NBPD warns against rental scams

According to the Newport Beach Police Department, there has been a recent scam going around regarding rental property advertisements.

Here’s how it works:

A suspect posts a Craigslist For Rent ad with photos of a Newport Beach home that they pulled from an Airbnb ad. Once the victim starts corresponding with the suspect, the victim is sent a fake rental agreement and is instructed to wire money or deposit money into an account. Once the money has gone through, the suspect stops corresponding with the victim.

Here are some tips to protect yourself from these types of scams:

–Never wire or deposit money into an account of someone you have never met. Remember: wiring money is like giving someone cash – you will not get it back.

–Ask to arrange a tour of the property with the landlord or property manager before signing an agreement or transferring money. Legitimate landlords will be open to having prospective tenants check out the property.

–Beware of a landlord or property manager who only communicates via email and is ready to sign an agreement without any background information. Legitimate landlords want reliable tenants, and will want to make sure you check out before they rent to you.

–Do an internet search on the owner, real estate management company and listing. If you find the same ad listed under a different name, it may be a scam.

If you believe you’ve been the victim of a scam, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov/complaint.

CdM hosts annual Christmas Walk; parking changes might be on the horizon

By AMY SENK

The Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce hosted the 40th annual Christmas Walk on Sunday, Dec. 2, with thousands of visitors wandering the length of East Coast Highway, up one side and down the other, sometimes venturing off on side streets to catch a band’s version of “Old Time Rock and Roll” or a holiday classic, or maybe heading down toward Bayside Drive where a beer and wine garden was set up behind temporary fencing.

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Courtesy of CdM Chamber of Commerce

“SoCal Santa” and his dog enjoying the Christmas Walk

You can learn a lot if you spend some time at the Christmas Walk, like which of your friends have talented children who sing and dance, and who has dogs that are patient about things like wearing reindeer antler hats. You can talk to business owners who have all the gossip about rising rents and possible new tenants that could be pushing out old businesses. 

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Courtesy of CdM Chamber of Commerce

Three “elf gals” ring in the holidays

Sometimes, businesses that aren’t quite set up for a grand opening occasionally pop up at the Christmas Walk to tell locals about their plans. But Mama D’s still remains closed and no one was around to discuss when it might open. Reborn Coffee, however, was set up in front of their future shop at 2935 E. Coast Highway with samples of their product. The shop, a representative said, should be open in January 2019 – five years to the month after the former tenant, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, shut its doors.

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Photo by Amy Senk

Reborn Coffee set to open in January 2019

The funny thing about the Christmas Walk is that it tends to be very polarizing for locals. Some love it, dressing in colorful holiday suits or tiny little velvet Santa mini dresses. They bring their dogs in costumes and hit all the shops and vendors. Others can’t stand it – they think it’s too drunk and loud and over the top in a not great way. You almost always run into friends, though, and it definitely is the start of the holiday season for Corona del Mar.

• • •

Meanwhile, the Corona del Mar Business Improvement District (BID) board met for its monthly meeting on November 29, where the group discussed a parking study and decided to try to get the City Council to act quickly on one of the proposed changes – parking time limits on East Coast Highway.

The BID wants to increase the time limit from one hour to two hours, which would keep shoppers or restaurant visitors from parking closer to residences if they needed the extra 60 minutes. The BID also wants to work with owners of private lots to make spaces available to the public, and to reduce or modify city parking requirements to encourage new business development in the village.

City Councilman Scott Peotter, in his last BID meeting before leaving office, said that the group should consider drafting a letter with all three items mentioned, but that they ask for immediate action on changing the parking time limits.

“It’s not a recommendation, it’s an ask,” Peotter said. “They could change the signs tomorrow. You have a study that shows it would be utilized more if there were longer times. Make sure you attach the study.”

A draft of a letter to be sent to the City Council made the case for improved parking as a key to injecting some life into a faltering Corona del Mar economy.

“As you are aware, the BID in its advocacy role for the businesses in CdM is very interested in both the current and long term health of the CdM business district as it affects not only our direct constituents, the businesses, but also the adjacent residential neighborhoods and the city at large,” the letter said. “Like us, you have probably noted the fairly high number of vacancies in the shop fronts along PCH which is alarming given the overall health of the economy. The rise of online purchasing has changed the way people shop, and specifically changed the kinds of commercial uses they are likely to frequent in their neighborhood. We believe that one of the largest impediments to entry for more local friendly commercial uses is the current parking situation in the village.”

~~~~~~~~

Amy Senk has lived in Corona del Mar for 20 years and was publisher of Corona del Mar Today, an online newspaper that ran daily for seven years. Senk, a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, is involved in the Corona del Mar Residents Association and the Corona del Mar High School PTA. She and her husband have two children.

110th annual Christmas Boat Parade kicks off with Grand Marshal Albert Pujols, LA Angels first baseman

Three-time National League MVP and two-time World Series champion Albert Pujols will preside as Grand Marshal for the opening night of the 110th annual Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade, hosted by the Commodores Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce. The Angels first baseman will be accompanied by his wife and five children aboard the Ohana Kai II to watch the festively and elaborately decorated yachts, sailboats and small electric boats twinkle on the harbor.

Locals and visitors alike can enjoy the spectacle from a variety of public viewing locations including numerous waterfront restaurants and the 10.5-acre Marina Park. Festivities will begin in Marina Park at 4:30 p.m., with family-friendly activities including face painters, caricature artists, an LA Chargers football toss competition and food vendors. Onlookers will also be treated to a live musical performance by The Young Americans. On opening night, the parade will commence with a spectacular fireworks display at approximately 6:15 p.m. from Newport Pier.

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Courtesy of NB Chamber of Commerce

A fireworks show on opening night from Newport Pier kicks off the festivities

Can’t make it on Wednesday, Dec. 19? The parade continues through Sunday, Dec. 23 with a designated Grand Marshal each night including:

–Thursday, Dec. 20 - A Salute to Hometown Heroes: Cheer on our local heroes, those first-responders and lifesavers who serve our communities, as they lead the evening’s festivities.

–Friday, Dec. 21 - The Young Americans®: Founded in 1962, this nonprofit organization is dedicated to the promotion of understanding and goodwill among people throughout the world. Dubbed as America’s Musical Ambassadors, they use the power of music, dance, performance, academics and cultural interaction to foster their mission.

–Saturday, Dec. 22 - A Celebration of Christmas Movies and Music with Olive Crest: Children and families of Olive Crest, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing child abuse and treating and educating at-risk children, bring holiday sentiments of family fun and the spirit of Christmas to life.

–Sunday, Dec. 23 - Corona del Mar High School Drum Line: The CdM Drum Line is one of the premier performing groups at Corona del Mar High School. It serves as a musical ambassador, performing regularly in pep rallies as well as at school and community events. A fireworks show will close out the parade.

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Boat Parade route map with best public viewing spots

The parade sets the harbor aglow commencing at the tip of Lido Isle at 6:30 p.m. and finishing at the same site around 9 p.m. each evening. If you are interested in registering your boat in the parade (or your home for the Ring of Lights competition), visit www.christmasboatparade.com/enter. Registered boats and homes receive the Commemorative 2018 Parade Burgee Flag and Plaque and are eligible for prizes. Winners receive free tickets to the Awards Dinner & Auction on January 25, 2019 at the Fashion Island Hotel.

Presenting sponsors of the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade are Simple Green and Wells Fargo, and Community Sponsors are the City of Newport Beach and Visit Newport Beach, Inc., with marketing and promotional support from Newport Beach & Company.

For more information on the 110th Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade, call 949.729.4400 and visit www.ChristmasBoatParade.com.

Pet of the Week

StuNewsNewport is delighted to be working with the Newport Beach Animal Shelter to help get the word out in search of loving homes for pets that deserve a warm, nurturing environment and a place to call “home.”

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Courtesy of Newport Beach Animal Shelter

MEET POTATO

Potato is four months old and also has a few brothers needing great homes. They are neutered, microchipped and vaccinated.

If you are interested in finding out more about Potato, or any other animals up for adoption, call 949.644.3656 or email Valerie Schomburg at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The Newport Beach Animal Shelter is located at 20302 Riverside Drive, Newport Beach. It is open daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

At any given time, the shelter can have 4-5 dogs and 7-8 cats/kittens available for adoption. At times, the shelter receives owner turn-ins that would do best adopted out together. 

Adoption costs at the shelter:

Dogs - $130

Puppies - $150

Cats - $90

Kittens - $110

To find out how you can help support the shelter, visit www.nbpd.org and click on “Our Animal Shelter” to view the wish list. The shelter can always use food & treats; new toys; grooming, hygiene & comfort products; as well as laundry soap, dish soap, paper towels, sponges, scrub pads and lint rollers. If you are interested in volunteering, you can fill out and sign the application on the website.

Segerstrom presents a special evening with Pasek and Paul, creators of Dear Evan Hansen

Segerstrom Center for the Arts proudly presents “Pasek And Paul: Up Close and Personal with Special Guests,” an exclusive one-night-only event featuring the acclaimed Tony Award-winning duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, on January 7, 2019 at 7 p.m. in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.

Pasek and Paul wrote the music and lyrics for Dear Evan Hansen, the winner of six 2017 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Score and the Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album.

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Courtesy of scfta.org

(L-R) Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

It will be a star-powered evening during which the audience will have a rare opportunity to get to know the personalities behind one of the entertainment world’s most celebrated creative partnerships through conversation and a Q&A. Joined by special guests to be announced later, audiences can also expect to hear selections from the pair’s esteemed volume of work which also includes Academy Award-winning compositions for hit films La La Land and The Greatest Showman.

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Director of Musical Theatre Michael A. Kerker will moderate the evening, as he has for Segerstrom Center special evenings with Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman and Barbara Cook. 

A limited number of VIP tickets of $1,000, $600 and $300 are available which offer opportunities to meet Pasek and Paul and include a donation to The ASCAP Foundation. There will be eight (8) $1,000 VIP tickets, which include prestige seating at the performance and seating at Pasek and Paul’s table during an elegant post-performance dinner in Segerstrom Center’s Leatherby’s Café Rouge. Twenty (20) $600 tickets include prestige seating for the performance and the post-performance dinner. Seventy-four (74) $300 VIP tickets include a pre-performance meet-and-greet with Pasek and Paul and prime seating at the performance. All VIP guests will receive an autographed copy of Dear Evan Hansen, the novel, written by Val Emmich, Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

Single tickets start at $59 and are on sale now at www.scfta.org, at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, or by calling 714.556.2787. 

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is located at 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa.

Sign of the times

It’s another edition of Sign of the times, so put your thinking caps on. Stu believes you can identify this “R” logo that leads you to a fine and memorable dining experience.

Good luck...or should we say – buona mangiata!

Send your guesses to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Stu loves publishing the winning answers on Tuesday. 

If you’re a business and you want to play, you can send us a high-quality photo of your sign and we’ll take it from there and challenge our readers.

Let’s have some fun!

Stump the Stu

What’s this chef cooking up and where?

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It looks like this culinary wizard who cooked up something fresh and satisfying stumped our readers, except for one person.

Congratulations to Joe Stapleton who knew this baker works his magic in the kitchen at Moulin on Bristol Street. Joe shared that this is the perfect spot for morning meetings.

Stop by this charming patisserie that has been transformed into a Parisian Holiday Market throughout the month of December. The walls are filled with fine epicurean items sourced directly from France as the pastry case glistens with gilded pastries including large-format St. Honoré and sesame-fig tarts, as well as artisan foie gras with Jurançon. A curated wine selection will offer everything from robust, vintage Burgundies to a Nebuchadnezzar of Taittinger’s Brut Reserve. From floor to ceiling, the patisserie will be brimming with holiday baskets of all sizes filled with everything a true Francophile could ever dream of.

If you have a unique spot or icon around town that you think Stu News Newport readers would enjoy finding out about, please shoot it, share it and give us the location, so we can challenge them! Happy Hunting.

22nd Annual Balboa Island Holiday Home Walking Tour lights up the Island this weekend

The 22nd Annual Balboa Island Holiday Home Walking Tour takes place this Sunday, Dec. 9, from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

One of Orange County’s most loved Holiday Home Walking Tours returns with eight uniquely holiday decorated bay front and Island homes, sure to spark the spirit of the season. 

Submitted photo

This is a residence that is on this year’s Holiday Home Walking Tour

Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at www.balboaislandNB.org. They are also available at the following Balboa Island stores: Crystal Rose, Fresh Produce, Island Home, Sunny Days and Sur Le Mer, all located on Marine Avenue, and Blue Springs Home on 17th Street in Costa Mesa. 

Holiday refreshments will be served the day of the event at these locations: Balboa Island Museum on Marine Avenue from 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., The Royal Hen on Marine Avenue and the Huse-Skelly Gallery on Park Avenue from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Be sure to visit the shops on Marine and Agate avenues for all your holiday shopping.

This event is sponsored by the Balboa Island Improvement Association.

Celebrate the holidays at the Seaside Gallery & Goods open house

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This Saturday, Dec. 8 from 10 a.m.  5 p.m., celebrate the holidays at the Seaside Gallery & Goods open house.

While shopping for those special people on your gift-giving list, guests will enjoy small bites and spirits. A Salvation Army bell ringer will be present from 1 - 3 p.m., with 20 percent of sales supporting the California Wildfires Victims’ Fund.

Seaside Gallery & Goods is located at 124 Tustin Ave., Newport Beach. For more information, visit www.seasidegalleryandgoods.com.

Hoag presents The S Word documentary and suicide prevention workshop tomorrow

Tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 8, Hoag Hospital is presenting the screening of The S Word documentary and a suicide prevention workshop from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. The film chronicles one suicide attempt survivor’s mission to find fellow survivors and document their stories of unguarded courage, insight, pain and humor. This powerful documentary puts a human face to a topic that has long been stigmatized and buried with the lives it has claimed. Suicide affects people of all ages, races, faiths, ethnicities, gender presentations, sexual orientations and professions.

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Submitted photo

Schedule of Events:

9 - 9:30 a.m.: Welcome and refreshments

9:30 - 10:30 a.m.: Screening of The S Word

10:30 - 11:30 a.m.: Panel Discussion and Q&A that will include the director of the documentary, a suicide attempt survivor, a family member who has lost a loved one to suicide and professionals who have worked closely with individuals struggling with suicidal ideations.

11:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.: How to Identify the Signs and Symptoms of Youth Suicide with the Orange County Department of Education Crisis Response Network

12 - 1 p.m.: Exhibition with Community Partners to include Costa Mesa Family Resource Center, Green Ribbon Club, Hoag Mental Health Center, NAMI, Newport-Mesa Unified School District, Orange County Behavioral Health and the Ransom Foundation.

Admission is free, but registration is required. To register, contact Melanie Nguyen at 949.764.6584 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Adolescents under the age of 16 must be accompanied by and registered for the event by an adult. 

This event takes place at Hoag Health Center Newport Beach, 520 Superior Ave., in classrooms 5 - 7.

Ina Garten...a beloved Barefoot Contessa 

By LANA JOHNSON

Ina Garten, aka the Barefoot Contessa, is someone I have admired and whose cookbooks I’ve coveted over the years. For me to share an evening with her at Segerstrom Hall this past Wednesday evening amid a packed audience, truly solidified my perception: She really is as humble and genuine in person as I had imagined. She embraces cooking with humor and devotion, and in her words, “Cooking scares me, because there are so many variables, which is why I make simple recipes.” She tests every recipe for flavor and texture, making it over and over again until she gets it just the way she loves it.

Costa Mesa was the sixth stop on her Cook Like a Pro cross-country cookbook tour, in conjunction with Williams Sonoma, celebrating her highly anticipated 11th cookbook. On stage, she was joined by moderator, cookbook author and culinary instructor, Tori Ritchie, in a one-on-one informal interview, sharing behind-the-scenes stories of filming her award-winning TV show, Barefoot Contessa, from her barn in East Hampton, which is in its 13th season on Food Network; writing her bestselling cookbooks; revealing trade secrets and how she makes guests feel right at home, whether it be an intimate brunch with a few friends or a well-attended party; and celebrating 50 years of marriage to her adoring husband, Jeffrey, whom she says is always a great sport.

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Courtesy of scfta.org

Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa

A brief background on Ina:

In 1978, she worked in the White House on nuclear energy policy...and thought there must be more to life to experience. She saw a small food store for sale in the Hamptons at the end of Long Island, made an offer on it and two months later she was the owner of a 400-sq.ft. specialty food store, aptly named Barefoot Contessa. She grew her business into a food emporium, assisting customers on what to take home – from dinners to baked goods, realizing that what they wanted to cook was comforting, not fancy. In 1996, she sold the store to her employees, and in 2003, the new owners decided to shutter the doors. In 1999, Ina wrote her first cookbook, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, a bestseller, and has continued to author successful cookbooks filled with recipes that are easy, delicious and, yes, foolproof, so cooks at a variety of skill levels can enjoy making the recipes, and are put at ease while entertaining, so they can share the joy of food with family, friends and guests.

Following the interview, there was a Q&A where Ina answered questions submitted ahead of time from the audience.

For all of you home cooks, here are some fun things Ina shared:

–How do you salt? Early, so it seeps into the meat. There are a variety of salts. Have on hand Kosher (Diamond Crystal), Fleur del Sel (a finisher) and Malton’s, which lends a crunch...it’s great brushed with an egg wash on top of chicken pot pie.

–Favorite pantry items: California olive oil (prefers it over imports for its fruitiness); mustards, vanilla and quick cook pasta.

–Eggs. Ina uses extra large because a little more egg makes a cake batter better. But if you have large eggs, that’s fine, too. When baking, it’s important to bring eggs up to room temperature (as well as the butter).

–The one thing you tell new cooks. Wet vs. dry measures. Glass measuring cups are for ingredients you pour; Dry measuring cups are for ingredients you level off. Measure precisely and follow the recipe exactly to achieve the best results.

–With so many choices on the shelves, how do I know which brand is the best? Whether it’s chocolate (she loves Lindt’s bittersweet) or olive oils, buy several varieties, line them up and taste each to see which you like the best.

–A special Christmas meal. Ina and Jeffrey spend Christmas in Paris each year, where she can never get enough of the freshly baked goods. What’s on the menu? Roasted loin of pork with potato, apple and celery root puree; shaved Brussels sprouts; Béchamel or another fabulous cheese and tartine. And yes, store bought items such as baguettes are the way to go.

So what’s in store for Ina’s next cookbook? She said she doesn’t know yet, but she has been working on making the perfect Boston Cream Pie for the last six years...so that may be one of the recipes. Why is it called pie, when it really is a cake?

On a personal note, Ina was asked what her favorite movie is. She quickly replied, Mary Poppins Returns, and explained that it has a completely new story line and musical score that can’t be missed. Which led into Ina’s Food Network show, airing this Sunday, Dec. 9 at 12:30 p.m. Titled “Cooking Like a Pro: Mary Poppins Show,” Ina hosts a Mary Poppins reunion sharing cooking secrets and making a British-style Sunday brunch for her friends who produced, directed and acted in the new movie. She shows Emily Blunt (who plays Mary Poppins) how to make roasted capon and Lin-Manuel Miranda (who plays Jack) how to prepare haricot vert. In turn, Blunt shares her grandmother’s recipe for perfect roasted potatoes. As Ina would say....”How easy is that?”

JWA posts October 2018 statistics

Airline passenger traffic at John Wayne Airport (JWA) decreased in October 2018 as compared with October 2017. In October 2018, the airport served 907,191 passengers, a decrease of 2.5 percent when compared with the October 2017 passenger traffic count of 930,911.

Commercial aircraft operations decreased 1.4 percent and commuter aircraft operations increased 331.0 percent when compared with October 2017 levels.

Total aircraft operations increased in October 2018 as compared with the same month in 2017. In October 2018, there were 26,926 total aircraft operations (takeoffs and landings), a 5.7 percent increase compared to 25,466 total aircraft operations in October 2017.

General aviation activity, which accounted for 69.1 percent of the total aircraft operations during October 2018, increased 7.7 percent when compared with October 2017.

The top three airlines in October 2018 based on passenger count were Southwest Airlines (304,995), United Airlines (146,262) and American Airlines (143,571).

Stoaks’ supporters seek recount

Submitted photo

Supporters of Tim Stoaks are planning to request a recount on his behalf, as a result of the extremely close Newport Beach City Council race in District 3.

Marshall “Duffy” Duffield with 18,458 votes and 50.05 percent, narrowly edged out first-time City Council candidate Stoaks, who garnered 18,422 votes and 49.95 percent, losing by only 36 votes.

Recount proponent Susan Skinner is coordinating a fundraising effort to raise the count’s estimated $25,000 cost. Although the state of California doesn’t automatically conduct recounts in close races, losing candidates or any voter can request one if they handle the expense.

According to Jennifer McDonald, a representative of Line in the Sand, a group of concerned citizens who endorsed Stoaks’ candidacy, “Line in the Sand did not initiate and is not one of the organizers of the recount effort. Nonetheless, we do believe it’s justified in a race as close as the Stoaks-Duffy contest. Even with one of the most competent and highly respected registrars in the state, there is room for human error. A recount seems warranted with a margin of victory this slim.”

Kathi Koll talks about new book at NBPL

Newport Beach Public Library (NBPL) presents Newport Beach resident and author Kathi Koll in a special program on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019 in the Central Library Friends Room.

Koll, founder of the Kathi Koll Foundation, will introduce her memoir, Kick-Ass Kinda Girl: A Memoir of Life, Love and Caregiving, inspired by her experiences caring for her late husband, developer Donald Koll, whose debilitating stroke changed their lives dramatically. With an unflinching look at the difficult times and an ability to laugh at herself, while never losing hope for tomorrow, Koll unveils a powerfully moving story of resilience and inspiration. Kick-Ass Kinda Girl is her first book.

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Photo by Figge Photography

Kathi Koll to share her new book on January 29

Koll has been committed to civic, community and healthcare organizations within and outside the U.S. for decades. She currently serves on the Hoag Hospital Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute advisory committee and on the Boy Scouts of America Orange County Council board of directors. She has previously served on the board of trustees of Casa Cuna, an orphanage in La Paz, Mexico, the boards of UCLA Health Systems and American Ballet Theatre, and as a trustee for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Koll is also an owner of the Koll Company, a real estate development firm founded by her late husband.

Seating is limited. Register online at www.newportbeachca.gov/events to save a seat. This event is funded by the Friends of the Library. Admission is free. Books will be available for purchase and signing. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each book will be used to support caregivers in need.

To read an excerpt of the book, visit www.KathiKoll.com.

For more information, visit www.newportbeachlibrary.org, or call 949.717.3800, option #2.

NB City Council appoints new planning commissioner

Curtis Ellmore, a 31-year resident of Newport Beach and senior vice president of the Orange County offices of JLL, a commercial real estate firm, has been appointed to the Planning Commission by City Council.

According to Ellmore, “I feel I possess a unique sense of what it means to be a member of the Newport Beach community. As a third-generation city resident and having lived in Newport Heights, Beacon Bay and Corona del Mar, I am familiar with the character and culture of its neighborhoods and citizens.

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Courtesy of JLL

Curtis Ellmore was recently appointed to the Newport Beach Planning Commission

“At this point in my professional and personal life, I feel prepared to dedicate the time and effort required to be a valuable addition to the commission, and I welcome the opportunity to serve the City of Newport Beach in this capacity,” Ellmore stated.

In addition to his 15 years as a professional in the commercial real estate industry, he has been involved in two primary philanthropic initiatives through the Hoag Hospital Foundation over the past five years – the 552 Club and the Irvine Advisory Committee.

On September 25, former Commissioner Bill Dunlap resigned.

On the Harbor: Special Harbor Commission meeting aboard the Balboa ferry

By LEN BOSE

Just in case you were wondering, I did attend the November 17 special meeting of the Harbor Commission aboard one of the Balboa car ferries. About 50 people were greeted to a cool crisp Saturday morning harbor tour, where six harbor commissioners reviewed their objectives for the coming year.

Public attendance was encouraging, yet questions were slim to none, and the whole tour felt a little rushed to me, missing some of the topics, that in my opinion, are important. But hey, let’s stay positive, because being negative really slows down an already slow process. 

Personally, I feel the city has a strong group of volunteers that form the Harbor Commission, and as a seat-of-the-pants sailor, I feel they all have a positive passion for the well-being of our harbor.

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Photo by Len Bose

Harbor Commissioner Don Yann reviews his objectives for the upcoming year aboard the Balboa ferry 

Among the items of importance in the coming year are the changes in Title 17 of the municipal code that covers our harbor. Most everything that governs our harbor is in Title 17, so whenever you notice public outreach meetings on this topic, be sure to attend and express your opinions. I will do my best to keep you updated along the way.

One very positive sign I noticed was that Harbor Commissioner Scott Cunningham has taken the helm regarding harbor dredging. This is an overwhelming task that deals with more than seven different government agencies, with an estimated cost of $22 million to complete. The money and the permits are the lower hurdles; where to place more than 200,000 cubic yards of unsuitable material is, comparatively, the high jump. Last time the city dredged less than 10 years ago, the Port of Long Beach was accepting these materials to fill in a new commercial port. I clearly recall staff expressing how difficult it would be if the city was unable to bring these materials into Long Beach for disposal.

On another positive note is the increased effort in code enforcement in the harbor, which has been overlooked for too long. If I heard Assistant City Manager Carol Jacobs correctly, there will be added code enforcement in the harbor very soon. Like I have said before, my concerns are the continuity of the enforcement.

After the harbor tour, I went around to the different yacht clubs to gain an understanding of each club being required to complete a permit for events that exceed the harbor’s speed limit. Permits can be obtained up to six months in advance. I was unclear if this is for all regattas or just the events where vessels exceed the speed limit. Sailing events and yacht clubs will not be the only harbor users that require a permit.

I want to shout out to all the people who came up to me after the meeting and thanked me for writing my column. I do appreciate your comments and thank you all for your heartfelt remarks.

So, let’s wrap up the year by making sure you attend the Harbor Commission meeting at Marina Park on Wednesday, Dec.12 at 6:30 p.m., and if you can, arrive earlier for the study session that begins at 5 p.m., which will be focused on the Harbor Vision committee. As one of those under 30-foot boat owners, this topic is a big concern to me with the loss of so many smaller slips being eaten up by marina operators who would like to increase their marinas with large slips.

I also have some breaking news...the city has hired Kurt Borsting as our new Harbormaster. From a quick Google search, Borsting is coming from the City of Long Beach, where he has been the superintendent for Marine Operations. My sources indicate that Borsting will likely be attending the Harbor Commission meeting and be introduced there.

One last thing before I leave you, how many of you read The Log article by Parimal Rohit on November 11: “Duffy Boats founder narrowly loses re-election campaign?” Well, according to the Orange County Registrar of Voters, on Sunday morning, December 2, they certified that all ballots had been counted. In District 3, Marshall “Duffy” Duffield with 18,458 votes and 50.05 percent defeated Tim Stoaks, who garnered 18,422 votes and 49.95 percent, with Duffield winning by only 36 votes.

I had a chance to talk to Duffield that Sunday morning while walking the docks to congratulate him on his victory. He just said, “Yea, wasn’t that something,” and shook his head. I was not about to go on the record with him at that time, so we talked about Harbor 20 sailing and boat building. As far as I am concerned, this is fantastic news and wraps up a very constructive year for our harbor. More breaking news! It appears at the time of writing this there may be a recount. Very similar to being protested on the race course, looks like we might be headed to the protest room.

Sea ya

