Newport Beach

EDITOR’S NOTE: These people were arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of an intoxicant. They are considered innocent until proven guilty.   David Woodall, 48, Huntington Beach Maryam Zaher, 32, Newport Beach Fred Nepolello, 48, Irvine Geoffrey L. Rudy, 39, Huntington Beach Joshua R. Mino, 27, Orange Gilbert T. Martinez, 39, Harbor City Randall G. Willard, 44, Garden Grove Gabriel A. Ramirez, 41, Riverside Tamara M. Honsaker, 50, Mission Viejo Salvador G. Mejia, 21, Santa Ana Jonathon Aguilera, 18, Foothill Ranch Tammie M. Medina, 40, Commerce City, Colo.

Monday, members of the Rotary Club of Newport-Balboa were busy escorting the youth exchange members from the Okazaki South Rotary Club and their host youth from Newport Beach on a tour of significant sites in our beautiful city, including the Central Library, the Environmental Nature Center, the city's Harbor Patrol and the highlight patrol boat tour of the harbor. The group also went to the Newport Aquatic Center for kayaking and to Ruby's on the Balboa Pier for lunch.

A Huntington Beach man is expected to recover from a stab wound he received after a fight outside a bar in Newport Beach, police said. Police arrested Jasen Meyn, 24, of Reno, Nev., outside Sejour European Bistro and Lounge on Via Lido in Newport Beach early Saturday on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon for reportedly stabbing a 34-year-old John Meyer of Huntington Beach. Authorities located a folding knife in Meyn's pocket at the time of his arrest, Sgt. Evan Sailor said Tuesday.

A 46-year-old Anaheim man drowned Sunday evening after being caught in a rip current at Newport Beach, officials said. Lifeguards at the 28th Street beach responded to reports of swimmers in distress at 6:10 p.m., said Lifeguard Captain Eric Bauer. By the time lifeguards responded, one male swimmer had struggled to shore, but a man and a woman remained caught in the rip current, Bauer said. As a bystander assisted the woman to the beach, a pair of lifeguards swam to the Anaheim man, who was facedown in the water.

The stereotypical boy growing up in Orange County is involved with such activities as surfing, skateboarding or volleyball -- the type of events Southern California is known for. But for Casey Suzuki and Trinon Cirello, growing up in Newport Beach centered around different activities. "My uncle would take me to the [Orange County International Raceway]," Suzuki said. "As a kid, I just loved the noise and how fast [the dragsters] could go." Cirello grew up in an auto racing family.

A memorial service for environmentalist Jan Vandersloot is slated for 1 p.m. Dec. 6 at Castaways Park, 700 Dover Drive, Newport Beach. Vandersloot died suddenly at his Newport Beach home Nov. 4. He was 64. A dermatologist with a practice in Huntington Beach, Vandersloot was one of the founding members of the Bolsa Chica Land Trust, a group dedicated to preserving the Bolsa Chica Wetlands in Huntington Beach. He also helped found the Ocean Outfall group, which pushed for the Orange County Sanitation District to clean up wastewater being pumped offshore.

Army paratrooper Austin Honrath isn't afraid of jumping out of airplanes in Iraq, but getting him to pose for a photo while he is home on a 30-day convalescent leave is a bit of a challenge. Honrath, a former Newport Beach lifeguard, is a "little bit shy," so when an entourage of more than 50 of his friends and family members came to the airport to greet him as he returned home last month after being injured in a suicide car bombing, he was quite taken aback. "It was amazing to see there are that many people who are supportive of what I do," the 22-year-old Huntington Beach resident said.

Huntington Beach has entered a three-year agreement to share police helicopter services with Newport Beach, continuing a recent county trend of cities partnering with neighbors to cut costs. The Huntington Beach City Council on Monday voted for the agreement following the dissolution of the AirBorne Law Enforcement (ABLE), a joint partnership between Costa Mesa and Newport. At $700 an hour, the agreement is expected to generate $2.1 million for Huntington. More sharing is expected, as Huntington officials are discussing the possibility of sharing other services with Newport and Costa Mesa, and fire services with Fountain Valley, said Huntington City Manager Fred Wilson.

It's sad to me that people are painting such an ugly picture of Newport Beach residents who are concerned about the health of their families. This debate about the fire pits is not about wealthy Newport Beach residents trying to keep people from visiting the beaches. My husband and I are not wealthy and we don't live in Newport Beach. We are residents of Huntington Beach and are very concerned for the health of our baby, who breathes in this smoke on an ongoing basis. If you had a baby and walked into his or her bedroom and it smelled like smoke, would you be concerned?

