LAGUNA WOODS — Just shy of three years as Village Management Services CEO, Brad Hudson announced his resignation, on Thursday, Sept. 20.

In his resignation letter, Hudson said he is ending his employment with VMS to pursue other personal and professional opportunities.

His first day as was Dec. 26, 2015.

Hudson cited innovations in customer service, technology and transparency as some of his proudest feats accomplished alongside the staff and governance boards of Laguna Woods Village.

Hudson, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, spent 12 years as Riverside County’s assistant county executive officer, six years as the city manager for the city of Riverside and, most recently, four years as county executive officer for Sacramento County, before coming to the Village.

His resignation is effective Oct. 15.

The VMS board of directors has appointed Chief Operating Officer Siobhan Foster as interim CEO and will be facilitating the recruitment of a new chief executive officer.

Universal Studios Hollywood isn’t even two weeks into its annual Halloween Horror Nights, but the park is thinking way ahead and announcing plans for Christmas in the The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and soon all of Whoville will be out to once again celebrate Grinchmas.

Glistening snow will begin to fall over Hogsmeade Village in the evenings beginning Saturday, Nov. 17 and through Sunday, Jan. 6. Hogwarts Castle will transform with the dazzling “The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle” holiday-themed light projection show and the village will be fully decked out in festival decor, with each storefront displaying its own holiday theme.

The Frog Choir will return to entertain with holiday songs and there will be a wide selection of Christmas ornaments and a variety of other collectibles for sale as well as sweet treats and the fan-favorite, hot Butterbeer.

The Grinch is back and he’s even Grinch-ier. Grinchmas will take place on weekends starting Saturday, Dec. 1-2 and then it will run daily Dec. 14-30. The familiar Whoville décor will be on full display throughout the theme park, including over at the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem attraction and into Super Silly Fun Land, where the Minions will be spreading holiday cheer.

The Grinch and his trusty dog, Max, will be hanging out near the 60-foot-tall Grinchmas tree alongside Martha May Who-vier and the Who Dolls and the Who-liday Singers.

Both Grinchmas and Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter are included with theme park admission.

Out at Universal CityWalk, there will be a 40-foot Christmas tree with more than 200,000 LED icicle lights choreographed to holiday music in the 5 Towers Plaza. There will be free concert performances on the 5 Towers stage that includes an eclectic ensemble of street performers and Santa Claus will also make daily appearances and pose for photos as CityWalk begins its holiday transformation the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, Nov. 23, and runs through Tuesday, Dec. 25.

Many California voters perusing their voter guides are probably feeling a sense of déjà vu skimming through the long list of ballot initiatives.

Once again, Californians are being asked to approve another set of bonds, and in particular, another massive bond purporting to address the state’s water issues.

Proposition 3 certainly seems to promise a lot.

Voters are told the measure “Authorizes Bonds to Fund Projects for Water Supply and Quality, Watershed, Fish, Wildlife, Water Conveyance, and Groundwater Sustainability and Storage.”

The price tag? $8.877 billion in bonds.

But of course, bonds are not free money. They must be repaid, with interest.

With interest, Prop. 3 would ultimately cost taxpayers twice as much. According to the legislative analyst, taxpayers would be on the hook for an average of $430 million in repayments every year for 40 years.

In the context of a state like California, which has recently seen general fund state spending grow from $86 billion to $139 billion, the notion of squandering over $8 billion on interest payments for the sake of $9 billion in bond funding seems wasteful to us.

And it should to taxpayers.

The state of California has and will have the money, especially over four decades, to come up with and wisely invest in improving the state’s water infrastructure.

What that will take is some basic prioritization on the part of California’s leaders.

In contrast, Prop. 3 is a product of special interests, seeking to take advantage of Californians’ apparent willingness to consistently vote for water bonds.

As the Sierra Club noted, and editorial boards across the state have echoed, this measure reeks of “pay-to-play.”

Among other things, the measure calls for $750 million in assistance to finance repairs to the Friant-Kern canal in the Central Valley. The source of the damage? Overutilization of groundwater for agriculture. Taxpayers across the state shouldn’t be responsible for that.

Vote no on Prop. 3.

If you’ve ever tasted Salt & Straw ice cream, you understand the hype. Coast magazine’s office received a box filled with pints this week. We taste-tested six flavors  – (The crowd favorite was hands-down the creamy vanilla with sea salt and caramel ribbons!) – but, we missed out on one highly anticipated flavor. Salt & Straw co-founder Tyler Malek collaborated with Costa Mesa’s own Sidecar Doughnuts to create a special doughnut inspired by the Malted Salted Cookie Dough ice cream.

How did we miss this?

Fortunately, we – ice cream aficionados – need not wait for the opening of Salt & Straw’s first Orange County location at the Downtown Disney District to taste this flavor combo. On September 21, September 29 and October 5, from 5-8 p.m., the ice cream maker’s kiosk will pop up outside Sidecar Doughnuts in Costa Mesa, offering $1 scoops of its Apples & Sidecar Doughnuts and the coveted Salted, Malted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavors. All proceeds from the $1 scoops will benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, an organization that strives to end hunger in the OC. So, it’s even easier to enjoy knowing that you’re eating ice cream for a good cause.

Sidecar Doughnuts, 270 E. 17th St. #18, Costa Mesa, (949) 873-5424 :: sidecardoughnuts.com 

South Coast Repertory has selected accomplished theater veteran David Ivers as the fourth artistic director in the Costa Mesa-based company’s 55-year existence, culminating a nine-month search.

Ivers, currently the artistic director of the largest theater company in Arizona, replaces Marc Masterson, SCR’s artistic director since 2011. When he comes on board in March, Ivers also will assume Masterson’s role as co-chief executive officer, a post shared with the theater’s longtime managing director, Paula Tomei.

“Among the pool of distinguished and diverse candidates, David immediately stood out,” said Samuel Tang, president of SCR’s Board of Trustees and chair of the search committee, in a written statement.

“His commitment to the classics, contemporary works and new plays align perfectly with SCR’s mission. David is a special and collaborative individual.”

