WEEK IN REVIEW
A freak chain reaction car accident Tuesday injured two Orange County
sheriff’s deputies on special assignment at John Wayne Airport.
The pair were trapped between three cars as they were conducting
routine vehicle inspections near the lower level rental car return area.
Sammy Black, a 22-year veteran of the Orange County Sheriff’s
Department, suffered multiple fractures to both legs, and Christopher
Hancock, who has been with the department about two years, escaped with
scratches and bruises.
The incident began, officials said, when George Mack, 80, of Salem,
Mass., who was driving through the rental car return area, stepped on the
accelerator instead of the brake and hit Black, who was inspecting the
trunk of a Ford Escort.
The impact shattered Black’s legs and caused him to be dragged 10 feet
by the Escort, which in turn hit a Chevy Lumina that Hancock was
searching. Hancock was sandwiched between the two cars.
The incident was treated as an accident, officials said.
* 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 .
An educated decision
The Newport-Mesa Unified School District Board of Trustees last week
decided to send a clear message about its feelings on expansion at John
Wayne Airport when it rejected a limited expansion plan endorsed by
Newport Beach and Costa Mesa.
However, the board did express its support for extending the 1985
settlement agreement and its opposition to Measure W, which would allow
for a park at the closed El Toro Marine base. Officials from both cities
expressed disappointment in the board’s decision.
Costa Mesa City Councilman Gary Monahan compared it to political
suicide because the limited plan has been delicately negotiated. He said
if it falls apart, it could mean unlimited flights and no restrictions at
the airport.
And students at St. Joachim School in Costa Mesa got quite a workout
on Friday when they participated in the annual field day event at their
school to raise money for new textbooks.
* Deirdre Newman covers education. She may be reached at (949)
574-4221 or by e-mail at o7 deirdre.newman@latimes.comf7 .
A big party for the future
The more the merrier was the overall sentiment last week at Costa
Mesa’s redevelopment meeting, as the council appointed every interested
applicant to a committee designed to help decide the future of the
Westside.
The City Council -- acting as the Redevelopment Agency -- voted 4 to 1
to appoint 75 people to the Westside Redevelopment Action Committee and
reserved additional positions for representatives from various homeowners
associations and residents of north Costa Mesa.
Councilman Gary Monahan dissented, saying the group was too big.
“I’m glad so many people are enthusiastic, but we are not going to be
able to get anything done with such a large committee,” he said.
The redevelopment meeting at the Costa Mesa Senior Center attracted
about 200 people and sparked a general sense of excitement about
improving some of the city’s most impoverished areas. In addition to
focusing on the Westside, the council also voted to include the
Coolidge-Fillmore and Mission-Mendoza neighborhoods in the redevelopment
area.
“I was thrilled with the meeting last night,” said Councilwoman Libby
Cowan on Tuesday. “I’m very optimistic.”
* Lolita Harper covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)
574-4275 or by e-mail at o7 lolita.harper@latimes.comf7 .
A running golf gag
Permits issued for the annual Spirit Run and the Toshiba Senior
Classic golf tournament have put the two events in conflict, officials
said this week. On March 10, the run is scheduled to take place on the
street that provides access to parking for the golf tournament. Officials
were working with both sides to find a way both events can take place in
concert.
A machine one official described as a “gangly duck” may turn out to be
a beautiful swan for water quality in Newport Dunes lagoon. The city
plans to try out the InStreem water circulation machine for two weeks,
probably in early March, to decide whether its questionable appearance is
worth its benefits to water quality.
Contrary to original plans, an environmental study will be done on the
temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints proposed to be
built on Bonita Canyon Drive. The environmental firm will have the tough
task of trying to assess the visual effects of the structure’s 124-foot
steeple.
Newport Beach made official its well-known stance on allegations it
violates church-state separation. In response to a lawsuit by a local
man, the city filed a response that its practice of not enforcing parking
meters near churches on Sunday morning is legal and appropriate.
* June Casagrande covers Newport Beach. She may be reached at (949)
574-4232 or by e-mail at o7 june.casagrande@latimes.comf7 .
Here’s looking at you
Bring on the lawyers.
Newport Beach City Manager Homer Bludau ordered an internal
investigation this week into the city’s waste disposal practices.
Bludau authorized the use of contract law firm Rutan & Tucker on
Wednesday, after the city’s 12-year practice of dumping sewage debris at
an Irvine landfill came into question.
The city acknowledged the dumping of sand, eggshells and other raw
waste was improper because it was not tested for heavy metals.
However, local water-quality regulators have downplayed the issue.
Between 1989 and 2002, the city shipped about 140 tons of the material
to the Frank R. Bowerman Landfill.
* 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 .
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.