Diego

The No. 3 UCLA women’s basketball team won its first game of the season, defeating feisty San Diego State 77–53 on Monday at the Honda Center.

The Bruins (1–0) built an eight-point lead in the first quarter, but the unranked Aztecs (0–1) managed to cut the deficit by three by the end of the period.

San Diego State struggled to score in the second quarter when UCLA went on a 12–2 run.

The scoring gap continued to increase as the Bruins extended their lead to 15 points, ending the first half with a 37–22 advantage.

UCLA center Lauren Betts scored 21 points and grabbed four rebounds, guard Gabriela Jaquez recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds and guard Charlisse Ledger-Walker, who returned to the court after redshirting last season, contributed 12 points and five assists.

The Bruins opened the third quarter with a 16–0 run. Although the Aztecs fought hard to close the gap, the Bruins maintained control, ending the quarter with a 58–38 lead.

San Diego State pushed UCLA again in the fourth quarter, but the Aztecs couldn’t make a meaningful dent in their deficit.

Aztecs sophomore guard Kaelyn Hamilton came off the bench to lead her team with 11 points, while guards Nat Martinez and Nala Williams scored 10 points apiece.

UCLA will play its home opener Thursday against UC Santa Barbara.

DIEGO COSTA may be retired, but he hasn’t lost any of the fire he showed in his playing days, KICKING OUT at ex-Liverpool right-back Martin Kelly in the Chelsea vs Liverpool legends match.

The ex-Brazil and Spain forward, 37, was running onto a through ball from Eden Hazard, when Kelly came through from behind to win the ball from the physical striker, leaving him furious.

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Costa, still on the floor, decided to lash out at Kelly with his studs, planting a foot into the right-back’s upper leg.

Kelly – who only officially retired from football YESTERDAY – was left furious, and we saw a familiar scene as Costa got to his feet and squared up to the 35-year-old.

Things looked to be diffused, only for Costa to carry on playing before choosing Martin Skrtel as his next target.

The Slovakian defender challenged Costa just minutes later, with the striker still clearly unhappy, and then getting booked for squaring up to Skrtel.

And fans were left less-than-shocked on social media.

Taking to X, one wrote: “Diego Costa being aggressive in a Legends match is the most Diego Costa thing ever.”

Another said: “People don’t really change, and Diego Costa reminding us why.”

A third added: “Diego Costa will always be Diego Costa.”

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Even Eden Hazard weighed in at half-time, saying: “”This guy is still the same, you know. We just saw it.”

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Mercedes Bryce Morgan’s horror film “Bone Lake” announces itself with a startlingly cheeky opener and closes with a bloody gore-fest, the song “Sex and Violence” by U.K. punk outfit the Exploited spelling out the thesis of the film for us. It’s about the intertwining of sex and violence, you see. But what unfolds between these naughty, viscera-drenched bookends is less of a traditional horror film and more of a psychosexual thriller, like “Funny Games” played between two, young attractive couples, with a setup borrowed from “Barbarian.”

In the script by Joshua Friedlander, a double-booking of a secluded rental mansion becomes a double date when Will (Alex Roe) and Cin (Andra Nechita) stumble in on the intimate weekend vacay of Sage (Maddie Hasson) and Diego (Marco Pigossi). The couples decide to make the best of it and stay, promising to rock-paper-scissors for the house if anything gets “weird.”

And get weird it does. While Diego and Sage seemed perfectly happy on arrival, the sexy, uninhibited Will and Cin have a way of nosing out their insecurities, finding the cracks in their connection and weaseling their way in. Suddenly, their lackluster sex life is on trial, and Sage’s resentment about financially supporting Diego while he pursues his dream of writing a novel bubbles to the surface.

Like any weekend-goes-awry horror movie (e.g., “Speak No Evil”), the female half of the couple catches a bad vibe that her male partner dismisses, due to his vested interest in wanting to stay. For Diego, it’s the promise that Cin will share his writing with his favorite author, for whom she claims to work. They overlook the red flags, blow off their opportunities to leave and decide to go all in with this wanton pair, drinking, playing games, breaking into secret rooms and dodging sexual overtures from each of them.

Morgan and her cinematographer Nick Matthews make the location fun to look at, with a saturated color palette and clever camera movements. However, there are scenes where the film is frustratingly dim and underlit, even if it might be justified by the power going out during a storm.

While there’s a certain verve and style to the middle section, where Will and Cin draw in their prey and toy with them, the Grand Guignol climax bears no rhythm or suspense; it’s merely a bludgeoning of the audience with carnage — too much too late.

Other blunt instruments? Roe and Nechita, who don’t play their roles with any subtlety. Roe’s Will comes off as a dangerous himbo; Nechita’s Cin is an over-the-top minx in her seduction of both Diego and Sage. While Hasson’s Sage is a plausibly strident freelance journalist type, you wonder if she has much experience with female friendship, because Cin’s manipulation is so painfully obvious. Pigossi’s self-obsessed novelist, however, is perfectly pitched in his all-around obliviousness.

There’s a kernel of something fascinating at the center of “Bone Lake,” a melding of sex and violence into gestures that are familiar from true crime stories. But there’s not enough motivation baked into the big third-act twist, and the performances just aren’t strong enough to suggest anything deeper.

“Bone Lake” offers up an appealing surface but it’s ultimately too shallow to get you immersed.

Katie Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

ATLETICO MADRID boss Diego Simeone has escaped with a one-match ban for his Anfield Champions League red card.

Argentine Simeone was dismissed in the aftermath of Virgil van Dijk‘s stoppage time winner for Liverpool, when he became embroiled in a row with home fans.

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A huge skirmish boiled over when a member of the Atletico staff was accused of spitting and squirting water at Liverpool fans.