In his first media interview after being hired, Ivers, 49, described his emotional state as “a bit flabbergasted” and his new role as “a dream come true.”

“I am here to both guide, but also understand and respond,” he said. “I want a level of inclusivity and to imbue it with the kind of energy that will help South Coast Repertory.”

Ivers, who grew up in the San Fernando Valley, said that during breaks while a student at Southern Oregon University he would return home and experience South Coast Repertory.

“As a theater nerd, in the late ‘80s and early ’90s, SCR was the strongest local company and (seeing plays here) helped forge impressions of what theater could be.”

After earning a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Minnesota, and while teaching at several colleges and universities, Ivers embarked on an acting and directing career. He spent a decade at Denver Center Theatre Company as a resident artist, acting in and/or directing more than 40 plays.

He also led productions at a number of other important regional houses, including the Guthrie Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

Ivers moved into an administrative capacity earlier this decade as co-artistic director at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, helping usher in a $40 million expansion of the festival’s facilities and a new play program.

During his time in Utah and more recently as artistic director of Arizona Theatre Company, Ivers continued having touch points with South Coast Repertory.

In 2015 he directed the play “One Man, Two Guvnors” on South Coast Repertory’s Segerstrom Stage. In a 2017 reading at the theater’s annual Pacific Playwright Festival, Ivers uproariously inhabited the lead role of Petruchio in Amy Freed’s “Shrew,” a modern spin on Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew” (which SCR later produced in a fully staged version).

Against this background, Tomei expressed delight that Ivers will be a partner in running the theater: “He is both passionate and discerning when it comes to the art onstage and is committed to extending our work in the community.”

South Coast Repertory has been the preeminent theater company in Orange County for the last half century.

Founded by David Emmes and Martin Benson in 1964, the company produced plays in a former marine hardware store in Newport Beach before establishing a permanent 267-seat theater on Newport Boulevard in Costa Mesa in 1967.

The theater outgrew that venue, relocating to its current location near South Coast Plaza in 1978. Over time, SCR expanded from one stage to three active spaces.

SCR has mounted 520 productions over the years; in its most recent season, 2017-18, 13 productions drew audiences of approximately 130,000.

In 1988 SCR received the annual Tony Award for distinguished achievement by a regional theater.

Before he comes to Orange County full-time in March, Ivers said, he will be involved before as the company plans its 2019-20 season.

He sees his role as leading and collaborating, while growing personally as a theater artist.

“I always measure opportunity by two things,” Ivers said. “Do I have anything to contribute and, more important, do I have anything to learn.

“These things are all in play here. And while I have plenty to learn, there are incredibly gifted people here in place to learn from.”

Folks with little faith in California voters have won at least a partial victory this year. For many decades, since the great progressive (a tag worn a century ago mostly by moderate Republicans) Gov. Hiram Johnson created the ballot initiative, critics have railed against direct democracy, claiming an uninformed public often makes major mistakes.

After decades of griping about “budgeting by initiative,” those skeptics managed to get a law passed in 2014 allowing legislators to change or eliminate initiatives even after they’ve qualified for the ballot, so long as initiative sponsors agree to it.

Voters will see the first results of that law this fall: A significantly shorter ballot than they would otherwise have encountered, even though 11 measures remain up for public decisions.

Yes, voters will make thumbs up or down choices on issues from $17 billion in proposed bonds to rent control and repeal of last year’s gasoline tax increase. They will still get to determine whether veal calves, pigs and chickens get more rights than they now enjoy and whether folks over 55 will be able to carry their Proposition 13 property tax limits across all county lines when they sell their homes, instead of just some.

But voters will not get to make decisions about consumer privacy or soda taxes or even who will pay to clean up leaded paint in homes built since 1951.

Instead, sponsors who gathered enough voter signatures to put initiatives on those issues before the voters made deals with state legislators and their ballot measures vanished.

So a ballot that could have been much more interesting disappeared in the face of compromises that satisfied big-money interests but might not have pleased the mass of voters.

The farthest-reaching of these compromises involved internet consumer privacy. Under new rules signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown just two hours after they passed the Legislature, Californians now have a right to know what information internet giants including Google, Yahoo, eBay and Amazon have about them. They can also prohibit companies from selling that information and can ask companies to delete their information after they learn what’s been gathered.

That’s a far cry from the ballot initiative that this new law replaces, which would have forced companies to get consumer permission to gather, maintain and sell information on what internet searches individuals make, what they buy on the ‘net, what products they look at but don’t buy and much more.

Consumers can only sue in the case of a large leak of information, not over individual exposures.

This was an example of compromise of the sort intended by lawmakers who created the new system for removing initiatives after they qualify. It probably headed off a campaign that would have cost companies and consumer groups $50 million or more. Too bad for the television, radio, newspaper and direct-mail companies that would likely have gleaned most of that money.

And there were soda taxes. Makers of carbonated drinks had qualified an initiative that would have raised the vote-percentage threshold for passing any new local tax, but agreed to pull it off the ballot in exchange for a new law placing a 13-year moratorium on any new soda taxes.

The result is a ballot that’s far from the longest ever seen by California voters, but still lets them make important decisions on issues such as spreading rent control more widely and lowering gas taxes a bit. But it also isn’t quite the ballot it could have been, as three key choices were gone even before campaigns on them could get started.

Thomas D. Elias is a Southern California writer.

Family, friends and colleagues of Costa Mesa Police Officer Oscar Adrian Reyes said an emotional goodbye to the 13-year veteran of the force during a funeral service Friday, Sept. 21, at Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove.

Reyes, of Huntington Beach, died from a heart attack Sept. 12 at age 43.

The Rev. Quan Tran presided over a Catholic Mass filled with hundreds of peace officers from agencies all over the county. Reyes was eulogized by his cousin, Dallas Police Sgt. Paul Figueroa, and Costa Mesa Police Chief Rob Sharpnack, who both choked up while remembering the well-loved officer.

Sharpnack shared recent memories, including a conversation the two had about their children.

“You were the light of his life,” Sharpnack said, addressing Reyes’ three children, Ashley, 15, Dallas, 14, and Brandon, 10.

