Parties Orange County

The Third Millennium swept across America on a wave of public celebration but sputtered in rain-soaked Southern California, where outdoor celebrations were so poorly attended early in the evening that Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan quipped that his citizens were "a bunch of sissies."

At a recent Fullerton City Council meeting, discussion was opened for something that often is considered routine: nominations for the largely ceremonial post of mayor. Council members Chris Norby and Linda LeQuire simultaneously called out the names of their respective nominees: Molly McClanahan and Richard C. Ackerman. The council voted 3 to 2 for Ackerman, bypassing McClanahan in her second consecutive run for mayor and prompting boos from her supporters in the packed council chambers.