In this Irvine Insider Issue . . .

😁 Laugh Of The Day

🌤️ Irvine Weather

⚖🔗 Proposition 47's Safety Promise Falls Short: Decarceration Strategy Under Fire for Compromising Public Safety

🎶 Irvine Plans Temporary Live Music Venue at Great Park for 2024 Amid FivePoint Amphitheatre Closure

📚 Irvine Embraces Nationwide Little Free Library Movement: A New Chapter in Community Reading

🎄❄ Experience Holiday Joy in Irvine: Unique Events and Festive Fun Await

🍂🍁 Get Creative with Leaf Rubbing: A Fun Fall Activity for Kids

💜🎗🧠 Keeping Your Brain Sharp: Simple Habits for a Healthier Mind and to Combat Dementia Risk

🚶‍♂️🚴‍♂️🏇 Top Tips for Hiking, Biking, and Riding Safely in Nature

🌄 Unlock the Great Outdoors: Bommer Canyon's Upcoming Activities and Hikes

🐶🐇 Find Your Furr-ever Friend: Irvine Animal Care Center's Holiday Adoption Event

🌴🎨 Irvine City Council Greenlights Ambitious Public Arts Master Plan

🏃‍♀️ UC Irvine's Women's Track Team Gears Up for a Dynamic 2024 Season: Key Dates and Locations Revealed

⭐🏆 UC Irvine Announces Star-Studded Athletics Hall of Fame for 2024

🤽‍♂️ ⚽🏐 UCI Anteaters Upcoming Home Games

🏐 Mia Bertolone Shines as Irvine Valley's Athlete of the Week with Stellar Volleyball Performance

🏐⚽🏀 Upcoming home games for the IVC LASERS

🏀 Catch the Action: Orange County High Schools Battle it Out at Portola-Woodbridge Classic

🏈🎾 High School Varsity Athletics: Football Face-offs and Sports Calendar

👮‍♂️🚨 Copper Theft Foiled at Great Park, Suspects Arrested by Irvine Police

🚔⚽ Update from Irvine PD: Arrest Made in October Soccer Brawl, Search for Second Suspect Continues

📅📅 Lots of Local Events

What do you call a snowman with a six-pack?

Answer: An abdominal snowman!

We hope this joke brings some laughter to your day! 😁

Proposition 47's Safety Promise Falls Short: Decarceration Strategy Under Fire for Compromising Public Safety

Proposition 47, labeled as the “Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act,” has failed to enhance safety in California. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer criticizes Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Legislature for prioritizing mass decarceration, leading to increased crime and drug-related deaths. The state has reduced prison populations by releasing potentially dangerous inmates, decriminalizing certain offenses, and limiting prosecutorial powers. This approach, according to Spitzer, is not due to prison overcrowding but a problematic legislative and gubernatorial agenda. These actions have forced local law enforcement in Orange County to use additional taxpayer resources to maintain public safety. Spitzer argues that the cost of these policies is a decrease in public safety, a price too high for the community.

Read the full op-ed here

Source

Irvine Plans Temporary Live Music Venue at Great Park for 2024 Amid FivePoint Amphitheatre Closure

Irvine is considering a temporary live music venue at the Great Park Sports Complex to fill the gap left by the closure of FivePoint Amphitheatre. The proposed venue, seating 6,000-8,000 people, is planned for the 2024-2026 seasons, with a $600,000 sponsorship from FivePoint. The North Lawn area is identified as a potential site, offering flexible space and sound mitigation measures to address residential noise concerns. The city plans to hire a third-party operator, and the venue will likely reuse equipment from the closed FivePoint Amphitheatre. The city also aims to maintain high-quality live music acts despite the smaller venue size. Updates on the new permanent amphitheater, expected to start construction in 2026, will be discussed in a city meeting on Nov. 28.

