Park Rangers

COSTA MESA — The Costa Mesa Police Department is set to reopen a police substation on the city's Westside in about a month, according to authorities. The substation is near Lions Park at 567 W. 18th St. and is part of a joint effort between the City Council and Police Department to reach out to the community and have a greater presence on the Westside, according to Lt. Bryan Glass. The location will not be open to the public and will largely serve as an office for the two new park rangers who are expected to work in Lions Park, Capt.

Deirdre Newman The City Council passed a law on Tuesday giving park rangers the authority to enforce permits for parks and other city facilities. For years, residents and youth-sports teams have bought permits to reserve picnic shelters and park areas, but there has been no way to enforce them if someone without a permit shows up first. "It's just to have some broader powers of enforcement so [park rangers] can more adequately do their job," Mayor Tod Ridgeway said.

Alicia Robinson County park rangers may soon be armed with a new weapon to fight violations of park ordinances: a citation book. Orange County supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to have county Harbors, Beaches and Parks division staff members create a plan to make sure the county's 53 park rangers meet state qualifications for peace officers and train the rangers to issue civil citations. Rangers will be authorized to write citations for violations of county ordinances against drinking alcohol in parks, destroying natural resources, playing loud music and other activities that damage county parks or inhibit people's enjoyment of them, said Bob Hamilton, program planning manager for the Harbors, Beaches and Parks division.

Orange County park rangers could soon have the power to cite people violating rules and regulations in local parks. County supervisors are scheduled to vote today on whether to give final approval to a proposal that would allow county park rangers to issue citations for minor violations. Last week, all five supervisors gave preliminary approval to the plan. In the Newport-Mesa area, the Upper Newport Bay, Talbert Nature Preserve and Newport Harbor are under the county's jurisdiction.

An Irvine man died while hiking in Joshua Tree over the weekend, authorities said Monday. Fredrick McMichael, 39, was with a group of about six to eight people on the Lost Horse Mine trail when he had what appeared to be a massive attack of some kind, said Joe Zarki, a spokesperson for Joshua Tree National Park. McMichael was near the apex of a rugged portion of the trail when he had an apparent heart attack, Zarki said. Park rangers were notified about 4:30 p.m. Saturday by people in McMichael's group that the man had collapsed.

What a novel idea the city of Newport Beach has come up with: It's going to enforce rules. The City Council decided last week to give its park rangers the power to enforce permits for park space and other city facilities. In the past, residents and groups would pay anywhere from $18 to $221 an hour to reserve public space -- whether it be a picnic area or a playing field -- only to find another group had taken over their reserved spot. Sometimes the matter could be cleared up with a brief explanation.

No hotel on peninsula, but drug rehab center OK? Newport Beach City Councilman Dick Nichols is right to strongly oppose the proposed 15th Street drug rehab center ("Peninsula residents decry drug rehabilitation center," April 12). The Balboa Peninsula is already Newport Beach's dumping ground, with run-down weekly rentals near expensive oceanfront homes, empty storefronts and restaurants and occasional vagrants roaming about. We cannot have Stephen Sutherland's beautiful new hotel on 15th Street, but we can have a drug rehab center instead?

June Casagrande There's a new sheriff in town. Well, not exactly, but two recent additions to the city team now have some added power to punish abusers of local parks. The City Council on Tuesday approved a plan to give the city's two park rangers the power to hand out citations for some offenses. The tickets they dole out could be simple "administrative citations," which serve as formal warnings. Or, in more extreme cases, they could carry fines of $100 for a first offense or up to $500 for repeat offenses.

June Casagrande Park abusers who play music too loudly, drink liquor or build illegal fires could soon get slapped with fines from $100 for a first offense to $500 for later offenses. Council members tonight will consider whether to give the city's two park rangers power to issue citations for a range of common violations. But their new muscle, if granted by the council, would take a back seat to their main role -- educating park users to prevent further violations, city Recreation and Senior Services Director Marie Knight said.

An Irvine man died while hiking in Joshua Tree over the weekend, authorities said Monday. Fredrick McMichael, 39, was with a group of about six to eight people on the Lost Horse Mine trail when he had what appeared to be a massive attack of some kind, said Joe Zarki, a spokesperson for Joshua Tree National Park. McMichael was near the apex of a rugged portion of the trail when he had an apparent heart attack, Zarki said. Park rangers were notified about 4:30 p.m. Saturday by people in McMichael's group that the man had collapsed.

COSTA MESA — The Costa Mesa Police Department is set to reopen a police substation on the city's Westside in about a month, according to authorities. The substation is near Lions Park at 567 W. 18th St. and is part of a joint effort between the City Council and Police Department to reach out to the community and have a greater presence on the Westside, according to Lt. Bryan Glass. The location will not be open to the public and will largely serve as an office for the two new park rangers who are expected to work in Lions Park, Capt.

In the state’s struggle to deal with the huge budget deficit, some of its solutions have trickled down to the shore. State parks and beaches across California will see a reduction in services until the end of the fiscal year in June, including Crystal Cove State Beach, state officials said. “We’re looking to cut about 20% of the budget for our $13-million deficit,” said Rich Haydon, a superintendent in California’s Orange Coast District, which includes Crystal Cove.

I couldn’t help but chuckle while reading Chuck Cassity’s rant from Friday (“Some learning experiences worth scoffing at”). His third bullet point is a veiled swipe at President Obama, and what he actually does is describe George W. Bush to a T. Our former president had management and executive experience (oil company Arbusto and the Texas Rangers), served in the military (Texas Air National Guard), started a company (Arbusto), held a job in the private sector (again Arbusto)

After several years of complaints about organized sports in Paularino Park, Costa Mesa city leaders are taking a look at all parks and what activities are appropriate based on each park's size. The parks commission, City Council and residents have gone back and forth since at least 2003 about whether sports such as soccer should be allowed at Paularino Park. Opponents argue the park is simply too small, and a soccer game with more than a few players puts other park users in the path of charging feet and flying balls.

Orange County park rangers could soon have the power to cite people violating rules and regulations in local parks. County supervisors are scheduled to vote today on whether to give final approval to a proposal that would allow county park rangers to issue citations for minor violations. Last week, all five supervisors gave preliminary approval to the plan. In the Newport-Mesa area, the Upper Newport Bay, Talbert Nature Preserve and Newport Harbor are under the county's jurisdiction.

El Morro editorial missed valid points The Daily Pilot's Feb. 13 editorial titled "Two doses of unimpressive from Chuck DeVore" ignores several very important points about the assemblyman's plan for El Morro Village. The most important of these is that the state already has several beachfront properties slated for conversion to public use but lacks the money to develop them. A prime example of this is the Monarch Beach mobile home park near my home in Dana Point.

What a novel idea the city of Newport Beach has come up with: It's going to enforce rules. The City Council decided last week to give its park rangers the power to enforce permits for park space and other city facilities. In the past, residents and groups would pay anywhere from $18 to $221 an hour to reserve public space -- whether it be a picnic area or a playing field -- only to find another group had taken over their reserved spot. Sometimes the matter could be cleared up with a brief explanation.

Deirdre Newman The City Council passed a law on Tuesday giving park rangers the authority to enforce permits for parks and other city facilities. For years, residents and youth-sports teams have bought permits to reserve picnic shelters and park areas, but there has been no way to enforce them if someone without a permit shows up first. "It's just to have some broader powers of enforcement so [park rangers] can more adequately do their job," Mayor Tod Ridgeway said.