~~~~~~~~

Len Bose is a yachting enthusiast, yacht broker and harbor columnist for StuNewsNewport.

Inside Edge Foundation for Education to feature Gary Quinn, bestselling author

On Wednesday, Dec. 12, the Inside Edge Foundation for Education will hold its breakfast meeting at The Pacific Club from 7 - 8:45 a.m. All are invited to participate.

The featured speaker is international bestselling author Gary Quinn. His book, The Yes Frequency, teaches how we have the potential to create exactly the life we want, and to experience extraordinary results. He shares his valuable insights and knowledge on how to obtain that extra edge with a worldwide audience via his self-help motivational books, audio CDs, TV and radio appearances, digital downloads, and numerous worldwide speaking engagements and seminars. Several of his recent books have become bestsellers and are acknowledged as essential tools for those seeking to improve their lives by enhancing the mind, body and spirit. Among his many clients are Academy Award winners, Grammy winners and Olympic Gold medalists.

Courtesy of The Inside Edge Foundation

Gary Quinn is the featured breakfast speaker

Members from all over Orange County attend this early morning breakfast meeting. Non-members and guests are all welcome. Enjoy breakfast, conversation, social and business networking, the speaker and music. The cost is $35 for first-time guests or $45 for returning guests. Membership is $75 per month. Pre-registration is appreciated. Doors open, registration and buffet line starts at 6:45 a.m.; the meeting starts promptly at 7 a.m.

The Inside Edge Foundation for Education is a nonprofit membership organization for intellectually curious and spiritually oriented men and women enjoying the second half of life. It provides a forum for sharing the leading edge of life-enhancing information.

For more information, contact Odile Nicolette at 714.366.7465 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Pacific Club is located at 4110 MacArthur Blvd., Newport Beach. For more information, visit www.insideedge.org.

What’s Happening at Lido Village Books?

Ready for some holiday merriment? Join the fun at Lido Village Books on Thursday, Dec. 20 at 10 a.m., for Little Lido.

Together, the group will read Elise Parsley’s If You Ever Want to Bring a Pirate to Meet Santa, DON’T! There will also be live music and crafts.

RSVP by 8 p.m. on December 19 at http://bit.ly/LLholidaycheer to enter a drawing for prizes. Must be present to win.

Afterward, enjoy discounts at participating stores in Lido Marina Village.

• • •

Lido Village Books is partnering with the Glass Slipper Guild to donate new books for children at CHOC. Support the #carterstrongforever book drive by purchasing books at 10 percent off at the bookstore and dropping them into the donation box through Tuesday, Dec. 17.

Lido Village Books is located at 3424 Via Oporto #102, Newport Beach. For more information, visit www.lidovillagebooks.com.

YMCA of Orange County receives $32,500 grant from Pacific Life Foundation

YMCA of Orange County, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening its community, recently received a three-year $32,500 grant from Newport Beach-based Pacific Life Foundation. The grant will support the organization’s Before and After School Child Care Financial Assistance Program, which helps ensure Y programs are open to all regardless of their ability to pay.

The Pacific Life Foundation has been assisting the nonprofit through grants and volunteer efforts for more than 30 years, providing more than $340,000 in support of multiple programs since 1988. 

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YMCA of Orange County’s Before and After School Child Care Financial Assistance Program provides low-income families in need access to childcare. The Y provides inclusive programs that support the needs and priorities of the child, the family and the school with real-life context to information learned in the classroom – creating experiences students need to succeed in the ever-changing world. These programs are specifically designed to support the whole child, building relationships and a sense of community.

Y afterschool programs allow students to engage in extended learning opportunities through daily physical and educational activities, STEAM, homework support and the arts. The core components of the research-based curriculum for all ages includes homework support, fitness & nutrition, science, art, culture, community outreach, literacy, diversity, and cultural awareness and enrichment clubs.

YMCA child care sites include Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Santa Ana, Tustin, Huntington Beach, Laguna Niguel, Aliso Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Rancho Mission Viejo, Mission Viejo, Lake Forest, Ladera Ranch, Coto de Caza, San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente, Capistrano Beach, Dana Point, Pomona, Diamond Bar and West Covina.

The Y also offers an Inclusion Program providing one-on-one support for children with special needs while broadening the experiences of all children in YMCA programs.

For more information about YMCA of Orange County, visit www.ymcaoc.org.

Eight survivors of the Holocaust honored at Chanukah event

The Chabad Center for Jewish Life and Fashion Island held a public Menorah Lighting in honor of the Festival of Lights on Sunday, Dec. 2 in Fashion Island’s Atrium Garden Court, the largest community celebration of its kind in Orange County.

The celebration began with holiday musical performances by the Tarbut v’Torah day school choir and the musical group Orange Jews.

The community honored eight Holocaust survivors who bravely illuminated the world for the eight decades since Kristallnacht, the onset of the Holocaust. On November 9 - 10, 1938, “Kristallnacht,” also called “Night of Broken Glass,” Nazis in Germany torched synagogues, vandalized Jewish homes, schools and businesses and killed close to 100 Jews. After this event, conditions for German Jews grew increasingly worse; Kristallnacht served as a tipping point, a sign that Nazi anti-Semitism was not a temporary predicament and would only intensify. These eight survivors serve as a beacon of hope, rising from the ashes of the Holocaust.

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Photos by Charles Weinberg

Holocaust survivor Ildi Good and children

The eight survivors were each introduced to the crowd by Steven Silverstein who recounted their incredible stories of survival. These accounts included spending time in labor camps, living in ghettos set up by the Nazis, being hidden by good and moral gentiles who themselves might have been killed for doing so, living in holes and scrounging for food for years, and escape under harrowing circumstances, all while not knowing if they would survive the next day. Some were but small children at the time. 

“These heroic and determined individuals not only survived the darkness, they went on to thrive and illuminate the world around them. They came to the United States to build successful families, businesses, careers and legacies, showing by example that the best response to hate is love, the best response to the desecration of the human and divine spirit is a greater devotion to faith and a higher code of behavior, the best response to evil is to increase acts of goodness and kindness,” said Rabbi Reuven Mintz of the Chabad Center for Jewish Life. “The lessons of the events of Kristallnacht must continue to be learned and taken to heart by all people of good conscience.”

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Eight Holocaust survivors with Steven Silverstein and Rabbi Reuven Mintz are honored in front of the Menorah

Each survivor was accompanied onto the stage by a child to light a candle, a literal and figurative passing of the torch, the continuity of their inspiring flames, from one generation to the next. They all participated in lighting the Menorah, and then each received a memento of the occasion, a personalized Star of David Menorah.

Chabad Center for Jewish Life is working diligently to bring warmth, joy and light of Chanukah with gifts to as many people as possible throughout the eight-day holiday. Staff and volunteers are visiting and conducting programs at hospitals, senior centers, convalescent homes and foster homes, bringing the warmth and joy of the holiday to those who are not able to participate with the larger community.

Chanukah, a celebration for all time, is highlighted by the kindling of the Menorah each night of the Holiday. “It is a holiday that enriches our lives and strengthens our tradition,” Rabbi Mintz said. “In ancient times, our ancestors rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem. Today, we rededicate ourselves to making this world a better and brighter place. Chanukah also transmits the universal message that ultimately goodwill prevail over evil, freedom over oppression and light over darkness.”

22nd Annual Balboa Island Holiday Home Walking Tour lights up the Island

The 22nd Annual Balboa Island Holiday Home Walking Tour takes place on Sunday, Dec. 9, from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

One of Orange County’s most loved Holiday Home Walking Tours returns with nine uniquely holiday decorated bay front and Island homes. These residences are sure to spark holiday cheer.

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Tickets are $35, and can be purchased at www.balboaislandNB.org. They are also available at the following Balboa Island stores: Crystal Rose, Fresh Produce, Island Home, Sunny Days and Sur Le Mer all located on Marine Avenue. Will call tickets will be available to purchase and pick up at the Balboa Island Museum located at 210 Marine Avenue, Balboa Island at 9:30 a.m. on the day of the Home Tour.

Be sure to visit the shops on Marine and Agate avenues for all your holiday shopping and refreshments.

This event is sponsored by the Balboa Island Improvement Association

Celebrate the Boat Parade at the American Legion

Come experience a rare opportunity to attend a holiday event at the American Legion, which is typically open to “members only.” In the spirit of the holidays, join them on one of the nights when the award-winning annual Christmas Boat Parade will be showcased in spectacular Newport Harbor.

The festivities kick off Wednesday, Dec. 19 and run through Sunday, Dec. 23. They are already sold out for Saturday night!

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Photo by Marcie Gonzalez

The American Legion will host family-friendly Christmas Boat Parade festivities, open to all

There will be more than 200 boats and yachts artfully decorated and dressed for the holidays. Many vessels will have cheerful holiday music and carolers on board, with boaters waving to the crowds onshore and wishing all a happy holiday. It’s truly an evening of fun for the entire family, so make your reservations now. Proceeds benefit the American Legion’s military and veteran programs.

Here are all the details:

–Theme: Mexican Christmas Fiesta

–Dinner Buffet Menu: Tacos, rice and beans, chicken tortilla soup, hot dogs, quesadillas, pan dulce (Mexican pastries) with two types of agua fresca (fruit flavored water), coffee and tea

–Seating: Community seating on the patio

–Entertainment: Carolers on Wednesday and Thursday evenings and Mariachis on Friday evening.

–Face painting each night for the kids to enjoy

–Cocktails: No host bar for adult beverages and a $10 corkage fee for wine only.

–Times: Doors open at 4 p.m.; Dinner starts at 5 p.m.; and the Boat Parade passes this viewing location around 6:45 p.m.

–Parking: Street parking or the Newport Beach trolley. Check the Visit Newport Beach web site for pick-up locations and information at www.visitnewportbeach.com.

–Arrive early to secure the best parking options. Dress warmly for this event on the patio for great viewing of the Parade.

–Reservations: Highly Recommended; call 949.554.4914.

–Donations: Adults $29 and Children 10 and under $12. Donations are 100 percent tax-deductible and most importantly, the proceeds go to help our troops, veterans and their families.

The American Legion is located on the Balboa Peninsula at 215 15th St., Newport Beach.

Donations being accepted to spread holiday cheer

The City of Newport Beach is supporting the Spark of Love Toy Drive and Operation Christmas to make the holidays brighter for underserved children, teens, military members and their families.

Spark of Love Toy Drive

The Newport Beach Fire Department is participating in the 26th Annual Firefighters’ Spark of Love Toy Drive campaign, which runs through December 24. Interested community members can drop off new, unwrapped toys and sports equipment or gift cards at all Newport Beach fire stations, Lifeguard Headquarters, the Newport Beach Central Library and Civic Center Revenue Department.

In Orange County, the Spark of Love combines efforts with several agencies to form the Orange County Toy Collaborative. These agencies collect and distribute approximately 300,000 toys annually to Orange County children who may otherwise go without during the holiday season. 

For more information about the Newport Beach Fire Department’s Spark of Love efforts, contact Mariah Stinson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call 949.644.3361.

Drop-off Locations:

–Balboa Peninsula Fire Station #1, 110 East Balboa Boulevard

–Lido Fire Station #2, 475 32nd Street

–Fashion Island Fire Station #3, 868 Santa Barbara Drive

–Balboa Island Fire Station #4, 124 Marine Avenue

–Corona del Mar Fire Station #5, 410 Marigold Avenue

–Mariners Fire Station #6, 1348 Irvine Avenue

–Santa Ana Heights Fire Station #7, 20401 Acacia Street

–Newport Coast Fire Station #8, 6502 Ridge Park Road

–Lifeguard Headquarters, Base of the Newport Pier, 70 Newport Pier

–Newport Beach Central Library, 1000 Avocado Avenue

–Newport Beach City Hall, 100 Civic Center Drive, Revenue Bay 1A (Note: Civic Center will be closing for the holidays on Friday, Dec. 21 at 4 p.m.) 

