Week in review

A 31-year-old city employee charged with lewd conduct involving

several children who participated in city programs could face life in

prison if convicted, officials said Friday.

The Orange County district attorney has charged Trenton Michael Veches

with seven counts of lewd conduct with children. He also faces a special

one-strike enhancement on each of those charges, which, if proved, can

send him to prison for life without eligibility for parole for at least

25 years.

Veches is suspected of engaging in inappropriate behavior with at

least 47 boys between ages 6 and 10, police said last week. Investigators

recovered hundreds of digital images from his personal computer, some of

which showed Veches sucking the boys’ toes.

He was arrested April 17 after a co-worker reported the alleged

criminal activity, police said. More charges may be filed if more victims

come forward. A pretrial hearing for Veches scheduled for Friday was

postponed to June 7. He was arraigned April 19, when he pleaded not

guilty to the charges.

Also, about 70 parents attended a city-organized meeting Thursday

night. The meeting was open only to parents who had their children in any

of the programs supervised by Veches over the last two years.

City officials said during the meeting parents received information

and advice from child advocates about how to approach their children when

talking about such a sensitive issue. The meeting was reportedly charged

with emotion when several parents of the affected children shared their

traumatic experiences.

* 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 .

Emulex going Home (Ranch)

Development of 93 acres of former lima bean farm was prevalent last

week as Emulex officials announced they would move their Harbor Gateway

headquarters to the Home Ranch site.

Costa Mesa-based Emulex has outgrown its current home on Harbor

Boulevard and will move its corporate headquarters to 14.5 acres of the

Segerstrom-owned land, bordered by Susan Street, Harbor Boulevard and

South Coast Drive. The lease with C.J. Segerstrom & Sons calls for the

development of a two-story, campus-style headquarters totaling 180,000

square feet.

Mayor Linda Dixon announced last week that her beloved tortoise Tex

had disappeared. The small, green reptile is still missing in action. The

Dixons are worried about the Texan desert tortoise and ask that anyone

with information call the mayor’s office at (714)854-5285.

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

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

A distinguished pair

Two district schools are reveling in their distinguished-ness, having

been selected as California Distinguished Schools, one of the highest

honors the state can bestow.

Sonora Elementary in Costa Mesa and Andersen Elementary in Newport

Beach were chosen mainly based on academic excellence.

“It’s been a really good couple of weeks,” said Sonora Elementary

Principal Lorie Hoggard.

The school board’s president, Judy Franco, said the honor reflects the

diligence of everyone involved with the distinguished schools.

“You need to have principals, staff, parents who are willing to take

the time,” Franco said. “It’s an exciting time for those two schools.”

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

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

A little Clinton-like waffling

City Councilman John Heffernan shocked colleagues and constituents

when he announced Tuesday night he would vacate his council seat early.

Citing family priorities, but later explaining that council dynamics

also motivated the decision, Heffernan said he had not yet decided when

he would leave.

By the end of the week, however, he was vacillating on his decision.

Balboa Theater boosters got a big boost this week when the city

decided to put its money where its marquee is. Adding to the $480,000 the

city has already invested in creating a performing arts theater on Balboa

Peninsula, council members agreed to pursue buying the building at 111

Main St. as needed space for the theater.

Building the hopes of skateboarders across the city’s border, Newport

Beach City Manager Homer Bludau met with Costa Mesa City Manager Allan

Roeder to discuss possible places to build a skateboard park. Bludau

cautioned, though, that it’s too early to predict whether these talks

will solidify a skate park into concrete form.

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

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

A report that didn’t go to waste

It was a good week for Newport Beach environmentalists.

The Orange County Grand Jury issued a harsh critique of the Orange

County Sanitation District’s decision to withhold crucial data about

bacterial contamination near Newport Beach’s shoreline.

The grand jury report said sanitation district leaders have “not

disclosed the existence of all publicly funded studies.”

Though the district published data from a round of test data taken

during a two-month period in 1996 -- from Sept. 26 to Nov. 25 of that

year -- it did not provide any summary or analysis of it.

The study shows that a plume of waste water thought to have encroached

no closer than three miles from the shoreline was traveling along the

ocean floor toward the beach.

The contamination was as close as 1.5 miles out to sea and just 20

meters below the surface. Newport Beach officials and activists have long

suspected that the surf zone was contaminated.

Newport Beach and other cities are trying to get the waiver the

sanitation district enjoys ended so the waste will have to be treated

more thoroughly.

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

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