Red County/OC Blog News Roundup -- November 13, 2007

Today's top stories from behind the Orange Curtain:

Chriss Street Traveled Well On Bankrupt Trust -- OCR
Before he became OC treasurer, Chriss Street billed, and in some cases, double-billed a bankrupt trust for tens of thousands in expenses and travel

Martin Not Among Anaheim School Candidates -- OCR
Four candidates qualify for Anaheim Union election; controversial former board member decides against running.

Immigration Arrests Net Wide Array Of Suspects -- OCR
Suspected illegal immigrants have been detained in droves during past year, mostly after being picked up for misdemeanors or infractions.

Editorial: Carpool Conversion At A Crawl -- OCR
Switch to 'continuous access' still a ways off.

Santiago Fire Smolders In Forest -- OCR
No flames, but hot spots remain, officials say.

Less Development Recommended For Wetlands Area -- OCR
Coastal Commission staff is recommending the 170-home Parkside Estates proposal in Huntington Beach be slashed in half to protect what they said are wetlands and environmentally sensitive areas.

School Enrollment In Santa Ana Keeps Dropping -- OCR
County's largest district loses 7,300 students in 5 years, 1,146 students in a single year.

Minuteman, Border Activist To Debate On Campus -- OCR
Students and professors at California State University, Long Beach will protest Jim Gilchrist's views on immigration.

Orange Grove: Balloon Only Orange Left In Irvine -- OCR
City's original low-density concept buried under more and more development

Climate-Change Experiment Is A Likely Fire Survivor -- OCR
Plots set up in the hills were burned in the Santiago fire, but a scientist running the long-term experiment says they can be rebuilt.

Media Bus Teaches Government -- DP
C-SPAN’s Campaign 2008 Bus is on a mission to educate citizens across the country about nuts and bolts of news production.

Comments

[Anaheim H.O.M.E.]

If Republican Denis Fitzgerald is elected to the AUHSD school board, the 5,000 pro-immigration who signed the petition to remove Harald Martin will wish that they had never signed the petition.

[Hanna]

Home Builders Opt for Mothballing
- WSJ

http://online.wsj.com/article_print/SB119492391355890969.html

As the glut of unsold home remains stubbornly high and housing demand slides, home builders face a dilemma: to sell, or not to sell?

Lennar Corp., for one, has joined the "not to sell" camp at its development in Orange County, Calif. The Miami company plans to finish building 259 homes -- the first phase of a 1,100-unit development in Irvine -- but it has decided not to sell any of them until the constrained mortgage market and swollen housing inventory improves.

Mr. Haddad says Lennar will monitor the Orange County market on a monthly basis, but "this might be put on hold for the whole year of 2008." Lennar also is halting development of a large community planned near Angel Stadium of Anaheim, despite preparing the land to support the project.