Operation Christmas

The Newport Beach City Clerk’s Office has partnered with Operation Christmas to bring holiday cheer to California’s military personnel and their families. New, unwrapped children’s toys, new or used DVDs for the troops and gift cards will be collected at City Hall on the second floor of Bay E and at the OASIS Senior Center until 12 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 20.

For 10 years, Operation Christmas, a program organized by Yellow Ribbon America (www.yellowribbonamerica.com) has supported more than 300,000 members of the armed services and their families. 

For more information on Operation Christmas, contact the City Clerk’s Office at 949.644.3005.

Drop-off Locations:

–Newport Beach City Hall, 100 Civic Center Drive, City Clerk’s Office, Bay 2E

–OASIS Senior Center, 801 Narcissus Ave., Corona del Mar

Exchange Club holds movie screening for charity

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Courtesy of Newport Beach Film Festival

The Exchange Club of Newport Harbor will present its 27th Annual Movie Event, featuring a screening of the movie All Square at the Regency Lido Theatre on Wednesday, Dec. 12. This movie is being made available by the Newport Beach Film Festival.

A pre-movie gala includes a variety of the area’s popular restaurants presenting samples of their favorite dishes. Beer and wine will be available. Opportunity drawing tickets will be sold for a chance to win a variety of gift baskets.

All profits from ticket sales and donations will go to benefit the Orange County Child Abuse Prevention Center and related youth charities. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with food and beverages served in the courtyard of Lido Village. The movie begins at 7 p.m. Tickets for the event, including both the food festival and movie showing, are $70; VIP tickets are available for $90.

To purchase tickets, visit www.nhexchange.net. For more information, call the Exchange Club of Newport Harbor at 949.543.7628.

Regency Lido Theatre is located at 3459 Via Lido, Newport Beach.

Magical Christmas Boat Parade begins
Wednesday, Dec. 19

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Courtesy of Newport Beach & Company

Marina Park, an ideal family venue for watching the Christmas Boat Parade

On Wednesday, Dec. 19 at 4:30 p.m., locals and visitors alike are invited to enjoy opening night of the 110th Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade from a variety of public viewing locations, including numerous waterfront restaurants and the 10.5-acre Marina Park.

Festivities begin in Marina Park at 4:30 p.m., with family-friendly activities including face painters, caricature artists, an LA Chargers football toss competition and food vendors. Onlookers will also be treated to a live musical performance by The Young Americans.

The parade will commence with a spectacular fireworks display at approximately 6:15 p.m. from Newport Pier. This year’s Grand Marshal is Albert Pujols, three-time National League MVP and two-time World Series Champion.

The Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade is presented by the Commodores Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce.

For the best viewing locations, a parade route map and rundown on the schedule of events, visit www.christmasboatparade.com and www.visitnewportbeach.com.

Author Peter Nielsen to appear at Lido Village Books

“Every weekday, just before dawn, a commuter train full of business people pulls out of the train station in Santa Ana and rumbles toward downtown Los Angeles. In the ‘quiet car’ of the train is Peter Nielsen, a banker with on office on the 26th floor of a very tall building, near LA’s Union Station. He spends nearly all of his morning commute writing non-fiction true stories that take place all over the United States and in Central America, with wide-ranging themes and characters. Each of the stories is full of love, curiosity, generosity and faith.”

Interested in finding out more?

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Author Peter Nielsen

Come meet author Peter Nielsen, author of All That I’ve Seen – Failing Banks and Other Stories, this Thursday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. at Lido Village Books. He will be doing a reading, Q&A and book signing. Light refreshments will be served and all are welcome.

Lido Village Books is located at 3424 Via Oporto #102, Newport Beach. For more information, call 949.673.2549 or visit www.lidovillagebooks.com.

Carolers serenade shoppers, diners on Lido Deck

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Courtesy of Lido Marina Village

Every Thursday through Sunday, enjoy Christmas music and carolers on Lido Deck from 12 - 3 p.m. at Lido Marina Village, 3434 Via Lido, Newport Beach

Newport Beach – A Look Back

Photo series courtesy of Balboa Island Museum & Historical Society

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These finely dressed ladies are arriving in Newport Beach for an afternoon in the sand, 1904

Visit Balboa Island Museum and the Museum Store located at 331 Marine Ave., Balboa Island. They are open Tuesdays - Sundays from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. For more information, call 949.675.3952, visit www.balboamuseum.orgor email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Sign of the times

On Fridays we give you a partial glimpse of a sign around town. You guess what the overall name of the business is. 

Stu definitely has some readers who knew the martini glass was the icon for a local eatery and bar – 3 Thirty 3 Waterfront above the harbor on Bayside Drive.

Congratulations to Charlie Ferrazzi, Jeff Reuter, Jerry M Murray, John Wortmann, Max Ukropina, Paul Blank, Tim Robertson and Wendy Kerr.

If you’re a business and you want to play, you can send us a high-quality photo of your sign and we’ll take it from there and challenge our readers.

Let’s have some fun!

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You Must Remember This: Local heroines never to be forgotten

By NANCY GARDNER

Imagine how different our city would be if there was no Big Corona, if, instead of a long, sandy beach there were 50 or 60 houses. That’s what it would be like if it hadn’t been for Mary Burton. I never met Mary Burton, although I passed her house many times. There was a period when there were a number of the original redwood houses that early Corona del Mar pioneers built, but one by one the owners died, the heirs sold, the houses were scraped and something new took their place until finally there was only one – Mrs. Burton’s. When I read her obituary, I knew the writing was on the wall, and soon her cozy single house was razed, replaced by two edifices reminding us that we are no longer a community of beach cottages but a city of large, expensive houses. But that’s an aside.

Back to Big Corona. Citizens Bank of Los Angeles owned the beach and proposed building houses there. The state was interested in preserving the beach, and many residents, including Mary Burton, strongly favored that, but the city council turned the state away. They had been informed by the city attorney that the sale to the bank must go through. This seemed the end of the matter, but Mary Burton wasn’t ready to quit. She did some sleuthing and uncovered a relationship between the city attorney and the bank, one that raised a lot of questions. Instead of answering the questions, the city attorney made a quick skip. The council then rejected the bank in favor of accepting the state’s offer, and the beach was preserved – making Mary Burton a significant name in our city’s history. Something like that is not enough to get a house preserved, but we certainly shouldn’t let her name be forgotten.

Another city star was Isobel (Izzie) Pease. I actually met her. I must have been eight or so, since we were living in the Iris house. My childhood memory of Izzie is of a woman with white hair and blue eyes, a sleeveless blouse and a voluminous pair of long, blue shorts which she filled, being a rather large woman. She was also the Joanna Appleseed of CdM. Trees, she felt, were what would transform a rather barren area into a lovely community, and she set about getting trees planted. According to my father, she was quite firm in her manner. Her approach to a new arrival in CdM was not, “Will you be planting a tree?” It was, “What kind of trees are you planting?” When we look around at all the greenery, we can thank Izzie for a lot of it.

Fortunately, we haven’t stopped producing heroines. Jean Watt has been a singular voice for the environment in our city. She has founded a string of organizations – Stop Polluting Our Neighborhood (SPON), Friends of Harbors, Beaches and Parks, Orange Coast River Park (OCRP), Friends of Newport Beach Animal Shelter (FONBAS) – and has a knack for recruiting the right people to participate. She refuses to let losses discourage her, always focusing on the next step.

Evelyn Hart is another woman who has more than made her mark on the city. A very popular councilwoman and mayor, she joined with Jean in forming FONBAS and was the originator of Women in Newport, an annual lunch that brings together all the women who serve on the various city commissions and committees. She led the fundraising effort for the new Oasis where her various contributions to the city are recognized in the Evelyn Hart Event Center.

And finally, there’s Nancy Skinner. She and her husband, Jack, sounded the note about water quality long before it was recognized by most people, and there is not a water quality project in the city that doesn’t bear their marks. Like Jean and Evelyn, Nancy is politically active, and she brings a demeanor that reminds everyone of what things could be like if – no matter how much we disagreed – we treated each other with respect.

The nice thing about all three – their accomplishments haven’t gone unnoticed. Their homes have not been designated historical monuments, but each has been named Citizen of the Year in recognition of their efforts to improve our city. 

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Nancy Gardner, former Mayor of Newport Beach, long-time resident and daughter of Judge Robert Gardner, is a regular contributor to StuNewsNewport.

Stump the Stu

What’s this chef cooking up and where?

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It looks like this culinary wizard just cooked up something fresh and satisfying. Where is his kitchen and what type of food does he like to conjure up?

Take the challenge and submit your answers to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The answer will appear in Friday’s edition, along with the correct guesses. So, join us for this local adventure.

If you have a unique spot or icon around town that you think Stu News Newport readers would enjoy finding out about, please shoot it, share it and give us the location, so we can challenge them! Happy Hunting.

Back Bay Bistro to host Brunch with Santa, Christmas Eve dinner

Back Bay Bistro welcomes guests to celebrate the holidays with family, friends, great food and Mr. Claus himself at Brunch with Santa on Saturdays, Dec. 8 and 22. Take photos with Santa in between trips to the sprawling buffet tables highlighting live food stations like cooked-to-order omelets and pancakes, and a dessert display featuring white and milk chocolate fountains. Add endless Champagne and mimosas for just $5 or a Bloody Mary carafe for $10. Brunch seatings are available from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. The cost is $28 for adults and $13 for youngsters 10 years of age and under.

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For those who wish to dine out on Christmas Eve, Back Bay Bistro is hosting a gourmet, five-course Christmas Eve dinner highlighting seasonal sides, three succulent main course options and decadent desserts with seatings from 4:30 - 8 p.m. Celebrate the season in the festive waterfront atmosphere with gorgeous views of the Back Bay illuminated with holiday lights. The cost is $65 per person (tax and 18 percent service charge is not reflected in per person pricing).

Christmas Eve Dinner Menu:

First Course - Friese Salad and Blistered Baby Heirloom Tomatoes, blood orange vinaigrette

Second Course - Butternut Squash Bisque

Third Course - Venison Scallopini with parsnip and sweet potato mashed, red wine reduction or Striped Sea Bass with wild mushroom risotto, citrus chardonnay sauce

Main Course* - Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb with mint jus, goat cheese polenta, mixed vegetables or Chicken Marsala with roasted fingerling potatoes, broccolini or Center Cut Filet of Beef with Point Reyes blue cheese sauce, au gratin potatoes and mixed vegetables

*Vegetarian option available upon request

Dessert - Chocolate Yule Log Cake or Pumpkin Spice Crème Brûlée

To make reservations, call 949.999.3170.

Back Bay Bistro is located at 1131 Back Bay Drive, Newport Beach. For more information, visit www.NewportDunes.com/Bistro.

BCYC inducts Bill Moffett as 2019 Commodore

At its annual meeting, Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club (BCYC) announced longtime member and racer, Steve Moffett, will take the helm as its 2019 Commodore. Moffett joined BCYC in 2010 and has served on the board of directors for the past four years.

An active boater, Moffett grew up in Long Beach, learning to sail at just five years of age out of Alamitos Bay Yacht Club (ABYC) and Leeway Sailing Club. He has owned and raced Sabots, FJs, J24s and Etchells. His sailing experience includes crewing on larger boats in races such as Congressional Cup, Transpac, Pacific Cup and many races to Mexico. He currently cruises his 46-foot sailboat named Tempest.

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Bill Moffett inducted as BCYC 2019 Commodore

“Becoming Commodore of BCYC is something I’ve been looking forward to all year,” Moffett said. “2019 is going to be a great year for BCYC and its members. We have lots of activities scheduled to appeal to racers, junior sailors and recreational boaters. We strive to offer engaging activities for members of all ages, boaters and non-boaters alike. After all, we are the friendliest club on the bay.”

During his years at ABYC, Moffett was actively involved as a flag officer, fleet captain of many fleets and chairman of almost every committee. He chaired racing programs, junior programs, facilities, long range planning and financial committees. He was very involved with the 1984 Olympic Sailing venues which were staged in Long Beach, and became Commodore of ABYC in 1994.

Moffett brings an extensive background in yacht club management and institutional organization. His broad sailing background will strengthen the racing, cruising and boating activities at BCYC, and his financial management skills will help ensure the continued prosperity of BCYC.

A graduate of CSU Long Beach with a degree in financial management, Moffett is owner of A Better Property Management Co., a real estate management company in Long Beach. He and his wife, Lauri, currently reside in Long Beach. They have four children and five grandsons.

Hoag Breast Center named Certified Quality Breast Center of Excellence

Hoag Breast Center is the first and only breast center in Orange County to be named a Certified Quality Breast Center of Excellence – the highest level of accreditation – by the National Quality Measures for Breast Centers Program™ 

(NQMBC™). Recognized for the sixth consecutive year, Hoag Breast Center is just one of 57 facilities in the U.S. to receive this designation.

“We are proud of this prestigious designation and consider it to be both a tribute to the high quality care we deliver, as well as a mandate to continue to strive for excellence on behalf of our patients,” said January Lopez, M.D., director of Breast Imaging for Hoag Breast Centers.

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The NQMBC measures a breast center’s performance on select indicators such as timeliness of care for screening and diagnostic mammography, mammography call back rate, patient satisfaction, surgical care, pathology and radiation.

Hoag Breast Centers, in both Newport Beach and Irvine, offer comprehensive breast care services from prevention and screening to diagnostics and treatment.

Thanks to a gift from Circle 1000, Hoag was one of the first facilities in the state to offer Breast Tomosynthesis (3D Mammography) and is dedicated to providing patients access to emerging technologies to help diagnose breast cancer at its earliest stage. Donor support from the community also allowed Hoag to be one of the first hospitals in California to have a dedicated breast MRI unit.

Additionally, under the leadership of Melvin Silverstein, M.D., Gross Family Foundation Endowed Chair in Oncoplastic Breast Surgery and medical director of Hoag Breast Center, Hoag has the largest database of Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IORT) clinical trials with more than 1,150 patients, the most cases for a single site in the U.S.

“IORT offers our patients a clinically effective, faster and easier alternative to whole breast radiation therapy,” Dr. Silverstein said. “We are able to reduce treatment to 30 minutes versus 30 days which means less repeat visits and physical discomfort, less emotional stress and the opportunity to immediately return to your daily life and routine.”

To find out more about Hoag Breast Center, visit www.hoag.org/specialties-services/breast-program.

36th Annual Spirit Run “Dash for Cash” school fundraiser

For 35 years, Spirit Run has benefited schools in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District (NMUSD). Now, with Spirit Run’s “Dash for Cash” fundraiser, schools outside NMUSD can also share in Spirit Run’s fun and funds. “Dash for Cash” is simple. The more students, families and school supporters who register to run for a school, the more money the school raises.

Most of us are familiar with See’s Candies, wrapping paper and dine-out fundraisers. School supporters purchase from a business, and the business pays the school a percentage (typically 10 – 25 percent) of the amount supporters spent, keeping the rest.

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Courtesy of Spirit Run

Our Lady Queen of Angels students participated in a past “Dash for Cash” during Spirit Run

“Dash for Cash” is similar, but better. “Dash for Cash” schools earn a minimum of 25 percent, and as much as 45 percent. And, the percentage of registration fees the “Dash for Cash” school doesn’t receive benefits other children, not a for-profit business. Plus, “Dash for Cash” schools promote health, fitness and school spirit, as students and families run or walk together at Spirit Run.

Visit www.nmspiritrun.org to learn about Spirit Run’s 15 adult and youth running and walking events and its event day Youth & Fitness and Dog Expos. Visit School/Teams under the About Us page to download the “Dash for Cash” application. 

Spirit Run is an adult and youth road race and expo event celebrating its 36th year on March 17, 2019 at Fashion Island. Spirit Run is presented by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public benefit corporation called Newport-Mesa Spirit Run, Inc. (“NMSRI”). NMSRI is managed by an all-volunteer board whose mission is to promote youth fitness and to donate Spirit Run’s net proceeds to benefit youth education and athletics. NMSRI wants to promote youth fitness throughout Southern California. It created “Dash for Cash” to spread Spirit Run’s fitness, and to share its funds throughout Southern California.

Chapman University Economic Summit takes place December 13

On Thursday, Dec. 13, the Chapman University Argyros School of Business and Economics will hold its Economic Forecast Conference at Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall featuring Dr. Jim Doti, president emeritus of Chapman University and Donald Bren Distinguished Chair of Business and Economics.

Hosted by the A. Gary Anderson Center for Economic Research, the reception begins as 2 p.m. with the conference taking place from 3 - 5 p.m. Topics to be covered include U.S. Forecasts (real GDP, employment, monetary aggregates, price indicators, housing and interest rates), and California and Orange County Forecasts (payroll employment, personal income, taxable sales, housing and construction activity).

General admission tickets are $185; Chapman alumni tickets are $50. Tickets can be purchased at www.chapman.universitytickets.com.

Proceeds benefit the Chapman Scholarship Fund. Complimentary self-parking is available at the Park Center Garage and at the Center Tower Garage adjacent to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is located at 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa.

Newport Beach election results certified

The Orange County Registrar of Voters officially certified on Sunday morning, Dec. 2 that all ballots cast in the 2018 local midterm election had been counted and that results were finalized. Seventy-seven point one percent of Newport Beach’s 55,975 registered voters cast their ballots for a total of 43,170. 

Here are the Newport Beach City Council Member results:

District 4: Incumbent Kevin Muldoon with 24,227 votes and 67.90 percent, defeated first-time City Council candidate Roy Englebrecht, who received 11,456 votes and 32.10 percent.

District 6: First-time City Council candidate Joy Brenner with 20,514 votes and 56.65 percent, defeated incumbent Scott Poetter, who received 15,696 votes and 43.35 percent.

District 1: Incumbent Diane Brooks Dixon with 21,169 votes and 59.04 percent, won over Mike Glenn who received 14,688 votes and 40.96 percent.

District 3: In the hotly contested race that came down to the wire, Marshall “Duffy” Duffield with 18,458 votes and 50.05 percent, narrowly edged out first-time City Council candidate Tim Stoaks, who garnered 18,422 votes and 49.95 percent, losing by only 36 votes.

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Courtesy of ocvote.com

Newport Beach City Council Race, District 3 precinct results

Here are the Newport-Mesa Unified School District (NMUSD) Governing Board Member Trustee Area results:

Trustee Area 2: Incumbent Charlene Metoyer with 4,327 votes and 52.35 percent, won over first-time candidate Michelle Murphy with 3,938 votes and 47.65 percent.

Trustee Area 4: Incumbent Karen Yelsey with 7,706 votes and 68.53 percent, defeated first-time candidate Gina Nick with 3,538 votes and 31.47 percent.

Trustee Area 5: First-time candidate Michelle Barto with 6,053 votes and 62.54 percent, defeated first-time candidate Paul Hillson with 3,625 votes and 37.46 percent. (Barto will take over for departing trustee Judy Franco and is expected to be sworn in during the NMUSD board meeting on December 11.)

