NEWPORT BEACH : Ceremony Raises a Grand New Flag

Those who organized the raising of a commemorative flag to mark the bicentennial of the Bill of Rights in this cozy, conservative community couldn’t have asked for a brighter, sunnier day to dedicate their tribute to American freedoms.

The picture-perfect afternoon at Peninsula Park, near the foot of Balboa Pier in Newport Beach, provided the backdrop Friday as state representatives, city officials and dozens of supporters and donors dedicated the monument and praised the national freedoms it represents.

Chapman University President James Doti delivered one of the most touching speeches, recalling a letter his father wrote to relatives in his homeland of Italy shortly after coming to America decades ago.

“Life is not easy here,” Doti read from the young immigrant’s letter. “I have a job and go to school . . . but this is the first time in my life I don’t feel the system holding me back.

“A job in Italy is a way to put food on the table. A job in America is a way to get a better job. While this freedom puts additional responsibility on us . . . it’s better than placing false hopes on others. . . . What makes America great is not our right to vote,” the letter concluded, “but our rights that protect us from those for whom we vote.”

That line drew laughs and applause from the honored guests, among them Newport Beach Mayor Phil Sansone and other City Council members; and state Sen. Marian Bergeson and Assemblyman Gil Ferguson, both Republicans representing Newport Beach. About 75 people were on hand for the dedication.

The shiny, white, 80-foot flagpole topped with an even shinier mock-gold ball holds a huge American flag that can been seen from the boats in Newport Harbor and the expensive homes on Balboa Island.

The base of the monument is surrounded by black stone plaques, each inscribed with one of the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

The city’s bicentennial committee raised just over $15,000 for the project, and the city chipped in another $15,000 to help pay for it.