From tats to tees, this artist knows how to show his hometown some love
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Good morning. It’s Wednesday, April 9. I’m Carol Cormaci, bringing you this week’s TimesOC newsletter with a look at some of the latest local news and events from around the county.
With anxieties rising and the markets sliding again late yesterday, hours before high tariffs on China and other countries were set to be imposed at midnight, it seemed there’s no time like the present to distract ourselves from nervously checking our 401(k)s.
So, this morning, let’s turn our attention from Wall Street to a very specific local market: people who love Anaheim, its pro hockey team and T-shirts.
I know it’s hardly breaking news, but this item is for readers who prefer a sweet treat with their morning coffee. I’m referring to a feature story by my colleague Sarah Mosqueda, who interviewed Anaheim native Gustavo “Gus” Jaimes for Sunday’s Daily Pilot & TimesOC. Jaimes is the artist behind the 10,000 T-shirts given away to the first 10,000 fans arriving at Honda Center on March 28 to watch the Ducks come from behind to beat the New York Rangers in a game that went into overtime.
Jaimes is a graphic illustrator and tattoo artist. Longtime Anaheim residents may be familiar with his family’s business, La Herradura Western Wear on South Euclid Street. “I feel very connected to Anaheim,” Jaimes told the paper. “As a kid, I got to know different parts of Anaheim very well from my whole family living in the area.”
His passions, Mosqueda writes, are hockey, coffee, music and his Mexican heritage; they are all found in his works of art. The exclusive T-shirt design, which he produced in collaboration with Visit Anaheim, reflects his “homegrown pride, retro tattoo style and Anaheim Duck fandom.”
The “Welcome to Anaheim” T-shirt he designed for Ducks fans “reads like a vintage postcard, with the Anaheim Packing House, the Ferris wheel at Disney’s California Adventure and other landmarks visible in the thick block letters. A ripe orange sits at the top, the lettering is below it, and Ducks mascot Wild Wing waves an orange pennant cheering ‘Let’s go Ducks!!!’”
“There are a lot of historical buildings in Anaheim and I am a very nostalgic person, in general,” said Jaimes. “I always love to pay tribute to the past with eyes on the future. The Ducks are taking the team and the city in an incredible direction and I feel lucky to be part of it.”
His affection for his community runs deep.
“I have met almost everyone that is important in my life here — whether they are people in bands or they play hockey or work for the city or they have opened up records stores — I have had the chance to be a part of it or help in some way, especially if they needed artwork,” Jaimes said. “I have been fortunate that people ask me to help them design stuff, so this community means a lot to me.
“I just want people to see what I see,” he said.
MORE NEWS
• Here’s a trio of news stories related to the national political divide that involve Orange County and have been published over the past several days:
— Former Vice President Kamala Harris was in Dana Point last Thursday to address the Leading Women Defined summit held at the Ritz-Carlton. During her eight-minute speech, according to this Los Angeles Times story, Harris “decried the rollback of fundamental rights under President Trump, urged people to prioritize self-care and pledged to remain active in the fight to safeguard constitutional protection.” Her appearance was a surprise to many of the 100 attendees, who “leaped to their feet, whooped, cheered and waved napkins in the air” when she entered the room.
— Two days after Harris’ visit to O.C., about 1,400 peaceful protests against a wide range of actions by the Trump administration and Elon Musk were held across the nation, including at Huntington Beach and Sasscer Park in Santa Ana.
— L.A. Times reporter Hannah Fry last week ventured into Trump-friendly Huntington Beach and spoke to some of the president’s supporters as well as some who voted against him. She was curious what they thought about Trump’s “Liberation Day,” the announcement of his global tariffs. “Trump supporters generally want to give the tariffs a chance even though it might mean some short-term pain for the economy,” Fry wrote of the Huntington Beach voters she spoke to. “But people who didn’t vote for him were more concerned about the effects on their pocketbooks and the long-term economic outlook.”
• A demonstration of a different sort took place last Wednesday when registered nurses represented by SEIU Local 121RN at Anaheim Regional Medical Center picketed to draw the public’s attention to safety issues and understaffing at the hospital.
PUBLIC SAFETY & CRIME
• An SUV caught fire just before 10 a.m. Friday in a parking structure that serves the Disneyland resort in Anaheim and spread to at least two more vehicles before the flames were put out.