Following the funeral mass, Orange County Sheriff’s Department deputies honored Reyes with a 21-gun salute in the courtyard outside the chapel.

Reyes was sworn in Aug. 21, 2005, and worked for the past decade as a motor officer in the Traffic Division. As Special Events Officer for the CMPD, Reyes coordinated police services for the OC Fair, the OC Marathon and other community events.

A scholarship fund has been set up for Reyes’ children. For information on the fund, visit the Costa Mesa Police Association website at costamesapa.com

THOUSAND OAKS – Skepticism never really goes away. It just gets packaged in different language.

Jared Goff didn’t deserve to be drafted No. 1 overall. Then he was a bust. Then he heard he was mediocre, with an average arm. Now, critics have transitioned into calling Goff a “system quarterback.”

RELATED: The 10 most important NFL players in Los Angeles

Criticism is fair and Goff is far from perfect.Yet the fact that the tone of Goff criticism has shifted so dramatically in less than two years suggests that skeptics are reaching. The latest knock, in some media circles, is that Goff simply is a plug-and-play robot in Coach Sean McVay’s excellent offensive scheme.

“I think that’s a total discredit to him and all the different things that he’s doing,” McVay said. “I mean, he’s making the throws, he’s making the calls at the line of scrimmage, he’s making the calls in the huddle.”

That statement will generate eye rolls among cynics, but Goff can take another big step forward Sunday if he performs well against the Chargers at the Coliseum. The Chargers have a strong secondary and both teams could score a lot, so it figures to be an afternoon when the Rams need Goff to be at his best.

Thus far, that hasn’t been a problem. Goff didn’t play in the preseason and, not surprisingly, looked a bit off-kilter in the season opener at Oakland, but last week he played a near-flawless game against Arizona.

Goff passed for 354 yards against the Cardinals, one short of the highest total of his 24-game career. Goff passed for 355 yards last November against Houston and also passed for 354 yards against New Orleans last November. The Rams are 6-0 when Goff throws for 300-plus yards.

“People just say it’s the scheme,” Chargers cornerback Casey Hayward said of Goff’s success, “but nah, he’s making throws all over the field.”

The chatter remains persistent, though. Goff hears that any quarterback could thrive when McVay’s play designs lead to wide-open receivers, that Todd Gurley is the real engine of the Rams’ offense, that (most absurdly) McVay reads a defense and uses the in-helmet microphone to tell Goff where to throw.

All of this is fine, as long as one ignores plays. There’s the pump fake to avoid a sack against Oakland. There’s the only-he-can-get-it throw to Robert Woods last week, or the deep pass to Brandin Cooks. McVay couldn’t do anything more than stand on the sideline and watch Goff execute.

“Yeah, I’ll be a product of the system if we win games, as much as I want,” Goff said when asked about that criticism. “We just continue to go out there and keep playing, keep putting up 30 points and call me whatever you want. I feel like I’m just continuing to develop and continuing to get better.”

This isn’t new, and it goes beyond Goff. When McVay worked as Washington’s offensive coordinator, he helped elevate quarterback Kirk Cousins’ game to a level that few thought possible.

Yes, Cousins’ statistics decreased in 2017, after McVay left for the Rams, but Washington’s offense dipped in general. Cousins now is in his first season with Minnesota, and in his first two games, Cousins threw for 669 yards, six touchdowns and one interception. That’s about as good as it gets.

Cousins seems set to improve that McVay’s system didn’t make or break him, and Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth pushed back against the idea that quarterbacks should be diminished in that way.

“It’s absurd,” Whitworth said. “This is the NFL. This isn’t college. You can’t spread people out and run a bunch of gimmick stuff. In NFL football, you’ve got to deliver the football and be able to see what you’re doing at such a high level that there are only 32 guys in the world who can do it.”

None of this is to say that Goff immediately should be fitted for a Hall of Fame jacket. He turns 25 next month and has yet to win a playoff game or show that he can lead a dramatic comeback victory.

Goff’s progress is undeniable, though. After an awful 2016 rookie season (at the head of a dreadful offense and with questionable coaching), Goff threw for 3,800 yards last season and had only seven interceptions in 477 attempts. Already this year, he has shown improved touch on deep passes.

“It’s our job as a coaching staff,” McVay said, “to collaborate and try to put together plans on a weekly basis that give our players a chance to have success. But, ultimately I know this, you’re a lot better coach when you’re working with players like Jared Goff and I feel really fortunate to work with him.”

INJURY REPORT

Rams center John Sullivan and defensive lineman Michael Brockers were listed as full participants in Friday’s practice at Cal Lutheran and should be out of the danger zone for Sunday’s game. Sullivan (ankle) and Brockers (shoulder) had missed early-week practice time. Linebacker Mark Barron (Achilles) once again is listed as doubtful and isn’t expected to play Sunday.

If the thought of vacationing in China causes some anxiety with all the political, economic, humanitarian and cybersecurity friction going on, not to mention the language barrier and intimidation of a culture so different, consider Hong Kong as a happy alternative.

The world’s most visited city effortlessly blends East and West, and like unique sights, sounds and smells, English is omnipresent. Over 150 years of British rule will do that to a place.

Those who’ve been there know how much there is to love about Hong Kong. The shopping, the food, the nightlife, the ancient religious temples in the shadow of some of the world’s tallest skyscrapers, the large expat population that reduces trepidation for less adventurous Westerners — this autonomous territory of China is exciting, yet manageable.

Because Hong Kong is separate from mainland China, there’s the other plus of not needing a tourist visa. But, as sure as the five-starred red flag flies from government buildings, this is China. The asterisk to that statement comes from the fact that Hong Kong has its own currency, passport, laws, Olympic team and anthem.

Rather than delve into politics and economics, let’s focus on the things that make Hong Kong so inviting to the foreign tourist. If you’re expecting a rundown of the must-sees, you’re reading the wrong article. Any travel piece on Hong Kong can cover the Big Five: the Peak for the mandatory photo of the skyscraper cluster with Victoria Harbour in the background, the giant sitting Buddha on Lantau Island, the Star Ferry harbor crossing to Kowloon, the street markets, and the Symphony of Lights (overrated).

