EDUCATION Ready to get back As of...

EDUCATION

Ready to get back

As of Friday, all schools in the district were expected to open

Tuesday except for Harbor View Elementary School, which will open

Sept. 8. The possible delays as work funded by Measure A money

dragged on had parents hustling and bustling about, wondering if

they’d have their children at home a few more days.

* Orange Coast College opened its doors last week to fewer

students. Enrollment dropped 11.4% and total course offerings are

down 22.2%. California’s budget crisis is to blame.

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

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

NEWPORT BEACH

A fine enough Fourth

Did you swing through Newport this past Fourth of July? If so, you

have a pretty good idea what to expect from police next year.

The City Council this week enthusiastically supported a plan to

stay with what worked this year when it comes to fighting the at

times overt craziness of the Fourth of July holiday.

Even those who have bad mouthed the city seemed pleased.

“I must give credit where credit is due and thank Chief [Bob]

McDonell, the Police Department and the City Council for making this

arguably one of the best Fourth of Julys in recent history,” said

FreeNewport.com spokesman Brian Clarkson. The group has been a

frequent critic of the city and its police.

2003 arrests were down to 103 from last year’s 162 and a whopping

193 in 2001. The total number of citations was 1,224.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Firefighters lose a brother

It was a sad week for members of the Newport Beach Fire

Department, which lost a beloved, longtime member.

Alan Schmehl , who retired in March, died after a battle with a

rare form of brain cancer.

Officials said it was likely the cancer was related to his work,

which often had him dealing with toxic substances in critical

situations.

Schmehl was one of the firefighters who responded to the 1987

chemical blaze at Hixson Metal Plating Inc., which is believed to

have taken the lives of Newport Beach Police Sgt. Steven Van Horn and

Newport Beach firefighter Larry Parrish, who were the first to arrive

on scene. Van Horn died of leukemia 10 years after the fire. He was

48.

A memorial service is being planned for 10 a.m. Sept. 6 at

Mariners Church in Irvine.

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

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

POLITICS

Money race keeps running

70th District Assembly candidate Chuck DeVore announced last week

he had added to his campaign coffers at a fund-raiser. DeVore said

the event, at the home of Tom and Randall Phillips in Corona del Mar,

raised more than $25,000. During the first half of the year, DeVore

raised $145,250, according to campaign finance statements.

* Peter Ueberroth, who has his campaign headquarters in Costa

Mesa, won a victory of sorts: InformationWeek.com named his campaign

Web site the best among the recall candidates.

* S.J. CAHN is the managing editor. He can be reached at (949)

574-4233 or by e-mail at s.j.cahn@latimes.com.