Enforcement

With the school year ending, Newport Beach police this summer will again step up enforcement of the city's curfew for minors. Curfew for children younger than 18 is enforced from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily. Increased enforcement is set to begin Friday, according to a statement from the Newport Beach Police Department. After-hours crimes committed by juveniles are up slightly, which has necessitated the need to increase curfew patrols, police said Thursday. In addition, police said, they want to protect minors from becoming crime victims.

Don’t spark that match or dump those coals just yet. Newport Beach police are teaming up with the city’s fire department, general services, recreation and senior services, lifeguards, harbor resources and code enforcement to keep beaches beautiful. Newport is launching an education and enforcement campaign to keep beachgoers from cooking or using an open flame outside of the designated fire rings placed on a special section of beaches, officials said. Police have begun placing signs stating that cooking is prohibited and that officials will step up enforcement.

The Newport Beach Police Department received a grant for more than $240,000 to implement a year-long, drunk-driving prevention program, according to a news release. The grant from the California Office of Public Safety was used to fund new enforcement and education measures aimed at preventing DUI-related deaths and injuries, beginning in November 2011. Enforcement measures include checkpoints, increased watch over intersections with high accident rates, saturation patrols, and stings to catch people driving with suspended or revoked driver licenses.

Irvine police have another $88,300 with which to help educate the public about drunk driving and catch those under the influence, thanks to a grant from the California Office of Traffic and Safety. The department announced Tuesday that it was awarded the money to bolster DUI enforcement and education, including funding checkpoints throughout the city and officers with special training to identify impaired drivers. Drivers under the influence were responsible for 791 deaths and more than 24,000 injuries in California in 2010, according to an Irvine Police Department release citing state numbers.

Costa Mesa’s City Council and Planning Commission hashed out some differences of opinion Tuesday on how to keep the city’s streets clean. Planning Commission Chairman Jim Righeimer said he was tired of seeing cars on front lawns, people living in garages, and other egregious code violations. He urged code enforcement officers to issue more citations with fines. Some members of each body at the joint study session said harsher enforcement might cause hardships for those who violate the laws out of ignorance and who might change their ways if they were told they were doing something illegal.

Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook, who is running in the fall for the congressional seat held by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, says the question of illegal immigration is really a question of sustainability. Right now, more immigrants are coming into the United States than the country can handle, according to Cook. To stop the flow of illegal immigrants, she said, government needs to hold businesses accountable. “We always talk about the illegal immigrants but we never talk about the illegal employers and the illegal consumers,” Cook said.

Lolita Harper The first week of enforcement of the city's more stringent motor home parking laws has punished violators while sparking renewed scrutiny from generally "law abiding" rig owners who say the rules are far too strict. About 25 citations have been issued so far, with more than half of them going to vehicles registered outside the city's boundaries, Costa Mesa Police Lt. Karl Schuler said. In July, council members unanimously approved the first draft of a law that bans the parking of motor homes on public streets, with a 48-hour exception for loading and unloading in front of the owner's home.

It might not be Texas, but Newport's rangers can now patrol the city's parks with more authority after a City Council vote on Tuesday. The two park rangers hired last year to monitor parks -- after a rise in scuffles over field rights and other transgressions -- have been given the ability to write tickets. It is a move we fully support. A ranger's first duty is still to educate, as city officials supporting the change noted, but skipping the time-consuming step of calling in police or parking enforcement when people at parks are breaking laws is a good idea.

NEW CODE REGULATIONS The Costa Mesa City Council approved a number of code revisions earlier this year in response to residents' complaints about property maintenance. Faris supports code enforcement efforts, but thinks there are still bugs in the code, such as when property owners are cited for short-term violations. "The mission of the code enforcers should be to cite ongoing problems and major violators, such as is seen throughout the city but more so on the West Side," he said.

John Campbell is thrust into GOP leadership battle; Costa Mesa police chief explains city's immigration plan at forum; Van Tran's opposition forms. Just a few weeks into his congressional career, Newport Beach Rep. John Campbell was plunged into the middle of a GOP leadership battle, sparked when Texas Rep. Tom DeLay resigned his post as House majority leader after he was indicted on money laundering charges. Campbell so far hasn't picked a horse in the three-way race, but he said last week he's getting up to four calls a day from colleagues hoping to direct his choice.

