley while Harper sides with the Steelers and Le’Veon Bell.

“When he came (to Mater Dei), I saw the type of guy he was,” Harper said of Dollars. “Cool dude. Calm dude. Pretty funny, so I could really relate to him in the backfield. We’re with each other all day.”

Harper, one of Mater Dei’s captains, smiled as Dollars shared his initial expectations of joining forces with Harper. The “Shake and Bake” duo laughed again.

“I thought it was going to be completely the opposite,” Dollars said before the teammates nearly rolled off their seats. “I thought we were going to hate each other. But we clicked. … We’re close now. We’re like bothers.”

The backs put aside thoughts about personal rushing yards and carries, two things that often separate stars at the same position.

If there was a perception that they couldn’t coexist, Harper and Dollars juked that by focusing on helping the Monarchs.

They encourage each other at practice, analyze video together and share duties in games.

“We both want to win and we’re both competitive,” Dollars said. “When you come here, the big-time mentality is out. … (Coach Bruce) Rollinson really stresses that. It’s a team. It’s a brotherhood.”

Said Harper, “I want to get another (championship) ring.”

Harper and Dollars are so united, they not only block for Young, they block for each other in their split-back formation.

Dollars said a path-clearing block by Harper on one of his touchdown runs against Bishop Amat is one of the Monarchs’ most underrated plays.

“I don’t even know where he got that power,” Dollars said of Harper. “I told Shakobe, ‘I’m following you, bro. Lead me to the promise land.’ ”

On Friday, “Shake and Bake” hope their journey adds a victory against IMG Academy.  Their friendship has already won.

The Diocese of San Bernardino, in response to a Pennsylvania grand jury report alleging priests in that state molested more than 1,000 children spanning seven decades, said Wednesday it will release a list of all its priests accused of sexual abuse.

Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange is reviewing a list of disgraced priests it maintains online to determine if more names should be added. And parishioners at a church in North Hollywood demonstrated this week over how the Archdiocese of Los Angeles handled its own child sex abuse scandal.

Diocese of San Bernardino spokesman John Andrews said Wednesday that the list, detailing all priests accused of sexual abuse in the 40-year history of the diocese, should be posted on its website in the next two weeks.

“That’s what we’re shooting for. We’re finalizing the list as we speak,” Andrews said in a telephone interview.

20 priests named in 2002

In 2002, amid the Boston Globe’s expose on sexual abuse within the Boston Archdiocese, the Diocese of San Bernardino released to the San Bernardino Police Department a list of 20 priests who had been accused of sexual abuse dating back to 1957, before the diocese was formed when Inland Empire parishes and parishioners were represented by the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego.

The Diocese of San Bernardino, which includes 85 parishes and more than 235,000 parishioners in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, formed in 1978.

The latest disclosure was prompted by a Pennsylvania grand jury report released last month indicating more than 300 priests had molested at least 1,000 children over a 70-year period, and that there likely were thousands more victims.The 18-month investigation covered six of the state’s dioceses.

“There have been other reports about child sex abuse within the Catholic Church. But never on this scale,” the grand jury report said. “For many of us, those earlier stories happened someplace else, someplace away. Now we know the truth: it happened everywhere.”

New list includes names since 1978

What differentiates the latest disclosure by the San Bernardino diocese from its 2002 disclosure to police is that the latest list only accounts for accused priests within the diocese since its formation 40 years ago, Andrews said.

“This is a different time period. A lot of those names (in 2002) were centered on allegations that happened even before we were a diocese. There won’t be any allegations on this list that were prior to 1978,” Andrews said.

Among San Bernardino’s most notorious cases of sexual abuse by a priest is that of the Rev. Edward Ball, a former priest at Our Lady of Fatima Church and Our Lady of the Assumption Church, both in San Bernardino, who in 2000 pleaded no contest to molesting three altar boys in the 1970s.

Another priest, Gustavo Benson, formerly of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Barstow, was accused of molesting two teenage boys at his home and giving two other boys beer and wine coolers at a cabin he owned. He pleaded guilty in 1987 to molesting a 13-year-old boy at his home and was sentenced to probation.

After undergoing treatment in Jemez Springs, New Mexico, Benson was transferred to St. San Judas Tadeo Church in Ensenada, Mexico, where he worked as a pastor. In 2002, the Rev. Howard Lincoln, then spokesman for the Diocese of San Bernardino, said the diocese informed the Tijuana Diocese of Benson’s criminal background when he was transferred, and never “knowingly shuffled a priest to another diocese or overseas without telling another diocese of a priest’s criminal background.”

In 1994, Benson inquired about the possibility of returning to San Bernardino, but his request was denied.

“It is impossible for you to serve as a priest in the Diocese of San Bernardino, today,”  a San Bernardino bishop informed Benson in a June 1, 1994, letter. “At the present time, I cannot grant you faculties nor approve of your preaching for mission appeals, here in this diocese.”

Sweeping reforms imposed

After the Boston Globe broke its story in 2002, the Diocese of San Bernardino implemented sweeping reforms, including a policy mandating that any report of sexual abuse or misconduct by a priest be reported to police within 24 hours.

“If we get a definitive statement from a (potential) victim, we’re going to call the police to determine the veracity of the allegation,” Andrews said.

The diocese also formed its Office of Child and Youth Protection, overseen by Sister Cathy White. The office oversees enforcement of its policies, fields complaints and investigates allegations of sexual abuse. It also provides training to its ministry, at all diocesan parishes and schools, on recognizing the signs of sexual abuse and grooming behaviors by priests, Andrews said.

