CORONA DEL MAR TODAY

From the Sincere to the Seriously Silly, CdM Improvement Ideas Discussed at B.I.D. Meeting

At the December Christmas Walk, Corona del Mar Business Improvement District leaders decided to try something new: Seeking public input on what improvements are needed in town, using a giant map and offering passersby red Sharpies to make their marks.

The B.I.D. board had a brief discussion of the results at Thursday’s monthly meeting.

“There are some really interesting ones in there,” said Scott Palmer. “There are some that are obviously facetious.”

The serious ideas will be discussed at future meeting, with some clearly being more simply implemented than others. In all, dozens of suggestions were submitted during the Dec. 4 event.

One person suggested ashtrays be placed on street corners and in front of restaurants, which B.I.D. board member Bernie Svalstad was something the group may discuss at its next meeting.

Other suggestions that the group plans to discuss in upcoming months include creating a four-way crosswalk at East Coast Highway and Marguerite Avenue, where motorists would all have red lights so pedestrians could cross diagonally.

“That might be interesting, at least in the summer,” said Mayor Nancy Gardner.

Other ideas included making the Flower Streets one-way, planting California native plants in the center medians, adding bike sharrows, putting power lines underground, adding off-street parking structures and creating a run lane on Ocean Boulevard.

Amid the sincere input were suggestions that raised eyebrows and drew laughs, including “Porn shop on PCH between Poinsettia & Orchid,” “Need more fun allowed in Newport Beach,” “Water slide from Marigold to the beach” and “Wind and wave machine in the ocean so there is more surf.”

“People might have had a cocktail,” said Linda Leonhard, the Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce president.

“People might have had several cocktails,” Svalstad said.

The board members said the effort was a success despite the joke responses, which were outnumbered by the serious ones. They also said that if they did maps at a future Christmas Walk or other event, they may have two: one for residential areas, and one for the commercial district.

To read more about the Christmas Walk maps, read our earlier stories here and here.

Albertsons Wine Tasting License Approved; First Event Scheduled for Saturday

Albertsons in Corona del Mar has been granted an “instructional tasting license” by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, paving the way for wine and beer tastings at the store at 3049 East Coast Highway.

“We will have our first ‘tasting’ this Saturday,” said Store Director Robin Begley. The free event will feature Yellow Tail and Ruta 22 wine in the liquor department, she said, and will be open from 2 to 6 p.m.

The grocery applied for the license in September; read our story here.

According to the ABC website, the license was granted Dec. 7 and will expire June 12 — although the website indicates that the license’s term is for 12 months. Click here to see the license details.

In September, store employees said they would feature the tastings in an area cordoned off, away from children. At that time, they also moved wine and beer coolers to be closer to the rest of the liquor department.

The next tasting will take place Feb. 11 and 12.

CdMHS Flash Mob Aims to Promote Integrity on Campus, Organizers Say

In a response to a test scandal earlier this year, Corona del Mar High School student leaders held a flash mob event Tuesday in an effort to promote academic integrity in the days before finals.

“It was at break when everyone leaves their classrooms,” said Andrew Nguyen, public relations chairman for the school’s National Honor Society. “We walked around at the beginning because we wanted a larger crowds. Then the music started playing, and we jumped up on the stage or the planters and all through the quad, and we all started dancing.”

About 80 students from the school’s leadership groups, including PAL or Peer Assistance and Leadership, the National Honor Society, Human Relations Council and ASB, danced to Young MC’s “Bust a Move.” At the end, they held up a sign that said “Have Integrity!”

“That caught everyone off guard,” Nguyen said.

This was not the first flash mob held at the school, but it was the first to promote academic integrity before a finals week, he said.

On Wednesday, student leaders visited each classroom to discuss different kinds of cheating and how students might handle pressure.

“We talked about integrity for finals week and tips to prepare ahead of time,” he said. “If friends ask you to cheap, you don’t have to lie. Just say you don’t want to get caught and say no.” Students who aren’t sure what to do and feel pressure to cheat can ask advice of student leaders, he added.

