Jeremy T. Ringfield's Blog, page 354

Game of the week: Carmel, Monterey clash to provide playoff feel

CARMEL – The springboard to the longest current regular-season winning streak in the Pacific Coast Athletic League began in the midst of Carmel’s worst season on offense in 23 years.

Through eight games in 2022, the Padres had produced just 112 points and had even been held out of the end zone in one game in a 3-5 start.

While there was optimism that the offense was turning a corner, no one could have predicted what transpired against playoff-bound Monterey – Saturday’s opponent — when the Padres looked, well like vintage Carmel in a stunning 51-44 win.

“We had thought we were getting better and improving offensively,” remembered Camel coach Golden Anderson. “We felt we caught them on an off day.”

Perhaps.

Carmel, though, has not let off the pedal since that late October meeting in 2022, averaging 42.8 points a game during its current 15-game regular-season run of wins.

“The feeling at the time is we can do this, not just coaches telling us,” Anderson said. “We had been outmanned most of the season. But these are two completely different teams today.”

Except when you look back at what was arguably the best game of the 2022 season, 11 of the 13 touchdowns that were scored in that epic meeting were by players who will be in uniform on Saturday.

“Their goal is to outscore you,” said Monterey coach Alex Besaw, who finished with the second-highest scoring offense in the PCAL last fall in the regular season behind Carmel, while in the more competitive Gabilan Division.

The Padres, who won the Mission Division South, have produced 50 or more points six times in their run, with the lowest scoring output being 35 points.

“What got to us in that game is we committed physical penalties and aided them in moving the chains,” Besaw said. “We have to be better with our technique, but with the same aggressiveness.”

One of just two teams still undefeated in the PCAL, Carmel has gone on the road and beaten Christopher and North Coast Section champion Miramonte.

“Everyone we have faced was a little different,” Anderson said. “It’s been bits and pieces of what Monterey does. Christopher threw the ball from the pocket, which Preston does real well.”

Anderson was speaking about Toreadores’ quarterback Preston White, who has thrown for more than 4,500 yards and 56 touchdowns in 27 career games.

Monterey High’s Preston White has a strong pocket presence. (Raul Ebio – Herald Correspondent)

Ironically, White, who rushed for two touchdowns in the shootout against Carmel in 2022, didn’t throw a touchdown pass, which has happened on just one other occasion in his career.

“What makes them effective is they’ve been doing it longer,” Anderson said. “It’s a program that has established themselves. They have three levels of football. It will be a huge test. We’re excited for the challenge.”

While this is a league-mandated cross-over game, in which names were drawn out of a hat, it’s kind of a hidden rivalry between the two Monterey Peninsula schools — in all sports, as shown by Monterey and Carmel sharing a league title in basketball last season.

“I think it’s one of those games that fans on both sides look forward to,” Anderson said. “It’s a good test for us and that’s what you want if you want to become a better football team.”

As dynamic as Carmel’s passing attack is, Ashton Rees has become a wide-back of sorts, having rushed for eight touchdowns this year, which puts him on pace to break his mark of 15 from last fall.

Rees is still a part of a dynamic receiver corps that includes Simeon Brown, Ty Arnold, Stanford-bound baseball pitcher Matt Maxon and Brooklyn Ashe.

Carmel High’s Simeon Brown scored three touchdowns against Monterey last season. (Raul Ebio – Herald Correspondent)

“Balance for them isn’t necessary run to pass,” Besaw said. “Carmel threw 20 screens in their last game. They will run the ball. But they like to spread things to the wides.”

Brown, who torched Monterey for three touchdowns in the last meeting, including a 99-yard pick-six, already has three touchdown catches this fall.

Carmel quarterback Hudson Rutherford has thrown for 798 yards in three games, completing 75 percent of his passes to his fab five.

“The experience shows up on film,” Besaw said. “Carmel shows a lot of different things and is really good at executing. Hudson has good timing and a good relationship with his receivers.”

Coming off a bye week, Besaw used the extra time to improve the weaknesses that popped up on film in a humbling 28-7 loss to Menlo-Atherton.

“We’re still trying to figure out our identity as a team,” Besaw said. “We got exposed. A lot of our problems come with discipline. We need to hold each other accountable.”

Besaw showed his team on a chart that the Toreadores have been penalized 19 times for 155 yards in just two games.

“I told them the scouting report on us is we’re an undisciplined team and we have a hard time playing from behind,” Besaw said. “How do we overcome that — know what it is to do the right things?”

As much as Besaw likes to show off his arsenal of receivers, which includes Kavon Collins and Kai Vaughn, Monterey showcases a 1,000-yard caliber back in senior Enobong Wirth.

Wirth piled up 168 yards in the team’s season-opening win over Alisal, but was bottled up most of the game against Menlo-Atherton, leaving Monterey one-dimensional.

“How can we create wrinkles to give a defense a different look?” Besaw said. “We want to do what we’re good at. We want to present problems. But we need to establish a running game.”

While the Padres have been vulnerable against the run, their defense has put together big plays in critical moments, such as three interceptions in the end zone last week, two from Maxon.

When Carmel has needed to stop the run, linebacker Hiroki Cole and defensive lineman Indy Gabrielson have been productive, while Alabama-bound offensive tackle Jackson Lloyd has been spotted on defense.

“I don’t know how you put seven guys in the box with our skilled guys,” Besaw said. “We have to take what the defense gives us. We didn’t do a very good job of that in our last game.”

What has made Rees so successful in the backfield is the 6-foot-2 senior has lined up in the “Wildcat” formation and runs behind the 6-foot-7, 285-pound Lloyd, who punished defenders.