Andrews said the list of priests that will soon be posted on the diocese’s website will indicate which accused priests were charged and/or convicted of crimes.

In 2002, it was learned that the Rev. Paul Shanley, an accused priest from the Boston Archdiocese, had been transferred in 1990 to St. Anne Catholic Church in San Bernardino, where he worked as a supply priest until 1993. The church has since merged with two other parishes and now goes by the name Our Lady of Hope.

At the time of Shanley’s transfer, the Boston Archdiocese did not inform the Diocese of San Bernardino about Shanley’s history of alleged sexual abuse, and maintained he was a “priest in good standing.” However, no allegations of sexual abuse surfaced against Shanley while he was in San Bernardino, according to the diocese.

Orange County maintains online list

The Diocese of Orange serving, about 1.6 million Catholics in 62 Orange County parishes, first released a list in 2004 of priests removed from the ministry amid credible allegations of sexual abuse, diocese spokesman Hank Evers said Wednesday.

The list was updated in 2016 and currently includes 14 names. An independent oversight review board is attempting to determine if more names need to be added, Evers said.

“The diocese takes accusations of misconduct and abuse extremely seriously,” he added. “We are proactive and are trying to be transparent.”

As part of 2007 settlement of $660 million to more than 500 victims, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has released about 12,000 pages documents detailing allegations of molestation against children, some going back decades.

Despite the transparency, some parishioners are dissatisfied with how the archdiocese has handled discipline for priests suspected of sexual abuse.

Protest against Cardinal Mahony

On Sunday, about 20 protesters demonstrated outside St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in North Hollywood, the home parish of Cardinal Roger Mahony, demanding the retired prelate face harsher sanctions for his role in a child sex abuse scandal that engulfed the archdiocese during his leadership.

Many protesters said Mahony should resign as cardinal and be prevented from celebrating Mass at St. Charles Borromeo.

Mahony, 82, served as archbishop of Los Angeles, overseeing the nation’s largest Catholic archdiocese, from 1985 to 2011.

In 2013, Mahony apologized to victims after church documents were released that demonstrated how he and other archdiocese officials covered up sexual abuse and shielded some priests from prosecution.

José Gomez, Mahony’s successor as archbishop of Los Angeles, rebuked the cardinal in 2013, but later clarified that Mahony remains “in good standing in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, with full rights to celebrate the Holy Sacraments of the Church and to minister to the faithful without restriction.”

Steve Serra, 66, who traveled from Mission Viejo to participate in Sunday’s demonstration, said Mahony should face severe discipline. “You don’t deter wrongful conduct by a little slap on the wrist. … This is no way to run a church to keep him as a prominent figure,” he said.

Officials with the archdiocese could not be reached for comment Wednesday regarding the protest.

Freelance writer Matthew Carey contributed to this report.

A Long Beach man who owns an Orange County construction company has been sentenced to eight years in prison for a scam in which he cheated workers out of wages and maintained fake payroll records, according to officials.

Cameron “Sid” Evans, 44, owner of Champion Construction, a Newport Beach drywall company, was sentenced to state prison last week, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office has confirmed. In August, Evans pleaded guilty in Orange County Superior Court to dozens of felony charges, including 19 counts of embezzlement and 19 counts of forgery. He also pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor charges, two each of embezzlement and forgery.

Evans’ attorney did not return a call requesting comment.

In March, Evans was arrested after an investigation found he had embezzled more than $1 million from subcontracting companies Champion Construction had hired for various projects on the Cambria Hotel in El Segundo, near Los Angeles International Airport, according to the initial indictment.

The investigation, conducted by Irvine police, revealed that the main contractor, Deacon Construction, based in Irvine, paid Champion Construction in return for work the Newport company and its subcontractors would handle, according to court documents from the sentencing. Instead, Champion kept the money without distributing any to the subcontractors.

Those documents also show that Deacon issued 14 two-party checks to Champion Construction and a subcontracting company between January and May 2016, but that the signature of the second party was forged and the checks deposited into an unknown account with JP Morgan Chase Bank.

The account where the checks were deposited was closed in August 2016, two months before Deacon reported the theft to the authorities, said police investigator Nina Berbiglia.

This past July, the California Labor Commissioner, Julie Su, also found Champion Construction guilty of failing to pay prevailing wages and fringe benefits to more than 100 workers. Evans’ company maintained false payroll records over a six-month period to cover up the wage theft, Su said.

The Labor Commissioner’s Office launched the investigation after receiving a report of public works violations in March 2016, during the same time that Evans, according to the sentencing agreement, had been defrauding Deacon.

In 2004, Californians approved Proposition 63, a 1 percent tax on incomes of $1 million and above to fund mental health services. The Mental Health Services Act, as it is known, has yet to fulfill its potential, despite raising $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion annually.

The MHSA has been criticized by the Little Hoover Commission, an independent oversight body, and the state auditor over ineffectiveness, weak transparency and fiscal accountability. Ensuring the MHSA is used to its full potential should be a priority.

Which brings us to Proposition 2. Backed by Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, who authored the MHSA, Prop. 2 would authorize the state to sell up to $2 billion in bonds to help finance the construction of supportive housing units for people with mental health problems who either are homeless or are at risk of homelessness.

These bonds would then be paid off using MHSA funds. The legislative analyst estimates repayment costs of about $120 million annually for 30 years.

As Steinberg and other proponents of the measure argue, this can be seen as consistent with the overall aims of the MHSA. A large segment of the homeless population struggles with mental health problems and could benefit from the housing finances by Prop. 2.