Trustee Area 7: First-time candidate Ashley Anderson with 3,226 votes and 64.8 percent, beat out two other first timers, Bertha Rodriguez with 999 votes and 20.03 percent and Diane “Dee Dee” Ruorock with 763 votes and 15.30 percent. (Anderson will take over for departing trustee Walt Davenport and is expected to be sworn in during the NMUSD board meeting on December 11.)

The general election recorded the highest midterm turnout in Orange County in nearly 50 years, according to a press release by Neal Kelly with the Orange County Registrar of Voters – second only to 1970 when the turnout was 76.3 percent.

Total turnout in the county for the November 6 election was 71 percent with 44.2 percent of voters casting their ballots by mail, 25.2 percent choosing to go to their polling place and 1.5 percent submitting their ballot in an Early Vote Center. By comparison, turnout in neighboring counties south of Santa Barbara had lower voter turnout compared to Orange County:

Santa Barbara: 67.2 percent

Kern: 54.5 percent

Ventura: 68.8 percent

Los Angeles: 57.3 percent

San Bernardino: 57.6 percent

Riverside: 54.9 percent

San Diego: 64.4 percent

Imperial: 47.9 percent

For more information, visit www.ocvote.com/results.

Teenage classical crossover sensation joins Pacific Symphony

After becoming a sensation on YouTube, Jackie Evancho went on to audition for America’s Got Talent, sweeping the competition at only 10 years old and capturing the hearts of millions. This early success propelled her career to what it is today at just age 18. Among her six albums, she has produced two Christmas albums, Heavenly Christmas and Someday at Christmas, including a performance during the lighting of the National Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C. a few years ago, and a special Christmas performance back on the America’s Got Talent stage in 2016.

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Courtesy of jackieevancho.com

Songstress Jackie Evancho

However, this holiday season, she will sing merry and bright tunes as she joins Pacific Symphony in their annual Christmas Pops concert on December 14 - 15 in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall with Symphony favorite Albert-George Schram as guest conductor and featuring Richard Cook on the bagpipes. Evancho will be performing hits from her last Christmas album, the holiday classics you know and love, as well as Broadway tunes from what Evancho calls the “New American Songbook.”

This concert is part of Pacific Symphony’s 2018-19 Pops, a series of five concerts that celebrates “popular music’s most enduring favorites,” sponsored by The Westin, PBS SoCal and K-Earth 101. Single tickets for Christmas with Jackie Evancho begin at $46.

As an American crossover singer who sings both opera and pop, Evancho is the youngest solo artist to obtain a platinum status reaching in the top five in the U.K. and then in the U.S. with her first full-length album, O Holy Night, that sold a quarter of a million in the first week. Her success of three million of gold and platinum albums sold, with all of her seven albums hitting number one on the Billboard Classical chart and being the youngest solo artist to perform in Lincoln Center, has led her to appear twice on Billboard’s list of “music movers-and-shakers under the age of 21.” The momentum of O Holy Night later propelled the success of her first album under Sony Music, Dream with Me produced by David Foster.

With what started as a child’s fascination of Phantom of the Opera, in addition to her solo music and duets with Tony Bennett, Plácido Domingo, Barbra Streisand, Chris Botti and Joshua Bell, she has headlined three PBS specials and appeared in the film The Company We Keep, requested by her co-star Robert Redford in 2013.

Evancho is currently working on her newest and eighth album, after releasing her latest album Two Hearts a little more than a year ago. While Two Hearts merges her love of pop hits and classical crossover Italian songs, her new album will feature contemporary songs from Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Waitress, Greatest Showman, Wicked, Rent and Spring Awakening.

While in between touring and recording, Evancho is continuing her education and being immersed in the creative community in New York, surrounded by her family in Pittsburgh.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call 714.755.5799, or visit www.PacificSymphony.org.

Pet of the Week

StuNewsNewport is delighted to be working with the Newport Beach Animal Shelter to help get the word out in search of loving homes for pets that deserve a warm, nurturing environment and a place to call “home.”

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Courtesy of Newport Beach Animal Shelter

MEET EBBIE

Ebbie is a spayed bunny and has a microchip. She is very sweet and easy to handle. She would do great as a friend for another bunny.

If you are interested in finding out more about Ebbie, or any other animals up for adoption, call 949.644.3656 or email Valerie Schomburg at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The Newport Beach Animal Shelter is located at 20302 Riverside Drive, Newport Beach. It is open daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

At any given time, the shelter can have 4-5 dogs and 7-8 cats/kittens available for adoption. At times, the shelter receives owner turn-ins that would do best adopted out together. 

Adoption costs at the shelter:

Dogs - $130

Puppies - $150

Cats - $90

Kittens - $110

To find out how you can help support the shelter, visit www.nbpd.org and click on “Our Animal Shelter” to view the wish list. The shelter can always use food & treats; new toys; grooming, hygiene & comfort products; as well as laundry soap, dish soap, paper towels, sponges, scrub pads and lint rollers. If you are interested in volunteering, you can fill out and sign the application on the website.

CdM Chamber to hold holiday networking luncheon

The Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce will be holding its annual holiday networking luncheon on Tuesday, Dec. 18 at the legendary Five Crowns Restaurant. Check-in and networking take place from 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.; the program and lunch are from 12 - 1:30 p.m. This is sure to be a sell-out.

What’s on the menu? Enjoy traditional rock salt roasted prime rib with mashed potatoes, creamed spinach or corn and Yorkshire pudding. A vegetarian alternative is available.

Adding to the festivities are: a holiday performance by guitarist John Scott Evans, a Santa gift exchange* and visit from Santa Claus, networking, self-introductions and a cash wine bar. Valet parking is available for $6, and there is street parking.

The cost is $40 for CdM Chamber members, or $45 for non-members. Advance reservations only prior to Thursday, Dec. 10.

To RSVP, visit This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., call 949.673.4050 and go to www.cdmchamber.com.

*Please bring a wrapped gift or gift certificate/card with a maximum value of $20 if you would like to participate in the Santa gift exchange.

Five Crowns Restaurant is located at 3801 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar.

Pacific Chorale celebrates the holidays with two concerts and a gala

In December, Orange County’s Pacific Chorale gives voice to the holiday spirit with two contrasting concerts: “Carols by Candlelight” at Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Newport Beach and “Tis the Season!” at Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa. The first of the two “Tis the Season!” performances will be followed by the Chorale’s annual Holiday Gala fundraising dinner, “Imagine, Inspire, Create,” at The Center Club, located just across the Julianne & George Argyros Plaza from the concert hall.

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Courtesy of Pacific Chorale

Holiday Schedule:

Carols by Candlelight: A magical evening of traditional carols and classical Christmas works presented by a chamber choir of Pacific Chorale’s professional singers in an intimate candlelit setting.

Date & Time: Saturday, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m.

Conductor: Robert Istad, Artistic Director

Featuring: Members of Pacific Chorale - David Clemensen, piano and Jung-A Lee, organ

Location: Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church, 2046 Mar Vista Drive, Newport Beach

Tickets: From $25 - $70. Call 714.662.2345, or visit www.pacificchorale.org

Musical Selections:

Once in Royal David’s City – arr. David Willcocks

The Wexford Carol – arr. Michael McGlynn

Ríu Ríu – arr. Michael McGlynn

Of the Father’s Love Begotten – arr. Molly Ijames

God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen* – arr. David Willcocks

Gloria from Mass for Double Choir – Frank Martin

Es ist ein Ros (Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming) – Michael Praetorius/Melchior

Vulpius

Magnificat – Arvo Pärt

Noé, Noé! Pastores cantate domino – Guillaume Bouzignac

O Little Town of Bethlehem* – arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams

Huron Carol – arr. Sara Quartel

The Flight – Richard Causton

Let My Love Be Heard — Jake Runestad

Virga Jesse floruit – Michael Austin Miller

Angels We Have Heard on High – arr. Benjamin Harlan

Lobet den Herrn from Singet dem Herrn, BWV 225 – J.S. Bach

Dona Nobis Pacem – Bob Chilcott

* sing-along selection 

“Carols by Candlelight” is sponsored by Trish O’Donnell, in loving memory of John O’Donnell.

Tis the Season!: This popular family holiday extravaganza in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall at Segerstrom Center for the Arts is a seasonal favorite. Artistic Director Robert Istad leads Pacific Chorale, the Southern California Children’s Concert Chorus (Lori Loftus, Founding Artistic Director and Conductor) and the brass and percussion of Pacific Symphony in a concert of traditional carols, holiday favorites, and new surprises, including a visit from Santa Claus.

Dates & Times: Saturday, Dec. 22 at 5 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 23 at 3 p.m.

Conductor: Robert Istad, Artistic Director

Featuring: Pacific Chorale and Members of Pacific Symphony - Carl St.Clair, Music Director and Southern California Children’s Concert Chorus - Lori Loftus, Founding Director

Location: Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

Tickets: $29 - $140. Call 714.662.2345 (Pacific Chorale) or 714.556.2787 (Segerstrom Center), or visit www.pacificchorale.org

Musical Selections:

A Christmas Gloria – Gary Fry

Hark, the Herald Angels Sing – arr. David Willcocks

Sussex Carol – arr. Ian Crawford

Angels We Have Heard on High – arr. John Rutter

Ave Maria – Felix Mendelssohn

Welcome Yule! – B. Wayne Bisbee

Northern Lights – Ēriks Ešenvalds

Personent Hodie – arr. Will Todd

Trinity Te Deum – Ēriks Ešenvalds

Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas – John Williams

Feliz Navidad – Jose Feliciano

The Christmas Waltz – Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn

A Holly Jolly Christmas – Johnny Marks

Jingle Bells – arr. David Willcocks

Dormi, Dormi, bel Bambin – arr. Valerie S. Crescenz

Christmas Time Is Here – Vince Guaraldi

This Endris Night – Z. Randall Stroope

Ave Maria – Franz Biebl

Silent Night – arr. Roger Wagner

We Wish You a Merry Christmas – arr. Arthur Harris

Joy to the World – arr. Mack Wilberg

Encore: Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah – George Frideric Handel

Holiday Gala: “Imagine, Inspire, Create” is the theme for Pacific Chorale’s 2018 Holiday Gala, continuing the celebration on into the evening following the Saturday performance of “Tis the Season!” Chaired by Susan Lindley, this black tie-optional evening will feature a short ribs holiday dinner (fish and vegetarian options also available), holiday entertainment, and an auction featuring trips and special experiences.

Date & Time: Saturday, Dec. 22 at 7:30 p.m.

Event Chair: Susan Lindley

Location: The Center Club, 650 Town Center Drive, Garden Level, Costa Mesa

Tickets: Single tickets are $300 per person. Table sponsorships and syndicated tables are available. Contact Rachel Van Skike at 714.662.2345 for more details.

Pacific Chorale gratefully acknowledges its generous sponsors:

Platinum Season Sponsor - Phillip N. and Mary A. Lyons; Silver Season Sponsor - Charles and Ling Zhang.

Segerstrom Center presents free events on Argyros Plaza

Ring in the holiday season on the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza with a blend of free performances and events in December at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. While American Ballet Theatre transforms the stage of Segerstrom Hall into the magical wonderland of The Nutcracker, outside, the Argyros Plaza comes alive with the beauty and spirit of the season.

The Second Annual Holidays Around the World festival will turn the Plaza into an international crossroads from December 14 - 23. All are invited to experience different cultures and traditions while enjoying international performances, storytelling, arts and crafts and lots of free holiday fun.

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Photo by Nick Koon

Courtesy of www.scfta.org

Sprinkled throughout the month are live performances showcasing some of the best and brightest local musical talent. It all begins with the music collective Santa Ana Social Club on December 5, followed by a festive performance from Trombone Christmas on December 8, guitarist Nelson Cade III on December 9, and the soulful sounds of singer-songwriter Roderick Chambers on December 29. 

Entertainment Lineup:

–Live from Argyros Stage: Santa Ana Social Club on Wednesday, Dec. 5 from
6:15 - 7:15 p.m. Before spending an evening with culinary icon Ina Garten inside Segerstrom Hall at 7:30 p.m., enjoy a free performance by the Santa Ana Social Club. A collective of Southland musicians who transcend genres with their creative collaborations, singer-songwriter Miguel Pulido leads this group with original material and an eclectic style that will make you feel every note.

–Live from Argyros Stage: Trombone Christmas on Saturday, Dec. 8 from
6:30 - 7:45 p.m. Get in the spirit of the season as Trombone Christmas takes the Argyros Stage with anywhere from 25 - 40 trombones performing holiday music. Founded by George Roberts, Bones West (seasonally known as Trombone Christmas) is an open membership, volunteer community music group. Its purpose is for advancing trombone performance and fellowship through rehearsal, public performance and clinics.

–Live from Argyros Stage: Nelson Cade III on Sunday, Dec. 9 from 5:45 - 6:45 p.m. Enjoy holiday hits and timeless favorites with an acoustic set by singer-songwriter Nelson Cade III. His crisp guitar playing and charming vocals will light up the Argyros Plaza with cheer for all to hear. Then, delight in the sounds of a music legend with a ticket to see Johnny Mathis inside Segerstrom Hall at 7:30 p.m.

–Second Annual Holidays Around the World on December 14, 19, 20 and 21 from 4:45 - 7 p.m., December 15 an 22 from 4 - 7 p.m., and December 16 and 23 from 2:30 - 5:30 p.m. While a magical Nutcracker comes alive in Segerstrom Hall with American Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker, outside, the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza transforms into a cultural crossroads for the Second Annual Holidays Around the World festival. Before every evening performance of The Nutcracker, the Plaza will be bustling with the sights and sounds of holiday traditions and customs from all over the globe. Enjoy professional and local school performing groups from throughout Orange County, folk storytelling, arts & crafts, cookie decorating and a cocoa bar (for a nominal charge), nightly snowfall and much more holiday fun. Plus, come aboard the Center Express Train on a magical ride around the Segerstrom Center campus on Sunday, Dec. 16 and 23, or visit furry friends at the petting zoo on Saturday, Dec. 15 and 22. 

–Live from Argyros Stage: Roderick Chambers on Saturday, Dec. 29 from 6:15 - 7:15 p.m. Enjoy a magnetic performance by singer-songwriter Roderick Chambers. His soulful vocals and smooth musicality draw upon his R&B roots to create a perfectly mellow mood that leaves you wanting more. Then, take in John Legend’s A Legendary Christmas Tour inside Segerstrom Hall at 7:30 p.m. 

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is located at 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. For more information, visit www.scfta.org.

Wake Up! Newport to feature special program

On Thursday, Dec. 6 from 7:15 - 8:15 a.m., Wake Up! Newport will feature a special program with Newport Beach Fire Chief Chip Duncan as the guest speaker.

Our fire chief will be addressing: “Teaming Up to Battle the Blaze.” This discussion will include how fire departments work together to battle the California fires, and how Newport Beach is prepared. The devastation of the Woolsey and Camp Fires has brought firefighters from all over the country to work with one another. Come learn how departments team up, the logistics of combining forces and the challenges presented by fires of this magnitude. Also, find out how Newport Beach is prepared for such tragedies, and what to do to minimize their impact should they occur.

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Courtesy of newportbeach.com

Newport Beach Fire Chief Chip Duncan

Duncan began his career in 1986 as a seasonal firefighter for the California Department of Forestry (Cal Fire). He is a 32-year veteran of the fire service, with 31 years serving the Newport Beach Fire Department. During his time here, he has worked as a firefighter, fire paramedic, fire captain, fire battalion chief, assistant chief of fire operations and now fire chief.

Breakfast treats will be provided. The event is free to the public, but reservations are requested for food planning and seating. Walkups will be welcome on a space available basis. The event is hosted by the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce.

For more information, contact Pam Smith at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call 949.729.4411. Wake Up! Newport takes place in the Central Library’s Friends Room, 100 Avocado Ave., Newport Beach.

WISEPlace presents a special evening with Jane Fonda

WISEPlace presents “An Evening with Jane Fonda” on Thursday, Dec. 6 from 5:30 - 7 p.m. at the Balboa Bay Resort.

The special evening event will raise funds for WISEPlace’s “embrace” initiative – a new program aimed at expanding their current facility to include 30 permanent supportive housing units for homeless women in Orange County.

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Courtesy of WISEPlace

For the last 30 years, WISEPlace has transformed the lives of more than 7,600 homeless women here in Orange County.

Academy Award-winning actress, producer, activist and writer Jane Fonda will be the keynote speaker, along with a Q&A. Guests will also hear a testimonial from Jenny, a WISEPlace program graduate who overcame homelessness and addiction to become a successful businesswoman and an inspiration for others. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served.

Tickets are $500 per person and sponsorship opportunities are available. 

For tickets and sponsorships, email Eileen Padberg at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/an-evening-with-jane-fonda-tickets-51158074177.

For more information, contact Elizabeth Hendershot at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call 714.542.3577, ext. 123.

Balboa Bay Resort is located at 1221 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach.

Celebrating the Festival of Lights

Hanukkah or Chanukah begins at sundown on Sunday, Dec. 2 and continues through sundown on Monday, Dec. 10. Every year, Hanukkah begins on the 25th day of Kislev, a month in the Hebrew Calendar.

Known as the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the second century B.C. The event occurred when Jews rose up against Greek-Syrian rulers in the Maccabean Revolt and drove them out of Jerusalem.

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Courtesy hanukkahfun.com

To mark their victory, Jews wanted to reclaim the temple and light its menorah, but only found enough pure olive oil for one day. That one-day supply lasted eights days and is considered a miracle in the Jewish faith.

To celebrate, Jews light one candle each evening on a nine-branched menorah. The ninth candle – the shamash (“helper” or “attendant”) – is used to light the other eight.

Special blessings are recited, often to a traditional melody, before the menorah is lit, and traditional songs are sung afterward. Menorahs are also placed prominently in houses, often in windows. Playing with tops called dreidels and exchanging gifts are other Hanukkah traditions to celebrate the holiday.

Given the holiday’s link to oil, traditional dishes are often fried in oil, too. Potato pancakes (latkes) and doughnuts (sufganiyah) are among the most popular food items, while children enjoy receiving gelt (money or wrapped chocolate coins).

Wishing you and yours a blessed Hanukkah.

ENC to hold winter nature camps

The Environmental Nature Center (ENC) will present Winter Nature Camps in three sessions: December 17 - 20, December 26 - 28 and January 2 - 4, 2019. Full day camp is from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., and half day camp is from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Nature Adventure Camp is for campers in grades K - 6 and Little Naturalist camp is for campers ages 3 - 5.

During Winter Nature Camp, campers will participate in educational, age appropriate hands-on activities. Adventures within the Nature Center will increase their knowledge and appreciation for the natural world.

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Courtesy of ENC

“This Winter Camp marks one full year since the ENC introduced Little Naturalist Camp,” said Sue Bierlich, ENC nature preschool director. “Our Little Naturalist Summer Camp filled up within a few days of opening registration, so we are looking forward to a full Winter Camp. I’m so thankful that parents are just as excited as we are to immerse their children into nature at an early age, when it is most important.”

A recent survey found that on average, children now spend only 12.6 minutes a day on outdoor activity compared with 10.4 waking hours being relatively motionless watching TV or on computer screens. Another study found that 50 percent of preschoolers lacked even one outdoor play session per day.

“We are raising a generation of sedentary kids who would rather sit on the couch with a cell phone or game controller than be outside armed only with a stick and their imagination,” said ENC Executive Director Bo Glover. “Spending time outside in nature helps children develop spatial awareness and motor skills. It even helps their vision.”

Visit www.encenter.org for more info about Winter Nature Camps.

