LOS ANGELES — For the second straight week, the UCLA women’s basketball team finished a game exhausted after playing more than a 40-minute regulation game.

But unlike last week, the Bruins walked away with the win.

Junior forward Michaela Onyenwere scored a career-high 31 points and helped the 10th-ranked Bruins erase a 15-point first-half deficit on their way to an 85-80 victory over Washington on Friday night at Pauley Pavilion.

Natalie Chou added 18 points, just one short of her career-high, off the bench for the Bruins (17-1 overall, 6-1 Pac-12), who used an 8-1 run to seize control in overtime and got back on track after losing their first game of the season to USC last week. UCLA was the only unbeaten team in the country before its double-OT loss to the Trojans.

Friday’s game was tied 70-all after regulation and the Bruins sprinted to a 78-71 lead in the extra period when Charisma Obsborne sandwiched a pair of baskets around one from Chantel Horvat and one from Onyenwere. Washington got within 78-75 on a Quay Miller layup with 57 seconds left, but the game became a free-throw shooting contest from there and UCLA was able to maintain a two-possession lead the rest of the way to close it out.

“I’m exhausted, I need a nap,” UCLA head coach Cori Close said following the game. “We needed every last person and every ounce of energy in that building today.”

Onyenwere, who missed the loss to USC because of a sprained ankle, shot 13 for 26 from the field and 5 for 7 from the free-throw line. Onyenwere and Chou were held to six points each in the first half before combining for 37 of the Bruins’ 60 points the rest of the night.

“It was pretty rough to see my team go down and knowing I couldn’t do anything about it. I knew we would bounce back because we’re a bunch of fighters,” Onyenwere said of watching the loss to USC from the bench with a boot on her ankle. “I knew we would respond regardless if I was in or not. I was really happy to be back on the court with my teammates.”

Chou came up big down the stretch. She made a 3-pointer with 44 seconds left from the baseline to give UCLA a 69-68 lead and added a steal with 11 seconds remaining. Onyenwere made one of two free-throw attempts for a 70-68 lead, but Melgoza, fouled with four seconds left, made both free throws, tying the score and forcing overtime.

“Natalie Chou is the player of the game,” Close said. “Of course, what gets a lot of the attention is the clutch (3-pointers). She was the only one would could hit a 3 today, but for me, I’m so proud of her talk and how she’s grown as a defender and how she’s been a selfless teammate this entire time, even when she wished she had a different role. That takes tremendous courage, selflessness and character.”

Chou was the only Bruin to make a 3-point shot, and UCLA had 28 attempts. Chou was 4 for 9 from behind the arc.

“My teammates have been so encouraging throughout the whole season throughout my (highs) and dips,” Chou said. “My teammates have given me so much confidence and it means the world to me. They always tell me to keep shooting.”

Amber Melgoza had 14 points and Missy Peterson added 13 for Washington (10-8, 2-5), which played well but squandered its 15-point, second-quarter lead.

To start the third quarter, Onyenwere made a point to be aggressive getting back in the lane and finding her shots there. She got UCLA off to a good start with a three-point play that seemed to energize the Bruins, pulling them within 37-30.

Onyenwere put UCLA ahead at 49-47 near the end of the third quarter. She scored off a nice bounce pass from Japreece Dean, who drove from the perimeter to the baseline then fed the trailing Onyenwere in the middle of the key. Onyenwere made it 51-47 with one second left in the third when she got a rebound off her own miss and scored on a putback to cap an 8-0 UCLA run.

The Bruins made 12 of 22 shots and were a much-improved 54.5 percent from the field in that span.

“Before Coach Cori and the staff came in (at halftime), we were just talking and nobody seemed frazzled or panicked,” Onyenewere said. “Everybody was poised and just saying, ‘It’s okay. Shots will fall. But defense has to be our anchor.’ … It was (more) like, we’re not doing anything we need to do on defense.”

UCLA missed 17 of 22 shots (22.7 percent) and trailed 22-11 after the first quarter, looking rusty after a week off. The Huskies went on an 8-0 run at the end of the first and built an 11-point lead.

Near the end of the first quarter, Close called a timeout and immediately afterward shrugged her shoulders.

“I think part of it is our refocusing when we don’t hit immediate shots,” Close said. “We missed a couple layups and then we let the air get taken out of us. … We always tell our team, ‘You’re never going to focus completely for 40 minutes.’ The key is to be aware when you’ve lost your focus and learn how to refocus the quickest.”

Dean (14 points) struggled from the field, shooting 1 for 8 in the first half, and missing all five of her 3-point attempts. UCLA was 2 for 17 from behind the arc in the first half.

“We turned the ball over too much and allowed too many second-chance opportunities. To me, that’s the story of the game,” said Wynn, who saw her team commit 24 turnovers. “… At the end of the day, Onyenwere was just too much for us. She just jumped over us, got offensive rebounds or putbacks. I thought we did a great job on their guards. I thought we rattled them in the halfcourt and played well under pressure, all except the second half and third quarter, especially. We made some careless errors. Credit their defense.”

After winning their first 16 games and setting a program record for victories to start a season, the Bruins have shown there’s plenty of room for improvement.

UCLA concludes this week’s homestand against Washington State (9-10, 2-5) on Sunday at noon at Pauley Pavilion.

News services contributed to this story.

We went to overtime and came out on top! 85-80 victory over Washington to move to 17-1.

Check out the highlights from tonight's win!#GoBruins | #Pac12WBB pic.twitter.com/Ap3XYYBZVo

— UCLA W. Basketball (@UCLAWBB) January 25, 2020

Here's the long ball from @NatalieChou1!

https://t.co/YWqZMLz6zg
https://t.co/FORzK0ZVaQ
#GoBruins | #Pac12WBB pic.twitter.com/gwdSPnwpXC

— UCLA W. Basketball (@UCLAWBB) January 25, 2020

END 3Q – UCLA 51, WASH 7

Here's the slick feed from @japreece24 to @monyenwere that gave the Bruins the lead. Michaela added another bucket before time expired and UCLA leads by four!

https://t.co/YWqZMLz6zg
https://t.co/FORzK0ZVaQ
#GoBruins | #Pac12WBB pic.twitter.com/hIGJSLvg9E

— UCLA W. Basketball (@UCLAWBB) January 25, 2020

California’s economy is bullish. In fact, it’s huge on a global scale. But its parts, the county-by-county economies that make up the Golden State’s business muscle, are quite large, too. Fresh federal stats for 2018 give a glimpse of this heft: California is home to 14 of the nation’s 100 largest county economies, when measured by a key business output metric — gross domestic product.

California’s total output

$2.72 trillion

Output ranking

Here’s a comparative look at the output ranking of each county, its top growing sector, growth rank among 100 largest U.S. counties, and its equivalent to other countries.

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COSTA MESA — Nick Billoups earned some redemption. Chad Johnson made more history. And the South defense played takeaway.

The South put its personnel and motivation to good use Saturday to capture the 61st Orange County North-South All-Star Classic for the sixth year in a 27-13 victory in front of an estimated 5,500 at Orange Coast College.

