Jeremy T. Ringfield's Blog, page 438

Sales for safe and sane fireworks starts this week

The familiar sounds of fireworks in the sky has already started this year with law enforcement agencies and city staff warning about the proper use of safe fireworks.

Fireworks are largely illegal in the state of California and conversely Monterey County, but residents can enjoy “safe and sane” fireworks during the summer holiday in certain cities. This includes Marina, Seaside, Salinas, Gonzales, Soledad, Greenfield and King City.

There are no firework displays on the Monterey Peninsula, but there are other cities in the county that will have large shows for families and groups.

Fireworks displays:

June 29: Fort Hunter Liggett: “Freedom Fest,” Schoonover Airfield, 6 -10 p.m. ($5 admission)July 3: King City: Stampede Arena. Fireworks start about 9 p.m. ($1 suggested donation)July 4: Greenfield: Patriot Park, 3 – 9:30 p.m.

Independence Day events:

King City: “4th of July Parade,” Broadway & 2nd Street 10:30 a.m.Greenfield: “4th of July Event,” Patriot Park, 3 – 9 p.m.Salinas: “Fireworks Extravaganza, Festival, Patriotic Service,” Rodeo Grounds, 4 – 9 p.m.Carme: “Monterey County Pops,” Devendorf Park, 2 – 3:30 p.m.Monterey: “Old Monterey 4th of July Parade,” Alvarado Street & Calle Principal, 10 a.m.Monterey: “July 4th on the Wharf,” Fisherman’s Wharf, 9 a.m. – 10 p.m.Monterey: “Big 4th of July Celebration and Backyard Food Fest,” Colton Hall Lawn, 10:45 a.m. – 5 p.m.Monterey: “Living History Day,” Monterey State Historical Park, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.Pacific Grove: “4th of July Celebration,” Jewell Park, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.Seaside: “Red White and Blues Festival,” City Hall, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Seaside has been a hotspot for fireworks for the last few years, according to the Seaside police, due to the availability of safe and sane fireworks and lack of large aerial shows in the area.

This year, Seaside will be implementing a 10 p.m. curfew for safe and sane fireworks, which can only be bought and deployed from noon to 10 p.m. through July 5.

There is a $1,000 fine for getting caught with illegal fireworks, or using the safe and sane fireworks outside of the designated time.

Police will also be enforcing local parking restrictions. Parking will not be allowed on General Jim Moore Boulevard between Hilby Avenue and Coe Avenue.

MST’s SURF! Busway project granted permits from Sand City, Marina

SAND CITY – The Sand City City Council approved a coastal development permit, at its meeting last week, for the length of the SURF! Busway and Bus Rapid Transit Project project that runs within the city’s boundaries.

The vote was almost unanimous with one council member absent from the proceedings and passed 4-0, according to Sand City City Manager Vibeke Norgaard.

The Sand City portion of the Monterey-Salinas Transit SURF! Busway and Bus Rapid Transit Project is about 0.67 miles long, beginning at Sand City’s northern city limit and terminating at Playa Avenue.

The Sand City coastal development permit for this project is a combined permit that also includes a design permit and tree removal permit.

Monterey-Salinas Transit – MST – proposes to implement bus rapid transit between the cities of Marina, Sand City, Seaside, Monterey and Salinas. The project includes a six-mile dedicated busway along a former rail right-of-way parallel to Highway 1 with bicycle and pedestrian improvements, and a transit signal prioritization system along some segments. The SURF! Busway will run between Marina and Sand City with the northern terminus located at MST’s Marina Transit Exchange at Reservation and De Forest roads and the southern terminus located at Contra Costa Street in Sand City.

The city of Marina City Council, at its meeting on June 4, voted 4-1 to uphold its Planning Commission’s approval of the coastal development permit for its portion of the SURF! Busway and Bus Rapid Transit Project and denied appeals. On April 11, the Planning Commission unanimously approved both a coastal development permit and tree removal permit as necessary for the multi-jurisdiction project.

The Marina portion of the SURF! Busway and Bus Rapid Transit Project would be located between MST’s existing Marina Transit Exchange at Reservation and De Forest roads – northern terminus – and the existing Highway 1 overpass at the Del Monte Blvd southbound onramp. The project also includes the development of the 5th Street Transit Center, the southern terminus in Marina. This segment is in the middle of the Line 20 bus route that currently connects Salinas with Seaside and Monterey.

The Sand City SURF! Busway Alignment would start from Sand City’s northern city-limit to the future Monterey Bay Shores development project (located where California Avenue intersects the southbound Highway 1 on-ramp) the busway would be located between Beach Range Road and the Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail, seaward of Highway 1.

After passing the future Monterey Bay Shores development project entrance location, the busway alignment will meet California Avenue at the Highway 1 southbound on-ramp. Buses will re-enter the public right-of-way via a new roundabout at the junction of California Avenue, the Highway 1 southbound on-ramp and the Monterey Bay Shores access road.

Buses would navigate the roundabout, proceed through the existing signalized intersection and continue on California Avenue for a few-hundred feet before making a left turn back into the undeveloped Transportation Agency for Monterey County corridor, part of the Monterey Branch Line which TAMC purchased from Union Pacific in 2003 for $9.3 million. The Branch Line is 15 miles long stretching between Castroville to Monterey.

The Sand City SURF! Busway will travel within the corridor where buses would drive on dedicated lanes down to Playa Avenue to a new bus stop and platforms within the TAMC right-of-way. Following this stop, buses would turn left on Playa Avenue and then right back on to Del Monte Boulevard where they would continue south to Contra Costa Street on existing roadways.

The project alignment within Sand City includes about 0.67 miles of new dedicated SURF! busway lanes located adjacent to Highway 1 and California Avenue, a new multi-use trail adjacent to the new SURF! Busway lanes along the California Avenue portion of the route, a new roundabout at the Highway 1 southbound on-ramp, which includes a new bus stop, a new dedicated SURF! bus stop and platform at Playa and California avenues, a new traffic signal at the intersection of Playa and California avenues, re-alignment of beach range road and closure of a portion of the Monterey Peninsula Coastal Recreation Trail and removal of nine trees.

