Marcus Alexander Muench Casanova fell an estimated 500 feet down near Devil’s Backbone while hiking with a friend on Monday, sheriff’s officials said. His friend called for help and provided GPS coordinates to authorities.

Rescuers looking for Casanova also discovered the bodies of two men near him. The other two men weren’t hiking with Casanova and have not been identified yet. It wasn’t clear when they fell.

Windy conditions prevented helicopters from recovering the three bodies on Monday. The bodies were retrieved Tuesday.

“We are destroyed by the loss of our beloved Marcus. He was a graduate of Los Alamitos High, a freshman at Santa Clara University’s business school, and an avid outdoorsman,” according to a statement from his family.

“More importantly, he was an incredibly sweet and empathetic young man that will be missed sorely by many. It is difficult to explain the pain and anguish we are going through and ask for privacy as we try to find our way. “

Her son was home for the holidays, his mother, Fabiana Muench Casanova, said.

“He was the light in our lives. He was the most sweetest boy,” she said.

The 19-year-old was an outdoorsman.

“Sailor, surfer, hiker. He was super active,” Fabiana Casanova said

Her son went hiking with his best friend on Monday, she said, adding he had a GPS on him.

After he fell, his friend ran down the mountain to get help, she added.

Both novice and skilled hikers have died trying to hike Mt. Baldy, particularly during winter when powdery snow, ice and steep terrain combine to create dangerous conditions. Search-and-rescue teams are often kept busy throughout the winter season, when typically inexperienced hikers become stranded, injured and sometimes die on the mountain’s steep and icy terrain.

Mt. Baldy’s terrain is similar to that of Big Bear and Mt. San Gorgonio, experts say, but it attracts more people, including inexperienced hikers, because it’s closer to Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.

With weather creating treacherous conditions, closures were announced for the Mt. Baldy area and nearby trails in the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument through Jan. 7.

For your safety and the safety of all responders, please help all public safety agencies and avoid these treacherous conditions. Avoid these areas and all other closure areas. The areas that are open can be dangers for those that are inexperienced or not prepared for the… https://t.co/9eRIEPwhDh

— Robert Garcia (@firechiefanf) January 1, 2026

Reporter Joe Nelson contributed to this story

Well, here are our suggestions for things you can do that won’t break the bank — both during the day and at night. (But if the event is outdoors, you’d better make sure it’s not canceled, since at this writing, rain was forecast.)

Anaheim: So sorry. The countdown to 2026 at the STC GardenWalk has been canceled due to a forecast of inclement weather. anaheimgardenwalk.com/event/33593-countdownto2026

Brea: Have fun counting down at the “Noon Year’s Eve” party at the Brea library, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. All ages. Enjoy a craft, snacks and a balloon drop. 1 Civic Center Circle, Brea. ocpl.libcal.com/event/16062370

Cypress: Celebrate “Noon Year’s Eve” early with Magician Dave Skale at the Cypress library. His family-friendly performance is at 11 a.m. and then stay for the balloon drop at noon. 5331 Orange Ave. Cypress. ocpl.libcal.com/event/15787730

Garden Grove: Celebrate “Noon Year’s Eve” early and enjoy a special storytime, followed by a fun craft at the Chapman branch of the Garden Grove library. Then count down together and ring in the “noon” year with a balloon drop at 12 p.m.  9182 Chapman Ave. Garden Grove. ocpl.libcal.com/event/15843994

Ladera Ranch: Head over to the family-friendly “Noon Year’s Eve” with other families at the Ladera Ranch branch library. 11:30-12:30. Crafts, fun and a balloon drop at noon. 29551 Sienna Parkway, Ladera Ranch. ocpl.libcal.com/event/15792817

Lake Forest: Celebrate “Noon Year’s Eve” early with other families at the El Toro branch library. 11:30-12:30. Crafts, fun and a balloon drop at noon. 24672 Raymond Way, Lake Forest. ocpl.libcal.com/event/15711617

Long Beach: Enjoy this family “Noon Year” celebration from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the 2nd & PCH mall. There will be games, fun and giveaways at their outdoor Kids Club (weather permitting.) Check in between 10-11:15 a.m. and enjoy crafts, face painting, bingo and a dance party before a countdown to “noon year” with bubbles. Mickey and Minnie are rumored to be there. 6400 Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach. 2ndandpch.com/portfolio/kids-club-noon-year-bubble-show-party/

