Outreach

Following the deaths of two homeless people, a pilot program shuttling Costa Mesa's homeless to spend nights at an emergency shelter in Santa Ana has been extended through Wednesday, service providers said. Pick-ups will take place at about 4 p.m. daily at the Lighthouse Church, 1885 Anaheim Ave., said Becks Heyhoe of the Churches Consortium, a homeless outreach program. They'll take homeless people to stay at the Armory emergency shelter run by Mercy House in Santa Ana. Then, a bus will leave Santa Ana for the Lighthouse at 6:15 a.m. Update: Organizers said the departure time from the armory in the morning is now scheduled for 6 a.m., not 6:15 a.m.  After a homeless man and woman were found dead on city streets Tuesday - just after the height of the cold snap - Costa Mesa scrambled to take action.

Sitting criss-cross on the floor, four kindergartners each placed a hand on the double bass towering over them to feel the vibrations as it was played. "Wow! How does that feel?" asked Pacific Symphony bassist Doug Basye. "Does it tickle?" Basye gave a lesson Thursday morning to a class of kindergartners at Victoria Elementary School on how the double bass works, the different sections of the orchestra and the works of American composer Aaron Copland. It was all part of Class Act, a partnership between the Costa Mesa-based Pacific Symphony and schools, to connect students with musicians and introduce them to a composer.

Newport Harbor High School junior Jason Cernius, 17, likes shooting hoops and playing pingpong with his little brother, 15-year-old Andrew. “I didn’t think that he would be able to do the things other brothers do at first, but I taught him how to play sports,” Jason said. Andrew, who has problems with language and social skills, was diagnosed with autism at age 3. He was diagnosed with brain cancer when he was 16 months old and given only a 20% chance of survival.

The owners of Triangle Square are rebranding the struggling Costa Mesa shopping center as The Triangle, where an upscale restaurant, entertainment and retail will mix with late hours, alcohol sales and a 10-lane bowling alley. Newport Beach-based Greenlaw Partners, with the help of outside finance partners, is attempting to revitalize the commercial complex that has been suffering high tenant vacancies in recent years. The master plan for its project received city approval in March.

Amid recent media reports and public scrutiny over developing changes at the Mesa Water District, its board president elaborated on the state of the district in a recent public speech. President Jim Fisler told attendees of a Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce breakfast April 18 that the district is financially strong, preparing itself for the future and, with the help of a bolstered communications department, committed to transparency and outreach. Fisler's nearly 40-minute speech at the Costa Mesa Country Club - which was planned before the April 14 publication of an Orange County Register investigation about the district's marketing expenditures - addressed the Register's story in part, but he also commented on it in a follow-up interview with the Daily Pilot.

Costa Mesa High School Les Miller Outstanding Student Awards MANDY NGUYEN GPA: 4.28 School Activities/Clubs: National Honor Society, California Scholarship Federation, ROP Emergency Medical Responder, ZOE academy Community: Mesa Verde Library, Heart of Jesus Retreat Center, part-time job at the Orange County Marketplace Honors: valedictorian, Balboa Bay Club Scholarship, Mustang Recognition Awards, Principal's Honor...

This corrects Gabrielle Herbosa's information. COSTA MESA HIGH SCHOOL Recipients of the 32nd annual Les Miller Outstanding Student Awards ANGELINE HONG School Activities/Clubs: Virtual Enterprise-Business Plan Team, Academic Decathlon, varsity tennis, Asian Club. Community: Vietnamese-American Philharmonic, National Piano Guild Auditions, Stand Up for Kids-Research Committee, FV Regional Hospital junior volunteer, CalTrans intern, Long Beach VA Hospital volunteer, beach cleanups.

Newport Beach City Manager Dave Kiff met with staff Wednesday to discuss the next steps after the City Council voted to remove fire rings at local beaches, an official said. The council voted Tuesday unanimously and without any debate to ask staff to remove the city's 60 rings because of safety and air quality concerns. But it will take several months — and California Coastal Commission approval — before the rings are gone. "We'll consult with both the Coastal Commission and state parks," said Laura Detweiler, the city's recreation and senior services department director.

Stephanie Chang hopes to make a difference for low-income families and the elderly in Costa Mesa. Chang founded Free Pantry, a farmer's market at Lighthouse Church & Outreach Ministries, in July with hopes to provide free, healthy food alternatives for those in need. "I learned from feeding the homeless for seven years," Chang said. "I thought if people do this, if people want to eat healthy, there is somewhere they can go for free and get fruits and vegetables. " Unlike other pantries that provide pre-packed bags, those in need can bring their own bags and fill them up with as much food as they want for free at Free Pantry.

Here are some of the decisions coming out of the Costa Mesa Planning Commission meeting on Monday. CHRISTIAN OUTREACH CENTER PARKING Costa Mesa planning commissioners unanimously approved a request from Christian Outreach Center officials to deviate from usual parking requirements for their new place of worship on Harbor Boulevard. Officials representing the Christian Outreach Center, slated to move into a 1,954-square-foot space in the Commerce Park complex, asked for a conditional-use permit that would reduce the required parking spaces from 25 to six. Plans for the church, which has about 30 members, call for a reception area, office space, sanctuary and restroom on the first floor and a youth room, "clothing and food room," and restroom on the second floor, according to a staff report.