Billoups, San Clemente’s quarterback who was declared ineligible before the CIF-SS Southern Section semifinals for an illegal transfer, earned the South MVP award by rushing for 117 yards on 12 carries, including a 10-yard touchdown.

The Tritons forfeited all their victories on the Billoups case but the senior viewed the annual all-star game sponsored by the L.A. Chargers and non-profit Costa Mesa United as a second chance to end his season on a positive note.

“It ended pretty good,” Billoups said. “Being kicked out of playoffs, terrible ending to our senior season … but to represent a program — me, Cole (Thompson) and Cian (Smith) – and come out and get the win … it was nice.”

What a night for @_nickbilloups He found a bit of redemption w/ MVP performance for South, earned respect of teammates and showed college upside @GregBiggins @diablocjohnson @missionfootball @costamesaunited @Tritonfootball @SteveFryer @ocvarsity pic.twitter.com/SZwHHJPoQj

— Dan Albano (@ocvarsityguy) January 26, 2020

Johnson, Mission Viejo’s third-year coach, added the distinction of winning the game as coach and player. He leaned on Billoups’ scrambling, his running backs and his offensive line to pair a coaching win with his triumph in 1997 as a player for El Toro.

He kicked the game-wining, 46-yard field goal for the South his senior season.

“There’s nothing better than to represent the South and be in this game and coach in this game,” Johnson said. “And to come out with a victory for our half of the county is awesome.”

The South intercepted four passes, including one by Laguna Beach cornerback Jack Pigott on the final play.

Mission Viejo linebacker Reece Bailey, Mission Viejo linebacker David Meyer and Corona del Mar linebacker Mason Gecowets also had interceptions for a unit coordinated by assistant coach Brett Paton. Meyer returned his for a touchdown.

“Brett was mixing up the type of man he was playing,” Johnson said. “(He) does a phenomenal job. … It was fun how the coaches took cover-one and had some checks and nuances.”

La Habra wide receiver Chris Koontz seven catches for 119 yards and was selected the North MVP.

The South scored on its first two possessions of the third quarter to take a 24-6 lead.

Mission Viejo kicker RJ Lopez, a recent UCLA commit as preferred walk-on, booted a 31-yard field goal to cap a 70-yard drive to open the second half.

Santa Margarita bruising running back Nick Barcelos capped an 80-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run as the South opened a 24-6 lead with 4:34 left in the third quarter.

Barcelos rushed for 82 yards on 17 carries.

The North responded with a 59-yard TD reception by Roshawn Lacy of Esperanza from Los Alamitios quarterback Cade McConnell but the South’s lead was too much to overcome.

McConnell completed 15 of 33 for passes for a game-record 274 yards while Lacy had five catches for 97 yards.

The South chewed much of the final eight minutes of the fourth quarter by running behind the offensive line of left tackle Trent Williams of Tesoro, left guard Tanner Tomlinson of Corona del Mar, center Tony Villarreal of Mission Viejo, right guard Mateo Lopez of Edison and right tackle Tommy Mirabella of Mission Viejo.

Lopez punctuated the march with a 41-yard field goal.

“We only had two weeks of practice but we came together very well as a group,” said Williams, another recent UCLA commit. “All of us believed in one goal and we wanted to accomplish it and we wanted to win. … It’s because of the win streak that we’ve had and it’s personal for me because my brother (James) played in this game.”

South chemistry: “We only had two weeks of practice but we came together very well as a group” UCLA bound @77jwilliams on the South offensive line – South rushed for 238 yards @tesorofootball1 @diablocjohnson @missionfootball @ChargersCR @costamesaunited pic.twitter.com/RwGHaJmu2y

— Dan Albano (@ocvarsityguy) January 26, 2020

The South finished with 238 yards rushing while passing for 105.

North coach Dan Davidson of Western said Billoups was a difficult matchup.

“Having a running quarterback with those rules makes it really tough,” he said. “It was tough to defend that guy.”

The South used a fast start to lead 14-6 after an interception-filled first half.

Billoups capped the South’s opening 71-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter.

On the ensuing possession, Meyer returned an interception 35-yard for a score. Lopez kicked both PATs as the South led 14-0.

“I was just reading quarterback,” said the Cal Poly SLO-bound Meyer. “Three-step drop, just broke on the ball and just saw end zone from there.”

South’s timing on defense was excellent to grab 4 INTs: “We’re in the right spots at the right times” @_david_meyer27 who had a pick-six for @missionfootball and @rhino86er @costamesaunited @ChargersCR @ocvarsity pic.twitter.com/oKjFWteLVR

— Dan Albano (@ocvarsityguy) January 26, 2020

The North countered on its next possession, driving 70 yards for a 1-yard touchdown run by McConnell.

But the defenses dominated the rest of the half.

Bailey and Gecowets had interceptions for the South while defensive backs Wilson Cal of Sunny Hills and Isaac Galvan of Orange grabbed interceptions for the North.

Galvan’s diving interception in the front of his end zone came on a third down from the North 5 with 39 seconds left in the half.

The North also received a spark from Pacifica running back Isaiah Blevis, who rushed for 65 yards and had 53 yards receiving. Cypress All-County running back Isaac Hurtado only played defensive line but recorded nine tackles.

South 27, North 13

North 6 0 7 0 — 13

South 14 0 10 3 – 27

Rushing: (N) Blevins 9-65, Duxbury, 2-7. (S) Billoups, 12-117, Barcelos, 17-82.

Passing: (N) McConnell 15-33-3-274. (S) Billoups 5-9-41, Lindgren, 4-9-1-48.

Receiving: (N) Koontz 7-112, Lacy 5-97. (S) McDonald 3-38, Anderson 2-28.

n Saturday night, Los Angeles Football Club welcomed 18,988 of its supporters back to Banc of California Stadium for the first time in 2020 to kick off the preseason. LAFC didn’t field anything close to its conventional lineup against Uruguayan club Peñarol; the team’s 2-0 win against one of the biggest clubs in South America was a true team effort.

Six LAFC players, including starters like forward Diego Rossi, midfielder Eduard Atuesta and centerback Walker Zimmerman, are still away on international duty. Mark Anthony Kaye is with the team, but the Canadian midfielder is out with a leg injury. Despite the missing players, Saturday’s match featured 26 LAFC players, including five academy players. No player was on the pitch for more than 45 minutes.

“I thought the guys handled it well, the trialists and the three players from [Phoenix Rising FC] that came in and helped us out tonight. It meant we had to mix and match a little bit so that we still had leadership on the field in both halves,” said LAFC head coach Bob Bradley after the match. “That had a lot to do with how we arranged the teams in both halves. I could go through all the things that need to get better, but overall, I think we were pleased.”

