A quick look at the things that made news this week in Newport Beach:
• Newport Beach city officials and residents discussed the proposal to raise residential pier fees from a flat $100 annually to 52.5 cents per square foot at an afternoon study session Tuesday. About 50 dock owners and community members expressed their anger and frustration in the meeting. The proposal will likely be modified before city council votes on it.
• Lawrence Palomarez, 35, of Gardena, was arrested Nov. 15 in Corona del Mar after leading police on a chase starting in Westminster when police spotted Palomarez driving a stolen 1996 Honda Accord. The chase ended with the suspect running through Sherman Library & Gardens and nearby alleys and police finding him hiding in a garage on Flower Street, according to Corona del Mar Today. Palomarez and passenger Priscilla Avalos, 39, of Anaheim, who stayed in the car when Palomarez fled, were both booked on suspicion of felony evasion and possession of stolen property.
• Police launched their second annual Operation Safe Holidays campaign. Last year’s statistics show an 11 percent decrease in burglary and thefts from vehicles compared to 2010. Police are posting advisories on message boards, door hangers, neighborhood watch groups, as well as extra patrols, DUI patrols and curfew enforcement. Police also recommend residents lock their vehicles, place packages in trunk or away from view, and breakdown discarded empty boxes or containers and stuff into enclosed trash cans.
• An Orange County judge ruled Thursday that Morningside Recovery rehab homes in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa can stay open during its lawsuit, the Daily Pilot reported. This is the latest action in a long battle between Morningside and the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, which is stilling moving forward with a permanent injunction, the paper stated.
• A cement truck overturned around 10 a.m. Tuesday on the Corona del Mar 73 Freeway and caused a traffic delay near Jamboree Road and Bristol Street. Police notified residents of the delay at 12:30 p.m. and that it would last a few hours.
• Several Newport Beach surfers have had their vehicles broken into while they’re riding waves, the Newport Beach Patch reported. According to police, the burglars watch as the surfers hide their car keys and then wait for them to head out into the water. Among the stolen items are: A 1999 Volvo, wallets, money, credit cards, a passport, cell phones and other miscellaneous items.