Here’s the Not-So-Big Five and why both first-time and returning visitors to Hong Kong should consider doing things a few pages deeper into all those cookie-cutter guide books.

1. Say “neih hou” (Cantonese) or “ni hao” (Mandarin) to Mickey: English-language travel books and blogs like to compare Hong Kong Disneyland to Ocean Park Hong Kong. Opened in 1977, Ocean Park often gets the nod over its 13-year-old rival with its more scenic location, being three times larger, having a wider range of attractions and thrill rides, and for entertaining guests with shows starring not costumed characters, but live land and marine animals.

Two categories in which Ocean Park is all wet, however, are food – ho-hum carnival-type fare versus Disneyland’s higher quality, wider ranging dining experiences — and what we Mouseheads call “Disney Magic.” There’s something special about being at a Disney park — the hospitality, memory-making, cleanliness, positive attitude, and characters and stories beloved for generations. It’s like coming home whether you went as a child or not.

HKD is the smallest of all Disney parks, but that doesn’t make a visit any less magical and unique. Its version of the Haunted Mansion is Mystic Manor, which whisks guests through the Victorian home of world traveler Lord Henry Mystic. The mansion comes alive after Henry’s mischievous pet monkey Albert opens a music box that unleashes mayhem and enchantment.

Another HKD exclusive is the exciting year-old Iron Man Experience; imagine Stark Enterprises assuming sponsorship of Star Tours. Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars, HKD’s version of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, has a section where riders go backwards. Just for fun, enter the “Cantonese” or “Mandarin” line at the Jungle Cruise to hear those tired, corny jokes in a different language. OK, so there’s no Matterhorn or Pirates of the Caribbean, but when was the last time you ate smoked duck legs and curry fish balls in Anaheim or Orlando?

2. Crash in Kowloon: Thanks to cheap taxis, the even cheaper Star Ferry and the affordable, easily navigable Mass Transit Railway, or MTR, your first choice of a hotel location needn’t be Hong Kong island. Consider staying across Victoria Harbour in more colorful and earthy Kowloon. If you do and money is no object, look into the Intercontinental or Peninsula, located adjacent to the waterfront and that iconic view of central Hong Kong’s skyline.

Kowloon, like many big, old cities, has hotels with rates on both ends of the scale. The sweet spot for us in the middle is the Dorsett in the less tony Mongkok area. By observation, this contemporary-style, moderately priced 285-unit gem is Kowloon’s best-kept secret among Americans. The rooms are small, but modern and immaculate. Complimentary shuttle service takes guests on a loop to all the landmarks on this side of the harbor, and two MTR stations are within walking distance. Breakfast, Wi-Fi and an in-room loner cell phone are free and fantastic. The staff is super. Oh, did I mention the hotel is 100 percent smoke-free? That’s as rare here as non-Cantonese vegetarian cuisine.

3. Behold “The Las Vegas of Asia”: Culturally different, but not culturally diverse is one way to describe Macau. Except for most security details and a few foreign visitors, everyone on the casino-dotted Cotai Strip seems to be Chinese. That’s not the only difference between Macau and Las Vegas. Casino hopping from the world’s largest casino, The Venetian Macau, to their version of Vegas’ Paris, The Parisian, something else stands out: No one boozes it up while betting down. The free beverages offered by cart-pushing servers aren’t beer, well drinks and cocktails, but tea, coffee and juice. A casino security guard was asked about this, and his response, a generalization about Chinese and liquor, would likely sound racist to American ears, so we’ll move on.

As for the games, blackjack and poker are barely played among the sea of tables for baccarat, sic bo, mahjong and pai gow. Slot machines have a USB port next to the buttons, and every player seems more focused on his or her smartphone than the spinning simulated reels. Locals, according to another guard, see gambling not as entertainment, but an investment. Hence, the people are eerily stoic. And get this: Smoking is banned on the main gambling floor. Also unlike Vegas, getting there is by boat. Hour-long ferry rides between Macau and Hong Kong run throughout the day and night.

4. Splurge on custom threads: On the bucket list for many American men is to have a suit custom made in Hong Kong. Few get the chance to fulfill this wish. The serious-minded will undoubtedly search up Punjab House, Raja House and Sam’s. These are three of the most famous tailors, with lofty prices to match. Here’s one that does fine work at a better price: Yuen’s Tailor in central Hong Kong.

Based on shelves and shelves of orders from around the world — kept in scrapbooks since the beginning — this two-man shop is distinguished among the distinguished, the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia among them. Having started out as apprentices in the 1960s, brothers Johnny and Bonny Yuen wear their dedication to the craft on their sleeves. Give the men a week and you’ll get the multiple fittings necessary to have things done right. They’re not cheap; a lightweight, full-canvas (no glue) suit starts at about a grand. That might be considered a bargain for portly blokes as the brothers are wizards with wool. Says Johnny, “I have no fat clients.”

5. Browse on the street, buy in Shenzhen: Sadly, the once-awesome street markets of Hong Kong and nearby neighborhoods are in decline. Two of the most popular – the daytime Stanley Market on the South Coast and Temple Street Night Market in Kowloon – have gone down in size, selection and fun, and the merchants now seem to be either apathetic or downright testy if one bargains too much.

The street markets are still worth checking out for first-timers, but if you’re planning to do real shopping, consider getting a Chinese visa weeks in advance so you can buck the guide books and head north a couple of hours to Shenzhen for bric-a-brac, electronics, shoes, clothes and luxury items of questionable origin. Your first purchase should be a cheap suitcase, which will no doubt be filled by day’s end. Take the MTR or the more relaxing ferry to any of a number of bustling shopping areas ready to test your patience and haggling skills.

If you go

Hong Kong Tourism Board: discoverhongkong.com

Hong Kong Disneyland: hongkongdisneyland.com

Dorsett Mongkok: mongkok.dorsetthotels.com

Yuen’s Tailor: yuenstailor.com

– 30 –

The bullies made his life hell because of the father he never knew.

Those were tough years for Hugh Nguyen, living with his grandparents in Saigon, living with Vietnamese and American blood.