Finals are scheduled next week.

The flash mob group had permission from the administrators for their dance, and they practiced for about five days during breaks. Click here to see a YouTube video of one of the group’s practices.

Nguyen said he hoped the flash mob would bring positive attention to a deserving student body.

“CdM is not a bad school despite what happened in the past,” he said. “There’ a lot of good that goes on. Almost everyone in the school has a good heart.”

Read our earlier stories about students who apparently bought test answer online here and here.

Photos courtesy of Andrew Nguyen.

CdM Car Show Faces Crosstown Rival; City Councilmen Weigh In

The Coastline Classic Car Show fills Big Corona State Beach’s parking lot each September with hundreds of vintage cars and thousands of enthusiasts — but a new car show that would benefit Newport Elementary School on the Peninsula is being planned for the same month, causing concerns among two City Council members and CdM Chamber organizers.

“I’d just like to go on record that I don’t think that’s a very good idea for that second car show to be held close in time to the Corona del Mar show that’s been going on for a long time, has achieved real critical mass and success,” Councilman Mike Henn said in a Study Session held on Tuesday at City Hall. “I’m not against Newport El having a car show, that’s for sure, but I don’t think we want it in such close competition with Corona del Mar.”

Councilman Ed Selich said he agreed.

Recreation and Senior Services Director Laura Detweiler said that the Newport Elementary School Foundation organizers were working on a special event permit application, and that she would pass along Council’s concerns.

Matt Wiley, a Newport Elementary School parent who is organizing the car show, said he had no concerns that the two shows would be in conflict.

“There are three car shows every weekend,” he said. “There are tons. I’ve been told it kind of doesn’t matter. These people will come out. There’s no conflict.”

But Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce President Linda Leonhard, who organizes the Coastline Classic, said the shows should be at least six months apart to avoid conflicts with sponsorships and car collectors.

“It is a worked out calendar and courtesy among car shows so we are successful,” she said in an email. “We know the amount of work put into a car show and feel our show has enough stamina — but it will confuse dealers, etc., I am sure.”

Wiley said the school, like most public schools, needed fundraising more than ever for computer labs and other programs. The school, located on the beach, should use that feature to create a unique fundraising experience, and a oceanside car show seemed a perfect fit, he said.

The September date works best, he added, because it avoids peak beach season and crowds as well as the rainy season. The cars, he said, would be on the school’s blacktop area.

“We’re in the nascent stage of the process,” he said. “I think their worry is misplaced. I don’t think it would diminish. It might even enhance.”

Last year’s Coastline Car Classic in Corona del Mar was discussed at the Council’s regular Tuesday meeting as well.

The Council voted unanimously to waive parking fee’s for the event.

Although the agenda stated the waiver was for about $7,500, City Manager Dave Kiff said the fee waiver was really valued at about $800 based on a formula that used a different September weekend’s parking lot receipt. That formula was used because the event is held in the off-season when the lot is typically not filled.

“I think that’s the fairest way to do it,” Kiff said. “It’s a rolling average.”

Resident Jim Mosher spoke, disagreeing.

“In fact there is no off-season rate; we charge $15 a space every day of the year,” he said. “The staff report also suggests that the spaces might be laying idle, so this really costs us nothing. But in the Chamber, we have a willing customer for those idle spaces and one whose more than able to pay through their receipts — and that’s precisely what we should be doing.”

Bernie Svalstad, chairman of the Coastline Classic event, spoke as well, saying the car show brought in about $800 more in parking revenue than the city would have made without it.

“If nobody’s in the spaces, you don’t make any money,” he said. “We bring in money. Let’s just get it straight that this isn’t costing tax payers one dime.”

Before the vote, Councilman Steve Rosansky suggested that the Coastline Classic apply for a fee waiver through the city’s special events application process. City Manager Kiff agreed, saying that the event in the future should go through that process.

