Carlos Cortés is as excited as any first-time novelist to make his debut. The difference in his case is that he’s no eager young writer. He’s 91.

It’s titled “Scouts’ Honor,” and Cortés, a retired UC Riverside professor of Latin American studies (and former consultant for Nickelodeon’s “Dora the Explorer”), wrote it as a personal challenge.

“I had written poetry, plays, journalistic stuff, scholarly stuff,” Cortés says. “I wanted to write a damn novel!”

I attended a talk by Cortés last month at the Maloof Foundation in Alta Loma, in which he talked about his inspiration and read the first two chapters aloud.

With my bookmark already at Chapter 3, “Scouts’ Honor” kept me company on vacation in San Francisco. It’s not “Don Quixote,” but it’s pretty good.

Since my return, 88-year-old Thomas Pynchon surprised his fans with another novel. Also, Cortés’ accomplishment was put in perspective for me by my friend Doug. He said: “My mother-in-law is 91, but she’s not writing any books any time soon.”

So last Monday, Cortés joined me at Riverside’s Fairmount Park, a few blocks from the home he shares with wife Laurel, for conversation on a bench overlooking Lake Evans.

“Telling a long-form story was a challenge,” Cortés admits. “It was fun. I didn’t have five bad minutes writing it.”

“Scouts’ Honor” — a work of fiction, remember — is about a death at a Boy Scout camp in 1948 Missouri and whether the death was an accident or a homicide.

Its genesis was in the Boy Scout camp Cortés attended each summer from 1947-1951 in his native Kansas City, Missouri. Nearly every classmate participated.

In 1948, when he was 14, he was patrol leader, like his alter ego, the novel’s Chucky Karlson.

The boyish pranks of “Scouts’ Honor” — shortsheeting a bed, de-pantsing another boy and setting a “lollytrap” in the latrine to splash the unwary — really happened that summer.

So did a sexual encounter between two of the boys that was observed by fellow troopers. Days of hazing followed. That became a key part of the novel.

“Only the murder was invented,” Cortés tells me impishly. “But that’s a big thing.”

What if the victim of the hazing had taken revenge on one of his tormenters? Cortés says the real-life boy must have felt humiliated. But for the sake of a mystery, he came up with reasons why a number of people at camp — boys and adult leaders — might have resented a prankster enough to take his life.

Reporter Ardith Millett is sent to the camp to report on the death. Ardith is young and shy, overlooked in a male newsroom. Ardith discovers that the dead boy was roundly hated. But her story instead is an uplifting tale, designed to please the boy’s parents.

Portions of the novel take place in 1984, when Millett, now an award-winning newspaperwoman, seeks to tell the story she regrets not telling originally.

As Cortés put it at his Maloof talk: “It’s more than a whodunit. It’s an exploration of truth: half-truths, partial truths…”

“Scouts’ Honor” has elements of “Rashomon” and of Lawrence Durrell’s “The Alexandria Quartet,” Cortés tells me, in which the same action is recalled differently by different people.

“It’s a real page turner,” says Cati Porter, his editor and publisher at Riverside-based Inlandia Books, at the Maloof event. “It’s very much a psychological thriller.”

Cortés is proud of his book but makes no great claims for it.

“You’re willing to put up with a lot of description in ‘War and Peace’ because then you’ll have read ‘War and Peace,’” Cortés jokes to me. He knows no one would treat finishing “Scouts’ Honor” as anything to brag about and paced his story accordingly.

“It was intended to be a quick read. Pick it up, read a couple of chapters, put it down and come back to it,” he says.

Befitting Cortés’ career studying cultural diversity, prejudice plays a role in “Scouts’ Honor,” but not the way you might expect.

In Kansas City, it was so accepted that the races shouldn’t intermingle, intermarry or even use the same swimming pool that “it wasn’t even discussed,” Cortés says.

“But religion was a big deal,” he adds. “In high school, there were clubs that excluded Catholics or Jews. Nobody batted an eyelash.”

In boys’ locker rooms, showers and elsewhere, “foreskin jokes were common,” Cortés says. “All Protestants had circumcisions. So did Jews. Everyone did except Catholic kids.” One “Scouts’ Honor” boy, who is Catholic, is nicknamed Foreskin Freddy.

Cortés had his own youthful path to navigate. He was Jewish on his mother’s side, Catholic on his father’s. Religious tension in his household ran high, with each parent claiming victories along the way.