“Ashton carries are predicated on situations,” Anderson said. “We rotate guys in based on their strengths. It’s an unselfish group. We’re trying to put them in good spots to be successful.”

Stopping the Padres run starts with all-league linebacker Soakai Funaki and Ahmond Willis, with defensive end Jayden Brown coming off the edge.

Monterey’s Soakai Funaki runs the ball past Seaside’s Jacoby Faulkner in 2021. (Monterey Herald file)

“We want Jayden and the hogs pursuing the football,” Besaw said. “Being on the edge, he can cause trouble with the run or pass. We need to get the quarterback off his timing.”

While the streak and undefeated start looks good on paper, Anderson dissects him team based on what the film suggests. Nine sophomores are seeing significant time.

“I’m surprised with the first-year players,” Anderson said. “Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of growing pains. But they have been contributors. We don’t have a choice. We need them. You don’t give up on guys if they make a mistake. We have to have flexibility with our roster. Guys are cutting their teeth.”

For all the offensive numbers Carmel has put up in its fast start, it’s been the defense that has made stops with the game on the line to pull out wins at Christopher and Miramonte.

“It’s like a casino,” Anderson said. “It’s gone our way the first few weeks. We understand we can get exposed by good competition. Sometimes the other team makes a play. We’ve done a nice job in the red zone. We’re actively trying to make a play.”

This weekend’s games

THURSDAY

Seaside at Aptos, 7:30 p.m.

FRIDAY

Gonzales at King City, 7:30 p.m.

Stevenson at Pacific Grove, 7:30 p.m.

North Salinas at Salinas, 7:30 p.m.

Alisal at Hollister, 7:30 p.m.

Alvarez at Monte Vista, 7:30 p.m.

Rancho San Juan vs. Marina at MPC, 7:30 p.m.

Santa Cruz at Soledad, 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY

Monterey at Carmel, 2 p.m.

Greenfield at San Lorenzo Valley, 2 p.m.

Hillsbrook vs Trinity at Pacific Grove, 2 p.m.

North County vs. Palma at Rabobank, 7:30 p.m.

Community College

De Anza vs. Hartnell at Rabobank, 1 p.m.

Redwoods at MPC, 1 p.m.

The Herald’s Top 10 schedule

1. Carmel (3-0) vs. Monterey, 2 p.m., Saturday.

2. Salinas (1-1) vs. North Salinas, 7:30 p.m., Friday.

3. Soquel (1-2) at Scotts Valley, 2 p.m., Saturday.

4. Palma (2-1) vs. North County, 7 p.m., Saturday at Rabobank Stadium.

5. Monterey (1-1) at Carmel, 2 p.m., Saturday.

6. Aptos (2-1)  vs. Seaside, 7:30 p.m., Thursday.

7. Hollister (2-1) vs. Alisal, 7:30 p.m., Friday.

8. North County (2-1) vs. Palma, 7 p.m., Saturday at Rabobank Stadium.

9. North Salinas (2-1) at Salinas, 7:30 p.m., Friday.

10. Alvarez (2-1) at Monte Vista Christian, 7:30 p.m., Friday.

 

 

 

Iranian hackers tried but failed to interest Biden’s campaign in stolen Trump info, FBI says

By ERIC TUCKER and DAVID KLEPPER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Iranian hackers sought to interest President Joe Biden’s campaign in information stolen from rival Donald Trump’s campaign, sending unsolicited emails to people associated with the then-Democratic candidate in an effort to interfere in the 2024 election, the FBI and other federal agencies said Wednesday.

There’s no indication that any of the recipients responded, officials said, and several media organizations approached over the summer with leaked stolen information have also said they did not respond. Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign called the emails from Iran “unwelcome and unacceptable malicious activity” that were received by only a few people who regarded them as spam or phishing attempts.

The emails were received before the hack of the Trump campaign was publicly acknowledged, and there’s no evidence the recipients of the emails knew their origin.

The announcement is the latest U.S. government effort to call out what officials say is Iran’s brazen, ongoing work to interfere in the election, including a hack-and-leak campaign that the FBI and other federal agencies linked last month to Tehran.

U.S. officials in recent months have used criminal charges, sanctions and public advisories to detail actions taken by foreign adversaries to influence the election, including an indictment targeting a covert Russian effort to spread pro-Russia content to U.S. audiences.

It’s a stark turnabout from the government’s response in 2016, when Obama administration officials were criticized for not being forthcoming about the Russian interference they were seeing on Trump’s behalf as he ran against Democrat Hillary Clinton.

In this case, the hackers sent emails in late June and early July to people who were associated with Biden’s campaign before he dropped out. The emails “contained an excerpt taken from stolen, non-public material from former President Trump’s campaign as text in the emails,” according to a statement released by the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

The agencies have said the Trump campaign hack and an attempted breach of the Biden-Harris campaign are part of an effort to undermine voters’ faith in the election and to stoke discord.

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The Trump campaign disclosed on Aug. 10 that it had been hacked and said Iranian actors had stolen and distributed sensitive internal documents. At least three news outlets — Politico, The New York Times and The Washington Post — were leaked confidential material from inside the Trump campaign. So far, each has refused to reveal any details about what it received.

Politico reported that it began receiving emails on July 22 from an anonymous account. The source — an AOL email account identified only as “Robert” — passed along what appeared to be a research dossier that the campaign had apparently done on the Republican vice presidential nominee, Ohio Sen. JD Vance. The document was dated Feb. 23, almost five months before Trump selected Vance as his running mate.

In a statement, Harris campaign spokesperson Morgan Finkelstein said the campaign has cooperated with law enforcement since learning that people associated with Biden’s team were among the recipients of the emails.

