The court's official stamp was barely dry on a lawsuit filed by
Crystal Cove residents to halt their evictions from state-owned land when
the two sides settled.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, followed 30-day eviction notices that the
residents received on Monday. But, in the latest of a series of
head-spinning developments, the state's parks department agreed to sit
down and talk with attorneys for the residents.
That news came Friday, along with an announcement out of the highest
office in the state, Gov. Gray Davis, that a deal had been struck to buy
out the San Francisco developer who had proposed an unpopular $35-million
luxury resort.
State parks officials are scrambling to secure bond funding from two
successful March ballot measures to pay Freed up to $2 million and
replace potentially leaking septic tanks under the 46 cottages in the
historic district.
From controversy to a new home
It was a week to remember in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.
The district was rife with controversy as the week began. Tuesday's
school board meeting was packed with parents. Some demanded that trustees
not put books in the hands of children that they felt were indecent;
others insisted that the materials should not be withheld.
In question were two novels -- "Snow Falling on Cedars" and "Of Love
and Shadows" -- that one board member felt were inappropriate for
teenagers. A third novel, "The French Lieutenant's Woman," and a
sociology textbook were also on the list to be approved.
Despite the vocal opposition, the board upheld the teachers' request
for all of the books with a 5-2 vote.
After only one day of quiet, there was excitement again Thursday, when
four of Newport-Mesa's schools appeared on a state list of schools
eligible to apply to receive some free money. It was the third round of
Academic Performance Index incentive money, which this time will go to
teachers. Of those four schools, it looks like Sonora Elementary School
in Costa Mesa can expect to see some dough.
And excitement hit a fever pitch for many on Friday, when
Newport--Mesa's 30th school greeted it's first students. A trial run of
Newport Coast Elementary School ended the week on a high note.
Finally, a sale
It's older than many of Costa Mesa's kids. For their whole lives, it's
been standing empty and desolate.
But this week, word came that the Pacific Federal Savings Plaza had
finally sold.
Details are still sketchy about how much the building -- a year ago
