Irvine’s top stories of 2014: political change, park audit, deadly crash
From the ousting of longtime City Councilman Larry Agran in November to accusations that UC Irvine’s top police officials spied on staff and the public, a lot has happened in the past year in Irvine.
Here are the Daily Pilot’s top 10 news stories from Irvine in 2014:
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City Council election
The Republican majority on the City Council gained strength in November as Irvine voters ousted longtime Democratic council member Larry Agran.
Mayor Steven Choi won reelection, as did Mayor Pro Tem Jeffrey Lalloway. They and council members Christina Shea and Beth Krom are joined by new Councilwoman Lynn Schott. Krom is now the only Democratic voice on the council.
Voters also passed Measure V, or the Orange County Great Park Fiscal Transparency and Reforms Act, amid a council debate over an audit of more than $200 million in expenditures on the Great Park project.
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Great Park audit
The city launched a forensic audit into how more than $200 million was spent on planning of the Great Park while only a small piece of it was built.
The Orange County district attorney’s office plans to review the audit once it is completed for its own investigation.
The Great Park was pitched to the community more than a decade ago as a way to transform the former El Toro Marine air base into a showpiece public amenity that would rival Central Park in New York City.
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Five teens die in crash
Five Orange County teenagers were killed in a fiery early-morning crash in October on the 5 Freeway at the interchange with the 133 toll road. The sole survivor, a 16-year-old boy who was driving a BMW containing all the teens, was hospitalized with a head injury.
As the group was heading home after a night at Knott’s Berry Farm’s Halloween attraction, the sedan veered off the road and hit a guardrail. The car continued up an embankment, came to rest on a concrete retaining wall and burst into flames.
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Obama speaks at UCI graduation
More than 8,000 UC Irvine graduates and their families listened as President Obama delivered the university’s 50th commencement address at Angel Stadium in Anaheim in June.
His speech focused on the aspirations of the current generation, climate change and the need for optimism when dealing with problems.
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Veterans cemetery
Gov. Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 1453 in September, clearing the way to establish a long-sought state veterans cemetery at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, the former site of a military base.
The bill directs the California Department of Veterans Affairs to work on design and development of the cemetery and appropriates $500,000 for the department to seek federal funds to cover the cost of the project.
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Sentencing in revenge case
Kent Easter, a 40-year-old Irvine lawyer, was sentenced in October to six months in jail for his part in a revenge scheme that involved planting drugs in a school volunteer’s car.
In September, a jury convicted Easter of one felony count of false imprisonment by deceit for plotting with his wife, Jill Bjorkholm Easter, to frame a PTA volunteer in 2011.
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UCI police accused of spying
A lawsuit filed in November by the union representing UC Irvine campus police officers accused top officials with the UCI Police Department of secretly installing microphones and cameras to spy on employees at the organization’s headquarters.
Microphones capable of picking up sound through walls were placed throughout the building, recording private conversations of employees and the public in restrooms, hallways, offices and other areas, the lawsuit alleged.
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Life term in murder at UCI
Brian Benedict, 40, a former UC Irvine graduate student, was sentenced in September to life in prison without parole for murdering his ex-wife on campus in 2009 after a child-support dispute.
A jury found Benedict guilty of attacking Rebecca Clarke with a hammer and then shooting her in the face when she tried to flee.
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Animal Care Center criticized
Animal-adoption advocates accused the city-operated Irvine Animal Care Center of euthanizing animals carelessly, barbarically and for space reasons.
The City Council in November vowed to look into the issue after former staff members and volunteers requested an independent investigation of procedures at the center.
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Frat party upsets UCI students
The UC Irvine chapter of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity came under fire in May after students complained that its annual FIJI Islander party – a philanthropic event designed to raise money for charitable organizations – was culturally insensitive to Pacific Islanders.