Long Beach: Head over to Shoreline Village for a free dance party, followed by fireworks at midnight. DJ Rome is scheduled to play dance music from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. There’s a self-serve photo booth from 9 p.m. to midnight near Louisiana Charlies. Get there early, rideshare or expect a hunt for nearby parking. And then enjoy the fireworks show near the Queen Mary. 429 Shoreline Village Drive. facebook.com/events/830685192682976

Long Beach: The Long Beach Public Library is holding a “Noon New Year’s Eve Party” at several locations. Enjoy a dance party, crafts, balloon drop at noon and more.  a fun craft, a dance party and more. Hours vary but are generally from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.. Check out these locations: Billie Jean King Main Library. 200 W. Broadway; Mark Twain Neighborhood Library, 1401 E. Anaheim St.; Harte Neighborhood Library, 1595 W. Willow St. longbeach.gov/library/events/

Los Alamitos/Rossmoor. Celebrate “Noon Year’s Eve” with other families at the Los Alamitos branch library. 11:30-12:30. Crafts, fun and a balloon drop at noon. 12700 Montecito, Seal Beach  ocpl.libcal.com/event/15803407

Los Angeles: Organizers are promising a huge event at Gloria Molina Grand Park downtown from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. including two stages with live music, a spectacular City Hall light show and interactive art installations. Live performances by Ruby Ibarra, Ceci Bastida, DJ Wayne Williams, Bardo and more. Food trucks will be there. Parking is $10 or ride the Metro. Gloria Molina Grand Park, 200 North Grand Ave. Los Angeles. RSVPs are not mandatory but requested at grandparkla.org/nyela

Los Angeles: Don’t want to drink? Enjoy this party sponsored by Artists In Recovery from 7-11:59 p.m. It includes an open AA meeting (all welcome to attend), live music, games, food and drinks. Even a guitar raffle. At the C.A.P.O. center, 7946 W 3rd St. Los Angeles.

Marina del Rey: Enjoy the countdown at this Glow Party at Burton Chace park, including fireworks at midnight (Organizers say rain or shine.) Plans include music, magic shows, face painting, stilt walkers, fairies, robots, a giant LED screen showing the ball drop from Times Square and more. Two fireworks shows, at 8:50 p.m. and 11:59 p.m. shot from the south jetty. The event is free but parking is paid. Plan to get there early because of traffic and parking. 13650 Mindanao Way, Marina del Rey. Check the website for parking locations. beaches.lacounty.gov/nye2025/

Redlands: This town was built on citrus, so head out for the annual NYE Orange Drop from 6 to 9 p.m. and celebrate the East Coast countdown. The countdown starts at 8:45 p.m. Music, live performances, kid zone, confetti cannons, food vendors and more. On Citrus Avenue between 6th and 8th streets. redlandschamber.org/orangedrop/

Rowland Heights: The countdown to 2026 starts at 5 p.m. at the STC Rowland Legacy (formerly the Rowland Ranch Plaza). Festivies include a dance party with live music and DJs, a Happy Market with food and shopping, giveaways and more.  There’s a community countdown at midnight. The evening runs until 1 a.m. STC Rowland Legacy, 18991 Colima Road, Rowland Heights. Reserve a free ticket online: eventbrite.com/e/ocla-countdown-to-2026-stc-rowland-legacy-tickets-1963611325333

San Juan Capistrano: Have a family-friendly “Noon Year’s Eve” party with other families at the library. 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.. Crafts, fun and a balloon drop at noon. 31495 El Camino Real, San Juan Capistrano. ocpl.libcal.com/event/15784435

Seal Beach: Enjoy “Noon Year’s Eve” eat the Seal Beach branch library. 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Dancing, crafts, fun and a balloon drop at noon. 707 Electric Ave. Seal Beach. ocpl.libcal.com/event/15586083

Stanton: Celebrate “Noon Year’s Eve” eat the Stanton branch library. 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Crafts, snacks, fun and a balloon drop at noon.7850 Katella Ave. Stanton ocpl.libcal.com/event/15737660

Temecula: Yes, it’s time for the annual Temecula Grape Drop festivities, from 6 to 10 p.m. It’s family friendly with an East Coast countdown at 9 p.m. and a drone show. Live entertainment, kid activities, food vendors and more. Civic Center, 41000 Main St., Temecula temeculaca.gov/1425/Holiday-Fun

Tustin: Start the new year off at the Tustin library …. at noon! Enjoy a balloon drop and fun crafts at the “Noon Year Eve” celebration from 11 a.m. to noon. 345 E. Main St., Tustin. ocpl.libcal.com/event/15881080

Westminster: Start early by celebrating “Noon Year’s Eve” early at the Westminster branch library. This is family friendly. 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Crafts, fun and a balloon drop at noon. 8180 13th St. Westminster. ocpl.libcal.com/event/15798822

UPDATE: An earlier version of this story listed First Night in Fullerton, but organizers say the event has been canceled because of safety concerns about inclement weather.