However, while we support the idea of greater investments in permanent supportive housing units, we are fundamentally concerned about the costs of this proposal, and not just dollar-wise.

We encourage voters to reject Prop. 2, not because we oppose the goals of the measure, but because we support them.

Wasting over $1 billion that should go to mental health services on bond interest is unacceptable. In a high-tax state like California, it shouldn’t be hard for the state and local governments to come up with $2 billion in direct funding over 30 years for supportive housing so long as mental health and homeless services are properly prioritized.

Previews and predictions for Thursday’s high school football games:

NO. 13 SAN CLEMENTE (1-4) VS. NO. 13 EDISON (2-2)

Where, when: Huntington Beach High, 7 p.m.

Analysis: San Clemente is better than its record. The Tritons lost by two points to the top-ranked team in San Diego County, Torrey Pines, and by three points to the area’s No. 2 team, La Costa Canyon of Carlsbad. They lost at Murrieta Valley, a CIF Southern Section Division 1 team, and last week lost by one point to Corona del Mar, the No. 8 team in the Orange County top 25. Edison will be without starting quarterback Patrick Angelovic who has a broken collarbone. San Clemente might be the favorite even if Angelovic could play. One always should be cognizant of Edison pride, but San Clemente should be set for a much-needed win after four consecutive losses.

Winner: San Clemente

ANAHEIM (2-2) VS. SANTIAGO (2-2)

Where, when: Garden Grove High, 7 p.m.

Analysis: This is the final nonleague game for these two teams that look like playoff contenders. Anaheim of the Orange League has wins over La Quinta and Loara and losses to Rancho Alamitos and Western. The 41-27 win last week over Loara is the most impressive so far for the Colonists as Loara might be the Garden Grove League favorite. Anaheim’s Guillermo Meza rushed for 204 yards and three touchdowns against Loara. Santiago of the Garden Grove League beat Costa Mesa and Century before losses to Estancia and, in overtime, to Magnolia. If Loara is a Garden Grove League favorite, and Anaheim beat Loara by 14 points …

Winner: Anaheim

Also Thursday

Whittier (4-1) at Westminster (0-5). 7 p.m.

Northwood (3-1) vs. Cerritos (3-2) at Gahr High, 7 p.m.

Murrieta Valley (1-3) at Buena Park (2-2), 7 p.m.

Fairmont Prep (1-3) at Bolsa Grande (1-3), 7 p.m.

FRIDAY’S GAMES

Games 7 p.m. unless noted

IMG Academy (Fla.) vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium, 7:30 p.m.

Mission Viejo vs. Orange Lutheran at Orange Coast College

Villa Park at El Toro

Los Alamitos at Tesoro

El Dorado at Artesia

Trabuco Hills vs. Sunny Hills at Buena Park High

Cypress at Capistrano Valley

Orange at Irvine

San Juan Hills at Great Oak

Yorba Linda at La Mirada

Aliso Niguel vs. Sonora at La Habra High

Ocean View at Dana Hills

El Modena vs. Marina at Westminster High

University at Segerstrom

Foothill vs. Canyon at El Modena High

Esperanza vs. Beckman at Tustin High

Laguna Beach at Estancia

Los Amigos at Garden Grove

La Quinta at Century

Laguna Hills at Bellflower

Newport Harbor at San Marino

Brea Olinda at Ayala

Troy at Don Lugo

Loara at Bassett

Bishop Diego at St. Margaret’s

Santa Monica vs. Godinez at Santa Ana Valley High

Adelanto vs. Whittier Christian at Whittier College

Calvary Chapel at Bishop Montgomery

Capistrano Valley Christian at Keppel

Saddleback Valley Christian at Duarte

As Anaheim Fire Chief Randy Bruegman’s retirement approaches, he discusses the future of firefighting and allows that if departments fail to change it could mean fewer men and women prepared to battle infernos.

Along with more mega wildfires and tornadoes of flame never seen before in modern history, the chief points out that 85 percent of calls are for emergency medical service.

“If we don’t adapt,” he warns, “we’ll be challenged to be relevant and worthwhile.”

While we talk, I glance at a collection of fire helmets that attest to the chief’s positions over his 43-year career. I also steal a look at a series of photographs of sooty firefighters that silently speak to heroism, sacrifice and honor.

But it’s a photo of a man dressed in red and gold robes that best captures both the chief’s approach to running a fire department as well as the chief himself.

That would be the Dalai Lama.

Now, if you know the chief, then you know he would immediately dismiss any suggestions of likening himself or his quest to improve firefighting to the Dalai Lama.

But when a man with a quiet and humble nature dedicates his entire adult life to serving people and saving lives, the analogy isn’t too far-fetched.

Like the Dalai Lama, Bruegman also is deceptively mild-mannered and exceptionally serious without taking himself too seriously.

If you’re skeptical, just ask Yoda — the wise-talking doll that gazes across the room from a corner of the chief’s immaculate desk.

Yes, there are layers to the person responsible for heading up a department with urban-wildland interface, steep hills, vast flatlands, the Honda Center, Angel Stadium and Disneyland Resort.

To be sure, you need a little zen to juggle fire, rescue and emergency medical services for an estimated 350,000 residents, 15,000 businesses and 24 million annual visitors.

You also need release. For Bruegman, it’s drumming. You heard right, drumming.

Humble beginnings

It explains a lot about Bruegman’s modest nature when you discover that he grew up in a small town called Cozad, smack dab in the middle of Nebraska. It says more when you learn that after his father died, he and his mother made ends meet by living above a garage.