Environmental Nature Center is located at 1601 E. 16th St., Newport Beach.

Orange County Conservation Corp receives $10,00 grant

The Orange County Conservation Corps (OCCC) has announced that it has received a $10,000 grant from the Peter and Ginny Ueberroth Family Foundation, based in Corona de Mar, to support education and employment services for disconnected youth.

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Submitted photo

(L-R) Ueberroth Family Foundation board members Ginny Ueberroth, Vicki Booth and Peter Ueberroth

“The Orange County Conservation Corps is honored to receive this grant from the Ueberroth Family Foundation,” said Katharyn Muniz, CEO of OCCC. “These funds will provide employment, training and educational services to Orange County’s hardest-to-reach and neediest segment of our young adult population, with a focus on youth in Anaheim, Fullerton, Placentia, Buena Park and La Habra’s lowest income neighborhoods.”

Now in its 25th year of operation, OCCC creates a safety net and career pathway for at-risk young adults (ages 18 - 25) residing in Orange County who have dropped out of school by creating both career and workforce development programs. OCCC also provides academic support, leadership development, mentoring and education in order to help corps members attain their high school diplomas. Through its services, corps members gain hands-on work experience and develop important life skills and the value of saving our planet by protecting, restoring and enhancing America’s natural resources by working on conservation and environmentally driven projects.

For more information on the Orange County Conservation Corps, visit www.hireyouth.org.

Sign of the times

It’s another edition of Sign of the times, so put your thinking caps on. Stu believes you can identify this cocktail logo representing a lively watering hole that will ring in some holiday cheer. 

Good luck! Stu loves publishing the winning answers on Tuesday.

Send your guesses to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

If you’re a business and you want to play, you can send us a high-quality photo of your sign and we’ll take it from there and challenge our readers.

Let’s have some fun!

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Stump the Stu

All footprints lead to...

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Step by step...what’s at the end of these footprints?

Three of our readers guessed correctly, and knew this centennial legacy pathway leads to the labyrinth showing the history of Newport Beach at McFadden Square by Newport Pier. It was installed after our centennial celebration in 2006. The labyrinth surrounds a copper globe that has pictures from Newport Beach’s past.

Congratulations to Barbara DeGroot, Don Webb and Tom Iovenitti.

A special thank you to Kristie Hemstreet who snapped this photo and sent it in.

Join in as we try and stump you each week with a picture of something unique in our community. The clue appears on Tuesdays and the answer on Fridays, along with the correct guesses. So, join us for this local adventure.

If you have a unique spot or icon around town that you think Stu News Newport readers would enjoy finding out about, please shoot it, share it and give us the location, so we can challenge them! Happy Hunting.

TOPSOCCER Skills Clinic tomorrow

On Saturday, Dec. 1 the City of Newport Beach and the Recreation & Senior Services Department will be holding a TOPSOCCER Skills Clinic for athletes with special needs at Bonita Creek Park.

Check-in is at 9:30 a.m. and the event takes place from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., rain or shine.

It is free to participate and the day includes: lunch and a giveaway. The clinic is coed for ages 5 - 18, and all skill levels are welcome. Parents or guardians must be present the entire time.

For more information and to register, go to https://bit.ly/2ynsBax, call 1.657.378.8606 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Bonita Creek Park is located at 3010 La Vida, Newport Beach.

Whimsical watercolor paintings delight at JWA

When inspired by a place, thought or dream, watercolor artist Nancy Caldwell’s ideas begin to emerge, and her lively and colorful ‘mental play’ doodles start to flow. An exhibit of her innovative artwork style that she calls “Play Drawing Paintings” of fun and fanciful objects, shapes and places, are on display in the John Wayne Airport Community Focus Space now through December 13.

“Nancy Caldwell’s creative and vibrant watercolor paintings are sure to delight visitors and residents alike,” said Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman Andrew Do. “As you travel through John Wayne Airport, take a moment to enjoy her imaginative creations.”

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Photos courtesy of John Wayne Airport

“Waiting for Godot” by artist Nancy Caldwell

As a young child, Caldwell always knew that she wanted to be a painter when she grew up. Through the course of her watercolor study and practice painting in a variety of styles, Caldwell’s unique and artistic work stemmed from having doodled and day-dreamed her entire life. Inspirations for her creations occur at the most unexpected times and may relate to real places.

Her artwork has been featured in Watercolor Artist magazine, Ones to Watch (December 2015) and in numerous juried exhibitions including the Oceanside Museum of Art/National Watercolor Show, Orange County Fair and California Watercolor Association.

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“Sunday’s Best, San Miguel Mission” by artist Nancy Caldwell

Caldwell’s watercolor art exhibit can be viewed on the Departure (upper) Level near security screening areas in Terminals A, B and C, and on the Arrival (lower) Level adjacent to Baggage Carousels 1 and 4.

To learn more about Nancy Caldwell’s work, visit her website at www.necaldwell.com.

The upcoming Community Focus Space Program features photographer Joel Brown (December 14 - January 16, 2019) and painter Dennis Carrie (January 17 - February 14, 2019).

To learn more about JWA’s Art Programs, visit www.ocair.com/terminal/artexhibits.

A bunch of boats, Santa Claus and church: How did we get here?

By DUNCAN FORGEY

Submitted photos

Fireworks during the Christmas Boat Parade light up the sky

Newport Beach celebrates the Christmas holiday in a big way! There is a Christmas Boat Parade and Ring of Lights, Roger’s Gardens’ Christmas Fantasy, the Christmas tree lighting in Fashion Island, Corona del Mar’s Christmas Walk, plus thousands of competitive displays of noel on individual homes and businesses. We worship the birth of Christ, await Santa Claus and his reindeer, eat, shop and hold holiday parties. December in Christian, Jewish and Islamic traditions is a month for families to emphasize religious prayer, candle lighting, singing of carols, as well as the more secular gift giving and feasting.

Children embrace Christmas through stories of a big-bellied man with white whiskers and magical powers. Stores and malls are packed with emotional buyers purchasing everything from toys to food, clothes to gadgets and cars to homes, in an annual attempt to make lives of their loved ones perfect. Churches, temples and places of worship enjoy their greatest annual attendance as families return to their religious roots.

How did all of this come about in our beloved Newport Beach? That story begins thousands of years ago and long before Christmas was around.

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A local Indian woman and child

Our oft-forgotten Shoshone Indians traveled to Newport for its mild weather, beautiful beaches and abundance of game. They were later named Gabrielinos by the Spanish during their years of toil at Mission San Gabriel.

The Gabrielinos lived in Laguna Canyon, the Back Bay and along the Santa Ana River all the way to its delta. Their main religious belief revolved around nature and the bounty provided them by mother earth. A single god named Quaoar or “The Giver of Life” was worshiped within a ceremonial enclosure called the yuvar. Religious gatherings and sand paintings were a common way to honor Quaoar. Fourth graders at Newport Beach Elementary School used to duplicate these “sand paintings” on the beach when studying these important native inhabitants.

Christianity came to the region in 1769 with exploration by the Spanish. Gaspar de Portola traveled from San Diego to Los Angeles with a stopover in Orange County.  Cristianitos Road in southern San Clemente is the location where the first Christian baptism of a Native American child took place.

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Mission San Gabriel

The Franciscan Friars soon followed and were responsible for modernizing California and converting the native population to Christianity. To help “spread the word,” California’s El Camino Real was built and extended from San Diego all the way to Santa Rosa. This 600-mile highway had 21 well-placed missions that were built a single travel day apart. Junipero Serra was the most famous of the preaching Friars spreading the doctrine of 13th century Catholic Francis Assisi. Our local San Juan Capistrano Mission was founded in 1776 and served the entire Orange County region.  Diseases and a cruel and demanding lifestyle proved deadly for the Indians of our region.

One of the earliest of the “newer” religions came with a group of followers of Joseph Smith. In 1880, these Latter-day Saints traveled from Utah, establishing a colony in the east end of the Laguna Canyon, bringing with them the first local dentist.

Newport Beach’s first church was homeless. Founded by an opportunistic ex-Baptist preacher named Issac Hickey, his teachings took place in the “Greenville Section” of the harbor. Known to be “well-watered,” it was home to the side-wheeler steamer under the command of Captain Abbot. This promised land was coined the Gospel Swamp by skeptics and non-believers.

By 1895, the Newport Methodist Church was established by a gentleman named “Roy.” He inaugurated Sunday School services, which resulted in some loosely organized religious activity. The 22nd Street Round Pavilion was the site of the first organized religious meeting in 1909. Methodists, under the leadership of John Gabrielson, met upstairs in the old City Hall in 1912. Jailed prisoners shouted complaints during hymn singing, which led to a move to the old Balboa Theater building.

Also in 1909, The Balboa Chapel and its Episcopal services were held in the Balboa Pavilion. By 1917, the church edifice arose on a lot donated but Marian A. Coons and was eventually moved to its present location across from Newport Elementary School.

The building on Mrs. Coons’ lot was later rented to Mr. Soto, where he ran a curio shop. With the beginning of World War II, Mr. Soto was shipped off to a Japanese internment camp and never heard of again. The property sold in 1940 and opened up as the Blue Room which served liquor. The Methodist Church opposed this and delayed issuance of a liquor license. Today it is part of the municipal parking lot near the Balboa Pier. By 1930, Methodist membership had risen to 90 followers.

In 1916, the Christian Science Church initially met at the home of Judge Leo Goepper at 813 East Bay Front. Recognized by the Mother Church of Boston while meeting in the Women’s Civic League on Palm Street, it eventually built its Reading Room and First Church of Christ Scientist of Newport Beach in a building at the foot of the Lido Isle Bridge. Typifying the changes in modern day Newport Beach, it has become a site for high-end condos.

By 1923, the Los Angeles and San Diego Catholic Diocese constructed the first Church of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel at its oceanfront location at 1441 West Balboa Blvd.   Prior to that, Services were held at the Neimeyer home on East Bay Front.

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St. James Church

In Christmases past, Newport Beach’s old churches made Christmas a very special day for all residents and included the incorporation of the now world-famous Christmas Boat Parade and Ring of Lights. In our Christmases present, every part of Newport Beach is represented by a house of God enabling the celebration for all the December celebrations.

If you drive Newport Beach today you will find places of worship for practically all of the world’s religions. Along Camelback or Bison streets, you’ll see the new trend of mega-churches. The older and simpler days of churches bouncing from house to house, to empty building to theaters is not totally gone but the large religious edifice is definitely the latest trend. Residents today can worship in their own neighborhoods, or find religious peace in neighboring Costa Mesa and Irvine.

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A decorated Christmas tree celebrates family traditions

Be sure to celebrate Christmas 2018 in grand style – one that is appropriate for the most “Christmasy” city in Orange County. Gather with family, friends and children to watch the incredible boat parade, eat the finest of fine foods and attend one of the many holiday and Christmas Eve services at any of the local churches.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and share your good fortune for living in Newport Beach by sharing with others in need.

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.

Norman Vincent Peale

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Duncan Forgey, a life-long resident of Newport Beach, now makes his home in Hawaii. He is a monthly contributor to StuNewsNewport.

What’s happening at OCMA EXPAND-SANTA ANA?

OCMA EXPAND-SANTA ANA has some exciting new exhibits and events coming up. So check them out.

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Photo by Cassandra Coblentz

Alan Nakagawa, “Little Saigon: Six Fields Generating, Field Trip #1”

Little Saigon: Six Field Trips Generating with Alan Nakagawa on Saturdays, December 1 and 15 at 11:00 a.m. Explore Little Saigon with artist Alan Nakagawa, visiting important cultural sites while discussing the complexities of cultural tourism. As an outsider to this community, Nakagawa seeks to understand how one can learn about a new place, and if there is a correct approach to this kind of exploration. Whether you visit regularly, or have never been, come share your perspective.

–December 1: Field Trip #2 – NGUOI VIET Daily News, 14771 Moran St., Westminster. Come walk down Little Saigon’s media row and talk about the importance of the written word and media in this community, as you draw and paint what you see.

–December 15: Field Trip #3 – The Institute of Vietnamese Studies, 15355 Brookhurst St., Westminster. Visit one of the centers of academic study of Vietnamese culture. There is much to learn. All are welcome! RSVP to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Courtesy Matt Frost ©

Cinema Orange: More Art Upstairs

Film Screening and Discussion: Cinema Orange: More Art Upstairs on Thursday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. For three weeks in September, beer-fueled debates in the bars of Grand Rapids, Mich. are not about sports and politics, but art. More Art Upstairs follows four accomplished artists as they compete at ArtPrize, a populist experiment that is challenging the art world’s hierarchy by giving the public the power to decide who will win almost half of the $500,000 in prize money. Stay for the post-film discussion about the relevance of contemporary art to our local community with filmmaker Jody Hassett Sanchez, Grand Central Art Center Director and Chief Curator John Spiak and artist Mariángeles Soto-Díaz. Dessert and coffee reception to follow. Seating is limited. Tickets are available in person from the front desk at 5 p.m. on the day of the screening. Presented in partnership with the Newport Beach Film Festival.

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Photo by Chris Bliss

Valentina Jager, “the face, the mouth the back,” 2018: site-specific installation, tissue paper

Now on View at OCMA EXPAND-SANTA ANA through March 17, 2019. View exhibitions by contemporary artists Kathryn Garcia, Valentina Jager, Alan Nakagawa, Ni Youyu, Mariángeles Soto-Díaz and Rodrigo Valenzuela, plus Forsaken Utopias: Photographs from the OCMA Permanent Collection.

OCMA EXPAND-SANTA ANA at South Coast Plaza Village is located at 1661 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana. For more information, call 714.780.2130 or visit www.ocmaexpand.org

Duffy passes Stoaks, lead continues to grow

The Orange County Registrar of Voters has not completed counting the votes cast in the Newport Beach City Council race, so the totals change from day to day.

On Tuesday at 5 p.m., incumbent and current Mayor of Newport Beach Marshall “Duffy” Duffield passed Tim Stoaks in the District 3 Council race, after trailing Stoaks since Election Day by as much as six percentage points.

From ocvote.com

Since Tuesday, Duffield has continued to grow his lead; he now leads Stoaks by 43 votes.

According to the Orange County Registrar of voters, there are just 2,725 ballots left to be counted countywide.

Stu News reached out to both candidates for comment and received the following statement from Stoaks:

“Win or lose I’m proud of the campaign I ran, and the support from volunteers and the community. I have no regrets.” 

Duffield did not respond to Stu News’ request for comment by publication deadline.

Crystal Cove Conservancy celebrates 22nd Annual

Beach Tree Lighting with a visit from Santa

The community is invited to join Crystal Cove Conservancy for its 22nd annual holiday winter family festival and tree lighting on Saturday, Dec. 1. The celebration will feature Orange County’s only “on the beach” holiday tree and runs from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. The Tree lighting will be at approximately 5:15 p.m., after sunset.

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Submitted photo

Crystal Cove adorned beautifully with holiday décor 

Crystal Cove Conservancy, the nonprofit partner of Crystal Cove State Park, will host their 22nd annual complimentary all-day family event in the Crystal Cove Historic District. The Historic District will be decorated with traditional mid-century décor to bring the holiday magic to Crystal Cove.      

Festivities begin at 10 a.m. with a seasonal bazaar featuring handcrafted treasures by local residents and artists as well as old-fashioned holiday decorations. The excitement builds when Santa arrives from the North Pole and makes his grand entrance on the shores of Crystal Cove at 4 p.m. Family photos can be taken with Santa and/or on the sand in front of the tree.

At dusk, the tree, adorned with mid-century ornaments, will be lit with twinkling lights. Décor will reflect the vintage character of the Historic District’s time period between 1935 and 1955, transforming the seaside cottages into a seasonal display of magical lights, vintage decorations and giant candy canes. 

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Submitted photo

Orange County’s only “on the beach” holiday tree will be lit at dusk

“The holiday magic is alive at this memorable event. Join us for a family photo, cookies and hot chocolate, the sunset or get a start on your holiday shopping list with locally made gifts. Crystal Cove’s glistening colored lights and mid-century decorations welcome all to enjoy a little peace during the busy holiday season,” says Crystal Cove Conservancy President & CEO Alix Dunn. “From all of us at Crystal Cove Conservancy, we want to give thanks to our many members, supporters and the local community for making our mission possible here at Crystal Cove State Park.”

Strolling carolers, Mesa A Cappella from Costa Mesa High School under the direction of Jon Lindfors, will join the event at 3 p.m., and complimentary hot chocolate, apple cider and The Beachcomber Café will provide home baked goodies. Guests are encouraged to wear their holiday sweaters and festive wear. 

Guests can park at the Los Trancos parking lot on the inland side of Pacific Coast Highway or at the Pelican Point lots north of the Historic District lot for $5 per hour or for a maximum of $15 for the entire day. The Beachcomber shuttle bus will be available from the Los Trancos parking lot for $1.50 each way. Additional shuttle service will also be available from the Pelican Point parking lots (P-1, P-2, P-3, P-4). Carpooling or car services like Uber or Lyft are recommended as the Los Trancos parking lot usually fills to capacity.

Crystal Cove is located at 8471 North Coast Highway.

Countdown to CdM Christmas Walk

The 40th Annual Corona del Mar Christmas Walk, a Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce event, takes place in just nine days. Come out and celebrate the holidays with your neighbors on Sunday, Dec. 2 from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

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Courtesy of CdM Chamber of Commerce

Festivities include the Newport Beach Fireman’s Grill in the Banderas parking lot with hotdogs for $2 and water/sodas for $1; an opportunity drawing with more than $15,000 worth of local prizes benefiting the U.S. Marines Toys for Tots – purchase locations include the Banderas lot, Golden Spoon, Rose Bakery & Café and Albertsons with tickets one for $1, 11 for $10, and 25 for $20; share the Joy of Christmas with needy children nationwide with the U.S. Marine Corp Reserves’ Toys for Tots drive – bring an unwrapped toy to the drop-off boxes, and toys are also available in the Village at the Wee Loft at 3331 E. Coast Highway and at Bandera’s parking lot (or bring toys to the Corona del Chamber office at 2855 E. Coast Highway, Ste. 101 in advance of the Walk); Beer & Wine Garden in the lower Bandera’s parking lot with $10 admission – premium tap beers are $5 and wine & Champagne are $5 while you enjoy a special performance by Pinch Me Band; retailers will be open for all your holiday shopping needs offering merchant promotions throughout the business district; more than 12 signature bands offering live entertainment; restaurant tastings; celebration parties; kids’ entertainment including snapshots with Santa, bouncy houses, bungee jumping, holiday characters, a petting zoo and more; unique vendor exhibits in the popular vendor faire at the center stage; and performances by high school and community organizations.

For more information and to purchase presale opportunity drawing tickets, visit www.cdmchamber.com.

CdM Flower Street Artisan Marketplace to raise funds for victims of recent California wildfires

Mark your calendars for Friday, Dec. 7 from 4 - 8 p.m., for the second annual Flower Street Artisan Market Place, occurring at Mark Patterson Fine Jewelry in Corona del Mar. Sponsored by JG Editions Fine Art (represented by Jillian Gabrielli) and Mark Patterson Fine Jewelry, a percentage of the event’s sales will benefit those affected by the recent California wildfires.

Attendees are in for some very special experiences. Ceramic bowls handcrafted by Josette Patterson, creative director of Mark Patterson Fine Jewelry, will be filled with a delicious soup prepared by Chef Yves Fournier of Sapphire Laguna, paired with a baked item by Elyssa Fournier of Mixed Bakery. All proceeds from this “Kindness Bowl” event will be donated to the fire victims.

