Moms of DUI driver and his victim share heartache after guilty verdict read
Good morning. It’s Friday, Nov. 18. I’m Carol Cormaci, bringing you today’s TimesOC newsletter with the latest roundup of news and events.
Before we get started, I wanted to announce that beginning next week this newsletter will move to a once-a-week endeavor, on Wednesdays only. I have very much enjoyed preparing it for you since early 2021, but what began as a twice-weekly assignment split between two writers, myself (Wednesdays) and my colleague Ben Brazil (Fridays) changed in July, when he moved on to another job at the L.A. Times. Other recently added responsibilities at my desk have made it challenging to keep bringing you two newsletters per week. So, please peruse this final Friday version, and we’ll continue to meet in your inbox every Wednesday!
On Wednesday, Victor Manuel Romero, 28, who had more than twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system when his BMW struck and killed 33-year-old bicyclist Raymond MacDonald in Huntington Beach three years ago, was found guilty of second-degree murder and hit-and-run.
After the verdict was announced, my colleague Eric Licas, who covers public safety for the Daily Pilot, spoke to Dani MacDonald, Raymond’s mother, and learned her son had just celebrated his birthday and was hauling a bike trailer loaded with gifts across the street when he was hit by Romero’s BMW 328i at Beach Boulevard and Adams Avenue at 2:10 a.m. on March 30, 2019.
According to Dani MacDonald, her son was a native of the area. He volunteered at Church by the Sea in Laguna Beach and worked full time at his mother’s catering business.
“‘Raymond had the sweetest blue twinkling eyes and an awesome smile,” she told the reporter. “He was a kind, loving soul and would do anything for anybody.”
Romero’s mother, Maria Romero, told Licas her son is deeply remorseful about what happened three years ago and has no recollection of what took place that night.
Romero’s family members “described him as someone who always tried to cheer people up when they were down and said he worked multiple jobs to support his mother and siblings,” Licas writes.
“I know their [MacDonald’s] son passed away,” Maria Romero said. “Mine is in jail. I hurt for both sides. I wanted to tell them I’m sorry.”
In another, much more recent car vs. cyclist tragedy, a Garden Grove man was killed Tuesday morning after being struck by a gray Honda CR-V while riding his bike on a residential street in Fountain Valley, authorities announced.
Phong Khuu, 62, was pronounced dead at the scene, the intersection of Sunn Avenue and Los Coches Street. This was not a hit-and-run crime, and the Honda’s driver stayed at the scene. But police are asking anyone who witnessed the fatal traffic collision to call (714) 593-4481.
The all-too-frequent news reports of someone innocently pedaling along one moment and having his life snuffed out the next by a DUI driver leave images that are hard to shake. Be careful out there.
MORE NEWS
— Rep. Katie Porter of Irvine, a rising star in the Democratic Party, fended off a challenge from Republican Scott Baugh, a former state lawmaker, to secure her third term in Congress, the L.A. Times reported last night. The Associated Press called the race Thursday, though official results will take longer. Control of the House tipped to Republicans on Wednesday; now California’s remaining congressional races will determine the size of the GOP’s majority.
— Persuaded that there is a need for a larger property to house the city’s police department, the Newport Beach City Council voted this week to move toward the purchase of the $30.5-million First Citizens Bank building that sits on 3.59 acres. The city will enter a 120-day due diligence period to review title documents and lease agreements, and to inspect the property, then will have roughly 30 days from the end of that period to determine if it wants to move ahead with the purchase.
— A UC Irvine medical school professor spent more than $400,000 of state funds on cameras he used for Instagram posts, according to this L.A. Times story by Melody Petersen. A whistleblower reported that her department’s chair, Frank P.K. Hsu, had purchased 14 cameras and 46 lenses and was using the equipment, at least partially, to make money via online sales of photos he took with them. An audit concluded Hsu had made the purchases using “suspicious” or “unauthorized” means. Hsu still has his job, which pays $1.2 million a year. Tom Vasich, a UCI spokesman, told Peterson Hsu had now repaid the university $404,000 — the value of purchases questioned by the auditors.
