Mesa

COSTA MESA - At the end of the sixth inning, the Costa Mesa High softball team gathered near the dugout and yelled, "Estancia!" The players then lined up to slap hands with rival Estancia. The Mustangs believed Thursday's Orange Coast League home game was over. It wasn't, but it might as well have been. The teams played one more inning, going the normal seven. The Eagles added three runs to their 23-12 rout, helping them sweep the Battle for the Bell series against Costa Mesa for the second straight year.

The city of Costa Mesa on Thursday announced several openings for police officers. The authorized positions, which were already budgeted, are 10 full-time and 10 reserve officers, according to a city news release. "It'll get the department to full strength," said city CEO Tom Hatch, "and the reserve officers will further support the Police Department. " A part-time recruitment analyst with the city's human resources department, at the cost of about $2,400 a month, will partner with the Police Department for the hiring process.

COSTA MESA - Costa Mesa High's Orange Coast League swimming dual meet began a half hour early on Wednesday. The timing wasn't an inconvenience for the Mustangs. They traveled just across town to compete at rival Estancia. The Mustangs accommodated the Eagles and with good reason. Estancia boys' coach John Carpenter said he and many of the school's swimmers planned to attend a funeral after the meet. The meet ended in time for them to do so. The start time didn't affect the results between the two schools in the pool.

The talking points, debates and wounds of November were made fresh again at City Hall on Tuesday as the City Council explored new directions to create a city charter. Following the general election's sound defeat of the contested document that would have instituted home rule for the city instead of the state's guidelines, a majority of the council members indicated a preference this time around for a committee to go about the charter creation effort. The composition of that committee, as well as the process by which the council would appoint the group's members, faces further discussion and debate.

A 46-year-old Laguna Niguel woman suffered major injuries in a three-vehicle collision that involved Costa Mesa residents on the 55 Freeway, officials said Monday. She was taken to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana about 10 p.m. Sunday, according to authorities. A California Highway Patrol report says the Laguna Niguel woman rear-ended a 2000 Ford while traveling south on the 55 just north of MacArthur Boulevard in Santa Ana. A 2013 Jeep then rear-ended her 1998 Chevrolet. A 25-year-old Santa Ana man driving the Ford and a 40-year-old Costa Mesa woman driving the Jeep were uninjured, but a 73-year-old female passenger from Costa Mesa in the Jeep was taken to Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach with minor injuries.

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District does many things right, but spending money while crying poverty is not one of them. In the next few weeks, we will hear from the district about shortfalls, insufficient funding by the state, the sharing of finances with poor districts and all the dire consequences that are going to befall the district, like the cutting of programs. On the other hand, we will also hear about how smart this district is in conserving our money, and there will be a lot of inordinate number of pats on the back for saving the district in the face of the most draconian financial period in history.

Should Costa Mesa have a charter? How should such a city constitution be created? A City Council session scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive, is expected to address these and other questions. A news release from the city said it has grappled with whether Costa Mesa, a general-law city, should draft a charter and whether by a commission of 15 voter-elected members or a committee of appointees, the number of which and process of choosing would also need to be determined.

COSTA MESA — The Estancia High baseball team rang up its opponent well before the actual bell on the Paul Troxel Trophy at home plate. In three games against rival Costa Mesa this season, the Eagles pounded out 38 hits and 36 runs. They produced their latest runs under the lights at TeWinkle Park on Wednesday, and their bats shined bright in a 12-0 rout of the Mustangs. Estancia swept the three-game series against the Mustangs and beat them for the 10th straight time. The Battle for the Bell is Estancia's for the fourth straight season and three of those have been clean sweeps.

Melissa Mead ran in the Boston Marathon for the first time Monday. She will remember it more now because of the two bombings near the finish line at the historic race. Mead was among at least 35 runners from the Newport-Mesa area who ran in the world's oldest and most prestigious footrace. Mead, of Costa Mesa, is a Newport Harbor High School and UC Irvine alumna. The 23-year-old said she finished the race in about 3 hours, 49 minutes, some 20 minutes before an explosion went off near the finish line.

Population density, parking and the intricacies of owners versus renters were all topics raised during a City Council discussion Tuesday night regarding a proposed condominium project in Costa Mesa. The 22 live-work units along Industrial Way would be combined with a similar but larger condo complex on the site of Anchor Trailer Port, a mobile home park on Newport Boulevard slated for closure and conversion later this year. Newport Beach-based IntraCorp is the developer of both Westside projects, which would have about 60 similar units combined over about 3 total acres.