ENVIRONMENT Sanitation District faces fine for Labor...

ENVIRONMENT

Sanitation District faces fine for Labor Day spill

A Labor Day weekend spill of nearly 1.6 million gallons of treated

wastewater could cost the Orange County Sanitation District $160,000,

the penalty suggested Monday by administrators at the Santa Ana

Regional Water Quality Control Board. An investigation found that a

power failure and subsequent problems with backup generators at a

sanitation district pump station in Huntington Beach caused the Sept.

4 spill into the Santa Ana River.

The sanitation district can pay the penalty or request a hearing

with the water board, which could choose to modify or waive the

penalty.

NEWPORT BEACH

Bells ring, boat lights glisten in ‘Winter Wonderland’

Thousands flocked to the 96th annual Newport Harbor Christmas Boat

Parade to see 150 lighted yachts, dinghies and other small boats

cruise around Balboa Island, Balboa Peninsula and Lido Isle. The

event, sponsored by the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, continues

tonight and is themed “A Winter Waterland.”

* Greenlight, the city’s slow-growth advocacy group, fired an

opening shot Tuesday in the looming battle over the general plan

update. The general plan, a guide to future development in the city,

is undergoing a once-a-decade makeover.

Greenlight supporters say some alternatives for the general plan

would add 200,000 car trips a day to city streets and intersections

that are already at capacity, and residents don’t want that much

additional development and traffic. Newport Beach Mayor Steve

Bromberg responded that the committee creating the alternatives for

the general plan is made up of residents, and more public input will

be solicited as the plan takes shape.

* The City Council unanimously elected Steve Bromberg mayor for

2005, a post he also held in 2003. Bromberg was chosen as mayor and

Councilman Don Webb was named mayor pro tem at a meeting Tuesday,

when the council also voted to hire Robin Clauson as the new city

attorney. Clauson has been with the city since 1989 and replaces Bob

Burnham, who served as city attorney for more than two decades.

COSTA MESA

Council rules to let all their votes count

The City Council on Monday elected to use a vote of the full

council to choose members of the Parks and Recreation and Planning

commissions, rather than let each council member appoint

commissioners. The council switched in February 2003 from a vote to

direct appointments in an attempt to make the commissions reflect the

range of viewpoints on the council.

The city is accepting applications for vacancies on the planning

and parks and recreation commissions through Tuesday. If the new

appointment procedure passes a second reading in January, the council

could begin considering applicants for the commissions in February.

EDUCATION

Lending a helping hand to San Clemente students

Newport-Mesa Unified School District officials have collected

nearly $9,000 to purchase phone cards for San Clemente students whose

parents are stationed at Camp Pendleton. Nearly 60% of San Onofre

Elementary School’s students have family serving overseas. The phone

cards will allow them to speak with their parents for nearly three

hours over the holiday break, Principal Barbara Barnes said.

* Serene Stokes was named president of the Newport-Mesa Unified

School District board, during it’s annual reorganizational meeting

Tuesday night. Trustees nominated each other to serve on 23

committees and legislative posts for the remainder of the school

year.

Trustee David Brooks is the board’s new vice president, Trustee

Linda Sneen is clerk, and Supt. Robert Barbot will continue as board

secretary.