The Sand City portion of the Monterey-Salinas Transit SURF! Busway and Bus Rapid Transit Project is about 0.67 miles long, begins at Sand City’s northern city limit and terminates at Playa Avenue. (MST/TAMC/City of Sand City)

The project is located within an existing transportation corridor that is assumed for continued transportation use in local land use and zoning documents. The majority of the alignment of the new “off-road” busway would be within the Transportation Agency for Monterey County Monterey Branch Line rail corridor right-of-way, an approximately 100-foot-wide corridor generally located between Beach Range Road and the Monterey Peninsula Recreation Trail on the ocean side of Highway 1 and adjacent to California Avenue in Sand City, which has been used for transportation purposes since the late 1800s. Some existing public roadways would be used for the SURF! line throughout the route.

The California Coastal Commission has jurisdiction over a large portion of the project’s pathway and has raised concerns, including funding and impacts to environmentally sensitive habitat areas, but has yet to make a final determination and is in ongoing discussions with MST, and other agencies. MST applied for a coastal development permit from the Coastal Commission which has until Sept. 27 to act upon it.

On May 21, TAMC, the property owner, and MST, the applicant, provided a joint response to the Coastal Commission letter dated May 17, according to City of Sand City documents. The response states that the Proposition 116 funding that TAMC received is allowed to be used for rail projects. Under Proposition 116, they explain, exclusive public mass transit guideway projects, which the SURF! Busway project is, fall under the definition of a “rail project.” The letter opines that the SURF! Busway is an allowed use under the Proposition 116 grant funding and that the use of the TAMC corridor for the SURF! Busway does not preclude the future use of the corridor to also be used for rail. The letter states that the SURF! Busway will increase ridership and would help build demand for a future rail project.

The city of Sand City has considered both the points raised by the Coastal Commission and the response by the applicant. The city said it defers to the applicant regarding conformance with their grant funding source. The city would generally not question the funding and financing of public agency applicants for projects within the city. Regarding ESHA, the applicant has agreed to the city’s required 1:1 mitigation for impacts to ESHA, with the opportunity for enhanced mitigation of up to 3:1.

Gen Z is traveling more, and debt isn’t slowing them down

Katie Kelton | (TNS) Bankrate

Kari Karanikos is 25 years old with six figures of debt. A social media director who lives in Pittsburgh, Karanikos is one of the many Gen Zers who love to travel, despite carrying hefty debt.

A recent Bankrate survey on chasing credit card rewards while in debt found that nearly 1 in 4 (24%) Gen Zers and 1 in 3 (32%) millennials carry a credit card balance. At the same time, nearly 3 in 5 Gen Zers (60%) and millennials (61%) plan to take a summer vacation this year.

Experts — and young people like Karanikos — know how tricky it can be to balance debt payoff with your budget’s needs and wants. But it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Learn how Karanikos is juggling expenses and experiences, and discover ways you can do the same.

Splurging on travel

If you end up on a flight, cruise or other mode of travel this year, look around — you might see more younger faces than older. That’s because roughly 3 in 5 Gen Zers (60%) and millennials (61%) plan to take a summer vacation in 2024. Only half of Gen X (50%) and fewer than half of boomers (44%) say they’ll do so.

Younger generations are also more likely to be spending more on travel this year — and going into debt to pay for it. Gen Z (44%) and millennials (37%) are more likely to spend more on travel in 2024 compared to 2023 than Gen X (20%) and boomers (24%), according to Bankrate research on discretionary spending. In fact, travel was the most popular purchase for which young people are willing to take on debt, compared to live entertainment and dining out.

Rita-Soledad Fernández Paulino, a money and self-care coach, says her clients often want to be able to pay off debt and still travel. Fernández Paulino is all for it.

“It’s important that people have a variety of self-care activities they can engage in… that allow them to still take care of themselves at different budget points,” she says.

How one Gen Zer is managing debt

When it comes to balancing fun with financial savviness, Karanikos is no stranger to the challenge. She’s doing her best to manage both while keeping an eye on the big picture.

Karanikos has only been out of college for a few years, and she’s staring down years — or even decades — of debt repayment. Of her six-figure debt, the majority is from student loans. She also carries about $5,000 in credit card debt and about $3,000 in a car lease.

Karanikos began accruing credit card debt in the months that passed after college graduation, but before she landed her full-time job. Now, she’s prioritizing growing her emergency fund without adding to her debt. That’s because Karanikos is moving to New York City in a few months, and wants to have plenty of cash in her back pocket.

“I definitely think of [my debt] every day,” she says. But by keeping an eye on her debt with a payoff plan in place, she feels empowered to make smart money decisions. She also pursues side hustles to help pay off her debt.

And even though Karanikos recently got a salary raise, she’s trying to keep her costs steady. In her words, she doesn’t want to fall victim to lifestyle inflation.

Why Gen Zers are prioritizing travel

It may be hard to understand how people can spend money on travel expenses when they’re already in the red with debt. But Karanikos’s motivation to travel is about more than just getting that Instagram-worthy photo.

Karanikos’s grandparents and parents are immigrants from both Greece and Australia. She explains that, while growing up, her family was trying to make their way in a new environment. They often prioritized sacrifice over fun. But now, as a young adult, Karanikos doesn’t want to miss out on anything. And she wants to reach a financial standpoint where she can give experiences back to her family.

“I think my immigrant backstory is a main motivator,” she says. In fact, she names travel and experiences with friends and family as the two most important things in her life.

It’s also worth considering the years that young people largely missed during the pandemic. Karanikos says she and some of her peers (around ages 24 to 26) feel like they lost out on their opportunity to be young, travel and not worry about money. Now, they’re making up for lost time.

“Logistically, my debt will not be gone in the next year or two years,” Karanikos says. “I don’t want to put [experiences] aside and finally be able to live my life when I hit 30 or 35 and have that regret.”

Fernández Paulino thinks that Gen Zers like Karanikos have the right idea. “Money is just a tool to support your wellness,” she says. “Becoming debt-free is part of your financial self-care. Traveling is a form of interpersonal self-care, emotional self-care, some might even say spiritual self-care.”

What sets younger generations apart?

When it comes to the spending discrepancy between younger and older Americans, here are some possible factors to keep in mind:

—Young people aren’t as likely to be already burdened by debt. According to Bankrate’s chasing rewards while in debt survey, Gen Z (24%) and millennials (32%) are less likely to typically carry a credit card balance from month to month than Gen X (39%) or boomers (38%).

