Notable QUOTABLES

“It’s totally different than our music. “So I tried to put my own

feeling into it, and it’s about slaves so I tried to feel what they

felt.”

Brandijo Kistler, who performed “America the Beautiful” and “Lift

Every Voice and Sing” during a Black History Month tribute at Newport

Elementary School on Thursday.

“By the time we got here, one townhome was fully engulfed. There were

a lot of people in nearby homes still asleep, so we had to get them out

of bed and out of their homes to a safe place.”-- Gregg Steward, Costa

Mesa Fire Battalion Chief, on a fire that led to explosions in a

townhouse complex early Thursday morning.

“When we put more assistant principals, more resource counselors and

trained our staff more intensively, we expected that we would identify

more [crimes]. I’m surprised it wasn’t higher.”

-- Robert Barbot, Newport-Mesa Unified School District superintendent,

on crime numbers released last week that showed slight increases on

Newport-Mesa campuses.

“I’m not aware of where this information (regarding the Fresno State

head coaching job) came from. “They have a head coach. I have a job here.

Right now, I have no intention of talking to anyone over there.’

Pat Douglass, UC Irvine men’s basketball coach, on rumors he is being

considered for a job at Fresno State.

“It’s the end game. It will be hard to go back to the ballot either

way.”

-- Mark Petracca, UC Irvine political science professor, on Tuesday’s

vote on Measure W.

“Actually, we’ve been trying to put the damper on this enthusiasm. We

appreciate their faith and their love, but we’ve been trying to tell

those outside of Newport Beach, ‘Please don’t write.”’

-- Weatherford Clayton, president of the Mormon stake center in

Newport Beach, on a growing e-mail campaign by church members seeking

city support for a planned temple.

“I think we can beat W. I love Newport Beach, and I still hope

that people will wake up to the damage that will be done to this

beautiful area if we keep our heads in the sand. If we allow this measure

to pass, we will pay -- and so will Orange County -- by being forced to

cope with the disaster of an expanded John Wayne.”

-- Bonnie O’Neil, El Toro airport activist and Newport Beach resident,

on Tuesday’s Measure W vote.