His father had been a U.S. serviceman, stationed in Vietnam. That man, whose name he didn’t know, had died in battle shortly after getting Nguyen’s mother pregnant, the result of a one-night liaison on leave from the base in Nha Trang. That’s all Nguyen was told.

The kids in Saigon called him an Amerasian, a derogatory term.

“I had light skin and light eyes,” Nguyen said.

And the kids in Saigon treated him like garbage.

“I got picked on all the time,” he said.

Hugh Nguyen lived for more than seven years with that stigma in Saigon. Then, when he came to the United States, he lived the next 40-plus years wondering what his life would have been like if he would have had a father to show up to his basketball games, or give him advice or make a speech at his wedding.

Here’s what he or his family didn’t know. Part of the story about his dead father wasn’t true.

The dead part.

It was a family mystery that would take 50 years to solve.

‘Lost in the dust’

A DNA test and relentless sleuthing on ancestry.com ended with joyful embraces this week when Roy Patterson, a trophy wholesaler in Tennessee, met the child he first learned of just last month.

Father and son saw each other in person for the first time Thursday night at a gathering with Nguyen’s family in Orange County. Patterson flew out from his home in Cookeville for a short visit. His youngest son, one of four children he raised with his wife Brenda, joined him.

On Friday, Patterson, 70, came to the Old County Courthouse in Santa Ana where Nguyen’s office as Orange County’s clerk-recorder is located. On the lawn outside the historic building, family members surrounded Patterson and Nguyen as news crews captured the moment.

Nguyen showed the letter with the DNA results that indicated there was a 99.9995 percent chance Patterson was his father.

The man who is charged with overseeing the vital records of some 3 million people has special plans for that personal document. He announced he is going to frame it.

Patterson smiled at their fate: “Absolutely amazing.”

The 50-year-old Nguyen, who once described himself as “a baby lost in the dust of life,” smiled back.

“This is official,” he said to Patterson. “Now you’re stuck with me.”

Later, Patterson beamed as he sat in a pew at the back of the room where wedding ceremonies are performed, nodding his head as his black-robed son stood beneath a canopy and pronounced a couple husband and wife.

In his hands, Patterson clutched a copy of the book “Run for the Wall – A Journey to the Vietnam Memorial.” The book had been presented to him a little while earlier by a genealogy researcher who assisted Nguyen in his search.

Back in 2015, Nguyen decided to act on the longing he’d had all his life. Whether his father was dead – or, if by some miracle, alive – he wanted to know more about that mysterious part of his life. All he’d ever had was the story his mother told him and an old black-and-white photograph she had given him that she said pictured his father as a young man before he fought in Vietnam.

Nguyen is among 26,000 children fathered by American soldiers in Vietnam who ended up in the U.S.

Patterson was 19 with a young wife and infant son back home when Nguyen was conceived in Vietnam. He’d had no knowledge that this second child was on the way. He was already back in the United States after a one-year tour of combat when Nguyen’s mother visited his base at Nha Trang to tell him she was pregnant. Fellow soldiers informed her that Patterson had been killed by a mine.

With a mix of sadness and guilt in his voice, Patterson said Friday that he wishes he had known sooner about his Amerasian son.

“Hugh has been through a lot.”

Different from everyone

Nguyen’s mother was young, and irresponsible. She gave Hugh and his little sister, Linda, whose father was also an American soldier, to their grandparents to be raised. As an Amerasian child, Nguyen was teased and bullied from the time he was a toddler.

In April 1975, Saigon was falling to the communists from the North. The grandparents, knowing that their decision was fraught with risk, sent Hugh and Linda to an orphanage where they might have a chance at a better life. He was 7; she was 2.

Their grandparents wanted to take a chance on Operation Baby Lift, a program to move Vietnamese children to the United States.

“My grandmother felt so much guilt,” Nguyen said.

They changed their minds and brought the children back home.

The family – the two siblings, their grandparents and three aunts – squeezed onto one of the last of the packed helicopters airlifting people frantic to escape on April 30, 1975, the Fall of Saigon. They were among 3,073 refugees who sailed away on the deck of the USS Midway. His mother stayed in Vietnam.

They lived in El Centro, east of San Diego near the border wtih Mexico, at first, where this time American kids hurled fists and curses at Nguyen. Again, because he was different. They moved to Orange County in 1979, where Nguyen’s life transformed in his teenage years. He developed as an athlete, becoming captain of the Saddleback High varsity basketball team.

Unknown to him until now, his father played high school basketball, too.

Patterson thought of himself as hot stuff, averaging about 12 points a game in high school. Then he learned that his son, who stands about shoulder to shoulder with him at 5-foot-9, was twice as good as a point guard.

“He blew that out,” Patterson said, laughing.

Nguyen describes his father as a big-hearted man with a good sense of humor.

“This means a lot to me to have my dad here after 50 years. … He knew in his heart that he was my dad and he flew down here to meet with me.”

The truth of it

A cousin of Patterson’s became the connection on ancestry.com after she got access to the site as a birthday gift earlier this year. But when Sherry Stokes first called Patterson, he was skeptical.

“Is it possible you could have had a son in Vietnam,” Patterson recalled Stokes asking him.

“I said, ‘No, don’t believe so.’”

But when he heard that Nguyen had been born in December 1967 in Nha Trang, he thought long and hard about his time in Vietnam.

It fit.

“Obviously, there was something,” Patterson said. “I had to stand up and tell my wife.”

Patterson not only gained a son, but two more grandkids – Nguyen’s son Steven, 28, and daughter Gabrielle, 22 –- to add to the 20 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren he has back in Tennessee. Nguyen’s wife Lorena is his high school sweetheart.

Nguyen is luckier than his sister, whose own search led to finding out her serviceman father died several years ago. Nguyen hopes to visit his family in Tennessee next year. His father goes back home this weekend. There is talk of Patterson perhaps returning in January to see his son – re-elected in June to the clerk-recorder’s office – sworn in.

But before Patterson’s departure, Nguyen was taking his dad to a special spot in Orange County.