Newport Beach police plan to concentrate on curfew violations in May. The effort is aimed at educating parents and minors about the dangers of being out late and preventing kids from becoming crime victims, police said in a press release. A city ordinance prohibits minors from being unaccompanied by adults in public places between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. —Lauren Williams Twitter: @lawilliams30

WESTMINSTER - A burgeoning relationship between a small Christian college in Costa Mesa and a public university in Iraq could help shape the Middle Eastern country's response to gender-based violence in its northern region. Over the span of 15 days, a small team of Iraqi government officials and academics are touring Orange County and studying the local justice system's procedures for crimes against women. Wednesday, the group of about half a dozen Iraqis gathered at Westminster's police headquarters.

A Costa Mesa employee was awarded for her years of service in law enforcement and named the 2012 Property Officer of the Year, the city announced Friday. Barbara Carpenter, who works as a property and evidence supervisor for the police department, received the award from the Orange County chapter of the California Assn. for Property & Evidence. Carpenter was awarded for her 26 years in law enforcement, her support of C.A.P.E. and "the superior job she does for the Costa Mesa Police Department," the city said.

Irvine police have another $88,300 with which to help educate the public about drunk driving and catch those under the influence, thanks to a grant from the California Office of Traffic and Safety. The department announced Tuesday that it was awarded the money to bolster DUI enforcement and education, including funding checkpoints throughout the city and officers with special training to identify impaired drivers. Drivers under the influence were responsible for 791 deaths and more than 24,000 injuries in California in 2010, according to an Irvine Police Department release citing state numbers.

In an evening that was more laced with political discontent than action taken, the Costa Mesa City Council on Tuesday unanimously authorized two new code-enforcement officers. For the fiscal year 2012-13, eight months of funding for the positions would require $106,623 to tackle citywide issues from peeling paint to noise complaints. For a full fiscal year, nearly $160,000 would be needed. City officials contend that the officers help improve the quality of life for residents.

Despite ongoing financial concerns, Save Our Youth on Friday night welcomed students back for another year and showed parents that the organization still has a lot to offer. "We aren't going anywhere and we see the need from the community," said Cesar Cappellini, chairman of the Costa Mesa-based nonprofit. More than a dozen parents came out for SOY's first Back to School Night to tour its facilities on the Rea Elementary School campus. They learned about its tutoring and academic offerings, fitness and dance programs, and art and music lessons.

The private investigator who followed Costa Mesa Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer home from a sports bar and called 911 to report him for drunk driving is a Marine veteran, a divorced father and a former police officer who spearheaded a program aimed at helping underage prostitutes, according to public records. Chris Lanzillo, 42, could not be reached for comment Monday, but aspects of his life can be drawn from court and newspaper accounts from the Inland Empire, where he is believed to reside, as well from military records and on Facebook.

Although Elia Eiroa Lledo, 16, had always wanted to be a district attorney, she really knew it was for her when she visited the Orange County Sheriff's Department this week as part of the 13th annual Summer Youth Education Conference. Elia is among 24 Orange County high school students, out of about 130 applicants, at the conference. For five days, the students have hands-on training about the criminal justice system and the roles of local law enforcement agencies. "They really teach you a lot about the justice system," said Elia, a Corona Del Mar High School junior.

With the school year ending, Newport Beach police this summer will again step up enforcement of the city's curfew for minors. Curfew for children younger than 18 is enforced from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily. Increased enforcement is set to begin Friday, according to a statement from the Newport Beach Police Department. After-hours crimes committed by juveniles are up slightly, which has necessitated the need to increase curfew patrols, police said Thursday. In addition, police said, they want to protect minors from becoming crime victims.

Newport Beach Code Enforcement officers have begun cracking down on poorly maintained buildings and properties on South Bristol Street and in Balboa Village. The actions, part of the city's revitalization efforts, are intended to spruce up a city entry point and a struggling commercial zone. According to a city newsletter, officers instructed South Bristol Street business owners and property owners to remove unpermitted signs and encouraged them to regularly maintain their properties.