The Year in Quotes

Politically motivated

“This is the first time that a public officials has said on record

that [jails and landfills] were only thrown in to push the measure.”

-- David Ellis, a consultant for the Airport Working Group who says an

Irvine councilman’s statement proves Measure F violatedthe state

constitution

“I’m definitely glad it’s all done. I’m finally going to relax and get

some sleep.”

-- William Perkins, one of the also-rans in the Costa Mesa City

Council election, on his feelings after the votes were tallied

“I think this is politically motivated action that is going to lead to

cronyism and favors being returned. It’s a slap in the face for folks who

have put a lot of time and energy into bettering the city to call them to

reapply when they’re in the middle of their terms.”

-- Gary Monahan, Costa Mesa councilman, on a proposal to allow each

council member to handpick commissioners

“To say nobody on the council cares about the Westside is an

absolutely absurd thing, so farfetched it’s almost laughable. By no means

have we signed off on anything.”

-- Linda Dixon, Costa Mesa councilwoman, in response to council

meeting comments by Costa Mesa resident Bob Rasmussen and others

Localism lives

“I’ve been here 40 years and can’t believe the city gets anything out

of it, apart from the trash.”

-- Pete Hoffman, a 54th Street resident and surfer, on Newport Beach

surf contests held along the stretch of beach between 54th and 58th

streets because the City Council voted to ban the contests on Memorial

Day and from June 15 through Sept. 10

Making the grade

“Isn’t it great? We’re doing something right. Those principals and

their staff are doing something right.”

-- Martha Fluor, Newport-Mesa Unified school board member, on the

district’s jump in test scores districtwide

“I am super happy with the level of education in Newport-Mesa, but

it’s not worth risking my child’s life over.”

-- Steven Fink, a parent of a Newport Coast Elementary School student

who is considering sending his kids elsewhere because of traffic problems

“Without having a moral compass, without realizing that there is right

and wrong, students don’t know and shoot up other classmates.”

-- Wendy Leece, Newport-Mesa school board member, on posting the Ten

Commandments in public schools

“There is another whole body of evidence that says, ‘No, we did not

come from gases and chemicals,’ and that at one time there must have been

another way life got here.”

-- Leece, on her hope that Newport-Mesa schools may begin to teach

theories that might refute those of evolution and Darwinism

Say it ain’t so, Joe

“He’ll probably be remembered as the most compassionate mayor and

council person the city of Costa Mesa has ever had. He’s also got a great

sense of humor. Even in our darkest moments, we could all share a laugh,

thanks to Joe.”

-- Linda Dixon, on fellow Costa Mesa City Council member Joe Erickson

Let’s all talk to the animals

“How can you say no? He had this kind of expression on his face like,

‘Yo, buddy, do you want to help me?”’

-- George Katcherian, veterinarian, on treating a stray 4-month-old

Labrador puppy that was hit by a car

“You try to do a good deed for somebody and it ends up not working out

that way.”

-- Jackie Jacobsen of Claremont, on how her attempt to save three

alligators found in a Newport Beach hot tub from execution came under

Humane Society review

“Our observation was that Rupert was definitely dying when we found

him.”

-- Gary Smith of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Harbor Patrol,

on finding the black swan locals have named Rupert. It ingested diesel

fuel in Newport Harbor

Who doesn’t love taxes?

“I don’t see the city’s ability to squeeze out $1.5 million a year.

We’re really boiled down to the basics.”

-- Allan Roeder, Costa Mesa city manager, on State Controller Kathleen

Connell’s plan to swap local sales tax revenues with state-collected

property taxes. Though most cities would have benefited from this plan,

Costa Mesa would have lost around $1.5 million in yearly revenue.

“You made a choice where you live and that’s the tax rate. It’s not a

fairness issue. People in Newport Beach pay higher taxes, and they always

have.”

-- Scott Anderson of Newport Beach, on paying more if Measure A, a

school bond measure, passed

Olympian efforts

“A day? That’s kind of . . . what about a week?”

