THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE:

Friends of Begonia Park — a group of Corona del Mar residents who oppose a property owner’s attempt to build a three-story house on a bluff in their neighborhood — plan to voice their concerns at an informal public hearing Friday, with Newport Beach City Councilwoman Nancy Gardner in attendance.

The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the northwest corner of Begonia Park. Gardner, who plans to vote on the property owner’s application at the council meeting Tuesday, said she had been invited to Friday’s event by Friends of Begonia Park and expected merely to answer residents’ questions.

“I know that there’s a number of people who feel very strongly about property rights, and we’ll be looking very closely at that,” Gardner said. “But I also know there are many people who are attached to that view, and we’ll be looking at that as well. I think it will be a lively meeting.”

The property owner, Kim Megonigal, wants to build a house cascading down the bluff, so that only one story is at street level.

Others in the neighborhood, though, say the construction would block some of the view of the bay from Begonia Park.

According to Dan Spletter, who lives a few houses away from the property, the group has hired an attorney and plans to file a lawsuit if the City Council approves the development Tuesday.

If the view of the bay was blocked, Spletter said, property values in the neighborhood may go down as a result. Megonigal, though, said he had already appeased his neighbors more than enough.

“I have bent over backward to protect the view from the park,” he said. “I have made a lot of concessions to not damage the view from the park, and I believe we’ve done a very good job of that, and I’m hoping the City Council will endorse the fact that I’ve done that. I’ve been very reasonable as a property owner to try to accommodate everyone’s viewpoint to the best of my ability.”

Hopefuls make rounds

Costa Mesa City Council candidates are revving their campaigns into high gear as November’s election nears.

Incumbent Katrina Foley walked the streets of Mesa Verde over the weekend with friends and supporters, while Jim Righeimer had a few meet and greets. Lisa Reedy and Nick Moss have also been checking in with voters and talking about the issues, they report.

Reedy says she was surprised by the amount of special interest groups courting her.

“I can’t believe how many groups are out there soliciting for endorsements. I guess I just wasn’t prepared for that in our small city of Costa Mesa,” Reedy said.

Reedy, Sneen, Moss and McEvoy all have said that they plan on running low-budget, grass-roots campaigns.

Officials chide gov.

California still doesn’t have a budget after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced he would veto the plan passed by the legislature Tuesday, and Newport-Mesa’s local representatives have come out harshly against the governor for his decision.

Throughout the budget process, Republican Assemblymen Van Tran and Chuck DeVore have constantly chided Schwarzenegger for supporting proposals that included tax increases. They frequently mentioned his name along with assembly Democrats as their opposition in the budget process.

Schwarzenegger’s office says the veto is pending because of necessary paperwork, but even when it does go through analysts say it’s likely the veto will be overridden by a two-thirds vote of the legislature.

Tran and DeVore have both said the budget is not ideal, but it at least doesn’t raise taxes.

ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at [email protected]. MICHAEL MILLER may be reached at (714) 966-4617 or at [email protected].