Candidate chides mayor

Alicia Robinson

Republican 70th Assembly District candidate Chuck DeVore indirectly

attacked Irvine Mayor Larry Agran on Tuesday by filing a complaint

with the California Fair Political Practices Commission against a

political mailer company that Agran used during 2002 elections.

Agran won his second term as mayor in 2002, when DeVore lost a bid

for a seat on the Irvine City Council.

DeVore’s complaint alleges the Hometown Voter Guide failed to file

required financial reports electronically, and that Agran and others

didn’t file necessary reports disclosing their economic interest in

the mailer company. The complaint also says the guide was primarily

controlled by Agran and was not an independent slate-mailer

organization.

Agran said electronic filing of financial reports is required only

for statewide committees, and “the rest of [the complaint] was

nonsense.”

Now a candidate for the state legislature, DeVore said he’s just

trying to make sure the largest city in what could be his assembly

district is following the rules.

“I figured if I didn’t weigh in, then nobody would,” he said.

Beach no-smoking bills become buried in sand

While coastal cities, including Newport Beach, are rejecting the

role of their beaches being giant ashtrays, smokers can keep on

puffin’ on state beaches until further notice. Two bills to ban

smoking on state beaches died when the 2004 legislative session ended

Friday, but legislative aides said the bills might be brought back in

2005.

Local state beaches include Crystal Cove and Corona del Mar, along

with Bolsa Chica, Huntington, Doheny and San Clemente.

“Obviously, with the current legislature, it wasn’t possible to

get this bill passed,” said Adam Keigwin, a staffer for Assemblyman

Leland Yee (D-San Francisco). Yee proposed a bill that went through

several changes but at one point proposed banning smoking on state

campgrounds and parking lots as well as beaches.

“We didn’t think it was going after smokers per se, but it was

just trying to address the issue of litter,” Keigwin said.

Another beach smoking ban bill, written by Assemblyman Paul Koretz

(D-West Hollywood), failed in the legislature’s final days, but aides

said both legislators will consider reviving the bills in the next

session.

The state will probably end up following the smoking ban trend

that has popped up in cities including Santa Monica, Malibu and

Huntington Beach, said Koretz Chief of Staff Teresa Stark.

“Sometimes it takes a little while, and sometimes it takes a lot

of progress and enthusiasm at the local level before the state gets

its act together,” she said.

Newport Beach City Council last week voted to ban smoking on the

city’s beaches.

Schwarzenegger signs tideland-management bill

A bill that will make it easier for Newport Beach to manage its

tidelands was signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last

week. Sponsored by 70th District Assemblyman John Campbell, the bill

will allow the city and Orange County to change which one oversees

various tidelands, which are designated by the state for public use.

Newport Beach tidelands include the property where the Balboa Bay

Club sits and the area proposed for the Marinapark resort.

Under the new law, the city will be able to transfer control of

tidelands near the Upper Newport Bay to the county, which will add

them to its park system, Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff said. The

city will gain control over county-administered tidelands near

Bayshores.

While the city, county and state lands commission still have to

approve the changes, Kiff said, “this bill allows us to do that

without going to the legislature each time we want to do it.”

The law also will allow the city to use tidelands funds -- which

come from rent and other fees paid by tidelands users -- to pay for

the planned Back Bay Science Center, which will be built on

Shellmaker Island.