Not Disneyland, where Patterson’s youngest son spent Friday.

To the memorial in Little Saigon where 15-foot-tall bronze statues of a South Vietnamese and an American soldier stand side by side.

Together.

HOUSTON — Francisco Arcia’s historic moment has been immortalized on a baseball card.

Topps released a limited-edition card on Friday commemorating Arcia’s performance on Thursday, when he became the first player in major league history to pitch, catch and hit a homer in the same game.

Have you ever seen a player catch, pitch AND homer in the same game? Not before @Angels Francisco Arcia you haven’t. #TOPPSNOW https://t.co/bCnflyqvPC pic.twitter.com/Fxqsi9YfRL

— Topps Company (@Topps) September 21, 2018

It’s been quite a rookie season for the 28-year-old Arcia, who played parts of 12 years in the minors before making his major league debut in July. He also became the first player in major league history to have 10 RBIs in his first two games.

ALSO

The Angels released a fact sheet touting Shohei Ohtani’s accomplishments, no doubt a part of their efforts to help him win the American League Rookie of the Year Award. Ohtani and New York Yankees infielders Miguel Andújar and Gleyber Torres are the leading contenders for the award. …

Justin Verlander is going to face the Angels for the eighth time since the Houston Astros acquired him on Aug. 31 last year. He will have pitched once in every series the teams have played since the trade. The Angels are 1-6 in those games, and Verlander has a 1.49 ERA.

UP NEXT

Angels (RHP Jaime Barría, 10-9, 3.61) at Astros (Justin Verlander, 16-9, 2.67), Saturday, 4 p.m., Fox Sports West, KLAA (830 AM)

HOUSTON — Andrelton Simmons has a plan for taking his offensive game to the next level.

As he’s finishing off a third straight above-average season at the plate, Simmons said his goal for the winter is to get stronger, so he can hit for more power.

“I’m getting close to now having a good idea at the plate,” he said before Friday’s game. “I’m starting to learn more and more what to do and how to do it. It’s just a matter of hitting the ball a little harder. Not like Shohei (Ohtani) or (Mike) Trout, just driving the ball a little more consistently. I know it comes in stretches. I want those stretches to prolong.”

Simmons has 11 homers and 25 doubles, for a slugging percentage of .420. It’s just a tick behind last year’s .421 mark.

Last year Simmons had 14 homers and 38 doubles, but his overall average was only .278, compared to this year’s career-best .295. He said this season he’s been able to maintain his mental focus better, which is how he’s avoided the slump that dropped his average in August and September a year ago.

Having improved that part of his game, he’d next like to do some more work in the weight room to improve what he can do physically.

“I want that power surge to be a more routine thing during the season,” he said.

Simmons hit 17 homers in 2013, his first full season, but he hit .248. He said he took a step back in the power department after that, to learn to be a better hitter. Now he’d like to merge the two, by putting a little more muscle behind his improved swing and approach.

Simmons, who is 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, acknowledges that there is a fine balance to maintain if he’s to remain nimble enough to maintain his status as baseball’s premier defensive shortstop. He said one of his first years in Atlanta he bulked up a little more too much in the winter, and he felt it cost him.

“I felt strong, but I didn’t feel as quick,” he said. “I don’t want to lose that quickness. That’s for down the road when I have to play third base and hit homers.”

Simmons chuckled. He’s not ready to become a corner infield slugger, but he does hope to turn up the dial on his power, without losing the other exceptional parts of his game.

This season Simmons has been a model of consistency, in the field and at the plate.

Simmons leads American League shortstops in Defensive Runs Saved with 21 – Francisco Lindor is second with 14 – so he’s a good bet to win his second consecutive Gold Glove (fourth overall).

Offensively, he is the toughest hitter in the majors to strike out, whiffing just once every 13.2 at-bats. That’s no doubt part of the reason he’s kept his production steady throughout the second half. Last season, he was hot for four months but then hit .206 over his last 43 games. This year he’s finishing strong, with a .315 average over his last 14 games. His average has not dropped below .291 all season.

As Simmons prepared to start for the 140th time in the Angels’ 154 games, through Friday, he said he’s “surprisingly” not feeling fatigued.

“I’ve got to attribute that a little bit to my wife for taking it easy on me,” he said with a smile. “I try to limit what I do off the field. I try to rest as much as possible during the season.”

The offseason is coming, and he’ll get some more rest, before getting back to work to be better next year.

“I’d like to do a little more damage with the bat, just a little more,” he said. “That’s everybody’s goal in the offseason, to improve a little bit and drive the ball more consistently.”

It’s a mystical land where the ancient Mayans built magnificent pyramids and worshipped  Kinich Kak Moo, the sun god, and Chaak, the rain god. A world where native ingredients such as ochre-colored achiote, fiery peppers and earthy chocolate were tempered with milk, pork, sugar and other ingredients brought by Spanish conquistadors. This culture clash in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula created a cuisine like no other on earth.

That’s the spirit chef Gabbi Patrick wants to evoke with Chaak which recently opened in Tustin. Here’s a look inside.

Background: Patrick and her husband Ed, co-owners of Gabbi’s Mexican Kitchen in Orange, have been envisioning this place for years. As they did with Gabbi’s, they worked with landlord/architect Leason Pomeroy to find exactly the right space. The building is 3,600 square-feet and they’ve added 1,200. There are 120 seats, the L-shaped bar has 18. Parking is tight in this neighborhood but a valet option should be available soon. Ed Patrick is banking on Old Town. “I think Tustin’s gonna be the next little town to explode,” he said.

Holy smokes!: “Yucatecan cuisine is all about smoke,” says Ed Patrick. He bought a  $27,000 J&R Manufacturing smoker that can cook 250 pounds of meat at once. “That thing’s like a tank!” There’s a wood-fired oven and grill too.