-- Aaron Piersol, Olympic silver medalist in the backstroke andNewport

Harbor High School student, upon being presented with a proclamation

declaring Dec. 2 as Aaron Piersol Day in Newport Beach

Sorrowful sayings

“For someone who was under 5 feet and weighed just over 100 pounds,

she was one of the strongest people I ever knew.”

-- Tom Williams, Rosalind William’s first husband, upon her death in

June from breast cancer

“People always say, ‘I wish my son were like so and so.’ My son was

him. He was the perfect son. A beautiful smile and personality. He was

rebellious, happy, a ladies’ man. He had everything.”

-- Sonja William, on her son Andre Stewart, Newport Harbor High

School’s football star who was killed in a a car crash

“I just wasn’t even in my body at that point . . . . I lost not just

my best friend, I lost my life.”

-- Cindy Soto, mother of Sierra Soto, remembering the day in May 1999

when Costa Mesa Police Chief David Snowden told her that her daughter had

been killed

“I know you’d all like to believe she’s here with us. But she’s far

too busy right now organizing some sort of function in heaven.”

-- Gregg Williams, Rosalind Williams’ son, during a eulogy at Our Lady

Queen of Angels Church in Newport Beach

“I love you more, Dad.”

-- Yvette Riley, 10, just before she died in an April 1 car crash

“She felt Andre was walking with her.”

-- Dariel William, on wife Sonja William accepting a diploma in memory

of her son, Newport Harbor football star Andre Stewart

His bonus is on the way

“This is living proof that nice guys don’t finish last. I hate to make

it that simple. It’s just one of those stories.”

-- John Nolan, marketing director for Balboa Instruments Inc., on his

boss, David J. Cline, receiving the U.S. Small Business Person of the

Year award

Crimes and misdemeanors

“He was blessed with all those experiences that he denied the Sotos

and Wieners. He had all those opportunities to lead a good life, but he

chose not to.”

-- Deputy Dist. Atty. Debora Lloyd, on preschool killer Steven Allen

Abrams during her closing arguments

“Then he said she laid out on the boat, and he hit her on the head . .

. hit her so hard she didn’t feel a thing.”

-- Tina New, ex-girlfriend of Eric Bechler -- who is accused of

murdering his wife -- testifying at his trial

“There was a lot of panic. I saw moms shaking from cold and fear. Kids

probably saw this happen, or heard the shots at least. We tend to be

lenient with ourselves and don’t worry about safety. We don’t expect

this. The police do a good job, but this makes you think of the things we

take for granted.” -- Michael Vayner, manager of Mutt Lynch’s, on an

April 26 taxicab shooting death outside a popular bar in McFadden Square

“The program sounds like the best avenue for her, not only to help

her, but to prevent the further killing of animals.”

-- Michael Lubinski, deputy district attorney, on Costa Mesa resident

Debra Kinkaid’s two-month jail sentence for cooking her pet cat, Beauty

Hang ‘em high

“My handyman came in, saw me and asked if my father was there. Once I

explained who I was, he said ‘Oh, you look much older and taller on TV.”

-- Gary Monahan, Costa Mesa councilman, on the ability of constituents

to see him in person after the opening of his restaurant, Skosh Monahan’s

Family and friends

“They are getting to an age where they can look at you and love back.”

-- Jim Hodges, who with his wife, Shelly, celebrated the first

birthday of their quadruplets -- James, Jon, Melissa and Lucas

“If he comes up to me while I’m making dinner every day and he says

‘Mom, Mom!’ and I tell him, ‘I’m too busy,’ he’ll remember that. Then,

when he’s older, he might wind up in the streets, where people will give

him attention.”

-- Juana Anaya, mother of 7-year-old Jason, a student at Wilson

Elementary. They are part of the first class in the Families and Schools

Together program.

“I can’t stomach to think what my guys went through. They seem to be

holding up, but it probably hasn’t set in for them.”

