New Year’s car crash wrecks 2 Newport offices

A Newport Beach wedding photography studio and an Orange County Water District official’s private office were severely damaged New Year’s Day when a man suspected of drunk driving slammed his car into the building shared by the two businesses.

Oscar Hugo Vargas, 31, lost control of his Honda Civic before it crashed into the Mariner’s Mile office building in the 2700 block of West Coast Highway just after 5:30 a.m., Newport Beach police said.

Vargas, of Huntington Beach, was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, said Sgt. Brian Haas. The driver had passengers in the car, but no injuries were reported.

The building is used by Jennifer Brennan Photography, Larson’s Shipyard and Dewane Investment Strategies, a private investment management firm run by Orange County Water District board member Shawn Dewane.

Larson’s Shipyard was unaffected by the crash.

The full extent of the damage to the other businesses was unclear Friday, though Dewane said his office is unusable at this point. The car essentially destroyed the street-facing front of the office, which has been there for 11 years.

“Thankfully, nobody was hurt,” Dewane said.

Dewane, who also is president of the Mesa Water District, said his business is continuing elsewhere.

“It’s just business as usual for us, just out of a temporary location,” he said.