COSTA MESA Proposed overlay zone for Eastside...

COSTA MESA

Proposed overlay zone for Eastside rejected

The City Council rejected an overlay zone for an Eastside

neighborhood that would have restricted home remodels. It also made

substantial changes to the residential design guidelines and the

residential development standards in the zoning code. The end result

is that the process for home expansions will be simpler and faster.

One of the major changes is that those homeowners who want to add

a second-story floor area that doesn’t exceed 50% of the first-story

floor area can now obtain an over-the-counter approval.

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers Costa Mesa and may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at [email protected].

NEWPORT BEACH

City attorney Burnahm will retire in the spring

Bob Burnham, a city employee for 23 years, announced he will

retire next spring. Present and former colleagues praised his

performance and professionalism. Mayor Steve Bromberg said he wants

to set up a committee with fellow Councilmen Tod Ridgeway and John

Heffernan to discuss expectations for Burnham’s replacement.

* An Australian sailing club won the 37th annual Governor’s Cup

Junior Match Racing Championship on Sunday.

Despite the lagging winds over the four-day event, the Cruising

Yacht Club of Australia posted the best record against 10 other teams

from throughout the world and nation.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport. She

may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

[email protected].

BUSINESS

Marines bring home flag for well-deserved Arches owner

A group of U.S. Marines honored the owner of the Arches restaurant

on Sunday for his efforts during the war in Iraq.

Newport Beach resident Dan Marcheano didn’t fire a single weapon,

but he gave troops such as Staff Sgt. Cass Spence of Costa Mesa the

ammo they needed in the form of cigars and whiskey.

“As we were storming Baghdad, we grabbed a little memento,” Spence

told the 63-year-old Marcheano just before handing him an Iraqi flag

signed by members of Golf Company.

The ceremony was part of the Arches 21st anniversary party.

* Gas prices continue to rise in Newport-Mesa and soared above the

$2 mark during the week.

Prices are expected to rise more because of refinery problems and

an Arizona pipeline rupture. Labor Day, the last holiday of the

summer, will also play a factor in gas prices in the coming week.

* Daily Pilot staff. To contact the newsroom, call (949) 642-5680

or by e-mail at [email protected].

PUBLIC SAFETY

Two men wanted in separate Costa Mesa bank robberies

Costa Mesa police are looking for two men they say were involved

in two separate bank robberies in the city, officials said Thursday.

One of the men has been identified as Hector Rodrigo Soto of

Anaheim. Soto reportedly robbed First Bank on Harbor Boulevard on

Aug. 1, as well as a bank branch in Fountain Valley on July 30.

Police said he used a note and the threat of a gun in both incidents.

In another robbery, a man, who police have not identified, is

said to have robbed about $3,900 from a Wells Fargo Bank branch at

Harbor Boulevard and Baker Street on Aug. 6. No weapon was seen in

that incident, police said.

* Police arrested two women and one man Wednesday after a possible

drug transaction went awry at an area home, with people going at each

other with baseball bats and one woman firing a handgun, police

officials said.

The bizarre episode began at a home in the 2100 block of Raleigh

Avenue at about 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, when 22-year-old Gary Inman Jr.

of Huntington Beach entered the residence with another man to buy

drugs, Costa Mesa Police Lt. Dale Birney said.

“As soon as they arrived, they became involved in a physical

altercation with several people in the house,” he said. “Inman Jr.

was struck with a baseball bat.”

About half an hour later, the man who went into the house with him

returned with three more men, all armed with baseball bats, including

Inman’s father, Gary Inman Sr., Birney said. Inman Jr. was still

inside the house, and the men’s mission seemed to be “to rescue him,”

he said.

Laura Shaffer, 40, one of the people in the house, fired a gun to

scare off the armed men, Birney said.

“And apparently it worked,” he said.

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at [email protected].