“We’re not aware of any material being sent directly to the campaign; a few individuals were targeted on their personal emails with what looked like a spam or phishing attempt,” Finkelstein said. “We condemn in the strongest terms any effort by foreign actors to interfere in U.S. elections including this unwelcome and unacceptable malicious activity.

Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the effort to dangle stolen information to the Biden campaign “further proof the Iranians are actively interfering in the election” to help Harris.

Intelligence officials have said Iran opposes Trump’s reelection, seeing him as more likely to increase tension between Washington and Tehran. Trump’s administration ended a nuclear deal with Iran, reimposed sanctions and ordered the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, an act that prompted Iran’s leaders to vow revenge.

Iran’s intrusion on the Trump campaign was cited as just one of the cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns identified by tech companies and national security officials at a hearing Wednesday of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Executives from Meta, Google and Microsoft briefed lawmakers on their plans for safeguarding the election, and the attacks they’d seen so far.

“The most perilous time I think will come 48 hours before the election,” Microsoft President Brad Smith told lawmakers during the hearing, which focused on American tech companies’ efforts to safeguard the election from foreign disinformation and cyberattacks.

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Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.

49ers begin Rams preparation minus Deebo, McCaffrey

SANTA CLARA — The 49ers took the practice field Wednesday to begin preparations for the Los Angeles Rams with a different look.

They looked as serious as a team could be coming off a disappointing 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, but there was no Deebo Samuel and no Christian McCaffrey.

It’s been 50 games, including the postseason, since coach Kyle Shanahan devised a game plan that didn’t have one or the other. Or ideally, both.

“Obviously, those are two big key playmakers,” linebacker Fred Warner said. “I think as a team we’re going to miss them because of the electricity and the fire both those players bring, but we’ve got to go out, we’ve got to execute and we’ve got to find a way to win.”

It’s not like the 49ers are helpless without them. Jordan Mason, the 49ers’ lead back until McCaffrey returns on Oct. 10 or later, is second in the NFL in rushing behind J.K. Dobbins of the Los Angeles Chargers with 247 yards. Quarterback Brock Purdy leads the NFL with 550 yards passing.

McCaffrey didn’t play in the first two games and will remain on injured reserve with Achilles tendinitis until he’s sufficiently healed. Shanahan estimated Samuel’s absence initially with a calf strain at two weeks.

The losses will be felt when Shanahan is designing a game plan. The versatility of both men — McCaffrey lined up in the backfield, in the slot and split wide and Samuel has taken his share of snaps as a running back — presented a pick your poison dilemma to opposing defenses.

Shanahan says his catalogue of plays remains the same, even if the players assuming those roles will affect which ones are called and how they are executed.

“Yeah, I’d say, we still have the same amount of plays. Just somewhat different styles of plays, different people in different spots,” Shanahan said. “You eliminate some special things that you would only do for those guys, but the number doesn’t change. Just, there’s things those guys do very well. Nothing other guys can’t do. But there’s kind of different percentages on how much you call them and things like that.”

The last time Shanahan called a game without Samuel and McCaffrey was Dec. 5, 2021 in a 23-20 road loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Samuel was injured and McCaffrey was still with the Carolina Panthers. The 49ers have played 50 games since then, including playoffs.

Following a loss in which the 49ers played uncomplimentary football with breakdowns in all three phases against the Vikings, the loss of two important players signals to defensive end Nick Bosa the need to tighten things up.

“I think we have to do a much better job of playing complementary football – offense, defense and special teams,” Bosa said. “We’re without Deebo and Christian but we have plenty of good players.”

In Week 6 last season against Cleveland, McCaffrey played 36 of 62 snaps with an oblique and Samuel played just nine snaps before sustaining a hairline shoulder fracture. The 49ers lost 19-17.

Without Samuel and McCaffrey, the 49ers will need additional production from wideout Brandon Aiyuk, who is rounding into shape after missing practice amid a contract dispute, and Jauan Jennings, who should slide comfortably into the second receiver role.

Chris Conley is likely the No. 3 receiver, and the 49ers could choose to increase the use of two tight-end sets, with George Kittle joined by Eric Saubert. Running back Isaac Guerendo, who got one carry against Minnesota, should get more action than that behind Mason.

The 49ers knew McCaffrey would be out a minimum of five games total. They learned about Samuel’s injury on Monday.

“That’s definitely going to hurt, just how dynamic he is and how we’ve been able to use him with Christian and all he offers in the passing game,” fullback Kyle Juszczyk told KNBR. “It’s definitely not ideal, but we have a full week to prepare and to get guys ready who need to step up and we plan on doing exactly that.”

The Rams are 0-2, losing in overtime to Detroit in Week 1 and then taking it on the chin 41-17 to Arizona in Week 2. They are even more injured than the 49ers, with wideouts Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua not expected to play as well as a handful of other players.

The 49ers’ loss against Minnesota, Bosa believes, will bring the Rams game more sharply into view.

“I think there’s always urgency here,” Bosa said. “I think that’s why we’re always a good team because the standard is high and when you’re not living up to it, it’s not panic, but there’s definitely an intense focus on getting back to it.”

Safety Talanoa Hufanga tackles the Rams’ Kyren Williams last Sept. 17 for the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium.

Hufanga on track to play

Safety Talanoa Hufanga, an All-Pro and Pro Bowl safety in 2022, wasn’t listed on the injury report and Shanahan said he was a full-go at practice.