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Courtesy of Mark Patterson Fine Jewelry

Handmade ceramics by artisan Josette Patterson

In addition, Mark Patterson Fine Jewelry will be giving 20 percent of any jewelry sales and Josette Patterson will be donating all proceeds from the sales of her ceramics to www.calfund.org/wildlife-relief-fund/. All other artisans attending will be encouraged to give to a charity of their choice.

Mark and Josette Patterson are both jewelry designers and have been collaborating for more than 35 years. They started in New York City in 1983 and came back home to California in 2007. Josette has also been making ceramics and sculptures since 1990 as a creative outlet.

The Flower Street Artisan Marketplace was the brainchild of Jillian and Josette, with the idea of showcasing the many talents of local artisans in our community. This year, the event will be offering handcrafted items including goat milk soaps, soy-based candles, stylish apparel, hand-painted totes, specialty baked goods, unique kids’ wear and wood-crafted home goods, to just name a few. There is no entry fee.

For additional information, contact Josette Patterson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call 949.612.8505.

Mark Patterson Fine Jewelry is located at 3425 East Coast Highway, Corona del Mar. For more information, visit www.markpatterson.com.

Pacific View Memorial Park and Mortuary honors veterans with Wreaths Across America

Remember the fallen...honor those who serve...teach our children the value of freedom.

On Saturday, Dec. 15 at 9 a.m., Pacific View Memorial Park and Mortuary in Corona del Mar is the only mortuary in Orange County participating in Wreaths Across America, a national nonprofit remembering fallen U.S. veterans at the holidays. Support is needed to help in sponsoring 1,500 wreaths needed to honor our local veterans and/or volunteer to lay them on their graves.

You can make a difference by sponsoring a wreath, volunteering, and inviting friends and family to help through the laying of remembrance wreaths on the graves of our fallen heroes, and the act of saying the name of each and every veteran aloud.

For more information on how to sponsor a wreath and/or volunteer, visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/pages/14751/Overview/?relatedId=17801.

Upcoming events at OC Fair & Event Center include Winter Fest and annual dog show

Events happening now through December include the annual Winter Fest OC, Shoreline’s holiday classic dog show, and the last Fight Club OC and Gem Faire events of the year.

Here’s the lineup:

–November 28 through December 12: Magic Trees – Christmas Tree Lot

Pick from the freshest of trees at the annual lot, open daily from 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. while supplies last. You will also find wreaths, garlands and holiday décor. Free admission and parking; tree prices vary.

–November 30 through December 2: Gem Faire

Fine jewelry, precious and semi-precious gemstones, millions of beads, crystals, gold and silver, minerals and much more at manufacturers’ prices. Nearly 200 exhibitors from around the world. Jewelry repair, cleaning and ring sizing while you shop. Hours: Friday, Nov. 30, 12 - 6 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 1, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 2, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Cost: $7 general admission, children 11 and younger are free. Admission is good for all three days; parking is $8. www.gemfaire.com 

–December 2: StanceNation SoCal

Indoor and outdoor car show in the Los Alamitos building, OC Promenade and Lot I from 1 - 6 p.m. Cost: $25 general admission, $30 early entry (12:30 p.m.); $50 team/crew registration; $55 individual car registration. www.stancenation.com

–December 6: Fight Club OC

Boxing and MMA together on the same night, inside the same ring from 7 - 10 p.m. Happy Hour specials from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Cost: $60 admission; parking is $8. www.fightcluboc.com

–December 8 and 9: The Holiday Classic Dog Show

The Shoreline Dog Fanciers Association hosts its annual all-breed conformation and obedience show from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Free admission; parking is $8. www.shorelinedfa.homestead.com

Courtesy of shorelinedfa.homestead.com

–December 17 through December 20: Share Our Selves Annual Adopt-A-Family Program

The Adopt-A-Family program connects donors with more than 1,500 families with children recommended by Costa Mesa and Santa Ana organizations and schools. This is the program’s 49th year. Hours: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Free admission for all volunteers and staff. www.shareourselves.org/aaf

–December 20 through January 6, 2019: Winter Fest OC

SoCal’s ultimate winter experience is returning, blowing in tons of family fun and date night charm. The fest features a winter wonderland of attractions, including a 150-foot ice tubing slide, snow play, ice skating, rides, nightly fireworks and more. Hours vary. Pricing varies depending on package and day; parking is $8. www.winterfestoc.com

–December 20 and 21: Holiday Bazaar at O.C. Market Place

The Market Place hosts a special Holiday Bazaar featuring shopping, Santa and specialty foods and drinks from 2 - 8 p.m. The event will also get you into the opening days of Winter Fest at a discounted rate. Cost: Admission is $5; parking is $8. www.ocmarketplace.com

Orange County Fair & Event Center is located at 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. For more information, visit www.ocfair.com.

Family Fun Night at Marina Park

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Courtesy of newportbeach.com

SAVE THE DATE: Enjoy this holiday season at Marina Park on the harbor. On Friday, Dec. 21 from 5:30 - 8 p.m., bring the whole family for a fun night, and spread a warm blanket down on the sand. Christmas Boat Parade viewing takes place at 6:30 p.m. with festivities including dinner and fun for kids.

The cost is $15 for kids and $25 for adults

Marina Park is located at 1600 W. Balboa Blvd., Newport Beach.

Guest Column

Grace Leung

An insider’s look at what’s going on in and around City Hall

Newport Beach City Manager Grace Leung    

Happy Tuesday everyone! Our next meeting is tonight, Tuesday, Nov. 27, and the following are items that may be of interest. As always, this is not a summary of the entire agenda, which can be viewed here.

The Study Session begins at 6 p.m. with a couple of proclamations and a presentation. There will be an update on the Summer Trolley Program, including a brief review of the operations this past summer and potential recommendations for future operations.

For the Regular Session at 7 p.m. the following are items of note:

–We will begin out of order with a public hearing on the Proposed Assessment District No. 113, which is proposed to be formed for undergrounding utilities on West Balboa Island between North Bayfront, South Bayfront and Agate Avenue. This item is taken out of order so the ballots can be counted and results announced before the end of the meeting. This is the second undergrounding project for which the City will take on the construction management, rather than SCE, to reduce costs. If the district is formed, the design is estimated to be completed in December 2020, the bond sale to finance the project will occur May through July 2021 and construction work will take place August 2021 through September 2022.

–Under the Consent Calendar are two items amending Titles 1 and 17 of the Municipal Code, related to the Harbor Department and Speed Limits in the Harbor. Subsequent to the review and approval of these amendments by City Council in October, inconsistencies and clerical errors were found. In order to be clear and transparent with these amendments, City Council directed staff to bring the code changes back for reconsideration. The substantive changes remain the same.

–Also, under the Consent Calendar is a professional services agreement for Environmental Services Associates to prepare an environment impact report (EIR) for the proposed 275-room hotel project at the Newport Dunes Resort. As many of you know, there is a long history to this project and the entitlement for the hotel comes from the 1983 settlement agreement. The EIR is one of many steps for this project to move forward, including a Planned Community Development Plan, Conditional Use Permit, Traffic Study and Coastal Development Permit.

–Community Program Grants for FY 2018/19 are on the Consent Calendar. The allocation of $40,000 is recommended to be distributed amongst 14 organizations that serve the City’s residents and benefit our residents’ quality of life. Additionally, a continued allocation of $25,000 to the Balboa Island Historical Society and $10,000 to the Newport Beach Historical Society is recommended.

–On Current Business is the Award of Contract for Bayside Drive and Jamboree Road/Marine Avenue Improvements. This project follows extensive community outreach and discussion and review of design alternatives by City Council. This project includes pavement rehabilitation, traffic calming, beautification, pedestrian and bicycle access, and maintains the four-lane roadway for the entire length of the Bayside Drive portion of the project. Construction is anticipated to be completed in May 2019. I would also note that this is one of six infrastructure rehabilitation/improvement projects with award of contract or notice of completion on this agenda. A very busy and productive Public Works staff.

–A Professional Services Agreement with Anchor QEA for Planning/Engineering Design and Support for the Lower Newport Harbor Dredging Program is also on Current Business. City Council and staff have been actively working with the Federal Government to designate the Lower Bay dredging project as a current federally funded project. These efforts have paid off with the Army Corps of Engineers funding the first $150,000 of an approximately $23 million effort, thereby officially designating the project as “active”, a significant milestone for procuring future federal funding. To increase our competitiveness for these federal funds, we are proposing to complete all of the necessary pre-project tasks so that the project can be shovel ready by the end of 2019.

–Finally, the appointment of a new Planning Commissioner to fill an unscheduled vacancy is on the agenda. Four applicants will be considered by the City Council. The term for this vacancy expires June 30, 2020.

As a reminder, public comment is welcome at the City Council meeting. The public can comment on any item on the agenda. If you cannot attend the meeting and/or want to communicate with the City Council directly on an item, the following email address gets to all of them: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Week in Review was provided last week. In case you missed it, we do post them on the City’s website; the latest edition can be found here.

Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated, so please don’t hesitate to ask a question or offer a comment. 

Grace K. Leung, City Manager

City of Newport Beach

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

949.644.3001

Join ENC’s Primitive Skills Society

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Submitted photo

Each month locals are invited to gather to learn and work on different primitive skills at the Environmental Nature Center (ENC) during the Primitive Skills Society. Participants end each meeting with a light meal cooked over the campfire, meeting and developing friendships with great like-minded people.

The next meeting will be held on Saturday, Dec. 8 from 4:30 - 7:30 p.m., led by ENC Executive Director Bo Glover. Invite your friends if you think they’re into cool stuff!

Society Members are members of ENC, and have paid an annual fee ($120) entitling them to attend these monthly meetings at no cost. For more information on membership, visit www.encenter.org. To pay the annual fee, contact Lori Whalen, ENC assistant director at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call 949.645.8489, ext. 103.

JWA September stats show increase in passenger traffic year over year

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Courtesy of ocair.com

Airline passenger traffic at John Wayne Airport (JWA) increased in September 2018 as compared with September 2017. In September 2018, the Airport served 856,688 passengers, an increase of 0.4 percent when compared with the September 2017 passenger traffic count of 853,545.

Commercial aircraft operations decreased 0.7 percent and commuter aircraft operations increased 306.9 percent when compared with September 2017 levels.

Total aircraft operations increased in September 2018 as compared with the same month in 2017. In September 2018, there were 27,987 total aircraft operations (take-offs and landings), a 14.0 percent increase compared to 24,550 total aircraft operations in September 2017.

General aviation activity, which accounted for 71.6 percent of the total aircraft operations during September 2018, increased 19.3 percent when compared with September 2017.

The top three airlines in September 2018 based on passenger count were Southwest Airlines (300,356), United Airlines (134,098) and American Airlines (128,663).

Orange County Community Foundation holds annual meeting, assets grow to $378 million

More than 600 philanthropists and business and community leaders discovered how giving can impact their communities during Orange County Community Foundation’s 2018 Annual Meeting. Addressing the sold-out event at Hotel Irvine on November 14, OCCF President Shelley Hoss announced that foundation assets grew to $378 million during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018.

“We’re pleased to announce that OCCF has granted more than $300 million to philanthropic causes in Orange County, across the nation and around the world in the last five years alone,” Hoss said. “Our work is fueled by the passions of the individuals and families we work with, along with corporate partners and community leaders.”

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Keynote speaker Mike Mussallem, chairman and CEO of Edwards Lifesciences, with Orange County Community Foundation President Shelley Hoss

For the fourth consecutive year, OCCF grants and scholarships reached nearly $79 million, placing OCCF in the top two percent in grantmaking among nearly 800 U.S. community foundations.

The event kicked off with a special performance by Orange County’s own Voices of Hope Children’s Choir from Season 13 of America’s Got Talent. 

The Annual Meeting featured keynote speaker Mike Mussallem, chairman and CEO of Edwards Lifesciences. In a powerful address, Mussallem described how he combines passion and purpose to create game-changing impact.

“It’s important to look for opportunities to bring strategy and focus to support causes that are close to your heart,” Mussallem said. “Working with OCCF, we’ve collaborated with and been inspired by others, multiplying our efforts and learning from successes and opportunities for growth in order to drive lasting results across Orange County and beyond.”

Founded in 1989, Newport-Beach based Orange County Community Foundation (OCCF) works with donors, strengthens the local nonprofit sector and works to find solutions to community needs. For more information, visit www.oc-cf.org.

Pacific Symphony serves up Tchaikovsky’s holiday hit with a side of jazz

Pacific Symphony’s initial December concert hints at holiday celebrations to come with a program entitled Holiday Classics: Nutcracker Sweet, taking place on December 6 - 8. Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 with Markus Groh as soloist opens the program. The rest of the program includes Vaughan Williams’ majestic work for string orchestra, “Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis” and selections from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker alongside arrangements of Tchaikovsky’s music by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn.

These concerts include image magnification for audiences to get a closer look at the music making projected onto big screens in the concert hall. Concerts begin at 8 p.m., with a preview talk hosted by Alan Chapman at 7 p.m. This program, sponsored by the Michelle F. Rohé Distinguished Piano Fund, is presented by the Hal & Jeanette Segerstrom Family Foundation, The Westin South Coast Plaza Costa Meza, PBS SoCal and Classical KUSC. Tickets start at $25.

Courtesy of Pacific Symphony

The concert opens with pianist Markus Groh performing the Second Concerto of Brahms, a composer with whom he has a strong affinity. Berliner Morgenpost commented that “Markus Groh plays straight, just as God and Brahms instruct him…Groh now ranks at the top of the German tradition, worthy heir to Backhaus, Edwin Fischer and Wilhelm Kempff.” Groh was the first German musician to win the Queen Elisabeth International Competition in 1995 and since then, his remarkable artistry and astonishing technique have confirmed his place among the finest pianists in the world. Sharing the same birthday with Alfred Brendel, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli and Maurizio Pollini, Groh has proven himself worthy of their company.

The second half of the program opens with the sublimely contemplative “Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis” by Ralph Vaughan Williams. The work is inspired by the music of the English Renaissance and resembles an Elizabethan-age fantasy.

Next up, the concert celebrates the festive music of The Nutcracker. Before the premiere of The Nutcracker in 1892, Tchaikovsky released an eight-piece collection from the ballet called the The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71 that awed audiences for centuries with classics like “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” and “Waltz of the Flowers.”

In 1960, Duke Ellington’s recording company asked him what he wanted to record next. Ellington’s colleague Billy Strayhorn, who was a classically trained American composer, suggested he do a jazz arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite. “The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” became the swinging “Sugar Rum Cherry” and “The Dance of the Reed Pipes” is transformed into the sassy “Toot Toot Tootie Toot.” The beloved “Waltz of the Flowers” is transformed into a jazzy “Dance of the Floreadores.”

Music Director Carl St.Clair conducts Pacific Symphony in a swinging Nutcracker that alternates between Tchaikovsky’s original dances and the Ellington/Strayhorn jazz arrangements. This swinging Nutcracker will be a Pacific Symphony first and a sweet treat for the holidays.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call the box office at 714.755.5799 or visit www.PacificSymphony.org.

Pacific View to hold Celebration of Life Candlelight Service

On December 10 and 11 at 6:30 p.m., Pacific View Memorial Park and Mortuary will hold a Celebration of Life Candlelight Service. The program begins with a presentation of photos that will be shared in memory of loved ones. If you’d like to participate in the photo presentation, bring a copy of your photo to the Pacific View office or send it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Following the presentation and candlelight service, guests are invited to hang an ornament of remembrance on the “Trees of Life.”

Pacific View Memorial Park and Mortuary is located at 3500 Pacific View Drive, Corona del Mar. For more information, call 949.644.2700.

Airing out city hall: CdM’s new city councilwoman prepares to take office

By AMY SENK

Joy Brenner moved to Corona del Mar at the age of 15 to a house on Marguerite Avenue, near where it dead-ended at Fifth. She helped select the school colors and mascot for the then-new Corona del Mar High School and was part of its first graduating class. And next month, on December 11, she’ll be sworn in as the newest District 6 City Council member.

“My first priority is opening up the doors and windows at City Hall,” Brenner said. “Everything we can legally share with the public, we should share. It’s the public’s business.” A frequent message on her campaign trail was the importance of filling committees and commissions with informed and passionate community members – then listening to them, and any other public feedback before considering a Council vote. She said she’s had a lot of practice listening while on the campaign trail.

“We went to every event, I didn’t say no to anything,” she said. “Two or three or five events in a day. Fourteen forums.”

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Photo by Amy Senk

Joy Brenner will represent District 6

Her campaign began, she said, when she was collecting signatures to recall Corona del Mar’s current City Council representative, Scott Peotter. She would go door-to-door, talking to people about their concern. “Our citizens actively put the good of the city first,” she said. “They were vehemently about wanting a change.”

The campaign was long, and in the end it was ugly. Fliers were mailed that tied Brenner to George Soros, Hilary Clinton and Cory Booker, all stemming from an ActBlue donation that Brenner made because, as she puts it, “I was not happy with Trump.” Emails and Nextdoor postings also went on the attack. On election night, Brenner watched returns at a party with other candidates. “We just had a ball,” she said. In the end, according to the latest voter records, updated yesterday (Monday) at 5 p.m., Brenner won with 56.7 percent of the vote. Candidate Tim Stoaks, who campaigned alongside Brenner at many events, is ahead of Mayor Duffy Duffield but only by 24 votes.

Peotter took office in 2014, replacing Nancy Gardner, who was a longtime CdM resident. Like Gardner, Brenner’s ties to CdM run deep. She moved to town with her family during her freshman year of high school and played baseball with friends on the land that now is the OASIS Senior Center, while her father fought against a project that would have built a freeway running along Fifth Avenue. She was part of a leadership group that worked with the new principal of Corona del Mar High School to pick out the new school’s colors and Sea King mascot, and was in the first graduating class. And because her class was first, when she started their junior year, they were more or less the default seniors because no class was ahead of them.

She helped found the Corona del Mar Residents Association group and was its president; she was involved in the city’s Parks, Beaches & Recreation Commission. A few years ago, she founded Friends of the Corona del Mar Library, which advocated for not only saving the small branch but improving it with amenities that modern library users want. The new library will open this summer.

