Countdown to 2000: 1980s top 10
Tony Dodero
Fights over growth. Flights over John Wayne Airport. Housing prices
moving into the stratosphere. Politicians proving they can’t be trusted.
Sounds like today’s headlines, right?
Wrong.
A glance back into the 1980s shows many of the issues that kept us awake
at night during the 1990s were just as prevalent during that decade as
well.
Newport-Mesans were witness to and beneficiaries of one of the hottest
real estate markets in history as well as some of the most brutal winter
storms to ever land here, flooding streets and smacking the coast with
monster waves.
Political careers were either launched or dashed and activists were born
to fight against airport expansion, the Irvine Co., noise, immigration
and day-laborer issues, and traffic -- fights that continue today, two
decades later.
What really set the 1980s apart from other decades, though, was how more
and more the power of the media allowed major worldwide and national
events to resonate right here at home -- a phenomenon that we take for
granted today.
For example, Newport-Mesa residents, like most Americans, were fixated on
the fate of hostages taken by extremist leaders of the Iranian government
in Tehran; the residents helped elect Ronald Reagan to the presidency and
quickly anointed him the darling of conservatives.
Our residents also watched in horror as a new disease called AIDS sent a
fright through the populace, and as long-standing financial institutions
began to crumble through the schemes of such men as Charles Keating,
whose Lincoln Savings and Loan was based right up the road in Irvine.
But residents really did not need to stray very far from home to get
their daily dose of drama during the 1980s. As usual, there was plenty to
keep the presses rolling.
Here are the top 10 stories of the 1980s:
1980 -- Slow-growth candidates Paul Ryckoff and Ray Williams are defeated
in a bid to take over the Newport Beach City Council. A pro-growth
majority prevailed throughout the 1980s.
1981 -- An Aircal 737 jet crash lands at John Wayne Airport and splits in
two. No one was killed in the mishap, however, nine passengers were
injured.
1982 -- Residents of Newport Beach, including author Joseph Wambaugh,
stage wild protests over the Irvine Co.’s plans to increase lease
payments. In some cases, leases skyrocket out of control. One example was
a lease that went from $1,600 annually to $65,000. The Irvine Co. later
agreed to back away from the steep hikes and an agreement was reached
with residents and businesses.
1983 -- Bruised and battered from the leasehold battle, the Irvine Co.
names Donald Bren its chairman. Bren soon became the company’s sole owner
and was later sued by family heiress Joan Irvine Smith over control of
the company stock.
1985 -- Newport residents and the county strike an agreement on John
Wayne Airport expansion with the federal government to limit noise and
number of flights over the airport.
1985 -- The Orange County Fair Board files suit against Nederlander West,
then the owners of the Pacific Ampitheater, for breach of contract. The
ampitheater lawsuit is tied to complaints by local residents over the
noise from rock concerts at the open-air stadium.
1986 -- The $74 million Orange County Performing Arts Center opens at
South Coast Metro. To kick off the new center in style, musical legend
Zubin Mehta conducts the venue’s first concert.
1986 -- Voters, in a city referendum, widely reject the Irvine Co.’s
plans to expand Newport Center.
1987 -- Two Costa Mesa policeman and a civilian riding along are killed
when their helicopter collides midair over Irvine with a Newport Beach
police helicopter and crashes into a field. The Costa Mesa policemen were
in pursuit of a teenage burglary suspect who had led authorities on a
54-minute cross-county chase. The Newport Beach officers suffered no
major injuries.
1988 -- Republican David Baker, after losing a tight race for the 40th
District seat with Christopher Cox, pleads guilty to forging a check for
$48,000 to help boost his campaign. Political scandal was ripe in the
1980s as earlier in the decade former county Supervisor Ralph Diedrich
was sentenced to and served two years in prison for bribery and
conspiracy charges and Newport Beach businessman Stuart Karl was
convicted of illegally funneling cash to the campaign of Democratic
presidential candidate Gary Hart.
Sources:
Daily Pilot
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