— In October, Orange County home sales were down 17.6% compared to September, according to a report by the California Assn. of Realtors and were 39% lower compared to a year ago. The association’s Unsold Inventory Index for October indicated the median time a property was on the market in the county before it sold was 25 days. Statewide, it was 23 days. The median home price countywide in October was $1.16 million, compared to $1.2 million in September, a 2.9% decline, according to CAR.
LIFE & LEISURE
— Two concurrent exhibits that end Dec. 1 are drawing visitors to Orange Coast College’s Frank M. Doyle Arts Pavilion. For her story on the exhibits, my colleague Sarah Mosqueda interviewed curators of “Spirit of the Land, Artists Honor Avi Kwa Ame,” which celebrates the Nevada landscape and Native American heritage, and “For some memory or some land,” a group exhibition of Chicana/o/x artists recapturing and reconstituting concepts of nature.
— Sowers Middle School in the Huntington Beach City School District is undergoing a $71-million reconstruction project, and to get it started officials and supporters turned out Tuesday for a groundbreaking ceremony. It’s a big project: The front office will be moved from one side of campus to another, and the school will get a new gymnasium, a STEM lab, exterior opening classrooms, natural lighting and large outdoor areas for gathering. The project, which has Studio W Architects as the architect and Construct 1 Corp. as the general contractor, will feature five AMS Gen 7 prefabricated buildings for 27 new classrooms overall. There will also be increased security, with perimeter fencing and a single point of energy. It’s anticipated the work will be completed by late 2024.
SPORTS
— An Orange County water polo coach, Bahram Hojreh, was convicted Wednesday on 22 felony counts of sexually abusing 10 teenage girls he trained over a five-year period. The 46-year-old Irvine resident could face more than 20 years in prison, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office. USA Water Polo and the International Water Polo Club agreed last year to a nearly $14-million settlement with the victims, who alleged that the organizations didn’t protect them from the abuse.
— Left-handed pitcher Tyler Anderson signed a three-year, $39-million deal with the Angels, turning down the Dodgers’ one-year, $19.65-million qualifying offer before Tuesday’s deadline. Anderson had a career year with the Dodgers, going 15-5 with a 2.57 earned-run average. In a Zoom conference Thursday, Anderson said he’d chosen Anaheim because it would offer his family some security, “but really to be a part of a team that I think is going to be really good. I think we have a lot of good players.” Here’s the link to reporter Sarah Valenzuela’s full coverage of yesterday’s conference introducing Anderson as an Angel.
CALENDAR THIS
— Winter Fest OC returns Friday, Nov. 25 and runs through Jan. 1 at the OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. Opening day hours are noon to 10 p.m. Tickets: weekdays, $19.95 general admission, $14.95 children ages 3-12, free for children 2 and younger. Military/front-line workers are admitted at $5 off every Thursday. Parking is $10. Ticket discounts, packages, VIP and party rental information is available at winterfestoc.com.
— The Madeleine Trio, a chamber group focused on pieces written for flute, oboe and piano, will perform at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Newport Beach Public Library, 1000 Avocado Ave. The three musicians, Lisa Yamamoto (flute), Jenny Jee-El Park (piano) and Maralynne Mann (oboe) met as students at Cal State Fullerton and formed their trio in 2011.
— Tickets are on sale now for the 24th annual Balboa Island Holiday Home Walking Tour, set for Sunday, Dec. 11, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eight decorated island homes and cottages will welcome visitors. Tickets are $40 and may be purchased online at balboaislandnb.org. Will call tickets will be available to purchase and pick up at the Balboa Island Museum, 210 Marine Ave., Balboa Island at 9:30 a.m. on the day of the event.
KEEP IN TOUCH
Thank you for reading today’s newsletter. If you have a memory or story about Orange County, I would love to read and share it in this space. Please try to keep your submission to 100 words or less and include your name and current city of residence.
I’d appreciate your help in making this the best newsletter it can be. Please send news tips, your memory of life in O.C. or comments to carol.cormaci@latimes.com.
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