Read more

Irvine Embraces Nationwide Little Free Library Movement: A New Chapter in Community Reading

Irvine joins the nationwide Little Free Library movement, promoting literacy through free book exchanges. The city features various sites, each focusing on different interests like children's books or DIY topics. Initiated by Tustin resident Katherine Brady, this movement has over 36,000 locations in the U.S. Irvine's specific sites cater to diverse themes, ranging from parenting, fiction, gardening, arts, to children's literature. For more details, visit littlefreelibrary.org.

Source

Experience Holiday Joy in Irvine: Unique Events and Festive Fun Await

As the Holidays quickly approach, explore festivities and events in the December edition of the "Irvine 9" such as:

• Illuminate Irvine's tree lighting,

• Irvine Fine Arts Center Holiday Market

• Home for the Holidays Pet Adoption & Fundraiser

• "Paul Gardner: A Retrospective" exhibition

• Winter classes/camps.

More details here

#WeAreIrvine #IrvineNine #HolidaysInIrvine

Source

Get Creative with Leaf Rubbing: A Fun Fall Activity for Kids

Track a tree's changes from fall to winter and enhance fine motor skills and attention to detail in kids by collecting leaves for a leaf rubbing art project.

#FallActivities #LeafRubbing #OutdoorLearning #EarlyEducation

Follow along here

Keeping Your Brain Sharp: Simple Habits for a Healthier Mind and to Combat Dementia Risk

UCI Health neuropsychologist Hayley B. Kristinsson emphasizes the importance of maintaining brain health to reduce the risk of dementia, though it's not entirely preventable. Key recommendations include:

1. Regular Exercise: Enhances hippocampus size, crucial for memory and learning, and improves cognitive functions.

2. Healthy Diet: Following the MIND diet, a mix of Mediterranean and DASH diets, focusing on brain-beneficial foods while avoiding harmful ones.

3. Managing Risks: Controlling modifiable risk factors like diabetes, obesity, smoking, high blood pressure, and heart disease, which indirectly affect Alzheimer's risk.

4. Social Connections and Mental Health: Engaging in social activities and addressing symptoms of anxiety and depression are crucial for brain health.

5. Cognitive Exercises: Activities that challenge the brain, like learning new skills or playing mentally stimulating games, are beneficial.

6. Quality Sleep: Ensuring 7-8 hours of sleep per night to prevent neurological changes linked to dementia risk.

Kristinsson notes the importance of a heart-healthy lifestyle for brain health and acknowledges that while some risk factors like age and genetics can't be changed, lifestyle modifications can still make a significant difference.

Read more

Top Tips for Hiking, Biking, and Riding Safely in Nature

For a safe and enjoyable outdoor adventure, remember to:

1. Pack light with essentials like clothing, water, ID, and snacks for hikes over 3 hours

2. Carry your cell phone, ID, and necessary medications, including those for allergies or asthma

3. Use sunblock every two hours and bring a small first-aid kit.

These tips apply to hiking, biking, or riding, ensuring a great experience while exploring the outdoors.

Source

Unlock the Great Outdoors: Bommer Canyon's Upcoming Activities and Hikes

Bommer Canyon offers a variety of outdoor activities organized by numerous groups and volunteers, with most programs being free of charge. Pre-registration is required for events led by IRC-Certified Volunteers, closing at 4 p.m. the day before the event. Minors must be accompanied by an adult, and for any assistance, reach out via email to [email protected].

Upcoming events:

• November 30th: 7-mile hike in Bommer Canyon

The activities are family-friendly, with some available after 5 pm on weekdays or during weekends. For more details, trail tips, and FAQs, visit the Bommer Canyon website.

Find Your Furr-ever Friend: Irvine Animal Care Center's Holiday Adoption Event

Visit the Home for the Holidays Pet Adoption and Fundraiser on Sunday, December 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Irvine Animal Care Center.

• Adopt cats, dogs, birds, and rabbits from local shelters and rescue groups

• Enjoy food trucks and a bake sale

• Win prizes like a Dolphin & Whale Safari.

Entry is $5 for adults, free for kids and parking.