Hufanga, who was lost to a torn ACL in Week 11 last season, is expected to see playing time against the Rams. The 49ers were victimized at safety against Minnesota on a 97-yard touchdown pass from Sam Darnold to Justin Jefferson, with Jefferson getting past both Ji’Ayir Brown and George Odum. The 49ers also played rookie fourth-round draft pick Malik Mustapha 31 snaps against the Vikings.

“(The injury) got Tig (Brown) a lot of reps last year and got him a lot better,” Shanahan said. “But obviously you always miss Huf out there. The big-play capability, how well he communicates, flying sideline to sideline. We’re going to be pumped. He should get back this week if everything goes right. We’ve missed him.”

Warner is looking forward to having Hufanga back on the field.

“We missed him a lot. Even though he is a young player, his leadership ability in that (defensive backs) room is big time,” Warner said. “The voice he has in the back end, calling out checks and alerting guys, alerting even myself, it’s huge for me and takes a lot of my plate. I’m happy to have him back out there.”

Aaron Donald’s absence

The retirement of surefire first-ballot Hall of Fame defensive tackle Aaron Donald has made it a much different week for Shanahan, who along with his coaching staff has stayed up nights for the past seven years trying to figure out how to slow him down.

The Rams defensive coordinator is Chris Shula, who is running the same fronts and coverages as the departed Raheem Morris, who became Atlanta’s head coach. But it’s a new look without Donald.

“It’s definitely a little different,” Shanahan said. “That’s been 99 percent of our brain power for a number of years and it’s just weird not thinking that way.”

Backing Cowing

Rookie receiver Jacob Cowing had a muffed punt against Minnesota that was recovered by teammate Isaac Yiadom, but it doesn’t sound as if Shanahan has any intention of pulling the plug on the fourth-round pick out of UTEP.

“That’s one muffed punt. Just when it comes to catching stuff, he’s been as natural of a catcher as we’ve had in our eight years here, just in practice, how he’s been in the games,” Shanahan said. “I know that one got away from him. We can’t have those. But everyone muffs one here and there. You just hope that was the end of it.”

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Hall of Fame nominees

Among the 167 modern-era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame are these first-year eligible former 49ers: left tackle Joe Staley, safety Antoine Bethea, and tight ends Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker. Also nominated are quarterback Jeff Garcia; running back Ricky Watters; wide receiver Anquan Boldin; defensive linemen Justin Smith and Ted Washington; linebackers Ken Norton Jr., Julian Peterson, Bill Romanowski, Takeo Spikes, and Lee Woodall; and, kickers David Akers and Gary Anderson.

The list will be cut from 167 names to 50 next month.

Teamsters union declines to endorse Trump or Harris for president

By JOSH BOAK and TOM KRISHER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The International Brotherhood of Teamsters declined Wednesday to endorse Kamala Harris or Donald Trump for president, saying neither candidate had sufficient support from the 1.3 million-member union.

“Unfortunately, neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are always put before Big Business,” Teamsters President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement. “We sought commitments from both Trump and Harris not to interfere in critical union campaigns or core Teamsters industries — and to honor our members’ right to strike — but were unable to secure those pledges.”

The Teamsters’ rebuff reflected a labor union torn over issues of political identity and policy, one that mirrors a broader national divide. Vice President Harris has unmistakably backed organized labor, while former President Trump has appealed to many white blue-collar workers even as he has openly scorned unions at times. By not endorsing anyone, the Teamsters are essentially ceding some influence in November’s election as both candidates claimed to have support from its members.

Harris campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt noted in an emailed statement that more than three dozen retired Teamsters spoke last month in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention, having endorsed Harris. Their pensions were saved through the 2021 passage of the Butch Lewis Act that President Joe Biden and Harris championed.

“While Donald Trump says striking workers should be fired, Vice President Harris has literally walked the picket line and stood strong with organized labor for her entire career,” Hitt said. “The Vice President’s strong union record is why Teamsters locals across the country have already endorsed her — alongside the overwhelming majority of organized labor.”

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The Teamsters said Wednesday that internal polling of members showed Trump with an advantage over Harris, a fact that the Republican’s campaign immediately seized upon by sending out an email that said the “rank-and-file of the Teamsters Union supports Donald Trump for President.”

Trump called the Teamsters’ decision not to endorse “a great honor.”

“It’s a great honor,” he said. “They’re not going to endorse the Democrats. That’s a big thing.”

Harris met Monday with a panel of Teamsters, having long courted organized labor and made support for the middle class her central policy goal. Trump also met with a panel of Teamsters in January and even invited O’Brien to speak at the Republican National Convention, where the union leader railed against corporate greed.

In an interview Wednesday on Fox News, O’Brien said lack of an endorsement tells candidates that they have to back the Teamsters in the future. “This should be an eye opener for 2028,” he said. “If people want the support of the most powerful union in North America, whether you’re a Democrat or Republican, start doing some things to support our members,” he said.

The Teamsters’ choice to not endorse came just weeks ahead of the Nov. 5 election, far later than endorsements by other large unions such as the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Teachers and the United Auto Workers that have chosen to devote resources to getting out the vote for Harris.

With O’Brien facing a backlash from some Teamsters’ members after speaking at the Republican National Convention, it’s no surprise that the union decided not to make an endorsement, said Art Wheaton, director of labor studies at Cornell University.

Trump’s praise of Tesla CEO Elon Musk for firing workers who supposedly went on strike really made a Trump endorsement very unlikely, Wheaton said. “The members were not in total agreement,” he said.

Marick Masters, a business professor emeritus at Wayne State University in Detroit who follows labor issues, said the Teamsters lack of an endorsement suggests a realignment within the union’s membership.

For many workers, issues such as gun control, abortion and border security override Trump’s expressions of hostility to unions, Masters said.

