Week in review

Marinapark residents who say it’s unfair to roughly double their rents

will get to hear a second opinion. The City Council on Tuesday voted

unanimously to bring in an outside appraiser to say whether the mobile

home park lots are worth substantially less while under a short-term

lease than they’re worth under a long-term lease.

Homeowners with docks got some welcome news when the Coastal

Commission announced it will grant dredging permits. The practice had

been halted due to fears of stirring up contaminants found in the

sediment. But environmental testing has cleared the way for individuals

and the city to dredge waterways.

North Star Beach was closed on Tuesday after 1,000 gallons of sewage

spilled from a broken sewer line. The spill occurred on the same day that

City Council members attended a presentation on how to reduce beach

closures due to sewage spills.

The Cannery Lofts development won the blessing of the City Council on

Tuesday. The project of 22 lofts with living space on the top floor and

commercial space downstairs now must earn Coastal Commission approval

before developers break ground in Cannery Village.

* June Casagrande covers Newport Beach. She may be reached at (949)

574-4232 or by e-mail at o7 june.casagrande@latimes.comf7 .

Cause of fire still unknown

Fire officials are still investigating the cause of a fire that

consumed an two-story office building on Brioso Drive in Costa Mesa.

Investigators could not enter the building until Tuesday morning when

the building could be made safe for them to proceed with their

investigation.

The 10,000-square-foot building that housed about 11 offices, was

severely damaged structurally and will most likely be torn down.

Officials are still in the process of determining the damages.

It took 100 firefighters from five cities to put out the blaze that

burned out of control for four hours the night of March 11. Firefighters poured more than 4,000 gallons of water per minute to put out the flames

that shot up 40 to 50 feet.

They also tried to keep neighboring buildings cool to prevent the fire

from spreading. Despite their efforts, the fire that was probably more

than 1,000 degrees, melted a vinyl curtain at a neighboring residence and

ignited drapes by the window.

* 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 .

Judge race keeps surprising

Costa Mesa attorney Gay Sandoval proved the naysayers wrong as her

uphill battle to unseat a beleaguered judge took one unexpected turn

after another last week.

Even more surprising than Superior Court Judge Ronald Kline’s defeat

at the ballot box, was his rare request last week to withdraw from the

November runoff. If his wish is granted, Sandoval -- who is the second

highest vote getter among the write-in candidate so far -- could face off

against a Dana Point attorney for the seat on the bench.

Sandoval said she gave up any real hopes for a judgeship the day she

launched her campaign to defeat Kline -- a feat touted as nearly

impossible by political pundits. However, the very real possibility of

attaining that seat is just a court decision away.

A Los Angeles court will decide whether to allow Kline to remove his

name from the ballot and decide whether Sandoval has a chance at the

bench. * Lolita Harper covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at o7 lolita.harper@latimes.comf7 .

Hut, hut, hike!

The County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved some significant

rate hikes for John Wayne Airport on Tuesday morning, saying added

security measures since the Sept. 11 attacks have drained resources from

the transportation hub.

Some of the hikes include an increase in public parking from $11 to

$17 per day -- a 55% increase -- at terminal parking lots and $7 to $12

-- a 71% increase -- per day at off-campus locations. Rates of $1 per

hour would remain at all lots. Parking permits would also cost more,

going from $35 to $50 per month.

Airport officials estimated a loss of about $4.5 million due to the

attacks on Sept. 11. Officials expect the increases, which will take

affect April 1, to reduce that loss to only $2.9 million.

* Daily Pilot staff. To contact the newsroom, call (949) 642-5680 or

by e-mail at o7 dailypilot@latimes.comf7 .

A Fine way to go

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District’s financial guru, Mike Fine,

is leaving in May to become a deputy superintendent for the Riverside

Unified School District.

Fine navigated the school district through some of its roughest

waters, including an embezzlement and the county bankruptcy. He joined

the district in 1992.

“I arrived in an environment of utter chaos,” Fine recounted. “I had

to rebuild all the financial systems, had to re-budget the district. It

was a whole different environment than I thought I was walking into but I

never looked back.”

Fine earned the praise of his bosses here. Now, it’s up to him to do

the same in Riverside.

* Daily Pilot staff. To contact the newsroom, call (949) 642-5680 or

by e-mail at o7 dailypilot@latimes.comf7 .