Update : Follow-up on the news : AIDS Donation Offer Spurs City Gift Policy
After a donation offered to the city in honor of AIDS victims stirred up controversy, the City Council has drawn up a policy on accepting gifts.
The council must now approve financial contributions, and the Parks Commission must sign off on donations of services, equipment or plants.
Memorial plaques will be restricted to those that recognize the service of an individual from Costa Mesa to the community or to the nation. Plaques can be no larger than four inches by eight inches and may be placed only in areas designated for them.
Donations became an issue last fall when a resident offered to plant a grove of trees in Canyon Park and place a plaque there in memory of people who have died of AIDS.
Many residents protested, saying they feared that the park would resemble a graveyard.
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