Costa Mesa council OKs stipend for Vegas trip

On Tuesday he asked Hatch to find money to repair the drainage system on Wallace Street, which is on the Westside. Residents there complained to Mensinger that their homes have flooded nine times since 1998, he said.

Mensinger showed photos of flooded homes.

"Since 1998 we've known about this problem, and we've kind of nibbled around the edges with Band-Aids," he said. "It sounds like we need surgery."

Public Services Director Ernesto Munoz said that the area is exceptionally flat, which causes water to pool in the street, and that the older homes are built below-grade, making them vulnerable to floods.

Munoz said the solution is to divert water to the nearby Placentia storm drain system, but that the city had used its limited drainage funds to fix other streets with worse problems or less expensive solutions.

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Fish Fry gets Fairview Park permit

Organizers of the annual Lions Club Fish Fry received permission to use Fairview Park, and to serve beer and wine at its upcoming summer event.

Council members debated how to regulate alcohol sales at the 65-year-old festival, but ultimately voted unanimously, with Righeimer absent, to approve the permit.

It limits people to buying two drinks at a time. The Costa Mesa-Newport Harbor Lions Club has traditionally held the festival at Lions Park, which was named after the group.

mike.reicher@latimes.com

Twitter: @mreicher