THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE:

While Jello Biafra and other punk legends have expressed their condolences over the death of local punk icon and club owner Mike Conley, the late singer also received a eulogy from an unusual source: the Costa Mesa City Council.

Following his days as an anti-authority punk rocker, Conley settled down in Costa Mesa and opened the Avalon Bar on the city’s Westside — from there, the council members said, he became a passionate and impressive advocate for rehabilitating the area.

Mayor Eric Bever seemed to hold back tears as he praised Conley as a “good friend” and a leader in the effort to “bring the Westside up.”

“He was really putting it all in there to try and … make the area hip and move it forward,” he said.

“Our community has really lost a great advocate — a guy who was willing to carry the burden, make the change, and lead the way to show people how to change the neighborhood.”

“I had an opportunity to get to know Mike really well. He first came before the city council when he wanted to open up Avalon, and I have met with him, as we had concerns about bars on the Westside and so forth,” Mayor Pro Tem Allan Mansoor said.

“I never heard one problem or complaint with Avalon — what a refreshing thing, to have a business that was truly a benefit to the community like that.”

“He was just super nice and very passionate about what he wanted to do,” he added. “I just had a great appreciation for his passion and friendly nature.”

“Mike was an awesome guy,” Councilwoman Wendy Leece said in an e-mailed statement. “His daughter and my daughter played soccer together at NHHS, and Mike was at every game cheering the team.”

“I hope his vision for improvement now will be passed onto others who will make Mike’s dreams a reality and a legacy for his children, and others, to see and be encouraged by,” she concluded. “We will miss him greatly.”

“I first met Mike when I was on the Planning Commission, and I really enjoyed working with him,” Councilwoman Katrina Foley said. “He had a great spirit, a lot of creative energy and a lot of passion for revitalizing that little area along 19th Street to make something unique happen there for Costa Mesa.

“We’ll definitely suffer a loss with his passing, and my heart goes out to his family and his girls.”

Conley died in what investigators believe may have been a slip-and-fall accident in suburban Chicago last week.

SAILING THROUGH A CENTURY

Titled “Sailing through a Century,” Newport Beach City Council has approved and released a timeline of historic events cataloging everything from the rare snowfall to milestones in early aviation for a monument to commemorate Newport’s centennial in 2006.

Compiling the list of about 100 events throughout more than 130 years of history was no easy task for local historians.

“I think if you got 10 different people in one room you wouldn’t get any of them to agree on all of these,” said Newport Beach Arts Commission Chairman Kirwan Rockafeller at a recent city council meeting.

The McFadden Square Centennial Legacy Project will feature a sculpted monument and historical walking path with a series of engraved stones marking significant events from the history of Newport Beach.

The timeline begins with Capt. Samuel Dunnells, who sailed into the bay in 1870 looking for a “new port,” hence the city name. Dunnells developed Newport Landing as a terminal for lumber in 1873.

First Grammar School opened in 1894 with 18 students and the Balboa Pavilion was completed in 1905, according to the timeline.

The timeline also marks the founding of the tiny community weekly newspaper the Newport News in 1907, which has evolved through many incarnations to eventually become the Daily Pilot.

Aviator Glenn L. Martin set a new record for over-water flight in 1912 when he flew from Newport Bay to Catalina, according to the timeline. He wore a bicycle inner tube around his neck during the flight, according to some historical accounts.

The Olympic swimming champion Duke Kahanamoku brought surfing to Newport in 1922. Hawaiian native Kahanamoku is credited for popularizing the modern sport.

Snow fell in Newport Beach and other parts of Orange County in 1949 and Longtime Newport Beach resident and City Hall in the Park proponent Bill Ficker skippered the 12-meter class yacht the Intrepid to victory in the America’s Cup in 1970.

A complete list of historical dates to be included in the memorial can be found at Newport Beach City Hall.

CHRIS CAESAR may be reached at (714) 966-4626 or at [email protected]. BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at [email protected].