Benjamin W. Watta, formerly of Long Beach, was found unresponsive in his cell at Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City around 11 a.m. on Monday during a count and pronounced dead by paramedics just after 11:30 a.m., the corrections agency said. The Del Norte County Coroner will determine his cause of death.

He was convicted of murder during the commission of rape and burglary in 2008 for the 1980 rape and killing of 70-year-old Simone Sharpe in Seal Beach. A jury recommended the death penalty for Watta and that sentence was imposed in 2009.

Sharpe was found dead by her son at her neighbor’s home on Christmas Eve 1980. She had been raped, strangled and suffocated the day before. Sharpe was feeding her neighbor’s cats and collecting their mail for them, going into the home through an unlocked garage door, as they were on a vacation.

Sharpe’s son realized she was missing and looked for her at the neighbor’s house, where he found her dead in a bedroom, between a bed and wall, prosecutors said.

Sharpe’s murder case went cold and was unsolved until 2001, when a district attorney’s office task force focused on killers, rapists and sexual offenders used DNA technology to link Watta to the murder, with DNA from a rape kit collected in 1980.

When the task force made the DNA connection, Watta was in custody for attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend in Florida and was extradited to Orange County.

Watta was moved to Pelican Bay State Prison from Orange County in 2009 and was serving a condemned sentence, the corrections department said.

Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2019 placed a moratorium on the death penalty in California. The last execution in the state was in 2006.

A Seal Beach home recently set a record for the guard-gated Surfside Colony, selling off-market for nearly $6.41 million.

This beachfront four-level house, rebuilt in 2000 and newly renovated, spans 3,948 square feet. It boasts four bedrooms, six bathrooms and a fourth-level deck, all of which make it larger than the property six doors south on the sand that sold for slightly less in April 2023 at $6.4 million.

Records show the seller, an investment limited liability company, purchased the home in December 2024 for $4.5 million.

Coldwell Banker Realty, whose agents handled both ends of the deal, said the property underwent “a no-expense-spared renovation,” emphasizing that “every element of the home is brand new.”

The exterior has smooth white stucco, a new roof and a new door on the two-car garage.

Inside, the open gourmet kitchen boasts designer appliances and custom cabinetry with modified shaker doors. They pair with Calacatta Caldia marble countertops featuring book-matched double waterfall detail.

Designer stones feature significantly in other areas of the home, including in the living room, where a solid slab of Calacatta Gold marble surrounds the fireplace.

Other high-end materials include wide-plank European oak floors, which flow throughout.

The house has two primary suites, including one that features an oversized dual shower crafted from Calacatta Gold marble, a Statuario Sponda marble vanity with dual sinks and premium Rohl plumbing fixtures. In the adjoining bedroom, a solid slab of Bianco Serena stone wraps the fireplace.

Handcrafted rift-sawn floating vanities, custom doors and wide-plank European oak flooring, as well as HVAC systems are also included in the renovation.

Outside features include ocean-facing decks with glass railings, including one off the main living room with stairs directly to the sand. Off the lowest level is an enclosed sand area with the beach beyond.

Kimia Vakili of Coldwell Banker Realty was the seller’s agent, while Ash Rizk of Coldwell Banker Realty represented the buyer.

According to Realtor.com, the property was previously listed and then pulled from the market in October. It originally hit the market in April for $8.75 million, with subsequent price reductions before settling at just under $7 million.

The property re-surfaced briefly before the sale closed Friday, Dec. 12.

Surfside is a small, private community just north of Huntington Beach. Founded in 1929 and incorporated as a non-profit corporation a year later, it is governed by a five-member board elected by property owners for two-year terms. Its official website claims there are about 260 homes, from older single-story cottages to newer multi-story houses, all within 75 feet of the beach.

Read also: Here are several public Hanukkah celebrations planned in Orange County

And, it shared its menorah lighting ceremony at the Seal Beach Pier with the community.

Hanukkah, or Chanukah, begins the evening of Dec 14, continuing through Dec. 22.

