POLITICS AND THE ENVIRONMENT Judging by...

POLITICS AND

THE ENVIRONMENT

Judging by this, it will be quite a race for bench seat

Ronald Kline may have left the race for judicial Office No. 21,

but that hasn’t stopped the race from continuing to take on a

somewhat tabloid flavor.

Gay Sandoval, the Costa Mesa attorney whose lawsuits helped remove

Kline from the Nov. 5 ballot, has called out opponent John Adams in a

letter to his endorsers.

Sandoval accused Adams of misrepresenting his past on a campaign

Web site. Adams said the error on his bio was an oversight. Sandoval

claimed he improperly practiced law in the 1980s when his membership

in the State Bar was suspended for not paying dues.

The error was corrected within 48 hours, Adams said.

In the letter, which was sent July 11, Sandoval also invited

Adams’ supporters to review court records from his past, including

his divorce file. Adams called that move “a low blow.”

Environmental watchdogs don’t have to worry about anything

unexpected taking place off the Santa Ana River mouth. A large

floating crane stationed there is simply dropping large rocks down to

the ocean floor where the Orange County Sanitation District’s waste

outfall pipe is located.

The rocks are supposed to stabilize the pipe.

* PAUL CLINTON covers the environment and politics. He may be

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

NEWPORT BEACH

A race to new ownership

Two companies’ bid to buy the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort

cleared a major hurdle when the county Board of Supervisors endorsed

the plan. Real estate company Goldrich & Kest Industries and partner

Tahoe Shores are in escrow to buy the spacious Dunes resort.

Champions of 25 ill-fated ficus trees on Balboa Peninsula will

have their day in court. A group of residents has filed a lawsuit to

stop the city from removing the trees, which have damaged some sewer

lines and other structures.

The Governor’s Cup Regatta capped off its 36th year in Newport

Beach with a stunning win by the United Kingdom’s Royal Yachting

Assn. The Governor’s Cup is a race for sailors 19 and younger who go

head-to-head in four days of competition.

Horse trails in Santa Ana Heights could be extended to go from the

Orange County Fairgrounds, the Back Bay and beyond under a county

plan. The Santa Ana Country Club is considering whether it will cede

a stretch of its land along Santa Ana Drive for the trail.

* 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.

COSTA MESA

Support, with a bit of warning for Habitat

The Habitat for Humanity project that aims to turn a blighted

Westside apartment complex into owner-occupied condominiums received

a final endorsement from the Planning Commission last week -- as well

as some cautionary words of advise. Planning Commissioners

unanimously approved a minor yet integral portion of the project but

warned Habitat officials they expect a cleaner, better secured

complex once the development gets underway.

An Eastside property owner became the first victim of more

stringent zoning requirements, as his plan to build five homes on a

large parcel was spurned by the Planning Commission.

Commissioners said the proposed Santa Isabel project was the

antithesis of what the neighborhood needed and denied the requested

change.

* LOLITA HARPER covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

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