The Teamsters detailed their objections to the candidates in a statement, starting with their objection to a contract implemented by Congress in 2022 on members working in the railroad sector.

The union wanted both candidates to commit to not deploying the Railway Labor Act to resolve contract disputes and avoid a shutdown of national infrastructure, but Harris and Trump both wanted to keep that option open even though the Teamsters said it would reduce its bargaining power.

Harris has pledged to sign the PRO Act, which would strengthen union protections and is something the Teamsters support. Trump, in his roundtable with the Teamsters, did not promise to veto a proposal to make it harder nationwide to unionize.

Other unions have shown trepidation about endorsing either presidential candidate. The United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America on Friday ultimately endorsed Harris with a caveat that “the manner in which party leaders engineered Biden’s replacement at the top of the ticket with Vice President Kamala Harris was thoroughly undemocratic,” union leadership said in a statement.

But the Teamsters lack of endorsement also suggests an indifference to the Biden-Harris administration, which signed into law a measure that saved the pensions of millions of union retirees, including many in the Teamsters.

As part of its 2021 pandemic aid, the administration included the Butch Lewis Act to save the underfunded pensions of more than 1 million union workers and retirees’ underfunded pensions. The act was named after a retired Ohio trucker and Teamsters union leader who spent the last years of his life fighting to prevent massive cuts to the Teamsters’ Central States Pension Fund.

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AP writers Fatima Hussein and Michelle Price contributed to this report.

Monterey PARK(ing) Day will feature parklets downtown

MONTEREY >> Parking spaces in Monterey will transform Friday into parklets in celebration of PARK(ing) Day.

Monterey will celebrate the international community event on Alvarado Street between Franklin and Pearl streets from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday, inviting several city offices and departments including the city clerk’s office, city manager’s office, Monterey Fire’s Community Emergency Response Team, forestry, harbor, library, parks, police, recreation, streets, and the Sports Center.

During the annual event people transform parking spots into temporary public parks and social spaces to demonstrate and advocate for safer, greener, and more playful streets for people according to a press release from the city. It’s an opportunity for the city to reimagine parking spaces the release said, for an entertaining and creative way and connect with the community.

These mini parklets will feature green spaces, outdoor seating and educational booths from city departments. The goal is to raise awareness about the need for more urban, open spaces.

Dating back to 2005, the first PARK(ing) Day started in San Francisco when Rebar Art and Design Studio transformed a single-metered parking area into a temporary public space. Today, the organization is celebrating more than 15 years of global PARK(ing) day installations and is partnering with the Parking Reform Network.

Monterey hopped onboard in 2008 and has been participating ever since.

“We invite everyone to come downtown and meet staff from a wide variety of divisions in a feel-good, fun, festive Friday atmosphere,” said Monterey City Manager Hans Uslar in the press release. “It’s a great way to take a brief break from the normal routine and enjoy the community atmosphere that supports less vehicles and more open space.”

The event is international and will happen across the world this weekend with the same goal of promoting public, outdoor space.

Blue tongues and an exposed brain: How ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ visual effects went back to basics

Samantha Masunaga | Los Angeles Times (TNS)

LOS ANGELES — It was a typical day on the set of Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” and a dead mime was screaming.

The most unsettling problem? The actor’s tongue still had a visible and decidedly not-ghostly shade of pink.

Christine Blundell and her hair and makeup team quickly got a blue food dye concoction for the actor to gargle and spit out so his tongue would go dark. It’s an example of the type of practical effects Burton leaned on for the 36-year sequel to his cult classic “Beetlejuice” — itself known for doing real illusions in front of the camera.

“There’s all these little things,” said Blundell, head of department for hair and makeup on the Warner Bros. film. “It’s just working up the level of dead all the time.”

Lately, productions have increasingly promoted the number of so-called practical effects used in their films, particularly as audiences decry movies that rely heavily on noticeable computer-generated imagery.

Films such as Fede Alvarez’s “Alien: Romulus” and its physical facehuggers and “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” with its extensive use of prosthetics and puppets and some stop-motion animation, are the latest to generate buzz about the use of practical effects. (Blundell said at least 85% to 90% of the hair and makeup department’s work was untouched by digital enhancements in the final version of the film.)

Burton told Blundell in an initial meeting that he wanted the effects in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” to hew closely to the original film’s handmade style, and that whatever they could do “practical to camera, we will be doing practical to camera.” Many films these days are done at a brisk pace, and decisions to add effects, such as blood or a more ramped-up version of what was on camera, are often made in post-production edits.

“When a director says that sort of thing to you, you’re just like, ‘Wow, this is great. I can literally go back to when I didn’t have to rely on CGI mopping out wig laces and things like that,’” she said. “This was just stripped back to the bone, and it was just like, ‘OK, what we’re seeing here is what’s going to end up in the film.’”

Catherine O’Hara as Delia in the movie “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” (Warner Bros./TNS)

Digital effects in films have existed for decades. Their true watershed moments came in 1991 with James Cameron’s “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” and 1993’s Steven Spielberg blockbuster “Jurassic Park.”

Though the films had a limited number of CGI shots, the effects — a liquid morphing into a robot and dinosaurs roaming the planet — showed the industry that such technology could appeal to audiences, even though the execution was still expensive and difficult to pull off, said Julie Turnock, professor of media and cinema studies at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

“They were, to the industry, a kind of proof of concept that both aesthetically they can be successful, and also they could be marketed as an attraction, ‘Come see what the movies do now,’” she said.