But after studying the referee’s and match delegate’s report and video images, Simeone was handed a single game ban for “unsporting conduct”.

It means the former midfielder has been banished from the dressing room and touchline for tonight’s home game with Eintracht Frankfurt.

No action has been taken against the member of the coaching staff, with Uefa seemingly keen to put the matter to bed, although Liverpool were fined £3,500 for fans throwing objects onto the pitch during the game.

Simeone walked out of his post-match press conference in response to a question over whether the insults he had received had been either racist or referred to the 1982 Falklands War.

Before that, the Argentine claimed he had been subjected to “insults for the whole game”.

He said: “Firstly I regret the part I played.

“It’s clear we are in a position where we do not have the right to react and it is not good when we react.

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“My reaction isn’t justifiable but do you know what it is like to be insulted for 90 minutes?

“I saw the third goal go in and I turned, the insults continued, and well, I’m a person.”

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Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has been given a one-match ban for “unsporting conduct” by Uefa following his clash with Liverpool supporters at Anfield earlier this month.

After Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk scored a 92nd-minute winner in Atletico’s 3-2 defeat, Simeone reacted after he appeared to be goaded by a small number of home fans.

The Argentine complained to the fourth official with a number of stewards positioned between him and the Liverpool supporters.

Simeone had to be dragged away from the scene and continued his protests before he was sent off and walked down the tunnel.

His ban lasts for one competitive Uefa fixture, meaning he will miss his side’s home game against Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday (20:00 BST).

Speaking in the news conference after the Liverpool match, the 55-year-old said: “Firstly I regret the part I played. It’s clear we are in a position where we do not have the right to react and it is not good when we react.”

Simone said he “could not remember exactly” what had been, but he took issue with the “insults throughout the whole game” from the home supporters.

“We [managers] are in a position where we are protagonists/standard bearers, so in the same manner that we fight against racism and insults in stadiums today, we could also fight on behalf of the managers, against the insults we receive throughout the whole game.

“It’s not easy to be in the position we are in and receive insults for the whole game. I saw it from far away after the third goal. I saw the third goal go in and I turned, the insults continued, and well, I’m a person.”

Liverpool, meanwhile, have been fined 4,000 euros (£3,492) for the throwing of objects.

Sept. 24 (UPI) — San Diego police fatally shot and killed a man on Tuesday who was reportedly found armed outside of an elementary school.

The California Attorney General’s Office has since launched an investigation into the incident under a police accountability law. But the involvement of the attorney general raises additional questions about the incident.

Police received a call at around 6:43 a.m. PDT that a man was sitting on the campus of Fay Elementary School who had a “gun next to him” and was holding a knife, according to department spokesperson Lt. Travis Easter, who described the incident in two brief videos posted to Facebook.

Officers contacted the man and used de-escalation techniques that included firing less-lethal bean bag rounds and using and an officer K-9, Easter told KNSD.

However, police opened fire on the man after their efforts were unsuccessful. Officers performed life-saving measures on the wounded man, but he died at the scene. No officers were injured.

Police have not offered details on the incident, including how many officers were involved, the number of shots fired, the name of the man and his possible motive. Easter said in a video that the incident will be investigated by the California Department of Justice.

“I was having my coffee this morning and then I heard like nine shots and usually people are popping off fireworks but it didn’t sound like that,” resident David Corpus told KNSD. “I went to the top of the alley and then I saw a body at the top of the street.”

The man was homeless and holding a sharp object, witnesses told KFMB-TV.

“As soon as I was coming in, I just got a call from the prime time teacher there just stating not to bring the kids, that an incident happened,” parent Johanna Vargas told the station. “And I asked her, ‘What happened?’ And she just said that a homeless man came in through the door where the parents have access, and had, like, a sharp object. I don’t know if she said it was a knife or what, but that he was making signs, like, if he was going to stab someone.”

California Attorney General Rob Bonta confirmed the investigation in a press release. It stated that the investigation was being pursued under Assembly Bill 1506, a 2020 state law that mandates state prosecutors investigate when police fatally shoot an unarmed civilian and bring charges against the officer if justified.

Police said the man was fleeing from the school and the time of the shooting, reported Uptown News. Neither police nor Bonta’s office responded to the news outlet’s questions about why the investigation was launched when the man was reportedly armed.

However, KFMB-TV reported that a gun that appeared to have an orange tip was found near the man’s body. The state’s definition of “unarmed” can include someone with a fake weapon, according to the station.

Hirving Lozano and Anders Dreyer scored, and San Diego FC spoiled the home debut of LAFC forward Son Heung-min with a 2-1 victory Sunday night.

After Dreyer got the tiebreaking goal in the 66th minute, Western Conference-leading San Diego held on against a barrage of LAFC chances to extend its unbeaten streak to six matches in MLS play.

Denis Bouanga scored in the first half for LAFC, but the French star and Son both failed to convert golden scoring chances in the final minutes of expansion San Diego’s first trip 120 miles north to BMO Stadium. CJ Dos Santos made three saves for the visitors, including a diving stop on Son in second-half injury time.

Son was given a hero’s welcome in his first match in Los Angeles, taking the field nearly four weeks after LAFC announced the landmark signing of the South Korean star following his decade at Tottenham. Son played his first three matches on the road for LAFC, scoring a goal and immediately energizing the offense while his new club went unbeaten.

The sellout crowd serenaded Son from the moment he stepped on the field for warmups in Los Angeles, which has the world’s largest Korean population outside Korea. With thousands of fans wearing his jerseys for club and country, Son repeatedly waved to those cheering him on, and he exhorted the crowd into a frenzy right before kickoff.

Bouanga put LAFC ahead in the 15th minute with a beautiful chip volley into San Diego’s net off an excellent pass from teenager David Martínez. Bouanga’s goal was his 15th of the season, all in his last 19 matches.

