Greetings from Huntington Beach

Beach Safety Week and Open House

The HB Marine Safety Division (First and PCH – just south of the pier) will hold an Open House for the public during the four day Memorial Day weekend.  Come by and visit or call for information at 536-5281.  Also, National Beach Safety Week is during the last week of May including the Memorial Day weekend and is organized by the United States Lifesaving Association.

photo: HBSLSA, Chris Clarke

Proclamation

National Beach Safety Week
WHEREAS, the beautiful coastal beaches of Huntington Beach represent a world renowned recreational resource; and,

WHEREAS, HB residents and visitors alike are drawn to these beaches by the millions each year for water and beach activities; and,

WHEREAS, the aquatic environment has dangers that can be effectively managed through public awareness and the vigilance of professional lifeguards; and,

WHEREAS, for reasons of public safety, an annual reminder of the joys and hazards associated with the aquatic environment are appropriate at the commencement of the busy summer beach season; and,

WHEREAS, the HB residents and visitors alike must remember to Never Swim Alone, Always Swim Near a Lifeguard, Never Drink Alcohol Before Swimming, Respect the Power of the Surf, and Learn to Swim;

THEREFORE, as: National Beach Safety Week applies to Huntington Beach, and we urge all residents using the beaches to enjoy themselves at the beach this year, while taking appropriate measures to protect themselves and their children.

Pacific City/Senior Center Deal In Trouble?

When the Planning Commission approved the proposed Senior Center deal earlier this year (I voted no), planning commissioners required the project to bring back the landscaping plans for a separate approval.

Now with a July deadline unfolding for the funding of the senior center, the landscaping plans were put on agenda review last mointh, and then were taken off altogether.

So something is going on with Pacific City and that affects the senior center deal. Rumors from several months ago were that because of the subprime crisis, Makar (the developer) was having problems securing credit for the deal.

I can't imagine it being easy to get two or three hundred million dollars of credit in order to build $800,000 one bedroom townhouses in this real estate environment.

Stay tuned: the next couple of months will be interesting.

Tourism Brings in the Bucks

$350 million to be exact.

From the OC Register:

The Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau recently released 2007 travel figures, which said tourist spending was up about 6 percent from the previous year at $350 million.

Travel spending generated $9.9 million in taxes given to the city, a $900,000 increase from 2006, according to the report, compiled by independent research firm Dean Runyan Associates.

Read the rest here.

It's "macker" time in HB

Click on pictures for a larger view in a new window

Macker - a wave big enough to drive a Mack truck through! A storm off Easter Island has pushed that famous southern swell our way creating waves going well overhead on Monday with forecasts calling for the peak to roll in Tuesday to Wednesday. At lunchtime today peak waves were easily topping 10 feet. The weather, however, may not cooperate - high winds are expected to start building which will make it a bit more of a challenge to catch a good ride.

Just passing through

Click on the pictures for a larger view in a new window
	If you're walking down near the water, it certainly isn't unusual to see pelicans flying by. But just after noon yesterday, the sheer numbers of pelicans flying by was certainly remarkable - I counted 31 in the 2 lines in the picture above and that was just one of five or six groups to pass overhead or skim along the waves in the matter of a few minutes.

Huntington Beach Then/Now

Not to bombard you, but in a few weeks my next book, Huntington Beach Then & Now, is being released. Here's a short video to get you in the mood for it... Huntington Beach Then & Now by Chris Epting

ORANGE COAST MAGAZINE

I've been writing a monthly column for Orange Coast magazine, sort of an offbeat history thing, thought you might enjoy this bit of nostalgia from the new issue...orange coast magazine - epting

Shea Homes Tutors Coastal Commissioners

From the OC Register:

The California Coastal Commission last week accepted a staff report and developer's recommendations that will allow Shea Homes to build on about half of its 50-acre site near Bolsa Chica. Shea Homes will present these revised plans to the City Council in the next few months.

However, environmental activists say they are outraged at Shea's tactics during the commission's meeting and will meet Thursday to consider legal options.

Shea submitted a list of suggested changes to the staff report at the meeting before the commissioner's vote, which activists say was too last-minute and unethical.

Read the rest here.

   

Babashoff Attacked Twice, Once By a Dog, Second Time By OC Register Commenters

In this story about a dog attacking a mail carrier, it is extremely noteworthy that the comments on the OC Register are so cruel. Get a life. people!

From the OC Register:

U.S. Postal officials have launched an investigation after an eight-time Olympic gold medalist who works as a mail carrier called 911 last week from inside her mail truck, where she was hiding from a screaming woman and her dog.

Shirley Babashoff, who won two gold medals and six silvers in swimming in the 1972 and 1976 Olympics, was trying to deliver a certified letter to Patricia Johnson in the 15600 block of Pescado Lane in Huntington Beach when Johnson let her black-and-white cocker spaniel out, raised a fist and started berating her, Babashoff said Tuesday.

Babashoff had her pepper spray out as a precaution when she rang the bell because she knew Johnson had dogs and the door had no screen, she said.

Read the rest here.

   

Possible Cure for Red Tides?

From the OC Register Science Blog:

It’s possible that scientists will someday be able to destroy the ugly and sometimes harmful red tides and related algae blooms that turn coastal waters in places like Orange County the color of rust or coffee.

The Scripps Institution of Oceanography has discovered that RCA bacteria – a natural marine microbe – can attack and kill the single-cell plankton that produce red tide blooms. It appears that RCA killed the massive red tide that spread along the Southern California coast in the summer of 2005. As shown in this image, the bloom stained the waters off southern Orange County.

Read the rest here.