In the early 2000s, blockbuster franchises such as “The Lord of the Rings” and “Harry Potter” showed studios that they could build storybook environments out of mostly digital technology, though enthusiasm was also tempered by widely panned effects in films like “The Mummy Returns.”

“The whole thing with storytelling is trying to get the audience to suspend their disbelief and getting them to believe in the world you created,” said Daniel Leonard, professor and associate dean at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. “If they feel it’s fake, it takes them out of the story.”

In the last 15 years, technology improved and digital effects became more affordable, allowing both major studios and lower-budget productions alike to rely on computerized movie magic. Most blockbuster films will have some amount of visual effects in every shot — and more often than not, it’s not obvious, Turnock said.

Often, physical effects can be a template onto which visual effects are projected. A production could film a puppet, for instance, but use CGI to enhance its facial expressions.

In “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” Blundell said that she and animatronic and special makeup effects supervisor Neal Scanlan worked together to craft a quick mask with yellow-painted ping-pong balls to simulate Beetlejuice’s suddenly googly eyes when he looks at the sun.

Other effects were deliberately designed to be crude.

The exposed side brain of Willem Dafoe’s Wolf Jackson actor-detective character was intended to look like a heavy, early kind of prosthetic, a visual gag that plays off Dafoe’s dramatic and dated nature in the film.

Danny DeVito’s brief appearance as a dead janitor in the Afterlife involved green face paint, false teeth and colored contact lenses that prevented him from walking around on his own, Blundell said. Then Burton said he wanted DeVito’s janitor to dribble goo from his mouth. The team whipped up a mix of egg whites and other liquids.

“It’s the kinds of things that, you would have done years ago,” she said.

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As Richard, the deceased father of Jenna Ortega’s Astrid Deetz, Santiago Cabrera got a combination of prosthetics and makeup for the puppet piranha fish biting at his face, neck and body. After the puppeteer operated the piranhas in the shot, Blundell and her team would “run in and just make them look a little bit shiny.”

This level of detail for practical effects was necessary for “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” she said.

“If we’d remade it and we’d relied on CGI, I think we’d all be ripped apart for it, especially Tim,” Blundell said. “I just honestly think that people wanted to see the nostalgia of the original ‘Beetlejuice,’ and they wanted to see the sand worm, and they wanted to see sort of crude makeup effects.”

Though audiences have rewarded productions that highlight their physical effects, the de-emphasis of digital effects in films’ marketing and promotion can have real-world, practical consequences for those artists. Many effects artists are not unionized and have difficult working conditions, including a lack of overtime pay, Turnock said.

“It impacts the clout that the effects companies have to bargain with the production entities,” she said. “If nobody values their work, if there’s not a sense that they’re valuable members of the team, then it’s hard for them to argue for better conditions.”

©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

A siblings-only trip offers a way to expand adult relationships, but planning is key

My family of five traveled often as I was growing up, usually with all of us piled into a single hotel room. My two siblings and I would argue over who slept where and who had to suffer through a night on the floor or on the lumpy pull-out couch.

The three of us have had our ups and downs as we grew up and our personalities developed in different ways. But now that we’re (almost) all in our 30s, things have shifted, especially as the pandemic separated us on opposite coasts.

When the world opened back up, my siblings and I saw it as a chance to take our relationship further with a “sibscation,” the first vacation we’ve taken without our parents.

We chose our destination and itinerary based on what we have in common as adults. It gave us a chance to travel without the expectations of a “perfect family vacation” and make decisions based on our relationships now. But we did have to go snag a photo on the beach for the family Christmas card at the insistence of our mother.

If you’re looking to plan your own adult siblings trip, here are some things to keep in mind.

Pick a time and location

With one of us on the West Coast and the other two on the East Coast, we decided that we’d have to compromise in terms of destination. After some discussion, we decided to take a trip to Santa Barbara, California, which turned out to be the perfect place to indulge in our shared love of antique stores and tiki bars. Plus it was an easy train ride from Los Angeles, where my youngest sibling, Rae, lives.

Dates were another concern with all of our competing work schedules. A simple text chain worked fine this time around, but for larger families, tools like Doodle polls and the Howbout app can be helpful.

Plan a budget and share responsibilities

Money can quickly lead to arguments, so we mapped out what we’d need to pay for well in advance. We each handled something and paid back the rest, including train tickets and a one-day car rental, using Venmo. Another good tool is Splitwise, which allows users to split up a bill or series of expenses with ease.

Caroline Eubanks, from left, did wine tastings with siblings Sammi and Rae at Pali Wine Co. (Caroline Eubanks)

Writer Donna Meyer of NomadWomen.com traveled with her sister on a celebratory cruise after Meyer completed cancer treatment. She did much of the research, but with her sister’s input.

“I did (the booking of hotels and shore excursions) at her house so she could watch over my shoulder and answer every time I asked, ‘What do you think?’” Meyer said.

Choose your accommodations

After all the family vacations where one of us would have to sleep on the floor, space was absolutely a sticking point. We would have opted for a rental where we could each have a separate room, but most of those were further afield, requiring the use of a car.

We ended up selecting the Kimpton Canary Hotel for its walkable location and perks like morning coffee and happy hour. The three of us shared a king room that also had a pull-out couch. When Rae wanted to sleep in, Sammi and I headed to the rooftop patio with our coffees to read and soak in the mountain views.

The rooftop at the Kimpton Canary Hotel in Santa Barbara has mountain views. (Visit Santa Barbara)

For blogger Rebecca Marie Crowe of WanderingAndWine.com, a recent trip with her older sister to Montenegro highlighted their different needs and budgets for travel. “I’m a budget hostel girl and my sister is more of a resort person so we compromised on a budget hotel or deal,” Crowe said.

