Resignation

Here is a statement from Larry Hirst emailed to me regarding his resignation as boys' basketball coach at Newport Harbor High. * After 28 years of coaching (Southern Calif. College, Edison and Newport Harbor) I have decided to retire. The decision was based on what I thought was best for Newport Harbor High School, the Boys Basketball Program and my family. After all these years it seems that my "old fashioned/old school" ways were not reaching the bar that our staff and players had set over the years.

College Park Elementary School Principal John Sanders announced his resignation Tuesday on account of personal reasons. Sanders went on leave in the middle of May leading to some complaints from parents who said that the principal had been one of the main reasons for sending their children to the Costa Mesa school. His resignation takes effect June 30 and Assistant Principal Julie Duddridge will continue to serve in his place until a permanent replacement can be found, said district spokeswoman Laura Boss.

The resignation of U.S Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Monday was perhaps only a surprise in its timing, Newport Beach Rep. John Campbell said. “I hadn’t heard any rumors in the last week,” Campbell said, adding, “You see a lot of people leaving the administration now, when their effectiveness has been reduced.” While his colleague, Huntington Beach Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, was among the first congressional Republicans to call for Gonzales to step down, Campbell said he never had doubts about the attorney general’s performance.

Marisa O'Neil A Coast Community College District trustee's resignation takes effect today, a move that will substantially increase his pension, just days before an election that could return him to the same office. By submitting his resignation Friday, Trustee Armando Ruiz, 61, can boost his Coast yearly pension from $5,000 to about $55,000, and will boost his total yearly pension to $120,000, based on his other job as a counselor at Irvine Valley College.

John Heffernan cites time commitment as reason for leaving; he says 2004 challenger should replace him.Newport Beach City Councilman John Heffernan on Thursday announced he's stepping down from the council after serving for five years, including a six-month stint as mayor in 2005. He ran for reelection in 2004 and would have been termed out in 2008. Now the council will have to replace him, likely with an appointment. Heffernan submitted a resignation letter Wednesday to Mayor Don Webb and City Manager Homer Bludau, citing the time involved in serving on the council.

Deirdre Newman Two-term City Councilman Gary Adams announced Tuesday he will resign his post this fall, leaving the council with a vacancy in its ranks for the second consecutive year. Adams announced his intentions to his colleagues in an e-mail, saying a job promotion will take him and his family to Washington, D.C. Last year, it was Councilman Gary Proctor who left the dais. He was replaced by a council appointment -- Steve Rosansky. This time around, it's still unclear which process the council will chose to replace Adams, since his date of departure from the council isn't concrete yet, Mayor Tod Ridgeway said.

Costa Mesa’s top financial executive, Marc Puckett, abruptly resigned from his post on the board of directors of the California Municipal Treasurers Assn. about two weeks after he was placed on leave from City Hall for an undisclosed reason. Puckett was slated to take over as president of the professional organization in April before he sent out an e-mail announcing his resignation Aug. 24, said Kelley Williams, president of the California Municipal Treasurers Assn. “I was shocked, completely shocked,” Williams said.

Dick Freeman, the Corona del Mar High football coach since 1995, resigned Friday in a meeting with the school’s athletic director and principal. Freeman, 67-69-2 in 12-plus seasons at the helm of the Sea Kings, will continue to teach science at CdM. “After teaching at Corona del Mar for 25 years and serving as the head coach since 1995, Dick Freeman has decided to step down from the football program,” Athletic Director Paul Orris said in a statement Friday.

Dick Freeman, the Corona del Mar High football coach since 1995, resigned Friday in a meeting with the school’s athletic director and principal. Freeman, 67-69-2 in 12-plus seasons at the helm of the Sea Kings, will continue to teach science at CdM. “After teaching at Corona del Mar for 25 years and serving as the head coach since 1995, Dick Freeman has decided to step down from the football program,” Athletic Director Paul Orris said in a statement Friday.

Costa Mesa city officials accepted Finance Director Marc Puckett’s letter of resignation Monday, officially ending his employment with the city retroactive to Sept. 2. Puckett, 47, of Aliso Viejo, was put on administrative leave Aug. 13 for undisclosed reasons. City officials said it had nothing to do with financial improprieties. Puckett submitted his letter of resignation late last week, said City Manager Allan Roeder. “We had been waiting to hear from him,” he said.