To write the character of a young female reporter in a male environment, he drew on his own outsider status, as well as on a friend, a woman who is an accomplished academic, who nevertheless suffers from “thank you-itis,” the reflex to thank everyone.

Cortés wonders what readers will make of the book. The first three sentences have a character shouting a profanity after stumbling across the dead body.

“The bawdiness might put some people off. In a sense, my first page is a trigger warning,” Cortés says, chuckling. “If you get past the first page, it’s clear sailing from here on out,”

Cortés tackled a novel just to see if he could do it. During the pandemic, he worked with an editor on several drafts, then hired a second editor for a fresh set of eyes. He incorporated their advice on how to improve the structure and eliminate repetition.

After the Inlandia literary nonprofit accepted his manuscript, Cortés did one final draft, with corrections and ideas from his third editor.

Carlos Cortés has been advocating for ethnic studies and diversity since arriving at Riverside’s UC campus during the tumultuous year of 1968.

A Latin American studies professor, Cortés helped students organize the campus’ first Chicano organization in 1968. Served on a committee that established Mexican American and Black studies programs in 1969. Introduced the campus’ first Chicano History class in 1970.

During a recent talk at UC Riverside’s Tomas Rivera Library, Cortés recalls how in 1971 he was invited by the state Department of Education to be among those evaluating proposed California social studies textbooks.

Controversially for the era, the textbooks had to acknowledge the contributions of, as the guidelines put it, “Negroes and other ethnic groups.”

(Today Merriam-Webster calls that word “dated, often offensive.”)

“If this wording makes you flinch,” Cortés tells his audience wryly, “this was woke in 1971!”

Cortés can bring a half century of perspective to diversity questions, because the terms of the debate continue to shift, usually with him near the vanguard.

The occasion for his remarks April 11 is a modest celebration around his life and career. After 57 years on campus, Cortés is donating his papers to UCR — more on that shortly.

More than 60 of us are in attendance: family, friends and admirers, including yours truly. I fall into the admirer camp, and possibly the friend camp too.

As Cortés tells someone in my presence, “David and I are fellow Midwesterners, from adjoining states” — Missouri in his case, Illinois in mine.

We both have journalism experience out west too.

As Cortés recounted to me recently over coffee, he was driving through Phoenix in 1959 when he saw an unusual sight: an “Editor Wanted” sign in the window of the local newspaper.

Cortés pulled over, went into the weekly Phoenix Sun on a whim, was hired on the spot as editor and relocated.

Steven Mandeville-Gamble, UCR’s librarian, opens the festivities by telling us Cortés’ papers will be part of the Special Collections archives. He describes Cortés as a writer, scholar and historian.

“He’s been an incredible force for good,” Mandeville-Gamble says. “He’s a peaceful warrior. He fights for good, but through respect and calm. His papers tell that story.”

Those papers could prove fascinating for scholars, present and future, on a range of topics. Some continue to be headline-grabbers in 2025.

And then there’s Cortés’ work on “Dora the Explorer” and spinoff “Go, Diego, Go!,” the Nickelodeon animated series starring Latin American children, for which he helped the creators include Latin American culture and Spanish language in a child-friendly way.

UCR has transformed since Cortés’ arrival as one of the first two Latino professors. The campus then had 100 Latino students. Now there are nearly 10,000.

In his Chicano history classes, “he had students write their family story, which meant so much to them,” says Arlene Cano Matute, assistant director of Chicano student programs.

Parents at first waved off their children, protesting that “we have no stories; we’re immigrants,” she says. But soon relatives were relating their personal and ancestral stories with pride.

“He truly is a gift that keeps on giving,” Cano Matute says of Cortés. “Muchas gracias.”

Jose Medina was one of those students in the early 1970s. Later a member of the state Assembly, and a newly elected Riverside County supervisor, Medina tells me Cortés was helpful to him in getting ethnic studies passed as a high school requirement.

Medina adds: “More importantly, when I became a high school teacher, I wanted to be like Carlos Cortés.”

Cortés retired from UCR in 1994, as a youngster of 60, and launched a new career as a diversity consultant, scholar and lecturer.

“He immediately took up all this other work,” his wife, Laurel, tells me. “He’s a worker. He works every day. And he has so many interests!”

In his remarks, Cortés mentions that on April 6, he turned 91. That’s an applause line if ever there was one. So was his comment that this summer, he’ll publish his first novel.