The Look: This sophisticated remodel of a chiropractic office by Pomeroy and the Patricks creates a Mexican look that respects ancient traditions and gives them a clean, contemporary spin. There’s no hyper colorful folk art, just a small vignette near the bar with comfy seating and a few toss pillows. Mayan architecture and culture speaks softly here yet the look is dramatic, with a retractable ceiling as centerpiece — the ancients studied the heavens in the belief that they could divine the will of their gods by tracking the movement of the sun, the moon and the planets. “After dark the lights kick on and create an incredible atmosphere,” says Ed Patrick. “We had a full moon last night.” What about an open ceiling in winter? “Close it up and it should be pretty cool in a rain storm.”

There’s also a nod to the Mesoamerican ball court at Chichen Itza. Steel beams are fitted with rings. In those games, players passed balls through the loops, using only their hips, shoulders, knees and elbows.

A ceiba tree just outside the door sets the tone — it’s a symbol of the universe in Mayan culture. That was pointed out by renowned local roaster Martin Diedrich. A former archaeology student, he created Chaak’s coffee program.

Food: As she does with all her menus, Patrick starts with traditional recipes and elevates them with her own contemporary twists. The emphasis will be on native ingredients and preparations such as recados, smoked meats, masa and pibil. Vincent Espinoza is the executive chef charged with carrying out her vision. On a first visit we were impressed by the  Almejas al Vapor Picantes ($15), little neck clams with house-made green chorizo in a delicious herb broth with scallions to brighten the dish. Enchilada en Cazuela ($15) was soulful and filling with red chili sauce, gruyere cheese, avocado and cream.

Drinks: The cocktail menu will showcase tequila and mescal drinks. The restaurant has its signature margarita ($11.50). Filled with fresh vegetal notes, it’s not too sweet. The Waterfall ($13.50) with watermelon juice, Xtabentun honey-anisette liqueur, lime juice, habanero bitters, dehydrated jalapeño and Partida Silver Tequila is thirst-quenching and has a floral aroma. There are more than a dozen cocktails to choose from, craft beers on tap and in bottles, and a wine list with selections from Europe and California as well as Chile, Argentina and Mexico’s up-and-coming Valle de Guadalupe region.

Info: 215 El Camino Real, Tustin, 657-699-3019, chaakkitchen.com

Hours: Open from 5-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 5-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Lunch and brunch hours will be added soon.

California’s housing crisis, largely a consequence of housing production insufficient to keep pace with population growth, has made it hard for many aspiring homeowners to find a place to call home.

At a time when legislators and activists are considering a wide range of options, from rent control to streamlining housing development, it is important for the state to use its existing housing stock as efficiently as possible.

One long-recognized issue is the fact that many long-time homeowners remain in homes purchased long ago out of concern for sharp increases in property taxes should they move to a new property.

Thanks to Proposition 13, property taxes are limited to 1 percent of the assessed value of a home and increases are capped at 2 percent annually.

For Californians who purchased their homes several decades ago, the advantage is obvious. Having purchased their homes at times when costs were low, long-time homeowners also benefit from lower taxes than the next buyer.

Thus, Prop. 13  and the nature of the real estate market in California have yielded the unintended consequence of keeping long-time homeowners in their homes, denying aspiring homeowners from what could be starter homes.

Proposition 5, backed by the California Association of Realtors and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, would help fix this problem.

Under current law, homeowners who meet certain criteria — age 55 or older, severely disabled or have property impacted by a natural disaster or contamination — are allowed to carry over their current property tax base with them to their next home.

For many, this can make thousands of dollars of difference in property taxes.

Prop. 5 would remove various limitations on when such transfers are allowed. It allows eligible homeowners to transfer their property tax base anywhere in the state, lifts the limit on the number of transfers allowed and slightly adjusts the transferred tax based on whether the new home is more or less expensive.

While it’s true this reform will benefit many wealthier Californians, the tens of thousands of moves estimated by the legislative analyst to result from Prop. 5 is sure to free up critically needed housing stock.

Vote for Prop. 5.

COSTA  MESA – Chargers linebacker Uchenna Nwosu is making his return on Sunday to the Coliseum, where he played his home games at USC the previous four seasons.

Nwosu, from Narbonne High in Harbor City, has many fond memories from his days on the Coliseum turf, the site of Sunday’s NFL game between the Chargers and Rams (1:05 p.m. kickoff).

“I’m undefeated in the Coliseum in the last two years,” he said. “Looking to continue that streak.”

Two games into his NFL career, Nwosu (6-foot-2, 251 pounds) is making some progress. A second-round pick in April’s NFL draft and the 48th pick overall, the former Trojan did not record any stats in the season-opening loss to Kansas City.

But in the Chargers’ 31-20 victory over the Buffalo Bills in Week 2, Nwosu made two tackles, including his first career sack, drawing praise from Coach Anthony Lynn.

“He’s a high-energy guy,” Lynn said. “He hustles. He makes plays from the backside all the time. He’s going to be a play-maker in this league, it’s just a matter of time.”

RAMS’ GOFF FIGHTING THE SYSTEM

The theory goes that because Jared Goff wasn’t very good as a rookie, then took a big step forward in Year 2 when Sean McVay became the Rams’ head coach. McVay brought a new, innovative offense to Los Angeles, therefore Goff’s success must be a product of said offense.

In other words, he’s a “system quarterback.”

It’s been a popular refrain among analysts discussing Goff in the early stages of his third NFL season. For his part, Goff seems unperturbed by the assessments.

“I’ll be a product of the system if we win games, as much as I want,” Goff said Wednesday.

But as the Chargers prepare for the crosstown matchup with the Rams, they don’t subscribe to that line of thought.

“I think he’s a baller. I think he can play,” Chargers safety Jahleel Addae said. “He can be one of the league’s top quarterbacks.”

Added corner Casey Hayward, Jr.: “He’s been playing lights out. People just say scheme-wise and all of that, but he’s making throws all over the field.”

The Chargers believe their best shot to contain Goff is to put pressure on him. The strategy makes sense, as it will give Goff less time in the pocket to find his weapons.

But it likely won’t force the quarterback into many mistakes. Goff led the NFL last season with 152 throws under pressure per interception thrown, according to Pro Football Focus.

“We’re well aware of that,” Addae said. “Goff is playing one heck of a football right now and their coach draws up really good plays for them to get their play-makers into space. We’ve got to be aware of that.”