#HomeForTheHolidays #PetAdoptionJoy #IrvineAnimals #WeAreIrvine

Source

Irvine City Council Greenlights Ambitious Public Arts Master Plan

Irvine is enhancing its arts scene with a new Public Arts Master Plan and a Public Arts Committee, developed by Arts Orange County, who have previously worked with the city on arts initiatives. This plan, approved by the City Council, aims to guide public art in Irvine and at the Great Park, involving community input. ArtsOC, with a history of arts collaboration in Irvine since 2008, will finalize the plan by 2024. The City Council will soon appoint members to the committee. The plan includes broad public involvement and sets priorities for public art in Irvine.

Source

UC Irvine's Women's Track Team Gears Up for a Dynamic 2024 Season: Key Dates and Locations Revealed

The UC Irvine women's indoor track & field team has announced their 2024 season schedule, featuring three of their four meets at The Podium in Spokane, Washington. The season kicks off with the Spokane Indoor Challenge on Jan. 12-13, followed by a meet in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Jan. 20. They return to Spokane for two more events in February, including the MPSF Championships. Qualifiers will advance to the NCAA Indoor Championships in Boston in March.

Source

UC Irvine Announces Star-Studded Athletics Hall of Fame for 2024

UC Irvine is inducting eight notable figures into its Athletics Hall of Fame this February, including athletes from basketball, soccer, swimming, baseball, track & field, water polo, and a volleyball coach. The inductees are celebrated for their achievements like NCAA appearances, conference championships, and setting school records. Notably, the induction includes a father/daughter duo, the Wardes. The ceremony will be held in early February, with a special introduction at a basketball game. The inductees are:

• Will Davis II

• Eddie Erazo

• Danielle de Seriere

• Scott Gorgen

• Lauren Collins

• Danielle Warde

• Tom Warde

• Charlie Brande.

Each has made significant contributions to their sports at UCI, ranging from leading teams to championships to setting impressive personal and school records.

Source

UCI Anteaters Upcoming Home Games

Men’s Basketball:

1. Sat Dec 16 - vs South Dakota, 7:00 PM

2. Thurs Dec 28 - vs UC Riverside, 7:00 PM

Women’s Basketball:

1. Sat Dec 2 - vs Denver, 2:00 PM

2. Sat Dec 30 - vs Cal State Bakersfield, 2:00 PM

Source

Mia Bertolone Shines as Irvine Valley's Athlete of the Week with Stellar Volleyball Performance

Mia Bertolone, a sophomore volleyball player at Irvine Valley, was named athlete of the week for her outstanding performance, including 52 assists in a regional-final win against Orange Coast. This victory advanced the Lasers, coached by Anna Unke, to the 3C2A State Championships. Bertolone, a top setter from Douglas High in Nevada, leads the state in assists and has consistently delivered high assists in matches, with a season-best of 61. She averages 11.19 assists and 2.93 digs per set and was named second team all-OEC.

Source

🏐⚽🏀 Upcoming home games for the IVC LASERS

Men’s Basketball:

1. Fri Dec 15 - vs LA Valley. 6:00 PM

2. Tue Dec 19 - vs Orange Coast. 6:00 PM

3. Fri Dec 29: vs Alumni. 5:00 PM

Women’s Basketball:

1. Tue Nov 28 - vs Long Beach, 5:30 PM

2. Fri Dec 22 - vs Alumni, Time TBA

Catch the Action: Orange County High Schools Battle it Out at Portola-Woodbridge Classic

Orange County high school boys basketball teams are participating in the Portola-Woodbridge Classic this week. Each team will play four games, with no championship game scheduled.