In those days — the chief is now 62 — firefighting wasn’t on Bruegman’s mind. Life was all about making a living in construction and playing drums.

For a time, Bruegman was in a working band that toured Nebraska and surrounding states. His taste then and now focuses on rock music with horns — think Chicago, Doobie Brothers and some country, such as Jason Aldean.

Bruegman’s even met Chicago’s original drummer, Danny Seraphine. With three drum sets, the chief continues to play.

But by the time Bruegman was in his early 20s, construction and dreams of becoming a professional drummer gave way to a growing passion for volunteer firefighting.

“I really felt like I was good at it,” the chief quietly allows, “and it gave me satisfaction helping people.”

After three years as a volunteer, Bruegman set out for a larger world and decided to apply for a job in Fort Collins, Colo. When he walked into the hall for a series of tests, he faced eight openings … and more than 1,500 applicants.

“I’m not the smartest guy in the world,” the chief says, “but I figured I might as well give it a shot.”

You could say things worked out.

Only a few months after graduating the academy, his bosses pulled Bruegman aside and said he was chief material. “You connect the dots a lot differently than most do. You have the ability to look past the present.”

Then and there, Bruegman matter-of-factly recalls, “I knew I was going to be a fire chief.”

We fall into a discussion about leadership. Along with earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees, he keeps current with management trends as well as the latest technologies. He also is a devotee to getting into the field and reviewing things up close and personal.

Every month, for example, Bruegman walks the Disneyland Star Wars site still under construction. He reports, “It’s really fun to watch.”

But the chief’s not just looking for cool stuff. He is there to review what increased crowds could mean to traffic patterns, evaluates how best to redeploy emergency personnel.

“Always ask what should be done five years from now,” Bruegman shares of leadership practices. “You have to know how to get from ‘A’ to ‘M’ and not lose anything in between.”

With emergency services across the nation staffed below what they were a decade ago, Bruegman’s point is critical.

Consider that Anaheim has 208 sworn firefighters, 67 civilian personnel and handles 39,000 emergency calls a year.

That’s 21 fewer firefighters than in 2008.

Constant innovation necessary

Firefighting in America faces a crux, several cruxes actually. Pension deficits plague many cities. Budgets are tight. Demand for services is increasing.

The way the chief sees it, the profession can either go the way of England, where firefighting and emergency services have become separate fields — or it can embrace emergency services.

Already, the chief has added a mobile nurse practitioner and sees more of the same in the future. He also predicts that as smartwatch and other technologies advance, it will become more common to treat and release patients in the field.

“It’s cost effective,” he says, “and it’s better customer service.”

I ask about the need for big fire engines to pair with ambulances. The chief smiles. There are other fires to put out.

As temperatures continue to rise in California, the chief agrees with his peers in expecting more mega fires. He also offers different solutions to cooling things off.

To reduce the amount of grasses — what firefighters call “fuel” — Bruegman brought in a few hundred goats to graze down fire danger. Currently, his four-legged hotshots are chomping away in Oak Canyon.

Next, he suggests adding sprinkler systems along historical fire corridors such as the 241 Toll Road, where a blaze a year ago destroyed 25 homes and more than 9,000 acres of wilderness.

“You take the concept of irrigation and engineer it down,” the chief explains. “Then you put it in high-risk areas.”

Bruegman acknowledges turning on sprinklers when a fire approaches may not stop a wildfire, but it will slow it.

“It’s a matter of buying yourself 10 to 15 minutes,” the chief explains. “In Canyon 2 fire, we didn’t have enough time or resources to catch up with it.”

On a larger scale, the chief points out that urban-wildland interface will continue to grow because of development, that there are 60 million dead trees in California and that the West is now experiencing “fire tornadoes” a football field wide.

Come Dec. 18, however, Bruegman maintains that he and his wife of 36 years will drive to Madison, Wis., to move near their children and grandchildren.

Yet Bruegman’s not completely walking away from his profession. The chief plans to continue connecting with fire departments and offering his expertise.

Still, there are things about firefighting he will miss.

“Sometimes, you save a life,” Bruegman says, “and sometimes you see a four-year-old and have time to talk.”

Words from a man with service in his blood.

Police in Buena Park were searching for a man considered to be armed and dangerous near the intersection of Beach and Artesia boulevards on the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 19.

Officers encountered a suspect in a car who they believe had a gun sometime before 3 p.m., according to Buena Park Police Sgt. Mike Lovchik.

He said the man attempted to drive away, but quickly abandoned his vehicle and ran into a residential area.

Police blocked off an area bordered by Artesia Boulevard and Commonwealth Avenue to the north and south; and Stanton Avenue and Beach Boulevard from east to west, according to social media posts from the department.

Police were asking people to stay away from the area and to dial 911 if they see the suspect.

He was described as a man in his 20’s, roughly 6 feet tall, and wearing dark clothing, according to Lovchik.

We are still searching for the suspect. pic.twitter.com/vpmNuxBmT8

— Buena Park Police (@BuenaParkPD) September 19, 2018

This story is developing and will be updated.

Once again stars – the celebrity kind, not the celestial – lined the cliffs above Laguna Beach on July 21 for Oceana’s 11th Annual SeaChange Summer Party, held at the Villa di Sogni estate of Bruce and Karen Cahill.

Master of ceremonies Ted Danson, along with Christina Ochoa, Oscar Nunez and other Hollywood familiars, mingled with the 400-some guests to support the world’s largest ocean conservation organization.

