The statement comes as a blow to sale supporters, as Solorio has become the point person in the Assembly on the issue and was expected to carry or support legislation that would enact the city’s deal. Another politician could pick up the legislation without his support, but no one has stepped up yet.

Solorio, who has been heavily invested in the issues surrounding the sale and was expected to file legislation to allow Costa Mesa to buy the fairgrounds, said in a prepared statement released Tuesday that he made many suggestions to help address the fate of the 80 full-time state employees who work at the fairgrounds and has provided ways to strengthen the governance provisions in the deal.

But, he added, not enough has been done to allow him to support the deal.

“The city has responded to these ideas, but as it stands now, there is still a gap in how far they will go and what I think would be minimum concessions to enable me and others to defend the proposal in the Legislature,” he said.

Costa Mesa is working with Facilities Management West, a Newport Beach-based real estate company, to operate and finance the $96-million purchase from the state. The purchase, which has been riddled with disagreements and challenges from both the community and the private company, cannot be finalized without the Legislature’s approval.

The deadline to submit legislation to finalize the sale of the 150-acre property ended on Aug. 31 with the formal end of the legislative session. However, a chance to submit legislation and attach it to a budget bill remained until Tuesday when Solorio issued his statement.

As part of his suggestions, Solorio also asked the city to remove a tax loophole that would cap the tax currently paid by long-term lease holders on state properties to allow the city to receive rent payments from Facilities Management, asserting that this could take money away from schools statewide.

“Since the Legislature is working on budget bills now, there is still time for Costa Mesa to pursue legislation to purchase the fairgrounds,” Solorio said. “However, I can’t defend their current proposal or justify why the state should allow them to make so much money from property that belongs to all Californians.”

A possessory tax, as oppose to property tax, is money paid by long term lease holders of state-owned properties. The city is asking that the state caps out the possessory tax currently paid by lease holders of the fairgrounds, such as the OC Market Place, so that Facilities Management can pay the city rent for operating the property, Solorio said.

The agreement between Costa Mesa and Facilities Management allows the city to make $235 million over the life of the 55-year lease.

Solorio said he doesn’t mind the city making money, but it must go toward public services, such as police and fire protection, maintenance and infrastructure, rather than going toward other general fund expenditures or employee salaries.

“I tried in good faith to work on some ways to address outstanding concerns, but now that they have second thoughts about ways to address those concerns, I think I’ll watch on the sideline to see how the issue progresses,” Solario said. “And I’m encouraging the governor to stop the sale all together and we will continue to fight that fight.”

One of the girls and her mother were dragged 50 feet by the SUV that hit them Monday at 7:45 p.m. on West McFadden Avenue just west of South Bristol Street, an area crowded with shoppers and street traffic, said Cpl. Anthony Bretagna of the Santa Ana Police Department.A 1998 Chevy Suburban driven by Miguel Sandoval, 43, of Santa Ana was traveling west on McFadden when it jumped the curb, immediately striking the woman and her daughter, police said.

Five victims required treatment. The 2-year-old girls each suffered multiple fractures but were expected to survive, Bretagna said. Their mother also was hospitalized, suffering a broken leg.

45 year old Nola Rebecca Thompson disappeared on the island of Kauai.

Friends and relatives said the Rancho Santa Margarita woman flew to the Hawaiian island on Aug. 28, where she was planning on spending her birthday on Aug. 31.

But shortly after her birthday, friends and family members said they lost contact with Thompson, and have not been able to locate her.

Liz Thompson, Rebecca Thompson’s sister-in-law, said relatives were planning to fly to Kauai to help with search efforts in the island. Relatives are also organizing a reward fund for information leading to Thompson’s whereabouts.

A news release from the Kauai Police Department states Thompson has not contacted family since arriving in the island, but her brother Scott Thompson said he and other relatives talked to Nola on her birthday.

Scott Thompson said his sister sounded happy and mentioned that she was having a good time during her vacation in Kauai. She also mentioned that she was planning on getting a massage at the hotel the following day.

“She said she was having a great time,” he said. “She was enjoying herself, relaxing, going to the pool.”

The last sign of the 45-year-old woman was on Sept. 1, when she spoke with a security guard at the hotel she was staying in and mentioned that she would be renting a car.

Police believe she rented a silver Chrysler Sebring with a plate KZF-570, but no sign of the vehicle has been found.

Thompson said his sister originally planned the trip with her former fiancé and his family, but the pair broke up before trip. Despite this, she changed her flight seat, the hotel she was planning to stay in, and decided to go to the island on her own.

