TOP TEN STORIES OF THE YEAR

1. HOME RANCH FINALLY APPROVED: After 19 years, three project

proposals and a failed referendum campaign, all signs finally point to

the development of the last sizable piece of vacant land in Costa Mesa,

more commonly known as Home Ranch.

In November, the City Council overwhelmingly approved the Home Ranch

project, which calls for a flagship Ikea furniture store, 192

owner-occupied homes and a mix of commercial and industrial use. Included

in the package was a cool $2 million for Costa Mesa schools, $250,000 for

the historic Huscroft House and more than $8 million in traffic projects

to offset inevitable congestion.

“After months of listening and studying and talking to members of the

community, I believe this is a quality project that will be good for all

of Costa Mesa,” Councilwoman Linda Dixon said.

Although the project was supported by four of five council members and

all planning commissioners, many residents said the latest incarnation

was still not the right project for the city. Opponents pointed to the

city’s general plan -- which designates half the land be used for homes

and the other half for industrial buildings -- as a good model to follow

for development.

Costa Mesa Citizens for Responsible Growth and some vocal Westside

residents loudly opposed the Home Ranch project -- namely the Ikea store

-- saying it was much too big for the city.

The general plan “calls for lower density and more open space -- and

those are good things for Costa Mesa,” opponent Robin Leffler said.

Opponents went as far as to organize a referendum campaign in the

hopes of gathering enough signatures to put the project on the ballot and

eventually overturn the council’s decision. Many of these same residents

were instrumental in thwarting the two previous Home Ranch proposals, but

this year’s effort came up short on names.

Barring any further legal challenge, the Segerstroms look to start

building on the former lima bean farm in the upcoming months.

2. BYE, BYE, COVE: The families who had fought so hard to keep their

slice of paradise waved a celebratory goodbye to Crystal Cove State Park

this year, as they held their annual Fourth of July party on the beach.

Those residents of 40 of the 46 beachfront cottages -- six had lain

vacant -- left their homes July 8, after agreeing to abide by eviction

notices sent out by California State Parks in the spring. It was an

historic day indeed.

The state, which bought the 3.5-mile coastline from the Irvine Co. for

$32.6 million in 1979, had found only futility when officials tried to

remove the tenants in earlier years. By filing lawsuits that led to a

string of legal victories, which resulted in settlements and lease

extensions, the residents had stayed.

But their party ended when the cottages and cozy, secluded cove were

finally opened to the public to enjoy more than 20 years after it had

become a publicly owned treasure.

With that Herculean labor completed, the state began efforts to

restore cottages deteriorating from the seaside weather and some clear

neglect. State planners held several public workshops at a Corona del Mar

elementary school to gauge public opinion about how the cottages should

ultimately be used -- overnight rentals, park operations, scientific

research and cultural interpretation are among the ideas.

In the early spring, the state bought out San Francisco developer

Michael Freed, whose idea for a luxury resort at the cove was met with

widespread opposition. Freed and State Parks Director Rusty Areias had

faced a fiery, packed house at a January public meeting about the resort

plan.

3. JWA SHUTDOWN: John Wayne Airport was far from exempt from the

disruption caused when terrorists hijacked four commercial jets and

crashed three of them into the Pentagon and World Trade Center’s two

towers Sept. 11.

Planes stopped arriving and departing from the airport for two days,

turning a terminal usually buzzing with activity into a deserted ghost

town. Airport managers complied with the historic “ground stop” ordered

by the Federal Aviation Administration for all of the nation’s airports.

When John Wayne limped back to life Sept. 13 -- a Delta Airlines

noontime flight was the first to depart -- it was a different airport.

Passenger traffic remained down by more than 15% for nearly two months

after the attacks as anxious passengers slowly began to trickle back.

Airport statistics for November showed a 7% drop from the earlier year, a

marked improvement.

But even as passengers begin to return, business was not back to the

usual. A handful of stricter security measures were put in place --

tighter screening of travelers, random searches of carry-on bags and even

monitoring of footwear.

Airport Director Alan Murphy, a man not in an enviable position, also

began picking up the pieces of the airport’s shattered financial

situation. Once considered a cash cow by county supervisors -- who have

spent about $13 million a year in revenue to plan and promote an airport

for the closed El Toro Marine Corps Air Station -- John Wayne now

struggles to stay in the black. The airport is projected to lose more

than $10 million next year unless drastic measures are taken.

The losses stem from a $9-million increase in costs for extra security

and huge dips in lost revenue caused by the drop in travelers.