Broadway chanteuse and “American Idol” notable Katharine McPhee – fresh from her engagement in Italy to David Foster – performed an intimate concert of love songs for the audience, but not before the SeaChange co-chairs Valarie Van Cleave (in a sea-themed Roberto Cavalli gown) and Elizabeth Wahler spoke of the organization’s global efforts to save coral reefs and protect shark populations. Oceana CEO Andrew Sharpless, during his introduction to a powerful video about conservation, also spoke of the myriad threats facing the oceans and urged everyone’s support.

And the call was answered: The evening, for which Coast was the media sponsor, grossed $1.3 million, in part thanks to a lively auction that included a seven-day trip trip to French Polynesia aboard the world’s largest Catamaran, supplied by Burgess Yachts.

A day after prosecutors announced that a well-known Newport Beach surgeon and his girlfriend were charged with drugging and raping two women, more than a half-dozen other potential victims have contacted investigators, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office confirmed Wednesday.

The DA’s office has received more than 30 calls, including at least six “strong leads” regarding potential sexual assault victims tied to the investigation of Grant William Robicheaux and Cerissa Laura Riley, said Susan Kang Schroeder, the DA’s chief of staff.

Investigators still are combing through thousands of images and videos of apparently intoxicated women believed to have been filmed by Robicheaux and Riley, Schroeder said. The videos – along with the pair’s travels to a variety of high-profile festivals across the country – led prosecutors on Tuesday to hold a news conference asking anyone with information, or who believes they may have been a victim, to come forward.

Robicheaux, 38, of Newport Beach and Riley, 31, of Brea each face more than a half-dozen felonies, including rape by use of drugs, assault with intent to commit a sexual offense and possession of a controlled substance for sale.

Attorneys for Robicheaux – a orthopedic surgeon who has appeared on the Bravo television show “Online Dating Rituals of the American Male” – and Riley – who was once an aspiring educator – have flatly denied that any non-consensual sex occurred.

District Attorney Tony Rackauckas on Tuesday said women may have felt a “false sense of security” around the couple since they are “clean cut and good looking.”

The pair are accused of sexually assaulting one woman in April 2016 and a second in October 2016, both times meeting them in a Newport Beach restaurant or bar before bringing them back to Robicheaux’s apartment. The first woman contacted police the day after the sexual encounter, while prosecutors allege the second woke up while being sexually assaulted and screamed for help, leading a neighbor to call police.

Detectives in 2016 didn’t initially have enough evidence to make an arrest, but continued to look into the incidents. They got a search warrant for Robicheaux’s residence in January, where prosecutors say investigators discovered large quantities of drugs such as ecstasy and cocaine.

DA officials have urged people to come forward, even if they agreed to party with the couple or take “intoxicating substances” with them. Such actions “do not give them a pass to have sex with you when you are past the point of consent,” Rackauckas said during Tuesday’s news conference.

“You shouldn’t be ashamed to come forward,” Schroeder said.

More work is needed to determine whether additional charges will be filed against Robicheaux and Riley in connection to the women who have come forward, Schroeder said, including corroborating their stories and looking through the digital information the DA investigators have amassed. Of the women who have already contacted the DA’s office, two live out of state, and one out of the country, Schroeder added.

Robicheaux and Riley, who are free on bond, are scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 25. If convicted of the current charges, Robicheaux faces up to 40 years in state prison, while Riley faces up to 30 years and eight months.

THOUSAND OAKS – Austin Blythe solidified his status and a super sub, and it seems he can be more.

The Rams have a delightful problem. Jamon Brown, an effective starter at right guard last season, has returned from a two-game suspension, but Blythe did a stellar job as his replacement. So now what?

No need to overthink this one. The Rams are 2-0, with 30-plus points in both games, and the offensive line looks effective and cohesive. Brown might regain his job as some point, but for now, there’s no reason for the Rams to take Blythe, a former waiver-wire pickup, out of the starting lineup.

Everyone seems to be in agreement, including Brown.

“I’m going to do whatever is asked of me,” Brown said after Wednesday’s practice at Cal Lutheran. “Blythe, he played well the first two weeks and I think he earned and deserved every right to continue to keep that up. I’ll do what I can, as far as still preparing and still practicing and approaching every day the same.”

Rams coach Sean McVay has stopped short of declaring that Blythe will keep the job, or for how long, but McVay’s thinly veiled comments this week indicated that Blythe will start Sunday against the Chargers.

Blythe, 26, whom the Rams plucked after Indianapolis discarded him in May 2017, has started only four NFL games, but he was superb in the last two – this year’s season opener at Oakland and last week’s dominant victory over Arizona – when he played every snap and certainly didn’t look out of place.

The Rams activated Brown from the exempt list Wednesday and he practiced for the first time in three weeks. Presumably, Brown will be available against the Chargers, but probably as a backup.

The NFL suspended Brown for the first two games of the season for a violation of its substance-abuse policy. Brown served a four-day house-arrest sentence in 2017 after he pleaded guilty to aggravated DUI. Brown said police found marijuana in his car, but Brown was not charged for any drug possession.

During his absence, a top analytics website, Pro Football Focus, graded Blythe as the NFL’s fourth-best guard (left or right) though the first two weeks of the season. The site graded Blythe higher as a pass blocker than a run blocker, with two quarterback pressures allowed on 135 snaps.

Blythe also opened eyes in the run game. On a fourth-and-goal play from the Arizona 1-yard line last Sunday, Blythe mauled a defensive lineman and Todd Gurley scored without being touched.

