Former mayor elected LAFCO chair Arlene Schafer...

Former mayor elected LAFCO chair

Arlene Schafer of Costa Mesa was elected the new chair for the

Local Agency Formation Commission on Jan. 8.

Schafer, a former Costa Mesa mayor and two-term appointee by

former Gov. Pete Wilson to the Developmental Center Advisory Board of

Directors, also serves as president of the Costa Mesa Sanitary

District Board of Directors, president of Independent Special

Districts of Orange County and chair of the Costa Mesa Redevelopment

Advisory Committee.

Schafer is on the California Special Districts Assn. Board of

Directors in Sacramento and the Leave Our Community Assets Local

Coalition. Schafer was nominated by former chair of LAFCO Peter

Herzog and her appointment was confirmed by unanimous vote by the

remaining members of the commission.

Project Cuddle will host annual dinner on Friday

Project Cuddle, a Costa Mesa nonprofit serving the needs of

children abandoned, abused and exposed to drugs, plans to have its

fifth annual “Dinner by the Bay” event at the Reef Restaurant in Long

Beach on Friday to raise funds and awareness for its program.

The group will award Frank Lozano its “Media Awareness Award” for

his efforts to stop baby abandonment. Jeff Teller will accept the

Corporation of the Year Award on behalf of the Orange County Market

Place. The corporation has helped raise funds through its car shows.

Project Cuddle, which is funded by individual and corporate

donations and grants, has rescued 451 babies in the past six years.

For more information, call Devin Ortiz at (714) 432-9681.

Group receives $3,000 from Stater Bros.

First Step House of Orange County in Costa Mesa received a $3,000

donation from Stater Bros. Markets as part of the company’s donation

of $172,000 to charitable organizations all over Southern California,

including six others in Orange County.

The funds were raised in partnership with a program called Food

For All, where customers are given the chance to purchase $1, $3 or

$5 donation cards at the checkout stand. The funds are used for local

anti-hunger agencies that support communities served by Stater Bros.

Since 1987, Stater Bros. has raised more than $1.7 million for

these organizations in this campaign.