“Regardless of political parties — I’ll represent everyone. And there’s great people and neighborhoods all across the new district,” Garcia wrote in a Nov. 5 social media post.

The hoopla surrounding the 42nd Congressional District isn’t just that Garcia will be running in an area that will look vastly different from what it does today.

It’s that the openly gay, progressive liberal who, up to this point, has represented a heavily Democratic district in deep-blue Los Angeles County, would be the lawmaker for some of Orange County’s most conservative coastal communities, including Huntington Beach and part of Newport Beach, if reelected.

In 2023, the Huntington Beach City Council voted to allow only government and various military flags to fly on city-owned property. Critics viewed the ban on non-government banners as a way to keep the Pride flag — a symbol for the LGBTQ+ community — from being displayed.

And the city, where all seven City Council members are Republicans, is also where President Donald Trump received over 9,500 more votes than former Vice President Kamala Harris during last year’s presidential election, according to the California secretary of state’s office.

Trump also won in Newport Beach, where he received over 8,300 more votes than Harris last year. (Trump ultimately lost not only California but also Orange County as a whole in 2024.)

Garcia, on the other hand, has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration. As the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, he’s relentlessly pursued the full release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. And just this week, he led a congressional hearing into alleged misconduct by federal immigration agents carrying out Trump’s mass deportation policy.

Although voters in Huntington Beach and Newport Beach tend to be more conservative than Long Beach, Garcia said there are still plenty of people who care about issues that he also finds important.

“Yes, there’s a lot more conservative folks here,” Garcia acknowledged over a lunch of salmon fish tacos and iced tea at Duke’s restaurant in Huntington Beach this week. “There’s also a ton of Democrats and progressives here.”

“And,” Garcia continued, “there’s a ton of people that are independent that oppose Donald Trump’s plan to open up the Huntington Beach coast, the Newport (Beach) coast, the Seal Beach coast to new oil rigs. Those are issues that we’re going to hopefully find common ground on.”

Currently, the 42nd Congressional District, which Garcia was first elected to represent in 2022, lies entirely within L.A. County. It stretches north from Long Beach and includes some communities in southeast L.A. County, including Lakewood, Downey and Huntington Park.

But under the new map expected to take effect with next year’s midterm elections, the district would lose those communities in southeast L.A. County and instead swing south, picking up at least portions of Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Costa Mesa in Orange County.

The current 42nd Congressional District includes 53% registered Democratic voters as well as 18% Republican voters and 23% no party preference or other. With next year’s changes, the district will include 40% registered Democratic voters, 30% Republican and 28% no party preference or other.

It’s not that the Orange County cities that will be folded into the 42nd Congressional District haven’t been represented by a Democrat before.

Their current congressmember, Rep. Dave Min of Irvine, is a Democrat. So was Katie Porter, who served before Min.

But as Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns puts it: Porter and Min were elected based on a congressional map drawn by an independent redistricting commission and under a nonpartisan system that California voters previously approved.

Yet that’s just one issue Burns has about Huntington Beach possibly being represented by Garcia under the new map. He’s also worried that Garcia’s ideas for the city won’t align with what residents truly want.

Over the summer, Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democrats proposed a mid-decade redistricting effort to position California Democrats to pick up five additional House seats in the 2026 midterm elections as a counter to similar gerrymandering efforts by GOP-led states.

That effort led to voters adopting new, gerrymandered maps for California in a special election a few weeks ago. The maps are being challenged in court as unconstitutional by California Republicans and the U.S. Department of Justice.

In the meantime, Republicans in some of Orange County’s more conservative, lower-density communities continue to balk at the idea of being lumped into the same district as Long Beach, a much more liberal, urban community in L.A. County.

Garcia is well aware that his political views and the views of some of his potentially new constituents won’t always line up.

His strategy is to find areas of common interest upon which he’d advocate for, such as coastal preservation, investments in infrastructure and support for small local businesses.

“We’re not always going to agree on every issue, and that’s fine,” he said.

But, Garcia said, “I want Huntington Beach, Newport, Seal, communities on the coast to look back and say, ‘Damn, Robert Garcia is bringing us more federal resources to help our budgets than anyone we’ve ever had,’” he said.

Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem Casey McKeon, who will be sworn in as mayor next week, said many residents in the city remain skeptical about representation under the new congressional maps.

He did not want to speculate who would win the 42nd Congressional District race next year but said he’s willing to keep an open mind should Garcia be elected to represent Huntington Beach.

