Rearview Mirror: O.C. Week in Review

Sunday, 05.24.15

Turning sewage into drinking water gains appeal

It’s a technology with the potential to ease California’s colossal thirst and insulate millions from the parched whims of Mother Nature, experts say. But there’s just one problem — the “yuck factor.” As a fourth year of drought continues to drain aquifers and reservoirs, California water managers and environmentalists are urging adoption of a polarizing water recycling policy known as direct potable reuse. (Los Angeles Times)

OCC sweeps baseball tournament

One day after Scott Serigstad was a groomsman, the Orange Coast College sophomore became a championship ring bearer by pitching six sterling relief innings to lead the Pirates to a 9-4 victory over San Joaquin Delta at Fresno City College. The victory gave OCC (30-17) a three-game sweep of the California Community College Athletic Assn. state tournament for the second straight season. (Daily Pilot)

Monday, 05.25.15

College district facing criticism over deal in Saudi Arabia

After years of competing with other college districts in Orange County for donor money, the Rancho Santiago Community College District thought it had struck upon a winning idea. Last year, the district was awarded an estimated $105-million contract to help run two technical schools in Saudi Arabia. But even before the ink on the deal — which has not been finalized — was dry, the college district found itself being criticized by some faculty members who say the project wasn’t publicly approved. And now, the Anti-Defamation League, a nonprofit organization that fights anti-Semitism, is raising questions about the potential ramifications of operating schools in a nation that is ruled by an absolute monarchy and has a far-from-sterling reputation when it comes to democracy. (Los Angeles Times)

A recall for Lee’s sandwiches

A Garden Grove firm is recalling about 213,000 pounds of meat products that were not properly inspected, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Lee’s Sandwiches supplied restaurants in Arizona, California, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon and Texas with some of the products, including pork and chicken pates and cooked turkey breast and salami. The firm also sold several types of beef jerky to stores in the same states. No related illnesses have been reported. The meat was produced between May 18, 2014, and May 18, 2015, according to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. (Los Angeles Times)

Tuesday, 05.26.15

Mail thefts on the rise

Newport Beach police warned about an uptick in package and mail thefts in the city. Police said residents reported eight such crimes between May 5 and 23. Packages were reported stolen from the front of homes in the 200 block of Morning Canyon Road, the 500 block of Acacia Avenue and the 2000 block of Yacht Defender, according to police. In the other incidents, items were taken from mailboxes throughout the city, including two on Port Carlisle Place and one on Balboa Boulevard. (Daily Pilot)

Lifeguards make rescues

Newport Beach lifeguards rescued 10 young swimmers when strong currents pulled them away from the shore on Memorial Day. Later that day, two teenagers were trapped on Ladder Rock near Cameo Shores when the tide came in, a Newport Beach Fire Department spokeswoman said. A boat took the teens to shore uninjured, according to fire officials. (Daily Pilot)

Wednesday, 05.27.15

Irvine repeals living-wage law

When Irvine adopted a living-wage ordinance nearly eight years ago, the city was cheered for its progressive effort to give its poorest wage earners a bigger paycheck. Now, as cities across the country are warming to the idea of increasing the minimum wage, Irvine is headed in the opposite direction. City Council members voted to repeal the 2007 ordinance. A second council vote is needed to finalize the repeal. The council meets again next month. (Los Angeles Times)

Costa Mesa gears up for Fish Fry

Visitors to the 68th annual Fish Fry and Carnival at Fairview Park in Costa Mesa this weekend can munch on deep-fried fish and other food, listen to live music, enjoy carnival games and rides, and enter their tots in a baby contest. (Daily Pilot)

Thursday, 05.28.15

Irvine’s Broadcom headed to sale

Long before Snapchat or Silicon Beach were ideas, chip maker Broadcom Corp. grew from its roots in a Santa Monica condominium into a 10,000-worker powerhouse in Irvine that helped turn Orange County into a technology hub. Co-founders Henry Samueli and Henry T. Nicholas III became billionaires in the process, and Nicholas championed Orange County as a burgeoning Southern California version of Silicon Valley. But now, with growth in the semiconductor industry slowing and its players consolidating to better survive, Broadcom said that it too would merge into a rival company — removing one of the region’s mainstay independent tech companies. (Los Angeles Times)

Newport man accused in Ponzi scheme

A 30-year-old man from Newport Beach is accused of financing his lavish lifestyle by running a phony investment scheme that netted him more than $13.5 million, authorities said. Brandon Walton Stewart told four investors — including a 92-year-old relative — that their money would be added to an investment fund with corporate stocks and foreign holdings, according to the Newport Beach Police Department and the Orange County district attorney’s office. But the investors didn’t receive the promised returns, police said. With the nearly $10 million that Stewart allegedly bilked from investors as part of a Ponzi scheme that began in 2009, he took trips to Las Vegas on a private jet and gambled thousands of dollars in casinos, police said. (Los Angeles Times)

Former Angel prices O.C. home at $15.5 million

Gary Matthews Jr. is swinging for the fences with his latest home offering. The former Angels outfielder has put his designer showplace in Corona del Mar on the market for $15.5 million, $12.5 million more than what he paid for the property in 2010. At that price, a sale would be among the highest-valued single-family home transactions ever for the Orange County community and the most expensive since the 22,000-square-foot Portabello Estate sold for $34,119,500 in 2010. Comparatively, the median sale price for single-family homes in the area in April was $2.063 million, based on 14 sales, according to CoreLogic DataQuick. (Los Angeles Times)

Friday, 05.29.15

Laguna faces new water restrictions

Beginning Monday, Laguna Beach County Water District customers must comply with beefed-up restrictions on outdoor water use or face fines. The district’s board adopted tighter water-saving rules in April to comply with Gov. Jerry Brown’s mandate issued earlier that month. Brown is requiring a statewide reduction in potable water use of 25% of 2013 levels by February in response to the severe drought. Residents may water outdoor landscaping using sprinklers only twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays — instead of three times weekly and only before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m. Sprinklers may operate for no more than 10 minutes at a time and with no runoff onto roads, driveways or sidewalks. (Coastline Pilot)

Man arrested on suspicion of child annoyance

An alleged sexual predator was arrested on suspicion of child annoyance and contributing to the delinquency of a minor in Seal Beach after he offered alcohol to a teenage girl and asked her to join him at his condominium, police said. Michael Lux, 64, approached the girl on the Seal Beach Pier on May 24 and offered to giver her a ride in his convertible, witnesses told Seal Beach police. (KTLA)