Five Crowns’ Margo Brask Will Retire Feb. 2 After 46 Years

Five Crowns’ longtime marketing manager Margo Brask will retire on Feb. 2 — 46 years after she began working at the Corona del Mar restaurant as a server in between college classes.

“This was the place in Corona del Mar to work,” Brask said in a recent interview. “We were the only thing in town, and every night was busy, busy, busy.”

When Brask was hired in 1966, she recalls having three weeks of extensive training in order to manage the tableside flambés, carving of lamb and salad preparations.

At that time, the restaurant at 3801 East Coast Highway’s “Bille of Faer” boasted Knightly Selections including a Five Crowns Cut of prime rib for $7.95 and a cup of coffee for forty cents.

“I was supposed to go to college,” Brask said. “But I wanted to bypass that. The money was too good. It t wasn’t easy, but it was fun to come work every day. You laughed, you talked to all the people, and I loved it.”

In 1980, Brask was promoted to manager, and ten years later she became the first-ever sales and marketing manager.

In between, she began secretly dating former executive chef Dennis Brask — and the two were married in 1987.

“We were friends long before we became a couple, and then we had to be quiet about it,” she said. Chef Brask retired last year.

As sales and marketing manager, Brask works with couples planning weddings and on other large events.

In her role, Brask has become a community fixture. Five Crowns regularly hosts events including the Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce mixers, the Sunrise Rotary Club meetings and Newport Beach Sister City Association gatherings.

“Margo has been such an active and supportive member of our chamber, and we will miss her warm greeting and personal interaction at our Five Crowns Networking Events,” said Linda Leonhard, president of the CdM Chamber, in an email. “We wish Margo all the best in her next journey.”

Gary Sherwin, president and chief executive officer of Visit Newport Beach, said Brask would be honored at the group’s board meeting today with the President’s Award for Outstanding Service to the Community.

“Margo is a former board member of ours who has done an amazing job for what has got to be the longest length of stay record for any restaurant in America that I know of,” he said in an email. “Margo is a fixture on the Newport Beach hospitality scene and will be missed in so many ways. Margo is Five Crowns as far as many people are concerned and she has been a fantastic contributor to the community at large as well as her own organization.”

Her colleagues also offered praise.

“Margo is the epitome of hospitality,” said Sharon Fine, sales and marketing Manager for Lawry’s in Chicago, in an email. “From the moment she greets you, with those twinkling eyes, she emotes trust and friendship, and she never disappoints. She has been a great source of support. She’s one of those people you not only want to have help you plan your event, but you also want to remain friends with, even after the event is over.”

Five Crowns staff is holding a retirement luncheon party for her later this month.

Brask said she had not considered retirement, even when her husband retired in February 2011 after 26 years; read our story here.

Chef Brask had no special plans for retirement and has been busier than ever, she said.

“He feeds the homeless, he goes to the food bank, he prospects for gold in the mountains with his friends,” she said.

As she watched her husband enjoy retirement, she said she began to give her own some serious thought. Finally she submitted her resignation letter in July, making plans to take several vacations to Arizona and New York and Lake Tahoe.

At first, she said she would stay until September. But management asked her to stay through the holiday season, and she agreed.

“It wasn’t an easy decision,” she said. “But at some point in your life, you have to relax. I have had a wonderful home here, but I’m ready. It’s just time.”

She spent the past several weeks sending notes to longtime guests, talking with them when they made their Christmas Eve reservations or came by for a holiday party.

Saying goodbye, she said, is difficult.

“It’s bittersweet,” she said. ” I’ve put my heart and soul into this place for a long time. I’ve grown up here. These four walls are like my life.”

Photo shows CdM Chamber President Linda Leonhard, left, and Margo Brask at a recent CdM Chamber luncheon event at Five Crowns.

Harbor View Kindergartners Wish School Gung Hay Fat Choy

Harbor View Elementary kindergarten students capped off a weeklong lesson on Chinese culture with a New Years dragon parade today, snaking through the school grounds with tambourines and costumes while the other students clapped and cheered.

