COSTA MESA Gay march set for...

COSTA MESA

Gay march set for Costa Mesa City Hall return

Leaders of the county lesbian organization marched out of City

Hall last week with overwhelming support from the city Human

Relations Committee for their annual demonstration.

Organizers from the Orange County Dyke March received the

endorsement of seven of nine committee members, as the committee

voted to officially recommend that the City Council on Monday not

only approve the suggested march route but waive the police

protection fees associated with the march.

Lori Hutson and Catie Profeta, who have organized the Orange

County version of the national Dyke March, said the special event

fees charged by the city, which exceeded $4,000, were excessive and

deterred freedom of assembly from groups who could not afford such a

large amount.

Committee members agreed and not only recommended the council

waive or cap fees for the Dyke March but suggested the city take a

closer look at the permit fees and consider lowering them.

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

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

EDUCATION

Community college bond readied for November

The Coast Community College district is putting its faith in

voters to approve a $370-million bond, after the board of trustees

voted unanimously to put it on the November ballot. The bond will

fund a host of facility improvements at the three campuses over a

20-year period.

Races are heating up for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District

as a handful of contenders have thrown their names into the ring. Tom

Egan is challenging Wendy Leece, Ron Winship is taking on Serene

Stokes and Shelby Cove is challenging Judy Franco. So far, Linda

Sneen is running unopposed for Jim Ferryman’s seat.

--DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers education. She may be reached at (949)

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

ENVIRONMENT

Dirty beaches soil

Newport city leaders

City leaders hardly warmed at the arrival of a report in which

Newport Beach stood out as an area with some of Orange County’s

dirtiest beaches.

Beach postings and closures spiked 80.7% during 2001, when

compared to the prior year, according to a report released by the

Natural Resources Defense Council.

The group, reporting data collected from the Orange County Health

Care Agency, said the county’s beaches were marred by either of those

two stigmas for 1,592 days of the year. In 2000, the county counted

only 881 days.

Many of those postings or closures occurred in Newport Beach, a

revelation that didn’t excite city leaders.

“We’re embarrassed,” Mayor Tod Ridgeway said. “We’re not happy

about it.”

Several trouble spots emerged -- 43rd Street, 38th Street and the

swimming lagoon at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort.

Despite the dour news, city leaders said they were implementing

measures to deal with the postings, which are caused when bacteria

from polluted urban runoff or other waste causes bacteria levels to

soar in swimming areas.

City leaders have mounted three studies to examine the source of

the pollution.

--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

New groups form in city

The Newport Beach Taxpayers Assn. came onto the local scene,

drawing controversy even in its infancy. Political consultant and

taxpayers’ rights advocate Dave Elllis lent his bulk-rate postal code

to the group, leaving Greenlight leaders to wonder whether the

officially neutral new association will in fact be a force to promote

development.

The Committee to Abolish Helicopter Noise was the second new group

to make headlines last week. Led by resident Rene Jacober, the group

wants the city to reconsider whether its police helicopter patrols

are worth the noise and the money.

A plane leaving JWA for Atlanta with 167 passengers on board was

declared to be in a state of emergency after one of its two engines

failed. The 757 was rerouted to Los Angeles International Airport and

no one was hurt.

The city’s dory fishermen found a powerful ally in city leaders,

who have taken up the fight against some new fishing regulations.

Mayor Tod Ridgeway has sent a letter to two federal agencies in hopes

that an emergency ban on catching rockfish can be modified enough to

allow the dory fleet to survive.

-- 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.