Sierra Club

Costa Mesa City Council candidate Chris Bunyan won his first environmental endorsement of his campaign from the Sierra Club over the weekend. The national organization recognized Bunyan for his fervent work defending Banning Ranch, a 400-acre parcel of coastal land that he wants to see left as open space for the enjoyment of community members. “It’s my first major endorsement, so it feels good. It shows that the Banning Ranch issue and others involving the environment in the community are catching,” Bunyan said.

Mail CALENDAR items to Daily Pilot Calendar, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626, or e-mail dpcalendar@latimes.com. SATURDAY THE PLANETS IN MUSIC Come out and enjoy an evening of cosmos-inspired music, NASA footage, and fireworks in celebration of the beauty and mystery of the planets, starting at 8 p.m. This event will be conducted by Carl St. Clair at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in...

The top films from the Banff Mountain Film Festival will be shown at 7 p.m. March 19 at OCC?s Robert B. Moore Theatre. The festival is sponsored by OCC Friends of the Library and the Sierra Club. Outdoor adventures and portraits of climbing, expeditions, culture and unique places are the topic of the films featured at the event. A Canadian film, ?Inner Balance,? will be a featured short at the event. It?s about top bicycle riders from the U.S., Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

The 600 people who showed up at the State Parks Department's Jan. 18 "informational" meeting on plans for the historic district clearly rejected the resort alternative. "No resort" was the cry. They cheered loudest at the news that developer Michael Freed's right to develop the resort remains "subject to all permits and approvals not yet had or obtained" -- a contract without the needed approvals is only paper. A stand-up ovation followed the challenge to Freed to exercise his contract option to terminate the ill-conceived resort contract after failing to obtain any of the appropriate approvals in the three years since its signing.

Send AROUND TOWN items to the Daily Pilot, 330 W. Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627; by e-mail to luis.pena@latimes.com; by fax to (949) 646-4170; or by calling (949) 574-4298. Include the time, date and location of the event, as well as a contact phone number. TODAY Dr. Daniel Ng will discuss "The Surgical Treatment of Rectal Cancers" from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Hoag Cancer Center Radiation Oncology Library. Registration is required. Information: (949)

Brownell, Patricia Ann (Lloyd), 75, passed away March 3, 2009 at Hoag Hospital after a long and courageous battle against kidney disease. Born in Cleveland, Ohio on April 25, 1933; resident of Newport Beach since 1974. She leaves David, her beloved husband of 55 years; children Todd (Anne), Jeff (Cori), Lisa Coords (Brian), and Kris; sister Carol Brownell; brothers Gary and Mike (Debbie) Lloyd; as well as 8 grandchildren, her Aunt Helena, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Civil rights activist and Oakland native Van Jones came to OCC Thursday to talk about color and America — not black and white, but green. Jones spoke to students as part of “Focus the Nation,” a teach-in hosted at the community college raising awareness about global warming. Jones is the founder of the Ella Baker Center, which fights against human rights abuses. He flew down to speak at the school, not just about saving the world, but how saving the world can save jobs.

Paul Clinton CORONA DEL MAR -- Facing a hostile crowd, developer Michael Freed tried to describe Thursday night where on the beach he would put some of the amenities of his luxury resort project for Crystal Cove. "Put it in Riverside," one man yelled. The California Parks and Recreation Department held the public meeting Thursday to inform community members about the status of Freed's project, a resort that has yet to undergo public review. State parks officials joined Freed at Corona del Mar's Lincoln Elementary School, where more than 600 people crammed into an auditorium to listen and voice their opinions.

Complaints about a proposed resort at Crystal Cove State Park boiled down to a few hard points. Opponents said the luxury hotel's $375-a-night room rates were a terrible fit for the cove's rustic feel. They worried the cove's historic cottages would fall into disrepair if the buildings were not the focus of attention and care. And, most of all, they attacked the state for striking what they called a secret deal with developer Michael Freed, who proposed the $35-million resort.

