QUOTES OF THE YEAR

AFTER TRAGEDY’It was the most horrific, horrendous thing I’ve ever

seen in my life. We watched the cloud envelop Manhattan and the river.

I’ll never forget it as long as I live.’

-- Lyle Davis, a Newport Beach resident, on seeing the World Trade

Center collapse from across the Hudson. Davis was in Newark on business

‘You hear about New Yorkers being rude. But when we were out there,

people were walking up to us, shaking our hand. Some even told us they

know where Costa Mesa is and thanked us for our support.’

-- Jim Ellis, Costa Mesa fire chief, on spending a week in New York

earlier this month to deliver a check for $7,500 collected by Costa Mesa

city employees to benefit the families of firefighters who died in the

Sept. 11 World Trade Center attack. Ellis went to New York with his son,

Kevin.

‘Americans come in all colors. You cannot take this out on people

because they are different than you.’

-- Dave Snowden, Costa Mesa police chief, cautioning people not to

point fingers at certain groups because of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon

‘I think we will all experience these events differently because of

this, in the same way we experience going to the grocery different than

we did two weeks ago.’

-- Sandy Robertson, associate director of the Philharmonic Society of

Orange County, on how the events of Sept. 11 will affect the Eclectic

Orange Festival. The six-week festival opened Friday.

‘Cannot be a Muslim in the eyes of God if you are not acting like a

Muslim. Evildoers do not belong to any religion. Their ideology is pure

evil.”

-- Sayed Moustafa Al-Qazwini, imam of the mosque at the Islamic

Educational Center, stressing that the destruction of life is in no way a

part of Islam. The Costa Mesa mosque held an open house Nov. 3.

‘This event has been compared to Pearl Harbor. But when you take an

American jet plane full of passengers and turn it into a weapon and hit a

building with thousands of people in it with the intent of hurting them,

you wonder where the humanity has gone.’

-- Rabbi Marc Rubenstein of Temple Isaiah, reacting to the destruction

of the World Trade Center in New York City

‘The last thing people should be doing is to panic and come running

into our emergency room.’

-- Steve Moreau, senior vice president at Hoag Hospital, on the

anthrax scare gripping the country

‘I’d like to ask them how they rebound and regroup. It’s OK to talk

about strategy and tactics, but how do you face the aftermath of

something so big? How do you muster your troops, carry on, then return to

normalcy and maintain your level of service to the community?’

-- Jim Ellis, on what he’d like to learn from New York City

firefighters

FAMOUS WORDS’I think that diet food tastes nicer on a pretty

plate.’

-- Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, on the Wedgwood china she promoted

at Macy’s South Coast Plaza. Ferguson is also a spokeswoman for Weight

Watchers.

‘It was a great place to write a novel about book burning, in the

library basement.’

-- Ray Bradbury, author, on writing “Fahrenheit 451” at UCLA’s library

on a typewriter that took dimes every half-hour. Bradbury appeared at the

Newport Beach Central Library.

‘Why slow down? I say, don’t retire. Inspire!’

-- Actor Mickey Rooney, who at 78 continues to perform onstage. Rooney

was in town to headline “Command Performance” at Orange Coast College.

‘We’re musicians. We play from our heart and soul. Everybody has their

problems, but if we can make everybody party and forget about it for an

hour and a half.”

-- Steve Lukather of Toto, on the power of music to help people in

times of tragedy. Toto played the Taste of Newport at Fashion Island.

NOT QUITE PRESIDENT

‘It appears to me that they are intolerant of my different views to

the point that they don’t want me in a leadership position.’

-- Wendy Leece, Newport-Mesa school board member, on why she has not

been elected president once in her seven years on the board. Leece took

her campaign public before the board’s vote. The board unanimously

elected Judy Franco.

‘You’ve made this decision into a circus. You are putting your

personal needs ahead of our children’s educational needs.’

-- Cyndie Borcoman, a parent, commenting at the school board meeting

on Wendy Leece’s public appeals to become board president

NOT COWED

‘I did it to lighten up the mood. They can’t be mad at you if you’re

dressed like an idiot.”

-- Carla Hummel, Newport Coast Elementary School PTA mom, on why she

directed morning traffic dressed as a cow

‘I feel it’s my duty to document everything in an event I’m hired to

cover. And if it’s a cow, so be it.’

-- Yana Bridle, a Newport Beach photographer, on taking a photo of a

cow giving birth during a wedding in Italy

SAY AGAIN?

‘It’s not a horse act, it’s not a circus, it’s a spiritual experience.

It’s mystical. It’s very, very special. There is nothing like it.’

-- Dean Corey, executive director of the Philharmonic Society, on

Theatre Zingaro’s national premiere of “Triptyk,” which will open the

society’s fourth annual Eclectic Orange Festival in 2002. Theatre Zingaro

incorporates horses, horsemen, actors and dancers.