—Young people haven’t carried debt for as long. In a November 2023 Bankrate survey on credit card usage, 22% of both Gen X and boomer credit card debtors had carried credit card debt for five years or more, compared to 8% of Gen Z and 13% of millennials.

—Young people maximize rewards. Gen Z (77%) and millennial (74%) cardholders are more likely to make every or some effort to maximize credit card rewards than Gen X (69%) or boomers (69%).

—Young people are less worried about their finances this year. In a November 2023 Bankrate study, Gen Z (59%) and millennials (49%) were significantly more optimistic about their personal financial situation in 2024 than Gen X (33%) or boomers (20%). Karanikos says that “I feel quite optimistic [about my personal finances], maybe due to the fact that I have a plan.”

—Young people want to present a certain lifestyle. Karanikos explains that her peers tend to compare themselves to others on social media, even though they might be earning different incomes. “I think the majority of Gen Z is putting [travel expenses] onto credit cards,” she says.

Travel without breaking the bank

Are you itching to travel this year but have a tight budget? Here’s how Gen Zers like Karanikos are spending smarter while traveling.

Build a sinking fund

When Karanikos traveled in college, she’d work extra shifts beforehand, but still found herself using debt and paying it off after the trip. Now, she’s adopted the practice of building a sinking fund. Three months before a trip, she starts setting money aside so she can travel without growing her debt. While she still swipes her credit card on travel expenses to earn points, “I try to make sure the savings are there before I spend,” she says.

To follow her example, you could open a free high-yield savings account that lets you earn a competitive APY while still accessing your money when you need it. By setting aside a certain amount of money each month, you’ll have cash to spend when your trip rolls around.

Cutting back on your expenses can also help you to build your sinking fund. For instance, you might spend less on takeout or new outfits in order to enjoy the local cuisine and shopping in your travel destination later on.

Earn extra income

Fernández Paulino says that paying for travel starts with understanding your cash flow. “You need to know your numbers,” she says. And rather than only cutting expenses to increase your cash flow, Fernández Paulino advocates finding ways to earn more money.

“I work on having [my clients] increase their income,” she says. “There’s no limit to how much we can increase our income.”

She recommends listing out your skills and joining the nearly two in five Americans with a side hustle (39%). You could tap into LinkedIn or your network for higher-paying job opportunities. Or you could monetize something you own, like renting out a room in your house.

Tap into credit card rewards

A rewards credit card can help you earn points or miles to cover your next flight or hotel room. Plus, many travel rewards cards let you earn extra rewards when you book travel through the card issuer’s portal.

Karanikos uses the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card to earn points and miles that she puts toward flights. By earning while making everyday purchases, you could knock several hundred dollars off the price tag on your next trip.

Get practical with your destinations

Karanikos tries to visit locations where her friends live so she can have a place to stay. She’s also going to Atlanta for a work conference this year and will extend her trip to explore for a few days. And she and her friends plan to visit another friend’s lake house this summer.

Choosing affordable places is key when traveling on a budget. Some cities are more affordable than others, and you could tap into your network for lodging and other shared resources. A travel budget app might also help you save money as you create new memories.

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©2024 Bankrate online. Visit Bankrate online at bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Disney Cruise Line reveals ship deployment plans for late 2025, early 2026

Port Canaveral will get to keep three Disney Cruise Line ships in late 2025 as the sailing plans for six of what will be eight ships in the fleet were revealed.

That includes Disney Treasure, set to debut this winter, and 2022’s Disney Wishas well as older ships Disney Magic and Disney Fantasy trading off sailing duties.

The new homeport and sailing plans for Disney Destiny, a sister ship to Wish and Treasure, was not announced, but it’s slated to be delivered to the line at a yet-to-be-revealed date in 2025 and could end up DCL’s new second Florida home in Port Everglades.

Also debuting in 2025 will be the Asia-bound Disney Adventure, but for now, DCL only revealed sailing plans for its two original ships, Magic and Wonder, its two decade-plus-old ships Dream and Fantasy and its two most recent ships Wish and Treasure.

Port Canaveral will continue to host Wish sailing short three- and four-night Bahamas trips while Treasure will continue with seven-night Caribbean sailings.

Disney Magic, which arrives to the port in summer 2025, will remain through October and then be replaced with Disney Fantasy in November doing a four- and five-night set of itineraries through May 2026.

Wish, Magic and Fantasy all have some trips that visit Disney’s newest private Bahamas destination Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point that welcomed first guests this month. Some sailings visit both Lookout Cay and the line’s original Bahamas private island Castaway Cay.

Disney Cruise Line’s new ship Disney Wish travels on the Ems River from the Meyer Werft shipyard on its way to sea trials in the North Sea on March 30, 2022. (Robert Fiebak/Disney Cruise Line/TNS)

Many of the September and October sailings will take on the popular Halloween on the High Seas theming while November and December sailings will have the Very Merrytime holiday theme.

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Disney Dream will keep sailing from its new year-round home in Port Everglades, which opened for business last fall. It will tackle three- to five-night Bahamas trips visiting either Lookout Cay, Castaway Cay or both, as well as some stops in Nassau through May 2026.

After a summer of Alaska sailings, Disney Wonder will continue its late 2025 duties in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, not returning to the West Coast homeporting in San Diego beginning in March 2026 for three- and four-night Mexican Riviera sailings. This will be the third season Disney Wonder has sailed from Australia.

Bookings for the new itineraries open to the public June 28, with earlier dates available for the line’s variety of club-level members, but details can already be found on disneycruise.com.

The top new books for your summer reading list

James Tarmy | (TNS) Bloomberg News

Given how rare it is that anyone has time to read for pleasure—especially when there are blockbusters to watch, jewels to buy, trips to take, music to listen to and ice cream to eat—the book had better be worth it. That’s why the stakes are so high in compiling a summer reading list: Choose the wrong text and you’ve squandered your moment in the sun.

Luckily for you, we’ve done the work. See below for nine titles we’ve personally read that won’t disappoint.