“It’s part of our multicultural education,” said kindergarten teacher Michele Creason. “We also had orange slices for good luck and fortune cookies and studied Asian painters in Art Masters.”

The students took turns wearing the dragon’s head, with a few students under a red cape that formed the dragon’s body and the rest parading behind carrying dragon signs and wearing homemade Chinese hats. In the library, each child received a dollar bill in a red envelope. Then they paraded past classrooms, through the lunch area and the front office.

“It’s so funny,” said fourth grader Paris Paz, whose brother Brock Paz was wearing the dragon’s head. “You just want to hug them, oh!”

“They are really cute,” agreed Maddy Seybold, also in fourth grade. Ron Manly, another fourth-grader, said, “It’s cool. There’s a lot of interesting culture I hadn’t seen before.”

The kindergartners said their favorite part of the parade was wearing the dragon head and getting money. Parents snapped photos, and some older siblings joined the march.

Principal Charlene Metoyer said this was the first parade to take place during the lunch hour, so the entire school was able to participate. Students formed lines and cheered and waved as the parade moved throughout the campus.

“It was perfect,” Metoyer said. “It added energy.”

School board member Karen Yelsey was visiting the school to see the parade.

“It’s very cute,” she said.

From the Police Log: Vehicle and Garage Burglaries

A garage burglary in the 300 block of Larkspur Avenue resulted in a loss of $8,000 worth of Persian rugs, according to police.

The burglary occurred between noon Jan. 1 and 6 p.m. Tuesday, according to a police report.

“An unknown suspect entered the garage through an unlocked side door,” said Kathy Lowe, a Newport Beach Police Department spokeswoman. The suspect then took the two rugs, she said.

A vehicle burglary occurred in the 2900 block of Fourth Avenue between 11 p.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Tuesday, according to a report. A suspect used an object to smash the driver’s side window parked in a carport, then stole an iPod Touch worth $200.

Police also took an injury report when someone fell just after 8 p.m. Tuesday in the 2300 block of East Coast Highway. And officers took a report of a recovered stolen vehicle just after 9 a.m. today at Iris and Fourth avenues.

NB Council Sends Ocean Blvd. Lot Merger Back to Planning Commission

EDITED to clarify that the Planning Commission will consider possible lot restrictions and not building plans.

A crowd gathered in Council Chambers on Tuesday evening, expecting a hearing on whether two Ocean Boulevard lots should be merged — a move that could lead to construction of a house that blocks views of neighbors. But instead, the Newport Beach City Council opted to send the item back to the Planning Commission for more review after a request by the applicant’s representative.

“We have been working with redesign on the house that would go on this merger, and we would very much like to be continued back to the Planning Commission,” said Coralee Newman of Government Solutions, Inc., a group representing John and Julie Guida.

The city’s Zoning Administrator in September approved the merger of the lots at 2808 and 2812 Ocean Boulevard. But the next month, the Planning Commission overturned that decision, and the Guidas appealed to the City Council.

Neighbors say the planned home will obliterate views and violate a decades-old agreement; read our earlier stories here and here.

On Tuesday, Mayor Nancy Gardner delayed discussion of a staff report on the matter and took a straw vote, which indicated that the entire Council would agree to referring the issue back to the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission would consider the lot restrictions the Guidas would place on themselves, and reconsider the lot merger with that information. Then they would make a recommendation back to City Council.

There is no date set for when the Planning Commission would hold the hearing.

Before taking the official unanimous vote, Gardner asked for public comments.

“What deed restriction can possibly be made that would allow a lot that is approximately three times the average lot size in this city?” said Jeff DuFine. “We’ve been told all along it’s about a lot merger that’s incompatible with the city. No way do I understand how you will send this back and condemn these people to wait longer for a decision that should be easy to make.”

Robert Hawkins, who was on the Planning Commission when it voted to deny the lot merger in October, also testified.