NOTES

Tight end Antonio Gates returned to practice on Friday, but was a limited participant as he continues to battle an undisclosed illness. Lynn said the eight-time Pro Bowler is improving, but he’s still considered questionable for Sunday’s game. “It was good to see him back on the field. He did a little bit, but not much,” Lynn said, adding that how Gates feels Saturday and Sunday will go a long way in determining if he can play against the Rams. … Receiver Travis Benjamin (foot) returned to practice Friday after sitting out Thursday’s workout. He is still limited and is also considered questionable for Sunday, as is fullback Derek Watt (thumb). 

The Los Angeles Football Club earned three points Saturday afternoon in an unlikely way, bettering MLS cellar-dwellers San Jose off a pair of goals from defender Walker Zimmerman that kept the Black & Gold near the top of the Western Conference.

Looking to jump ahead of the struggling Earthquakes (4-18-8), which came into the match with a league-low four wins and 20 points, LAFC began with plenty of energy.

Throughout the first half, LAFC went at the San Jose net from a variety of angles. Attempts to link up play between attackers, including striker Adama Diomande, who started for the first time since Aug. 5, were repeatedly turned away. However, the aggression yielded nine corner kicks in the first 45 minutes, and 12 for the match.

On LAFC’s eighth attempt in the 41st minute, Zimmerman missed his header off a Carlos Vela cross but the ball caught his left shoulder and was redirected into the net just the same.

Zimmerman’s first league goal of the season, on Vela’s ninth assist, was LAFC’s third finish off a corner kick.

The forward-defender pair doubled LAFC’s season tally for corner-kick goals in the 68th minute when Vela hit the team’s 12th attempt into the box and again found Zimmerman, this time for a clean header, providing the Black & Gold some breathing room heading into the latter stages of the match.

Vela took over full-time captain duties following the transfer of Laurent Ciman. The 29-year-old Mexican international is the first LAFC player to reach double-digit goals and assists in a season.

For Zimmerman, who scored a headed goal for the U.S. men’s national team in June in a pre-World Cup friendly against the eventual winner France, the performance came at an important moment as he hashes out a new contract with LAFC.

Unlike last Saturday’s contest against New England, LAFC remained strong down the stretch, securing goalkeeper Tyler Miller’s ninth clean sheet of the season.

LAFC’s 50 points have it in the running for a top-two seed in the Western Conference, behind Sporting KC and FC Dallas.

LAFC (14-7-8) has five games remaining after Saturday’s 2-0 win.

The Orange County high school sports schedule for Saturday, Sept. 22.

FOOTBALL

NONLEAGUE

St. Michael’s vs. Trinity Christian (Monterey) at Pacific Grove High, 2 p.m.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

SURF LEAGUE

Corona del Mar at Edison

ORANGE COAST LEAGUE

Santa Ana at Estancia, Orange at Calvary Chapel

NONLEAGUE

Village Christian at Laguna Beach

Nike Tournament of Champions (Mater Dei)

BOYS WATER POLO

TOURNAMENTS

SOUTH COAST CLASSIC

Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, Santa Margarita, San Clemente, Costa Mesa, Edison,Newport Harbor, Dana Hills, Beckman, Capistrano Valley, Corona del Mar, Orange Lutheran, Northwood,Mater Dei, Foothill, Servite, Los Alamitos, El Toro, Esperanza

BULL RUN

JSerra, Sonora, Segerstrom

DIAMOND BAR

Fullerton, Pacifica, University

KATELLA VARSITY

Katella, Kennedy

NONLEAGUE

Don Lugo at San Juan Hills

According to the annual Centers for Disease Control Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, obesity rates continue to rise in the U.S. In 2017, seven states had obesity rates of 35 percent or higher.

Obesity rates by state

In 1990, the state with the highest rate of obesity among residents was Mississippi, at 15 percent. By 2006, its rate had more than doubled. Colorado had the lowest rate, 17.6 percent.

Risks Associated with ObesityThe CDC says many medical conditions are associated with obesity. The most prevalent obesity-related diseases include:High blood pressureHigh cholesterolDiabetesHeart diseaseStrokeGallbladder diseaseOsteoarthritisSleep apnea and respiratory problemsSome cancers (endometrial, breast and colon)

U.S. rise

World rank:Since 1980, the obesity rate has doubled in 73 countries and increased in 113 others. According to the World Obesity Federation, the U.S., Kuwait and Scotland had the highest rates in 2014.

Recent stats and studies

The Huffington Post recently published an article titled “Everything you know about obesity is wrong” that examines how the medical community has failed to help overweight people and goes so far as to say it has ruined millions of lives.

Obesity in California

The portion of the population considered obese went from 9.9 percent in 1990 to about 25 percent in 2010, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Body mass index

The BMI was introduced in the early 19th century by Belgian mathematician Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet to provide a quick way to measure obesity in order to assist the government in allocating resources.

Normal BMI is 18.5-24.9. A National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute chart shows what the index defines as being overweight to being extremely obese.

Discover the joys of rabbit ownership or help a worthy cause at these events coming up soon. Plan ahead so you can attend.

Bunny Expo: Bunny Bunch Rabbit Rescue is holding its annual Bunny Expo from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 14. In addition to health checks for exotic pet, the event will include an agility course, Halloween pet shoot, Halloween costume contest, grooming, a Veggie Grill vegan lunch and more. Admission is free. Bunny Bunch, a nonprofit, no-kill shelter and adoption center, is located at 10534 Bechler River Ave., Fountain Valley, For more information, go to bunnybunch.org or call 833-372-2248.

Help save animals during disasters: SoCal Animal Response Team’s 13th annual fundraiser will be 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21. Wine, appetizers, raffle prizes and information on how to educate the public on helping animals in the aftermath of disasters like floods, fires and earthquakes. Hi-Time Wine Cellars, 250 Ogle St., Costa Mesa. Tax-deductible tickets, $25 each, available at bit.ly/2xGIJ60, or email Susan Keyes at scartdonor@gmail.com. Deadline to purchase tickets is Friday, Oct. 12. Learn more about SCART at scart.us.