Nonfiction

When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion. By Julie Satow (Doubleday)

If anything, the title undersells the full scope of women’s influence on American fashion. Satow shows how females occupied every strata of the U.S. sartorial landscape, particularly in the half-century from the 1930s to the ‘80s, when homegrown apparel makers emerged from the shadow of Paris and came into their own. Leading the charge—often from perches at such department stores as Bonwit Teller, Henri Bendel and Lord & Taylor—women helped dictate sales, merchandising, advertising and strategies for what was, even then, a colossal industry.

The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir. By Griffin Dunne (Penguin Press)

Perhaps you’ve heard of Griffin Dunne’s father, the novelist and longtime Vanity Fair columnist Dominick Dunne? Or maybe you’ve read a book by Dominick’s brother, the famed journalist and author John Gregory Dunne? Certainly, you’re aware of John’s wife (and therefore, Griffin Dunne’s aunt), the writer Joan Didion? Even if you’ve managed to remain ignorant of all three, that’s fine. This memoir will still be a gripping read.

Griffin Dunne grew up surrounded by an almost incomprehensible amount of megawatt celebrities that ran the spectrum from Sean Connery to Carrie Fisher, and he has excellent anecdotes about all of them. (Connery saved Dunne from drowning in a swimming pool; Fisher was Dunne’s confidante.) But this is not a series of gauzy recollections of the good old days. First, Dunne is clearly not the nostalgic type. Second, his life included enough tragedy that it would be nearly impossible to spin it into a glossy Hollywood ending.

Do Something: Coming of Age Amid the Glitter and Doom of ’70s New York. By Guy Trebay (Knopf)

It’s always a little nerve-wracking when a beloved journalist writes a book outside their beat: Will they find their footing? Trebay, who’s been a style reporter and critic at the New York Times for decades, quickly puts those fears to rest. He’s a lovely writer whose recollections, which begin with a not altogether happy childhood and move quickly to a bohemian life in New York, are riveting. It’s not just sex, drugs and rock and roll: He manages to parlay fan letters into friendships with the photographer Horst P. Horst and the screenwriter and novelist Anita Loos and also befriends the aging American couturier Charles James. Trebay isn’t a sensationalist. He knew the toast of downtown at its arguable cultural peak, but he doesn’t bend over backwards to place himself at its center.

The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum: The Rise and Fall of an American Organized-Crime Boss. By Margalit Fox (Random House)

Organized crime in the U.S. tends to be synonymous with the Mafia, a chauvinist group of good old boys running protection rackets and ordering hits. But in the mid-19th century there was an equally formidable game in town, run by a Jewish immigrant named Fredericka (“Marm”) Mandelbaum, who had clawed her way from steerage class to become one of the country’s wealthiest women. One newspaper reported that she would often wear as much as $40,000 worth of jewelry worth about $1.2 million today, according to the book. Estimates put the total of stolen goods that passed through her Lower East Side shop at about $10 million (roughly $300 million today). Her literal rags-to-riches story is presented with depth in this spectacular and true story of ingenuity, business acumen and brazen criminality.

Fiction

Gretel and the Great War. By Adam Ehrlich Sachs (FSG Originals)

Sachs has created a sort of fairy tale in an extremely clever novelistic construction: In 1919 a young woman named Gretel is found abandoned and unable to speak. Following entreaties to the public, she receives a string of bedtime stories in the mail (one for every letter of the alphabet) from a man who claims to be her father. They’re often structured as children’s stories with adult themes (a modernist architect, forced to cover his building with flowers so as not to offend the sensibilities of a young girl, falls paternalistically in love with her and tragedy ensues). Gradually, it becomes clear that each story is intertwined with others in a mosaic of anecdotes that, taken together, creates a picture of a belle epoque Vienna teetering on the edge of obliteration.

Caledonian Road. By Andrew O’Hagan (W. W. Norton & Company)

A pitch-perfect send-up of London’s dirty rich and their many hangers-on, O’Hagan’s latest is an absolute joy to read. Even if you don’t care about the novel’s many insider winks—this is surely the first time in years that the briefly famous artist Dash Snow has been name-checked—the story is impossible to put down. Campbell Flynn, the book’s protagonist, is a celebrity intellectual whose success has propelled him into the echelons of the very wealthy. This is in theory a good thing, but Campbell, who was born middle class, is perennially insecure about money, status and fame. When his world falls apart, those preoccupations aren’t revealed to be bad, exactly. But they are, with the benefit of hindsight, the precise ingredients of his undoing.

The Heart in Winter. By Kevin Barry (Doubleday)

It takes a second to get into the heavily stylized rhythm of Barry’s period-patois prose, but once you do, the payoff is worth it. Occasionally laugh-out-loud funny, the novel, which could plausibly be called a Western, follows two sort-of-outlaw lovers as they leave the relative comfort of Butte, Montana, and head into the wilderness. Tom, a triple threat (drug addict, alcoholic, poet), and his paramour Polly (recently married … to someone else) are headed to the supposed freedom of San Francisco. Before they get there, they have to reckon with, among other trials, a posse of Cornish gunmen.

The Son of Man. By Jean-Baptiste Del Amo (Grove)

Even the most faithfully translated books can lack a vital spark of the original. But in Frank Wynne’s translation of an exquisite 2021 novel by French wunderkind Jean-Baptiste Del Amo, the story—an atmospheric exploration of filial relationships—loses none of its taut beauty. A boy and his mother leave their modest suburban house and follow the boy’s father, who has returned unexpectedly to his family cabin in the middle of the wilderness after disappearing years earlier. As the boy and his mother acclimate themselves to a new existence in an almost primeval forest, tensions among the three become almost too much to bear.

Things Don’t Break on Their Own. By Sarah Easter Collins (Crown)

The setup, a combination of old friends and new acquaintances who gather for a dinner party, is straight out of Clue. But the underlying tension—a woman still searching for her sister years after she disappeared—is something else. Using a series of prolonged flashbacks told through various attendees, the mystery of the disappearance is told from multiple angles; the fact that its resolution is a little too neat does nothing to blunt the force of the narrative.

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©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Bring out a crisp, dry rosé to blunt this summer heat wave

Heat wave ushering in the start of summer? Perfect time to reach for a rosé. Crisp, dry and refreshing, these pink-tinged wines are food-friendly and pair perfectly with a range of summer fare.

Rosé wines are produced around the world in a range of hues and styles from many different grapes. But not all of them are worthy of a place on your table.

