Week in review

Hundreds of vendors, worried about looming cuts to a local swap meet,

crowded City Council chambers last week to implore the council to take

some action.

More than 200 entrepreneurs from the Orange Coast College campus swap

meet turned out to implore council members to put a stop to the drastic

cuts that will be made to the venue starting May 4.

The campus shopping venue must reduce its vendors by almost half and

operate only on Sundays after city officials discovered the swap meet was

violating an 18-year-old permit.

About 400 vendors currently sell their goods at the bargain shopping

spot on both weekend days. They argue any cuts to the swap meet would be

devastating and drastically limit their source of income.

City officials did not comment during the meeting but said later that

the vendors should take up their cause with the college. Orange Coast

College officials are the ones who have allowed the swap meet to grow to

its existing size and it is the same college official who agreed to

reduce the swap meet.

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

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

Another fire, but not like the rest

A brush fire Wednesday blackened nearly four acres of Talbert Regional

Park.

Officials said fires are common in the county-owned park on West 19th

Street and Balboa Boulevard, but this was probably the closest it ever

burned to neighboring townhomes on Balboa Boulevard.

Firefighters from Costa Mesa, Newport Beach and the Orange County Fire

Authority battled the fire for about an hour before getting it under

control.

Cleanup operations went well into the night, Thursday and continued

Friday. The park was closed to the public until the cleanup was

completed.

In other news, a Costa Mesa priest was put on administrative leave

after allegations surfaced that he molested a boy from a former church

more than 20 years ago.

Father Jerome Henson was removed from his active role as a priest at

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church at 1015 West Baker Street after

officials at the Diocese of Orange County learned of alleged sexual

misconduct with a 13-year-old in 1981. Henson has denied the allegation.

* 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 .

Now playing: A business plan

Balboa Theater planners have put together a business plan they hope

will persuade City Council members to buy a Main Street retail building

to convert to part of the theater. The plan says the theater will infuse

about $3 million a year into the local economy.

Corona del Mar resident Laura Dietz announced her plans to run for

Dennis O’Neil’s 6th District Council seat. O’Neil will not run for

reelection when his term expires this fall due to term limits.

A workshop on May 16 will be a next step toward annexing Santa Ana

Heights and Bay Knolls to Newport Beach. The cause seemed to experience a

setback recently when Councilwoman Norma Glover questioned whether the

annexation process should be reconsidered or stopped altogether.

A local woman helped earn some recognition for some forgotten heroes

when the film festival showed “Crash Boats: Air Force Sailors in WWII &

Korea.” The documentary tells the story of the Air Force crews that

waited in boats to rescue downed pilots.

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

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

An ocean of youth

Today is the last day of the Youth Expo at the Orange County

Fairgrounds. The culmination of the three-day event will feature pet

shows, kite making and the talent search finals among a cornucopia of

events. The theme of the Expo is Ponds, Pools and Ocean Jewels.

Newport Harbor High School officials were cleared of wrongdoing in the

school’s cheerleading controversy from last fall. Supt. Robert Barbot

released a report in response to a grievance filed by two parents that

mainly calls for better communication between the school and parents. The

grievance had asked for Principal Michael Vossen to receive a reprimand.

The two Orange Coast College professors who were chosen as Faculty

Members of the Year were honored on Tuesday. Art teacher Karen Mortillaro

and Math professor Valerie Hayward both gave presentations. They will

also be speaking at the school’s graduation.

Latino youth from the district’s middle and high schools got their

first taste of college life during a conference at UC Irvine on Tuesday.

The fifth annual Latino Youth Conference showcased college tours and

financial and counseling information.

* Deirdre Newman covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at o7 deirdre.newman@latimes.comf7 .

Never count out the county on El Toro

The county’s decision last week to hand over El Toro to Irvine may

turn out to be the final blow to plans for an airport at the closed

Marine base.

At their meeting Tuesday, a majority of supervisors dramatically voted

to bail out on their nearly decade-long effort to plan an airport and

hand the base to the city that hopes to build a Great Park.

“At this point, it sounds like a majority of the Board of Supervisors

feel that an airport is no longer realistic,” said Newport Beach City

Manager Homer Bludau.

Navy officials have announced their intention to sell off 3,700 of the

4,700 acres of the base. The federal government has set aside 1,000

acres for a mandatory wildlife preserve.

A Navy announcement is scheduled for Tuesday.

Stay tuned.

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

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