THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE:

A local activist said Wednesday he aims to convince an Orange County Superior Court judge that Newport Beach designated the roughly 12-acre site of the next City Hall in Newport Center as open space almost a decade ago, invalidating plans to build there.

“We hope to convince the judge that the city dedicated the land as open space in 1999, when the City Council adopted Resolution 99-3, and that no one — not the Irvine Co., not the City Council, not even the voters — has the power to cancel that dedication,” activist Allan Beek said Wednesday.

The Newport Beach City Council passed a resolution in January 1999 to preserve the land as open space, according to city documents.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Peter Polos is expected to hand down a ruling today denying Beek’s request for the court to stop the city from spending more on finding an architect to design a new city hall and other project expenses while his lawsuits against the city remain unresolved. Beek says city efforts to build there violate several laws.

Polos said in a tentative ruling issued earlier this week that Beek has little chance of winning his fight against city hall.

DAIGLE BACKS AIRPORT ACTIVIST GROUP

Newport Beach City Council members Leslie Daigle and Keith Curry have become the first council members from the city to formally back the John Wayne Airport watchdog group AirFair, the group announced earlier this week.

“AirFair is doing coalition-building in our corridor cities and also creating awareness on the environmental impacts of the airport,” Daigle said. “They’re also ...laying the groundwork for effective strategies to place controls on John Wayne Airport.”

While the Newport Beach City Council has adopted a city resolution to back the grassroots group, Daigle and Curry are first members of the legislative body to formally align with AirFair. The group is against expansion at John Wayne Airport and touts the slogan “10.8 and lock the gate,” referring to its goal of a cap of 10.8 million annual passengers at the airport.

AirFair will host a joint presentation with the California High-Speed Rail Authority next week on luring passengers away from John Wayne Airport with rail access to other regional airports.

The event will take place at 11 a.m. June 13 at Newport Beach Fire Station No. 7, 20401 Acacia St.

ROHRABACHER BACKS TOLL ROAD

U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher is one of eight congressmen who asked the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to overrule the California Coastal Commission’s rejection of an extension of the 241 toll road through San Onofre State Beach.

Rohrabacher was joined by other Republican representatives including John Campbell, Darrell Issa and Duncan Hunter. The Transportation Corridor Agencies, which build and manage Orange County toll roads, have appealed the Coastal Commission decision to the federal Department of Commerce. A decision has yet to be made.

The congressmen argued in a statement that the commission didn’t listen to existing studies that showed the roadway could be built while protecting the local environment and state parkland.

MANSOOR WINS SEAT

Costa Mesa Mayor Pro Tem Allan Mansoor won a seat on the Republican Central Committee in Tuesday’s primary.

He was the fourth highest vote getter in the field of 12 candidates with 9.7% of the total vote. Mansoor said he didn’t actively campaign for the seat.

“I’m looking forward to working with other committee members on shaping the direction of the Republican Party in Orange County,” Mansoor said.

His term starts in January.

Other winners in his district, the 68th Assembly District, were Ed Royce, Kermit Marsh, Larry Crandall, Truong Diep and Mark McCurdy.

BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at [email protected]. MICHAEL ALEXANDER may be reached at (714) 966-4618 or at michael.alexander@ latimes.com. ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at [email protected].