Mix scheduled activities with free time

Each of us picked something we wanted to do during the trip that appealed to our interests but wasn’t totally outside the realm of what the others would find interesting. For Sammi, the film buff, we did the Warner Brothers Studio Tour and drove around Forest Lawn Cemetery, known for its celebrity graves.

For Rae and me, it was the food and drinks, so we researched the best spots in town. Our favorites were the fresh crudo at The Lark, the tamarind-soy wings at Sama Sama, the wine tasting at Pali Wine Co. and the Old Fashioneds at the neon-lit Wildcat Lounge.

Art and Old Fashioneds were among the offerings at the Wildcat Lounge in Santa Barbara. (Visit Santa Barbara)

We also took a day trip to Solvang to sip on the Central Coast’s famed wines at tasting rooms like Alma Rosa and tropical drinks at High Roller Tiki Lounge as well as browse the midcentury modern antiques at Pieces of the Past.

But we didn’t want to pack the schedule too full because we know that each of us needs some downtime to recharge. We also had no problem splitting up when interests diverged, like if one person wanted to call it an early night or go read a book.

Crowe had a similar experience with her sister: “We tend to have a good amount of time either doing something quiet or separate just to refuel,” Crowe said. “And we stick to short holidays — up to five days so we don’t kill each other.”

Make some memories

The most important thing to remember about traveling with siblings is that this time together is precious. It’s easy to bicker like you did when you were children, but adult sibling relationships require work. Traveling together can challenge the status quo and push you to learn more about one another.

The food at Sama Sama was among the draws of a siblings trip to Santa Barbara. (Cara Robbins/Visit Santa Barbara)

Meyer and her sister are 78 and 81, respectively, and still enjoy their trips together. “We travel well together. I’m not sure I would want to travel with anyone else,” she said.

Although my siblings trip to Santa Barbara wasn’t without small tiffs, we hope the “sibscation” will become an annual family tradition. But the question remains: Where to next?

Caroline Eubanks is a freelancer.

Horoscopes Sept. 18, 2024: James Marsden, proceed with confidence

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Jason Sudeikis, 49; James Marsden, 51; Jada Pinkett Smith, 53; Aisha Tyler, 54.

Happy Birthday: Evaluate your life, dreams, hopes and desires, and act accordingly. You are ready for change, but whatever you pursue must be well-thought-out and executed precisely. Once you have a plan, it will lift your spirits and help you release stress. Get out, test what’s available and proceed with confidence and the knowledge to reach your goal. Spend your time, energy and money wisely. Your numbers are 8, 15, 24, 27, 32, 35, 44.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Refrain from falling into a trap set by someone looking for an argument. Channel your energy into home or self-improvement or sorting through clutter and clearing a path to a simpler, less complicated life. Refuse to let uncertainty lead to waffling. Take responsibility and make your actions count. 3 stars

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Do whatever is necessary to assess and figure out your next move. Travel, knowledge and experience are your best route forward. When in doubt, ask an expert to weigh in on your dilemma. A practical approach will offer reasonable solutions and peace of mind. 3 stars

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Rethink every choice you make to avoid an impractical decision. Someone will try to push you in a direction that is less sound for you than it is for them. Being a follower will infringe on your freedom. Let your intuition guide you. 4 stars

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Explore the possibilities and look for an opening that allows you to use your skills and broaden your prospects. A proactive approach to health and well-being will pay off. Handle your financial and medical issues yourself; research will guide you to asking experts the right questions. 5 stars

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Move things around and clear a space to house something you want to pursue. Broaden your horizons, make new connections and expand your awareness. Listen, learn and decipher what’s best for you. Don’t attach yourself to someone else’s dream. Follow your heart. Romance is on the rise. 3 stars

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Set high standards, cover your tracks and keep your plans and intentions to yourself. Don’t allow uncertainty to show or put you in a vulnerable position. Be observant and cautious, and look out for your best interest; you’ll achieve the desired outcome you want and the respect you deserve. 3 stars

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Put solid plans in place before deciding to move. Knowing what you want is half the battle. Listen, learn and evaluate instead of following the crowd. Explore what makes you happy and pursue directions that help build confidence and a healthy lifestyle. Romance is favored. 3 stars

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Dig in and continue until you are satisfied with the results. Use your imagination and skills, and you’ll be happy with what transpires. Don’t waste time or energy worrying about things you cannot control. Embrace what’s appealing to you and make things happen. 3 stars

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): An opportunity is only worthwhile if it helps you reach your goal. Don’t sign up for something to please others when you need to put yourself first. Focus on self-improvement, personal growth, and looking and feeling your best. Walk away from anyone asking for too much. 5 stars

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Take inventory. Follow your money trail and discover where it’s gone and how to cut your overhead. Don’t let emotions take over or lead you astray. Plan your actions and make the necessary changes, and it will ease stress and push you in a healthy direction. 2 stars

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Pay attention to your schedule, routine and lifestyle. How you live and deal with your money, health and relationships will determine what unfolds and how others treat you. Be open to trying something new but do not be foolish regarding what you can afford. Set guidelines and put a budget in place. 4 stars

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Pursue your dreams. Your discipline and hard work will pay off, encouraging you to trust and believe in your abilities. Refrain from letting outside influences make choices for you. Change begins with you. Own and control your actions and take responsibility for your happiness. 3 stars

Birthday Baby: You are cautious, timely and detailed. You are imaginative and curious.

1 star: Avoid conflicts; work behind the scenes. 2 stars: You can accomplish, but don’t rely on others. 3 stars: Focus and you’ll reach your goals. 4 stars: Aim high; start new projects. 5 stars: Nothing can stop you; go for gold.