But Lozano answered in the 33rd minute with a strike from the middle of the box for his ninth MLS goal. The Mexican national team star celebrated by taunting the famously raucous North End supporters’ section.

Dreyer put San Diego ahead with an individual effort by the Danish star, slipping behind LAFC’s back line to collect Jeppe Tverskov’s pass and juking two defenders before firing a left-footed shot for his 14th goal.

LAFC controlled play for long stretches, but couldn’t even it.

Son hit a screamer toward the far top corner in the 45th minute, but Dos Santos made a superb leaping save.

Hugo Lloris’ long pass put Son in a one-on-one break in the 74th minute, but he couldn’t get a shot off.

Son then hit the post in the 78th minute with a shot from the top of the box.

Bouanga got alone on the keeper in the 82nd minute, but waited too long to take a shot.

Son’s hard shot in the 92nd minute was saved by a diving Dos Santos.

During an interview that will be aired on Thursday for “Friday Night Live” on The Times’ X account, Kennedy All-City quarterback Diego Montes was asked about players in the City Section being overlooked.

That produced a response, “Do not sleep on the City Section.”

“I can’t afford to play for a private school,” he said. “I don’t think where you play should matter that great. You’re telling me if I play for a private school, that makes me any better than I am now? No. There’s talent in the City Section.”

The complete interview can be seen at 5 p.m. Thursday via X at LATSondheimer.

Montes accounted for seven touchdowns (four running) in a 56-51 win over Eagle Rock last week.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].

When it comes to athletes who deserve to be welcomed on a red carpet walk each time they show up for classes, the name of John Michael Flint of Bishop Diego High comes to mind.

He’s 6 feet 2 and 180 pounds, was the league player of the year in volleyball, has a 38-inch vertical leap that allows him to dunk a basketball or kill a volleyball at the blink of an eye, and starts for the football team at receiver and safety. He’s also an A student and the backup quarterback.

“We’re talking to him about doing some kicking,” football coach Tom Crawford said. “He can pretty much do anything you ask. He’s the complete student-athlete.”

He’s going to be a captain for the football team and also helps out with campus ministry.

“He’s mature beyond most high school kids’ years in terms of decisions he makes and how he relates to coaches and peers,” Crawford said. “I just like him because he has a great, quiet confidence and poise about him.”

He’s expected to also play basketball this coming season after not playing last season.

So get ready for the year of John Michael Flint showing the way at Bishop Diego.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].

Alanna Kennedy scored a late equalizer and Angel City tied the San Diego Wave 1-1 on Saturday night in their Southern California rivalry.

Just as the Wave looked to be securing a first home win over Angel City since 2022, Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir sent in a cross and Kennedy scored on a header to make it 1-1 in the second minute of stoppage time. The goal was Kennedy’s first for Angel City.

San Diego opened the scoring in the 85th minute, when Makenzy Robbe curled in a shot across the goal from the right side of the box. It was Robbe’s first goal of the season, but her 10th career goal for the Wave.

In the first half, after being struck in the head by the ball, Angel City defender Sarah Gorden left the game with a concussion.

The fourth-place Wave (7-4-4) are undefeated in their last four matches, although the last three have been ties.

Angel City (4-7-4) remains 11th in the standings and is winless in its last seven games. The team is winless since coach Alex Straus came aboard in June.

The surf can be fun on the right tides, but it is most often best for beginners unless the waves reach over 3 feet and begin to close out quickly. It is a popular spot with foil boarders who like to practice on the rolling waves commonly found on smaller days.

If you don’t like the occasional wag of a wet dog, you should pick another spot. There is a short trail leading up to the cliffs. From the top, you get a great view of the strand heading south into Del Mar with Torrey Pines and La Jolla in the distance. At high tides, you lose access to a strand that heads north to Solana Beach for short periods.

Best for: Dog lovers, volleyball, walkers and joggers, families

Bathrooms: Porta-potties

Parking: Paid street parking along Coast Highway

Dog-friendly: Yes, off-leash from the day after Labor Day to June 15 and from dawn to 8 a.m. the rest of the year, otherwise must be leashed.

ADA-accessible: Yes, paved ramp leading to the beach, but there is no path leading out onto the sand.

What’s nearby: The Del Mar Fairgrounds, home of the Sound, an indoor music venue that fits 1,900, is just behind the beach. Also, try the breakfast burrito at Ranch 45 Local Provisions.

SAN DIEGO — As the Chargers’ team bus rolled down the freeway past Poway and toward San Diego, Tony Jefferson couldn’t help but smile.

This feels like home.

Eight years after the Chargers left San Diego, the organization is reintroducing itself to the city with two days of training camp this week. Fans who couldn’t secure tickets to practice at the University of San Diego on Tuesday still clamored for a glimpse from the top of a nearby hill. Jefferson, a San Diego native who grew up rooting for the Chargers, has been happy to see the support grow after the franchise’s contentious departure.

“With any sports team that leaves the city, [fans] feel empty when it comes to that spot,” said Jefferson, who signed with the Chargers last year. “But I think we’re gradually filling that void back.”

Coach Jim Harbaugh’s numerous ties to San Diego and instantaneous winning appeared to smooth out a potential reunion with the city. When team executives approached him about returning to San Diego for training camp, the coach eagerly agreed. He suggested the University of San Diego campus, where he got his head coaching start in 2004 for the Toreros.

More than two decades later, this week’s practices are a homecoming for Harbaugh, but it’s not an olive branch for the Chargers organization, he insisted.

“It is all about the great fans we have,” Harbaugh said in June. “We want to go to our fans. We want to go to our Chargers supporters and they’re everywhere.”

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh instructs players during training camp in San Diego on Tuesday.

