Ballot postponement catches heat
A superior court judge will hear initial arguments today in a
lawsuit filed against the Huntington Beach City Council and City
Clerk Tuesday by a signature gatherer seeking to have a council
district initiative placed on the November ballot.
Resident Joseph Jeffrey said he was appalled when the City
Council, in a 6-1 vote last week, decided to put the initiative, that
would divide the city into five districts and eliminate two council
positions, off until March 2004. And his attorney contends the
council’s action was illegal.
“This is not what the voters wanted when we went out and gathered
those 22,000 signatures,” said Jeffrey, who immediately following the
vote sought legal help to force the City Council to place the measure
on the November ballot.
Jeffrey said all he wants is for the council to let the voters
decide.
City council members, who were told by City Atty. Gail Hutton that
they could put off the vote, said at the time that they did so to
give residents more time to study the issue and did not want voters
distracted from the business of electing new council members.
Bruce Peotter, Jeffrey’s attorney, contends the council was
required by law to put the initiative on the November ballot.
When called for comment, Hutton refused to return calls and
instead issued a statement through the city’s public information
office saying that she would not comment on the lawsuit or if the
city’s actions to postpone the vote were legal.
But Peotter believes the law is clear.
“The City Council was mandated by state law to put it on the
election and violated it by putting it on a special election ballot,”
he said. “It must be on a regularly scheduled election.”
The council did not have the discretion to put it on when ever it
wanted, he added.
--Danette Goulet
OCSD begins waste water bleaching
The Orange County Sanitation District began bleaching its waste
water Monday as a controversial first-step effort to clean up
millions of gallons of daily discharge off the city’s shores.
“Chlorine bleach and the de-chlorination chemical are being used
as a short-term option to reduce bacteria,” said Lisa Murphy, the
district’s spokeswoman. “The community called out for an immediate
improvement to the quality of the [waste water]. This is the
sanitation district’s answer to that call.”
By implementing the treatment, the sanitation district met a
Monday deadline, set by the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control
Board at a July 19 meeting.
District officials say the bleaching should remove their sewage
plume from the lineup of potential offenders bringing bacteria into
the surf zone.
Sanitation district managers are using an industrial-strength
bleach that’s about three times as powerful as the type found tucked
beneath most kitchen sinks. They’ll use between 18,000 to 20,000 gallons per day, Murphy said.
Every day, the district releases 234-million gallons of partially
treated waste water into the ocean from an outfall pipe on the ocean
floor 4 1/2 miles out to sea off Huntington Beach.
On July 17, the district’s board approved stepped-up treatment for
the discharge on a 13-12 vote after months of debate and discussion
over a federal waiver the district had that allowed it to skirt Clean
Water Act rules. Chlorination is an extra measure.
Murphy said the district bleaches the sewage with the powerful
agent, then uses a de-chlorination chemical to remove the substance,
which is extremely harmful to sea life.
The district has promised to continue chlorinating the waste water
for the next three years.
Some environmentalists have questioned the chlorination process.
Doug Korthof, a founder of the activist committee Ocean Outfall
Group, said bleaching leaves potentially harmful chemical compounds
in the waste water.
Korthof said there are still nagging questions about how to manage
the waste water over the longer term.
“Chlorination is only a short-term answer,” Korthof said. “It’s
going to create a lot of bad [chemical] compounds in the water.”
-- Paul Clinton
Conflict of interest bill passes on to Governor
A bill introduced by Surf City Assemblyman Tom Harman that will
strengthen conflict of interest laws for public officials was
approved by the Senate on Monday.
Harman, a former Huntington Beach councilman, proposed the bill
following the disgrace of former Mayor Dave Garofalo who was
convicted of one felony and 15 misdemeanor conflict of interest
charges in January.
Assembly Bill 1797 specifies that any public official who has a
financial stake in a decision that goes before them for a vote, must
completely disclose the exact nature of the conflict. After the
conflict is disclosed, that official must recuse themselves from
either discussing or voting on the matter. Public officials would
also be required to leave the room when the matter is being discussed
or voted on.