That’s a level of focus that many younger writers — and almost any writer is younger — would envy.

Now, back to his papers.

As part of his retirement package, UCR let him keep his office. That’s where his archives are. But also material not worth keeping, like old quizzes.

Cortés goes into the office frequently these days to, he says, “wade through” his file cabinets and bookshelves, separate out what should be kept from what shouldn’t, and write essays to make sense of it all and connect the dots.

He tells us in passing that he’s been doing this the past six months and expects to deliver the material at the end of 2025.

Um, what?

Afterward I ask Mandeville-Gamble with a laugh if the library scheduled the event for April thinking the handover would have taken place by now. He admits that’s true but says it’s not a problem.

“It’s fine that he’s taking a little bit longer,” the librarian says. “There’s no need to rush him.”

(Mandeville-Gamble, who set this donation in motion last fall, will retire this summer. Time waits for no man, except maybe Cortés.)

Ultimately the collection should occupy 100 linear feet of shelving. Included will be his professional papers as an academic, dissertations by grad students, drafts and final versions of speeches he’s given and material from “Dora the Explorer” and “Go, Diego, Go!”

UAW Local leaders call out Stellantis over layoffs in Michigan and other states

(CBS DETROIT) — Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has resigned after nearly four years in the top spot of the Jeep and Ram maker, which has continued to struggle with slumping sales.

The company, in a release, said his resignation has been accepted by the board and is effective immediately. 

Stellantis Senior Independent Director Henri de Castries said in a written statement that differing opinions led to the resignation.

“Stellantis’ success since its creation has been rooted in a perfect alignment between the reference shareholders, the Board and the CEO,” De Castries said. “However, in recent weeks different views have emerged which have resulted in the Board and the CEO coming to today’s decision.”

Tavares was under a five-year contract that was set to expire in 2026. 

In September, the company started looking for a CEO to succeed Tavares, but stated it was part of a normal leadership succession plan. 

Company officials say a board committee is leading the search for a new CEO, and that the search is expected to be completed within the first half of 2025. 

In the meantime, Chairman John Elkann will lead an interim executive team.

Tavares had been under fire from U.S. dealers and the United Auto Workers union after a dismal first-half financial performance when the company was caught off guard with too much high-priced inventory on dealer lots.

Stellantis, in November, announced layoffs at facilities in Michigan and Ohio, citing a focus on realigning U.S. operations to ensure a strong start to next year. Union leaders have attributed the layoffs to mismanagement. 

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Note: The above video first aired on Nov. 20, 2024.

The Associated Press

contributed to this report.

LOS ANGELES — Carlos Vela flashed his smile and soccer skill at the Los Angeles Football Club’s performance center for the first time in 10 months Tuesday.

Waiting for medicals to clear him before rejoining the group after re-signing with LAFC as a free agent, Vela went through a light workout on the side, getting loose while taking some touches with the ball as he appeared at home on familiar ground.

“It’s great to see him,” LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo said. “He has always come to work with a smile on his face and enjoyed being here and loves this club, as this club and fans love him. So a very positive reaction and I’m looking forward to more.”

Vela should reveal how he feels and what he expects from himself during a press conference Wednesday at BMO Stadium prior to LAFC (14-7-6, 48 points) taking on Austin FC (9-12-7, 34 points).

With seven regular-season games to go plus the U.S. Open Cup final at home next week, Vela’s arrival coincides with the most critical point of the season for the club, which features a dozen players who weren’t in Columbus the last time the LAFC captain suited up during the unsuccessful 2023 MLS Cup final.

Other than Eduard Atuesta, a teammate of Vela’s during the club’s first four seasons, each addition means new connections for Vela to sort out, from homegrown talent to World Cup champions Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud.

“Right now it’s about exposure,” Cherundolo said. “Exposure to the group. Exposure to training. See how he and his body reacts.

“I don’t think there’s anything complicated about this. It’s a player who’s been here since Day 1. It should be very natural and easy. The player will know. The team will know. And hopefully the coach will know when it’s time to put him back on the field.

“Carlos is one of the most intelligent players I’ve ever seen. Whatever we ask him to do, he’ll figure it out.”

A beneficiary of Vela’s adroitness last year en route to being the third LAFC player with an MLS Golden Boot award, forward Dénis Bouanga was excited for Vela’s return.

“Last year he gave me so many passes and we did so many great things together,” Bouanga said.

