BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS:Paddle-out ceremony to honor Rupert the swan

A Hawaiian paddle-out ceremony will be held today for Rupert, the black swan accidentally killed this month by a Harbor Patrol boat rushing to an emergency call.

The ceremony is organized by the Imua Outrigger Canoe Club.

The group will meet at 8 a.m. at the United States Coast Guard station, 1911 Bayside Drive, Corona del Mar.

The procession will begin at 8:30 a.m. with the ceremony at the mouth of the bay scheduled for 9 a.m.

American Legion garage sale today

The American Legion Auxiliary Unit 291 in Newport Beach is holding a garage sale today from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 200 E. 20th St. in Costa Mesa.

The proceeds will go to pay for postage for care packages sent to troops in Iraq.

Early this month, the group paid nearly $3,000 in postage to mail 357 packages to Iraq.

Local museum presents California artists

The Orange County Museum of Art’s 2006 California Biennial exhibit opens Sunday, with events including a round-table discussion with curators and chances to meet the featured artists, and a screening of a documentary on foreign-owned factories in Tijuana.

The exhibit includes more than 150 multimedia works from California artists.

It will be on display at the Orange County Museum of Art, 850 San Clemente Drive, Newport Beach, through Dec. 31.

For information call (949) 759-1122.

Water district, JWA to conserve water

Mesa Consolidated Water District and John Wayne Airport announced cooperative efforts to conserve water.

During a recent remodeling of restrooms, the airport installed waterless and

low-flow facilities, and officials expect water-efficient plans for the upcoming airport expansion will reduce sewer flows by as much as 20%.

For information on the water district’s water efficiency programs, call (949) 631-1205 or visit www.mesawater.org.

If there ought to be a law, write it yourself

Huntington Beach Sen. Tom Harman recently kicked off his new “There Oughta Be a Law” contest, inviting students in the sixth through 12th grades to send him their ideas for new laws.

The winning idea will be proposed as a bill, and its author will be invited to Sacramento to have lunch with Harman and deliver the bill to the Senate desk.

Information on the contest and an application are available at www.sen.ca.gov/harman.

Applications are due by Nov. 30. Harman’s state Senate district includes Newport Beach and Costa Mesa.