Visit Eugenialast.com, or join Eugenia on Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn.

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Three takeaways as SF Giants rout Orioles, 10-0, behind masterful Blake Snell

The beauty of the San Francisco Giants’ remaining schedule is that, even if they’ve fallen out of contention, the team on the other side is playing with real postseason implications at stake.

On their first visit to Camden Yards since 2019, it wasn’t such an exciting proposition for the Baltimore Orioles, who are still jostling with the Yankees for the American League East and ran into a 6-foot-4, 225-pound buzzsaw Tuesday night.

Blake Snell had everything working over six shutout innings as the Giants (73-79) began their final road trip with a 10-0 win, snapping a four-game losing streak and avoiding falling further under .500 than they had been all season.

Dotting the strike zone with fastballs in the upper 90s, making batters look foolish with a sharp slider and mixing in a darting changeup, Snell struck out 12, racked up 22 swings and misses, and didn’t allow a hit after Emmanuel Rivera’s soft single in the second inning.

The Giants got all the offense they would need on the first swing of the game and, in a positive sign for an offense kept off the scoreboard three times in a row on the past homestand, continued to build on it with timely hitting from the bottom of their lineup before everyone got involved in a six-run ninth inning.

Here are three takeaways from the 10-0 win:

Yaz’s revenge

A lot has changed since the Giants’ last trip to Camden Yards from May 31 to June 2, 2019.

On that trip, a recently acquired outfielder known better for the name on the back of his jersey than for anything he’d done for the team on the front of it got his first chance to show the Orioles organization what it was missing out on.

Just a week after making his major-league debut, Mike Yastrzemski slugged his first career home run while going 4-for-11 in the series against the team that stashed him at Triple-A for three seasons before trading him to the Giants.

More than five years later, it’s hard to imagine the Giants without Yastrzemski. He is their longest-tenured player (the only one left from the team that played here in 2019), a dependable right fielder, and a leader in the clubhouse.

Yastrzemski also slugged 102 home runs between visits to Baltimore, and in his first at-bat back went deep again.

Leading off the game, Yastrzemski sent a fastball from Orioles starter Albert Suárez onto Eutaw Street, then later singled in another run and worked a 12-pitch walk as the Giants widened their advantage to 10-0.

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – SEPTEMBER 17: Mike Yastrzemski #5 of the San Francisco Giants rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 17, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

The Giants have a crowded outfield picture heading into next year, and it’s an open question whether Yastrzemski, 34, will be a part of it. Entering his third year of arbitration, Yastrzemski is due a raise from his $7.9 salary this season but is making a solid case to stick around, with five homers in 13 games this month.

Then again, the Giants had no trouble getting rid of his predecessor as the longest-tenured player in the clubhouse, Austin Slater, who was in the opposite dugout.

Ramos’ hustle

On the Giants’ last road trip, manager Bob Melvin had to scold Heliot Ramos for not hustling out of the box on what looked like a can of corn to right field. The sun had other ideas, and Ramos’ lackadaisical base running prevented him from taking third when the ball got past Fernando Tatis Jr.

Consistently impressed with the daily effort from the 25-year-old first-time All-Star, Melvin was hesitant to even say anything. When he did bring it up, the manager said Ramos “couldn’t be more apologetic” and “said he’ll never do that again.” He added, “he’s a great kid, he learns.”

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Well, Ramos held himself to his word when he popped a two-strike curveball high into the air over shallow center field in his second at-bat against Suárez.

Ramos was frustrated he missed a curveball up in the zone but put his head down and kicked it into high gear anyway. When the ball fell between center fielder Cedric Mullens and second baseman Livan Soto, Ramos was standing on second base. It didn’t result in a hit or a run, but it was the kind of meaningful progress you look for this time of year from players in your plans for next season, which Ramos clearly is.

Ramos got in on the fun as the Giants turned it into a rout, doubling home the fourth of six runs in the ninth inning and chasing Craig Kimbrel from the game.

Housekeeping

The last time Brett Wisely started at third base, it was because Matt Chapman was finalizing his six-year, $151 million contract extension. On Tuesday, it was because Chapman jetted back to the West Coast to be with his wife, Taylor, for the birth of their daughter.

Shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald returned to the lineup after leaving in the third inning of Thursday’s game with lower back pain and missing the next three games. He was the only Giants batter without a hit or an RBI, finishing 0-for-5 with four strikeouts.

San Jose Public Library unveils Golden State Warriors card

The San Jose Public Library newest library card design is a collaboration with the Golden State Warriors, and City Librarian Jill Bourne hopes it encourages more hoops fans to check out the library and its materials.

“We hope to get Warriors fans to use the San Jose Public Library and get new fans to sign up for the system,” Bourne said Tuesday during an event at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Main Library. She agreed with the idea that partnering with sports teams is a good way to get younger fans excited about getting a library card.

The new Golden State Warriors-themed library card introduced by the San Jose Public Library on Sept. 17, 2024. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)

The midday announcement drew dozens of Warriors fans to the library’s ground floor atrium, but  there were no Warriors players on hand, no doubt to the disappointment of Dub Nation. In addition to Bourne, the speakers included San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, San Jose City Councilmember Omar Torres and Yoyo Murphy, the Warriors senior vice president of government and community relations.

The card is available now and can be used to check out materials at all 25 San Jose Public Library locations.

This is the San Jose Public Library’s third sports-themed library card, following a San Jose Sharks card in 2019 and a San Francisco 49ers card in 2023, and the Santa Clara County Library District recently partnered with the Bay FC women’s soccer team on a card.