L.A. Times - Orange County News

White supremacist gets death penalty for murder of fellow gang member

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Billy Joe Johnson, 46, was convicted last month of assisting two other men in the March 2002 murder of Scott Miller, a founding member of the gang who had divulged gang secrets on a TV broadcast.

A white supremacist gang member in Orange County was sentenced to death Monday for his involvement in the murder of a fellow gang member who had divulged gang secrets on television, authorities said.

Donald E. Smallwood dies at 81; retired Orange County Superior Court presiding judge

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Smallwood oversaw the courts in 1992 and '93. He was honored for his initiatives to help battered women. He also served on the Newport-Mesa school board in the 1970s.

Donald E. Smallwood, a retired Orange County Superior Court presiding judge, died Nov. 12 at City of Hope in Duarte from complications after cancer surgery, said his son, Mark. He was 81.

Low turnout in Orange County Assembly race rekindles debate on mail-only voting

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Just 4% of registered voters in the 72nd District went to precincts to fill Mike Duvall's old seat. Another 14% sent in ballots.

Dismal turnout at the polls in Tuesday's special election to fill Mike Duvall's former Assembly seat is adding to the debate over wider use of mail-only elections.

Laguna Beach: Purple Queen beans, Pink Lady apples, satsuma mandarins

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

At hand are late apples (worth the wait) and early mandarins (getting sweeter by the week). And check out these colorful beans.

The Laguna Beach farmers market, held in a city parking lot below a huge bluff, has remained a stable, successful venue for the past decade. It features about 20 produce vendors, including three Orange County vegetable growers, Smith Farms and two branches of the Berumen family.

Chris Norby is first but faces runoff in 72nd Assembly District

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:18:00 -0800

The Orange County supervisor jumped to an early lead but fell short of the majority vote needed to win Mike Duvall's old seat.

After a whirlwind, blistering race to replace a disgraced former state legislator, Orange County Supervisor Chris Norby came in first among five candidates Tuesday but fell short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff.

Wildfire east of San Juan Capistrano nearly contained

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Crews are aided by cooler temperatures and higher humidity. Full containment of the blaze, which has burned about 145 acres of heavy brush, is expected today, officials say.

Fire crews nearly encircled a wildfire burning east of San Juan Capistrano on Tuesday afternoon as temperatures began to cool slightly throughout Southern California.

Counties diverge on plan to widen the 405 Freeway

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Officials in L.A. County prefer to have focus transit dollars on rail projects. In Orange County, freeway and surface street improvements get top priority.

Orange County's plan to widen a traffic-clogged stretch of the 405 Freeway is facing unexpected opposition from some residents along the route and has generated new debate over the divergent transportation priorities of L.A. and Orange counties.

Bank of America seeks to foreclose on Maguire property in Irvine

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The 16-story tower is among the first of what may be a wave of defaults, write-downs and workouts as the office market bottoms.

Maguire Properties Inc., one of the region's largest commercial landlords, has been hit with a legal complaint by Bank of America Corp. seeking to foreclose on one of Maguire's prime Irvine office buildings.

Two GOP rivals vie for dominance in race to replace Mike Duvall

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Linda Ackerman and Chris Norby appear to be front-runners among five candidates in Tuesday's 72nd Assembly District election. A majority vote for either would avoid a runoff, but that's unlikely.

He likes to trace his political activism to his days as a high school volunteer for conservative icon Barry Goldwater's 1964 presidential campaign. She talks proudly of being a Goldwater Girl.

A rude awakening for youths out too late

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

O.C. authorities round up teenagers and call their parents to stress curfew enforcement.

The black-and-white patrol cars headed out at 10 p.m. carrying hundreds of officers from nearly every law enforcement agency in Orange County.