EDITORIAL

No dial tone. No grass.

These problems -- more typical of someone’s home -- are plaguing

Newport Beach and Costa Mesa city halls. In the case of the lack of grass

at Costa Mesa’s Farm Sports Complex, the problem has been around for

years.

With all the rain in recent weeks, the grass still isn’t vibrant, but

city officials are reassuring residents, again, that everything is fine

and the grass this summer will be so lush that others will get green with

envy.

Imagine if your neighbor couldn’t figure out how to throw a little

fertilizer on the front lawn. After a few years of watching the brown

wisps of grass blow in the wind, you’d probably offer to help re-seed and

maybe even add some new top soil.

It hasn’t gotten to that point, yet, at the Fairview Road park, but if

another spring comes and nothing springs to life, residents might be

forced to pull out their own backhoes.

In Newport Beach, the problem is one Ma Bell would love but also one

that is forcing the city to spend $100,000 on a new phone system.

In the past months, several council members have been among the

callers lost in the city’s present voicemail system. Now, following a few

inquiries, the city is about to install the new, interactive one that

promises to be more customer-friendly.

Problem solved, apparently, and none too soon. Think about it: Again

imagine if your neighbor’s answering machine left you constantly in

limbo.

Eventually you’d stop calling. Unless it was to scream about the dead

lawn.