Adrian Perez started up top alongside Carlos Vela and former Peñarol player Brian Rodriguez. Josh Perez Kevon Lambert and Alejandro Guido earned starts in the midfield. Dejan Jakovic and Tristan Blackmon started at center back, with Diego Palacios on the left side of the defense and Latif Blessing on the right. New arrival Kenneth Vermeer started in goal and played  a strong

Bradley’s decision to start Blessing at right back paid early dividends. In the 10th minute of the match, Blessing made the pass to Vela that turned into LAFC’s first goal in 2020. Vela took the ball from Blessing at the right corner of the penalty box and took a few steps towards the middle of the pitch before burying the ball into the back of the net with his left foot.

“It’s possible that we are going to see more of Latif Blessing at right back this season. Until we get everybody back and see how quickly new players pick up ideas we won’t know anything for sure, but Latif is so special in that he’s versatile,” said Bradley. You can put him in different spots and you always see the football. His personality is front and center all the time. That’s what makes him an important player on our team.”

Adrian Perez continued his strong start to the preseason by scoring LAFC’s second goal of the night. Cleaning up a corner kick attempt by Vela in the 40th minute, Perez tapped the ball into the net from close range after it rebounded off of the Peñarol defense.

“Adrian made a lot of progress last year. In the first season he was growing on the job. There were times last year where in training he scored goals and we could see the progress,” said Bradley. “It didn’t always amount to a lot of chances on the field, but he works hard and continues to pick up ideas.”

LAFC made two substitutions in the first half, exchanging Rodriguez and Guido for Christian Torres and Erik Duenas in the 31st minute. The remaining nine starters were subbed out at halftime, and the substitutions continued in the second half. Peñarol forward Facundo Torres hit the post on a penalty in the 61st minute, but the second half was otherwise uneventful for substitute goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega, who finished the clean sheet for LAFC.

With only three preseason games to play until LAFC makes its CONCACAF Champions League debut in Leon on Feb. 18, each match has a little more at stake than a typical preseason fixture. LAFC began this important stretch of preparation on a positive note with its 2-0 victory against Peñarol.

Last December, thousands gathered in Pennsylvania and New Jersey to watch a reenactment of George Washington’s famous crossing of the Delaware. After a two-year hiatus due to bad weather, actors boarded boats and rowed across to cheers. “We had lovely weather,” said Jennifer Martin, executive director of the Friends of Washington’s Crossing Park.

George Washington had no such luxury. He made his crossing in horrible weather; enduring sleet and snow, fierce winds and hull-piercing chunks of ice nearly capsizing his boats and drowning his army. Once ashore, Washington led his men on an all-night march and gave battle at sun up to the Hessians.

Let’s face it, we’re all snowflakes today.

If you’ve been online you’ve seen the battle of memes pitting the Baby Boomers against the millennials, continuing the forever-fight of mankind; the passing generation convinced the next generation is too soft to survive and the next generation eye-rolling at their hopelessly out-of-touch elders and counting the days until they can stick us in a substandard nursing home.

“Snowflake!”

“OK, Boomer!”

Not since the Generation Gap of the 1960s have families gone to war over everything from work ethic to wokeness, gender fluidity to cursive writing. Is it any wonder our politics are divisive?

Last week, Team Codger gained a small victory over the Sensitive Squad when the U.S. Department of Transportation proposed new regulations that will limit the menagerie authorized to serve as ESAs, Emotional Support Animals, meaning the Friendly Skies might once again be mini-horse, peacock and comfort-wombat free.

In fairness, it’s not just millennials who are unable to set foot outdoors without bringing along a dog, cat, pig, turkey or python. The seed was planted back in 1939 when Dorothy tossed Toto in a basket and caught the 5:15 twister to Oz.

Somehow, we made it through the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War and disco before Paris Hilton lugged her dog into a trendy nightclub and suddenly Shih Tzus became fashion accessories. Today, Rex, Mr. Whiskers and Barky have become medical necessities for millions, like insulin and pot.

If approved, travelers will not only need to prove their service animal is medically necessary but also prove he’s trained to perform CPR and the Heimlich maneuver.

Or something like that.

Of course, a big percentage of flyers carting livestock onto planes are doing so because the airlines gouge pet owners for the privilege of stuffing their cat or dog under the seat. Exploiting the Americans with Disabilities Act, the web has exploded with phony doctor’s notes fragile flyers can download while wrapping Muffin and Pooky-Poo in a bright red reflective vest, as if their Pekingese were a four-legged first responder.

When did leaving home become so traumatic?

The truth is, every generation is softer in some ways and stronger in others. My father shook his head in disgust watching his squishy-soft sons play vibrating electric football on the living room floor instead of actual football in the yard. Our tools and toys have made work easier, safer and people softer.

It’s hard to comprehend how our ancestors built the pyramids, the Great Wall of China, explored the oceans and tamed a wilderness with nothing but an axe, a rifle and determination.

Meanwhile, I blubber to HR if the air vent over my desk blows too hard. I wouldn’t last 10 minutes in the 18th century, so who am I to judge those destined to see the 22nd?

Rather than generation bashing, we should listen to what each side of the divide has to offer. Learning cuts both ways.

Those of us who experienced analogue childhoods can impart the benefits of unplugging from the cyberworld while the WiFi Generation can teach us plenty about accepting differences.

We can teach them tolerance includes jokes they may not enjoy, as well as political opinions they may oppose, and the young can teach the old the importance of experiences rather than things.

Yes, we’re not as tough as the pioneers or the 7th Calvary or the Boys of Point du Hoc. I don’t know how to start a fire without matches or skin a beaver or (if you believe The Wife) wash a dish. But I do know how to type, where to place an apostrophe and how to drive a stick.

Then again, I never drilled for a school shooting and when I was bullied on the playground it didn’t follow me home, nights weekends and holidays. My first apartment cost $500 a month, not $1,500, and I was never pressured to risk homelessness for a college degree to keep me viable in a global marketplace. The young today face challenges we never imagined.

While my generation worried about nuclear war, the next generation worries about climate change. We should be sympathetic to each other’s apocalypses and appreciate that it’s never easy being human no matter what generation we’re lumped into.

Doug McIntyre’s column appears Sunday. He can be reached at: Doug@DougMcIntyre.com.

The OC Health Care Agency said it received confirmation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday  evening that an Orange County case has tested positive for the coronavirus that appears to have spread from China.

The patient, a “traveler from Wuhan, China, has been in contact with the HCA and was provided guidance in order to reduce exposure to the public while awaiting laboratory confirmation from the CDC. The individual has now been transported to a local hospital and is in isolation in good condition,” the HCA said in a statement.

The Orange County agency said it, in consultation with the CDC and the state Department of Public Health, is following up with all people who have had close contact with the patient.

It said:

–The HCA will be monitor any close contacts and assure that proper evaluation and care is provided if they become ill.

–The CDC’s guidance indicates that people who have casual contact with a case (such as in the same grocery store or movie theater) are at minimal risk of developing infection.

–There is no evidence that person-to-person transmission has occurred in Orange County.

“The current risk of local transmission remains low,” the agency said in a statement.

Information about the coronavirus is on the OC agency’s website here.

