PUBLIC SAFETY A terrorism drill to get...

PUBLIC SAFETY

A terrorism drill to get them ready for the worst

At least 1,500 law enforcement, fire, rescue and medical personnel

from more than 50 agencies took part in a large-scale terrorism drill

at the Orange County Fairgrounds Tuesday.

The mock attack included a raid on a safe house, release of a

chemical agent, a hostage situation and use of a robot to enter a

suspicious vehicle. Those involved will use lessons learned during

the drill to better prepare for possible emergencies, officials said.

* After a major fire at Talbert Nature Preserve, nearby residents

said they are worried about the safety of their homes.

Homeowners in the Newport Terrace Condominiums are concerned that

dry vegetation, including notoriously combustible eucalyptus trees,

in their complex may ignite during future fires in the adjacent park.

Officials with the homeowner’s association downplayed the risks in

the complex, saying the county-run park itself is the danger.

* Air travel returned to normal Wednesday after a communication

outage grounded flights throughout Southern California on Tuesday

evening, canceling 64 flights at John Wayne.

The outage, which the Federal Aviation Administration is blaming

on a lack of system maintenance, also caused flights to be redirected

to other airports during the outage from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. John

Wayne Airport extended its flight curfews by 30 minutes to

accommodate travelers.

* A Superior Court judge on Monday denied a defense motion to

dismiss charges in a high-profile gang-rape case involving Greg

Haidl, the son of an Orange County assistant sheriff.

Greg Haidl, Kyle Nachreiner and Keith Spann, all 19, are facing a retrial after an earlier jury hopelessly deadlocked on 24 felony

counts, forcing the judge to declare a mistrial. The teens are

accused of raping and sexually assaulting the girl with various

objects. The defendants also made a videotape of the incident.

Prosecutors refiled the case, boiling it down to nine felony

counts. Defense attorneys argued that it would be highly improbable

that another jury would be able to come up with a verdict.

But Judge Francisco Briseno said he denied the motion because he

believes that the “videotape is an extremely probative piece of

evidence in support of the prosecution.” The judge also said he

refused to dismiss the charges because did not want to second-guess a

future jury.

GOVERNMENT

Fewer want a ticket to ride on the light rail

Orange County Transportation Authority projections of 10% fewer

riders on the CenterLine light-rail project than previously expected

did not change Costa Mesa Mayor Gary Monahan’s mind about the

project, which is slated to run 9.3 miles from Santa Ana to John

Wayne Airport through Costa Mesa. Monahan and the city continue to

support the project.

* A law passed in Newport Beach this week regulating group homes

could face a legal challenge for going too far. The law limits

different types of group homes to certain residential neighborhoods.

The law may be challenged by Steven Polin, a Washington, D.C.,

attorney hired by the Southern California Recovery Center -- an

umbrella group of recovery homes in Southern California -- who claims

the law is illegal because it restricts group homes of seven or more

people from single-family neighborhoods.

POLITICS

An Schwarzenegger-sized constitutional amendment

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher introduced a constitutional amendment

Wednesday that would allow foreign-born residents who have been U.S.

citizens for at least 20 years to run for president. He said he

admires the job California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is doing and

believes Schwarzenegger should have the opportunity to seek the

highest office in America, as should any naturalized citizen who has

lived here for 20 years or more.

To become law, the amendment would have to be approved by

two-thirds of Congress and three-fourths of state legislatures.

* The expiration last week of a federal ban on assault weapons,

though much noted in the media, won’t affect gun sales in California,

where such weapons are still illegal. Local law enforcement officials

did worry that increased availability of assault weapons in other

states will make them more likely to end up here.

* The 12 hopefuls competing for Costa Mesa City Council seats this

fall learned the value of one minute Wednesday night -- that was all

the time they had to answer questions on a diverse range of topics,

ranging from the city budget to the CenterLine light rail system. The

forum, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, Comcast and the Daily

Pilot, attracted about 70 people to the City Council chambers.