(Gregory Bull / Associated Press)

Although the Chargers returned this week, they didn’t throw the doors open to all fans. Both of their practices were limited in attendance. Tuesday’s practice was open to only active-duty military and veterans. Wednesday’s is reserved for season ticket holders.

Players signed autographs for almost an hour after practice Tuesday. Quarterback Justin Herbert looped back twice in front of a swath of fans that ran three bus-lengths long. Safety Derwin James Jr., who never played in San Diego after getting drafted in 2018, was in awe of all the No. 3 jerseys he saw in the crowd.

“It made my heart warm just having so much support,” James said. “I can’t wait to give them something to cheer for.”

Harbaugh’s history as a player has helped the Chargers tap back into their roots while celebrating their most iconic players. The coach who played two seasons for the Chargers called former teammate Rodney Harrison to inform the safety that he would be inducted into the Chargers’ Hall of Fame in October. Legendary tight end Antonio Gates will enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame in less than two weeks. Five years after playing the final season of his 17-year career with the Indianapolis Colts, quarterback Philip Rivers reversed course to put a more fitting punctuation mark on his career by announcing Monday that he would officially retire as a Charger.

Doubling down on the nostalgia, the Chargers unveiled throwback alternative navy jerseys that were a hit among players and fans. Seeing the navy uniform with gold-lined white lightning bolts “struck me at the core,” Jefferson said. It was just like the first NFL jersey he owned: a Junior Seau jersey he received for Christmas.

The Chargers were at the center of almost all of Jefferson’s core NFL memories growing up. He sat in the nosebleeds with his girlfriend at his first NFL game between the Chargers and Raiders. He played his last high school football game for Chula Vista Eastlake High in Qualcomm Stadium.

Chargers running back Omarion Hampton runs through a drill during training camp in San Diego on Tuesday.

(Gregory Bull / Associated Press)

But the stadium grew outdated, prompting the Chargers to relocate. Now when Jefferson drives south on Interstate 15, he still hates looking to his right because he misses the familiar venue.

“This type of stuff just happens,” Jefferson said. “It happened to the Raiders. They’re our rival and they’re pretty big in what they represent organization-wise and they moved, too. It’s just the business.”

The Padres are the only remaining major pro sports team in San Diego and the city pride runs deep. When the Chargers celebrated the Dodgers’ World Series title last year, die-hard Padres fan Jefferson recoiled at the sight of a floor-to-ceiling congratulatory message in the Chargers practice facility.

But with no pro football in the city, Jefferson, who still lives in San Diego, tries to remind fans that this team is still the Chargers.

“Us just being two hours away, SoFi is a perfect venue for fans, I don’t see why we shouldn’t have the San Diego fans,” Jefferson said. “I think coming here is just opening up the arms again and letting them know.”

Etc.

Rashawn Slater missed a third consecutive day of practice and is “working through something,” Harbaugh said. The coach characterized the undisclosed injury as minor, tip-toeing around suggestions that Slater is trying to wait out negotiations for a contract extension. … The Chargers signed running back Nyheim Hines to bolster a position that is still waiting for Najee Harris’ return. Harris remains on the non-football injury list after suffering an eye injury from a fireworks accident, but has been attending team meetings. While signing Hines, the Chargers waived offensive lineman Savion Washington with a failed physical designation. Washington was on the physically unable to perform list.

Marco Reus and Diego Fagúndez scored goals and Galaxy defeated D.C. United 2-1 on Saturday night.

Reus scored in the 23rd minute with a right-footed shot from the right side of the box to the lower left-central zone and the Galaxy carried the 1-0 advantage into the halftime break.

The Galaxy outshot the United 13-11 overall and 5-3 on goal.

Fagúndez made it 2-0 for the Galaxy early in the second half when he scored with from the center of the box to the bottom left corner.

In the 77th minute, Gabriel Pirani got the United on the board, connecting from the center of the box to the bottom right corner.

Pirani’s goal was the first for the United (4-11-7) in four games. They are winless in their past five matches.

Novak Micovic had two saves for the Galaxy (3-13-6) and Luis Barraza had three saves for United.

There once was a time the City Section had the best quarterbacks, the days of John Elway (Granada Hills), Tom Ramsey (Kennedy) and Jay Schroeder (Palisades) all playing against each other.

This fall, the City Section has lots of quality returning quarterbacks, making it possible for them to get some attention at a time the talent level has been dwindling overall.

Let’s start with Diego Montes of Kennedy. He’s 5 feet 11, 160 pounds, an A student and certified baller. All he did as a junior was pass for 2,508 yards and 24 touchdowns and rush for 1,400 yards and 25 touchdowns. He had a 91-yard run.

“I have more stamina,” he said after a spring of running track. “We run tempo offense, so being able to get up on the line right after you bust a 20-yard run or chip away at the defense, you’re in better condition. I’m not scared of putting my shoulder down.”

Liam Pasten of Eagle Rock had 3,602 yards passing as a junior and has his own hair-cutting business, so defenders be nice because he can make you look good in other ways.

Chris Fields of Carson, Jack Thomas of Palisades, Seth Solorio of San Pedro and Elijah McDaniel of Dorsey are the rarest of the rare — they left Southern Section schools to join the City Section, coming from Lawndale, Loyola, St. John Bosco and Warren, respectively. Each has a chance to lift and provide big-time contributions this fall.

One of the top freshmen quarterbacks in Southern California should be Thaddeu Breaux of Hamilton. At least he’s expected to have the opportunity to pass and pass. Coach Elijah Asante is projecting 50 pass attempts a game.

There’s returning quarterbacks at Cleveland, Taft, South Gate, Birmingham and elsewhere, so that’s a good sign the offenses in the City Section should be in good position to roll from the opening games on Aug. 22.

