BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS

The Costa Mesa Sanitary District board is scheduled to consider

committing to a program to standardize trash cans throughout the city at

a meeting at noon today.

The board won’t make its final decision on the program at the special

meeting, but board member Dan Worthington said it will be making a

preliminary decision about whether to begin spending money on the plan.

The program, if it is eventually passed, will give residents their

choice of standard 35-gallon, 60-gallon or 90-gallon cans free of charge.

Residents also will have the option of getting additional cans.

Sanitary district board members say the change -- which would allow

Costa Mesa Disposable to pick up the cans using a semiautomatic trash

truck arm, keeping its now-skyrocketing insurance rates down and, in

turn, holding the city’s rates flat -- will beautify the city, protect

workers and help to keep rates stable.

Some residents have opposed the plan, saying Costa Mesa Disposal will

get the benefits and they will be inconvenienced because they will have

to store the city’s containers and the hauler will eventually stop

picking up trash that doesn’t fit in the containers.

The meeting will be at Costa Mesa City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.

Information: (714) 962-2411.