Briefly in the news

The Orange County Water District board has elected a new slate of

officers and elevated Newport Beach’s representative to the presidency.

Jerry A. King -- who represents Newport Beach, Irvine and Tustin --

was named to the top post by his 10 colleagues last month. King also

serves on the board of the Newport Center Assn.

Voters elected King, a Newport Beach resident, to the board in 1998.

King is a vice president at Costa Mesa-based Psomas, a consulting firm

specializing in land development and water issues. He also holds a seat

on the Orange County Beaches and Parks Commission and Santa Ana Watershed

Project Authority.

The state legislature formed the water district in 1933 to oversee the

ground water basin under northern and central Orange County.