A few turkeys and an eagle

JIM DE BOOM

For the second year in a row, I deviate from the traditional

Community and Clubs format to present the Turkey Awards for Costa

Mesa and Newport Beach. Last year’s second runner-up in the Turkey

competition, Gray Davis, was recalled earlier this fall as governor

of the state of California. First runner-up, Irvine Mayor Larry

Agran, continues with the Great Park Hoax, while Turkey of the Year

for 2002 Dave Ellis jumped to the Daily Pilot’s top 103 list of

influential people in the Newport-Mesa communities in position No.

13.

For a week now, the nominating committee, consisting of

environmentalists, business and community leaders, clergy, elected

officials, retirees, and college students, all residents of the

Newport-Mesa communities, have been reviewing the pages of the Daily

Pilot for 2003 to find people who have had an affect on our

communities, to be nominated for Turkeydom.

We have a flock of nominees this year.

* Dennis Rodman, simply because he continues to act like Dennis

Rodman.

* The Newport Beach Parks and Recreation Commission, which

recommended a policy to the Newport Beach City Council to not name

any park or field after any deserving resident because there might be

too many people in Newport Beach to recognize. Newport Beach should

look at Newport-Mesa Unified School District Policy 7510 for a

reasonable example of how to name facilities after employees and

residents.

* The Costa Mesa City Council, which developed a policy to hold

the grocery stores responsible when customers steal grocery carts.

Now if the council will change the auto theft rules, we all could

have new cars.

* Jan Vandersloot, wetlands discoverer, always trying to save a

bird or a plant, always fighting against any development. Vandersloot

had a range-fed turkey this year.

* Dick Nichols, Newport Beach city councilman, said enough, enough

said, and enough reported, no need to repeat here. I understand he

had salsa with his turkey this year.

* Browne and Associates. Their handling of the closure of El Nido

and Snug Harbor mobile home parks has the Costa Mesa City Council

working on a new policy dealing with mobile home park closures. They

missed invitations for Thanksgiving dinner from former El Nido and

Snug Harbor residents.

* Phil Arst, Greenlight leader whose community commentaries in the

Daily Pilot utilize hot-button phases such as “turning the city into

another Miami Beach” when the facts don’t support the statements.

Arst’s Thanksgiving recipe for Newport Beach is suspect as a result.

* Heather Sommers, former Costa Mesa city councilwoman, whose

e-mail to friends urging a boycott of a U.S. Postal Service stamp

honoring the Muslim holiday of Eid, demonstrated a lack of

understanding of not only Islam but her fellow human beings. Because

one person from a faith community is a terrorist, it doesn’t mean all

from the same faith community are terrorists. I am talking about the

“Christian” who shot the abortion clinic doctor in New York and the

fellow “Christian” bomber of abortion clinics.

And now for the 2003 Grand Turkey -- the grocery store strikers,

joined earlier this week by the Teamsters, who spent Thanksgiving Day

on the cold picket lines instead of earning double or triple time

serving their customers. I really don’t fault pickets, but I do fault

the union leadership for the hardships they have created without

adequately informing the union members on the proposals offered by

management. Stater Bros., Gelson’s, Mother’s and Trader Joe’s have

been the beneficiaries of the strike, surely not the strikers. It

will take a long time for the strikers to make up lost wages and

benefits when a contract is finally settled.

In contrast to the Turkey nominees, the committee decided to give

the first Eagle of the Year Award to Eric Bever, whose exemplary act

of selfless citizenship by withdrawing his name for consideration for

appointment to the Costa Mesa City Council got the council past a

series of 2-2 votes over several weeks to name a replacement for

Karen Robinson, who was appointed as a judge to the Superior Court.

If Bever hadn’t done his selfless act, the council might still be

voting on the replacement on Thanksgiving Day. What Eric Bever did

was for the good of the public, not necessarily himself. How

refreshing. Eric soars as an Eagle!

NEWPORT COAST CARES

Sharky’s Woodfired Mexican Grill is holding its grand opening

celebration in Newport Coast to benefit Newport Coast Cares, a

dedicated group of families that supports Mexican orphanages in Baja

California. This event it will be for the benefit of Hacienda de la

Inmaculada in Tijuana. The grand opening is from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday.

The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children. Sharky’s is at

21119 Newport Coast Drive in the Newport Coast Shopping Center. For

information, call (949) 433-7879.

HOLIDAY BRUNCH FOR FOCIS

The focus is on raising funds to aid the homeless, said Gale

Edelberg, event chair for the 10th annual holiday brunch to benefit

the Orange Coast Interfaith Shelter.

The brunch will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10,

at a home in Newport Coast. Admission is $45 plus an unwrapped gift

for families at the shelter. The deadline for reservations is Friday.

They can be made by calling Samantha Olenik at (949) 9991.

SERVICE CLUB

MEETINGS THIS WEEK

MONDAY

6:30 p.m.: The Harbor Mesa Lions Club will meet at the Costa Mesa

Golf and Country Club for its family Christmas party joined by the

Costa Mesa-Newport Harbor Lions Club. The special guest will be none

other than Santa, a.k.a. member John Stansbury, who will pass out

gifts for the children. A collection of unwrapped toys will be taken

for children in Tecate, Mexico.

TUESDAY

7: 30 a.m.: The 40-member Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary Club will

meet at Five Crowns to hear Chuck Hirsch on “Greece”

(https://newportbeach sunriserotary.org/index.htm).

6:30 p.m.: The Costa Mesa Newport Harbor Lions Club will meet at

the Costa Mesa Country Club.

WEDNESDAY

7:15 a.m.: The 10-member South Coast Metro Rotary Club will meet

at the Center Club (https://www.southcoastmetro rotary.org); and the

Newport Harbor Kiwanis Club will meet at the University Athletic

Club.

Noon: The Exchange Club of the Orange Coast meets at the Bahia

Corinthian Yacht Club for a business meeting.

6 p.m.: The Rotary Club of Newport-Balboa will meet at the Bahia

Corinthian Yacht Club to hear Joe Brown discuss “Budget Battles:

Federal, State and Local.”

THURSDAY

7 a.m.: The 20-plus member Costa Mesa-Orange Costa Breakfast Lions

Club will meet at Mimi’s Cafe.

Noon: The 50-member Costa Mesa Kiwanis Club will meet at the

Holiday Inn (https://www.kiwanis. org/club/costamesa); the 50-member

Kiwanis Club of Newport Beach-Corona del Mar will meet at the Bahia

Corinthian Yacht Club to hear Margaret McBride, a book agent turned

author; the Exchange Club of Newport Harbor will meet at the Nautical

Museum for a business meeting; the Rotary Club of Newport Irvine will

meet at the Atrium Hotel for the Newport Beach Fire Department Awards

(https://www.nirotary.org).

* COMMUNITY & CLUBS is published Saturdays in the Daily Pilot.

Send your service club’s meeting information by fax to (714) 921-8655

or by e-mail to [email protected].