“It feels good,” Blythe said. “Really, I think it just means I’ve done my job and done it well enough that the coaches have recognized it and they’re going to continue to let me try to prove myself. I’ve got to keep doing it every week.”

The Rams also must make decisions with the future in mind. Brown is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season and will be due a raise at the end of his rookie contract. More notably, left guard Rodger Saffold also is set to be a free agent, and he has a salary-cap hit of almost $8 million this season.

INJURIES, TRANSACTIONS

The Rams’ did-not-practice list Wednesday included linebacker Mark Barron (Achilles), defensive lineman Michael Brockers (shoulder), center John Sullivan (ankle) and left tackle Andrew Whitworth (rest). McVay said Barron is unlikely to play against the Chargers. Barron still is attempting to recover from offseason surgery and has yet to practice since the end of the preseason.

In addition to Brown’s activation, the Rams promoted receiver KhaDarel Hodge from their practice squad, and signed quarterback Brandon Allen and defensive lineman Marcus Martin to the practice squad.

On Tuesday, the Rams waived Allen and safety Isaiah Johnson, and signed offensive tackle Darrell Williams to their practice squad. Williams is different from the offensive lineman with the same name who played for the Rams from 2015 until last month, when he was waived.

A 1980 trading card featuring Lakers great Magic Johnson and Boston Celtics rival Larry Bird fetched a record-breaking $125,000 in an auction coordinated by PWCC Marketplace on eBay Wednesday night, PWCC Marketplace reported in a press release Thursday.

PWCC, which describes itself as the “largest seller of investment-caliber trading cards”, said it entertained 91 bids for the Topps Basketball Larry Bird-Magic Johnson rookie card. The winning bid was more than 30 percent higher than the previous record price of $96,000 paid in 2016. The card had a PSA 10 Gem Mint condition rating, meaning it’s virtually flawless – with “four perfectly sharp corners, sharp focus and original gloss.”

The sale makes the card one of the most valuable basketball trading cards in the world, PWCC said, behind a 1969 Topps Lew Alcindor ($501,900 in 2016), a 1948 George Mikan rookie card ($403,664 in 2015) and a 2003 autographed LeBron “Logoman” rookie card ($312,000 in 2016).

Johnson and Bird, teammates on the 1992 U.S. Olympic “Dream Team,” were widely credited with revitalizing NBA basketball in the ’80s, and setting the stage that enabled Michael Jordan to take it to a more global audience. Johnson, now the Lakers’ president of basketball operations, won five NBA championships (1980, ’82, ‘85, ’87 and ‘88) and made nine appearances in the NBA Finals in a 13-year playing career. Bird won three NBA titles with the Celtics and was a 12-time All-Star.

Walk into Vi Barrett’s living room and you walk into an era when FBI guys were called “G-men,” women were “dolls” and a “dame with good gams” might be favored over other “skirts.”

At least that’s the stereotype.

Fortunately, Barrett was around in the 1940s to set people straight and continues to explode stereotypes today.

But these days, it’s more about blowing up perceptions over age – she’s 89 – than busting gender barriers.

On a desk in a corner of her living room in Fullerton, there is a contraption the size of a fist made of chrome and two tiny Lucite paddles. Barrett reaches out and with her thumb and forefinger and bats the little paddles back and forth.

Instantly, the unmistakable dit-dit-dit-dah-dah-dah of Morse code fills the room.

Next to the ultra-modern chrome gizmo, Barrett picks up a little brass, steel and wood machine called a “straight key” that her father gave her more than 70 years ago.

Barrett, you see, is a long-time expert in Morse code, can still tap 15 words a minute. And when you discover her background, it all makes sense.

As a teenager in Los Angeles, Barrett fell in love with ham radio and became one of the few women to enter what was then considered a man’s world of electronics.

After much conversation, I discover Barrett also was a G-man of sorts.

Electric avenue

When her uncle first showed off his ham radio, Barrett was a 14-year-old Girl Scout and music major growing up in South Central. Back then, she didn’t give a whit about the dials, knobs and meters that attracted some guys to ham radio.

What Barrett saw was a way to communicate with the world.

“I thought it was so exciting to be able to talk to someone in a different city or a different state,” Barrett recalls, her eyes dancing at the memory. “Right away, I started saving my babysitting money. I wanted to buy a receiver so bad.”

Barrett heard about amateur radio’s annual event where hams gather, set up antennas and invite the public. In 1946, Dad agreed to take her to Baldwin Hills where ham operators carried their rigs.

“Are you a ham?” one gentleman asked.

“No,” Barrett confessed.

“Would you like to be?”

“Oh, would I!”

At that moment, Barrett found her first mentor. Then she found another. And another.

The teenager studied theory, how to operate a receiver, how to use a transmitter. She mastered Morse code.

In 1947, she sat next to the ham radio operator who patched Thor Heyerdahl’s location aboard the Kon-Tiki to Washington, D.C.

The following year, at age 17, she made her way to the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles and took her ham test. She was the only female in the room.

A few hours later, she also was the only female to walk out with a ham radio license, call letters “W6CBA.”

A few days later, Dad climbed onto the roof and set up an antenna. Barrett’s first call went to Colorado Springs.

As far as Barrett was concerned, it felt like reaching Antarctica.

Inside the FBI

Wrapping up her senior year in high school, Barrett took a ham radio class. Soon, the instructor asked Barrett to teach Morse code she was so good.

After high school, Barrett heard the FBI was hiring and convinced her mother to take her back to the Federal Building.

She was hired for the clerical pool and sat before a big Underwood typewriter. But that was only the beginning of what became a meteoric rise with the FBI.

Word got out that the young typist was a speedster with Morse code, that she had a ham radio license and was fast and efficient with radio voice communication. Soon, she was called to the office of the big boss, the agent in charge.

Unsure what the meeting was about, Barrett stood her full 5-foot-1 height and waited for the chief to talk.

“Would you,” he asked, “like to try the radio?”

Barrett knew the offer meant she would become one of the first female FBI dispatchers in history. She remembers, “Those were wonderful words for me.

“A bank robbery is a lot different than chatting with somebody. It was a wonderful, exciting job.”

Her favorite case was the Max Factor extortion scam in which the suspect demanded money in exchange for not blowing up a store. The blackmail money was left in an orchard by an agent who resembled the tycoon.

When the suspect grabbed the dough, agents jumped down from trees and nabbed the man.

Barrett recalls the perp walk in the hallway and laughs, “He was a pipsqueak.”

Global connections

After getting married in 1954, Barrett left the FBI, but not her beloved ham radio. Like his father-in-law before him, soon her husband was on the roof erecting an antenna.

“Don knew that if he married me, I was going to have my ham radio station,” Barrett chuckles. “He knew he was getting a double package: wife and radio operator.”

While her husband ran his and his dad’s service station in Los Nietos, Barrett worked as switchboard receptionist for the East Whittier School District and raised the couple’s two sons and daughter (today, there are four grandchildren, all boys).

For two decades, the couple also volunteered with the Whittier Police Department while Barrett continued to volunteer as a ham. In Whittier, she allows, “I did everything but carry a gun.”

During the 1984 Olympics, she used her ham radio to help agencies connect. During the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, she ensured hospitals coordinated.

“They call us a backup communication system,” she allows, “but we often end up being the primary with our radios.”

She’s helped thousands of patients aboard hospital ships connect with relatives. She’s helped soldiers talk to their parents.

She’s also shared grief.

Barrett recounts the time one young man aboard a hospital ship in the South China Sea talked to his parents. “They were so thrilled to hear from their boy in Vietnam.”

Later, Barrett called back the parents and asked if they’d like another patch to their son.

The father quietly answered, “Our son was killed in action.”

Still, for Barrett service never stops.

In her living room, she has her transmitter, receiver, microphone and that chrome Morse code key ready. But it’s what’s hidden above that impresses.

It’s no coincidence that Barrett is on the top floor of her building, just as it’s no coincidence that there’s a 62-foot wire antenna strung in the attic.

Today, perhaps Barrett will connect to places she’s already electronically visited, countries such as Greenland, Tanzania, Laos. Or maybe she’ll check out Antarctica.

Mind you, talking to Antarctica is no longer just a dream. With 194 countries documented, Barrett already has chatted with hams on the world’s coldest continent.

Accordingly, I’ll leave you with this: Dit-dit-dit-dah-dit-dah.

Morse code for “end of contact.”

Placentia-Linda Hospital is celebrating its 46th birthday this month with a new $10 million operating room that will expand the types of procedures performed at the 114-bed facility founded by 19 local physicians in 1972.

Now, cardiovascular, vascular and interventional radiology procedures are added to the list of operations done at the hospital, utilizing the new operating room, which officially opens today, Sept. 20, with an open-to-the-public event with light food and refreshments at 3:30 to 4:45 p.m.

“Placentia-Linda Hospital’s multi-million dollar investment shows our commitment to growing within the Orange County community and serving the people in our neighborhood,” noted a statement from Christina Oh, the hospital’s chief executive officer since October 2016.

“With the opening of this new service, patients will be able to stay in the hospital for critical procedures and access state-of-the-art outpatient procedures close to home,”Oh said.

She added, “Close proximity means a better experience for patients and a reduced cost burden for the healthcare community at-large. By offering these new…procedures, we are striving to live our mission of quality healthcare with a personal touch.”

Last year, the hospital paid nearly $800,000 in property and sales taxes, funded $40 million in wages and benefits and provided more than $700,000 in charity care, according to a hospital-compiled report. The facility has 541 employees, 300 affiliated doctors and 70 volunteers.

Other new and expanding enterprises:

– Anytime Fitness will operate 24 hours daily in a 5,400-square-foot space at the Yorba Canyon Shopping Center that formally housed a restaurant, based on a conditional use permit granted by the Yorba Linda Planning Commission.

The new business near Yorba Linda Boulevard and New River Road was approved on a 4-1 vote, with one of the City Council-appointed commissioners opposed to a 24-hour operation.

– St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School will add 2,855 square feet to its 4,700-square-foot kindergarten building under a design review granted on a 5-0 planning commission vote.

Changes at the 5330 Eastside Circle campus will include playground modifications and a new covered outdoor lunch area.

– ”A number of unique characteristics” regarding property the city is selling for $3.5 million to In-N-Out Burger, now occupied by the library along with an adjacent vacant lot, “may require time, coordination and negotiations” to resolve, according to a recent city report.

Issues involve title to part of the property still in the name of the former Yorba Linda Library District that merged with the city in 1985 and right-of-way and vacated easements listed as encumbrances on some of the property.

The land isn’t scheduled for transfer to In-N-Out before August 2020 and construction of the eatery won’t begin until the library moves to its new Lakeview Avenue-Lemon Drive location.

Jim Drummond is a longtime Yorba Linda resident. He gives his opinion on local issues weekly. Send e-mail to jimdrummond@hotmail.com.

