COSTA MESA Paying up at Ikea...

COSTA MESA

Paying up at Ikea

Tangible proof of the looming Home Ranch project was evident last

week as city coffers received a large boost and the Ikea furniture

store got the official go-ahead to build on the 93-acre project site.

C.J. Segerstrom & Sons officials, who represent the dynasty family

that owns the former lima bean farm just north of the San Diego

Freeway, forked over more than $10 million as the first installment

of the project’s development agreement. More than $8 million was

designated for specific traffic improvements and $2 million went

toward high school and middle school education endowments.

Holding up their end of the bargain, city officials issued

building permits to Ikea furniture store, marking the groundbreaking

of the first leg of the massive project.

The Home Ranch project is finally off the ground after nearly two

decades of massive community opposition. The City Council approved

the project last year and negotiated for even more money from the

Segerstroms for community benefits than was given last week.

An additional $200,00 will be given toward the renovation of the

historic Huscroft House and $250,000 for an aquatic center at Costa

Mesa High School.

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

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

JOHN WAYNE AIRPORT

Another red light

in Newport Beach

The Greenlight Committee has asked the District Attorney’s office

to look into whether the city was within its rights when it decided

in a closed meeting to hire airport lobbyists. Greenlight says this

may be a violation of state open-meeting laws.

A federal law might override the city’s power to rule on the

proposed Mormon temple.

City officials are looking into whether the Religious Land Use and

Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 would protect the temple’s 124

foot steeple as religious expression.

The 36th Annual Governor’s Cup Regatta once again brought the

spirit of youthful competition to the Balboa Yacht Club. The race,

sanctioned by Gov. Ronald Reagan in 1967, pits the top 12 teams of

sailors ages 19 and younger.

-- June Casagrande covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport.

She may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

june.casagrande@latimes.com.

EDUCATION

Not quite ready at Rea

The school board decided and then decided it will decide again on

a health center for Rea School. On Tuesday, with only five board

members present, the board voted 4-1 to approve the center that would

replace the Healthy Start Program currently at the school. Then they

decided to consider the issue again when the full board is back in

August.

The board also approved the district’s Master Plan for English

Language Learners, created by Karen Kendall, the former Harbor View

Elementary School principal, who is now working for the district.

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

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

ENVIRONMENT

Cleaning up shop

Orange County’s sanitation managers stepped up treatment of the

district’s sewage, taking their agency off the hot seat.

The district’s 25-member board approved, on a razor-thin 13-12

vote, full treatment of its waste and the dumping of a protective

federal waiver exempting the agency from the Clean Water Act of 1972.

Environmentalists and city leaders had been pressuring the Orange

County Sanitation District to treat fully the 243 million gallons a

day it releases into the ocean.

The district had become the largest sanitation agency west of the

Mississippi River to still operate out of compliance with the Clean

Water Act.

Wednesday’s approval of the new treatment came after several hours

of animated discussion and a dramatic roll call vote. Members of the

public cheered the decision as it was piped over speakers to a crowd

watching the meeting from outside the agency’s Fountain Valley

headquarters.

-- Paul Clinton covers the environment and politics. He may be

reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail at paul.clinton@latimes.com.