“He’s a person I like a lot, whether outside of the club or on the field,” the Frenchman added. “I think everyone at LAFC is happy to see him back and I think you can see the support on social media.”

Despite the news, a second-half collapse at the Galaxy on Saturday meant social media wasn’t all roses over the weekend. Losing El Trafico despite a two-goal lead at the half meant LAFC, the current No. 2 seed, is closer to the seventh spot than the top of the conference.

Boosted by Vela, the team has a chance to quickly turn the page like it did in Seattle after finishing runner-up in the Leagues Cup a few weeks ago.

A bounceback victory over 11th-place Austin, which will miss three players – striker Sebastián Driussi, midfielder Jhojan Valencia and defender Brendan Hines-Ike – due to yellow-card accumulation following a 2-1 loss at BMO Field in Toronto on Saturday, would secure LAFC’s sixth playoff berth in seven seasons (if Dallas drops points in Salt Lake City).

CARSON —  For seven seasons, regardless of the names on the jerseys, heartbreak has peeked around the corner whenever the Los Angeles Football Club heads south on the 110 to face the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Always waiting, lurking, a perpetual reminder of El Trafico’s legendary debut in the spring of 2018 when LAFC coughed up a 3-0 lead by conceding four second-half goals. Peaks and valleys. Twists and turns. The occasional head-over-heels highlight.

Madness has been a hallmark of the series ever since Carlos Vela opened it up with a pair of goals before Zlatan Ibrahimovic responded in kind.

Seven years later, neither Vela nor Ibrahimovic was part of the story for Saturday’s third clash of the year between LAFC and the Galaxy — not on the field, at least, which ended 4-2 in favor of the home side following another momentous comeback in Carson that once more straddled the line between control and chaos.

“We played a good first half,” said LAFC’s Ilie Sanchez, who has worn the captain’s armband throughout most of Vela’s absence. “I think we were loyal to who we are and what we want to do on the field and we didn’t do it in the second half. That’s on us. It’s not because of the history of this rivalry. It’s not because we were at their place. The only explanation about tonight is that we didn’t do our jobs. We were not ourselves in the second half and lost the game.”

Dignity Health Sports Park has a way of making that happen for LAFC, which fell to 1-7-2 all-time here.

Ibrahimovic, Galaxy’s leading man from that fateful first El Trafico, is long gone, departing for Europe following the 2019 season.

Vela was head honcho for LAFC from 2018 through 2023. He took an extended break before reappearing the Friday prior to the latest edition of the derby by agreeing to end his free agency.

Despite missing all three regular-season meetings with the Galaxy in 2024, which netted out to a pair of 2-1 wins for LAFC before their house of horrors in Carson lived up to its reputation, nothing has altered the Mexican’s lasting imprint on El Trafico and professional soccer in the city, which is why news of his return was met with sheer joy from fans who grew to love him the previous six years.

Unsigned since LAFC played in the MLS Cup final in Columbus last December, the return of “El Rey” coincided with Major League Soccer’s roster freeze — in essence a drop-dead date for MLS teams to determine which players are eligible to participate over the final stretch of the regular season and the upcoming playoffs.

Vela, it turned out, wanted in.

LAFC has not officially announced his return, but is expected to prior to their next match on Wednesday.

With Vela’s considerable help, LAFC claimed its lone league championship in 2022. A major factor the next season, which at 53 games was the longest for any MLS team in the history of the league, Vela then stepped away from the game after LAFC came up short in its repeat bid.

Vela spent time with his family. As LAFC underwent massive roster turnover in preseason, Vela enjoyed the wintery fun of Vail, Colo. In the spring, as LAFC attempted to regroup from a slow start, he headed to Coachella. This summer included trips to Italy and France. By then, LAFC had turned things around during a club-record 13-game winning streak.

All the while questions over Vela’s status lingered. Everyone involved wanted to get a deal done, but the timing wasn’t quite right.

Now Vela will join a group that includes many faces he hasn’t played with, including Olivier Giroud, David Martinez, Kei Kamara, Maxime Chanot, Hugo Lloris, Omar Campos, and Lewis O’Brien.

LAFC has seven regular season games remaining to try and catch the first-place Galaxy, which took a seven point edge over Vela’s club thanks to its second-half rally.

Unless they meet in the postseason, however, Vela won’t get a shot at adding to his El Trafico-leading goal and assist tallies until 2025.