I recently gathered with my local tasting group to evaluate three dozen newly released rosés from around the world. The salmon-pink Provence-style rosés garnered the highest praise, but other regions in southern France, Oregon and Argentina were also popular.

Here are our seven favorites:

Chateau Maris 2023 Rosé — France

An exceptional, delicious value rosé made from organically grown syrah and grenache grapes from the foothills of the Black Mountains near Carcassonne in southern France. It’s dry and refreshing, evoking sunny days on the Mediterranean, brimming with fresh red fruit notes and a hint of orange zest on the finish. Also available in cans, perfect for days on the beach, boating or poolside. ($17; all nine Taste locations)

Gérard Bertrand 2023 ‘Côtes des Rosés’ — France

Like summer in a bottle, this delicious rosé from the Languedoc region of southern France has been our go-to summer sipper for years. It’s dry, light and crisp with flavors of sweet red berries and watermelon. Perfect for evening sipping or paired with salads and light dishes. ($13; widely available)

Couly-Dutheil 2023 Chinon Rosé — France

Hailing from the Loire Valley of France, this delicious rosé is made from 100% Cabernet franc grapes. Hints of spice add complexity to this fresh red berry-inflected rosé. It’s a sturdy rosé that pairs well with pizza or grilled meats. ($23; widely available)

Benjamin Taillandier 2023 Six Rosés — France

A blend of syrah, Cinsault and aramon, this is a lively, dry rosé offering notes of watermelon, rose petals and hints of strawberries. ($23; The Pink Dinghy, Virginia Beach)

Domaine Bousquet 2023 Rosé — Argentina

Made from organic grapes grown in Argentina’s Uco Valley of the Andes mountains. This light-bodied rosé is super drinkable and flavorful, bursting with notes of red berries and a delightful citrus zest finish. ($15; widely available)

Stoller Vineyards 2023 Willamette Valley Rosé — U.S.

Beautiful pale pink, this rosé from Oregon’s Willamette Valley is like summer in a bottle. Refreshing and vibrant with flavors of fresh strawberries and melons with a zingy finish. ($28, StollerWineGroup.com.) For another delicious, fruit-forward Oregon rosé made from pinot noir, consider Brooks Wine’s 2023 Rosé ($28; BrooksWine.com).

Gruet Sparkling Brut Rosé — U.S.

Sparkling wine is always a good idea to get evenings started. Gruet Winery in New Mexico — yes, New Mexico! — has some of the best-value American sparkling wines. This sparkling rosé is dry and pale salmon in color with mouthwatering raspberry and watermelon flavors and zingy acidity. ($17; Whole Foods). For a fruity sparkling pink option, Fiol Prosécco DOC rosé is a great choice.

Let me know what you’re sipping this summer. Frank.Morgan@icloud.com.

A tale of two states: Arizona and Florida diverge on how to expand kids’ health insurance

Daniel Chang | KFF Health News (TNS)

Arizona and Florida — whose rates of uninsured children are among the highest in the nation — set goals last year to widen the safety net that provides health insurance to people 18 and younger.

But their plans to expand coverage illustrate key ideological differences on the government’s role in subsidizing health insurance for kids: what to charge low-income families as premiums for public coverage — and what happens if they miss a payment.

“It’s a tale of two states,” said Joan Alker, executive director of Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families.

That divergence represents more than just two states taking their own path. It showcases a broader breakthrough moment, Alker said, as the nation rethinks how government works for families following the covid-19 pandemic. The divide also underscores the policies at stake in the 2024 presidential election.

Republican-led legislatures in Florida and Arizona worked across party lines in 2023 to pass bills to expand their states’ Children’s Health Insurance Program — widely known as CHIP — which covers anyone younger than 19 in families earning too much to be eligible for Medicaid.

A photo illustration showing Arizona colored bright green and Florida colored in bright yellow. They are on separate ends of the canvas with small grid designs behind them. (Eric Harkleroad/KFF Health News illustration/Getty Images/TNS)

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs then signed bills into law last year that increased the amount of money a family can make and still be eligible for their states’ CHIP programs. That’s where the similarities end.

Arizona began to enroll newly eligible children in March. That state has adopted policies that align with the Biden administration’s efforts to apply Affordable Care Act-style protections to CHIP, such as eliminating annual and lifetime limits on coverage and lockouts if families don’t pay premiums.

Arizona’s CHIP plan, called KidsCare, suspended its monthly premiums in 2020 and has yet to reinstate them. State officials are considering whether it’s worth the expense to manage and collect the payments given that new federal rules forbid the state from disenrolling children for nonpayment, said Marcus Johnson, a deputy director for the state’s Medicaid agency.

“We’re trying to understand if the juice is worth the squeeze,” he said.

By contrast, Florida has yet to begin its expanded enrollment and is the only state to file a federal lawsuit challenging a Biden administration rule requiring states to keep kids enrolled for 12 months even if their families don’t pay their premiums.

A judge dismissed Florida’s lawsuit on May 31, saying the state could appeal to federal regulators. The state’s CHIP expansion now awaits federal regulatory approval before newly eligible children can be enrolled.

“No eligible child should face barriers to enrolling in CHIP or be at risk of losing the coverage they rely on,” said Sara Lonardo, a spokesperson for the federal Department of Health and Human Services.

Florida’s CHIP expansion calls for significantly raising premiums and then boosting them by 3% annually. The state estimates expansion will cost an additional $90 million in its first full year and expects to collect about $23 million in new premiums to help fund the expansion of what it calls Florida KidCare.

But Florida officials have said that complying with a provision that bars children from being disenrolled for unpaid premiums would cause the state to lose $1 million a month. The state’s 2024 budget allocates $46.5 billion to health care and projects a $14.6 billion surplus.

Florida officials have flouted federal regulations and removed at least 22,000 children from CHIP for unpaid premiums since the rule banning such disenrollments took effect on Jan. 1, according to public records obtained by the Florida Health Justice Project, a nonprofit advocacy group.

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For some Floridians, like Emily Dent in Cape Coral, the higher premiums proposed in the state’s expansion plan would create a financial burden, not open a path to self-sufficiency.

Dent, 32, said her 8-year-old son, James, was disenrolled from Medicaid in April because the family’s income was too high. Although James would qualify for CHIP under Florida’s proposed expansion, Dent said the $195 monthly premium would be a financial struggle for her family.

