Briefly in the news

-- Paul Clinton

The Orange County Superior Court judge set to rule on a lawsuit to

return the former residents of Crystal Cove to their cottages has

postponed his ruling for one week.

Judge Francisco Firmat bumped back the hearing date on the suit to

Dec. 6. It was previously scheduled for Thursday.

The community trust bringing the lawsuit is suing California State

Parks, alleging the agency hastily removed the former residents from

their cottages in early July.

The 46 cottages in Crystal Cove State Park were placed on the National

Register of Historic Places in 1979, the same year the state purchased

them from the Irvine Co.

Trust founder Bruce Hostetter has criticized the state’s stewardship

of the cottages. The agency has authorized $1.3 million to preserve and

protect them in an interim plan while the agency decides their future

fate.