Week in review

COSTA MESA

Police plan to fight gangs receives positive receptionCity Council members sounded pleased with a new comprehensive proposal to address the city's gang problem when the plan got its first public airing Tuesday. Created by the Police Department, the gang initiative includes hiring two new school resource officers, installing crime surveillance cameras and working with the Newport-Mesa Unified School District on gang prevention and intervention.

Although three of five council members in January rejected the school's prevention program, they said last week they might now support the approach, provided they get data to show results. The council will later vote on a truancy ordinance and funding for several components of the gang plan, and the school district has agreed to help pay for shared resources.

South Coast Repertory marked the production of its 100th world premiere with the opening of Julia Cho's "The Piano Teacher" Friday, demonstrating their commitment to presenting original and entertaining theater to the community.

The show spotlights an aging Mrs. K as she reflects on her past, contacting former students to find out how her career as a piano teacher came to an end. Laguna Beach local Linda Gehringer stars in the lead role.

Tickets for the show, which runs Tuesday through Sunday until April 1, are available at the theater's box office and online at www.scr.org.

NEWPORT BEACH

City Council seeks to slow spending growthFaced with a budget that has swelled about 8.4% a year for the last four years, City Council members said last week they'd like to slow spending. When the 2007-08 budget comes out in the next few months, city officials will shoot for a 4% increase over the previous year's spending.

But they're not bound to do so. The council stopped short of voting on a budget restriction after seeing the requests for the new budget already are about 3% over the current year. The scrutiny was motivated by members of the council's finance committee, who were alarmed to see that spending had largely kept pace with the city's healthy revenue growth of 9% a year.

The courtyard at Newport Elementary School is a little greener after the Rotary Club of Newport Balboa presented the third-grade class with a young flowering pear tree and numerous Japanese yew seedlings Monday as part of a 39-year Arbor Day tradition.