K.C. ALFRED / Union-Tribune Julian Gonzales Jr., 4, of Jamul couldn't go in the water at Imperial Beach yesterday because signs warned of high bacteria levels.

San Diego County's beaches were mostly pollution-free in the 12 months ending March 31, except for several located at the mouths of creeks, rivers or lagoons. The region's improved beach water quality was largely the result of dramatically lower rainfall versus a year ago, according to the statewide Beach Report Card published yesterday by the Santa Monica-based environmental group Heal the Bay.

Joe Camel could become unwelcome at even more places around the county. San Diego is set to consider banning smoking at its beaches and parks, and La Mesa is considering a similar step. A San Diego City Council committee voted yesterday to forward the proposal to the full council.

Mayor Jerry Sanders said yesterday he will remain neutral on the November ballot measure for a new airport site and will not lobby for a joint-use operation at any military base before the Pentagon is comfortable with the idea. Sanders said that while Lindbergh Field is unsuitable for San Diego's long-term air travel and cargo needs, the right time to pursue a civilian airport at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station or any other base is “when the military brings it up.”

A judge approved a proposal yesterday to place a sexually violent predator scheduled to be released from a state mental hospital in a trailer outside the gates of an Otay Mesa prison by July 7. When Douglas Badger leaves Atascadero State Hospital, he will move to the site at 480 Alta Road, which officials say is far enough from homes and schools, but still allows him access to treatment providers.

The military announced yesterday that it will launch a criminal investigation into the latest potential war crime by U.S. troops in Iraq. And for the second time in six months, the focus of the probe is a Camp Pendleton unit.

America's finest city gets a '10,' for now Word has it that Bo Derek has taken up residence in San Diego. It's a temporary address change, to be sure. But the actress who became a household name in the 1979 movie “10,” followed by several less-well-received films, soon will be hitting San Diego streets.