Peotter’s election to council tops CdM stories in 2014
Corona del Mar Today’s top 10 stories of 2014:
1. Voters elected Scott Peotter to represent Corona del Mar on the Newport Beach City Council. Peotter replaces two-term council member Nancy Gardner, and he and three other newly elected council members will get down to business this month. Already, Peotter has suggested getting rid of the Civic Center bunny statues, finding a way to let wood be used in beach fire rings and updating the city’s code regarding invocations to comply with existing laws.
2. The Corona del Mar High School sports complex project got the go-ahead from the Newport-Mesa Unified School District board of trustees, despite neighbors’ protests that it will add to noise and traffic that already compromise the quality of life in the Eastbluff neighborhood.
3. A year ago, Corona del Mar High was reeling after news broke that a private tutor may have helped students hack into teachers’ computers to change grades and steal tests. In October, police arrested the suspect, Timothy Lance Lai, as he returned to Los Angeles International Airport.
4. A yearlong project to replace 1920s-era water pipes in Corona del Mar — a project that closed East Coast Highway, lanes of MacArthur Boulevard, Carnation Avenue and more — was completed last summer.
5. Measure Y, which would have changed the city’s municipal code to allow more development in Newport Center, was defeated by voters in November after a campaign that focused on traffic congestion, particularly through Corona del Mar.
6. In June, a Corona del Mar High School student fell out of a party bus headed to the prom on the 73 Toll Road — and walked away with minor injuries.
7. The City Council officially added the Goldenrod Footbridge, built in 1928 over Bayside Drive, to the city’s list of historic sites.
8. The city briefly considered outsourcing Corona del Mar lifeguards, creating a flurry of protest signs, before deciding it wouldn’t save enough money to be worth it.
9. Corona del Mar Middle School’s enclave opened this school year after three years of construction.
10. A small massage business on Fernleaf Avenue in Corona del Mar closed after neighbors’ complaints led to the arrest of a worker on suspicion of prostitution.
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Things for your to-do list
Things to see and do Sunday in the Corona del Mar area:
• Head to Sherman Library & Gardens, where holiday lights are on display through Sunday. Admission is $3, and hours are 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sherman Library is at 2647 E. Coast Hwy. Call (949) 673-0033 for more information.
• Crystal Cove State Park will host a family hike at 9 a.m. beginning at the Berns Amphitheater. At 2 p.m., there will be a tide pool walk to Little Treasure Cove. Meet at Pelican Point Lot 1. The events are free, but there is a $15 day-use parking fee at state parking lots.
• The Back Bay Science Center will host a free Community Day event at 10 a.m. Tour the facility and the loop trail, check out the marine life and learn about education programs and public involvement opportunities. Children can participate in hands-on activities. The center is off Back Bay Drive on Shellmaker Island. No reservations are required.
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City offers Christmas tree pickup
Christmas trees will be collected on regular trash days, the Newport Beach website states, using a separate truck that may be later than the usual trash and recycling collection.
“Please cut oversized trees down to 6 feet in height or shorter and placed curbside by 7 a.m. on your collection day,” the website states.
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Wind causes debris on roadways
Newport Beach police responded to dozens of calls Tuesday afternoon and early Wednesday when high winds triggered alarms and blew debris onto roadways.
“We did receive a large volume of alarm calls … as well as calls for fallen debris and trees due to the high winds,” Jennifer Manzella, a department spokeswoman, said in an email.
Traffic hazards were reported on Coast Highway at Bayside Drive and MacArthur Boulevard, on Poinsettia Avenue and at other locations throughout the city. Burglar alarms were triggered in Corona del Mar, including the Cameo neighborhoods, Harbor View Hills South and other areas.