“It doesn’t matter who the representative is,” said McKeon. “We would expect our congressional representative to work on projects that affect Huntington Beach.”

For example, he hopes whoever is elected to represent the city after the midterm elections will advocate for federal funding for sand replenishment projects.

“It shouldn’t matter (the) political lines,” he said. “I hope to have a good relationship with our representative in Congress.”

Burns, the outgoing mayor of Huntington Beach, is wary that being lumped into the same congressional district as Long Beach will mean that voters there will overshadow those from smaller communities and likely elect someone with a more urban mindset.

Long Beach is the seventh most populous city in California, with some neighborhoods boasting mid-rise and high-rise apartments and condos. That sort of high-density living is a stark contrast to Huntington Beach, Burns said.

“Long Beach is quite different,” Burns said. “Is he (Garcia) going to represent us in a Huntington Beach manner, or does he have his own ideals of what he thinks Huntington Beach should be? We’re obviously more conservative than he has shown. Hopefully, he will be respectful of those values and help us live those values.”

Although Burns was an officer with the Long Beach Police Department when Garcia was mayor, it’s been a long time since the two have crossed paths, both men said.

“We have different political perspectives, but I respect his service as a Long Beach police officer,” Garcia said.

The congressmember also said that some of his college friends now live in Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, and he considers himself fairly familiar with what will be the new 42nd Congressional District.

In addition, he said he’s been to the homes of some Huntington Beach residents who invited him to meet with small business owners and community members to hear their perspectives.

Having served on the Long Beach City Council and as mayor there for eight years before being elected to Congress, Garcia said he understands the fiscal challenges local municipalities face and that basic quality-of-life issues like sidewalk maintenance still matter. He intends to advocate on such issues, he said.

Just don’t expect the congressmember to pull a 180 on his political stances, whether it’s about LGBTQ+ rights or other core values.

“If people are being attacked, if communities are being marginalized, it’s my place to speak up. I’m not going to shy from that,” he said.

Garcia said if he is reelected, he’d represent “some very wealthy communities,” yet he continues to believe billionaires and large corporations shouldn’t get tax breaks while average citizens struggle to pay their rent.

“I always vote what I believe is the right thing for the communities I represent, for our state and for what I believe in,” Garcia said.

At the same time, he said he respects the fact that not everyone shares his opinions. He’s spent his career working with people with differing views, he said, and expects that to continue even if he represents more conservative communities.

“I’ve worked with Republicans my whole life,” he said. “I’m actually not worried about it at all.”

Lorena Padilla, 49, of Villa Park, the case’s lead defendant, is charged with one count of wire fraud conspiracy, one count of money laundering conspiracy, and six other counts, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Also arrested:

— Selina Medina Preciado, 30, of Whittier, Padilla’s daughter

— Carlos Padilla, 40, of Chino, Lorena Padilla’s brother

— Pablo Araque, 55, of Downey

Two other defendants charged — Melanie Medina, 31, of Yorba Linda, who also is Lorena Padilla’s daughter; and Susana Cardenas, 45, of Long Beach — are expected to appear in federal court in the coming weeks. Law enforcement is looking for defendant Janine J. Garcia, 39, also known as “Janette Ortega” of Seal Beach.

Federal prosecutors allege that along with tax fraud, the defendants defrauded numerous clients by failing to pay employment taxes withheld from the wages of temporary workers — many of them described as undocumented immigrants.

Some defendants documented their extravagant lifestyles on Instagram and other social media, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Lorena Padilla controlled several businesses based in Los Angeles and Riverside counties: Platinum Staffing in Montebello, Payroll Staffing Solutions in Industry, Three Star Global in Corona, and Next Level Staffing in Maywood, authorities said.

The companies provided workers and human-resources services to client businesses in various industries in the Los Angeles area. For all temporary workers staffed with clients, the companies claimed to provide payroll tracking, paycheck preparation and distribution, the withholding and payment of payroll taxes to federal and state authorities, the preparation and filing of quarterly federal employment tax returns and the maintenance of valid workers’ compensation insurance, prosecutors said.

According to the indictment, from January 2012 to September 2024, the defendants allegedly defrauded the staffing companies’ customers, the IRS, and California’s Employment Development Department, the California state agency responsible for collecting California employment taxes.

To conceal their failure to report employee wages and taxes and pay employment taxes, Padilla, Garcia, Medina and Preciado caused Next Level Staffing to hire large numbers of undocumented immigrants as temporary workers, prosecutors contend. The defendants anticipated the undocumented immigrants would be less likely to file federal income tax returns and be less likely to alert the IRS to Next Level’s ongoing failure to account for and pay over employment taxes, court papers show.