Supervisors tabled Murphy’s proposal, in early December, to raise

parking and other fees to compensate for the shortfall. The county’s El

Toro planning arm has also said it would curtain some of its efforts,

saving more than $1 million.

But it may not be enough. Supervisors will take another look at fee

increases in early February.

4. MEASURE G DEFEATED: A long battle over a single construction

project ended in defeat for developer Tim Strader and uncertainty for the

future of Newport Beach’s Greenlight Initiative.

Measure G was the first test of Greenlight, which voters passed in

November 2000 to require a special election for projects large enough to

necessitate an amendment to the city’s general plan. The measure posed a

simple question to voters: Should or should not Strader’s Starpointe

Ventures be allowed to add 250,000 square feet of office space, including

two 10-story towers, to the existing Koll Center near the airport?The

City Council had already answered “yes.” The Chamber of Commerce said

“yes.” But, by a count of 6,251 to 4,256 on Nov. 20, voters said “no.”

Opponents of the project said the up to 2,700 car trips per day it would

generate were more than the city should sustain -- more than the $3

million pledged by the developer could assuage. Supporters said the

opposition, which claimed to be slow-growth, was really a no-growth

movement, seeking to stop large projects by circumventing representative

government.

With about $500,000 invested so far in the $50-million project,

Strader isn’t ready to give up hope. He has pledged to participate in the

the city’s general plan update. And he hasn’t ruled out the possibility

of fighting the initiative in court.

But Greenlighters aren’t slowing down either. They have vowed to fight

against several other large projects now in the planning stage, including

a bid to build a luxury resort at the American Legion Hall and the

proposed Banning Ranch Development.

What all this will means for residents, developers and the future of

the city as a whole remains to be seen.

5. FOOTBALL DEATH STUNS COMMUNITY: The two Costa Mesa high schools

endured an emotional blow in late September when a football player who

had transferred from Estancia High to Costa Mesa High died after

collapsing during a game.

The coroner found that defensive linebacker Matt Colby died of two

brain injuries over several days.

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District’s investigation into whether

appropriate procedures were followed is still continuing, three months

after Colby’s death.

Colby had displayed signs of fatigue after a Sept. 15 game, but he did

not complain about headaches until after the following week’s game on

Sept. 21. He was not allowed to practice contact drills the week before

the fateful Sept. 28 game and was reportedly cleared to play by his

family physician.

Colby’s coach, Dave Perkins, had also transferred from Estancia to

Costa Mesa along with a handful of other players. Colby’s death inspired

an outpouring of grief from the two schools that ultimately brought the

students closer together.

The district has not yet announced any changes to its policy of

dealing with players who exhibit symptoms of concussions.

6. BECHLER IS CONVICTED: Eric Bechler, a debonair father of three and

beach volleyball aficionado from Newport Heights, was handed down a life

sentence early this year after a jury found him guilty of murdering his

wife.

Prosecutors said Bechler bludgeoned his wife, Pegye, during a boating

trip four years ago off Newport Beach and then dumped her body in the

ocean. Her body was never found.

Bechler continually said he was innocent, but jurors said they were

convinced by star witness Tina New’s testimony. New, a model and aspiring

actress when she dated Bechler after his wife’s death, told the court

that Bechler -- after a night of partying and taking the drug Ecstasy --

described to her exactly how he killed Pegye.

She said Bechler told her he hit his wife on the head from behind as

she lay on the boat after they had some margaritas and made love. He said

there was blood all over the boat and that he wiped it down after he

weighted Pegye’s body into the ocean.

New also cooperated with investigators and helped them secure a key

piece of evidence when she wore a recording device and cornered Bechler

into admitting that he killed his wife. He was arrested soon after that

conversation was recorded.

Although prosecutors alleged Bechler did it for Pegye’s $2.5-million

life insurance policy, the jury acquitted him on the charge that Bechler

murdered his wife for financial gain.

The Bechlers’ three children live in New Mexico with Pegye’s parents,

who have legal custody. Bechler’s family is still trying to appeal the

decision.

7. EL TORO FIGHT RAGES ON: Fresh off a major court victory at the end

of 2000, the Airport Working Group and other booster groups cranked up

their efforts to realize a nearly decade-old dream of an airport at the

closed El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.

Orange County’s airport plan for the base looked dead in the water in

March 2000, when voters overwhelmingly approved Measure F, which would

have required a two-thirds voter approval of any new airport, jail or

landfill. But when Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Otero declared

the initiative unconstitutional in December of that year, the working

group rejoiced.

