WEEK IN REVIEW

One of the city’s fastest growing churches was faced with a sizable

hurdle last week when Rock Harbor Church officials announced its founder

and pastor, Keith Page, was asked to resign as a result of an

extramarital affair.

Church elders read a statement from the 36-year-old pastor at each of

its four overflowing services on Sept. 30. In the letter, Page apologized

to his church family for his sins.

“I feel sadness and anguish over my inappropriate behavior over these

past months and I confess my sins of adultery and deception,” Page’s

statement read.

Spencer Burke, chairman of the board of elders, said Page came to the

church leaders and willingly and honestly told them about his affair with

a woman in the congregation. Page confessed his sins in detail and prayed

with church leaders in a process Burke called “restoration.”

Page is married with a daughter. He started Rock Harbor in an effort

to reach out to youth and being faith back into their lives.

Burke said the affair lasted two months but is now over. All parties

involved are committed to restoring their relationships, he said. The

woman’s name and age were not released.

-- Lolita Harper covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at o7 lolita.harper@latimes.comf7 .

A surprise for Ford Road homeowners

About 100 homeowners in the upscale One Ford Road development got an

unpleasant surprise last week when they received letters from the city

saying their homes were ruled to be in violation of building codes. The

builder has agreed to fix poplar wood railings on six of the houses --

the ones with porches high enough off the ground to constitute a safety

hazard.

City bean counters also had some bad news to report: Sales tax

revenues for July and August are down 8.5% from last year.

When figures for September become available in less than two weeks,

officials will be ready to see the impact the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks

has had the city’s bottom line.

“Sunset Ridge Park,” a weed-infested lot near West Coast Highway and

Superior Avenue, is just one signature away from becoming a real park.

Gov. Gray Davis will give the final yea or nay on a bill to allow the lot

to be sold to the city for the 1966 price of $1.3 million.

-- June Casagrande covers Newport Beach. She may be reached at (949)

574-4232 or by e-mail at o7 june.casagrande@latimes.comf7 .

They’re back, and that’s not good

After what seemed to be a four-month break, razor blades were found

once again at Heller Park in Costa Mesa. This time, there were three

blades planted on the slides, found by a Newport Beach nanny.

This is the third time the blades have been found at Heller Park. Over

March, April and May several razors and sharp glass pieces were found in

Costa Mesa and Newport Beach parks.

No one has been injured so far. Both city police departments are

investigating the incidents. Costa Mesa police even sought the help of an

FBI profiler to help figure out who might have committed the crimes. But

the profiler could not pinpoint a personality or specific trait.

Police say it could be people who visit parks on a regular basis, such

as teenagers or homeless people. But they say they are not sure if all

the crimes were committed by the same person or group of people or if

some of them were copycat incidents. An investigation is ongoing.

Also, Costa Mesa police are continuing their search for 17-year-old

Victor Garcia suspected of bludgeoning Ceceline Godsoe, 16, whose dead

body was found on a trail in Fairview Park Sept. 21.

Police have received several anonymous leads but have not been able to

make an arrest, officials said. Investigators also say there is a

possibility that Garcia might have fled to Mexico, which would make his

arrest a complicated and long drawn out process.-- Deepa Bharath covers

public safety and courts. She may be reached at (949) 574-4226 or by

e-mail at o7 deepa.bharath@latimes.comf7 .

Revisiting the rule book

The new water quality rule book has become a magnet for criticism, as

local water regulators hammer out the final draft.

Newport Beach officials have said the rules, set for approval later

this year, aren’t tough enough as far as limited water pollution flowing

down the county’s gutters into Back Bay and the ocean.

On Monday, Rep. Chris Cox (R-Newport Beach) toured the crash site of

the Sept. 11 attacks in New York. Cox said the devastation was “all the

more depressing and extraordinary” because fires still burned in the

smoldering rubble.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach), who represents Costa Mesa,

inserted himself into the country’s evolving confrontation with

terrorists by traveling to Rome to visit exiled Afghan king Zahir Shah,

asking him to lead opposition to the Taliban regime.

Also, Crystal Cove activists announced a state-of-the-art fund-raiser

set for Oct. 20. Scuba divers will beam images of the cove’s underwater

environment to video monitors stationed on the beach. The event is open

to the public.

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

be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail ato7

paul.clinton@latimes.comf7 .

Investigation started on Colby death

The school district has launched an independent investigation into the

death of Costa Mesa football player Matt Colby to see if proper

procedures were followed. A memorial at Estancia High School, which Colby

attended for three years, produced an outpouring of emotion from both

Estancia and Costa Mesa students.

In other news, one of Jim Ferryman’s colleagues on the school board is

calling for him to resign if he is convicted on drunk driving charges.

Ferryman was arrested on Sept. 27 on suspicion of driving under the

influence of alcohol after a minor traffic accident.-- Deirdre Newman

covers education. She may be reached at (949) 574-4221 or by e-mail at

o7 deirdre.newman@latimes.comf7 .