Total losses to the U.S. Treasury from the scheme exceed $90 million, prosecutors said.

Lorena Padilla and several other defendants used the ill-gotten gains for personal expenses and purchases, including properties in a trio of Southern California counties — a $3 million ranch in Riverside, a $2.5 million home in Whittier, and a $3.5 million home in Yorba Linda, federal prosecutors say.

The defendants also allegedly purchased rental properties in Ontario and Corona, went on luxury family vacations in Hawaii, Tokyo, Paris, Dubai, Italy, and Aspen, Colorado, and bought Lamborghinis and Rolls-Royces, according to court papers.

If convicted as charged, the defendants would potentially face decades in federal prison, prosecutors said.

Equipped with his own rake and tarp, he scooped up sneakers, candy wrappers and Starbucks cups, among countless branches and other waste that littered the beach after some of the first heavy rain following the dry summer months.

Kartinen, a former Long Beach police officer, said he’s been helping collect trash along the Seal Beach shore nearly every morning for the past 11 years. Typically, he said the work lasts a few hours, but post-storm cleanup can take twice as long.

“I just hate to see the beach like this,” Kartinen said while lugging a drenched mattress onto dry sand.

More than 400 tons of trash flowed from the mouth of the San Gabriel River in 2024 — the figure has risen incrementally every year since 2021, according to data shared by the city. The river drains runoff from 52 inland cities, emptying into the Pacific Ocean between Seal Beach and Long Beach.

Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen, whose First District includes Seal Beach and who visited the shore Monday morning to highlight the trash problem, said she’s “heartbroken” to see the detritus and pollution that accumulates on the state’s beaches. Trash that washes into the ocean can affect the full 41-mile stretch of coastline in Orange County, Nguyen said, threatening marine life.

“The beach hosts a lot of events: surfing, Iron Man, the Pacific Airshow — you name it,” Nguyen said. “We need to protect the entire coast.”

Assemblymember Diane Dixon and Seal Beach Councilmember Joe Kalmick established the San Gabriel River Working Group last year to develop solutions to the trash problem, including installing trash interceptors to catch floating debris. Nguyen, who works with the group, said it has identified 17 sites along the river to install the traps.

A feasibility study of the county-funded project is expected to be released next month.

Nguyen said her office has been working with state and federal officials, including Sen. Alex Padilla, to secure more funding for the project. The county has allocated $525,000 in discretionary funds to Seal Beach’s trash‑mitigation efforts and trash traps.

Nguyen said community- and county-led cleanups are important and have kept thousands of tons of trash from the beaches and ocean, but they aren’t as efficient as automated systems.

“We need a system that works 24 hours, seven days a week,” she said. “As you can see, there are needles, small little things that are harder for us to capture, humanly, than would be in a bigger net system.”

Other Orange County cities have installed their own trash capture technologies. Newport Beach unveiled a $5.5 million water wheel in March — the first of its kind on the West Coast — and Huntington Beach has been testing a device similar to a Roomba on the water.

Please keep in mind that Orange County offers a myriad of choice bakeries; consider this your jumping-off point to finding the finest bakes available.

61 Hundred Bread

728 Poinsettia St., Unit A, Santa Ana; www.61hundredbread.com

Karlo Evaristo’s 61 Hundred Bread finally opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Santa Ana, satisfying the intense demand since his 2019 cottage venture. The bakery is now Orange County’s essential stop for perfectly fermented and flakey bakes, most notably for the sourdough batards, in regular and heirloom blue masa flavors (the latter bread’s violet hue becoming Evaristo’s signature color).

Alongside the sourdough, be sure to cozy up to the croissants using dough laminated in-house with high-fat French butter, ube cruffians, rosemary focaccia or whatever dreams the chef-founder bakes into a reality. And don’t miss out on the upcoming batches of seasonal panettone. 61 Hundred Bread’s chef-founder made a sojourn to Italy specifically so he could hone his skills with the holiday bread. But whatever you do, get here early: these goods sometimes disappear before the lunch hour ends.

Bread Artisan Bakery

1920 E. Edinger Ave, Santa Ana; www.breadab.com

Bread Artisan Bakery (or simply Bread) is the secret ingredient behind many of Orange County’s top kitchens. Founders Jonnie LoFranco and Yannick Guegan have quietly supplied chefs and restaurants like Marché Moderne and Mario’s Butcher Shop since 2010.

