Earthquake forum asks when, not if It’s...

Earthquake forum asks when, not if

It’s not a question of whether a major earthquake will hit the

area, experts say, it’s a question of when. The West Newport Beach

Assn. will hold a panel discussion titled, “Not If -- But When,”

designed to help residents prepare for a major earthquake.

Panelists Kenneth Hudnut of the U.S. Geological Survey; Donna

Boston, emergency services coordinator for the city of Newport Beach;

Denita Calkins of the California Office of Emergency Services; and

Milo Pearson of the California Earthquake Authority will discuss

where earthquake faults are in our area, how earthquake insurance

works and what the city and residents can do now.

The event will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday in City Council

Chambers at Newport Beach City Hall, 3300 Newport Blvd. Red Cross

representatives will be on hand beginning at 6 p.m. to answer

questions and give out materials. For more information, contact the

city’s Public Information Office at (949) 644-3031.

Council to vote on advisory members

Newport Beach City Council members will consider nominees for

eight vacancies on the citizen General Plan Advisory Committee and

are expected to vote at their March 11 meeting on nominees chosen by

the General Plan Update Committee.

The city created the citizen committee to guide officials in

revising the city’s general plan, the document that will guide city

policy decisions for 20 years. But when the committee was first

created last year, applications for the committee underestimated how

long the committee members would serve. As a result, not all the

original committee members can through the final phases of the

general plan update process, which will likely be about another year.

The council will consider nine nominees for a total of the eight

vacant spots on the committee. A full committee has 30 members.

Nominees are Dennis Baker, Patrick Bartolic, Charles Remley, Kim

Jansma, Traies Johannsen, Alex Kakavas, Lucille Kuehn and James

Schmiesing.

Another vacancy might occur if the council follows the General

Plan Update Committee’s recommendation to replace Joe Gleason.

Committee members said that because Gleason expects he may not be

available to attend as many meetings as the city would like, that the

council recommend replacing Gleason.

City Council agendas are available several days prior to each

meeting at www.city.newport-beach.ca.us. For more information, call

(949) 644-3000.

Concert to trace music through the centuries

Pianist Michael Sellers will present a free program titled “Three

Centuries of Piano Music,” including works by Mozart, Chopin,

Poulenc, Debussy and Samuel Barber, at the Newport Beach Central

Library at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 16.

Sellers is on the faculties of Mount St. Mary’s College and the

Southern California Conservatory of Music and directs the William

Kapell Piano Foundation for Contemporary Music and Musicians. For

more information, call (949) 717-3816.

Photo exhibit on display at airport

The photography exhibit “International Flowers -- Local Gardens”

by Paula Phelan of Scotts Valley, Calif., is on display in the

Concourse Gallery of the Thomas F. Riley Terminal of the John Wayne

Airport through April 27. The exhibit features 92 close range images

of flowers photographed within two miles of John Wayne Airport in

nearby commercial and residential areas. Call (949) 252-5171 for

information.