Foley: Let’s go UCLA Bruins!

The UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans are gearing up for a huge battle Saturday. And as many in Orange County are aware, the county is SC fan territory. But the Bruins refuse to sit on the sidelines in this crosstown rivalry. So in the name of healthy competition, Costa Mesa Councilwoman Katrina Foley, a UCLA alumna and a devout Bruins fan, helped her two young boys and their friends get back at their music teacher.

Nick St. Royal, Sonora Elementary School’s music teacher and band director, is a die-hard Trojan fan.

Foley said that on the first day of class, St. Royal told his students: “I graduated from the greatest university on the planet, do you know which one that is?”

St. Royal’s classroom is decorated with SC flags and posters.

So with Foley’s help, Ben and Sam, her sons, and Nora and Jimmie, the boys’ friends, got permission from the school’s principal to enter St. Royal’s classroom and decorate it with blue and gold — the Bruins’ colors.

They posted notes that said “UCLA rules,” hung Bruins banners and blue and yellow balloons in St. Royal’s classroom. Then they took pictures.

In an e-mail to Foley, St. Royal, who earned his master’s from SC, said: “Well, band on Tuesday was certainly an unforgettable experience.

“I have never been surprised like that before. I was in total shock at the sight of all that blue and gold ... Great job, you really got me. But Saturday, it will be payback.”

Fair issue spills over

The debate over the fate of the Orange County Fairgrounds spilled over into Newport Beach politics Tuesday night. During public comments, several folks pleaded with the City Council to stand alongside their neighboring city.

And in what was clearly a surprise for most people in the audience, four or five folks walked into the meeting with one agenda: Save the fairgrounds. One woman held up a small sign backing their cause. One by one, they went up to the dais and complained about the governor and the potential fate of the fairgrounds. At first, their point seemed misguided because the fairgrounds are not in Newport Beach. But by the end, it was clear they were simply asking for the council to back Costa Mesa’s decision to plead with the governor to call off the sale.

The council didn’t make any commitments, but if they don’t soon, expect to see more signs and more people at the next meeting.