They should remember there’s NFL Hall of Famers from the City Section who once wore jerseys they are wearing. The names of Elway, Bob Waterfield (Van Nuys) and Warren Moon (Hamilton) come to mind.

Official practice begins at the end of next month.

The enormousness of “California,” as a territory and an ideology, is hard for any mind to contain. It’s beautiful. It’s complicated and divided and challenged. Among one of a thousand ways to define the Golden State: culinary juggernaut.

Our spectrum of influence — from chefs, farmers, impresarios and dreamers who reimagined restaurant cooking into something synced with the seasons and personal identity, to the capitalists who gave birth to fast food — has shaped and kept reshaping how Americans eat over the last century.

Los Angeles alone is boggling enough in its magnitudes for a critic to eat and think through. I’ve wandered a lot in my career, though. As the world emerged from the grip of COVID-19, a professional curiosity surfaced: What was happening in the rest of the state? What had remained and what was changing?

Inquisitiveness evolved into a fevered question: What restaurants altogether tell the richest, broadest story of dining in California right now?

The riddle can never be perfectly solved, and yet: This is a guide full of delicious answers.

A year of driving up and down the California coast — steering inland and back, watching winter mountains bloom green and then fade to brown again by late spring — unfolded in a blur of taquerias, tasting menus, strip malls, remote highways, tostadas, dumplings, nigiri, falafel, pho, kebabs … .

Moments crystallized. The triangles of buttery, corn-filled pasta that trumpeted high summer in a rustic dining room on a hilly corner of San Francisco’s Financial District. The new owner who revived a 91-year-old diner in downtown Sacramento with a burger she calls “Southern Daddy” and her calling-card sweet potato pie. The glamour-soaked San Diego dining room, all golds and greens and chiaroscuro lighting, that set a cinematic mood for an evening of modern Vietnamese cuisine.

Attempting a statewide survey stemmed organically from the 101 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles project that The Times has published annually since 2013. I’ve written or co-written six of them now. “Best” is a word for headline catnip that I live with but don’t love. “Essential” has always been more of a guiding precept for me. I want readers — you — to know about places for their incredible food, but I trust these very human endeavors also speak to something larger about dining and life in Los Angeles.

Seven years in, L.A. feels like my home home. The San Francisco Chronicle employed me nearly 20 years ago; the Bay Area is a mainstay in my adult life. I’ve never been keen on the “L.A. versus S.F.” tribalism. Isn’t it kind of staggering that this wild state, slightly smaller than Morocco and currently the fourth-largest economy on the planet, has two uniquely different and world-class urban hubs?

And there’s so much more of California to see and taste.

Too much, in fact, to fit into the usual framework. Yes, this is a list of 101 restaurants that serve many kinds of foods at every price tier. (I did leave off the three most famous tentpoles in California fine dining: Chez Panisse, Spago and the French Laundry. You know them. Go if they call to you.) Many of the entries put forth “extra helpings” — corresponding pillars of excellence that also deserve recognition. It’s the whole blessed state. There’s a lot to recommend.

These travels have likewise spurred fresh, deeper guides to popular destinations such as San Francisco, San Diego and Palm Springs. More are coming.

No single person could filter through the infinite possibilities; gratitude goes to the many food-writing peers and some well-fed friends who gave me guidance at every major intersection.

I did not rank these restaurants. This isn’t about numerals or symbol ratings. It’s one glimpse into our cultures and diversities — into cuisines that uphold traditions, or disrupt with originality, or inhabit some fruitful middle ground. Any endeavor like this is an invitation to savor and to debate. I crisscrossed plenty of California. It still feels like a beginning.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell.

The Dodgers head to San Diego for a three-game series with the Padres starting tonight. Whichever team wins the season series will have an advantage when it comes to winning the division, plus it also will give them the tiebreaker advantage should the teams tie.

These are the first three of 13 games against the Padres this season, so let’s take a look at them. You can see all the stats on the Padres team page at baseball-reference.com.

Catcher
Elías Díaz (.224/.288/.321, 71 OPS+)
Martín Maldonado (.174/.203/.267, 32 OPS+)

Neither one of these guys can hit, but are solid defensively. Maldonado won a Gold Glove way back in 2017 with the Angels. However, it’s players such as these two, guys who have trouble hitting, who seem to come up big against the Dodgers, dating all the way back to Brian Doyle and the 1978 World Series.

Bonus facts: Díaz was named minor league catcher of the year by Baseball America in 2015. On April 18, 2014 against Pittsburgh, Maldonado hit a grounder to third. Pirates third baseman Pedro Álvarez fielded the grounder, but the cover had partially come off the baseball and was hanging off its side; Álvarez threw the ball to first but it fell apart in midair. So, Maldonado is one guy who can say he literally knocked the cover off the ball.

First base
Luis Arráez (.276/.310/.397, 97 OPS+)

Arráez has won three straight batting titles (2022 with Minnesota, 2023 with Miami, 2024 with the Marlins and Padres). You’ll notice that despite this, he has played for three different teams. The reason is he draws no walks, has little power, and it is believed his glove is made out of cast iron. Winning three straight batting titles is nothing to sneeze at, but that’s all he brings to the table.

Bonus fact: In June 2023, Arráez had three five-hit games, tying the record for most five-hit games in a month held by Ty Cobb, George Sisler and Dave Winfield.

Second base
Jake Cronenworth (.242/.373/.403, 119 OPS+)

Cronenworth is having a rebound season at the plate after a couple of off seasons, and he has always been solid with the glove. Guys such as Cronenworth usually don’t get the headlines, but help you win ballgames in ways that don’t always show up in the box score.

Bonus fact: He hit his first career home run in 2020 off of Dustin May.

