Corona del Mar Today: Hobie removes ‘Hurley’ from mural
The brightly painted mural on a wall next to the Corona del Mar Hobie Surf Shop no longer includes a Hurley logo, following a warning from a city code enforcement officer.
Following up on a complaint about the sign, a code enforcement told shop employees Tuesday that the logo made the mural an advertisement and violated a section of municipal code that states that signs “shall not advertise a business, accommodation, service or activity not provided on the premises on which the sign is located. The off-site/on-site distinction shall only apply to commercial messages.”
The logo was painted over the next day, said Sarah Dineen, an assistant manager.
FOR THE RECORD:
An earlier version implied the mural was completely removed. Only the word “Hurley” was taken down.
“I thought it was kind of silly, but it is what it is,” she said. “I think it was a pointless thing to complain about.”
The Hobie Surf Shop opened in July 2010, replacing the Becker Surf shop that closed in January that year.
Before Hobie had opened for business, painters turned the wall into a mural that changes about every four months, using graphics and colors that represent the latest design in Hurley’s board shorts. Visitors sometimes pose in front of the wall for photographs, and Dineen said it has become “a great landmark in Corona del Mar.”
After the city received a complaint, a code enforcement officer issued a warning that said the shop could be fined $100 per day if the Hurley logo wasn’t removed by March 27.
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Le Petit Bateau opens in CdM
Corona del Mar’s newest eatery opened last week in the former Pizza Royale space, offering breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as European pastries and gourmet chocolates.
Le Petit Bateau opened Monday at 3330 E. Coast Hwy., and already fans were raving about the fare.
“They brought me samples, and they were all excellent,” said Gunars Bundza, a Bank of America parking lot attendant. “They are priced reasonably, and they have everything — sandwiches, breakfast, soup even.”
Owner Kamran Khadivi of Dana Point said he spent two years traveling in Europe and researching the kind of restaurant he wanted to open with his son, general manager Kam Khadivi, who lives in Corona del Mar.
“I traveled internationally as a businessman, and I knew I liked the food of the southwestern part of France and Corsica,” he said. “I wanted to bring that to America.”
Khadivi Sr. said that Corona del Mar needed a European-style bistro and bakery.
“The clientele are very sophisticated and cosmopolitan,” he said.
Kam Khadivi said the restaurant was “a French bistro cafe and patisserie.” Lionel Uddipa is chef, and Louise Chien supplies pastries.
Breakfast options range from $5.95 for a croissant egg sandwich to $10.95 for an assortment of meat, cheese, breads, jams and honey. Lunches include soups, salads and sandwiches, and pastas, pizzas and flatbread dishes also are on the menu. Le Petit Bateau is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Pizza Royale closed Dec. 31 after 24 years in business.
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Grand Theft Reported at Bellissima Shop
Someone stole a $2,499 purse from the Bellissima consignment shop, police said.
The grand theft was the second incident in past four weeks at the shop at 2850 E. Coast Hwy.
The theft occurred between 12:24 and 12:26 p.m. Thursday, when a suspect entered the shop and used a cutting tool to remove the security tag from a purse, said Kathy Lowe, a Newport Beach Police Department spokeswoman. The suspect then fled the store with the Louis Vuitton purse, she said.
Someone broke a glass door at the shop and stole $11,300 worth of jewelry and purse in mid-February.
In other police news, officers arrested a 37-year-old Santa Ana man at 1:05 p.m. March 18 at East Coast Highway and Newport Coast Drive on suspicion of manufacturing a leaded cane; bail was $20,000.
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Tidepool lecture scheduled for April 4
An assistant professor from Cal State Fullerton will present a lecture called “Investigations on Orange County Rocky Shores” from 7 to 9 p.m. April 4 at the Back Bay Science Center.
Jennifer Burnaford will discuss her research along Orange County’s rocky beaches, according to an event invitation.
“Orange County is home to a number of diverse ecosystems, one of which is the rocky intertidal region,” the invitation states. “Rocky beaches are an excellent location for various scientific studies, and thus significant research is done there.”
Burnaford will discuss several projects she is conducting as well as long-term monitoring of intertidal biodiversity, studies on the ecology and distribution of non-native species and studies on the effects of stressful low tide conditions on marine seaweeds and animals, the invitation states.
Burnaford also has researched intertidal regions of Oregon, Washington, Mexico and New Zealand. She also is involved in long-term projects on Orange County shores through MARINe (Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network) and the South Coast Marine Protected Areas Baseline Program, the invitation states.
The Back Bay Science Center is at 600 Shellmaker Road. The gates will open at 6:30 p.m.
Reservations are recommended; email tidepools@newportbeachca.gov.
Twitter: @coronadelmartdy