Around Town: Moorlach to discuss California’s finances
State Sen. John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa) will speak about state pensions, California public employees and politics in Sacramento during a Speak Up Newport discussion Thursday.
Moorlach has been an Orange County treasurer and supervisor and now represents California’s 37th State Senate District, which includes Newport Beach, Costa Mesa and Irvine.
A question-and-answer session will follow his presentation.
The event will begin at 6 p.m. at the Oasis Senior Center, 801 Narcissus Ave., Corona del Mar.
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Newport libraries host celebration activities
The Donna and John Crean Mariners Branch Library is commemorating its 10th anniversary and National Library Week.
National Library Week, sponsored by the American Library Association, encourages communities nationwide to promote library use. Newport Beach Public Library’s four branches — Mariners, Balboa, Central and Corona del Mar — are participating in the celebration.
At 3:30 p.m. Thursday at the Balboa branch, comic book artist Javier Hernandez will demonstrate how to create comic book characters.
At 2 p.m. Saturday, the Mariners branch will celebrate its anniversary with a magic show, cake and refreshments.
Already this week, children’s book author Stuart Gibbs visited the Central branch and Newport Beach Mayor Diane Dixon stopped by story time at the Balboa branch.
For more information, visit newportbeachlibrary.org.
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IVC to display Clothesline Project for victims of sex assault, violence
Irvine Valley College will display a Clothesline Project by nonprofit Community Service Programs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday.
The project, in its 15th year, features messages and pictures drawn on multicolored T-shirts that signify crimes such as sexual harassment and domestic violence. The shirts will hang on a clothesline at the IVC campus.
Community Service Programs will have a table where crime victims can make a shirt and learn about the nonprofit’s services.
Irvine Valley College is at 5500 Irvine Center Drive.
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Newport Harbor High to perform ‘The Addams Family’
Newport Harbor High School’s musical production of “The Addams Family” will run at 7 p.m. Saturday and April 22 and 23. Matinees will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday and April 23.
Performances will be at the school’s Robert B. Wentz Theater at 600 Irvine Ave., Newport Beach.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students.
For tickets or more information, visit nhhsdrama.com.
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Costa Mesa Historical Society to host author
The Costa Mesa Historical Society will present an event Sunday with author Steve Snyder, who will discuss the book he wrote about his father, a B-17 pilot who received training in Costa Mesa.
Snyder’s book, “Shot Down: The True Story of Pilot Howard Snyder and the Crew of the B-17 Susan Ruth,” details what happened when his father’s plane was shot down during a bombing mission in 1944.
Doors will open at 2 p.m. and the program will begin at 2:30 p.m. at 1870 Anaheim Ave., Costa Mesa. Admission is free.
Seating is limited. For reservations, call (949) 631-5918.
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Children of Newport church to perform original musical
Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church’s children’s choir will perform an original musical called “Detention!” at 7 p.m. April 22 at the church in Newport Beach.
The show was written by Our Lady Queen of Angels choir member Barbara Brennan and parish ensemble music director Michael Upward.
The musical is about students from different social groups who end up in detention together.
Our Lady Queen of Angels is at 2046 Mar Vista Drive.
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UCI receives funding for climate research
UC Irvine is among 12 universities receiving a portion of $8.5 million in research funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The funding is intended for the universities to help protect air quality amid current and future effects of climate change, according to a news release.
UCI was given $701,304 to research the effects of ammonia and rising global temperatures on secondary organic aerosol formation.
“This grant offers an exciting opportunity to learn about air pollution in the future from both state-of-the-art experiments and from computer modeling techniques,” Donald Dabdub, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at UCI, said in a statement.
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Costa Mesa Sanitary District wins financial reporting award
A nationwide organization has again recognized the Costa Mesa Sanitary District for its financial reporting.
The Government Finance Officers Association, which represents more than 18,000 public finance officials in the United States and Canada, awarded the district a certificate of excellence in financial reporting for the 2013-14 fiscal year.
This is the fourth consecutive year the sanitary district has received the award, according to a news release.
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Nature center to host fair and butterfly display
The Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach will hold its 11th annual Spring Faire and Butterfly House Opening from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 15.
The event will include face painting, crafts, sing-alongs, games and food, beverages and native plants for sale.
The butterfly house will have Orange County native butterflies on display so guests can see them interact with nectar plants.
The Environmental Nature Center is at 1601 16th St. For more information, call (949) 645-8489 or visit encenter.org.
—From staff reports