Also Saturday, the new virus accelerated its spread in China with 56 deaths so far, and the U.S. Consulate in the epicenter of the outbreak, the central city of Wuhan, announced it will evacuate its personnel and some private citizens aboard a charter flight.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called the outbreak a grave situation, and the government stepped up efforts to restrict travel and public gatherings while rushing medical staff and supplies to Wuhan, which remains on lockdown.

The latest figures reported Sunday morning cover the previous 24 hours and mark an increase of 15 deaths and 688 cases for a total of 1,975 infections.

The government also reported five cases in Hong Kong, two in Macao and three in Taiwan. Small numbers of cases have been found in Thailand, Japan, South Korea, the U.S., Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Nepal, France and Australia.

Canada said it discovered its first case, the man is his 50s who recently flew from Wuhan to Guangzhou, China, and then on to Toronto.

FULLERTON — Cal State Fullerton won a frantic Big West Conference game against Cal State Northridge on Saturday night at Titan Gym … by being patient.

The Titans won their third straight conference game, 82-75, with steady defense against the 3-point hungry Matadors and a thorough cleansing of rebounds. Brandon Kamga had 27 points, making his first six shots to spark a 14-point lead in the first half, and Jackson Rowe was seemingly involved in every big play in the second half.

The Titans (8-13 overall, 3-3 Big West) used a 13-5 run in the second half to take a 68-63 lead, but the Matadors (8-14, 3-3) rallied for a two-point lead at 72-70 with three minutes left.

Rowe, the senior forward from Toronto, drew a foul on a rebound and hit both free throws to tie the score. Rowe then stole a pass from Northridge’s Lamine Diane, leading to an easy transition basket by Kamga. Rowe was fouled by Diane on a rebound on the next possession and hit one free throw to give the Titans a 75-72 lead.

Terrell Gomez hit a long-range 3-pointer to tie the score with 1:18 left. On the ensuing possession, Rowe took a pass in the lane and was fouled by Diane with 62 seconds left, his fifth, leading to two free throws and a lively argument between CSUN coach Mark Gottfried and the officials.

Gottfried and his coaches pleaded with gusto for a traveling call on Rowe – Diane made contact from behind as Rowe awkwardly took the pass – and the officials chose to review the play, briefly frustrating Titans head coach Dedrique Taylor. “Yeah, I was worried, because you never know what they’ll look at and what they’ll see,” he said.

The officials stuck with the original call. Rowe made the first shot, and as the gym went quiet for the first time all night as Rowe prepared his second shot, Gottfried yelled “you really (bleeped) up the game.” His shout was probably heard in Santa Clarita.

The free throw was good and the officials hit Gottfried with a technical. Kamga hit the bonus free throws for a 79-75 lead and the Titans kept the Northridge shooters at bay in the final minute.

“When the adversity showed itself in that last minute, we stayed tough as a team,” Fullerton coach Dedrique Taylor said after the win. “We really played as a team all night. We played solid defense and shared the ball.”

Rowe finished with 14 points, made 9 of 12 free-throw attempts on a night when his jumper was errant and had six rebounds, four assists, three steals and four blocked shots, 90 percent of that output coming in the second half.

“That’s who he is,” Taylor said. “When he’s on the floor, he’s capable of making a big play, and not just in what you see in the stats. A defensive stop, a deflection, a loose ball.”

The Titans opened Big West play 0-3 but have shown a personality in their last three games that wasn’t there previously. Vincent Lee (nine rebounds) has developed in the post, freeing Rowe to use his perimeter skills, and Kamga – a native of Cameroon who is a grad transfer from High Point University – has emerged as an outside threat.

“The locker room is really good, we’re coming together as a team,” Kamga said. “The team has shown a lot of trust in me.”

Austen Awosika, the floor leader, was steady with 15 points, six assists and five rebounds, and Davon Clare had 10 rebounds in one of his best games of the season.

Diane had 32 points om 12-of-26 shooting to go with 12 rebounds, three assists, three blocks, but also the five fouls, three coming in a two-minute span late, and five turnovers. Gomez scored 20, all six of his field goals on 3-pointers.

“I think we’re becoming the team we thought we would be,” Taylor said. “There were a lot of things early in the season going on and we didn’t always have everyone available at the same time. What we got in the last week were good reps in practice.

“That’s not an easy team to play, with the 1-2 punch they have in Diane and Gomez. We won because we never stopped playing as a team.”

Next week, the Titans hit the road for Big West games at Cal Poly on Thursday and UC Irvine on Saturday.

Demography becomes destiny, the old adage goes. But many of the most confidently promoted demographic predictions have turned out grossly exaggerated or even dead wrong. In many cases they tend to reflect more the aspirations of pundits and reporters than the actual on-the-ground realities.

Good thing, too. Many of the most famous predictions about population growth tended to be dystopic, envisioning a hopelessly overcrowded planet increasingly divided by race, crammed into a handful of large cities, committed to ever greater government control and disinterested in anything smacking of religion. Yet despite the media’s embrace of these memes, they fortunately are often misleading and often simply wrong.

Exploding the population bomb

Paul Ehrlich’s “The Population Bomb,” for a half century the bible of the environmental left, flatly predicted a world where humanity would “breed ourselves into extinction.” Ehrlich’s vision of world plagued by mass starvation and chronic shortages of resources shaped the views of many scientists and pundits.

Today Ehrlich’s plea for population control has gained credence among climate activists, who believe we must stop having babies, even in low-fertility countries, so the kiddos don’t add to the “carbon legacy” that will hasten our ecological reckoning. These notions have been embraced at major universities, by the highly influential Guardian newspaper and such luminaries as Bill McKibben and the omnipresent Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Something very different has occurred on planet Earth. After rapid, and unsustainable demographic growth through the last decades of the 20th century, the rate of population increase has slowed markedly, not only in North America, Europe and Japan, but also in such developing countries as Brazil, Mexico, Cuba and, most importantly, China and India.

Already, a majority of the world’s people live in countries where the birth rates are below replacement levels. Contrary to Ehrlich’s predictions, and those of most environmental advocates, resources also have become more abundant as global poverty and malnutrition rates have plummeted.

Factors like urbanization, decline of traditional belief systems and the liberation of women may make UN predictions of a world of 10 to 11 billion people by 2100 likely overblown. Austrian demographer Wolfgang Lutz contends that rather than see a massive growth in population, population will grow from the current 7 to 8 billion by 2060 and then decline steeply. For the first time since the Middle Ages, deaths could outnumber births.

Back to the city?

One of the most persistent demographic claims in recent years has been the view that people were leaving the suburbs and “voting with their feet” for dense urban living. Yet once again, these predictions have been greatly exaggerated.

After a hopeful recovery from the massive declines experienced in the post-war era, the urban cores have lost their momentum; cities such as Los Angeles, New York and Chicago are losing population. For the first time the city of Los Angeles, not long ago one of the fastest-growing municipalities in the high-income world, has begun to experience population decline.

Meanwhile millennials have fled increasingly to suburban areas and toward large metros without sizeable pre-World War II cores. Since 2010 over 90 percent of all growth in large metropolitan areas has been in suburban areas. This shift increasingly includes minorities, not only in the United States but also the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.

