Former city worker’s vandalism trial delayed

An Orange County Superior Court judge agreed Monday to postpone the trial of a former Costa Mesa city employee accused of tampering with political campaign signs last year.

Steven Charles White, 39, faces a misdemeanor vandalism charge for allegedly destroying a campaign sign for now-Mayor Pro Tem Steve Mensinger, Councilman Gary Monahan and council candidate Colin McCarthy, known collectively as the 3Ms, and a sign for Measure V, a proposed charter initiative.

White was not present for proceedings at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach. His trial has been continued to Oct. 28.

Prosecutors contend that on Oct. 20, 2012, the city maintenance worker destroyed the campaign signs along Fair Drive in Costa Mesa.

If convicted, White faces a sentence ranging from probation to a year in jail, a $1,000 fine and restitution, the Orange County district attorney’s office said in a January news release.

— Emily Foxhall

Twitter: @emfoxhall