Third base
Manny Machado (.318/.382/.515, 150 OPS+)

While, as Yogi Berra once said, “Nobody likes Manny Machado,” the fact remains that he is a great player. Outstanding hitter, outstanding on defense.

Bonus facts: Machado has a dog named Kobe, named in honor of Kobe Bryant. Baltimore Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer once said of Machado: “He reminds me of how I think Cal Ripken Jr. would have been if he had played third base his entire career.”

Shortstop
Xander Bogaerts (.236/.321/.324, 83 OPS+)

All the power in Bogaerts’ bat disappeared two years ago and hasn’t come back. He has a career .447 slugging percentage, but he hasn’t cracked .400 in a season since 2023.

Bonus fact: Bogaerts is one of only six players in major league history to be born in Aruba. The elementary school he went to there is now named after him.

Left field
Tyler Wade (.235/.326/.272, 71 OPS+)
Brandon Lockridge (.224/.272/.276, 55 OPS+)

Left field has been a black hole offensively for the Padres, much as it has been for the Dodgers. Jason Heyward has the most starts in left, but he’s on the IL. And he wasn’t hitting either. This is a prime example for when we discuss the fact that the Dodgers aren’t the only good team with holes in the lineup,

Bonus facts: Wade played 67 games for the Angels in 2021. Lockridge made his major league debut on my birthday, which is probably a bonus fact only interesting to me.

Center field
Jackson Merrill (.299/.352/.461, 123 OPS+)

Last season, Merrill finished second in rookie of the year voting, ninth in MVP voting, was an All-Star and won the Silver Slugger award. Pretty decent first year, I’d say. He’s back for more of the same this season, hitting better than he did last year. He’s also good with the glove.

Bonus fact: Merrill is the first rookie in Padres history to make the All-Star team.

Right field
Fernando Tatis Jr. (.259/.332/.461, 120 OPS+)

Still one of the top players in the game, however, his numbers at the plate have declined since his return from an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs in 2022. His OPS+ in the three seasons before: 154, 156, 166. Three seasons after: 110, 130, 120. Won a Gold Glove in 2023.

Bonus fact: In 2021, Tatis became the youngest player to appear on the cover of the “MLB: The Show” video game.

Designated hitter
Gavin Sheets (.250/.307/.460, 112 OPS+)

Sheets is second on the team in home runs (11) and leads the Padres in RBIs with 38. He sometimes plays first base, with Arráez moving to DH.

Starting pitching
We will focus on the three pitchers scheduled to start against the Dodgers.

Nick Pivetta (6-2, 3.16 ERA, 127 ERA+)
Dylan Cease (1-5, 4.72 ERA, 85 ERA+)
Randy Vásquez (3-4, 3.69 ERA, 109 ERA+)

Pivetta signed a four-year, $55-million deal in the offseason and has earned every penny so far, striking out 76 in 68 1/3 innings while giving up 51 hits and 19 walks. He spent the previous five seasons with the Red Sox.

Cease is the nominal ace on the team, but hasn’t pitched like one. He finished fourth in Cy Young voting last season. He has pitched into some bad luck, as his Fielding Independent Pitching ERA is 3.20.

Vásquez has a good ERA, but his FIP is 5.34, meaning he has had some good luck. Traditionally, this means you can expect his ERA to go up, and Cease’s to go down as the season wears on. FIP is heavily used by GM’s and members of a front office’s brain trust to determine how well a pitcher is really performing, so it’s a good stat to know. Click on the link above to be taken to a full explanation of it.

Bonus facts: Cease’s paternal grandmother, Betty Cease, played pro baseball in the 1940s….. Pivetta made his major league debut in 2017 against the Dodgers…. Vásquez was included in the package the Yankees sent to the Padres to acquire Juan Soto before the 2024 season.

Closer
Robert Suarez (1-1, 1.84 ERA, 21 saves)

Suarez leads the majors with 21 saves, has blown only two saves and has allowed zero of five inherited runners to score.

Bonus fact: Suarez is a two-time Japan Series champion.

The Dodgers have 14 pitchers on the IL, the Padres have five. Which is one reason for this:

Rotation ERA
San Diego, 3.80
Dodgers, 4.29

Bullpen ERA
San Diego, 3.08
Dodgers, 3.94

The Dodgers outhit the Padres (5.54 runs per game to 4.10), but the Padres outpitch the Dodgers. Which side will win out in these three games? In the season? We’ll find out. It will be fun to watch.

Top 10 catchers

Who are your top 10 Dodgers catchers of all time (including Brooklyn)? Email your list to [email protected] and let me know.

Many of you have asked for a list of catchers to be considered. Here are the 40 strongest candidates, in alphabetical order.

Rod Barajas, Austin Barnes, Roy Campanella, Gary Carter, Con Daily, Rick Dempsey, Bruce Edwards, A.J. Ellis, Tex Erwin, Duke Farrell, Joe Ferguson, Jack Fimple, Yasmani Grandal, John Grim, Tom Haller, Todd Hundley, Charles Johnson, Chad Kreuter, Ernie Krueger, Paul Lo Duca, Al López, Russell Martin, Lew McCarty, Deacon McGuire, Jack Meyers, Johnny Oates, Mickey Owen, Babe Phelps, Mike Piazza, Joe Pignatano, Tom Prince, John Roseboro, David Ross, Mike Scioscia, Norm Sherry, Duke Sims, Will Smith, Zack Taylor, Jeff Torborg, Álex Treviño, Steve Yeager.

Not ideal

Dalton Rushing was brought up because Austin Barnes could no longer hit and was not as good as he used to be behind the plate.

Rushing went two for four in his first game and two for five in his second, and it looked like they were going to have to find a way to get his bat in the lineup more often.