“She thought, ‘I paid for the ticket, I’m going to use it,’” Scott Thompson said.

Thompson is described as 5 feet, 3 inches tall, 160 pounds with a fair complexion, shoulder-length hair and blue eyes.

Anyone with information to her whereabouts is asked to contact police at 808-241-1711 or Crime Stoppers at 808-241-1887.

“The buffet will be about 100 feet long and will extend down that way.”

Andrew Pereira, a local entrepreneur, is guiding me through the vast space of a single-story structure that seems to stretch for miles. The building is adjacent to the Thomasville Home Furnishings store at 7227 Edinger Ave. in Huntington Beach, and though it is hot and sunny outside, inside it is cool and dark and small earthmovers are clearing mini-mountains of dirt.

Construction workers are making like busy bees throughout the complex, welding, hammering, sodering and, in general, converting the empty space into something Pereira hopes will help transform the city – or at least this part of the Edinger corridor.

But I ask to ask again. A 100-foot buffet?

I heard right.

Welcome to the extreme (and extremely big) world of Endless Food & Fun (EFF), which opens this fall. The brainchild of Pereira (who lives, along with his wife Bettina and two teenage sons, in Huntington Harbour), EFF, by design, will be unlike any other establishment here in Surf City (or any place else, for that matter).

Peeling back the oversized blueprints at a drafting table in the middle of the complex’s staging area, Pereira is giddy as he indicates where everything will go.

“This is where ‘Delicioso!’ will be built – that’s our high-end dining establishment.

Then, the buffet extends all the way down there, and it will be bigger than anything you’ve ever seen in Vegas. The two LazerTag arenas are back here, and all of the themed rooms go along this wall.”

Looking at it today, it’s hard to imagine how it will all look, but it is on track to open in late November, a mind-bending, $4-million family entertainment complex that will cater to just about anyone. But it’s especially for families that are looking for a night of affordable fun (and lots of good food).

In its “endless” arcade area, EFF will features the newest and most cutting-edge redemption games available (adjacent to an “endless” gift shop where players can redeem their winnings for prizes).

Once you load up at the endless buffet, guests will be able to sit and eat in an array of places, including the Play Ground Room (for young kids), the Idol Room (where you will be able to play your favorite instrument or sing some karaoke), the Score Board Room (kind of a sports bar environment) or the Surfs Up Room, which will be dedicated to the history of Huntington Beach.

The lazertag arenas, which will be the largest in the state, will incorporate a dizzying number of effects and game-playing opportunities.

“We will be able to divide groups according to age, level of skill and events for birthdays, sports teams, leagues, company team building competitions, whatever we need,” Pereira told me. “We’ll even be able to play up to 80 players at the same time.”

He kept pointing out other areas that will soon take shape.

“In addition to our themed dining rooms, we’ll have seven party rooms for birthdays, business meetings, anything,” he said.

Next to the games, the food will obviously play a big part in the concept.

“Delicioso! is our chance to compete with the Cheesecake Factories of the world,” Pereira said.. “So couples can have a nice night out here alone, or while the kids play.

“It will be like a totally separate restaurant, with no noise from the games. And the buffet will feature the freshest foods from all over the world, themed each night for a different cuisine: Mexican, Asian, Italian, and what we think will be the best pizza in Orange County.”

On and on it goes, an endless amount of opportunities to eat and play. In the coming months, plans will be revealed for the grand opening parties, exclusive package deals for locals, even limo service for groups within the city that want to come and play.

Pereira told me that as bad the economy is, he believes it’s the perfect time for a business like this that will cater to families with “tons of fun and amazing food at very affordable prices.”

He will also rely on tourist traffic from all of Orange County during summer, but at its core, EFF will look to deliver to locals first and foremost.

“We live in a beautiful city with many great people,” Pereira said over the din of a nearby earthmover. “They deserve this.”

For more information, visit www.endlessfoodandfun.comhttp://www.endlessfoodandfun.com.

CHRIS EPTING is the author of 18 books, including the new “Hello, It’s Me: Dispatches from a Pop Culture Junkie.” You can write him at chris@chrisepting.com.

It happened just after midnight Saturday near Barham Boulevard.

The 31-year-old man was running east across the freeway when he was hit by a 200 Ford Explorer driven by 33-year-old Canoga Park woman.

Neither of their names has been released.

Investigators are trying to determine what the man was doing on the freeway.

The freeway’s northbound lanes were closed for about an hour as the CHP investigated.