Most of America’s Latinos, Asians and African Americans already live in the suburbs, just like previous generations of white Americans. Many suburbs in western countries, particularly around the largest cities now depend on immigrants and non-whites to replace their aging, predominately white population.

Good-bye religion

Ever since the “secularization” thesis was popularized in the 1950s, the common assumption has been that religion would fade before the onslaught of science and modernity. To date, this prediction has been largely accurate, despite the resurgence of evangelical Christianity in the last decades of the 20th century and the rise, here and globally, of Islam.

Yet the future may be less thoroughly secular than some predict. The key issue here is what one British scientist has called “the religiosity gene.” Simply put, people with some faith orientation tend to be far more likely to have children than those thoroughly secular. In the United States the most fecund states, like South Dakota, North Dakota, Utah and Nebraska, tend to be places where religious institutions are strongest. In contrast, in the least faith-oriented parts of the country — San Francisco, Boston, Portland and Seattle — annual fertility rates are about one quarter or more below the national rate, according to American Community Survey data.

Eric Kauffman suggests in his provocative “The Religious Will Inherit the Earth” that the world, including even the West may become more religious, as those who remain committed to faith, like the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, evangelicals, Muslims and Orthodox Jews, are far more likely to have children than the less observant and particularly the secular. These societies may never return to the religious norms of the past, but the demographic future may belong, in the long run at least, to those who remain committed to their faith.

The political equation

Perhaps nothing warms the hearts of the progressive clerisy than the notion that younger generations will re-ignite Baby Boomer radicalism. Yet the demographic trajectory here also may less profound than predicted. The Boomers have been shifting slowly to the right since the 1990s and the next dominant generation, the Xers, while slightly less conservative, are far more likely to identify as conservatives or moderates than liberals.

As Xers and now millennials — there are now 17 million millennial mothers with a new million every year — become parents, and often homeowners, they will likely moderate their politics, if not their party affiliation. Their social liberalism will likely remain, but they may not favor expanding federal power to enforce it. Barely one in four, according to Pew, trusts the federal government to “do the right thing.” This aversion to centralization conflicts with the increasingly radical proposals of progressive candidates.

Here in America a large contingent of white millennials — still the majority of their generation — may well support Trump, as they did in 2016. Some researchers, such as San Diego State’s Jean Twenge and Harvard’s John Della Volpe, suggest that millennials, and even more their successors, the so-called Z generation, may prove far more independent, as well as far less politically engaged at their age, than were Boomers.

Viewed realistically, our future demographics seem likely to produce a society far less predictable than that envisioned by pundits, academics and, yes, demographers. Looking hard at the data, it’s clear that the future, while far from predictable, could produce a society wildly different than anyone expects.

Joel Kotkin is the R.C. Hobbs Presidential Fellow in Urban Futures at Chapman University in Orange and executive director of the Houston-based Center for Opportunity Urbanism (www.opportunityurbanism.org).

It’s … alive!

California’s government, that great hulking mass of parts thrown together to wreak havoc on the state’s unwary villagers, is growing.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s January budget is drawing criticism for its proposed expansion of the state bureaucracy. The governor requested funding for the creation of a new Department of Early Childhood Development, an Office of Health Care Affordability, a Department of Better Jobs and Higher Wages, a Department of Cannabis Control and a brand new state Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

It sounds like the governor is using your tax dollars to create fake accomplishments that will look good when he lists them as bullet points in his next campaign ad.

In a Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee hearing on Thursday, even fellow Democrats expressed skepticism. Senate Education Chairwoman Connie Leyva, D-Chino, questioned the use of $8.5 million to consolidate programs and funding related to child care into a new Department of Early Childhood Development. “I wonder if that $8.5 million could be better spent fixing the department we have,” she said.

Sen. Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont, took note of the “huge cost” of the new departments. “Some of it really looks like changing the lawn furniture, moving it from here to there,” he said.

Deck chairs on the Titanic is the better analogy.

The administration says the Office of Health Care Affordability would be assigned to crack down on any part of the health care industry that isn’t doing enough to reduce costs. We can only imagine how much the increased compliance and legal costs will add to medical bills.

But the most outrageous of the new bureaucracies is the Department of Better Jobs and Higher Wages.

If the administration was serious about encouraging better jobs and higher wages, it would change the policies that are driving businesses to leave the state.

For example, we have energy and climate policies that have given California the nation’s highest electricity rates and highest transportation costs. Our corporate income tax rate, at 8.84 percent, is among the highest in the nation, and there are proposals kicking around in the Legislature to raise that even higher. An insane initiative to strip Proposition 13’s protection from business properties, raising their property tax assessment to current market value, would be a gargantuan tax increase on every business in the state, simultaneously.

If the governor is serious about better jobs and higher wages, he should be opposing the so-called Schools and Communities First initiative before it slams companies such as Facebook, Google and Apple with huge and repeated tax increases. They’ve all been expanding in other states. California is optional.

But the governor isn’t serious about creating better jobs and higher wages, at least not in the conventional use of those terms.

That’s why he signed the job-destroying Assembly Bill 5, which essentially outlaws freelance work in California. Freelancers can’t be unionized. Only on-the-payroll employees can join a union and bargain collectively instead of individually.

To politicians who owe their careers to union support, “better jobs and higher wages” means union contracts, with employees who pay dues into union accounts, which then are used to support friendly politicians.

Because it’s more expensive for companies to put employees on the payroll, fewer people will have the opportunity to work.

Since AB5 went into effect on Jan. 1, many freelancers in California have received letters from their paying clients informing them that their services will no longer be required. AB5 author Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, has pushed back against a torrent of criticism by pointing out that freelancers can become small businesses by forming LLCs and qualifying under the business-to-business exemption from the law. But that’s an expensive and burdensome process. Being a small business in California is a horror movie.

Here’s what the governor’s budget documents say about the Department of Better Jobs and Higher Wages:

“The Labor and Workforce Development Agency (Agency) requests $2.4 million General Fund and 10 positions in 2020-21. This will provide Agency the necessary resources to establish the directorate for the Department of Better Jobs and Higher Wages that will develop and align programmatic strategies and service delivery models to better meet California’s workforce needs and proactively address the state’s future of work challenges.”

Some of the new positions will be director, chief deputy director, chief legal counsel and public affairs deputy director. That last one will be in charge of telling the public what a great job they’re doing.

“The department will benefit job seekers and workers who need good jobs,” the governor’s budget request states.

The proposal for new departments and bureaucracies drew polite scrutiny from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office. The LAO suggested the Legislature consider such questions as, “Would the reorganization make programs more effective? Would the public receive better services as a result?”

It’s good to know that people who work with numbers all day can still maintain a sense of humor.

Susan Shelley is an editorial writer and columnist for the Southern California News Group. Susan@SusanShelley.com. Twitter: @Susan_Shelley

IRVINE — There are college basketball teams, and then there are programs. For long years, UC Irvine struggled to tell the difference.

It would pick up a Raimonds Miglinieks here, a Jerry Green there, and prosper for a season or two. When they left, so did the plan.

This is Coach Russell Turner’s 10th season, and after last season’s Big West Conference Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament first-round win over Kansas State, he signed a six-year contract extension. In those years the Anteaters are 53 games over .500 in Big West play.

They had a bumpy nonconference tour this season and came into Saturday night’s game with Cal Poly at 11-9 overall. They did win, but it was a 74-67 ordeal against a club that had only beaten Cal State Northridge, Siena and Vanguard.

It took some mid-range work from Collin Welp and a couple of jumpers from freshman Jeron Artest (yes, Metta World Peace’s son) to keep the Anteaters tied for the Big West lead.

If UCI continues to win, Turner will be nominated whenever an ACC head coaching job opens, since he’s from Roanoke, Va., and was an assistant coach at Wake Forest when Tim Duncan was there.

But with each season, the structure at UCI looks more like a home.

True, there isn’t much fan support or media attention, although an impressive crowd of 3,941 showed up Saturday. The flip side is that there is minimal pressure. Nobody’s calling talk shows when the Anteaters lose at Long Beach State, which happened on Wednesday.

A UC Irvine degree becomes a more precious thing with each passing year and each passing tuition hike. Barring climate change-induced tsunamis, UCI can sell its coastal elite location.

More to the point, the Anteaters’ game plan has become more aligned with what wins in college basketball today. Turner has been able to find the projectable freshman who doesn’t get noticed by the Pac-12 or the national powers, and that freshman more often than not will become a senior.

Only Mamadou Ndiaye, a 7-foot-6 conversation piece as the Anteaters made the NCAA Tournament in 2015, left UC Irvine for the draft before his senior year.

“There aren’t any ninth-graders who grow up wanting to come to UC Irvine,” said Turner, who earned his 200th win as UCI coach on Saturday night. “But doing what we did last year has helped our program. People see us in the airports and they know about the Anteaters now.

“Our staff does a great job locally, nationally, internationally, trying to find players who fit what we’re doing. We always strive to get better, to see how far we can go, but we know who we are.”

Chris McNealy was the first of 23 Anteaters in Turner’s years who came as freshmen and left as seniors. Six of those have redshirted, which doesn’t happen often in the power conferences.

They did lose Max Hazzard to Arizona, as a graduate transfer, after he spent four increasingly good years at UCI, one as a redshirt. That, along with the anticipated loss of Jonathan Galloway as a mid-lane anchor, explains some of UCI’s intermittence this season.

“That didn’t blindside us,” Turner said. “I knew Max had that opportunity and I talked to him shortly after the season was over. I think it’s great that he got a chance to play there. He was a leader for us, but we have a lot of quality in our backcourt. We’ve played well, but like a lot of teams, we’re trying to deal with inconsistency.”

Turner found Greene in Lone Pine, within sight of the summit of Mount Whitney. Greene grew up on the Paiute-Shoshone reservation, and he has been getting slimmer and stronger in his years of work against UCI’s big-man variety pack, and he’s listed at 6-foot-11 and 280 pounds. Some games are better than others for Greene, but against Hawaii he grabbed 21 rebounds in 26 minutes, a record at the Bren Center, which opened in 1986. Greene also scored 13 that night.

“I told him later that it’s the best rebounding performance I’ve been involved with since Duncan,” Turner said.

UCI’s core still consists of guards and boyhood friends Evan Leonard and Eyassu Worku, plus power forward Tommy Rutherford and swingman John Edgar Jr. That’s four seniors who came in together, put in hundreds of practices and weight room sessions together, and will go out together.

Not many college players are so in tune with the straight and narrow. But that’s the thing about home: The longer you stay, the slower you leave.

Name: Quinn Shurian
Role: Corporate Citizenship Specialist
Years with the Company: 25
Hometown: Newbury Park, CA
Interests: Making quilts, baking and visiting local theme parks

Q: Please tell us about your role.

A. I lead all of our Disney VoluntEARS efforts at the Disneyland Resort, which means I get to provide ways for our cast members to give back. I do this by coordinating all of our volunteer projects out in the community and leading cast-facing campaigns like our annual clothing and canned food drives, fundraisers for CHOC Children’s and more.

Q: How did you get to be in this role?

A. I served as Disney Ambassador from 2009–2010. During that time, I got to be a part of many of our community outreach programs, whether it was collecting toys for Toys for Tots, or blood drives or visiting children in hospitals. Those experiences are what ignited my passion for the community.

Q: Why did you first want to work at the Disneyland Resort?

A. Being a Southern California native, Disneyland was a huge part of my upbringing. It’s always been the place to go to celebrate with friends and family. One year in school, I needed to write a report on something and I chose Disneyland and Walt Disney. I remember sending a letter to Disneyland asking some general questions and in response, I received an envelope filled with fun facts, biographies and more! That extra bit of magic was the point when I knew this was where I needed to work.

Q: What is your favorite part of your role?

A. I love that at the end of each of my projects, I get to see how many people we’re helping. To know that I have a hand in making that difference is the most incredible part of my job.

Q: Which of your projects has been most memorable for you and why?

A. Toys for Tots is always one of my favorites. It’s not often you get to see the fruits of your labor in such an impactful way. Seeing thousands of toys loaded onto a truck is such a rewarding feeling! You know how many days you can brighten in that one instant.

Q: How does it feel to bring cast members so many opportunities to give back?

A. It’s an incredible feeling. We try very hard to have a variety of options that will appeal to a broad audience. It’s important to find something anyone can get behind and support. Whether it’s time, talent or treasure, it’s important to me to give everyone an opportunity to help make a difference.

One of our favorite parts about being Disney Ambassadors is getting to go out into the community and make a difference along with our fellow Disney VoluntEARS. Since it’s still January, and New Year’s resolutions are still top of mind, here are a few ideas we have for you to get involved in your community, too.

Start with small acts of kindness.

The smallest actions can make a big impact on another person. Try to be on the lookout for simple ways you can help those around you, wherever you may go. Pay it forward by covering the next person in line at your coffee shop. Give a stranger a compliment. Do a favor for a coworker (or fellow cast members, as we call them).

Help the people around you.

Your community includes your friends, family, coworkers and neighbors. Maybe a friend needs a hand moving into a new apartment or a family member could use help cleaning up after dinner. Perhaps a busy parent you know would appreciate if you offered to babysit their kids for a few hours. Like with our first tip, small acts of kindness can go a long way.

Clean it up.

One of the easiest ways to get started making a difference in your community is to help clean up the spaces around you. Head to the beach or a local park to pick up trash. Even when you’re out and about, running errands, pick up a piece of trash you see and throw it away. As cast members, we never leave a piece of trash on the ground at the resort. You, too, can bring this Disney Difference into your own community.

Donate what you can.

If you have an organization that is important to you, any little bit you can donate helps. You can also make a difference by donating your time to that organization—ask if they have a need for a new volunteer! Another way you can donate is by giving away gently used clothes, shoes or household items you don’t want anymore. Here at the Disneyland Resort, we regularly hold clothing and food drives to benefit local nonprofits. You, too, can find an organization near you that will take your donated items and find them a new home.