I was disappointed to see the letters in your mailbag section all held the same opinion - that Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian was wrong to ban abortions at its facility. I hope you will publish other opinions as well about this matter. I, for one, applaud Hoag for its decision. If abortion supporters are worried about where they or their daughters can get their next abortion, they need only look in the yellow pages for any number of providers. I must say that the fact that one writer called abortion “a service” is unconscionable.

I was disappointed to see the letters in your mailbag section all held the same opinion - that Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian was wrong to ban abortions at its facility. I hope you will publish other opinions as well about this matter. I, for one, applaud Hoag for its decision. If abortion supporters are worried about where they or their daughters can get their next abortion, they need only look in the yellow pages for any number of providers. I must say that the fact that one writer called abortion “a service” is unconscionable.

The California State Legislature is on course to make a stand in support of fire rings by passing a resolution set to be heard by the Senate next week. Assemblyman Travis Allen's non-binding resolution asks state legislators to support the protection of important beach traditions, "such as fire rings," he wrote. The document, ACR 52, passed the Assembly's Committee on Natural Resources on May 24 and awaits a reading by the Senate. If passed by the Senate, the resolution will formally support fire rings, recognizing their significance in the state.

It's sad to me that people are painting such an ugly picture of Newport Beach residents who are concerned about the health of their families. This debate about the fire pits is not about wealthy Newport Beach residents trying to keep people from visiting the beaches. My husband and I are not wealthy and we don't live in Newport Beach. We are residents of Huntington Beach and are very concerned for the health of our baby, who breathes in this smoke on an ongoing basis. If you had a baby and walked into his or her bedroom and it smelled like smoke, would you be concerned?

People keep asking me whether I think the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) will vote June 7 to ban beach bonfires in much of Southern California. I've been invited to speak before several groups in the last few weeks, and the question persists. I get daily emails from all kinds of people - young adults to a 92-year-old man. I even heard from an AQMD employee who was just as fed up because of the very real perception that some board decisions appear to be made for political rather than scientific reasons.

Two Huntington Beach councilmen are looking to take on bigger roles in Orange County. Mayor Pro Tem Matthew Harper is considering running for the 74th Assembly District, while Councilman Joe Carchio is contemplating throwing his name into the Orange County Board of Supervisors election. This comes on the heels of Assemblyman Allan Mansoor's (R-Costa Mesa) consideration of replacing Supervisor John Moorlach in the 2nd District, an area that encompasses Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa and Newport Beach.

Need last-minute Mother's Day gifts? Island Cowgirl in Huntington Beach just celebrated five years and has plenty of options for mum, according to designer and owner Heather Kraty. The shop originally began as a flagship store for Kraty's own line of inspiration jewelry, Kraty said in an email. "As time went on, I began carrying artists from around the U.S.," she said. "Most of them are friends' work that I have admired for years. " A big seller is anchor-type of jewelry, according to Kraty.

Politicians and residents gathered Sunday to cook hot dogs and roast marshmallows at Huntington State Beach in a message to air-quality regulators that they wouldn't give up the city's fire rings without a fight. Hundreds, including politicians like organizer Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach), showed up to oppose the South Coast Air Quality Management District's proposed ban on fire rings in Orange and Los Angeles counties. "The community is completely united in keeping our fire rings," Allen said.

The bonfire fight has never been hotter (or weirder) then it is right now. On April 12, I went to visit Assemblyman Allan Mansoor in his Costa Mesa office. I have been in touch with a number of local elected officials about the looming draconian ban on beach bonfires about to be imposed by the Air Quality Management District (AQMD). By now I'm sure you've heard the story. Mansoor told me that on April 14, he would be releasing a letter addressing this issue to California Attorney General Kamala Harris.

This year's sixth annual Surf City Splash raised $100,000 for several charities, according to a news release from the Surf City Rotary Club of Huntington Beach. More than 230 guests attented the event at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort, enjoying dinner, dancing and auctions. Half of the money raised will go to the Boys & Girls Club of Huntington Valley's Building Dreams campaign to build a "family campus" at Golden West College. The family campus would include a new preschool, gymnasium and Boys & Girls Club for school-age children.

I have been a citizen of Orange County for 37 years and have frequently enjoyed the beach and the fire rings. Never have I heard of a problem until this year. It appears that the rich of Newport Beach have convinced themselves that they are being inconvenienced again (special airport regulations) and have discovered that they can use the Air Quality Management District (AQMD) to their advantage. I urge you to reject any attempts to ban the use of the wood-burning fire rings on Orange County beaches.