El Beek rides again
Newport Beach City Hall watchdog and Corona del Mar resident Dan
Purcell imagines the year ahead for Allan Beek as he continues his
slow-growth crusade:
Senor Allan Beek gallops into 2001 and extends his mission to liberate
the masses from the oppression of over-builders and traffic.
This time, he assumes the identity of Zorro and his message is Measure
Z.
In a show of bravado, Beek rides beyond Pueblo Newport, out into the
countryside. Measure Z is countywide. It is Z end to Orange County
traffic, both ground and air.
From his bay-side hacienda, Senor Don Bren organizes a pack of loyal,
well-paid politicos to prepare for battle.
The head politico proposes a strategy to win the fight against Senor
Beek in the final hour with a blitz of propaganda that will fall from the
sky in leaflets that look like dollar bills. Until the final blitz, the
pack will lay in wait.
Meantime, masked and dressed in black, Senor Beek gallops from pueblo
to pueblo on Measure Z, leaving his mark on city leaders, one-by-one. To
be continued...
A power crunch indeed
Fresh off a comfortable election-day victory, Assemblyman John
Campbell (R-Irvine) has turned his energies toward the coming legislative
session in Sacramento.
At the top of the list -- the state's brewing power crisis.
Along with the usual load of proposed bills, Campbell expects he and
his peers will tackle the deregulation disaster in a special legislative
session.
The session, expected to be called by Gov. Gray Davis in the next few
days, will run concurrently with the regular legislative meetings.
Campbell, an Irvine car dealer, was elected to the 70th District seat
on a platform of lowering taxes, protecting the environment and
encouraging high-tech businesses.
"That's what fueled a lot of our growth," Campbell said of the
technology companies, several of which are located in Orange County. "I
don't want to see us kill the goose that laid the golden egg."
Campbell said he'd also like to tackle urban runoff issues that have
provided fodder for environmentalists who say the coastline has been
severely impacted.
Right now, the newbie legislator, who replaced term-limited Marilyn
Brewer, is sorting through a stack of proposals. Campbell must submit any
bill requests by Jan. 26.
School opening?
School board member Serene Stokes had two visions of the coming 12
months for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District:
I really think next year is going to be a really good year for our
district. We have really good programs in place.