Find your passion.

It’s easy to spend your time volunteering if it’s for a cause you care about. Our Disney VoluntEARS program offers cast members many opportunities to volunteer with organizations they care about. Find something that interests you personally and look for ways to get involved. Maybe you love working with children, the elderly or animals—whatever you may have a passion for, there are many local organizations that need volunteers. As Disney Ambassadors, these are some of our favorite, simple ways to make a difference in the community. Like all of our Disney VoluntEARS, we hope you’re inspired to make your community a better place.

Kobe Bryant fans were in Newbury Park and El Segundo to mourn and pay tribute following the helicopter crash on Sunday morning.

Demi Lovato performed her song “Anyone” at the 2020 Grammy Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles Sunday night. She has been quoted saying that she wrote the song days before her overdose in 2018 as a “cry for help.”

On Sunday night, she was introduced by actress and “Little Women” director Greta Gerwig. As the cameras panned to Lovato in the middle of the arena with her piano player, the singer’s voice cracked and she shed a few tears as she took a stab at the song. But her peers were supportive, clapping her on as she wiped away the tears, cleared her throat and started again.

She sang with conviction, her vocals shaky in parts, but she let herself go, belting out honest lines like “I feel stupid when I sing, nobody’s listening to me” and “Why the hell am I praying if nobody’s listening.”

Lovato isn’t nominated for any awards this year, but this performance is her first since her overdose and the rehab that followed in 2018. She’s been nominated in the past for best pop/duo group performance with “Fall in Line” last year and her “Confident” album was nominated in the best pop vocal category in 2017.

Grammy-nominated artist Lil Nas X’s show-stopping performan brought out not one, but four star-studded cameos during the award show on Sunday.

Related: See photos of the show, winners

His rotating stage included several remixes of his song, “Old Town Road” featuring K-pop band, BTS, Diplo, Mason Ramsey, rapper Nas and his original collaborator, Billy Ray Cyrus. The performance also included a small dedication to Kobe Bryant with the player’s jersey on display during the rapper’s first stage set.

Twitter gave their two-thumbs-up during the genre-bending artist. See their reactions below:

I’m not mad at Lil Nas X’s performance

— 𝓿𝓲𝓬 𝓳𝓪𝓰𝓰𝓮𝓻 • ♡ (@VictoriaOnPaper) January 27, 2020

well I'm hella charmed by this ridiculous Lil Nas X performance

— This Mortal Coyle (@tservo42) January 27, 2020

Some felt the performance was so good that only emojis could describe the emotions:

Lil Nas X performance is

— MARY JANE (@Hazelstud) January 27, 2020

This Lil Nas X performance is wild and I love it

— Bobson Dugnutt (@ajmargs) January 27, 2020

THIS LIL NAS X PERFORMANCE IS EVERYTHINNNNG #GRAMMYs

— taylor – preorder REALM OF WRAITHS (@tmbsavage) January 27, 2020

A short performance but perfect as always! BTS nailed it again! ARMY is so proud of you, guys! We love you! #DoYourThangBTS #BangtanDoYourThang #OnlyForYouBTS #WhatYoongiWantsYoongiGets #BTSKeptTheirPROMISE #BTSareBACK #BTSMadeItHappen #SeoulTownRoad @BTS_twt @bts_bighit

— Tatii (@LittleKitten11) January 27, 2020

AND THIS IS BTS WITH LIL NAS !@BTS_twt #GRAMMYs #BTS pic.twitter.com/nHTRLCAgIs

— 𝐵𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑡𝑎𝑛 (@bangtan18thirst) January 27, 2020

Appreciate @LilNasX incorporating other artists (remixes) during #OldTownRoad it elevated the performance of the song for me #GRAMMYAwards2020 #GRAMMYs

— all beeez (@beeezboutit) January 27, 2020

I want to thanks @LilNasX for have invited @BTS_twt to perfom Old Town Road this means a lot for them and for us.

You helped making their dream coming true I will always be grateful for you let boys show their talent.

Thank You Lil Nas X

— ɴᴀᴛʜ ⁷ (@sonyeondanzone) January 27, 2020

Lil Nas X setting Kobe’s jersey in a chair during his performance pic.twitter.com/3GhoeB4CQm

— 𝓓𝓪𝔀𝓼𝓸𝓷 (@TheNbaDunk) January 27, 2020

He could've performed with Lil Nas X by himself, but he showed off the power of 7.

— Jae-Ha Kim 김재하 (@GoAwayWithJae) January 27, 2020

ALHAMBRA — A 42-year-old Alhambra man remained behind bars for the deadly shooting in an Alhambra apartment of a man and woman, who were identified Sunday by coroner’s officials.

Police received a call of shots fired at an apartment complex in the 400 block of North Second Street at 7:15 p.m. Friday and upon arrival, they located two victims suffering from gunshot wounds inside an apartment, according to Cmdr. Gabriel Ponce of the Alhambra Police Department.

Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene, Ponce said.

Coroner officials identified them as 44-year-old Cuong Nhat Do and 38-year-old Camha Nguyen Do. The relationship of the two victims has not yet been revealed by authorities. They were listed by the coroner as Anaheim residents, but were also linked to the apartment in Alhambra where they died, KTLA reported.

Another officer responding to the call was stopped by a man later identified as Sam Nhat Do in the area of Main and Second streets.

Do told the officer he had just shot two people inside an apartment in the 400 block of North Second Street, Ponce said.

Sam Nhat Do’s relationship to the victims was not immediately disclosed.

Do was arrested on suspicion of murder and being held on $2 million bail. A firearm was recovered at the scene, Ponce said.

A motive for the shooting was under investigation.

“There are no (other) outstanding suspects and the community is not in danger,” Ponce said.

Do is scheduled to appear in Alhambra Superior Court 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

With the Grammys Awards 2020 underway Sunday, a handful of performances had people excited, while some had their heads scratching. One, in particular, was the Aerosmith and Run-D.M.C nostalgia-inducing performance of their hit, “Walk This Way.”

Related: Usher’s Prince tribute with FKA Twigs at Grammys 2020 sparks Twitter revolution

While some enjoyed Steven Tyler’s trademark screeches, many wished that this team-up had stayed in the past. This is what users on social media are saying:

If #StevenTyler could hear himself sing, he would’ve substituted himself instead of #JoeyKramer. #DisasterSmith #Aerosmith #EyesoreSmith

— The Real Billy C (@billycarballo) January 27, 2020

Love Aerosmith but they should’ve retired yesterday

— Mike Park (@MikePark17) January 27, 2020

This Aerosmith and Run DMC performance reminding me that the elderly, while slow and dangerous behind the wheel, can still serve a purpose.