Fortunately, the public can access their goods at the Butchery (Costa Mesa, Newport Coast and Brea), Irvine Ranch Market, Cortina’s Italian Market and even Trader Joe’s’ locations in Orange County and Long Beach. Their massive campagne miche is arguably “one of the greatest sourdough loaves available in California,” according to food critic Brad A. Johnson. Also essential? The plush brioche, berry tartlets, ham and cheese croissants and burger buns.

ALSO SEE: These are 10 must-try bakeries in the Los Angeles area

Cream Pan

15945 Harbor Blvd., Fountain Valley; 602 El Camino Real, Tustin; creampan.com

A Japanese-American bakery with locations in Fountain Valley, Old Town Tustin and Lomita, Cream Pan has been whipping up French-influenced breads and pastries since 1988.  Since then, people are still lining up for Yoshinori Inada’s signature strawberry croissant, a flaky, buttery pastry filled with fresh fruit and, of course, cream pans (sweet buns with light custard inside).

Beyond these iconic staples, the founder-baker also provides high-quality breads like fresh butter rolls, multigrain cheese boules, fluffy raisin loaves, sticky buns, baguettes and more. Added bonus: You can peep the bakers in action at the Fountain Valley location with a window that lets you (respectfully) gaze at the baking in action.

Crema Artisan Bakers

The Crema Cafe: 322 Main St., Seal Beach; Orange Home Grown Farmers Market: 303 West Palm Ave., Orange; www.cremaartisan.com

Tarit Tanjasiri’s brand started with the beloved Crema Cafe in Seal Beach in 2006, but it’s the evolution to Crema Artisan Bakers in Irvine that, in part, landed it on the list.

Operating out of a commercial space, Crema maintains the consistency and quality needed to supply markets and coffee shops across Orange County. While the Irvine space is wholesale-only, the public can still access their goods by pre-ordering with 48 hours notice for pick-up or grab items at the Crema Cafe in Seal Beach (which sells breads, pastries and bagels) and at the Orange Home Grown Farmers Market on Saturdays. The effort is worth it for the superb fruit danish, cinnamon pull-aparts and truly exceptional brioche loaves.

Diotima Bakehouse

25542 Jeronimo Road, Mission Viejo; www.diotimabakehouse.com

Kian Moltaji, a classically trained baker in the French manner with a philosophical bent, is giving Mission Viejo the expertly executed pastries you usually have to fly to Paris for. After honing his skills at esteemed Parisian cooking school École Ferrandi, as well as time as a personal chef, Moltaji, who has amassed an impressive online following, finally realized his childhood dream in this intimate space. But the true star is his baking. Forget the fads: his cozy shop focuses on technique and flavor. Look no further for shatteringly crisp croissants, kouign-amanns with crackly caramelized crust and tarts filled with exquisite crème pâtissière.

Beyond the daily staples, look for his rotating selection of cakes and pies (like the light lemon poppyseed or basque cheesecake) or technically challenging dazzlers (I still think about his paris-brest) that keep the faithful queuing out the door. His loyal fan base, including 147,000 followers on Instagram, proves he and his sublime bakes are here to stay.

Giana Bakery and Provisions

34146 Pacific Coast Highway, Dana Point; gianadanapoint.com

Danielle Kuhn, who helped define dining in Dana Point with Maison Cafe and Doheny Cafe, is now consolidating her culinary ventures to focus solely on Giana Bakery & Provisions.

The bakery/restaurant, which she opened in 2022, offers such house-baked goods as a phenomenal rustic sourdough, berry danishes, croissants, vanilla-iced morning buns, kouign-amanns and cookies galore. Also of grave importance are her cakes, which she makes from scratch, with her toasted coconut and cream cake being worthy of at least two slices per person.

ALSO SEE: Here’s what’s hot at Inland Empire bakeries

Moses-Bread

2405 N. Tustin Ave., Santa Ana; moses-bread.com

Moses Kwon’s brick-and-mortar bakery in Santa Ana, a tiny shop that delivers maximum taste, operates by offering quality over quantity. The small storefront often features a limited selection, with many of his beautiful artisan braids being reserved for days in advance. (Expect faithful customers to be lined up outside).

Kwon’s dedication to natural, pure baking means his bread is “made of only four ingredients just as the Ancient Egyptians baked 6,000 years ago.” The process involves a three-day fermentation period that develops the complex flavor, resulting in choice sourdough, boules, rustic loaves, baguettes and bagels.

