Warning about bird flu

As health officials around the world watch for human transmission of bird flu, Costa Mesa Rep. Dana Rohrabacher has planned briefings on pandemic influenza today and Friday in his district.

He invited elected officials and public safety and business leaders to the events, which are scheduled today in Long Beach and Friday in Huntington Beach.

Rohrabacher is not alone in sounding the alarm. According to a federal website, in the past week four states have held summits to prepare for a flu pandemic, and the World Health Organization on Tuesday updated its suggested protocol for handling an outbreak of the virus commonly called avian flu.

“The threat itself is very real,” said Fadi Essmaeel, who handles homeland security issues for Rohrabacher’s office.

Pandemics of other illnesses are already occurring in other parts of the world, he said, so Rohrabacher wanted to make local officials aware of the available resources and help them sort out fact from fiction.

Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor and Councilwoman Katrina Foley will be among about 100 attendees expected at the Huntington Beach event. Local police and fire officials, public health officers, and representatives of businesses such as Disney and Boeing will also take part in the discussion, Essmaeel said.

For online information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, check out www.pandemicflu.gov.

FETCHING FUNDS FOR SWANN

Political and athletic boosters will unite next week in Newport Beach when the Lincoln Club of Orange County and local USC alumni hold a fundraiser for Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate and former pro football player Lynn Swann.

Republicans are hoping that with their help, Swann ? a USC alumnus who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers ? can defeat incumbent Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell. The event is unusual for the Lincoln Club because it’s open to nonmembers ? if they’re willing to donate to Swann’s campaign, of course.

But in the last couple of years, the GOP club has been involved in far-flung races, supporting the election of Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman and South Dakota Sen. John Thune, Orange County Lincoln Club spokesman Chip Hanlon said.

“Historically, we’re different from other groups in that we will play in national races,” Hanlon said. “Our thing as a club is that we try to weigh in on races where we can make a difference.”

The luncheon for Swann will be held June 8 at the Newport Beach Radisson. For information visit www.lincolnclub.org.

DEVORE BILL MOVES ON

Friday is the deadline to move certain bills in the state Legislature, which is why Assembly members handled more than 100 bills Tuesday and had more than 230 bills on Wednesday’s agenda. One of the many bills the Assembly passed Tuesday was Newport Beach Assemblyman Chuck DeVore’s bill to create special license plates for active members of the National Guard, said Jaime Huff, DeVore’s Capitol director.

That’s the last bill he needed to move to the Senate, where seven bills he sponsored are now pending, Huff said. Legislators have until Aug. 31, when the two-year session ends, to get bills through both houses.dpt.01-pol-landscape-CPhotoInfo2C1RH9T920060601iwx014knDAILY PILOT(LA)Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, shown here on the Huntington Beach Pier in 2004, has invited local officials to talks about avian flu today and Friday in his district.