Lawsuit against accused judge’s ballot appearance...

Lawsuit against accused judge’s ballot appearance dropped

A lawsuit asking that an accused judge’s name be removed from the

November ballot was dismissed Thursday because his name has already

been dropped from the ballot.

Because Orange County Superior Court Judge Ronald Kline won a

court victory in June to remove his name from the ballot, Los Angeles

Superior Court Judge David Yaffe on Thursday dismissed Costa Mesa

resident Gay Sandoval’s lawsuit asking for the same result.

Sandoval, a former Orange County deputy district attorney who will

vie for Kline’s seat in November, had filed the dismissed suit. She

petitioned the registrar of voters to add her name to the November

ballot and succeeded in July.

Sandoval campaigned earlier this year to ensure that someone could

challenge Kline, who faces child pornography possession and child

molestation charges dating back to 1982. He is under house arrest.

Sandoval’s efforts opened the door for several write-in

candidates, including herself. She finished second in the March

primary to Dana Point lawyer John Adams, whom she will face in the

November election.

--Deirdre Newman

Passenger numbers up at John Wayne Airport for month of July

Airline passenger traffic at John Wayne Airport grew modestly in

July when compared with the earlier year.

The airport saw a 2.5% increase in the number of travelers who

used John Wayne. For the month, there were 744,875 travelers compared

with 726,451 from the previous July.

Airport managers issued the report Thursday. It represented the

growing improvement in airport travel, after the crippling effects of

the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

A drop in the number of commercial flights ran contrary to the

jump in passengers, the report showed.

Flight operations dropped 5.6% during the month. However

short-haul commuter flights, to San Diego, Oakland and other nearby

destinations, also ramped up, by 13.6% from July 2001.

In the mixed-bag report, overall takeoffs and landings at John

Wayne dropped 8.1% over the time frame. General aviation activity,

which accounted for 74% of flight activity, also dropped, by 9.7%.

The biggest jump came in air cargo tonnage. The amount of freight

jumped 36%, from 1,372 to 1,866 tons.

-- Paul Clinton

Coast Guard to officiate at flag-lowering ceremony

Newport Beach’s summer flag-lowering ceremonies will take on a

special meaning tonight and next week when members of the Coast

Guard’s color guard do the honors.

The ceremonies will begin at 7:30 p.m. with patriotic music. Then

the color guard members will lower the flag at sundown, about 7:45

p.m.

The Coast Guard representatives are among a series of local

dignitaries who have officiated the flag-raising ceremony, which was

started in June by local businessman Ralph Rodheim. The ceremonies

take place every Friday and Saturday night at sunset at the ferry

landing on Balboa Peninsula, which is at 510 Edgewater. The Coast

Guard representatives will officiate tonight and again on Aug. 16.

Past ceremonies have included a 21-gun salute by the American Legion,

Boy Scout troops and the tall ship Lynx.

-- June Casagrande

Transportation meeting will discuss freeway construction

The California Department of Transportation and the Orange County

Transportation Authority will host an evening open house Wednesday to

discuss changes being made to the Corona del Mar and San Diego

freeways.

Slated for completion in 2004, the project will add a Fairview

Road and Harbor Boulevard offramp on the Corona del Mar Freeway, a

new Hyland Avenue onramp on the San Diego Freeway and sound walls.

The project is more than 60% complete.

The meeting will take place from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday in

Killybrooke Elementary School’s multipurpose room in Costa Mesa.

Information: (800) 724-0353.

Costa Mesa Speedway will host freestyle motocross jumpers

Freestyle motocross jumpers will excite crowds at the Costa Mesa

Speedway on Saturday evening.

Bikers will perform stunts such as 100-foot leaps across the air

and handlebar-to-handlebar action at the event, held at the Orange

County Fairgrounds. Stunts will include the Superman, the Sterilizer,

Kiss of Death and Oxecutor.

New U.S. National Champion Chris Manchester will join past

national champions Mike Faria and Bobby “Boogaloo” Schwartz in taking

on challengers such as Josh Larsen, Gary Hicks, Shawn “Mad Dog”

McConnell and “Fast” Eddie Castro.

Tickets to the event will cost $12 for adults, $8 for juniors and

seniors, $4 for kids 6 to 12, and free for kids younger than 6.

Parking is included.

Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. Saturday; the action will begin at

7:30 p.m. Autographs are available after the races.