-- Don Brockman, co-owner of Davey’s Locker sportfishing, on some of

his crew who were called to help look for survivors of the Jan. 31 Alaska

Airlines crash

“I told my husband, ‘I can’t stand it anymore, it’s time to go

inside.”’

-- Tamar Goldmann, College Park resident, on the Home Depot store that

opened in Harbor Center in January

Totally irrelevant

“We play golf, we go sailing, have a banquet in honor of me. I’ll be

treated like a king.”

-- Michael Green, on being Mr. Irrelevant XXV. He was the 254th (and

last) player picked (by the Chicago Bears) during the NFL draft

All the world’s a stage

“They don’t make theaters like that anymore, and it’s really a shame.”

-- Sandy Genis, former Costa Mesa mayor, on the removal of a retro

sign outside of the old Edwards Cinema at Harbor Boulevard and Adams

Avenue

“Virtually, there will be no play that a playwright can give us that

we won’t be able to mount. This is the antidote.”

-- David Emmes, South Coast Repertory co-founder, on the $19-million

facility that will break ground next year

Just plain colorful

“I don’t know about traffic studies, but I know about gridlock. I’m

not a farmer, but I know about fertilizer.”

-- Slow-growth activist Tom Hyans, on the presentation by proponents

of the Newport Dunes Hotel

“When they told me I had been auctioned off, I went home and told my

wife, ‘Honey, I was bought for $600.”’

-- Craig Rouse, executive chef at Scott’s Seafood Grill & Bar, on the

bid by Grace Fiske, who won “Chef for a Day” in a charity auction for

Children’s Hospital of Orange County

“It was really, really gross.”

-- Polly Dolkas, a Newport Harbor High varsity water polo team member,

speaking about more than 15 bags of compost dumped by pranksters in the

school’s pool

“I’ll have to be careful how much bubbly I have the day before . . .

but then again, maybe I’ll need to.”

-- Debbie Albright, upon making the cut for the Tea Cup Classic IV

golf tournament, which was scheduled for the day after her birthday

“What does he think I am, chopped liver?”

-- Debra Stich, Newport Beach resident, on pursuing her husband for 20

years. She recently gave Tom the gift of life by donating part of her

liver -- a regenerating organ -- to transplant into him.

“I want to know when’s the last time someone died from a cockroach?”

-- Sid Soffer, owner of Sid’s Steakhouse, on alleged health violations

cited by county health officials

The light is green

“The dam is broken. Up to this point, special interests have had a lot

of sway. . . . Greenlight will ensure that [the people] have the final

say.”

-- Susan Caustin, a Measure S supporter who believes the trend will

catch on statewide

“The analogy I use is if somebody walks up to a doctor and says, ‘Hey,

I’ve got cancer,’ you don’t kill the patient. [Greenlight] doesn’t

address traffic.”

-- Tom Edwards, former Newport Beach mayor, on why he helped draft a

countermeasure to Greenlight

“I’m sure many of us are tired of seeing every square inch being

developed to its maximum.”

-- Tom Thomson, then-councilman in Newport Beach, on his support of

the Greenlight Initiative

“It’s like putting a square peg into a round hole.”

-- Susan Caustin, on the plan for a five-star hotel at the Newport

Dunes

“Our guys in traffic are checking to see if anything happened to

change the name back. It could take awhile.”

-- Gail Smith, Caltrans spokeswoman, on the state department’s attempt

to figure out how the Costa Mesa Freeway was renamed the Newport Freeway

on a highway sign

The King slept here

“He was probably the nicest client I ever had. He was certainly the

only one that walked me to my car.”

-- Thomas Lane, Newport Beach resident, on Elvis Presley, who was a

client of his interior design business

Bad boys, bad boys

“I realized I could turn my back on everything society says. I felt

free. It was like I came out from under the water and took a deep

breath.”

-- Dennis Rodman, on his Web site, www.Rodmantv.com, that debuted in

early September

“They raped, pillaged and stole. There were fights, stabbings,

shootings, thefts and molestations of kids and women.”

