BUSINESS A mixed bit of business in...

BUSINESS

A mixed bit of business

in Newport-Mesa

Newport-Mesa’s economy got a mixed message this week as two

reports stated the impact of the war in Iraq on business.

On Tuesday, local real estate officials echoed a report from a

regional trade group saying home values continued to soar in

February. During that month, the average home’s value rose 53% in

Newport Beach and 17% in Costa Mesa.

Wednesday brought divergent, worse news, as local hoteliers,

cruise liners in Newport Harbor and movie theater managers said their

business was softening as the nation stays glued to their television

sets.

Hotels have seen booking cancellations accelerate, while

Hornblower Cruises & Events said corporate bookings would be down

through May. The assistant manager at the Edwards Metro Point 12, in

Costa Mesa, also said people are staying away from the movies.

* PAUL CLINTON covers the environment, business and politics. He

may be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail at

paul.clinton@latimes.com.

COSTA MESA

Mayor decides it’s

time to switch seats

Karen Robinson will soon be trading her seat on the dais for a

seat on the bench as a judge for the Orange County Superior Court.

Robinson, appointed by Governor Gray Davis Wednesday, will be the

first black female judge in the county.

Robinson will have to resign from the council and it will be up to

the remaining council members how to fill her seat and who will be

the new mayor. It is not automatic that Mayor Pro Tem Chris Steel

will become the new mayor.

Robinson is replacing Judge Stuart Waldrip and will be up for

election next year.

Trinity Christian Center can’t broadcast outside for at least nine

more months. And whether it will be able to then is contingent on how

it deals with restrictions the Planning Commission placed on it

Monday and if it is a good neighbor in the interim.

Trinity will be monitored by the city after six and nine months

because it has been a nuisance to its neighbors in the past with

traffic, noise and glare from lighting equipment.

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers Costa Mesa and may be reached at (949)

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

EDUCATION

High school brains get

education on open road

Caltrans hosted the first “Battle of the Brains” construction

challenge involving students from Costa Mesa and Estancia high

schools. Costa Mesa High won the contest and got a chance to visit

the construction site at the San Diego and Corona del Mar freeways

with Caltrans engineers. The purpose of the field trip was to show

the students how the information they were tested on applies to a

real life project. This was the first educational outreach program

developed by Caltrans.

Orange Coast College students work as mentors for high school

students at Costa Mesa, Estancia and Back Bay high schools as part of

a career program called Partnering Education and Community. The

program focuses on trying to give high school students a “real world”

perspective on education and career opportunities that officials hope

will inspire them to stay in school. In the fall of 1996, the Costa

Mesa Chamber of Commerce and Balboa Instruments Inc., formerly of

Costa Mesa, joined forces to establish the program that also relies

on the assistance of college students to motivate younger students to

pursue a higher education.

Corona del Mar High School held its second annual “Names Can

Really Hurt Us Assembly” Thursday, a program that sparked student

interest among the school’s sophomore class last year and lead to the

creation of the Tolerance Among People Club. The program, organized

with the help of the Anti-Defamation League, provides teachers,

students and parents with comprehensive anti-bias training over a

two-year period. Only seven schools in California were selected to

participate in this program.

* CHRISTINE CARRILLO covers education and may be reached at (949)

574-4268 or by e-mail at christine.carrillo@latimes.com.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Trial of accused

sex offender set to begin

A jury trial is set to begin on April 1 for Trenton Veches, a

former Newport Beach recreation coordinator accused of sucking young

boys’ toes.

Veches, 32, of Huntington Beach, who was arrested in April 2002,

will face 28 felony counts of lewd contact with minors and one

misdemeanor count of possessing child pornography. He has pleaded not

guilty to all charges.

Veches quit his job after the allegations. He is being held in

Orange County jail in lieu of a $500,000 bail. In December, parents

of three young boys allegedly molested by Veches sued the city for

negligence and negligent hiring.

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at deepa.bharath@latimes.com.