Around Town: Tickets on sale Saturday for three OC Fair concerts

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday for summer concerts at the Orange County Fair by Charli XCX, Echo & the Bunnymen and Steel Pulse.

Tickets will be available via Ticketmaster or the OC Fair & Event Center box office, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. The box office is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Charli XCX will perform along with the Bleachers on July 22 as part of the Toyota Summer Concert Series at the Pacific Amphitheatre. Echo & the Bunnymen and Berlin will play Aug. 7, and Steel Pulse and the Wailers are set for Aug. 15.

Remaining performances and action sports at the fair will be announced in coming months, according to a news release.

The fair will celebrate its 125th anniversary July 17 through Aug. 16.

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Costa Mesa mayor to receive award

Costa Mesa Mayor Steve Mensinger will receive an award this month from the California Apartment Assn.

During an April 22 fundraising gala at the Disneyland Hotel, Mensinger will receive the OC Housing Champion Award for his part in efforts that have led to more than 2,000 new residences and a revitalization of the city, according to a news release.

“Major residential development, under Mensinger’s watch, complements Costa Mesa’s status as one of Orange County’s leading cultural, retail and business centers,” the association stated in the release. “At the same time, development of this type can ease economic pressure to raise rents.”

Besides his city duties, Mensinger is president of real estate operations at Mesa Management, a Newport Beach-based firm whose real estate portfolio includes apartments, offices and retail spaces.

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Iranian American Women Foundation founder honored

Mariam Khosravani, founder and president of the Irvine-based Iranian American Women Foundation and executive director of the Coastline Community College Foundation, is a recipient of the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations’ 2015 Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

The annual medals recognize people for community service “while maintaining the traditions of their ethnic heritage as they uphold the ideals and spirit of America,” according to a news release.

Khosravani will be honored along with Meredith Vieira, George Uribe, Howard Lutnick and others during a ceremony May 9 on Ellis Island in New York.

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Costa Mesa woman to receive award from diabetes nonprofit

The Pediatric-Adolescent Diabetes Research and Education Foundation will honor Costa Mesa resident Tisha Jenkins with its Haretakis Award during the organization’s annual fashion show May 9 in Huntington Beach.

Jenkins began her involvement with PADRE in 2008, when her 11-year-old daughter was diagnosed with diabetes.

Jenkins has been active at PADRE events and helped establish programs for the Orange-based nonprofit, which supports youths who have diabetes, according to a news release.

“Tisha exemplifies sparking the spirit of philanthropy and encourages others to find their passion and support our kids,” Susan Brennan, president of PADRE’s board of directors, said in a statement.

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WWII veteran honored by France

Former Costa Mesa resident Jack Van Eaton was recently honored by France for his World War II service.

Van Eaton, 91, who now lives in Washington state, was knighted in February as a chevalier in France’s Legion of Honour. He served in the U.S. Army and fought in Europe.

Van Eaton was wounded during the Battle of the Bulge and received two Purple Hearts. While living in Costa Mesa, he spent 29 years with the Los Angeles Fire Department. He is now a fire commissioner in Bothell, Wash.

“I’m honored but remorseful that others who deserve it aren’t going to get this honor,” Van Eaton told The Daily Herald newspaper.

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Irvine schools rank high in survey

Irvine Unified was ranked as one of the best school districts for the buck among 375 California districts in a survey by financial website NerdWallet.

Irvine beat out all other Orange County districts to place 11th in an analysis based on affordability, class sizes, standardized test scores and college readiness. The data used, from 2013, was from the U.S. Census Bureau and the state Department of Education.

Irvine Unified students posted an average SAT score of 1813 and a 95.5% graduation rate, according to NerdWallet. The average student-to-teacher ratio was 24.87 to 1, and the median home price in the district was $639,900.

— From Staff Reports