At the Sept. 7 Huntington Beach...

At the Sept. 7 Huntington Beach City Council meeting, rage poured out

of downtown residents who feel threatened by the council’s intention to

reinstate its power to purchase residential property by force.

“We’re declaring war,” said resident Ralph Peck, alluding to

signatures being gathered to qualify for a referendum on the issue.

The ballot box may be one way to fight back, but resident Alice

Parnakian has a better strategy.

“If I had a couple of kangaroo rats hanging around my property, I would

probably have the protection I need from eminent domain,” she said.

“If we look funny wiggling around up here, it’s because we just got new

chairs,” said Fountain Valley Mayor John Collins at the council meeting.

*

Now that the summer hiatus has ended, the mayor will launch the

academic year with a breakfast at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital to

discuss “The Physical Condition of Our Schools” at 8 a.m. Sept. 23.

*

Call it an odd coincidence, but Huntington Beach couple Mary and Monte

Gaustad’s second child, Bailey, was born nine minutes before 9 a.m. Sept.

9 at Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach.

The healthy baby girl followed in her 6-year-old sister’s footsteps.

“We had [Bailey] on her due date so that was kind of fun,” Mary said.

“Just the fact that our other daughter was born on 3/3/93 is kind of

neat.”

-- Compiled by Marissa Espino, Ellen McCarty and Eron Ben-Yehuda