Possible conflicts of interest include stock holdings, real estate
ownership or personal income generated from a business operated by a
public official.
The bill was previously approved by the assembly and it will now
be sent to Governor Gray Davis for consideration.
While Harman was successful getting one bill passed he was
unsuccessful with another.
Assembly Bill 1861, which was designed to protect crime victims
from frivolous lawsuits, made its way through the state assembly but
was killed by the Senate Public Safety Committee.
The bill would have prevented prison inmates from filing frivolous
lawsuits against victims who testify at their parole hearings. The
legislation would have allowed a judge to throw the lawsuit out of
court and dismiss the case in a speedy manner.
Harman introduced the bill after hearing the story of a woman who
was sued by the man convicted of murdering her fiancee and shooting
her in the face. The felon claimed that her testimony at his parole
hearing caused him “great pain ... ridicule and deprivation of
liberty.”
“A crime victim shouldn’t have to deal with that,” said David
Weaver, Harman’s legislative assistant.
While Harman cannot introduce the bill again next year he is
currently deciding what type of action to take. He may ask a fellow
assemblyman to introduce the bill on his behalf, Weaver said.
--Jose Paul Corona
Peter’s Landing to host benefit concerts
Surf City residents can attend free concerts and help keep
Huntington Harbour clean by showing up at Peter’s Landing every
Wednesday night through the end of the month.
Orange County Coastkeeper hopes that while residents are there
enjoying the free music, they will also make a small donation to the
cause.
Offering free concerts, provided by the merchants at Peter’s
Landing Marina, is the environmental group’s latest fund-raising
effort to supplement the water quality testing it has been doing in
the harbor, said Orange County Coastkeeper Development Director Ellen
Brown.
“What [merchants] want to do is to get to know their neighbors and
[they] also want to give back to the community,” Brown said.
Since the concerts began last month the group has raised $1,150.
The ultimate goal is to raise $3,000 to help pay for the cost of
water testing and other programs in Huntington Harbour. Eventually
the group hopes to raise enough money to purchase a skimmer boat.
A skimmer boat “helps clean up the water” by picking up trash and
other debris, Brown said.
“It’s like a vacuum,” she added.
Shopping centers in both Newport Beach and Long Beach hold similar
concerts, and merchants thought that it might be a good way to
connect with the community, Brown said.
Residents have reacted well to the concerts, said Orange County
Coastkeeper Executive Director Garry Brown.
“The response has been better than expected, a lot of people are
interested in the harbor,” he said.
Both Orange County Coastkeeper and merchants seem to be happy with
the way the fund-raiser has brought people to Peter’s Landing.
Marvene Huss, who owns Marvene and Becky’s Real Estate is thrilled
to see so much activity coming back to a place she loves.
“My passion is in that area, I want to see it thrive again,” said
the Harbour resident.
Huss recalls a time when Huntington Harbour saw a booming
business.
“Everyone wants to see the center thrive again,” she said. “You
can’t get a better place then Peter’s Landing.”
Peter’s Landing is at the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and
Anderson Street. The free summer concerts will be held every
Wednesday, from 6 to 8 p.m. until Aug. 28. For more information logon
to www.coastkeeper.org or call (949) 723-5424.
--Jose Paul Corona
Award nominations being accepted
It’s nomination time. The Huntington Beach Allied Arts Board is
asking Surf City residents to nominate individuals for its annual
arts award program. For the past 12 years the city has recognized
individuals who have made a significant contribution to the arts.
The annual arts award program has eight categories this year which
are; Distinguished Visual Artist, Distinguished Performing Artist,
Distinguished Arts Educator, Distinguished Arts Administrator,
Distinguished Volunteer Service to the Arts, Distinguished Business
Supporter for the Arts, Exceptional Youth in Arts and Public Art
Project of the Year.
Any individual or group may submit nominations. Those wanting more
information on the awards program or anyone who would like a
nomination form can call the city of Huntington Beach Community
Services Department, Cultural Series Division at (714) 536-5258.
Nominations will be accepted through Sept. 3.
Award winners will be announced at a special reception slated to
take place in October.
--Jose Paul Corona
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