“It’s fun making fun of the stereotypes...

“It’s fun making fun of the stereotypes I’ve lived and my friends

have lived. It’s like watching dramatic versions of ourselves and

laughing at the stereotypes. It’s so overblown. But they get the

attitude right 80% of the time and they get the spirit of it.”

-- Madeline Levy, a Corona del Mar High School graduate, on the TV

show “The OC.”

“We’ve got quite a list of people who’d like to make a donation to

dedicate a bench in honor or in memoriam of local residents.”

-- Helen Wick, chairwoman of the beautification committee that is

planning a revamp of Marine Avenue on Balboa Island.

“The sidewalks were literally dangerous. They were so cracked and

broken up.”

-- Gail Rosenstein, a member of the Lido Isle Community Assn.

board, on a fixed-up Lido Isle Bridge.

“Caltrans just doesn’t care about us as we care about ourselves.

That highway divides our city right in half and it prevents us from

being a village.”

-- John Blom, chairman of the Corona del Mar Business Improvement

District, creator of the vision plan for the area, after the Newport

Beach City Council approved plans to take control of a stretch of E.

Coast Highway.

“What happened is he reduced a lot of Republican members and made

the partisan breakdown even more slanted toward Democratic members.”

-- Matt Back, spokesman for Assemblyman John Campbell, who was

booted off several committees by the Democratic speaker of the

Assembly.

“Oh, that’s a good shot.”

-- Ashley Svendsen, 10, of Eastbluff Elementary School during a

day of picture taking at Newport Dunes.