Tuesday, October 1, 2002 Woman ejected at QM   By Joe Segura, Staff writer Access: Diane Rush was blocked from event by a ship executive. LONG BEACH - Queen Mary officials blocked a woman from attending its foundation's fund-raiser to help preserve the tourist landmark, and threatened to have her arrested although she had a $150 ticket. Diane Rush, who made public in 1997 operator Joe Prevratil's plan to tow the Queen Mary to Japan, was blocked Saturday night from the entrance elevator by the ship's vice president and chief of staff, Travis Montgomery. The event was open to the public and staged at a public location, she and her companions community activists Colette Marie McLaughlin and Diana Mann contend. Montgomery said the fund- raiser was a private event on private property. However, he declined to say why Rush was denied access to the event. "We've had incidents with her in the past,' he said, without elaborating. "I'm not going into details.' The Queen Mary is leased from the city, but it wasn't clear whether its managers can ban people they don't like, Deputy City Attorney Jim McCabe said Monday. Montgomery said other events wedding receptions and high school reunions, etc. are not open to the public. "This was our event,' he added. "And she would not be welcomed.' Rush is allowed on the ship, and had been there on other occasions, including the night before for a gathering with friends, he said. McLaughlin's husband purchased the tickets for her birthday, and she invited Rush and Mann, president of the environmental coalition group Eco- Link. The residents of Long Beach own the Queen Mary, and Prevratil is a renter, said McLaughlin, a civic watchdog who has long been critical of the way Long Beach deals with environmental issues. "He should not be able to exclude ... Long Beach owners.' Prevratil could not be reached for comment Monday. He is president and CEO of RMS Foundation Inc., a nonprofit organization that leases the city- owned Queen Mary Seaport complex. In 1997, Prevratil had proposed the Queen Mary be towed to Japan, where it would become a hotel-casino for three to five years. The City Council didn't approve the move, which he said would raise $40 million for a restoration program.