At Woodbridge

• Wednesday, Nov. 29

  5:30 p.m., Capo Valley Christian vs. Edison

  7 p.m., Woodbridge vs. San Clemente

• Friday, Dec. 1

  5:30 p.m., San Juan Hills vs. La Habra

  7 p.m., Woodbridge vs. Capo Valley Christian

At Portola

• Tuesday, Nov. 28

  5:30 p.m., Edison vs. Tesoro

  7 p.m., Portola vs. Dana Hills

• Wednesday, Nov. 29

  5:30 p.m., Trabuco Hills vs. Dana Hills

  7 p.m., Portola vs. Laguna Beach

• Thursday, Nov. 30

  4 p.m., Laguna Beach vs. San Clemente

  5:30 p.m., San Juan Hills vs. Edison

  7 p.m., La Habra vs. Capo Valley Christian

• Friday, Dec. 1

  4 p.m., Dana Hills vs. San Clemente

  5:30 p.m., Trabuco Hills vs. Edison

  7 p.m., Portola vs. Tesoro

• Saturday, Dec. 2

  11 a.m., La Habra vs. Dana Hills

  12:30 p.m., Tesoro vs. Laguna Beach

  2 p.m., Woodbridge vs. San Juan Hills

  3:30 p.m., Portola vs. Trabuco Hills

Source

High School Athletics Calendar -

** Updated With November Schedule

Northwood High School Monthly Athletics Calendar (All Level)

University High School Monthly Athletics Calendar (All Level)

Woodbridge High School Monthly Athletics Calendar (All Level)

Upcoming Irvine High School’s Varsity home games:

November 2023

Tuesday, 28 November

- 05:00 PM: Soccer, Girls (VR) vs. Foothill/Santa Ana at Irvine High School Stadium

- 05:30 PM: Basketball, Girls (VR) vs. Tustin at Irvine High School Game Gym

Wednesday, 29 November

- 05:00 PM: Soccer, Boys (VR) vs. Tesoro at Irvine High School Stadium

Copper Theft Foiled at Great Park, Suspects Arrested by Irvine Police

Two men attempted to steal copper from a building at the Great Park but were caught by an observant officer as they tried to leave with the stolen goods. They were arrested and booked at OC Jail for possession of stolen property and conspiracy. The incident serves as a reminder not to engage in criminal activities in Irvine.

Source

Update from Irvine PD: Arrest Made in October Soccer Brawl, Search for Second Suspect Continues

Irvine Police continue investigating the October soccer team fight at Great Park. Erick Gomez, 30, from Los Angeles, was identified as a suspect and arrested on an outstanding warrant. Police seek felony charges against him and are still searching for another suspect. The incident occurred after a match between Club Garrafones and Irvine Zeta FC II in the United Premier Soccer League. Tips about the incident can be sent to [email protected].

Source

November 24 - December 30 Hikari Festival of Lights at Tanaka Farms 4:30 PM - 10 PM

November 30 Diane Schuur at 70: An Evening of Songs and Stories 8 PM

December 1 Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood: Scared Scriptless 8 PM

See video

December 2 Palm Court Light Display Dusk - 9:30 PM

December 2 Nutcracker for Kids by Pacific Symphony 10:00 and 11:30 AM

December 2 The Queen's Cartoonists Holiday Hurrah: Yule Love It! 6 PM

See video

December 2 - 3 Holiday Market 3 PM - 7PM

December 3 Handel's Glorious Messiah 3 PM

December 3 Jake Shimabukuro: Christmas in Hawaiʻi 7 PM

December 7 - Empowering the Youth 5 PM - 7 PM

December 8 Silent Night Silent Disco 7 PM

December 8-17 American Ballet Theatre's The Nutcracker

Click here to see the intro video

December 9 Concordia Christmas 

December 9 - 10 123 Andrés 

December 9 - 24 Festival Ballet Theatre: The Nutcracker

December 10 Holidays Around the World 11 AM

December 15 - 16 Celtic Woman: Christmas Symphony Tour 8 PM

December 14 - 16 A Merry Little Christmas with Megan Hilty

See video here

December 17 - 18 Tis the Season! 5 PM, 7:30 PM

December 19 Holiday Organ Spectacular 7:30 PM

Decmber 22 The Pan American Nutcracker Suite Reimagined 8 PM

December 23 Fiesta Navidad 8 PM

Decmber 30 KC and the Sunshine Band 7:30 PM

December 30 Salute to Vienna New Year's Concert 3 PM