‘I guess there’s not a lot of people carving giant pumpkins. It’s an

unusual distinction.’

-- Mike Valladao of San Jose, on being dubbed the World’s Most

Renowned Pumpkin Carver. Valladao carved orange gourds for the Orange

County Market Place’s fourth annual Trick or Treat Festival on Oct. 28.

‘Do you, Olive, take Tino to be your stud puppy and Dog Chow dog?’

-- The wedding vows of pugs Olive and Tino at a canine wedding

fund-raiser Feb. 10 to benefit Little Angels Pug Rescue. Olive licked

Tino in assent.

‘The Alaskan pig is a myth. The show started in Alaska.’

-- Marc Stamper, pig trainer, clearing up one of the ongoing mysteries

of the Orange County Fair. The All Alaskan Pig Races are held in Newport

Arena at the fairgrounds.

‘We don’t see many donkeys. Maybe some members of our City Council.’

-- Bill Akers of Seal Beach, on seeing farm animals at the Orange

County Fair

OUR FAVORITE ISSUE

‘It does give us a lot of credibility. The FAA does listen.’

-- Bob McGowan, a member of the New Millennium Group that backs an

alternative runway plan for El Toro, on pilot endorsement of the layout

‘ETRPA wanted to put the county on notice. We wanted to insist that

they follow the rules.’

-- Meg Waters, spokeswoman for the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority,

on why the group sued Orange County in 1998 over the hiring of a law

firm. The county and ETRPA announced that they settled the suit.

‘I believe it’s nothing more than South County using trench warfare

and terrorist activity to challenge any kind of development at El Toro of

any kind. It’s mean-spirited.’

-- Gary Proctor, Newport Beach councilman, on ETRPA filing the suit in

the first place

‘ETRPA is a mean-spirited organization. They want to stop an airport

at El Toro in any way they can.’

-- Bruce Broadwater, Garden Grove mayor, on the El Toro Reuse Planning

Authority’s vote to end flight restrictions at John Wayne Airport

‘If I could do anything with that facility, I would give it back to

the Marines. We need to preserve our military air base infrastructure if

needed for a national emergency.’

-- Jim Silva, Newport-Mesa’s county supervisor, on the planned El Toro

airport

‘It’s unrealistic to think that El Toro might become a military base

again.’

-- Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, on the speculation that El Toro might

convert back to a military air station in light of the Sept. 11 terrorist

assault

‘This county, they can’t do anything right. It’s a failed process.

That’s why it’s a comedy of the absurd.’

-- Meg Waters, after the Board of Supervisors delayed a vote on the

proposed El Toro airport

‘We can’t understand why Costa Mesa -- who will get absolutely creamed

-- has not joined the fight to support El Toro. To have only two council

members here is pathetic.’

-- Tom Anderson, a member of the Airport Working Group, during a

meeting on the proposed airport

‘Until six months or so ago, I focused just on El Toro. But after

talking to people down there . . . now I’m saying that El Toro is one of

several possible solutions.’

-- Richard Riordan, gubernatorial candidate and former Los Angeles

mayor, explaining that his shift to a regional solution for future air

traffic does not mean he’s turning his back on locals

‘Virtually everybody, maybe not everybody but more than 90%, I talk to

wants El Toro. It’s just a lack of information. And that’s going to

change. We’re going to get the word out.’

-- Steve Bromberg, Newport Beach councilman, on his commitment to El

Toro airport

‘The ETRPA proposal is a simplistic, self-serving effort to shift the

total burden of meeting the county’s air transportation demands on Costa

Mesa and nearby communities.’

-- Libby Cowan, mayor of Costa Mesa, on a possible move by the El Toro

Reuse Planning Authority to fight for a larger John Wayne Airport

‘Costa Mesa and Newport Beach are naive to think that there are going

to be two airports seven miles apart.’

-- Meg Waters, on Cowan’s stance

‘To say you can [handle] it with John Wayne . . . is a media position

and has nothing to do with reality.’

-- Gary Proctor, on the projected growth in the need for air travel in

Orange County. Proctor said that by 2020, 38 million passengers from the

county are expected to travel by air.

MISTAKES HAPPEN

‘People make mistakes. Mistakes happen and I guess I made a mistake.’

-- Jim Ferryman, Newport-Mesa Unified School District trustee, on

being arrested Sept. 27 on suspicion of driving under the influence of

alcohol. The arrest came after Ferryman was involved in a collision on

Newport Boulevard in Costa Mesa.

‘We made a mistake. Mistakes do happen.’

-- Chief David Snowden of the Costa Mesa Police Department, on an

erroneous press release that said Miroslav Maric, 49, of Newport Beach

had died after being pulled off life support. Maric, who was shot outside

a fast-food restaurant, was still alive at the time. According to the

hospital, he died the following day.

CRYSTAL CLEAR

‘The heart of the cove is the community; it’s a family community

that’s lived here for generations. It’s like a family being splintered

apart.’

-- Erica Killen, on saying goodbye to her Crystal Cove cottage.

California State Parks gave Killen and other residents until 5 p.m. July

8 to leave the historic buildings.

‘If the cottages are vacated, it would be destruction by abandonment.’

-- Al Willinger, Crystal Cove resident, on the state parks department

taking the first step to evict tenants from the cottages at Crystal Cove

State Park Beach so it could replace aging septic tanks

‘This is another delay in the process that opens this [beach] up to

public use. We’re surprised by it, but we don’t think it has any merit.’

-- Roy Stearns, spokesman for California State Parks, on the Crystal

Cove Community Trust lawsuit

‘We certainly appreciate the time we had here. We will miss it.’

-- Dolly Shatford, a Crystal Cove cottage resident, on leaving

‘For years and years, people wouldn’t come down here. It’s really good

to see people on this beach. There’s a lot more people on this beach

since [the residents] left.’

-- Jeannette Merrilees, a Crystal Cove activist, on the number of

people now using the public beach

WAVE GOODBYE

‘This is one of the worst summers in the last decade. The summer of

1995 is comparable to this one. But on a scale of one to 10, I’d give

this year a four. Pretty bad.’

-- Adam Wright, a Surfline swell forecaster, on how the waves have

been this summer

OUR FAVORITE COUNCILMAN

‘Even if I win, I don’t get my money back. Not only do I get my name

smeared, but I get my pocketbook clobbered.’

-- Chris Steel, Costa Mesa councilman, on his ongoing defense against

perjury charges regarding nomination papers

‘If I were to advise somebody in my position, that’s what I’d tell him

-- ‘take the plea.’ But I’m different. I want to go forward with this on

principle.’

-- Steel, on being torn between taking a misdemeanor plea and going to

trial

‘What you heard in there was not the whole story.’

-- Steel, adding that during a pretrial hearing the prosecution took

statements he had made out of context

‘It’s gone so far. Anything can happen now.’

-- Steel, after pleading not guilty to felony perjury charges

‘I feel very good about it. This is all very emotional for me.’

-- Steel, on having the civil case against him tossed out of court

‘There wasn’t a lot we could do. We aren’t allowed to spot zone, and

people want us to spot beautify. We can’t decide what is beautiful.’

-- Steel, on the council’s 3-2 vote July 2 to limit the height of a

17th Street retail building to 18 feet after community members

complained. The decision overruled Planning Commission approval of a

design that soared to 25 feet in spots.

‘I want to attract people who can really afford to live here. It would

improve our property values, improve our schools. That’s been my goal

from day one. I’m not in favor of subsidized housing or affordable

housing. We’ve got to get serious about the people we’re letting live

here.’

-- Steel, addressing a community meeting held by Mesa Verde Community

Inc. The meeting was the first of three set up to give residents an

opportunity to ask questions of city officials.

‘SOS has great intentions. But their expansion is just disastrous

because it’s inviting in . . . social problems and cultures we don’t need

and bringing down our schools.’

-- Steel, on why he’s opposed to Share Ourselves’ expansion.

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT

‘When an affluent community starts to have less waste, it generally

indicates that things are starting to go downhill.’

-- Dave Niederhaus, Newport Beach’s general services director, on

predicting the economy from a community’s trash

OUR FAVORITE BAD BOY

‘He’s my interior designer.’

-- Kevin Finegold, owner of Josh Slocums Restaurant in Newport Beach,

on the role Dennis Rodman is playing in the eatery. Rodman loaned

Finegold money for the restaurant’s renovation.

‘Man! It was like Woodstock out here. It was just that instead of

hippies, there were porn stars.’

-- Chris Kyle, neighbor of Dennis Rodman, commenting on Rodman’s 40th

birthday party

‘I don’t understand. I’m not hurting anybody, I’m not jeopardizing

anybody. They’re just giving me grief for no reason.’

-- Dennis Rodman, former NBA superstar, on the trouble he’s run into

lately with city and law enforcement officials regarding parties at his

Newport Beach home

MUDDY WATERS

‘It’s actually pretty standard. I’ve seen a washing machine come out

of the river.’

-- Boyd Mickley, a Newport Beach lifeguard, on the debris that has

washed onto the Newport Beach shoreline from the Santa Ana River

‘I see kids out there playing in gutter water. People don’t know what

pollution is, what’s in the runoff, because they can’t see it. They think

it’s clean.’

-- Bob Caustin, founder of Defend the Bay, on how beachgoers ignore

signs of bacterial contamination posted by the Orange County Health Care

Agency

‘The reason this is so important in Newport is because some of the

best recreational swimming areas are surrounded by boats.’