— TJ Berns (@bernier9) January 27, 2020

Aerosmith looks like the walking dead right now on the stage. Terrible. #GRAMMYs

— Boyle III (@phillybird1979) January 27, 2020

Enjoying @Aerosmith sounded good. #Grammys2020. Not sure Run DMC can bring it anymore

— NJNittany (@NJNittany) January 27, 2020

Aerosmith no #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/Cu0tdYAhpb

— Júnior Guimarães (@GuimaraesJnior) January 27, 2020

Did y'all see @FlavorFlav doing his dance in the audience at the end of @Aerosmith & Run DMC performance?! #GRAMMYs

— Latiesha Johnson (Living Dreams Joyfully) (@DreamsJoyfully) January 27, 2020

Idk why I had good expectations about that Aerosmith/DMC link up, cuz that was a cringe fest! pic.twitter.com/acxJCJdkiV

— Armand Hayes (@armandinc) January 27, 2020

An audience member watching the show captured a moment where Aerosmith guitarist, Joe Perry, may or may not have also questioned the performance:

I don’t think Joe Perry liked Steven Tyler shitting all over his solo. #Grammys2020 #grammy #aerosmith #joeperry #steventyler #rundmc pic.twitter.com/LzR5B1mYpw

— Good Pods Don’t Have Long Names (@gpdhln) January 27, 2020

Probably 100 other artists that people would want to see before Aerosmith. That wasn’t very good #GRAMMYs

— Jake Kuznetsky (@soxkuz) January 27, 2020

Rapper Lil Nas X had a huge 2019. The 20-year-old, who performed at the 2020 Grammy Awards, put out his single “Old Town Road,” which when country singer-songwriter Billy Ray Cyrus was added, it became a massive hit.

The duo performed it for the first time along with EDM artist Diplo at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio last year.

Lil Nas X turned heads on the Grammy red carpet with his hot pink Nudie suit that was modified with multiple straps and buckles. He wore a head-turning glittery suit as he strummed his mandolin to kick off “Old Town Road.” In a tribute to Kobe Bryant, a 24 Lakers jersey was draped on the empty chair beside him.

The setup was done on a rotating stage that allowed Lil Nas X to enter different rooms as it slowly spun. The first room contained K-pop boy band BTS, who looked ecstatic to be singing the hit at the Grammys. The second room included Diplo in a yellow outfit with lots of fringe, strumming on a banjo and Mason Ramsey, better known as Yodel Kid, was singing along with the rapper. Once he entered the final room, he was joined by Cyrus, who added a little rock and grit to the tune.

As he transitioned from “Old Town Road” into “Rodeo,” he was joined by rapper Nas for the end of the performance. Lil Nas X was up for six awards including best new artist, record of the year for “Old Town Road” and album of the year with “7.”

California’s largest, most important — and perhaps most troubled — governmental program is the education of nearly 6 million elementary, middle and high school students.

Federal, state and local taxpayers are spending more than $100 billion each year on the assumption, or hope, that the state’s 944 school districts, ranging in size from 400,000 students (Los Angeles Unified) to four (Lincoln Elementary) will adequately educate our kids.

Educationally, California’s academic achievement, as measured by state and federal testing, is mediocre at best. The most troubling aspect is the wide and stubborn “achievement gap” that separates more than 3 million poor and English-learner students from more affluent and English-fluent classmates.

Former Gov. Jerry Brown sponsored an overhaul of school finance aimed, he said, at narrowing the gap by giving school districts more money to be spent on poor-performing students.

Tens of billions of dollars later, however, there’s scant evidence that the money is being fully devoted to that worthy cause, or that it’s having a noticeable impact. A recent report from State Auditor Elaine Howle delved into Brown’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and cited some of its obvious shortcomings.

Brown steadfastly refused to sanction close state monitoring of LCFF spending, citing a self-defined principle of “subsidiarity” — in effect trusting school officials to do the right thing.

Since his departure, however, successor Gavin Newsom has professed more interest in addressing LCFF’s problems, encouraging legislators such as San Diego Assemblywoman Shirley Weber and outside education reform groups who have been critical.

The education establishment has resisted stricter oversight and has, instead, contended that more money — a lot more — is needed to close the gap. Its more or less official goal is about $5,000 more per student or $30 billion more each year from taxpayers, pushing California into the nation’s upper ranks of per-pupil spending.

School unions and others in the establishment will try to persuade voters this year to pass a ballot measure that would modify the state’s iconic Proposition 13 property tax limit and generate more tax revenue from owners of commercial property.

If passed, it would generate roughly $1,000 more per student from a 40% share of the tax increase.

However, even without imposing new taxes, school spending has been increasing smartly for most of the last decade — about 50% — due to a strong economy, a windfall of state personal income taxes and a law that gives schools a big share of the bounty. Newsom’s new budget, unveiled this month, continues that trend.

That said, much of the new money, including much of the LCFF portion, has been soaked up by increases in teachers’ salaries and non-classroom expenses, especially sharply rising pension and health care costs, as a new report from the Legislature’s budget analyst, Gabriel Petek, points out.

Meanwhile, overall school enrollment is drifting downwards, thanks to a declining birth rate and an exodus of young families from the state, as Petek’s report also notes.

Several large urban school districts — Los Angeles Unified, Oakland Unified and Sacramento Unified — are in financial crisis due to their erratic management, along with a handful of small rural and suburban districts.

Students’ futures as citizens, parents and productive workers and California’s economic and social prosperity depend on an effective school system.

As advisers such as Howle and Petek inform politicians about the schools’ serious educational and financial problems, the question is whether they will be addressed or left to fester.

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary

Music’s biggest night, the 62nd Grammy Awards may be over, but we put together our memorable moments from Sunday night’s show accompanied by a Graphics Interchange Format also known as a GIF.

Related: Grammy Awards 2020 – Scenes from the red carpet

From Lizzo, Lil Nas X to Demi Lovato’s comeback, here are the top eight moments.

1. Lizzo kicked off the Grammys with her hit songs, “Cuz I Love You”  and “Truth Hurts” but had the audience at Staples Center feel a wave of emotions when she dedicated her performance to the late Kobe Bryant.

2. Tyler the Creator was the underdog of the show, winning “Best Rap Album”, but his high-energy avant-garde performance garnered mixed reactions.

3. One of the youngest performers of the night, Billie Eilish, took home the big awards of the night, but her performance of “When the Party’s Over” took center stage.

4. And continuing with artists breaking genres and records, Lil Nas X won the award for most fandom-worthy cameos to the Grammys stage. He was joined by K-Pop boy band BTS, Diplo and yodeling sensation, Mason Ramsey.

5. A Grammy show is not complete without tributes. This year’s Prince dedication led by R&B singer Usher, FKA Twigs and Shiela E. received a lukewarm response.

6. And with tributes come nostalgia from past winners. This year showcased the unlikely hit of the ’70s, “Walk This Way” performed by Aerosmith’s and Run-D.M.C. Let’s just say, Twitter users were not having it.

7. Demi Lovato took the stage with an emotional song, “Anyone” written days before her hospitalization.

8. With Kobe Bryant’s death on everyone’s minds during Sunday’s show, artists and host, Alicia Keys honor the legendary basketball.