THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE:Celebrating Sockless Tod

Although his City Council colleagues may turn their noses up at Tod Ridgeway’s aversion to socks, they still had a day in his honor. Well, not a whole day, but at least an evening — an evening full of good-natured ribbing about Ridgeway’s eschewing socks.

Outgoing Mayor Don Webb declared Monday night “Tod W. Ridgeway evening” in honor of the long-serving councilman, whose eight years in office ended this week. At his last council meeting, Ridgeway was subjected to ribbing about more than his lack of socks.

Webb read a proclamation that noted 14,377 uses of Ridgeway’s catch-phrase — “quite candidly” — but as it turns out, though council members sometimes jotted down the number of times the phrase was uttered, Webb didn’t actually crunch the numbers on that one. “You have that kind of artistic license when you write a proclamation,” he said Wednesday.

In another of his final acts as mayor, Webb issued a decree that was nearer his heart: He named his wife the city’s “centennial first lady” for all her work to organize the city’s yearlong centennial celebration, and to keep him going as mayor during the last year.

A NOT-SO-INCONVENIENT TRUTH

You don’t have to be a registered Democrat to cast your vote online for who the party’s 2008 nominee should be. The Orange County Democrats have a Web poll to see who’s in favor with local voters, and as of Wednesday, Al Gore was leading with 28%, or 75 votes.

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were in second and third place, and John Kerry was in last place, with zero votes. To take the poll, visit www.ocdemocrats.org.

BLOG BAY AFTERNOON

A new blog has popped up as a forum for people to talk about Newport Beach city officials’ interest in the Balboa Bay Club Racquet Club’s property, and particularly why they think that interest is misplaced.

The City Council is getting an appraisal of the seven-acre property as a potential city hall site. Some racquet club members have said they’ll fight if the city tries to use eminent domain to take the property.

The blog — at protectnbcc.blogspot.com — was set up earlier this month. A group called Protect Newport Beach Country Club apparently runs it, but it’s not clear who’s in the group.

Public relations consultant Byron De Arakal said Robert O Hill, who owns the racquet club property and the adjacent country club land, asked him to set up the blog, but beyond that he doesn’t know who’s involved.

The group is listed as a political action committee with the Secretary of State’s office, but Lysa Ray, who is listed as a contact on the state filing, wouldn’t answer any questions over the phone about who’s in charge of the group or who enlisted her to file the paperwork.

De Arakal expects the blog to function as a “virtual shouting hall” for people to discuss their thoughts on the tennis club and eminent domain, and to spread information on the issue.

HARMAN PLANS NEW BILLS

Newport-Mesa state Sen. Tom Harman said Wednesday he’s planning to introduce a raft of new legislation, including several bills addressing illegal immigration, for the 2007-08 session.

Among his bills will be one to bar the state from using contractors who knowingly employ illegal immigrants, and another to give tax credits to companies that research cures for deadly illnesses.

Harman also plans to tackle an issue his predecessor in the Senate, Newport Beach Rep. John Campbell, tried more than once: He wants to require the growth of state spending to stay at or below the level of population growth and inflation.