-- Jack Skinner, Newport Beach environmentalist, on a proposed federal

bill that could change Newport Harbor’s protected status

‘I get into arguments with rich guys all the time. [They say,] ‘It

isn’t my problem.’ But all of a sudden, when it comes to their backyard,

they get religious.’

-- Randy Seton of Orange County CoastKeeper, on his work to educate

the owners of the mansions in Corona del Mar above Buck Gully. Many of

the homes are suspected of contributing to the polluted runoff that heads

into the gully.

THE SPORT OF KINGS

‘The beauty of golf and the horrible thing about golf is that it takes

. . . five hours. The good part is that you get to be away from

everything. The bad part is that nobody can reach you.’

-- Hank Adler, co-chairman of the Toshiba Senior Classic Golf

Tournament, on the down side of playing golf

‘My husband’s done this so long, I don’t know any quote-unquote normal

people.’

-- Lea Thompson, wife of Leonard Thompson, on what it’s like to travel

along with her husband, a professional golfer, on the Senior PGA tour

LADIES NIGHT

‘We used to talk about our little kids, then school, then marriages.

Now it’s our aches and pains and hormone intakes. And then there’s

e-mail. And we’ve learned a lot of off-color jokes.’

-- Kathy Munson of Costa Mesa, on the conversations held during ladies

poker night. Munson is part of a group that has been meeting to play

cards for 30 years.

IN THE HOUSE FOR LIFE

‘Reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.’

-- Chris Cox, Newport Beach’s representative, on rumors that President

Bush might pick him for a federal judgeship, causing him to vacate his

congressional seat

‘I have told my colleagues in Congress not to run for my leadership

post just yet. I have not yet determined my own mind.’

-- Cox, acknowledging that he has talked with the White House about a

possible federal judgeship. He did not get the post.

NO MORE FISH TO FRY

‘We’re still kind of in a state of shock about not being able to do

it, but we’re starting right away and working to see what we can do in

upcoming years. It is now the “Somewhat Annual Fish Fry”? The “New and

Improved Fish Fry”?’

-- Mike Scheafer, president-elect of the Costa Mesa-Newport Harbor

Lions Club, on what happens now that this year’s Fish Fry was canceled

‘What am I going to do? I’m going to have to bang on doors asking for

fish. The fish was my favorite part. I have gone to every [Fish Fry] that

I can remember. It was like a Costa Mesa reunion.’

-- Diane Swarts, facilities manager at the Costa Mesa Senior Center,

on the canceling of the Fish Fry

FAREWELLS

‘She seemed like she was on a quest for something else in life.’

-- Tamara Bartlett, a friend of 16-year-old Ceceline Godsoe,

remembering the “free spirit” who was found dead Sept. 21 on a trail in

Fairview Park

‘She was a very pretty girl who didn’t know she was pretty, as so many

pretty women are.’

-- William Godsoe of Costa Mesa, on his daughter, Ceceline

‘I’m surprised he touched so many lives. I never thought Costa Mesa

and Estancia would be so close.’

-- Mario Macias, a former teammate of football player Matt Colby, on

the effect Colby’s death on Sept. 29 has had on the two rival high

schools

‘Oh, but he hated walking.’

-- Dorothy-Jo Swanson, reminiscing about her late husband, Harold, who

was Corona del Mar’s first mail carrier. Harold Swanson passed away Feb.

8. He was 85.

‘Of course it is a loss. But it’s a happy one. The last two weeks, she

has been really tired. I think she was ready. She was ready to go.’

-- Suzy Olympius of Costa Mesa, on her daughter Brianna, who died

Sept. 14 from complications from a brain tumor. Brianna attended fourth

grade at Newport Heights Elementary School last year.

‘He was wonderfully social, always up and enthusiastic.’

-- Larry Sweet, on his son, Brian. Brian, a Costa Mesa resident and

Newport Harbor High School graduate died while running at Orange Coast

College.

‘He was a one-man, vertically integrated industry. He grew the coffee,

imported it himself, roasted it -- in a roaster that he invented -- and

sold it to the end user.’

-- Martin Diedrich, on his father, Carl, when he passed away

‘Every time I bicycle around the Back Bay, I say ‘Thank God for the

Robinsons,’ because they saved one of the greatest areas of open space. .

. . It’s like saving Central Park for the city of New York.’

-- Jack Skinner, Newport Beach environmentalist, on fellow

environmentalists Frances and Frank Robinson. Frances Robinson died June

30 of heart failure. She was 82.

‘I miss her smile, her love of life.’

-- Rick Johns of Newport Beach, on his late wife, Rosalind Williams,

who died in last June after a battle with cancer. Williams, who was 55,

was the president and chief executive of the Newport Beach Conference and

Visitors Bureau.