Since then, he has gone three for 24 with 16 strikeouts. The league always adjusts to new batters. The question now is: Can Rushing adjust back? The Dodgers also have a

Time for Kim to play more

I’m all for giving established players a chance. It worked for Max Muncy. However, I just want to throw this out there: It’s time for Hyeseong Kim to play more, and Michael Conforto to play less. That concludes today’s lecture.

Another pitcher injured

Tony Gonsolin has been put on the IL with tenderness in his pitching elbow. The good news is an MRI scan showed no structural damage. But that just adds a new name to the list of pitchers on the IL:

Luis García
Tyler Glasnow
Tony Gonsolin
Brusdar Graterol
Michael Grove
Edgardo Henriquez
Kyle Hurt
Evan Phillips
River Ryan
Roki Sasaki
Emmet Sheehan
Blake Snell
Gavin Stone
Blake Treinen

The good news is Michael Kopech and Kirby Yates have come off the IL and pitched Sunday. That should be of enormous help to the bullpen. But I believe the starting rotations right now is:

Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Dustin May
Clayton Kershaw
One of those cardboard cutouts from the 2020 season
89-year-old Sandy Koufax

The Dodgers need to get Glasnow and Snell healthy or the staff will be in tatters by the time the postseason rolls around.

These names seem familiar

A look at how some prominent Dodgers from the last few seasons are doing with their new team (through Sunday). Click on the player name to be taken to the Baseball Reference page with all their stats.

Batters

Cody Bellinger, Yankees: .261/.336/.454, 250 plate appearances, 11 doubles, 2 triples, 9 homers, 35 RBIs, 121 OPS+

Michael Busch, Cubs: .276/.374/.515, 227 PA’s, 11 doubles, 3 triples, 10 homers, 38 RBIs, 155 OPS+

Jason Heyward, Padres, .176/.223/.271, 95 PA’s, 2 doubles, 2 homers, 12 RBIs, 38 OPS+, on the IL

Gavin Lux, Reds: .277/.367/.393, 218 PA’s, 14 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, 26 RBIs, 108 OPS+

Zach McKinstry, Tigers: .271/.358/.417, 230 PA’s, 10 doubles, 5 triples, 3 homers, 19 RBIs, 120 OPS+

Joc Pederson, Rangers, .131/.269/.238, 146 PA’s, 5 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, 6 RBIs, 49 OPS+, on the IL

Keibert Ruiz, Nationals, .255/.292/.332, 219 PA’s, 10 doubles, 2 homers, 22 RBIs, 80 OPS+

Corey Seager, Rangers: .239/.297/.403, 145 PA’s, 4 doubles, 6 homers, 12 RBIs, 100 OPS+

Chris Taylor, Angels: .222/.300/.444, 30 PA’s, 3 doubles, 1 homer, 3 RBIs, 108 OPS+ (numbers with Angels only)

Justin Turner, Cubs: .211/.302/.267, 106 PA’s, 2 doubles, 1 homer, 11 RBIs, 67 OPS+

Trea Turner, Phillies: .300/.353/.446, 283 PA’s, 13 doubles, 2 triples, 7 homers, 30 RBIs, 122 OPS+

Miguel Vargas, White Sox: .237/.319/.421, 257 PA’s, 15 doubles, 9 homers, 29 RBIs, 109 OPS+

Alex Verdugo, Braves: .250/.305/.316, 164 PA’s, 10 doubles, 11 RBIs, 76 OPS+

Pitching

Walker Buehler, Red Sox: 4-4, 5.18 ERA, 48.2 IP, 53 hits, 17 walks, 44 K’s, 80 ERA+

Jack Flaherty, Tigers: 5-6, 3.41 ERA, 71.1 IP, 53 hits, 23 walks, 85 K’s, 117 ERA+

Kenley Jansen, Angels: 1-2, 4.64 ERA, 14 saves, 21.1 IP, 20 hits, 9 walks, 19 K’s, 90 ERA+

Craig Kimbrel, Braves: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 K, designated for assignment

Kenta Maeda, Cubs: 0-0, 7.88 ERA, eight IP, nine hits, six walks, eight K’s, 52 ERA+, in the minors

Ryan Pepiot, Rays: 3-5, 3.20 ERA, 76 IP, 64 hits, 22 walks, 64 K’s, 121 ERA+

Max Scherzer, Blue Jays: 0-0, 6.00 ERA, three IP, three hits, 0 walks, one K, 77 ERA+, on the IL

Ryan Yarbrough, Yankees: 3-1, 4.17 ERA, 45.1 IP, 39 hits, 13 walks, 43 K’s, 96 ERA+

Is there a player you’d like to see listed here? Email me at [email protected] and let me know.

Up next

Monday: Dodgers (Dustin May, 3-4, 4.09 ERA) at San Diego (Nick Pivetta, 6-2, 3.16 ERA), 6:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Tuesday: Dodgers (TBD) at San Diego (Dylan Cease, 1-5, 4.72 ERA), 6:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Wednesday: Dodgers (*Justin Wrobelski, 1-2, 7.20 ERA) at San Diego (Randy Vásquez, 3-4, 3.69 ERA), 1:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Dodgers place starting pitcher Tony Gonsolin on the injured list

Clayton Kershaw delivers exactly what the Dodgers need in win over Cardinals

And finally

In 1988, Kirk Gibson scores from second on a wild pitch. Watch and listen here.

Until next time…

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

SAN DIEGO — Hirving Lozano scored in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time to lift San Diego FC to a 2-1 victory over the Galaxy on Saturday.

Lozano scored on a header from the top center of the box following a well-placed pass by Anders Dreyer.

San Diego FC (8-4-3, 27 points), in its first MLS season, swept the two-game season series from the defending MLS Cup champions, having also defeated the Galaxy 2-0 in February.