“What you have here is not a building. You have a merger of two lots. The question is can you put any design conditions on the subdivision map that will alleviate the view problems that the neighbors behind them have. I think that’s going to be a real problem.”

Lucinda Campbell, whose parents live in an Ocean Lane home that could lose its ocean and park views, said after the hearing that she was “really frustrated.”

“I think they are stalling,” she said.

Neighbor Cliff Jones, who collected signatures on a petition against the lot merger, asked the Council to “speed up the process.”

“It’s been quite lengthy, and we do have people who are in poor health,” he said.

Newman did not return an email and telephone call seeking comment for this article.

Council Delays Vote on Fire Zone Maps; Seeks Ordinance Refinement, More Public Input

The Newport Beach City Council on Tuesday decided that a proposed ordinance that would formally adopt the state’s new Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone Map was too confusing and needed more public input.

“Right now, even with this discussion, I’m still a little confused,” Mayor Nancy Gardner said after a presentation about the maps at the Council Study Session.

About 5,000 Newport Beach homes fall within the state’s Very High Fire Hazard Severity Map Zone, which includes homes along Buck Gully and Morning Canyon and stretches from Orchid down to Crystal Cove with most of Newport Coast also is included. If the City Council adopts the maps, homeowners would face more intense scrutiny of fire hazards such as location of woodpiles, tree species, where trees are located and how many trees are clustered together as well as buffer zones for firefighters to access blazes. New construction also would face stricter regulation, and homeowners would have to disclose to future buyers that their houses fall within the Very High Fire Hazard area.

Many homes already have regular inspection or have been constructed under strict fire codes, said Fire Marshal Ron Gamble in a Study Session presentation.

But Council members, along with members of the public, wanted more information about how the new restrictions would work, including how many additional homes would face landscaping changes and how much live vegetation would have to be removed from smaller lots that had never before faced fire hazard reduction rules.

“How much actual impact on homeowners would we expect coming out of this?” asked Councilman Mike Henn.

Architect Brion Jeannette told the Council that he thought an ordinance that required removing live vegetation would conflict with Coastal Commission regulations.

“You definitely don’t touch that vegetation without getting Coastal approval,” he said. “That has been…one of their most important issues these days. You’ve put the homeowner in a Catch-22.”

The Council asked that Gamble work on refining the language of the ordinance, as well as provide maps that show more details about the fire zone.

“All I see is red,” said Councilman Rush Hill.

City Manager Dave Kiff, who pulled the item off the consent calendar at the regular Council meeting on Tuesday, said the ordinance needed more public scrutiny.

“I would be my recommendation that we not act on first reading tonight, to let this percolate in the community a little bit more,” he said. “I don’t want anyone to feel they didn’t get notice of this.”

Robert Hawkins applauded Kiff’s reccomendation.

“I found it appalling that this was set for a consent calendar item,” he said, adding that he thought the item should have its own public hearing. “This is going to affect a lot of people in the southern part of our city.”

The Council will send notices to homeowners associations in the impacted area, as well as possibly send notices to homeowners.

Kiff said the item would be on the Council’s Feb. 14 agenda.

To read our earlier story, click here.

To see the fire map, click here. You also can check individual address to see if your home is in the zone by clicking here.

NMUSD Statement on Hubbard’s Firing

“On Tuesday, January 24, 2012, at the beginning of the regular board meeting, the N-MUSD Board of Education announced actions taken during a special closed session meeting held earlier in the afternoon.

“On a 7/0 vote, the Board of Education adopted the following two motions:

“The Board will move forward to identify and appoint an interim superintendent and also commence the search process for a new superintendent with the goal of hiring the new superintendent by July 1, 2012.

“The Board will exercise the provision in Mr. Reed’s contract to assume all duties and responsibilities of the office of superintendent until the arrival of the interim superintendent or Monday, March 5, 2012, whichever comes first.”

Click here to read more in the Orange County Register, and click here to read more in the Daily Pilot.