Leaving James uninsured is not an option, Dent said. He is severely disabled due to a rare genetic disorder, Pallister-Killian syndrome, and requires round-the-clock nursing.

“He has to have health insurance,” she said. “But it’s going to drain my savings, which was going to be for a house one day.”

Research shows the cost of premiums can block many families from obtaining and maintaining CHIP coverage even when premiums are low.

And premiums don’t offset much of a state’s costs to operate the program, said Matt Jewett, director of health policy for the Children’s Action Alliance of Arizona, a nonprofit that promotes health insurance coverage for kids in the Grand Canyon State.

He noted that the federal government pays 70% of Florida’s program costs and 75% of Arizona’s — after deducting all premiums collected.

“Premiums are more about an ideological belief that families need to have skin in the game,” he said, “rather than any practical means of paying money to support the program.”

Republican-leaning states are not alone in implementing monthly or quarterly premiums for CHIP. Twenty-two states, including Democratic-leaning states such as New York and Massachusetts, charge premiums.

States have had wide discretion in how they run CHIP since the program became law in 1997, including the ability to charge such premiums and cut people’s access if they failed to pay. That’s been part of its success, said Jennifer Tolbert, deputy director of the Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured at KFF.

“Especially in more conservative states, the ability to create CHIP as a separate program — independent from Medicaid — enabled and fostered that bipartisan support,” Tolbert said.

But in the decades since CHIP was enacted, government’s role in health insurance has evolved, most significantly after President Barack Obama in 2010 signed the Affordable Care Act, which introduced coverage protections and expanded assistance for low-income Americans.

Former President Donald Trump didn’t prioritize those things while in office, Tolbert said. He has suggested that he is open to cutting federal assistance programs if reelected, while the Biden administration has adopted policies to make it easier for low-income Americans to enroll and keep their health coverage.

Just as for Dent, the question of CHIP premiums in this debate isn’t abstract for Erin Booth, a Florida mom who submitted a public comment to federal regulators about Florida’s proposed CHIP expansion. She said she would have to pay a high premium, plus copayments for doctor visits, to keep her 8-year-old son covered.

“I am faced with the impossible decision of whether to pay my mortgage or to pay for health insurance for my son,” she wrote.

(KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs of KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling and journalism.)

©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Horoscopes June 25, 2024: Linda Cardellini, change is within reach

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Busy Philipps, 45; Linda Cardellini, 49; Ricky Gervais, 63; Carly Simon, 81.

Happy Birthday: Shed light on obscure situations. Let your thoughts be known, and you’ll snag a leadership position. Your ability to nurture and make things right will put others at ease and make you proud. Proceed with the empathy and love for others that you expect in return, and you’ll set a standard among your peers. A change is within reach. Your numbers are 6, 11, 19, 25, 32, 37, 48.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Don’t start something you cannot finish. Keep your thoughts and feelings to yourself until you sort through the facts and have time to calm down. Put your energy where it can do some good, and participate in a cause that improves your life and the world. 4 stars

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Don’t let anger set in when action is required. Take a leadership position. You can make a difference if you are bold and brave. Silence is golden when your actions unite people and help those less fortunate. Seize the moment, and praise will follow. 2 stars

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Chase information and prepare to act. Trust yourself to make changes that encourage others to follow suit. A disciplined mind and plan will make a difference and save money and your reputation. Focus on what you can accomplish. 5 stars

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Push for what you want. Set high standards and do your part, and you’ll build a following. Think outside the box and use discipline and foresight to implement your plan. You have plenty to gain if you complete your task. 3 stars

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Don’t try to do the impossible. Look for opportunities and put your experience, knowledge and energy where it brings the highest return. Refuse to let emotional incidents fracture your chance to advance or test your integrity or reputation. Try to see the good in everything and everyone. 3 stars

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Be aware of what’s happening around you, and prepare to sidestep anything you want to avoid encountering. Pay attention to events that offer alternatives and answers and show results. Hanging out with people who share your insights will be beneficial. 3 stars

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Fix your surroundings to accommodate what you want to pursue. Expand your mind rather than limit yourself because you feel you must associate with something or someone who is outdated or stagnant. Try something new and exciting that will open a channel that leads from boredom to enthusiasm. 5 stars

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Learn from your mistakes and move forward without trepidation. Expanding your interests, knowledge and desires will take you on a journey that stretches your imagination, makes you face your fears and brings you to a place of comfort. Test your skills, and embrace life and love. 2 stars

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Just do it. Distance yourself from those standing between you and what you want. Pay attention to details and oversee every move you make. There is little wiggle room today, so leave nothing to chance. If you hesitate, you will fall short. 4 stars

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Unusual people, places and pastimes will draw your attention. Go with the flow and explore the possibilities. Life, love and happiness await if you invest time and money into whatever excites you the most. Press the buttons that bring about change. 3 stars

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Sit tight, wait, and watch anyone pushing you to make a change or act hastily. Spending more time and energy fixing up your surroundings and mulling over how you feel and what you can do to relieve stress will help you find solace. 3 stars

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Take the high road and don’t look back. Refuse to think someone else’s ideas can be better for you than your own. Cozy up to someone you feel has long-term potential as a personal or business partner. Earn your spot on the road to opportunity. 3 stars

Birthday Baby: You are appealing, unique and entertaining. You are enthusiastic and commanding.

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.

Want a link to your daily horoscope delivered directly to your inbox each weekday morning? Sign up for our free Coffee Break newsletter at mercurynews.com/newsletters or eastbaytimes.com/newsletters. 

Clipboard: Soledad’s Segura earns invitation to USA Collegiate National baseball team training camp

Former Herald Baseball Player of the Year Eric Segura has been selected to participate in the USA Collegiate National baseball team training camp.

The former Soledad hurler and Oregon State freshman will take part in the camp in Cary, North Carolina this week, before an international friendship series roster will be chosen, where Team USA will face Chinese Taipei for five games.

An all-Pac 12 honorable mention selection this past spring for nationally-ranked Oregon State, the right-handed Segura made 15 starts – second on the team – as a true freshman.

The 6-foot-2 Segura posted a 6-1 record with a 4.93 earned run average, striking out 79 hitters in 69 ⅓ innings for the Beavers, who reached the NCAA Super Regionals in Lexington, Kentucky.