Stefanie Frith CRYSTAL COVE -- In what residents and community activists are calling a giant step for the beach cottage community, park officials announced a decision to end a contract for a $35 million hotel resort, Sierra Club spokesperson Jeannette Merrilees said Saturday. However, the state must still reach a final settlement to buy out the 60-year contract with developer Michael Freed, who is in Fiji and could not reached for comment. State parks officials were also unavailable Saturday.

Christine Bonadonna AP and IB Classes Taken: AP Biology; AP World History; AP U.S. History; AP Calculus AB; AP Calculus BC; AP Physics; IB English; IB Chemistry; IB Psychology; IB Spanish; IB Theory of Knowledge School Activities/Clubs: Other than being a part of the IB program, I haven't significantly taken part in any activities or clubs, but I have attended several of the school plays and band recitals to support my friends....

IRVINE — UC Irvine is a "cool school," at least according to a survey by the Sierra Club. The fourth annual list recognizes the greenest schools in the nation, according to their commitment to sustainability in energy, efficiency, food, academics, waste management, administration, financial investments and other categories. "It's an acknowledgement of many aspects of the campus community," said Wendell Brase, vice chancellor for administrative & business services, in a statement.

Brownell, Patricia Ann (Lloyd), 75, passed away March 3, 2009 at Hoag Hospital after a long and courageous battle against kidney disease. Born in Cleveland, Ohio on April 25, 1933; resident of Newport Beach since 1974. She leaves David, her beloved husband of 55 years; children Todd (Anne), Jeff (Cori), Lisa Coords (Brian), and Kris; sister Carol Brownell; brothers Gary and Mike (Debbie) Lloyd; as well as 8 grandchildren, her Aunt Helena, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Costa Mesa City Council candidate Chris Bunyan won his first environmental endorsement of his campaign from the Sierra Club over the weekend. The national organization recognized Bunyan for his fervent work defending Banning Ranch, a 400-acre parcel of coastal land that he wants to see left as open space for the enjoyment of community members. “It’s my first major endorsement, so it feels good. It shows that the Banning Ranch issue and others involving the environment in the community are catching,” Bunyan said.

The top films from the Banff Mountain Film Festival will be shown at 7 p.m. March 19 at OCC?s Robert B. Moore Theatre. The festival is sponsored by OCC Friends of the Library and the Sierra Club. Outdoor adventures and portraits of climbing, expeditions, culture and unique places are the topic of the films featured at the event. A Canadian film, ?Inner Balance,? will be a featured short at the event. It?s about top bicycle riders from the U.S., Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

Civil rights activist and Oakland native Van Jones came to OCC Thursday to talk about color and America — not black and white, but green. Jones spoke to students as part of “Focus the Nation,” a teach-in hosted at the community college raising awareness about global warming. Jones is the founder of the Ella Baker Center, which fights against human rights abuses. He flew down to speak at the school, not just about saving the world, but how saving the world can save jobs.

Mail CALENDAR items to Daily Pilot Calendar, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626, or e-mail dpcalendar@latimes.com . TILL NOV. 29 The West Coast premiere of "Ridiculous Fraud," a comedy about three brothers and their efforts to make ends meet while trying to bail their father out of jail, is showing on the Segerstrom Stage at South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Show time is 7:30 p.m. Tuesday; 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday; 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sundays.

Engineers and surveyors group praises Van Tran; another endorsement made in yet-to-begin race; JWA fee passes muster with taxpayers group.As the year ends, groups that watch lawmakers are totting up lists of who's been naughty and who's been nice -- or at least who's promoted their interests through legislation. It's a mixed bag in most cases, with Newport-Mesa's legislators generally being proclaimed business-friendly but not always advocates of environmental and social spending programs.

Send AROUND TOWN items to the Daily Pilot, 330 W. Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627; by e-mail to luis.pena@latimes.com; by fax to (949) 646-4170; or by calling (949) 574-4298. Include the time, date and location of the event, as well as a contact phone number. TODAY Dr. Daniel Ng will discuss "The Surgical Treatment of Rectal Cancers" from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Hoag Cancer Center Radiation Oncology Library. Registration is required. Information: (949)