NEWPORT BEACH A lot of waiting...

NEWPORT BEACH

A lot of waiting on parks and in trees this week

Newport Beach Little League representatives are hoping that the

city will reconsider a plan to wait until after summer to open the

playing fields at the Bonita Canyon Sports Park. The city’s parks

commission at their February meeting will hear a staff report on the

question of whether to wait long enough for grass planted at the new

park to take root.

John Laing Homes’ corporate headquarters was the site of a small

but impassioned protest against the company’s handling of a

400-year-old oak tree in Santa Clarita and its plans to create a Seal

Beach development at a site where Native American remains were found.

City safety concerns and nuisances to neighbors, the company on

Thursday decided to restrict access to the oak occupied by tree

sitter John Quigley.

City officials on Thursday renewed their push to keep toxic levels

of selenium out of local waters. Water quality board members

discussed the dangers of high quantities of the element and

reaffirmed their hopes that the regional water board won’t let

transportation agencies put selenium-rich groundwater into the storm

creek system that ultimately trickles into the ocean.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport.

She may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

[email protected].

EDUCATION

Studied concern about governor’s budget proposal

Local officials reacted with concern to the governor’s budget

proposal for 2003-04. The proposal would cut funding at the K-12,

community college and college levels.

However, Newport-Mesa Unified School District officials say they

are not intimidated by the state’s decision to maintain demanding

proficiency standards for all students in the face of projections

that most schools will not be able to meet these standards by the

federal deadline of 2014. Failure to meet the standards could lead to

sanctions and the loss of millions of dollars in federal funding.

Officials say they are already working diligently to ensure that

students meet the standards.

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at [email protected].

COSTA MESA

The question of how high isn’t an easy one

Council members wrestled with a heightening quandary last week

over the ever-contentious issue of second-story home additions.

The City Council approved two separate second-story construction

projects that had each gone through various stages of denials,

over-rulings and subsequent appeals. Many city leaders said they were

frustrated with the current process and want a more streamlined

approach to the issue.

Leaders are pushing toward stricter design review guidelines to

take out the guesswork in remodel projects and allow residents

meaningful parameters when designing their dream homes.

* LOLITA HARPER covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at [email protected].

POLITICS

Republicans getting together for a budget fight

Newport-Mesa Republicans took their shots at Gov. Gray Davis last

week as he unveiled a series of tax increases he said were needed to

stem the state’s budget crisis.

The cries included charges that most of President Bush’s tax cuts

would be offset by Davis’ proposals, leaving Californians -- and, one

suspects, those upper-bracket taxpayers in Newport-Mesa -- on the

losing end of a tax hike/tax break stalemate.

One elected official went even further than talking. Assemblyman

John Campbell proposed legislation that would install a spending cap

in the state Constitution so spending could grow no faster than

population and inflation.

* Daily Pilot staff. To contact the newsroom, call (949) 642-5680

or by e-mail at [email protected].