OC Baking Company

1960 N. Glassell St, Orange; Orange Home Grown Farmers Market: 303 West Palm Ave., Orange; www.ocbakingco.com

The silent titan of Orange County bread for nearly 20 years, Dean Kim’s OC Baking Company has built its reputation selling primarily to high-end restaurants and hotels. And while this remains a wholesale baking operation at heart, you can get your paws on pretzel loaves, raisin bread, parker house rolls and more every Saturday at the Orange Home Grown Farmers Market or during an all-too-brief window of time during holiday pop-ups at the bakery itself.

Origin Baking

11901 Westminster Ave., Suite C, Garden Grove; www.instagram.com/origin_baking_co/

Equipped with food science training from the San Francisco Baking Institute, Brendan Wong launched Origin Baking in 2021, building a following that consistently cleaned out his bakes at the display inside Costa Mesa’s Toast restaurant or at his pop-ups.

Now with a new brick-and-mortar that just opened in Garden Grove, Origin Baking’s top-tier breads (like a gorgeous sourdough and oat porridge loaves) and viennoiserie (kouign-amanns, morning buns, savory monkey bread and black sesame almond croissants) can be found at the ready. “I’ll be doing a weekly bake sale on Saturday mornings,” wrote Wong in a recent Instagram post about the new space. Wong honed his skills at the San Francisco Baking Institute, followed by stints throughout Northern California, Los Angeles and Tokyo.

Rye Goods

234 E 17th St., Costa Mesa; 384 Forest Ave., Laguna Beach; 15771 Red Hill Ave., Suite 110, Tustin; www.ryegoods.com

Sara Lezama’s Rye Goods is a masterclass in committed baking, transforming heritage gains and wild yeast into a passion. Since starting in her home kitchen in 2016, Lezama quickly defined herself as one of the county’s elite bakers. Her philosophy is driven by naturally-leavened flavor and she mills her own flour while nurturing her own sourdough starts, “Winnona Ryeder.”

The cult following she developed in Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and Tustin fueled a major expansion to Costa Mesa. The new, larger space offers more of her rye hearth loaves, housemade pretzels and an expanded deli menu. Technical bread prowess notwithstanding, be on the lookout for her doughnuts, chicken pot pies, s’more cream pies, morning buns and freshly iced lemon loaves.

Tlaxcala Bakery Panadería

3174 W. Lincoln Ave., Anaheim; 1208 S Standard Ave., Santa Ana; www.tlaxcalabakery.com

This bakery has been the go-to spot for authentic Mexican bread since 1994. Famous for its tasty pan dulce, the panadería’s other popular items include large and mini conchas, exceedingly moist tres leches cake, empanada de calabaza, and crispy yet soft churros. Other tempting items include cono de crema, pan para capirotada and the seasonal rosca de reyes. Don’t miss out on the milhojas con frutas (a thousand layer cake), a fresh fruit-studden cake with Bavarian cream, whipped cream and flakey pastry. You can find a full selection, including custom cakes, at the larger Santa Ana location, with the Anaheim spot offering a nearly identical menu save for cakes.

At Capistrano Beach, the parking lot was closed as the water poured over rocks and k-rails when high tide hit around 9:20 a.m. — an extreme high tide of about 7 feet that coincided with a strong northwest swell that brought 6- to 8-foot waves at some beaches.

Spectators stopped to take photos, bicyclists and walkers carefully navigated the beach trail littered with rocks and mud, while county workers scooped up the pebbles and larger boulders tossed into the beachfront parking lot by the ocean.

Longtime resident Bill Johnson, of Dana Point, thought he was clear of the ocean’s threat by standing up on a planter taking photos of the big waves making a dramatic show, only to be soaked as a set wave jacked up to send a shocking saltwater shower.

“I love to watch Mother Nature do her thing,” he said, chuckling at the surprise soak. “I can’t believe it, I thought I was safe. You never know.”

In Seal Beach, workers built up a large sand berm, but the ocean water still made its way up to a beach boardwalk, another trouble area that can experience flooding during big swells and high tides.

Workers continued clean-up efforts and constructing the berm throughout the day, and the city was offering sandbags to residents to prepare for flood events.

The swell is expected to drop on Saturday, and the tides are expected to ease through the weekend.

The next king tides are expected on Dec. 4 and Dec. 5, then again on Jan. 2 and 3.