Rackauckas had previously announced that 2010 would be his last term. Five years ago, he said the same thing about the 2006 term.

Todd Spitzer, a former assemblyman and Orange County supervisor, was at one point Rackauckas’ hand-picked successor and has worked at the prosecutor’s office since last year, moving between assignments apparently to get on-the-job experience.

Spitzer has made no secret of his desire to become district attorney and was prepared to run against Rackauckas, but he backed off when the district attorney said he would bring him aboard and probably support his candidacy in 2014.

“What changed was the firing of Todd,” said Rackauckas’ chief of staff, Susan Kang Schroeder. “He was hoping to hand off the office to someone he trusted, and now circumstances have changed.”

Spitzer says he was fired for political reasons, most likely to make room for Schroeder to run for district attorney herself.

Schroeder is married to Michael Schroeder, the former chairman of the California Republican Party and a longtime confidant to Rackauckas and former Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona, who resigned and is now free on appeal in a public corruption case.

Schroeder, reached in Hawaii last week, denied that she was running for district attorney. She said Rackauckas would serve as district attorney as long as he wants to continue seeking it.

She would not give specifics on why Spitzer was let go — a move the office is calling a “separation.”

“Tony doesn’t need a reason why [Spitzer] was separated, because he’s an at-will employee,” she said. “We serve at the pleasure of the district attorney, and he can decide if he wants to keep us or not.”

But a statement released last week by Public Administrator/Guardian John Williams said that an assistant district attorney recently contacted his office seeking information to which he was not entitled. The statement identified the attorney only as a former assemblyman and county supervisor.

“This conduct is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated,” the statement read. “I forwarded this information regarding his conduct to his agency, and we hope the district attorney’s office handles this matter in an appropriate manner.”

The statement stems from an incident in which Spitzer called the guardian’s office on behalf of a woman regarding an investigation.

In a statement on his Facebook page, Spitzer talks about alleged abuses at the district attorney’s office and briefly addresses his contact with the guardian’s office: “I want you all to know that if seeking justice on behalf of OC citizens is grounds for dismissal, I will gladly accept the ‘consequence’ every time,” he said.

raja.abdulrahim@latimes.com

Harbor View’s largest student body in recent years arrived at school Tuesday morning for the first day of the new year. Camera-toting parents escorted them to class, then gathered in the school’s multi-purpose room for coffee and volunteer sign-ups.

“I couldn’t sleep because I was so excited about the first day of school,” said Principal Charlene Metoyer. “The first day has been wonderful. The children are happy, the parents are happy and the teachers are happy.”

… Continue reading

Officers responded to a house party at about 1:15 a.m. and found people fighting in the street, according to Santa Ana police Cmdr. Steve Colon.

Ultimately, they found two youths, age 14 and 18, with multiple stab wounds to their upper bodies.

An investigation determined that the pair was leaving a party of 50 to 75 people, Colon said, when someone threw a beer bottle and hit the older teen in the head.

Fighting ensued.

The Costa Mesa teens were transported to a local hospital. Colon said that the younger teen was in more serious condition, and at one point his survival was in question.

After doctors stabilized both victims Monday they have been steadily improving, he said.

In most elections, it’s easy to draw a line between the contenders who have a chance and those who don’t. But when those colorful signs dot every corner downtown, it’s hard not to grin at democracy in action.

Right now, the spectacle has hit Surf City. Drive down Warner Avenue and surname-bearing signs leap out from both sides of the road. Given the 20 candidates’ vastly different budgets, though, it’s unlikely that they’ll get equal exposure.

Fortunately, a grass-roots group has launched a website where all the candidates are treated equally. The Huntington Beach Downtown Residents Assn., which formed early last year to fight the cultural arts center proposed for Triangle Park, has created a site to inform residents about the candidates vying for four open seats on the council in November.

The site, www.hbdra.comhttp://www.hbdra.com, features information on each candidate’s age, family, education and membership in community organizations, plus 14 questions ranging from their reasons for seeking a council seat to their views on the budget, senior center and other issues. The candidates are listed alphabetically, with the same amount of space allotted to each one.

And even though the people behind the Downtown Residents Assn. are hardly impartial — individual members have given campaign funds to more than half a dozen candidates — the website itself is presented without bias.

For that matter, Kim Kramer, the spokesman for the group, is keen to note that it’s not just about downtown. The group adopted that name in its quest to save Triangle Park, but he hopes people from all over Huntington will visit the website.

“Names sometimes will pigeonhole you, and I don’t want the name Huntington Beach Downtown Residents Assn. to pigeonhole us,” Kramer said. “The HBDRA is concerned about the entire Huntington Beach community, as evidenced by this website.”

