WEEK IN REVIEW

Koll Center officials are probably starting to think about a date for

their special election by now. After the city’s planning commissioners

approved a 250,000-square-foot expansion project for the center last

week, the developers are but one step away from taking their plans to

Newport Beach’s voters.

All that’s left is for City Council members to approve the project.

That’s because Greenlight, the city’s new slow-growth law, requires

voter approval for projects that exceed the general plan allowance by

40,000 square feet or 100 peak-hour trips or dwelling units.

The Koll project, which includes a 10-story office tower and two

parking structures, would sit near the corner of Jamboree Road and

MacArthur Boulevard. Concern about increased traffic as a result of the

expansion had delayed approval by planning commissioners last week.

Council members could take up the matter as early as their June 26

meeting. A special election is likely to take place in the fall if

council members approve the expansion.

-- Mathis Winkler covers Newport Beach. He may be reached at (949)

574-4232 or by e-mail at mathis.winkler@latimes.com.

Bomb explodes outside worship hall

Costa Mesa Police arrested a 17-year-old girl last Tuesday night after

she allegedly threw a bomb into a Jehovah Witnesses hall on Canyon Drive.

The bomb blew up outside the church close to the street and no one was

hurt, but the girl could get three to seven years in prison or more

because she bombed a place of worship.

Officials are hesitating to treat the incident as a hate crime because

they say they are not sure if she intended to target the church or the

neighboring apartment complex. The girl, whose name was not released

because she is a minor, is being held in juvenile hall and will be tried

in juvenile court, officials said.

In Costa Mesa, police also arrested William Hackerd, a 57-year-old

Fullerton man who they say stole from the lockers in a 24 Hour Fitness

gym on Adams Avenue. Police said the gym had complained of several locker

thefts over the last year.

In other news Mike Kelso, a 25-year-old Irvine man, filed a lawsuit

against former NBA star Dennis Rodman and Josh Slocum’s Restaurant on

West Coast Highway for negligence. Kelso says he was badly injured on St.

Patrick’s Day when a bouncer at the restaurant hit him in the eye.

-- Deepa Bharath covers cops and courts. She may be reached at (949)

574-4226 or by e-mail at deepa.bharath@latimes.com.

Take that $15,000 and ...

The Airport Working Group turned away a $15,000 grant from Costa Mesa

last week after complaining about the strings attached to the money.

In a letter to Mayor Libby Cowan, group president Tom Naughton said

the group would return the funds because the city would not allow the

group to support an airport at the closed El Toro Marine Corps Air

Station at public forums in the city.

The council approved the funding at its May 7 meeting.

Councilman Gary Monahan said he understood the group’s decision, while

calling his colleagues naive for attempting to keep El Toro out of the

discussion.

-- Paul Clinton covers the environment and John Wayne Airport. He may

be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail at paul.clinton@latimes.com.

Getting closer to a not-so-secret garden

After at least 10 months of intense negotiations, Commonwealth

Partners LLC requested that the City Council postpone a decision on its

part of the Town Center project for 18 months.

On Monday, the developer withdrew its request, saying that a

long-anticipated agreement is only a month away.

The Town Center project seeks to transform South Coast Metro into a

pedestrian-oriented cultural arts district bordered by Bristol Street,

Sunflower Avenue, Avenue of the Arts and the San Diego freeway.

Until last month, the biggest disagreement had been the length of time

Commonwealth Partners should be required to maintain Isamu Noguchi’s

California Scenario sculpture garden.

The issue was resolved when the City Council and developer both agreed

on a term of 50 years, but issues about how much parking and money the

developer will have to provide for the Theater Arts District have now

become obstacles.

-- Jennifer Kho covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at jennifer.kho@latimes.com.

Bringing history lessons alive

History came alive for many students last week in Newport-Mesa. In a

Harbor View Elementary classroom, the Revolutionary War was brought to

life for fifth-graders in Penny Norton’s class as they dressed the part

and reenacted town hall meetings and battle scenes. What a concept.

The very next day, fourth-graders from Newport Coast were given as

much of a taste of what Cesar Chavez and migrant workers endured in the

fields as the law would allow.

After some lessons on Chavez, students went out to pick beans in a

field in Irvine for an hour.

But what was really fascinating was finding out why Second Harvest

Food Bank of Orange is called Second Harvest. Volunteers glean produce

from already harvested fields to feed the hungry.

And it seems A. G. Kawamura, whose field the children were in, started

the program himself before handing it over to the current group.

-- Danette Goulet covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at danette.goulet@latimes.com.