-- Ron Smith of the Costa Mesa Police Department, on the activities of

carnival workers during previous Orange County Fairs

“It’s interesting that this keeps going on and on and on. I fully

expect to get another set of calls in another five years.”

-- Peter Polantin, a Dallas-based psychiatrist, on the investigation

into Alan M. Meyers, the former Costa Mesa Senior Center executive

director who has been accused of falsifying his credentials to get hired

and is also suspected of using the alias Carmi Bar-Ilan. More than 20

years ago, Bar-Ilan used Polantin’s name and medical license.

“I know some people were upset about the arrest, but I think the

police were just doing their job.”

-- Dennis Rodman, in a written statement released after he pleaded

guilty to drunk driving

What’s all that blue stuff?

“A bay-front walk would be an incredible change to Mariner’s Mile.

We’ve been very successful in Newport Beach in hiding our bay from

everyone.”

-- Michael C. Kranzley, Newport Beach planning commissioner, on the

possibility of creating a waterfront walk off Mariner’s Mile to give

residents access to the bay

Wait, it’s more like brown

“When you dig up [material] that was buried more than 10 or 15 years

ago, you stir up the pollutants.”

-- John Scholl of the Department of Fish and Game, Shellmaker Island,

on dredging Upper Newport Bay

Fame and fortune

“We scream because it’s pain and excitement mixed together.”

-- Brooke Moore, 14, of Newport Beach, referring to the pushing and

shoving she endured to see the pop band No Doubt

“In our business, it’s obsession, obsession, obsession.”

-- A.C. Lyles, Paramount Pictures producer, talking about the film

industry on closing night of the Newport Beach Film Festival

Fashionably fresh

“The better you look, the more chicks you can get. The more, the

better.”

-- Keith Daniels, 14, on why being fashionable is important

“By no means was it trying to make a statement. We were just trying to

be festive and make it a place we can be proud of.”

-- Graham Tingler, a parent who strung controversial holiday lights at

Mariners Elementary School

“Anything with fringe and rhinestones is cool too.”

-- Evan McVeigh, manager of a clothing store in Fashion Island, on

what’s in this year

“It will be like taking a stroll through a garden instead of walking

over a parking lot.”

-- Paul Freeman, spokesman for C.J. Segerstrom & Sons, on the bridge

connecting South Coast Plaza to the shopping area formerly known as

Crystal Court before it was built

Preferences, preferences

“We want to stay exactly where we are. And we want a long-term lease.

Many of us marched for our country in the past. We did not want to then,

and we do not want to march now. But if we need to march to save our

home, we will.”

-- Dennis Lahey, commander of American Legion Post 291, on a proposal to build a luxury hotel at Marinapark on Balboa

“I’d prefer the more natural, unpaved trails myself, because I can

still get around on them. I can cruise around on the dirt, although it’s

certainly easier for the [wheel]chair on paved trails. Now, if they put

gravel on the road, that would be bad. But the dirt trails are fine with

me, and probably easier for the horses.”

-- Pete Richardson of Costa Mesa, on Fairview Park

Flight patterns

“Where do you think the flights are going to fly out of? Your

backyard. Your frontyard. Your school.”

-- Richard Taylor, Airport Working Group activist, on the possibility

of John Wayne Airport expansion

Life’s a beach

“The waves are good [in Newport Beach] when they’re good, but there

are a lot of pollutants.”

-- Bobby Tang, manager of surf shop The Frog House, on Newport Beach

being rated one of the top 10 beaches in the U.S. by the Surfrider

Foundation

“If you drive from Riverside to go to the beach and you spend three

hours fighting the freeway, and then another hour looking for parking,

how many times are you going to come back?”

-- Joe Klure, manager of a Balboa store, on the “smart” parking meters

installed by the city of Newport Beach

“I would say there are between 200 to 300 people at any given time in

the water today. It appears people are skipping school and work to come

down here.”

-- Mike Halphide, Newport Beach lifeguard supervisor, on the number of

beachgoers on weekdays