WEEK IN REVIEW

Business

Port Theater gets new lease on life

The Port Theater in Corona del Mar, which appeared headed for the wrecking ball earlier this year, now has a chance at survival — at least on the exterior. Pand Realty, the Newport Beach firm that bought the property in the spring, is in talks with the city about converting the old theater into an office building.

That will mean the Port, which closed its doors in 1998, will still serve as a visual landmark on Pacific Coast Highway. The owners have yet to submit a formal proposal to the city, but the discussions have involved converting the bottom floor into a garage and the rest into offices and a reception area.

To City Manager Homer Bludau, the possibility of preserving the old marquee is heartening.

“It is a very prominent architectural feature of Corona del Mar,” he said. “There are many memories associated of families going to the theater, of kids going to the theater. It tugs on the heartstrings for a lot of people.”

 -- South Coast Plaza got a glimpse of new high-definition technology Friday, as Disney’s Magical Blu-ray Tour stopped outside Macy’s to show movies and video games with state-of-the-art picture and sound quality.

The tour, sponsored by Panasonic, came as Blu-ray was locked in a tight battle with competitor HD DVD to dominate the home entertainment market. Both companies offer high-resolution images and theater-quality sound that vastly exceed that of standard DVDs — and both have powerful allies on their side, as DreamWorks, Paramount and Universal have opted to distribute products solely on HD while Disney and others have flocked to Blu-ray.

Whichever side ends up winning, customers at South Coast Plaza got treated to an eye-popping display, as Blu-ray set up stations inside the mall and invited customers to try out the video games.

“What I like about high-definition in a movie is you really feel like you’re there,” said Jackie Foster, a teacher’s aide from Huntington Beach. “You feel like you’re there in the middle of it.”

 COSTA MESA

Council decides to wait on park

The City Council on Tuesday opted to put off a decision on building the city’s second skate park at Lions Park, after hearing from residents who worry about losing the green space. Instead of hiring a design firm to draw up preliminary plans for the park, council members voted to wait 45 days.

When the issue comes back they’ll consider a skate park that’s 10,000 square feet or less at Lions Park, and they’ll also begin discussing a larger, multi-use skate park at Fairview Park. Lions Club members, who use the Lions Park picnic shelter for their popular annual fish fry, asked the council not to displace them by building the skate park where the shelter stands.

Pearl Harbor veteran and former Mayor Jack Hammett was honored by the city Tuesday for his many years of service to Costa Mesa. Hammett received the first-ever lifetime service award for his many contributions, and he also was given a certificate of recognition from Costa Mesa Assemblyman Van Tran’s office, a city street sign bearing his name, and a standing ovation from residents and council.

Former mayor honored for his service to the city

After serving 22 years on active duty in the Navy, Hammett helped form the Bristol Park Medical Group, served as a reserve police officer for Costa Mesa, and held seats on the Planning Commission and council for a total of 15 years. But as he told the council Tuesday, he couldn’t have done it alone. “The reason I’ve had the success I’ve had is because I’ve had a lot of time to do it,” he said. “The person that made it possible for me was my wife.”

 Newport Beach

Ficker, group turn in petition

A measure to build city hall next to the central library could be headed to the ballot, after proponents turned in more than 15,000 signatures to the city clerk Friday. The group far exceeded the 8,997 signatures they needed from registered Newport voters.

Now the Orange County Registrar of Voters has until Oct. 9 to check the signatures for validity. If the measure qualifies for the February 2008 ballot supporters can expect a fight from Parks Are Priceless, a group formed to promote a park planned for the site next to the library and oppose a city hall there.

 POLITICS

O.C. treasurer may be removed

Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach has called for county treasurer Chriss Street to step down and has threatened to take the county investment portfolio out of Street’s management. It’s the latest in a string of problems for Street, who has been dogged by allegations that he mismanaged a bankruptcy trust and is now under investigation by the Orange County District Attorney and U.S. Attorneys.

Street did not comment on the investigations or the threat from Moorlach, who appointed Street assistant treasurer in 2006 and helped him get elected. Nick Berardino, general manager of the Orange County Employees Assn., also said Street’s investment powers should be taken away in light of the questions surrounding his conduct.

 EDUCATION

Exit exam rates high, gap persists

Newport-Mesa Unified School District students passed the California High School Exit Exam at a higher rate than the county and state average, according to figures released by the Department of Education Thursday.

“We’re very pleased with the results,” said Peggy Anatol, Newport-Mesa’s assessment director.