NOTABLE QUOTABLES

“This couple literally watched their dreams float away as they were drowning to death. This was a clear case.”

— Tony Rackauckas, Orange County district attorney, on the decision to seek the death penalty for two Long Beach men who prosecutors say hand-cuffed a retired Newport Beach couple to the anchor of their yacht and threw them overboard, killing them

“Number one, it’s just like other auto or car or home shows — we’re here to sell boats. Number two, shows like this are a great American tradition…. It’s a lifestyle and an outing. It’s not just going to the boat show; people make a whole day of it.”

— Don Franken, spokesman for the Lido Yacht Expo, on the 28th annual on-the-water boat show this weekend

“I want three more months. But it’s kind of nice because you get to be back with your friends.”

— Brendan Fisher, a sixth-grader at Eastbluff Elementary in Corona del Mar, on returning to school

“I would just like to see us help make their lives more comfortable while they’re there [in Iraq] and let them know we care about them.”

— Katrina Foley, Costa Mesa city councilwoman, on a proposed program to send letters and packages to service members, generate donations for needed supplies and generally support those in the military with Costa Mesa connections

“I like this place because it’s intact, and it’s defying the trend to turn everything into boutiques and bistros. It’s like a low-budget cross between Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride and Pirates of the Caribbean.”

— Todd Ramsay, a 45-year-old Laguna Beach resident, on the Balboa Fun Zone and its soon-to-be-eliminated Scary Dark Ride

“What we’re really trying to do now is have a product worthy of the Fairmont name. This event is necessary to reintroduce the hotel — everybody knows that something’s been going on — and we’re ready to take the wraps off and show it off.”

— Gary Stougaard, chief investment officer and executive vice president for Sunstone Hotel Investors Inc., on the grand opening gala for the newly renovated Fairmont Newport Beach hotel