CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles Times
By Mike Anton, Times Staff Writer
In 2005, voters may approve plans for Orange County's tallest building to rise in the center of Santa Ana — or they may not. The sheriff's political career will continue to shine, or be muddied by the stain of controversy. A long-envisioned light-rail line may chug ahead, or be derailed. And Anaheim will either find itself in the running for an NFL team, or be thrown for a loss. ...
After three years of revelations and a record $100-million settlement, the sex scandal roiling the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange won't fade away.
As part of the agreement reached Dec. 2 with 87 plaintiffs, Bishop of Orange Tod D. Brown vowed not to fight the release of files that show how the church handled those allegations through the years. Attorneys who crafted the settlement say they expect the case files to be released this year.
Those who have seen the files say they show that Orange County church leaders quietly moved molesting priests to new parishes and other dioceses, ignored or downplayed testimony by victims and their parents and rarely reported the crimes to police.