Council repeals banner law

With no discussion, the City Council Monday night repealed its law

that bans planes towing banners from flying over the city.

The council decided to rethink the law not after a lawsuit was

filed, but when the Federal Aviation Administration asserted its

ultimate authority over airspace.

Councilwoman Connie Boardman introduced the law earlier this year,

citing years of complaints from residents about noise and safety of

the planes.

Shortly after the law was passed on Sept. 16, the Center for

Bio-Ethical Reform, an anti-abortion group, sued the city to overturn

the ban, which it said violated its 1st Amendment rights.

As hearings began in late October, the FAA stepped in and said

that it had clarified language in a regulation to make it clear that

the agency, and not the cities, controls airspace.

That change meant the new law would not stand up in court, council

members said.

Now that the city has repealed the law, officials at the Center

for Bio-Ethical Reform say they will try to get a similar law in

Honolulu, Hawaii repealed.

Surf City’s law was based on the one passed in Honolulu.

Boeing successfully launches Delta IV rocket

After numerous delays and false starts, Boeing successfully

launched the Delta IV rocket Wednesday afternoon.

The Delta IV is the first conventional rocket to use a U.S.-built

engine since the space shuttle.

The rocket, developed as part of a $1.5-billion program, carried a

broadcast satellite for Eutelsat, Europe’s largest satellite-services

operator.

The rocket’s debut, which is months overdue, is part of an Air

Force program to develop more reliable and economic rockets.

A Saturday launch was delayed until Tuesday.

Hundreds crowded a grassy field at Boeing’s Huntington Beach

campus that day to watch the launch of the rocket designed at that

facility. But the launch was delayed for the second time in a week.

The countdown stopped and started several times before being

delayed due to a software glitch, Boeing officials said.

Pay Surf City parking tickets, or get the boot

Huntington Beach residents had better start paying their parking

tickets.

A bright yellow immobilizing boot will appear on the car tires of

those drivers who have five or more unpaid parking tickets now that

the City Council unanimously approved use of the device.

Using the boot, the city avoids the hassle of towing and

impounding habitual violators’ vehicles. The boot can be put on a car

in less than a minute. To have the boot removed, car owners will have

to pay all of their outstanding fines and a $100 fee to cover the

cost of installing the boot, Police Chief Kenneth Small said.

The boot reduces the potential damage that a vehicle can sustain

when it’s towed, Small said.

Huntington Beach will be the only city in the county that uses the

boot, according to a report prepared by Small.

The police department bought five boots at $400 each with funds

from the Statewide Abandoned Vehicle Abatement Program.

The department expects to start using the boots on Jan. 1,

Huntington Beach Police Lt. Bill Peterson said.

City takes a step in combating urban runoff

The City Council Monday night approved the Water Quality Element

Framework, a plan that will help the city develop a comprehensive

program for improving water quality in the city.

The framework had to be approved by the council before the city’s

Urban Runoff Management Plan could be completed.

Now that the report has been completed, the council has authorized

the Public Works Department to complete the urban runoff plan for the

city.

The final plan will outline different ways to deal with urban

runoff in more detail. Collectively, the reports will enhance current

efforts to deal with polluted urban runoff in coastal waters while

reducing flood conditions within the city.

Sanitation district to foot half bill for sewer repairs

The Orange County Sanitation District has awarded the city

$581,000 to help pay for the cost of repairing sewer mains.

The district’s Cooperative Projects programs give local agencies a

chance at money to reduce excess inflow into the district’s

collection system.

Improvements made to sewer mains can help reduce the amount of

excess water going into sewer treatment facilities and this, in turn,

brings down processing costs.

The grant will fund half the cost of repairs to more than 19,000

feet of sewer mains.

The area targeted for repairs is bounded by Warner Avenue, Newland

Street, Heil Avenue and the San Diego Freeway.

The first portion of the repair project will determine the cost

and benefits of the project. If the sanitation district finds the

results of the study acceptable, the city will move forward with the

repairs.

-- compiled by Jose Paul Corona