Week in review

A $2.5-million claim was filed against the city last week, alleging

that officials should have done a better job in their background check

and supervision of Trenton Veches, the city youth leader accused of

inappropriate acts with children.

Abdul Alkayali, father of a 7-year-old allegedly victimized by Veches,

plans to sue if officials deny his claim.

Newport Coast resident representatives are preparing a list of

questions for the county in hopes of finding out what happened to up to

$50 million in taxes and fees that were supposed to benefit residents.

County officials have expressed confidence that once residents have

seen a full accounting, they will be assured that none of the money was

mishandled.

It was not a big surprise when Mayor Tod Ridgeway and City Councilman

Gary Adams announced they would run for reelection in November. Both men

cited water quality, general plan updates and citywide improvements as

priorities for the coming term.

About 40 eucalyptus trees got a close shave by power company tree

trimmers about three weeks after city crews trimmed the trees. The

incident prompted Southern California Edison officials last week to

pledge to communicate better with the city.

* June Casagrande covers Newport Beach. She may be reached at (949)

574-4232 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .

Well schooled

Been there, done that. High school is so yesterday for the hundreds of

graduates who celebrated the rite of passage on Thursday. All five

Newport-Mesa Unified School District high schools held graduation

ceremonies, celebrating the achievements of the Class of 2002 and

encouraging the graduates to go out and make their mark on the world.

The battle cry for independence reverberated throughout the halls of

Harbor View Elementary School in Newport Beach on Tuesday as

fifth-graders participated in the Walk Through the American Revolution.

Students came dressed as revolutionary characters like Thomas

Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin and acted out scenes from the battle of

Lexington and the Boston Tea Party.

* Deirdre Newman covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .

Arrests after a year

Costa Mesa police on Wednesday arrested three men in connection with a

failed armed robbery in a South Coast Plaza jewelry store more than a

year ago, officials said.

Raul Camacho Dorado, 26 and Antonio Alejandro Deltoro, 28, both of

Santa Ana, and Angel Uriostegui, 29, of Irvine, were arrested on

suspicion of attempting the robbery at Tiffany and Co. the night of May

8, 2001, said Costa Mesa Police Lt. Dale Birney.

The arrests Wednesday were a result of a year-long investigation that

led detectives to Uriostegui, who was employed as a security guard at the

jewelry store at the time of the incident, Birney said.

He was not in the store the night the alleged incident happened, but

police said he was found to be involved with the other two men in

planning the robbery.

On May 8, 2001, at about 9:15 p.m., Dorado and Deltoro allegedly

accosted two employees who were leaving the store after it was locked up,

police said. They pointed a handgun at the employees, led them back to

the store and asked them to open it, but a security guard who was inside

the store refused to let them in and called for assistance, Birney said.

Dorado and Deltoro then ran from the scene and one of them dropped his

weapon while running and was forced to stop to pick it up, he said. They

left the scene and were not apprehended, Birney said. All three men were

booked into the Costa Mesa jail with bail set at $50,000. Dorado and

Uriostegui bailed out Thursday.

* Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .

Close to vote

Newport Beach leaders will head to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday

for a somewhat altered package on new flight restrictions for John Wayne

Airport.

City leaders successfully added five more years to the nighttime

flight curfew, extending it out to 2020. Supervisors tentatively approved

the deal Feb. 26.

The agreement includes modest increases in the number of daily

flights, gates and annual passengers.

The Orange County Sanitation District unveiled the four plans for

treating the waste it releases into the ocean.

At a Wednesday meeting, board members decided to consider minimal

treatment, keeping the current level, moving to a higher level and using

newer technology.

On July 14, the agency will decide the matter and also whether it will

pursue a controversial federal sewage waiver.

* Paul Clinton covers the environment, John Wayne Airport and

politics. He may be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail ato7

[email protected] .

Cutting the numbers

The Costa Mesa City Council gave a close look to the proposed

$102.5-million budget and slashed various expenses, reducing the approved

budget by more than $1 million.

The approved budget includes $10 million in street improvements, $3.6

million in street maintenance, $76,000 for a new police sergeant, a

$50,000 gift to the South Coast Repertory and a $1,600 a year raise to

council members that will go into effect after the November election.

* Lolita Harper covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .