HOW WE SEE IT

THE BAD SIDE OF FIRST RAIN

Monday brought the county’s first rainfall in more than four months.

While the brief shower may have been welcome news to many Newport Beach

and Costa Mesa residents who have been baking in the fall heat wave, the

first seasonal rain is always bad news for the beaches and Upper Newport

Bay.

When the rain runoff washes into the ocean, with it comes all the trash

that has built up in the storm drains and all the urban pollutants that

have coated our streets and buildings. The contamination is so bad that

high numbers of fish and marine life are killed each year and Orange

County health officials warn surfers to stay out of the water for a few

days to avoid getting sick.

As a beachside community, we should be setting the example for a

lifestyle that minimizes the impact of the first rain on the environment.

That’s as simple as picking up after your dog or it can involve a deeper

commitment such as volunteering to cleanup trash in inland areas.

FILM FESTIVAL NEEDS OUR SUPPORT

Get ready for the Newport Beach Film Festival -- the sequel. Leaders of

the newly revived festival of independent movies have set March 30 as

their target start date. Setting a goal is certainly the first step, but

getting there will be another story.

That’s where the community comes in. The fledgling festival -- which will

be a takeoff from the four-year-old event that earlier this year went

bankrupt -- needs volunteers and donations. There are less than five

months to put it all together and they need all the help they can get.

With independent movie houses quickly becoming a scarcity in Orange

County, we cannot let this beloved tradition slip through our fingers.

A BRAVE CRUSADER

It’s not easy to stand up to a bully at any age, but in the formidable

high school years, it can be a young person’s worst nightmare. Newport

Harbor High School senior Kaylen Morrison is hoping to change that.

Morrison, who was attacked at a party her sophomore year of high school

by an older classmate, has started a foundation aimed at preventing anger

and violence in local schools. The ambitious student hopes her campaign

will eventually become national, but is starting with attempts to begin

an anger management class for ninth-graders in the district.

Whatever the outcome of her effort, Morrison should be commended for the

courage she demonstrated when she was attacked and her resolve to save

future students from similar violence.