The order breathed new life into the airport plan, endorsed by voters

in 1994’s Measure A. Newport Beach, the county’s only staunch supporter

of the county’s airport, responded with a $3.67-million grant to the

working group and Citizens for Jobs and the Economy in the spring.

Brimming with confidence, the working group launched an aggressive

public-relations campaign to bolster support for the airport with a

public that was being won over by South County’s Great Park plan.

The working group, in a series of glossy mailers, attacked the Great

Park -- a plan for the base that includes a college, museum, recreational

lake and other cultural amenities. The fliers derided the plan as

unrealistic and said it would result in a “Great Tax.”

Later in the year, the working group funded an economic analysis of

the Great Park that said the plan could cost upwardof $2.1 billion and

about $60 million a year to operate. The latest attack on the park came

in the form of an environmental analysis of the base, commissioned by the

working group, pointing out that any excavation of soil for a Great Park

could lead to the release of dangerous, radioactive compounds lying

dormant from 40 years of use by the Navy.

8. FISH FRY FRIED: In a city divided by such labels as the Westside

and Eastside, Mesa Verde or Del Mar, the annual Fish Fry was a unifying

experience, bringing together all Costa Mesa residents regardless of

their address.

But this year, it was just history.

In the spring, organizers from the Lions Club announced the

cancellation of the 57-year-old tradition because they could not find a

location to hold it. The Fish Fry, which offered much more than just

Icelandic cod, was usually held at Lions Park, but Costa Mesa’s Special

Events Committee advised against it because of construction and the

potential risk of liability.

School sites, churches and the Orange County Fairgrounds were also

considered, but a deal could not be worked out because of timing and the

late notice.

The Lions Club was also hindered by a pending lawsuit filed by a

53-year-old Irvine woman who tripped and fractured her ankle after

attending the event. Although Arlene Wolf was at Orange Coast College for

an Apple Computer exhibit, she was “stopping by” the Fish Fry when she

tripped. College officials requested the Lions Club handle the $80,000

lawsuit, but the club’s insurance company denied the claim.

Confronted with too many hurdles, Lions Club representatives

capitulated.

The decision marked an end -- or at best a temporary halt -- to an

old-time Goat Hill ritual complete with baton twirlers, beauty contests,

game booths where you can walk away with a fish in a plastic bag and

rides.

Down but not out, organizers are already looking ahead to the next

year for the “Somewhat Annual Fish Fry.”

9. CONTROVERSY IN THE CLASSROOM: Orange Coast College officials are

still trying to escape the glare of the national spotlight that exposed

their lack of due process in handling a political science professor who

offended some Muslim students.

Kenneth Hearlson originally agreed to go on administrative leave after

he was accused of harassing four Muslim students during a heated debate

over the Arab response to the terrorist attacks.

When Hearlson tried to get back into the classroom after the initial

furor had died down, he was stymied by college officials who skipped the

traditional hearing process and went straight to an independent

investigation.

Hearlson was eventually vindicated by the investigation, which found

most of the allegations against him were unsubstantiated. But he also

received a confidential letter from the college’s president, Margaret

Gratton, which he considers a reprimand.

“It’s like being proven innocent and still being punished for it,”

Hearlson, said. .

The ripples are still being felt as Hearlson’s lawyer is contemplating

suing the college, a representative of the teachers’ union is poised to

file three grievances on his behalf, and a national academic watchdog

group continues to exert pressure on the school for violating “the most

elemental notions of due process and freedom of speech,” according to

Thor Halvorssen, executive director of the Foundation for Individual

Rights in Education.

Hearlson, who said he received a death threat after the classroom

incident, will return to the classroom when school resumes in January.

The Muslim students remain mum on the outcome.

10. RAZOR BLADE SCARES: Newport-Mesa residents in the spring were

terrorized by devious hands that planted razor blades on park playground

equipment and buried glass shards in the sand with an intention to hurt

innocent children.

Police are still looking for the person or people who committed the

crimes. Officials say they are not even sure if it was committed by the

same person or group.

The first few razors surfaced in Marina Park in Newport Beach and

Heller Park in Costa Mesa. Soon police in both cities received several

complaints from parks all over.

Between March 23 and May 30, police got word of 13 such chilling discoveries in the cities’ parks and playgrounds. Another stray discovery

was made as late as September. Fortunately, nobody has been injured so

far in any of the incidents.

Both cities are constantly supervising their parks and watching out

for the offenders, officials say. Costa Mesa sent the case details to an

FBI profiler, but even the expert could not flesh out a portrait of the

devious mind that could come up with such a scheme.