WHAT HAPPENED: The City Council agreed to...

WHAT HAPPENED:

The City Council agreed to continue membership with the Public

Cable Television Authority.

WHAT IT MEANS:

After about a year of discussions about withdrawing from the

authority, the City Council voted Monday night to stay.

The joint powers authority is made up of eight board members, two

from each of its four member cities -- Fountain Valley, Westminster,

Stanton and Huntington Beach. Mayor Connie Boardman and Councilwoman

Pam Julien Houchen represent Huntington Beach.

The authority, which handles the cable contract for all four

cities, has a franchise agreement with Time Warner. It was formed in

1971, and cable systems were installed in the cities in 1976.

The cost of the authority is divided among its members and is

based upon the number of cable subscribers in each city. Since more

than 48,000 of the nearly 76,000 total cable subscribers in all of

the four cities come from Huntington Beach, the city gains 64% of the

franchise revenue and shoulders as much of the authority’s costs and

liabilities.

Before funding for HBTV was cut from the budget, the City Council

had considered pulling out of the authority to have more direct

communication with Time Warner, but now that the city cable station

has been cut, Houchen and Boardman felt that separating would no

longer benefit the city.

Green opposed.

WHAT HAPPENED:

The City Council approved sending a letter to the California

League of Cities reiterating its support for a bill that would grant

large cities representation on the Orange County Transportation

Authority.

WHAT IT MEANS:

Councilman Dave Sullivan drafted a letter stating that Huntington

Beach supports Assembly Bill 710, authored by Assemblyman Lou Correa

(D-Santa Ana), which would expand the Orange County Transportation

Authority board to include board members from the five most populous

cities in Orange County -- Huntington Beach, Anaheim, Santa Ana,

Garden Grove and Irvine.

The letter, which will be sent to the Orange County Division of

the League of Cities, reiterates Huntington’s support for the bill

and for big city representation with strong language and exclamation

points.

Some council members considered the letter an act of poor

diplomacy.

Councilwoman Debbie Cook was opposed to the letter and urged the

council to vote against it.

The city has already sent a letter to the league in support of the

bill. The league is forming a committee to deal with the issue and to

do so again would accomplish very little, she said.

Cook and Houchen opposed.

WHAT HAPPENED:

Grant awards were presented to 10 of the city’s athletic clubs by

Mayor Connie Boardman and Community Services Director Jim Engle.

WHAT IT MEANS:

The Youth Grant Sports Awards are selected by the community

services commission and presented every year to chosen sports teams.

This year, $40,000 was awarded to the Huntington Beach Union High

School Football Booster Club; $22,000 to Edison High Aquatics;

$19,000 to AYSO Region No. 56; $18,000 to Robinwood Little League;

$17,750 to the Boys and Girls Club of Huntington Valley; $15,000 to

Edison High Baseball Booster Club; $7,100 to the South Coast Soccer

Club; $5,100 to the Huntington Beach Union High School Aquatics

Booster Club; $3,300 to the Edison High Girls Softball Booster Club;

and $2,300 to the Huntington Beach Union High School District

Aquatics Booster Club.