NOTABLE QUOTABLES

IT’S NO ‘BAYWATCH’

“Some people drop out even in the tryouts because it’s enough for them

to reassess their abilities. It’s tough out there. The water is cold and

there are rocks underneath. It’s also a big commitment, but the working

conditions are pretty good.”

-- Lt. John Blauer of the Newport Beach Fire Department, on the annual

lifeguard tryouts held March 11.

“I live a little more than a block off of 17th Street and it’s a crazy

street. It’s inhuman, it’s too fast, and we don’t need it to be any

faster or busier. I saw a woman get hit walking across the street.”

-- Charlotte Johnson, Costa Mesa resident and member of the East 17th

Street Ad Hoc Committee, on why she against widening the street to six

lanes.

“I don’t buy any clothes. I don’t entertain anymore. I was able to do

all these things very easily . . . I just have to watch it very careful

now.”

-- Jo Bessell, 83, on the effects the rising rent on her Corona del

Mar apartment have had on her life. Over a 28-year span, her monthly

payment has gone from $275 to $1,160.

“What we do is deal with the facts rather than the rumor. We do check

into [all accusations], but we also hold people accountable if they make

accusations that are not true.”

-- Newport-Mesa school Supt. Robert Barbot, on investigating an

accusation that a student at Corona del Mar High School made threats.

“You want to touch it? You’re sick.”

-- Jeff Cefalia, 10, responding to a classmate’s question about the

need for gloves during an experiment involving sheep hearts at Newport

Elementary School.

“I never thought of the day I’d be in my own retirement party. Here it

is after all these years.”

-- Capt. Harry Gage, 58, on retiring after almost 35 years with the

Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Gage spent 14 years as harbor master

in Newport Beach.

“The past is getting rapidly demolished, and here’s our chance to save

a piece of it right here.”

-- Kristen Petros, vice chairwoman of the Costa Mesa Cultural Arts and

Historic Resources Committee, on why she thinks it’s important to

preserve Huscroft House.

“It’s not a game no more. What you mean as a joke can be taken pretty

seriously. So even if somebody starts joking about guns and stuff, I walk

away.”

-- Jose Castro, Costa Mesa High School senior, on the attitude at

local schools toward violent comments or jokes since the shootings in

Santee, Calif.

“As much as the Marshalls are hurting, my family is also hurting. I

love my wife terribly and I miss her, and there’s nothing else I can

say.”

-- Eric Bechler, who was convicted Feb. 1 of killing wife Pegye,

stressing his innocence before being sentenced on Friday. The Newport

Beach resident was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of

parole.

“He hit my precious girl on the head with a dumbbell. He had to clean

the boat all by himself . . . a lot of work for such a li’l boy.”

-- June Marshall, mother of Pegye Bechler, recounting in court the

gruesome murder of her daughter.