THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE:Work on destroyed sand dune begins

The first step toward restoring a destroyed sand dune in Newport Beach began last week, officials said, but it’s uncertain when more work will take place.

A protected sand dune in West Newport was razed in April 2005, allegedly by a contractor hired by five area homeowners. The homeowners agreed in January 2006 to pay a $225,000 fine and have the dune restored, under a settlement with the California Coastal Commission.

Officials are still working with homeowners to get a dune restoration plan that meets the commission’s requirements, Coastal Commission statewide enforcement analyst Aaron McLendon said. But homeowners were given permission to uproot some invasive ice plant in the area as the first step toward a larger restoration project, he said.

That happened last week, prompting a few questions at Newport Beach City Hall about whether the activity was legit.

McLendon said the ice plant removal is all that will happen until the restoration plan is complete.

The goal of the work, he said is “to bring the dunes back to how they were before, to get rid of the invasive exotic plant species that invade the native species and really just to bring back the natural landscape of that area.”

CITY LEADERS MARK PASSINGS

When the Newport Beach City Council adjourned its Tuesday meeting early Wednesday, it was in memory of two people who had a formative influence on city leaders: Edward H. Selich, the father of Councilman Ed Selich, and Bernice Borchard Heffernan, former Councilman John Heffernan’s mother.

Bernice Heffernan gave her time to a variety of causes, founding the Legal Aid Society of Orange County and helping start Catholic Charities of Orange County. She died Feb. 17 at age 91.

A World War II Army veteran, Edward Selich worked for National Steel and Shipbuilding for nearly three decades, played the banjo for his family and was known for his sense of humor. He was 86 when he died Feb. 21.

We at the Daily Pilot extend our condolences to the Heffernan and Selich families.

BILL IS AIMED AT STREET GANGS

Along with other state legislators, state Sen. Tom Harman (R-Huntington Beach) unveiled a wide-ranging package of legislation aimed at fighting street gangs on Wednesday.

The cornerstone of the proposal is Senate Bill 657, written by Harman and state Sen. George Runner of Antelope Valley.

The bill has several parts: It provides matching grants to local agencies for gang prevention programs; it dedicates part of state lottery proceeds to suppressing violence at high schools; it allows identity theft and forgery to be counted as criminal gang activity; it increases funding for witness protection; and it enhances certain criminal penalties.

Another Harman-written law would require convicted gang members to register with law enforcement annually and when they relocate. Other laws in the package not written by Harman propose stiffer penalties for gang felonies committed in prison, global positioning system monitoring during probation for those convicted of gang-related offenses, and a minimum 10-year sentence for violent gang crimes.

“Gang activity is nothing short of domestic terrorism, and we must do everything we can to eradicate it completely,” Harman said in a news release Wednesday. “The well-being of our neighborhoods, the safety of our parks and the protection of our children are at risk.”

TAXPAYERS’ FRIEND

Rep. John Campbell (R-Newport Beach) last week was named a “taxpayers’ friend” for working to lower taxes and reduce federal spending last year, his office announced. The recognition came from the National Taxpayers Union, a nonpartisan group that represents 350,000 people.

— Michael Alexander contributed to this report.