City Property for Private Development?

By Dan Jamieson Huntington Beach city staff are set to interview developers who could build on parts of the civic center, the public works yard on Gothard St., and the Lake Street fire station. In return, the developer would revamp the civic center, police headquarters, the public works yard, the lifeguard headquarters and the fire …

Poseidon gets key permit

OC Register report on the proposed desalinization plant and permit approval by the Santa Ana Regional Water Board. https://www.ocregister.com/2021/04/29/poseidon-wins-key-permit-for-desalination-plant-in-huntington-beach/

HB Council Tables Tito Rebuke

By Dan Jamieson The HB City Council decided not to strip new council member Tito Ortiz of his Mayor Pro Tem title, and instead urged the former pro cage fighter to commit himself to his role as council member. Ortiz came under fire since being elected last November for pointedly refusing to wear a mask …

HB Stressing Over Covid

By Dan Jamieson City officials are concerned that with the run-up in Covid cases, residents might not get ambulance service when they call 9-1-1. "We may not have resources to respond" when residents call, said city manager Oliver Chi during a December 21 city council meeting. Fire chiefs across the county are worried they won't …

Parents, Students, Protest Perry Closure

Posted by Dan Jamieson The Voice of OC covered in-depth the latest protest on the planned closure of Perry Elementary school, along with the background on why the HB City School District has proposed shuttering the school.  

HBPD Chief: We Didn’t Anticipate BLM “Counter-Protesters”

By Dan Jamieson HBPD police chief Robert Handy gave a mea culpa of sorts at the June 15, 2020 city council meeting in describing how the police handled the May 31 Black-Lives-Matter protest in the downtown. Handy said the department's plan to police the event didn't anticipate that BLM "counter-protesters" might attack some of the …

HBPD’s Handy on the Protest

By Dan Jamieson HBPD Chief Robert Handy gave some additional information on what happened at the downtown protest on May 31, 2020. The protest was one of many around the country in response to the death of an African American man, George Floyd, by Minneapolis police. Some of those protests saw incidents of violent confrontations …

HB Moves Forward on CCA Study

By Dan Jamieson Huntington Beach will move forward with a study on purchasing electric power for itself and residents through a cooperative. The City Council on February 3, 2020, voted 5-to-2 to retain Oakland-based MRW & Associates to study the feasibility of forming or joining a community choice aggregator (CCA), including a joint operation with …

CalPERS Policies Lost City $22 Million, HB Claims

By Dan Jamieson Policies that excluded investments in tobacco companies, South Africa and other investments have cost Huntington Beach pension plans managed by CalPERS about $22 million in lost profits, according to a draft report from the City's Finance Commission and City staff. A subcommittee of the Finance Commission, working with City staff, used a …

HB Residents Protest Poseidon Desal Project

HB residents came out in force on Dec. 6, 2019, to urge the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board to deny water discharge permits to the proposed Poseidon desalination project. The OC Register's Martin Wisckol has a good report and background on the project.