• The names of three of the five victims who lost their lives due to a single-car crash late Saturday night in Santa Ana were released by authorities on Tuesday. The Lexus sedan they were in when it hit a tree had six occupants, two of whom were adults; four were teens. The accident took place on Segerstrom Avenue, a few blocks west of Carl Thornton Park, according to police.
• Anthony J. Tremayne, 58, of Rosarito, Mexico, pleaded guilty Monday in a Santa Ana federal courtroom to selling hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of fake celebrity autographs. Tremayne is expected to be sentenced for the mail fraud on Aug. 11.
• Jeffrey Ferguson, the 74-year-old Orange County Superior Court judge accused of fatally shooting his wife in 2023, is back in court this week for a retrial after a jury last month deadlocked, 11-1, on a second-degree murder charge and a mistrial was called.
• The trial of Newport Beach doctor Jeffrey Olsen, who is charged with prescribing and distributing large amounts of unnecessary drugs, was handed to the jury this week. Olsen maintains that he believed his patients when he prescribed them opiates that were later sold on the street. No verdict had been reached as of Tuesday afternoon.
SPORTS
• The Angels’ home season opener Friday ended in a 6-8 loss to the Cleveland Guardians but, on Saturday and Sunday, the Halos beat the Guardians, 10-4 and 6-2, respectively. Logan O’Hoppe on Sunday became the first catcher in Angels history to homer in four straight games when he connected leading off the second inning.
LIFE & LEISURE
• Orange County resident Sophie Stava, after 15 years writing fiction without much luck in selling it to publishers, became known across the country when her first published novel, “Count My Lies,” was recently featured as the book of the month by “Good Morning America.” Released March 4 by Scout Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, the domestic thriller is about a compulsive liar who becomes a nanny for a family with secrets of their own.
• Does your city boast a poet laureate? Costa Mesa just named its first ever to the post, Danielle Hanson, whose tasks for the city over the coming two years will be to compose poems for special events and occasions. Hansen, who will receive a $2,500 annual stipend for her work, is a poetry instructor at UC Irvine. “At its best, a poet laureate position is like a cheerleader for poetry out in the community,” she told the Daily Pilot. “That’s how I approach it.”
• A North Orange County woman whose husband was established as an automotive reviewer, chucked her job as an elementary school teacher to do the same, but with a twist: she especially tailors her words of vehicle wisdom to an audience of women. “Mobile Mama” (AKA Christina Branman) now has 1.1 million followers on TikTok, and nearly 400,000 on Instagram who enjoy her videos and advice on the right cars for moms everywhere. Branman quickly learned she could earn more through payments she received from TikTok than she could at her teaching job.
• The sound lab at the Newport Beach Public Library welcomes, by reservation, people who might be there to dance, sing, record voice-overs for audiobooks or create music, the Daily Pilot reported in this feature story last week. More recently, there’s been an uptick in patrons hoping to use the soundproof room to produce podcasts, so the library’s foundation is hoping to raise $4,000 to buy the equipment needed for that purpose. The sound lab is just one of many multimedia resources available; the pubic is invited to Digital Saturday this weekend. If you want to check it out, the library is located at 1000 Avocado Ave., Newport Beach.
CALENDAR THIS
• The Theatre Arts program at Vanguard University on Thursday debuted an original, ultra-campy stage adaptation of “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” the French science fiction novel by Jules Verne. The multi-media show runs through this Sunday. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and there will be 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets cost $17, or $15 for seniors 60+, children under 12, college students and groups and can be purchased at vanguardtickets.com or by calling the box office at (714) 668-6145.
• Boots & Brews Country Music Festival comes to Great Park Live in Irvine at 5 p.m. Friday, for one night only. Tickets start at $59.99 for general admission and $149.99 for the VIP Lounge. There are also party packs that offer tickets at a discounted price when you purchase four or more, and private cabana experiences. For details on tickets visit bootsandbrews.com
• Fun educational activities for kids can be found this Saturday and Sunday at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, which will present its annual STEAM-themed event, Imaginology. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free and parking is $12.
Until next week,
Carol
KEEP IN TOUCH
I appreciate your help in making this the best newsletter it can be. Please send news tips, your memory of life in O.C. (photos welcome!) or comments to carol.cormaci@latimes.com.
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