If there’s a plaque with council members named – which there traditionally is with new city buildings – Brenner’s name will be included. “Isn’t that cool?” she said.

~~~~~~~~

Amy Senk has lived in Corona del Mar for 20 years and was publisher of Corona del Mar Today, an online newspaper that ran daily for seven years. Senk, a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, is involved in the Corona del Mar Residents Association and the Corona del Mar High School PTA. She and her husband have two children.

Newport Beach – A Look Back

Photo series courtesy of Balboa Island Museum & Historical Society

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A group of girls share a house during Bal Week between 1945 and 1946

Visit Balboa Island Museum and the Museum Store located at 331 Marine Ave., Balboa Island. They are open Tuesdays - Sundays from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. For more information, call 949.675.3952, visit www.balboamuseum.orgor email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Newport Beach Foundation Distinguished Citizen Program application deadline is this Friday

The Newport Beach Foundation Distinguished Citizen Program application process is closing this Friday, Nov. 30 – so don’t miss out!

If you are interested in learning more about the key components that form the foundation of our city, you won’t want to lose out on this opportunity.

A limited number of people will be chosen for the program, and the application is for consideration for the January 2019 class. Classes for accepted applicants begin on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019, and will be held every Wednesday following throughout January from 6 - 8 p.m.

Here’s the rundown of distinguished speakers appearing:

January 9 – Newport 101 (Friends Room in Newport Beach Central Library)

a. Mayor with the State of the City

b. Homer Bludau – previous Newport Beach City Manager (City Charter & Council/Manager Form of Local Government)

c. Grace Leung – Newport Beach City Manager (Harbor and Airport)

d. Leilani Brown – City Clerk (Boards, Commissions and Committees)

January 16 – Human Resources/Legal and Public Safety (Community Room, City Hall)

a. Aaron Harp – City Attorney

b. Barbara Salvini – Human Resources Director

c. Jon Lewis – Police Chief, Newport Beach Police Department

d. Chip Duncan – Fire Chief, Newport Beach Fire Department

January 23 – Finance, Library, Parks/Beaches, Business (Community Room, City Hall)

a. Dr. Fred Navarro – Superintendent, Newport-Mesa School District

b. Tim Hetherton – Library Services Director

c. Laura Detweiler – Director of Recreation & Senior Services

d. Mario Marovic – Newport Beach Business Leader

January 30 - Finances and City Planning (Community Room, City Hall)

a. Dan Matusiewicz – Director of Finance

b. Seimone Jurjis – Community Development Director

c. Dave Webb – Public Works Director

d. Mark Vukojevic – Utilities Director

e. Graduation – Distinguished Citizen Recognition & Presentation of Completion

To apply, visit www.nb-foundation.org/distinguished-citizen/.

Sign of the times

On Fridays we give you a partial glimpse of a sign around town. You guess what the overall name of the business is. 

Stu definitely has some cinemagoers, but this one tricked most people who guessed the Port Theater or Regency Lido Theatre.

Congratulations to Carol Strauss, Jim Kaminsky and Mary Ann Hemphill who correctly guessed Edwards Big Newport 6 in Fashion Island. They know their marquees.

If you’re a business and you want to play, you can send us a high-quality photo of your sign and we’ll take it from there and challenge our readers.

Let’s have some fun!

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Stoaks and Duffy are neck and neck, District 3 Council race to go down to the wire

From ocvote.com

As of Monday, Nov. 26 at 5 p.m., Tim Stoaks leads incumbent and current Newport Beach Mayor Marshall “Duffy” Duffield in the District 3 City Council race, although only by 24 votes. According to the Orange County Registrar of Voters, 21,800 ballots countywide are left to be counted; it is unknown how many of these are Newport Beach voters. Results will be updated daily at www.ocvote.com at 5 p.m. (except on Sundays and holidays) until all votes have been counted.

Stump the Stu

All footprints lead to...

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Step by step...what’s at the end of these footprints?

Take the challenge and submit your answers to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The answer will appear in Friday’s edition, along with the correct guesses. So, join us for this local adventure.

If you have a unique spot or icon around town that you think Stu News Newport readers would enjoy finding out about, please shoot it, share it and give us the location, so we can challenge them! Happy Hunting.

Holiday happenings at Newport Dunes

Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort is hosting a variety of events this holiday season...and there’s something for everyone.

Schedule of Events:

Christmas Tree Lot – One of Southern California’s premier locations to pick top-of-the-line pines, Newport Dunes receives their trees from Salem, Oregon in weekly deliveries through December 23. The best looking, healthiest trees are handpicked and delivered within 16 hours of being cut, given a second cut upon arrival and immediately placed in stands with fresh water. Sip complimentary coffee and hot chocolate while browsing hundreds of beautiful trees, as well as fresh wreaths, garlands and poinsettias. Christmas accessories will also be for sale, such as ornaments, hats, mistletoe, cards, lights and more. Newport Dunes Tree Lot offers delivery as well as free parking for Christmas tree shoppers. Santa will be visiting the tree lot on November 24 and 25 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. The tree lot is open daily 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. Runs until trees are sold out. Attendance is free. To contact the tree lot directly, call 949.279.4507.

28th annual Lighting of The Bay – The kick-off celebration begins Friday, Nov. 23 from 3 - 8 p.m. featuring a full schedule of seasonal festivities to welcome the holiday season. Families will enjoy live chorale performances, cookie decorating, holiday crafts and train rides. Santa will take center stage at dusk as he arrives by stand-up paddleboard and flips the magic switch to illuminate the bay with more than 50 electric Christmas trees and holiday decorations. An outdoor screening of a holiday movie will wrap up the evening with hot cocoa and cider. Additional food and bar concessions will be available for purchase. Attendance is free.

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Submitted photo

Brunch with Santa – Bring the youngsters and come have brunch With Santa Claus. He is taking a break from toy making and supervising his elves to enjoy brunch with lucky children. Get your photos taken with Santa and tell him your holiday wishes. Takes place at Back Bay Bistro on Saturday, Dec. 8 and Saturday, Dec. 22 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. To make reservations, call 949.999.3170.

Newport Dunes Unplugged – Featuring Nirvanish, Memory Lane and Great Pumpkin, enjoy A Tribute to Nirvana, Alice In Chains and Smashing Pumpkins on Saturday, Dec. 8 from 7 - 10 p.m. Purchase advance tickets online at www.ticketweb.com, or visit www.newportdunes.com, prior to making your dinner table reservations. After purchasing your tickets (VIP & General Admission), make reservations at Back Bay Bistro by calling 949.729.1144. Dinner sold separately. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Heartbeat City – Join this special celebration, A Tribute to the Cars, and “Let the Good Times Roll,” on Friday, Dec. 28 from 8 - 10 p.m. Named for one of the Cars’ biggest selling albums, Heartbeat City faithfully re-creates the look and sound of the band. They dress in the period-correct ‘80s style of the Cars and, being accomplished musicians, their sound is amazingly close to the real thing. Seeing Heartbeat City is as close as you can come to seeing an ‘80s Cars concert. Get your tickets early to this memorable show at Back Bay Bistro, as it’s sure to be a sell-out. Visit www.newportdunes.com for tickets, and for more information, call 949.729.3863.

Back Bay Bistro and Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort are located at 1131 Back Bay Drive, Newport Beach.

Menorah Lighting ceremony at Fashion Island

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Courtesy of Chabad Center for Jewish Life

On Sunday, Dec. 2 at 3:30 p.m., come celebrate Chanukah during the Fashion Island Grand Menorah Lighting ceremony in Atrium Garden Court honoring Holocaust survivors, near Barnes & Noble.

An event for the whole family, there will be Chanukah crafts and entertainment by the TVT Children’s Choir, balloon animals, face painting, dreidels & doughnuts, and gifts and treats for youngsters. Bring an unwrapped gift for the community toy drive.

For more information, call 949.721.9800 and visit www.jewishnewport.com.

Pet of the Week

StuNewsNewport is delighted to be working with the Newport Beach Animal Shelter to help get the word out in search of loving homes for pets that deserve a warm, nurturing environment and a place to call “home.”

Courtesy of Newport Beach Animal Shelter

MEET NICK

Nick is a 2-year-old Chihuahua Pekingese mix who needs a loving home. He loves to play with other dogs.

Adoption costs at the shelter:

Dogs - $130

Puppies - $150

Cats - $90

Kittens - $110

At any given time, the shelter can have 4-5 dogs and 7-8 cats/kittens available for adoption. At times, the shelter receives owner turn-ins that would do best adopted out together. 

If you are interested in finding out more about Nick, or any other animals up for adoption, call 949.644.3656 or email Valerie Schomburg at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The Newport Beach Animal Shelter is located at 20302 Riverside Drive, Newport Beach. It is open daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

To find out how you can help support the shelter, visit www.nbpd.org and click on “Our Animal Shelter” to view the wish list. The shelter can always use food & treats; new toys; grooming, hygiene & comfort products; as well as laundry soap, dish soap, paper towels, sponges, scrub pads and lint rollers. If you are interested in volunteering, you can fill out and sign the application on the website.

Newport Beach Vineyards and Winery presents Christmas at the Vineyards, December 9

Newport Beach Vineyards and Winery is having its first Christmas at the Vineyards on Saturday, Dec. 9 from 3 - 9 p.m. The event is open to the public 21 years of age and over for a rare occasion for guests to visit the winery, which is typically booked out for private events.    

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Courtesy of Nbwine.com

Get in the Christmas spirit at Newport Beach Vineyards and Winery

The special event will offer Christmas carolers throughout the vineyard, a singing Santa, miniature donkeys, light food stations and Christmas desserts along with wine to enjoy.

Tickets are $60 per guest all-inclusive. To purchase tickets, call 949.645.2200.

Newport Beach Vineyards and Winery is located at 2128 Mesa Drive, Newport Beach. For more information, visit www.nbwine.com.

November proclaimed Adoption Awareness Month in Orange County

The Orange County Board of Supervisors proclaimed November 2018 as Adoption Awareness Month in Orange County and presented a resolution to the Social Services Agency and Miguel and Raquel Alcantara for their significant contributions to support and mentor adoptive families in Orange County.

The Alcantaras received a proclamation on behalf of adoptive families in Orange County from the Board of Supervisors for their work as resource parents, educators and advocates. Miguel and Raquel Alcantara began the process of becoming resource parents in 2014 and ultimately became adoptive parents. 

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Submitted photo

(L-R) Supervisors Michelle Steel and Lisa Bartlett, Chairman of Board of Supervisors Andrew Do, SSA Director Anne Bloxom, Raquel and Miguel Alcantara and OC District Attorney Todd Spitzer

The Alcantaras now have two adoptive children, all the while continuing to foster other children through County of Orange Social Services Agency. In addition, they serve as mentors to many of the biological parents who are working to reunify with their children. 

The Alcantaras also assist with the Foster Care Auxiliary, Club Mom and Dad, and support the training of new resource families to help them understand the challenges and rewards that come along with adoption.

“Adoptive parents help provide the safe, loving and nurturing home these children need to thrive and grow,” said First District Supervisor Andrew Do, Chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors. “We thank all Orange County adoptive families like the Alcantaras for their compassion and commitment to helping our community and ensuring a brighter future for our youth.”

“We are grateful for the care and compassion that Miguel and Raquel Alcantara, and all adoptive parents, provide their children,” said Vice Chair and Fourth District Supervisor Shawn Nelson. “Today we recognize the Alacantara family, on behalf of all Orange County adoptive families.”

The theme of this year’s National Adoption Mont, In Their Own Words: Lifting Up Youth Voices, focused on the importance of empowering youth voices. When teenagers with experience in foster care – whether they have reunified with family, achieved permanency with an adoptive family or entered adulthood independently – share their stories, their unique insights can inspire their peers and prospective adoptive families. 

The number of finalized adoptions in Orange County is growing. From July 2017 to June 2018, 338 adoptions were finalized, representing a nearly 30 percent increase from the prior fiscal year. Orange County continues to lead the way in uniting children with their forever families.

For more information on becoming a Resource Family, call 888.871.KIDS or visit www.oc4kids.com.

Sign of the times

It’s another edition of Sign of the times, so put your thinking caps on. Stu believes you can identify this dazzling Newport Beach beacon that beckons the young and older alike just by viewing a partial image of the sign.

Good luck! Stu loves publishing the winning answers on Tuesday.

Send your guesses to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

If you’re a business and you want to play, you can send us a high-quality photo of your sign and we’ll take it from there and challenge our readers.

Let’s have some fun!

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Wondrous waves at The Wedge 

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Photo by Tina Treglia (Instagram @ttregs) 

Surfer Blaze Roche feeling thankful for the brilliant blue waves in Newport Beach

ENC to hold special December events

In December, the Environmental Nature Center (ENC) is offering some special events you and your youngsters won’t want to miss.

Here’s the rundown:

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Photos courtesy of ENC

Tiny Naturalists is a six-week series geared to Parent and Me time

Tiny Naturalists: Winter Wonderland: December 3 through January 21, 2019

Join ENC Outreach Coordinator Mindy Schwartz for unstructured “Parent and Me”-style classes on the ENC grounds. Each week, participants will hike out to a different habitat along the trails, set up a big blanket and relax with their babies in the shade of the forest canopy. Parents will get to know one another while the babies experience “tummy time” and free play outdoors. Each session will end with storytime and a song. This is a six-week series taking place from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. The program is geared for moms or dads and babies 3 - 9 months. Strollers are discouraged; baby-wearing devices are encouraged. Registration and pre-payment is required.

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Little Naturalists will listen to “One Bear Lost,” make bear masks and play a hibernation game while exploring their outdoor surroundings

Little Naturalists – One Bear Lost: December 4

Little Naturalist programs are outdoor experiential education classes designed for 3 - 5-year-olds and their adult guardians. Activities are designed to encourage exploration and discovery, and to enrich a child’s emerging physical and cognitive skills. Parents remain with children at all times. Join in the exploration as One Bear Lost by Karen Hayles and Jenny Jones is read. Children will learn about different types of bears and play Mama Bear, Baby Bear Match. Young attendees will make their own bear masks and play a hibernation game. Pre-payment is required.

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Harmonie and Luna the Owl to visit during Reading in the Redwoods

Reading in the Redwoods – Owl Moon: December 9

Join in the fun of a very special Reading in the Redwoods event at 9:30 a.m. on December 9. ENC Animal Ambassador Luna the Owl will be on hand to meet guests. Enjoy the classic nature-themed book Owl Moon under the canopy of ENC’s tallest trees while your family relaxes together on a blanket or towel. Afterward children and their adults will spend some time with Naturalist Harmonie and Luna the Owl to learn more about owl adaptations. Guests will also dissect owl pellets, and make their own owls to take home using recycled burlap coffee bean bags donated by Kean Coffee. Pre-payment is required.

For more information on each of these activities and to register, visit www.encenter.org

Environmental Nature Center is located at 1601 E. 16th St., Newport Beach.

Stump the Stu

Lucky ducks?

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Stu thinks these ducks are pretty lucky and undisturbed, as only two readers guessed where they are swimming. Congratulations to Charles Davison and Don Webb who knew that these content waterfowl live in the courtyard fountain adjacent to C’est Si Bon on Riverside Drive.

A very special thank you to Paul A. DeRidder for snapping and submitting this photo.

Join in as we try and stump you each week with a picture of something unique in our community. The clue appears on Tuesdays and the answer on Fridays, along with the correct guesses. So, join us for this local adventure.

If you have a unique spot or icon around town that you think Stu News Newport readers would enjoy finding out about, please shoot it, share it and give us the location, so we can challenge them! Happy Hunting.

Innovation, ingenuity and inspiration exemplified in surfing, sailing exhibit at JWA

By Marisa Unvert

Very few individuals will have as much impact on a sport as Hobart “Hobie” Alter did for water sports. He not only revolutionized surfing, and was at the epicenter of what would eventually become a multi-billion dollar industry in Southern California, he also expanded the adventure of sailing with his invention of the Hobie Catamaran.

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Courtesy of John Wayne Airport

Hobart “Hobie” Alter

From now through Spring 2019, the history of Hobie Alter’s life and legacy will be on display in John Wayne Airport’s Vi Smith Concourse Gallery. Ticketed passengers can view the exhibit on the Departure (upper) Level, across from Gates 2 through 5 in Terminal A, Gates 18 through 21 in Terminal C, and in the free-standing display cases across from Gate 14.

The exhibit includes a comprehensive narrative of Hobie’s early beginnings, from creating the first polyurethane foam surfboard in the late 1950s to the opening of his surf shop in Dana Point, which ultimately established “surf lifestyle” apparel, and through his invention of a beach launchable catamaran in 1968 and the multi-colored sails in the 1970s. 

As exemplified in the exhibit, Hobie impacted, influenced and created the worldwide surf and water sport culture of today.

For more information, visit www.hobie.com/about-us/. To learn more about JWA’s Arts programs, visit www.ocair.com/terminal/artexhibits.

Gondola Adventures cruises to a new location, merges with Gondola Company of Newport

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Courtesy of Gondola Adventures Inc.

After 25 years at their current location, Gondola Adventures is cruising into a new dock at the corner of Bayside Drive and East Coast Highway, just under the bridge. Its new address will be 200 Bayside Drive, Newport Beach.

With the new location comes a new cruise route, new canals and new residents, who will enjoy being serenaded by the gondoliers wending their way around charming waterfront neighborhoods.

Merging with Gondola Company of Newport will establish two divisions within Gondola Adventures: the Casual Cruise division, which boasts American-built rowing gondolas cruising for 50-minute experiences, and the Upgraded Cruise division, which offers authentic, imported Venetian gondolas with cruises that can include appetizers, desserts, and even full three and four-course meals. Gondola Adventures is partnering with 3-Thirty-3 Waterfront Restaurant to provide gourmet gondola meals.

“We are excited to be able to introduce our gondolas to the beautiful canals surrounding Linda Isle, Harbor Island and the back side of Balboa Island,” said Gondola Greg, lead gondolier. “We hope residents will enjoy cheering ‘She Said Yes,’ with newly engaged couples and toasting anniversaries and birthdays as the gondolas cruse by.”

To book a cruise aboard any of the 15-boat gondola fleet, visit www.gondola.com.

KidWorks’ Foundation luncheon raises in excess of $750,000

The 2018 KidWorks’ Foundation for Success (FFS) Luncheon, held Thursday, Nov. 8 at the Doubletree Hotel in Santa Ana, raised more than $750,000 to help fund after-school education and leadership development programs conducted by the nonprofit headquartered in central Santa Ana.

A record-breaking 440+ guests attended the annual event that raises the majority of the after-school program budget for academic enrichment, tutoring, leadership development and college readiness programs at the KidWorks Dan Donahue Center.

Submitted photo

(L-R) Steve Craig, Terry Donahue, Mike Harrah, David Pyle and Pat Donahue

The prestigious 2018 Dan Donahue Leadership Award was presented to Steven L. Craig, who is president and CEO of Craig Realty Group, a factory outlet shopping center development firm founded in 1995 in Newport Beach that operates 14 outlet centers in nine states, including the Citadel Outlets in Los Angeles, Outlets at Barstow and Outlets at San Clemente, which is the first and only ocean-facing outdoor shopping and dining destination in Orange County.

“We were honored to present this very special award to Steve in recognition of his longtime support of KidWorks’ youth and families,” said David Benavides, KidWorks’ executive director. “His service to KidWorks as a board member, chairman of the Advisory Council and past chairman of the annual luncheon is exemplary. His vision and leadership have elevated the annual luncheon to a whole new level, which has been so important as it raises the majority of KidWorks’ annual after-school program budget.”

“Dollar for dollar, it’s clear that KidWorks makes the biggest impact on the lives of Santa Ana youth,” Craig said. “Our future is tied to their future – these young people will grow up to be our fellow neighbors, friends and leaders. With KidWorks, the results speak for themselves.”

The legacy of late KidWorks benefactor Dan Donahue continued at the event with many of his namesake Uncle Dan Bears available for purchase to help fund KidWorks’ programs. This year, the popular soft, stuffed teddy bears were wearing T-shirts featuring the universities and colleges KidWorks students are currently attending. At KidWorks, 100 percent of high school seniors graduate on time and 100 percent go on to attend a college or university.

Keynote speaker Cory Hahn is a highly touted Mater Dei High School baseball player who was paralyzed from the chest down sliding into second base as a freshman at Arizona State University in 2011. In recognition of his unwavering spirit despite his grave injury that ended his dream of playing Major League Baseball, the Arizona Diamondbacks drafted Hahn in the 34th round of the 2013 MLB First Year Player Draft, and two years later the team named their annual 34th round draft selection the “Cory Hahn 34th Pick.” After graduating from ASU in 2014, the D-backs hired Hahn in the organization’s scouting department where he serves as Coordinator of Professional Scouting.