The Costa Mesa Sanitary District's board is continuing its effort to remove Jim Fitzpatrick from the board because of a perceived conflict of interest with his recently relinquished Planning Commission seat. Fitzpatrick dropped the planning post after the Sanitary District directors said his involvement with both boards could one day prove incompatible. But his peers on the board do not believe the potential for conflict disappeared with his resignation. "Board member Fitzpatrick caused this by accepting the Planning Commission position after being advised by both the district counsel and the city's attorney that there was this legal doctrine that could cause him to lose his office," board President Bob Ooten wrote in an email.

Costa Mesa's former police chief, who left the department in 2011 amid concerns that he used city resources for personal travel to Arizona, is among five finalists to become police chief in Washington state. Chris Shawkey is applying to become the top cop in Des Moines, a suburb of about 29,000 located about 15 miles from Seattle. He resigned from the Costa Mesa Police Department in 2011, telling the Daily Pilot at the time that he "never shied away from the difficult issues" and was "proud of the job [he did in his]

Costa Mesa Planning Commissioner Jim Fitzpatrick resigned from his post Tuesday to keep his seat on the city's Sanitary District board, according to a letter sent to Mayor Eric Bever. In his letter, Fitzpatrick says his fellow Sanitary Board directors are using ratepayer funds in the amount of tens of thousands of dollars to sue him, both personally and as a director. "I have become a political piñata and it needs to stop," he wrote. "Our ratepayers shouldn't have to bear the cost of political grudges.

Estancia High softball coach Marcus Franco resigned Monday, school Principal Kirk Bauermeister announced. The Eagles finished 9-18, 4-6 in the Orange Coast League and did not make the CIF Southern Section playoffs in Franco's only season at the helm. Franco said he wanted to spend more time with his family. — From staff reports Hammel gets award UC Irvine senior Stephanie Hammel won the Southwest Region ITA/Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award. Hammel's four-year career included a Big West Conference title and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2010.

Ralph Grajeda has resigned after four seasons as Vanguard University baseball coach. Grajeda, who said he would pursue another coaching job, was 98-95, 64-76 in the Golden State Athletic Conference. The Lions finished 2012 at 23-21. In 2010, Grajeda led the Lions to an at-large berth in the NAIA Opening-Round Tournament. The team was ranked in the top 25 for most of the regular season and finished 34-20. The Lions missed the postseason the last two seasons. "Vanguard University afforded me the opportunity to learn and grow as a head collegiate baseball coach in the toughest conference in the NAIA," Grajeda said in a statement.

Boys' basketball is back at Newport Harbor High. Principal Michael Vossen said the school has reinstated the program, three weeks after he suspended it because of criminal threats made against then-coach Larry Hirst and his wife. The question facing Vossen and the Sailors is what kind of an impact has a turbulent past four months had on the program. "We want to take the program into a positive place right now," Vossen said. "The first step in doing that is hiring a new coach.

Here is a statement from Larry Hirst emailed to me regarding his resignation as boys' basketball coach at Newport Harbor High. * After 28 years of coaching (Southern Calif. College, Edison and Newport Harbor) I have decided to retire. The decision was based on what I thought was best for Newport Harbor High School, the Boys Basketball Program and my family. After all these years it seems that my "old fashioned/old school" ways were not reaching the bar that our staff and players had set over the years.

With the exception of Katrina Foley, the members of the Newport-Mesa Unified Board of Education need a civics lesson. For some reason, they were under the misperception that Supt. Jeffrey Hubbard was "innocent until proven guilty" and "entitled to his day in court. " While that was true in the criminal proceeding, it was not true in the employment context. Hubbard held a position of trust and fidelity as a superintendent of schools. The criminal charges against Hubbard, and the strong evidence in support of those charges, were enough to justify his termination for cause.

Newport Beach Harbor Commissioner Vincent Valdes resigned last week, citing time constraints with family and work. The president and chief executive of Columbia Yachts, Valdes said he was preoccupied with the release of a new racing boat. He also has twin 6-year-old and 9-year-old boys. "It's an enormous amount of work to get done," Valdes said in an interview. His first four-year term would have expired in June. Officials plan to follow their normal process for filling a commission vacancy and will be accepting applications soon, according to Harbor Resources Manager Chris Miller.

NEWPORT BEACH - Bob Torribio is the head coach of the Newport Harbor High boys' basketball team again. He has been in this position before at his alma mater, stepping in for longtime coach Larry Hirst twice in the past three seasons. In the previous times, Hirst left the program for a season three years ago to spend more time with his family, and then last season to take care of himself after collapsing because of dehydration during a game. Each time, Torribio, an assistant, always knew Hirst would return as the coach, and he did. This time around, Torribio doesn't have a firm answer as to whether Hirst will lead the Sailors again.