The winless Galaxy (0-11-4, 4 points) scored first when Diego Fagúndez connected with a right-footed shot from the center of the box to the middle right zone in the 40th minute.

San Diego drew even a minute later with Luca de la Torre’s right-footed shot from the center of the box to the central bottom zone.

San Diego had a 57.2 possession percentage and outshot the Galaxy 13-9 overall and 2-1 in shots on goal. There were no goalkeeper saves in the match.

San Diego visits Seattle on Wednesday and the Galaxy hosts San José.

At least three people aboard a jet headed for Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in San Diego were killed when the aircraft crashed into a neighborhood early Thursday.

The Federal Aviation Administration said six people were on the Cessna 550 when it crashed amid dense fog around 3:45 a.m. While authorities have not named anyone who died in the crash, a spokesperson for Sound Talent Group, a San Diego-based music agency, confirmed to The Times that the company lost three employees.

Among them was Dave Shapiro, the company’s co-founder. The other employees were not named.

“We are devastated by the loss of our co-founder, colleagues and friends,” read a company statement. “Our hearts go out to their families and to everyone impacted by today’s tragedy. Thank you so much for respecting their privacy at this time.”

Dave Shapiro, 42

Shapiro’s digital presence encapsulated the spirit of an adventurer. He was a music agent, airplane and helicopter pilot, husband, puppy dad and retired BASE jumper, according to his Instagram bio.

Shapiro, who co-founded Sound Talent Group in 2018, also started Velocity Aviation, a company that offers scenic flight tours in San Diego and Homer, Alaska. The aviation company also specializes in aircraft leasing, aircraft sales consulting, ferry flights and flight instruction, according to the Velocity Aviation website.

Shapiro took his first flight class in 2005 as a 22-year-old executive in the music business and was immediately “hooked to all things aviation,” the website reads.

Shapiro also owned a restaurant, record label and a merchandise manufacturing business.

“From BASE jumping to aerobatic flying, Helicopters to twin engines, flight instructing to furthering his own education, doesn’t matter to Dave as long as he gets to be in the sky,” the Velocity Aviation website reads. “With over 15 years of flight experience, thousands of hours logged, and over a million miles flown, Dave continues to grow his experience and share it with the aviation community through the many services Velocity Aviation offers.”

Videos on Instagram show him performing rolls and other aerobatic maneuvers while piloting an aircraft. In 2020, he posted a photo of his pilot licenses announcing that he’d been certified as an airline transport pilot.

“For non-aviators, this is the license above commercial. Although I have a career and don’t plan to change that I always want to learn more and be a better pilot,” he wrote in the caption. “Passed the check ride a couple months ago and got my cert in the mail! Did the test in a citation 525 series so I’m now rated for the CJ jets too. Fun times.”

Flying was more than a business to Shapiro. It was also an element of one of life’s biggest milestones — his wedding.

In 2016, Shapiro and his wife boarded a bright red plane mounted with skis to fly over Denali National Park in Alaska to get to their ceremony. The couple said “I do” on Kahiltna Glacier — the bride wearing a gold sequined dress and the groom a dark suit and an Iron Maiden T-shirt.

Shapiro’s wife detailed the whirlwind celebration in a story published online, ending it with a message of adoration for her groom: “my beautiful husband, thank you for existing and I love you way more.”

An outpouring of condolences were posted to social media Thursday. The music industry veteran worked as a band manager, promoter and other roles in American metalcore, pop-punk and emo rock music.

“He was my manager and agent for years and a huge part of my career as a producer and musician,” musician Carson Slovak wrote on Facebook. “He was a truly good person and an inspiration to countless people. His contributions to the music industry are legendary and his charitable spirit had a profound effect on so many. I’m heartbroken and in shock.”

Bill D’Arcangelo, an artist manager at Mid Atlantic Management, said in a post on Facebook that Shapiro was “a pillar of the music industry that will never be replicated or replaced.”

This is a breaking story and will be updated.

May 22 (UPI) — A small jet plane crashed near a military housing neighborhood outside San Diego but the number of onboard fatalities is not yet known.

The incident was reported around 3:45 a.m. local time in the 3100 block of Salmon Street near the Tierrasanta neighborhood in the Murphy Canyon area.

According to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, the aircraft was a Cessna 550, which often is used as a corporate jet.

One local resident was hospitalized and two others were treated for minor injuries, the San Diego Police Department reported.

It added that the plane crashed near California’s Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport after it took off Wednesday night from New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport, according to flight data on FlightAware.

It reportedly landed early Thursday morning in Wichita, where it stayed in Kansas for about an hour before it departed for California.

The Cessna struck homes and caused about 15, along with several cars, to catch fire, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Assistant Chief Dan Eddy told reporters at the crash site.

“The number of people on board is unknown at this time,” the agency initially said, adding the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the deadly crash.

“The NSTB will lead the investigation and provide any updates,” FAA officials said. “This information is preliminary and subject to change,” they warned.

Eddy said the were no on-ground fatalities but the plane could have held up to 10 people, including its pilot.

According to SDFD officials, the crash scene is now a HAZMAT situation because of aviation fuel flowing down the streets, forcing multiple neighborhoods to be evacuated.

San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said there was “jet fuel going down the street and everything on fire all at once.” He added that it was “pretty horrific to see.”

Meanwhile, at least a dozen local pets were rescued or decontaminated by the San Diego Humane Society after the crash in the Murphy Canyon area.

“On behalf of our city, I extend my condolences to the families and loved ones of those aboard the plane,” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said in a statement, expressing his “deepest” gratitude to scores of agencies for their “swift, coordinated responses” that “quickly evacuated residents, extinguished fires and secured the area to ensure this tragedy was not compounded.”

“San Diego will support the Navy as they assist the residents affected by this tragedy,” the mayor said.