Oregon State, whose roster also included Carmel graduate Jabin Trosky, finished the season 45-16 and was ranked as high as No. 7 in the nation.

Segura was named The Herald’s Player of the Year as a junior in 2022 after posting a 9-3 mark with an 0.61 ERA, striking out 119 in 80 innings. He also hit .465 with 13 steals for Soledad.

Berring closes chapter

Despite missing the final 14 games because of an injury, Palma grad JonJon Berring put up career numbers this past spring for the Santa Clara University baseball team.

Berring hit a career-high nine home runs – six more than his previous three years – to finish second on the team in just 38 games.

Packing a punch at the plate, the 5-foot-7, left-handed swinging Berring was second on the Broncos in runs scored (41) and third in runs batted in (28) and hits (49).

Berring also led the Broncos in stolen bases with 15 in 18 attempts and walked 29 times for a .448 on-base percentage.

Over his four seasons at Santa Clara, Berring started 141 games, hitting .283 with 12 homers and 69 runs batted in.

A member of The Herald’s All-County teams in baseball and football at Palma, Berring set career highs this past spring in walks, home runs, doubles, runs batted in and runs scored.

Cypress Swim Club celebrates 60th anniversary

Making its 60th anniversary memorable, the Cypress Swim Club carried out a box of medals after its performance at the Central/Northern California synchronized invitational in Seaside.

Gold medals came in bunches in the age group division as the club won the free combination and team routines, while finishing second in the duet.

Brielle Capiaux, Daphne DeCarlo, Elena DeCarlo, Elyse DeSalvo, Reagan Dotterer, Scarlet Dotterer, Sofia Carmona Young and Jannah Noonari claimed the age group team title.

Carmona Young, Elena DeCarlo, DeSalvo and the Dotterer sisters won the team routine, while Elena DeCarlo and DeSalvo took second in the duet, with the Dotterer sisters placing third.

Abe and Zach Hedin combined to win the duet competition in the novice division, while placing second in the trio, which included Jibran Noonari.

Noonari also took second in the novice male solo, with Daniel DeSalvo combining his efforts with the Hedin brothers to grab silver in the team routine.

Corinne Harris finished second in the AWD solo routine. Fourth place finishes went to Capiaux and Jannah Noonari in the intermediate duet, Capiaux in the female solo, and Daniel DeSalvo in the male solo.

Coaches needed

Alisal is looking for a head boys wrestling coach. Contact jose.gil@salinashsd.org or call (831) 796-7600. Three letters of recommendation are required.

Carmel is looking for a varsity cross-country coach, a varsity girls volleyball coach, a varsity girls basketball coach and a varsity girls water polo coach. Apply at www.carmelunified.org.

Salinas is looking for a girls’ junior varsity volleyball coach. Contact Chloe Goldman at (831) 776-0304.

Marina is looking for a varsity girls volleyball coach, a varsity boys volleyball coach, a varsity baseball coach and a varsity girls flag football coach. Go to www.edjoin.org/MPUSD.

MPC basketball camps

Monterey Peninsula College will be offering two youth basketball camps this summer on July 22-26 and July 29-Aug. 2 — both from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Players can sign up for both. The camp — which includes a free T-shirt, is for boys and girls ages 7-16. Fee is $195. Checks should be sent to MPC Men’s Basketball, 980 Fremont St., Monterey, CA 93940.

Sports officials

NorCal Sports Officials is looking for officials for the 2024 season and beyond. NCSO has been providing officials for youth and adult sports leagues and tournaments since 2014. NCSO currently has 17 youth and adult leagues on the Monterey Peninsula.

Training and some equipment/apparel provided. For more information contact Greg Omoto at: norcalsportsofficials@gmail.com or visit the website: www.norcalsportsofficials.com or call (831) 236-7187.

Officials needed

Peninsula Sports Incorporate is looking for high school and middle school officials for all sports this season. Varsity officials are paid $100 a game.

There is an immediate need for officials in the fall for football, flag football, volleyball, water polo and field hockey. Training is provided. Call Tom Emery at (831) 241-1101.

SF Giants beat Cubs on walk-off walk after Ramos evokes Mays’ famous catch

SAN FRANCISCO — It wasn’t quite The Catch. But on this night, one dedicated to honoring the life, the legacy, the brilliance of Willie Mays, it was close enough.

With two outs in the seventh inning, Tomás Nido ripped a line drive towards the visiting bullpen. If the ball touched dirt, Nido would have a double and the Cubs would have a run. Heliot Ramos wasn’t having it. With the No. 24 on his back, the same digits his teammates and coaches donned, Ramos raced towards right-center field, extended his left arm and made an over-the-shoulder grab.

Just like Mays.

With Ramos’ catch evoking memories of Mays’ greatest play, the Giants turned an anticlimax into a thriller. Capped off by Wilmer Flores’ walk-off walk, the Giants snapped a five-game losing streak by scoring three runs in the ninth inning, stunning the Cubs, 5-4, on Monday night at Oracle Park and winning their first game since the death of Mays.

An over-the-shoulder basket catch in center field pic.twitter.com/dJnvLsqA7s

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 25, 2024

“We’ve been thinking about this all week and finally win a game for him,” said manager Bob Melvin. “Whether it was Rickwood or whatever, we had trouble winning games during his tributes. So, it was good to be able to do it at home here.”

At the conclusion of eight-and-a-half innings, the Giants were on track to befell the same fate as its previous five games. The Giants trailed 4-2 heading into the bottom of the ninth, unable to generate any offense aside from a pair of solo home runs from Matt Chapman and Nick Ahmed, his first with the black and orange. San Francisco put runners on second and third with one out in the eighth, but couldn’t push across a single run. But as has been the case so many times this season, they had late-inning magic in store.

San Francisco sliced the deficit to one run as Michael Conforto drove in Matt Chapman, who had a solo home run in the fifth, with a sacrifice fly. Following the sacrifice fly, Austin Slater hit his own sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to tie the game at four apiece. The Cubs intentionally walked Ramos to load the bases for Flores, who drew a walk-off walk on five pitches.

San Francisco Giants’ Matt Chapman #26 scores past Chicago Cubs catcher Tomás Nido #6 on a sacrifice fly by Michael Conforto #8 in the ninth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

The play from tonight that most will remember, though, is Ramos’ running catch — a play he made with Mays’ digits etched into the outfield grass, no less.