A former Pasadena police lieutenant pleaded guilty Thursday, Sept. 20, to dealing firearms without a license and making a false statement while buying a pistol — a gun that he claimed to be buying for  for himself but which he later sold to someone else.

Vasken Kenneth Gourdikian, who federal authorities said sold 108 firearms illegally from March 15, 2014 to Feb. 9, 2017, took a deal in the case. In exchange, the U.S. Attorney’s Office agreed to drop two other charges.

Gourdikian, 48, entered his guilty plea during a hearing in Los Angeles federal court. Dressed in a dark suit, Gourdikian looked back once or twice at the people in court while the judge went over the plea deal and answered the judge’s questions with:  “Yes, your honor” or “No, your honor.”

As part of the plea deal, federal prosecutors recommended a sentence of 30 months followed by three years supervised release. Gourdikian must also forfeit 68 firearms and pay a fine. The amount of the fine has not been determined.

But how much prison time the former officer will receive is up to the judge. The two felony counts could total 15 years.

U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson said he isn’t obliged to follow the plea agreement and asked defense attorney Mark Werksman if he had advised his client of that.

Sentencing was set for Feb. 4, 2019.

After Thursday’s hearing, a crying Gourdikian hugged the two men and two women who accompanied him to court. He did not speak to the media, but his attorney did.

Gourdikian is a dedicated civil servant who served 23 years with the Pasadena police department, according to Werksman.

“(He) meant no harm to the community,” Werksman said, adding that Gourdikian did not know he was violating federal law. “He’s a good man who made a mistake.”

Werksman said Gourdikian was selling firearms as a hobby. He said the problem was the volume of guns sold and the timing. Gourdikian did not know he’d be deemed a gun dealer, Werksman said.

“It’s a regulatory crime,” Werksman said.

He said every time Gourdikian sold a firearm, it was through a federally licensed dealer. He said the public was not in danger at all.

But he admitted that Gourdikian should not have claimed he was the buyer when he was purchasing guns for others. Werksman said they hope the judge will give a compassionate sentence.

In his plea deal, Gourdikian admitted he capitalized on his status as an officer that allowed him to circumvent the 10-day waiting period and allowed him to buy more than one handgun in a 30-day period, according to Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Federal prosecutors say Gourdikian violated the public’s trust. He took advantage of his position as an officer in order to buy new off-roster handguns and purchased several at once, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Chou.

“This was not a hobby, this was a business,” Chou said.

During the hearing, she said Gourdikian would buy the firearms, advertise the firearms for sale on Calgun.net and arranged many of the sales there. The plea agreement described Calgun.net as a members-only online forum and marketplace devoted to the discussion, sale and purchase of firearms.

Of the weapons Gourdikian sold in Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties, 80 were off-roster firearms, according to court documents. Off-roster firearms cannot be sold to the public by gun stores in California, but can be transferred between individuals. Officers can buy off-roster firearms but the law limits how many of these weapons they can sell in a year.

Chou said to their knowledge, the firearms sold by Gourdikian weren’t used in any crime. She said this includes the gun later found at a crime scene.

Steve Mermell, Pasadena city manager, said in a statement that Gourdikian has not been an active member of the police department for more than a year and a half.

“With respect to the investigation leading to his guilty plea, the city cooperated fully with federal investigators.  Police officers hold a special place in our society and their actions must be beyond reproach. In this case, the actions of one former employee are not indicative of the incredible men and women of the Pasadena Police Department,” Mermell said.

Gourdikian was originally charged in March with dealing in firearms without a license, possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle and two counts of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. The four counts came with a possible maximum sentence of 35 years.

The charge of making a false statement, which he pleaded guilty to, stems from the 2014 sale of a Smith and Wesson 9mm semiautomatic pistol.

Gourdikian bought the pistol March 8, 2014 at Proforce Law Enforcement, a licensed firearms dealer in Brea. The same day, he posted on Calguns.net that he has a Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol for sale. He had an interested buyer by March 9.

He picked up the pistol from Proforce on March 18, 2014. In the Firearms Transaction Record form, federal officials said he falsely answered “yes” to the question, “Are you the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm(s) listed on this form?” Later that day, he went to Ammo Brothers in Ontario and sold the pistol to the buyer who is only identified in the plea agreement as “Purchaser A”.

If Gourdikian had revealed he was buying the pistol for someone else, the sale would not have gone through as Proforce could not sell the pistol to an absentee buyer, according to the plea agreement.

Chou also pointed to another instance where Gourdikian used his position to benefit himself.

On May 23, 2015,  Gourdikian went to Proforce and presented a May 21, 2015 letter from then Pasadena Police Chief Phillip Sanchez requesting that the 10-day waiting period be waived. The letter also stated that Gourdikian was a lieutenant with the department, was authorized to carry a gun and that the Glock pistol he wanted to buy would be used off duty and would not be resold. Gourdikian did not have to wait 10 days and bought the gun.

He posted an ad on Calguns.net for a Glock pistol on May 28, 2015. He sold a Glock pistol on June 5 along with seven other handguns to a buyer identified in the plea bargain as “Purchaser C”.

On Feb. 16, 2017,  the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives raided Gourdikian’s Sierra Madre home and seized 32 pistols, 19 rifles, three shotguns, two revolvers and five rifle parts.Chief Sanchez placed Gourdikian on paid leave the same day.

A federal grand jury indicted Gourdikian on March 2018. He surrendered to authorities and pleaded not guilty on March 2. He was also placed on unpaid leave by then-Chief Sanchez.

Gourdikian, who was hired by the Pasadena Police Department on July 1994, resigned on March 18.