Happy Ash Wednesday! With the things I said under my breath at the council meeting last night, I am glad all my sins are now forgiven.  Here’s a reminder about how to NOT resolve a dispute: Tuesday night, the council chambers were filled with opposition for the Museum House, a 100-unit condo proposal which violated our city charter.  The previous …

Last week, we reported the fact that Brad Avery had voted on the jet packs even though he was being paid to run a business on the harbor which he admits he competes with space.  After a conversation with Avery about reversing his vote (which he declined to do), I felt I had no options left other than to report …

After a barrage of emails coming through yesterday and fundraisers topping more than $30,000, the OCC Board which suspended student Caleb O’Neil has had a change of heart. “The board believes this is in the interest of fairness and equity for all”, says a statement released Thursday. “It is time to move forward with increased empathy and understanding of the differences …

Without a doubt, you’ve heard of the case of the OCC college professor who called Donald Trump a bunch of mean names and said that the election was an act of terrorism. For the sake of argument, LET’S PRETEND SHE WAS 100% CORRECT. So a kid, Caleb O’Neil, video-taped his professor saying these things– again, for the sake of argument– which were …

Like her attempts to shut down other small businesses in the past (like her “Lights Out at 11pm” proposal for bars or when she regulated the jet packs out of business), last Monday, Councilwoman Diane Dixon held a meeting at Marina Park to discuss the designs for a new government-run business that she envisions which will take taxpayer dollars and use them …

At 3:35 pm Friday, Newport Beach lost an icon.  The largest of the last two remaining “Wedge Trees” succumbed to the heaviest rains Newport has seen in 20 years, with 60mph gusts.  I am unable to find much history about these icons, as it seems they were just “always there”, but they were always reliable: Wishing the Wedge visitors their …

Following Dixon’s proposal to ban jetpacks in the harbor after Team Newport enacted measures to tax them out of business, Brad Avery joined in the pile-on by voting to ban the fledgling type of business from operating in the harbor.  Now whether or not you like jetpacks is immaterial here, because this vote not only didn’t need to happen– but the way it happened …

Holy cow what a headline!  Let’s itemize all this stuff! 1) DUI CHECKPOINTS ON FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY, MONDAY: The Newport Beach Police Department Traffic Unit will be conducting roving DUI/Drivers License Checkpoints Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday at undisclosed locations in Newport between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m.  DUI Checkpoints are claimed to reduce drunk driving mostly by deterrent, …

Last night, the Newport Beach City Council banned jetpacks in the harbor, with only Mayor Kevin Muldoon supporting the free market and voting against the idea.  Who brought this incredibly anti-free-market item to the table?  District 1 Councilperson Diane Dixon, who has repeatedly attacked small businesses in the area with the force of government, and was the ringleader in setting up …

Happy Valentines Day!  Today is a time to celebrate with that special someone– or, in our case, some city.  While some people say that there should be no one-day that is commemorative of love and that you should show it throughout the year instead, we respectfully disagree– sort of.  You should always show love for the people you cherish, and …