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Every uniformed Giant wore No. 24 on this night, a number that no Giant had worn since Mays was traded to the Mets in May 1972 (the number was officially retired in 1983). Ramos, though, had the lone distinction of being San Francisco’s starting center fielder. A potential All-Star, was up to the task.

The team retired No. 24 after the Say Hey Kid’s legendary career came to a close, and no Giants player had worn it since Mays was traded to the Mets in May 1972.There was a bit of foreshadowing at play before Ramos streaked across the center-field grass. Ramos recorded the game’s very first out by tracking down a fly ball to left-center field. In the bottom of the first, Ramos recorded San Francisco’s first hit of the evening. Then, in the seventh, Ramos made the play of the night.

Along with the glove, Ramos did his best Say Hey Kid impression by recording three hits and raising his batting average to .301, the exact same as Mays’ career mark.

“Every time I watch his highlights and everything, I dream of making a catch like that,” Ramos said. “I don’t think it was even close to what he did, for sure.”

San Francisco Giants’ Heliot Ramos #17 hits a single off Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Justin Steele #35 in the sixth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

“He’s been really inspired by Willie, and getting to play center field and do what he’s doing and and get to wear No. 24 tonight, I think it was kind of apropos he made a play like that,” Melvin said.

Apropos, indeed.

Prior to first pitch, the Giants hosted a 20-minute ceremony to remember the legacy of Mays. Broadcaster Dave Flemming shared how he walked out to center field at Rickwood Field — the same space Mays roamed as a teenager — prior to the Giants’ game against the Cardinals. Mike Krukow waxed poetic about Mays’ perpetually youthful personality. Duane Kuiper, though, provided the story of the night, recalling a time when he shared the broadcast booth with Mays.

“We got to the ninth inning. It was Easter Sunday,” Kuiper recalled. “Tying run is at third base. Giants are down by a run. Robby Thompson with two strikes and two outs. A check swing. The umpire called him out. Game is over, and Willie Mays says, ‘Jesus Christ!’

“Easter Sunday, are you serious? So now, there’s this awkward pause and I have to say something. So I said, ‘We’ll be back with the Reverend Willie Mays right after this.”

The San Francisco Giants celebrate their 5-4 win after San Francisco Giants’ Wilmer Flores #41 was walked by Chicago Cubs’ pitcher Drew Smyly #11 with bases loaded in the ninth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

San Francisco Giants’ Curt Casali #18 and teammates celebrate their 5-4 win after San Francisco Giants’ Wilmer Flores #41 was walked by Chicago Cubs’ pitcher Drew Smyly #11 with bases loaded in the ninth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

The San Francisco Giants celebrate their 5-4 win after San Francisco Giants’ Wilmer Flores #41 was walked by Chicago Cubs’ pitcher Drew Smyly #11 with bases loaded in the ninth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

San Francisco Giants’ Thairo Estrada #39 and others celebrate their 5-4 win after San Francisco Giants’ Wilmer Flores #41 was walked by Chicago Cubs’ pitcher Drew Smyly #11 with bases loaded in the ninth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

The San Francisco Giants celebrate their 5-4 win after San Francisco Giants’ Wilmer Flores #41 was walked by Chicago Cubs’ pitcher Drew Smyly #11 with bases loaded in the ninth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

San Francisco Giants’ Wilmer Flores #41 is walked by Chicago Cubs’ pitcher Drew Smyly #11 with bases loaded in the ninth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. The Giants won the game 5-4. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

San Francisco Giants shortstop Nick Ahmed #16 makes the throw to first base but is unable to complete the double play after forcing out Chicago Cubs’ Dansby Swanson #7 at second base in the seventh inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

San Francisco Giants’ Nick Ahmed #16 hits a solo home run off Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Justin Steele #35 in the sixth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

San Francisco Giants’ Nick Ahmed #16 is congratulated by third base coach Matt Williams #9 after hitting a solo home run off Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Justin Steele #35 in the sixth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Chicago Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong #52 celebrates after hitting a triple off San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Spencer Howard #56 in the sixth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

San Francisco Giants’ Matt Chapman #26 is congratulated by teammate Thairo Estrada #39 after hitting a solo home run off Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Justin Steele #35 in the fifth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Justin Steele #35 throws against the San Francisco Giants in the fifth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

San Francisco Giants’ Matt Chapman #26 rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run off Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Justin Steele #35 in the fifth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

San Francisco Giants’ pitcher Spencer Howard #56 throws against the Chicago Cubs in the fifth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Chicago Cubs’ shortstop Dansby Swanson #7 hits an RBI double off San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Luke Jackson #77 in the fifth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Chicago Cubs’ Nico Hoerner #2 is congratulated by third base coach Willie Harris #33 as he’s safe at third after a single by Seiya Suzuki #27 as San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman #26 looks on in the fifth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Chicago Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki #27 hits a single off San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Luke Jackson #77 in the fifth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

San Francisco Giants’ shortstop Nick Ahmed #16 makes the throw to first base as Chicago Cubs’ Michael Busch #29 is safe in the fourth inning of their MLB game against the Chicago Cubs at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Raymond Burgos #78 makes his MLB debut as he throws agains the Chicago Cubs in the fourth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

San Francisco Giants second baseman Thairo Estrada #39 tags out Chicago Cubs’ outfielder Seiya Suzuki #27 on a steal attempt in the first inning of their MLB game against the Chicago Cubs at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

San Francisco Giants’ pitcher Erik Miller #68 throws against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Mark Macias, of Santa Clara, pays respects at a statue of former San Francisco Giants’ Willie Mays before their MLB game against the Chicago Cubs at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. Mays died on June 18 at the age of 93. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

San Francisco Giants players all wear the number 24 during a tribute to Willie Mays before their MLB game against the Chicago Cubs at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. Mays died on June 18 at the age of 93. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

A tribute to San Francisco Giants’ Willie Mays before their MLB game against the Chicago Cubs at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. Mays died on June 18 at the age of 93. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Notes of appreciation on hats at the base of a statue of former San Francisco Giants’ Willie Mays before their MLB game against the Chicago Cubs at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 24, 2024. Mays died on June 18 at the age of 93. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

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