NEWPORT BEACH Dogs must wear leashes...

NEWPORT BEACH

Dogs must wear leashes in ocean off Newport Beach

Judges ruled that a Corona del Mar golden retriever who likes to

swim in the ocean without his owner holding his leash can’t enjoy

this pastime any longer. A superior court ruling against Lynn and

Philip Butterfield said that city leash laws apply in the water, too.

Many Newport Coast residents will see a credit on their next

county tax bills of anywhere from $80 to $3,000 now that the city has

found a way to reimburse them for assessment district taxes.

Cellular antennas are on their way to Newport Beach, council

members learned on Tuesday. City leaders now must consider whether

they want to rent out space to the phone companies for the small

antennas and what rules will ensure the antennas are as safe and

unobtrusive as possible.

A long-awaited Planning Commission hearing on a proposed Mormon

Temple took place Thursday. Regardless of what the commission

ultimately decides, it’s likely that the City Council will exercise

its right to rule on the temple’s 124-foot steeple.

* 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

Smooth sailing on first day of school in Newport-Mesa

The first day of school in the Newport-Mesa Unified School

District was especially smooth, district officials said. Enrollment

was close to its projected target, said Supt. Robert Barbot.

There will be no significant changes to the school budget based on

the state budget, which Gov. Gray Davis finally signed Thursday,

because the district built up its cash reserve to deal with any

funding shortfalls, officials said.

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

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

COSTA MESA

Skate park at Davis school may soon take shape

Resident skateboarders got some indication that they may be able

to stop grinding public hand rails -- as well as their teeth in

frustration -- after the City Council approved a tentative plan for a

skate park at Davis Elementary School.

Council members unanimously approved a resolution that would

partner it with the Newport-Mesa Unified School District to pursue a

largely demanded skate park at the elementary school at 1050

Arlington Drive.

City leaders were optimistic about the possibilities of a park at

the elementary site, but assured all residents that any and all plans

would be brought to the community for input.

Skateboarding activists were pleased with any forward-moving

progress but remained leery of broken promises.

“We’ve seen this before,” said former professional skater Jim

Gray, referring to skate park plans scrapped at the last minute in

1998. “I’ll be happy when I’m actually skating the new park.”

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

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

ENVIRONMENT

Sanitation district declares bleaching effort successful

A declaration from the Orange County Sanitation District wasn’t

free from controversy this week, as the agency called its

chlorination effort a success and said new test results show that

bacteria from the outfall pipe isn’t causing shoreline contamination.

The agency began chlorinating all 234 gallons of the waste water

it releases into the ocean every day on Aug. 12. Three weeks later,

the district said bacteria levels at the shoreline have remained

steady, proving that it was never the sewage plume that was

contaminating the shoreline.

Local environmentalists said the claim was premature, that not

enough data has been collected. One activist called the claim “a

self-serving public relations ploy.”

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

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