Reporter’s Notebook -- Paul Clinton

Change can be a good thing.

Two months ago, I was whisked away by my editors to Surf City (a.k.a.,

Huntington Beach).

My bosses at Times Community News had bought a Laguna Beach newspaper

called The Coastline and moved some of the staff at the Huntington Beach

Independent down to help relaunch it as the Coastline Pilot.

I was needed to cover Surf City for “a couple of weeks,” until someone

permanent was found.

That couple of weeks stretched into more than two months, but the

diversion from airport politics and Crystal Cove was a breath of fresh

air.

Sometimes you can get stuck in a rut in a job, and you need a change.

Covering a new town for two months was a real charge for my batteries,

which had run a little low on juice. In only a short time, I was able to

dig into a bevy of issues in Huntington Beach, which has always been a

great town for reporters.

Cleanup of a toxic waste dump, city efforts to keep beaches clean, and

the state of sales and property tax revenue. I even wrote a story about

disgraced former Mayor Dave Garofalo, who was punched in the head by an

irate resident in a restaurant.

And as a guy who spends most of his time in the Bixby Knolls section

of Long Beach, I also learned just how unique Surf City is as a town.

Actually, Huntington Beach isn’t much like Newport Beach or Laguna

Beach.

The city’s sprawl and 200,000 population clearly set it apart from the

cozy affluence of its two southern neighbors. And the city’s efforts to

rebuild decaying neighborhoods -- including the Huntington Center -- show

it clearly isn’t on easy street.

The City Council also marks a departure from most Orange County

cities. Right now, five of the seven members are women, a progressive

sign.

However, as great as Huntington Beach was to cover, I’m glad to be

back. It’s similar to being giddy about heading out on a vacation, but

feeling glad to get back home.

Costa Mesa and Newport Beach offer a lot in their own right for

enterprising reporters. Heck, a council member in Costa Mesa is facing

trial. What could be better than that?

* Paul Clinton covers the environment, John Wayne Airport and

politics. He may be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail ato7

paul.clinton@latimes.comf7 .