True to his word, Kramer has included a series of reader polls on the site, with topics including the senior center in Huntington Central Park, the Poseidon desalination plant and other issues affecting different corners of Surf City.

There’s also a non-scientific poll, which requires registering on the site, asking visitors whom they would vote for if the election were held today.

Kramer said the results won’t be posted until near the election, but said about 250 people had voted so far.

City Editor MICHAEL MILLER can be reached at (714) 966-4617 or at michael.miller@latimes.com.

On a couple of occasions I’ve mentioned in this space that I have Parkinson’s disease.

I was diagnosed nearly five years ago.

Parkinson’s is a brain disorder that manifests itself when certain nerve cells die or become impaired. The cells produce a chemical — dopamine — that permits the body fluidity of movement.

Signs of the disease include tremor or shaking, slowness of movement, rigidity or stiffness, and balance problems. It can also reveal itself in a shuffling gate, muffled speech or diction and depression. Cognitive issues may be realized as well, to include dementia.

About 1.5 million Americans have the disease, and 60,000 new cases are diagnosed annually. Chances are you have a family member or friend with Parkinson’s.

But it’s also understandable if you know little or nothing about the disease. I was clueless when my father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s more than 15 years ago. He died in 2006.

I remember once holding open a restaurant door for my dad and several other family members. His progress through the doorway and into the lobby was labored.

A family behind us paused as he made his way. I continued to hold the door for them.

“Parkinson’s?” the gentleman inquired as his family entered.

I nodded.

He gave me a look that said, “I’m familiar with what you’re going through.”

Seems I inherited my father’s pronounced forehead, blue eyes and knobby knees. I may also have inherited his Parkinson’s, though researchers are not yet completely persuaded. My maternal great grandmother also had the disease. A double whammy. It exists in both branches of my family tree.

But the disease may also have an environmental component.

My best friend from high school and college — who grew up just blocks from me in Costa Mesa — was diagnosed with the disease a year ago. What are the odds of that?

He called me last year and told me that friends and family members had noticed in him some “odd” behaviors. I asked him to describe his symptoms, then urged him to see a neurologist. The disease was confirmed.

We both drank the same Costa Mesa well water in the 1950s. Crop dusting took place in certain areas just outside the city.

Were those contributing factors?

Who knows.

It seems that two-thirds of people with Parkinson’s are males, so there’s another strike against me. Actually, it’s probably a blessing that men are more prone to Parkinson’s than women. I’ll explain in a moment.

The Parkinson’s support group that I belong to has 16 Parkinson’s sufferers who regularly attend. Our gender ratio mirrors national statistics: 11 men, five women.

The men are fortunate. They have wives. Those wives, possessing palpable love and compassion, serve as magnificent caregivers. Each plays an indispensable role in her husband’s well-being, and all the wives faithfully attend our support meetings.

The contrast between female and male caregivers in our group is shocking.

Only one of our group’s women with Parkinson’s attends with her spouse — and only intermittently. The other women — all of whom are married — come alone or with a professional caregiver. Perhaps some husbands are unable to take time off work.

Several months ago a newly diagnosed woman joined our group and shared her concern that her husband is in total denial. Not surprising. He seems to be masking his anxiety with indifference. She wept as she related her situation.

I know how vulnerable one feels immediately after diagnosis.

I told her that men often have no idea what to do in these types of situations. Speaking from personal experience, I said men feel inadequate or even paralyzed at the prospect of providing care.

I must say that I’m grateful that I’m the one in my household with Parkinson’s and not my wife, Hedy. If the shoe were on the other foot, frankly, I couldn’t measure up to her extraordinary care-giving capacity. She’s my rock. I don’t have the disease; we have the disease.

I’m concerned for our new female support group member. She needs — and deserves — her husband’s best effort! He’s not giving it.

Sometimes, guys, we just need to man-up!

JIM CARNETT lives in Costa Mesa. His column runs Wednesdays.

Similar Story Folders

Related Items

Story Folder Log
09-02-2010 06:54 PM  The package “tn-dpt-0908-carnett” has been created.
09-02-2010 06:54 PM  The package “tn-dpt-0908-carnett” has been created.
09-02-2010 06:08 PM  Content item ‘tn-dpt-0908-carnett’ has been created.
09-02-2010 06:08 PM  Story folder “tn-dpt-0908-carnett” has been created.
09-02-2010 06:08 PM  The planning date has been set to 09-08-2010.