Hahn’s motivational message of overcoming adversity credited a team of doctors, friends, family and colleagues who rallied around him to lend their support. He likened this to the many KidWorks donors and supporters who attended the luncheon and stressed the importance of them partnering with KidWorks to help our students achieve their dreams.

The Foundation for Success luncheon would not be possible without the generosity of its presenting sponsors: American Career College, West Coast University, Caribou Industries, Heidi & Ruben Mendoza, Bank of America, Craig Realty Group and Steven L. Craig. Other key sponsors were Donahue Schriber, and the Gregory and Stacey Brown Family Charitable Fund.

Since its inception in 2007, KidWorks’ annual Foundation for Success event has raised more than $6.5 million to fund programs at the KidWorks Dan Donahue Center. The Orange County Business Journal has consistently named the KidWorks’ Foundation for Success event in the “Top Five Charity Luncheons in Orange County.”

Kurt Elling sings Christmas

Get into the holiday spirit when Segerstrom Center presents “The Beautiful Day” – Kurt Elling Sings Christmas on Saturday, Dec. 15 at 7 and 9 p.m. 

Declared by the New York Times as the “standout male jazz vocalist of our time,” Grammy winner Kurt Elling headlines the Center for two performances in Samueli Theater, singing a repertoire of songs from his new holiday album, The Beautiful Day.

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Photo by Elliot Mandel

Kurt Elling

According to Elling, “I knew I didn’t want to make a ‘religious’ record, just as I knew I didn’t want to make a standard, swingin’ jazzy Christmas. I’m trying to expand my consciousness and embrace the goodness of the season, and I want to include everybody. For me, Christmas is a time of consideration, of pondering mysteries.”

Inventive and fresh, this special program reimagines the sounds of Christmas, mixing traditional carols decked out in new arrangements with songs that are revelations and rediscovered treats. Elling wraps the universal themes of hope, light, wonder, mystery and goodwill in musical packages full of delightful surprises.

Tickets start at $69, and are available online at www.scfta.org, at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, or by calling 714.556.2787. For inquiries about group ticket savings of 10 or more, call the Group Services office at 714.755.0236.

Samueli Theater is located at 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa.

OC MADE set to launch 10 businesses at OC Market Place on Small Business Saturday

How often do 10 businesses launch in one day? The American Dream is alive and well thanks to OC MADE – a four-week program culminating on Small Business Saturday at the OC Market Place – offered through a partnership between the Orange County Market Place, the Orange County Inland Empire Small Business Development Center Network (SBDC) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

Four weeks ago, these entrepreneurs were selected through an in-depth interview process guaranteeing that talent and perseverance would meet opportunity. Since then, they’ve developed and prepared their idea-driven ventures to impress the flocking OC population. These 10 vendors have made it all the way through this transformative program, and they’re ready to start selling for the first time ever. And to top it off, most of them are offering promotional discounts.

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Courtesy of O.C. Market Place

(L-R) Mike Daniel and Greg Bell, with the Small Business Development Center

Tatiana Colunga, owner of Sol Artesano USA, an OC MADE vendor, shares what it feels like to participate in such a pivotal event: “This is an excellent program supporting startups; I learned valuable information including how to analyze market research, cost and price products, successfully manage booth operations and so much more. I can’t wait to launch!”

For many people in the OC area, this is an exciting opportunity to not only support local small businesses, but to gain access to a variety of exciting goods and services that are just now hitting the market. Everything offered has been researched, honed and most importantly, SBDC approved. SBA’s Orange County/Inland Empire District Director J. Adalberto Quijada added that, “The OC MADE program has been an incredible opportunity to support our local small businesses and showcase their tremendous impact on our local economy. We applaud the efforts of these businesses and are honored to continue supporting their success. The launch of OC MADE on Small Business Saturday is significant because of the impact this day brings to communities and small businesses alike by keeping dollars in the community and supporting local jobs. It also signals the start of the holiday shopping season for many small businesses.”

It’s a great opportunity for OC locals and expert shoppers to have fun, peruse and possibly locate something they love for a great price. These businesses are primed and supported for take-off, and when that happens, you can bet the price tags will take off too – so get out there and see what you can find.

Here’s a list of the booths you’ll see this Saturday in Row G at the Market Place:

–Sol Artesano USA – Handcrafted gifts and faux stained glass, all made in OC.

–C&B Craft Corp – Handmade leather bags and belts from Columbia.

–Shahbaz Collection – Modern clothing trends inspired from a cultural mix of Western designs and Eastern silhouettes.

–The Green Ferns – 100 percent organic, locally made skin products.

–Dancynmoon Ranch Designs – Handmade jewelry, pottery, yarn work and more.

–Hairy Deck Pro Hawaii – Surf supplies and beachwear with a bit of Hawaiian flavor.

–TP Food Processing – Asian sauces and soup pastes made with fresh ingredients right here in the U.S.

–Chic Fashion – Women’s apparel that is most definitely chic.

–The Knot Spot – An array of handmade macramé, fiber art and dreamcatchers.

–VDA Life Changing Services – Transform your mind and body with the best personal life coaching support.

Come to the OC Market Place this Saturday and Sunday, November 24 and 25, to Shop Small®, buy big and support your community. The event kicks off at 8 a.m. on Saturday at Row G complete with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. featuring local elected officials and area partners. Everyone is invited, so bring your friends and family for the photo opportunity and get your shopping done early. To RSVP or for more information, visit www.ocmadelaunch.eventbrite.com.

“Shop Small Saturday” tomorrow

Tomorrow, November 24, get a jump on your holiday gift giving by supporting our hometown and shopping at local small businesses during “Shop Small Saturday.”

The money you spend goes back to supporting your friends and your community.

Pacific Chorale joins Pacific Symphony for a moving prelude to Christmas

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Courtesy of Pacific Symphony

A beloved holiday tradition, Handel’s celebrated oratorio – with its blazing trumpets, thundering timpani and spectacular “Hallelujah!” chorus – provides a moment during the busy season to experience reflection, renewal and joy. Awe-inspiring sounds of praise ring out as Pacific Symphony is joined by Pacific Chorale for the triumphant annual holiday celebration, “Handel’s Glorious Messiah,” celebrating the birth of Christ.

 “Messiah,” a holiday tradition across the world, has been performed for more than 275 years, but with each new conductor, orchestra and soloists, it becomes a fresh and newly invigorating experience. This year Christopher Warren-Green mans the podium to lead the Symphony along with the Chorale and a host of globally distinguished soloists, including the soprano Klara Ek, counter-tenor David Trudgen, tenor Nicky Spence and bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch. Full of brilliant choral writing, “Messiah” energizes its audience and leaves them singing, “Hallelujah!”

“Handel’s Glorious Messiah” takes place on Sunday, Dec. 9, at 3 p.m. at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Tickets start at $44. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 714.755.5799, or visit www.PacificSymphony.org.

Chabad Center for Jewish Life invites you to a Menorah workshop

The Chabad Center for Jewish life located in Newport Beach invites the community to a Menorah workshop at The Home Depot on Sunday, Nov. 25 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. at 2300 S. Harbor Blvd, Costa Mesa.

The event is free, but RSVP to https://bit.ly/2D483ae to reserve your Menorah kit.

Children must be accompanied by an adult.

For more information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., call 949.721.9800, or visit www.JewishNewport.com.

Pacific Symphony presents “Nutcracker for Kids”

Come join Pacific Symphony for a special treat this Christmas season – the “Nutcracker for Kids.” Conducted by Music Director of Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra Roger Kaila, this concert will include an assortment of sweet selections from Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker”; ballerinas from Orange County’s acclaimed ballet company, Festival Ballet Theatre; actor James McHale; a grand finale sing-a-long; and a visit from the jolly man himself – Santa Claus. Performances for “The Nutcracker for Kids” will be on Saturday, Dec. 8 at 10 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. at Pacific Symphony’s winter home – Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa. 

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Courtesy of Pacific Symphony

This concert is a part of the 2018-19 “Family Musical Mornings” series that consists of five 45-minute concerts designed for children aged 5 - 11, presented by Farmers and Merchants Bank. At each concert there is a “musical carnival” that encourages children to “test drive” instruments, interact with members of the Pacific Symphony and Pacific Youth Orchestra Ensembles, and participate in themed crafts. Activities start at 9 a.m. for 10 a.m. concertgoers and 12:15 p.m. for 11:30 a.m. concertgoers. The remaining concerts in the series include “The Magic Flute – Opera for Kids” on January 12, 2019, “Lunar New Year for Kids” on February 9, 2019 and “Intergalactic Adventures” on April 13, 2019. Packages for the series range from $48 - $147 with a choice of a time and a second option for seating. Individual tickets for “Nutcracker for Kids” range from $45 - $76. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 714.755.5799, or visit www.PacificSymphony.org.

Actor James McHale has performed with Pacific Symphony on the previous family concert, “King Arthur and the Dragon’s Lair,” and wrote and directed for Pacific Symphony’s Class Act Youth Concert, “Beethoven: Trials to Triumph.” He graduated from Cal State University, Long Beach with a B.A. in Theater Arts Performance and studied at the Michael Chekhov Association and The Actor’s Center, based in New York City. As a resident artist at the Chance Theatre in Anaheim, McHale has appeared in “In a World” and “Middletown,” in which he won Outstanding Performance for a leading role for the 2017 Stage Scene LA Award. He is also known for playing the title role in “Hamlet,” “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,” “Dogfight,” “Samsara,” “Maple and Vine” and “The Laramie Project.” His recent credits include the musical “Once” at the Lamb’s Players Theatre and “Much Ado About Nothing” at The Old Globe in San Diego.

Festival Ballet Theatre is a professional ballet company led by Salwa Rizkalla. Founded in 1988, the company is comprised of professional and international dancers that presents both classical and contemporary works including “The Nutcracker,” “Coppelia,” “Don Quixote,” “Giselle,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Swan Lake,” “Secret Garden,” “Alice In Wonderland,” “Midsummer’s Night Dream” and “The Firebird.” Throughout their seasons, the Festival Ballet Theatre puts on free dance performances among an array of venues such as libraries, school and museums in order to diversify and bring dance to everyone. In 2001, Festival Ballet Theatre won the Outstanding Arts Organization of the Year by Arts Orange County, and in 2014 presented Rizkalla with the Helena Modjeska Cultural Legacy Award.

Newport Beach – A Look Back

Photo series courtesy of Balboa Island Museum & Historical Society

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The interior of a local house, probably taken between 1920 and 1940

Visit Balboa Island Museum and the Museum Store located at 331 Marine Ave., Balboa Island. They are open Tuesdays - Sundays from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. For more information, call 949.675.3952, visit www.balboamuseum.orgor email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Project Independence announces 2019 schedule for confidence-building adventures

Project Independence is a 40-year-old nonprofit organization based in Costa Mesa that helps adults with developmental disabilities find jobs, develop friendships and live independently. It recently announced the 2019 events that will comprise its popular Access2Adventure program.

Submitted photo

Underwriters of the program include the Newport Beach-based Louis & Gladyce Foster Family Foundation and the Costa Mesa Foundation, which underwrote a Catalina Island Conservancy tour.

Next year, the group will visit the Art of Strength Fitness facility in Irvine to learn about fitness and eating nutritiously, experience the freedom of flight at the iFly indoor skydiving center in Ontario, voyage to Catalina Island and back, root for the Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, visit with the LA Chargers and more.

Eighty-seven cents of every dollar raised by Project Independence goes directly to support programs for people with developmental disabilities. 

“We thank our donors for helping to underwrite a program that allows our clients to enjoy experiences that so many of us take for granted,” said Project Independence Director of Development Todd Eckert of Balboa Island. “We encourage others to get involved in the fun.”

To donate, contact Todd Eckert at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call 714.549.3464. For additional information, visit www.proindependence.org.

Sign of the times

On Fridays we give you a partial glimpse of a sign around town. You guess what the overall name of the business is. 

Where are all those Stu readers who can’t get enough sushi? Well, just Ralph Dillon answered correctly, and knew these charming characters can be found at The One Newport Beach restaurant located on the premises of Newport Beach Golf Course at 3100 Irvine Ave., Newport Beach. Congratulations Ralph!

If you’re a business and you want to play, you can send us a high-quality photo of your sign and we’ll take it from there and challenge our readers.

Let’s have some fun!

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Stump the Stu

Lucky ducks?

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Where is this fountain located that these lucky ducks are swimming in?

Take the challenge and submit your answers to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The answer will appear in Friday’s edition, along with the correct guesses. So, join us for this local adventure.

If you have a unique spot or icon around town that you think Stu News Newport readers would enjoy finding out about, please shoot it, share it and give us the location, so we can challenge them! Happy Hunting.

Ambassadors offer warm welcome at JWA

By Cheryl Waters

Are you interested in serving people by making their travel experience a pleasant one? Approximately 60 Volunteer Ambassadors who are local Orange County residents and experts in customer service provide John Wayne Airport guests and travelers alike with a warm welcome by answering questions about directions, airlines, gates, rental car services and more.

Courtesy of John Wayne Airport

(L-R) Volunteer Ambassadors Stu Silbaugh, Dana Hunter and John Emerson

“I find John Wayne Airport a very comfortable place to volunteer,” said Dana Hunter, Volunteer Ambassador. “Volunteering at the airport has helped me to grow in interacting with the public, and I encourage others to try it. Each day is different, and I hope to be a positive moment in a person’s day.”

Another aspect that Hunter appreciates are the friendships with fellow volunteers and regular travelers she’s cultivated. Her service exemplifies the extraordinary guest experience provided at John Wayne Airport. Her commitment and enthusiasm are evident when she reports to her post at 5 a.m. and utilizes her language skills in French, Spanish and some Arabic to communicate and assist guests from throughout the world. Whether you have a question or are looking for a warm welcome, feel free to keep an eye out for Hunter and the entire team of Ambassadors the next time you’re at John Wayne Airport.

The Ambassador Program was established in 1998 to assist and provide friendly service to the now more than 10 million passengers traveling through the airport each year (approximately 28,000 a day). Volunteers serve a four-hour shift twice a month and are easily spotted by their sharp red blazer or vest, khaki pants, white shirt and “May I Help You?” button. A volunteer’s work experience and career provide a foundation of helpfulness and professionalism to their role. Benefits include discounts on airport meals, free parking in a secure employee lot, volunteer recognition, specialized training and participation in airport events.

If you’re interested in applying to join the ranks of this team or know of someone who would make an enthusiastic Volunteer Ambassador, contact Volunteer Program Specialist Joel Aguilar at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call 949.252.5296. To learn more about the program, visit www.ocair.com/communityrelations/volunteer/default.

Santa arrives at Fashion Island

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Courtesy of Fashion Island

Santa is waiting to see the little ones and hear their holiday wishes in his custom-designed house on the Atrium lawn in Fashion Island. It provides a wonderful photo opportunity too!

While you’re there finding the perfect gifts for those on your gift-giving list, stop by the magnificent Christmas tree in the Neiman Marcus/Bloomingdale’s Courtyard.

For visiting hours with Santa continuing through December 24, go to www.shopfashionisland.com.

Fashion Island is located at 401 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach.

Spirit Run thanks you with a race registration discount and “Dash for Cash”

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Courtesy of Spirit Run

Spirit Run is thankful for many things, especially health and fitness and you. Time is running out to save with Spirit Run’s Thanksgiving discount. Save 20 percent on a single adult or youth entry when you register by Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 22. Enter code THANKYOU at checkout when you register for the 36th Annual Spirit Run, taking place on Sunday, March 17, 2019. To register, visit www.nmspiritrun.org/registration/.

The race is also giving thanks for youth fitness with the return of “Dash for Cash,” the perfect way for all schools and high school sports teams to share in Spirit Run’s fun and funds. With “Dash for Cash,” the more supporters who race for a school or high school team, the more the school or team raises. To sign up for “Dash for Cash,” visit www.nmspiritrun.org/partners/.

ENC to hold Artisans Marketplace

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Courtesy of ENC

The Environmental Nature Center (ENC) will be hosting its 5th annual Artisans Marketplace on Sunday, Dec. 2 from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. More than 50 local artisans will display a variety of handmade, eco-friendly, sustainable gifts just in time for the holidays. Featured products include a variety of handmade jewelry, ceramics, candles, soaps, art, clothing and more. Adding to the festivities will be music and food.

“Purchasing from locally owned businesses has a positive impact on the economy and supports local communities,” said ENC Assistant Director Lori Whalen. “The Artisans Marketplace gives guests the opportunity to shop for unique gifts while spending time in nature instead of at a shopping mall.”

Artisans Marketplace vendors are handpicked by ENC staff for their eco-friendly products. Non-native plants, seashells, coral and animal parts are not allowed. Shoppers will find minimal plastic, and are encouraged to bring re-usable shopping bags to carry their purchases.

A $2 entry fee goes directly to the ENC’s environmental education programs.

For more information, visit encenter.org/visit-us/artisan-marketplace.

Environmental Nature Center is located at 1601 E. 16th Street, Newport Beach.

Exchange Club holds movie screening for charity

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Courtesy of Newport Beach Film Festival

The Exchange Club of Newport Harbor will present its 27th Annual Movie Event, featuring a screening of the movie All Square at the Regency Lido Theatre on Wednesday, Dec. 12. This movie is being made available by the Newport Beach Film Festival, and for the first time in the 27 years the Exchange Club has been hosting this event, there will be a question and answer session with the producer of the film immediately following the showing.

A pre-movie gala includes a variety of the area’s popular restaurants presenting samples of their favorite dishes. Beer and wine will be available. Opportunity drawing tickets will be sold for a chance to win a variety of gift baskets.

All profits from ticket sales and donations will go to benefit the Orange County Child Abuse Prevention Center and related youth charities. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with food and beverages served in the courtyard of Lido Village. The movie begins at 7 p.m. Tickets for the event, including both the food festival and movie showing, are $70; VIP tickets are available for $90.

To purchase tickets, visit www.nhexchange.net. For more information, call the Exchange Club of Newport Harbor at 949.543.7628.

Regency Lido Theatre is located at 3459 Via Lido, Newport Beach.

Human Options receives $25,000 grant

Human Options, an Orange County-based nonprofit dedicated to breaking the cycle of domestic violence, received a $25,000 grant from the Newport Mesa Chapter of the National Charity League. The grant will help repair, maintain and refurbish the emergency shelter and transitional housing for individuals or families in a domestic violence situation seeking shelter.

At the Human Options emergency shelter, women and their children receive safe shelter and are able to receive individual and family counseling with a skilled therapist, participate in life skills and parenting classes, and work with professional staff who assist with moving families to self-sufficiency and permanent housing. Legal advocacy services are also available. Children of all ages participate in the children’s program where they receive age appropriate counseling and therapeutic activities.

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Submitted photo

Women and their children who have completed a domestic violence shelter program can apply for Second Step, Human Options’ transitional housing program. Here, women regain their independence by participating in educational and job skill building activities as well as continuing counseling and case management sessions. Children have the opportunity to participate in the children’s programs and have access to after-school tutoring.

In 2014, 82 percent of women completing their transitional housing program increased their income and 90 percent secured permanent housing.

Human Options reached more than 20,000 community members through education and prevention last year, provided more than 480 individuals and families with a safe home through the emergency shelter and transitional housing program, served 1,400 individuals through community-based programs, and responded to more than 6,500 callers providing immediate crisis support, information and referrals through the 24-hour hotline. 

For more information about Human Options, please visit www.humanoptions.org.