Council to elect new mayor

As an especially tough year in Surf City, one marked by severe

layoffs and drastic program cuts, winds down, the City Council on

Monday will elect a new mayor to succeed Connie Boardman.

Although protocol suggests that Mayor Pro Tem Cathy Green should

step into the role, the council will vote. It’s mostly a formality

and would be very unusual for anyone but the mayor pro tem to be

elected mayor, Boardman said. As the No. 2 vote-getter in last

November’s election, Councilwoman Jill Hardy is in line to become

mayor pro tem.

Cutting $11.1 million from the budget was the City Council’s

hardest task this year, Boardman said.

“Any time you’ve got to lay off people and disrupt families like

that, it takes a toll on the morale of employees and the city,”

Boardman said. “Having to cut the budget was probably the most

challenging thing the council has dealt with.”

But Boardman was quick to remember the accomplishments during her

term, citing the opening of the new Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach

Resort & Spa and Kohl’s department store, the start of the Huntington

Beach Mall renovation, and improvements that were made to the city

beach. She also pointed to the cleanup of cancer-causing chemicals

from nine residential yards, the start of Bolsa Chica restoration and

the upswing of the local economy as positive events that took place

this year.A biology and anatomy teacher at Cerritos College, Boardman

said that she can’t wait to devote more attention to her classes and

spend more time with her husband now that she’s stepping down as

mayor.

Faced with a lively and often conflicted group of council members,

Boardman said she’s proud that she was able to keep meetings moving

forward.

“I tried to really be fair and respectful, and I think that was

also communicated to other council members,” Boardman said. “Even

though we disagreed very strongly, the council was able to function

as a body. I think that’s a big accomplishment when you’re working

with a new mix of a council like we did.”

Green said that Boardman’s teaching experience prepared her for

conducting the council meetings.

“There’s that same caring about what students are saying or

thinking, and there’s a lot of patience,” Green said. “I think

[Boardman] did a fabulous job. I think she ran things very well and

listened to everyone. I thought she was extremely fair.”

Green has some plans up her sleeve for the new year, however, she

said.

The incoming mayor plans to reinstate the invocation, which was

cut from City Council meetings by former Mayor Debbie Cook in

February 2002.

Prayers start the meeting with a positive tone, Green said.

“If you’re uncomfortable with it, you don’t have to stay in the

room, you don’t have to be a part of it,” Green said. “I’m not big on

that, I’m not shoving anything down anyone’s throat. I think it

elevates a meeting.”

Boardman’s advice for the next mayor is simple: Try not to let it

take over your whole life. Boardman admits, however, that she was

rarely able to abide by her own suggestion.

“If you talked to my husband, I think he’d say it took over my

whole life,” Boardman said. “I’m glad it’s only for a year. In my

weak moments, I’d think, I’m certainly looking forward to having more

time to devote to my family and my full-time job.”

Green, in turn, is looking forward to taking over as mayor and

says that she’s ready for the challenge.

“Next year’s going to be tough,” Green said. “I realize it’s going

to be tough. There are just so many unknown factors. We really don’t

know what’s going to happen in Sacramento, and what happens in

Sacramento really affects us.”

IRS has checks for 115 Surf City taxpayers

More than 100 taxpayers in Huntington Beach haven’t received

refunds owed them by the IRS.

The Internal Revenue Service is sitting on 115 undeliverable checks made out to Surf City taxpayers, totaling $256,715. This is a

portion of almost $2 million owed to some 2,500 taxpayers in Orange

County.

The checks, which for Huntington Beach residents vary from $2 to

$143,000, are for regular tax refunds and advanced child tax credits

issued this summer.

“There’s a check for $143,576 due to a taxpayer who is a resident

in Huntington Beach,” IRS spokesperson Raphael Tulino said. “This is

one of the biggest ones that you’ll find.”

Taxpayers have until Dec. 5 to claim undelivered advance child tax

credit checks. About 115,000 child credit checks worth more than $50

million are still unclaimed in Southern California.

Taxpayers with children under the age of 17 received the advanced

child credit the summer.

Taxpayers can track undelivered checks through the IRS Web site at

https://www.irs.gov.

The IRS is working to get the checks back into the hands of the

people they belong to.

“We want to let folks know that this is their money and they

should come claim it,” Tulino said. “If there’s a check in there, as

soon as we find the correct address, the check will be sent on its

way.”

Jeanine Bast was surprised to find out that she was on the list of

taxpayers owed.

Bast, like most whose checks were undelivered, recently moved from

Huntington Beach to Fountain Valley.

“We received the $800 child tax, but I had to call and get that,”

Bast said.

Most of the checks, like Bast’s, have been returned to the IRS as

undeliverable because of address changes. To avoid this kind of

mishap, Tulino recommends that people put the exact same name on

their change of address form, that they would put on their tax

return. He also suggests filing a change of address with the IRS and

opting for to have their checks directly depositing into a checking

or savings account.

“The best message that there is to avoid this, is to choose direct

deposit and have money show up in your account,” Tulino said. “A

direct deposited refund can be had in as little as seven to 10 days.”

To track the refunds and advanced child tax credit, visit

https://www.irs.gov or call (800) 829-1040 to update your address.

Californian gets four-diamond status

The Californian, the avant-garde restaurant at the Hyatt Regency

Huntington Beach Resort & Spa, was the only restaurant in Huntington

Beach to be named a four-diamond restaurant by the Automobile Club of

Southern California.

Of 13,000 AAA-approved restaurants, only 4% achieve the

auto-club’s prestigious four-diamond status. Only seven other

restaurants in Orange County made the grade this year.

Amid Andalusian decor complete with a stone fireplace and vaulted

ceilings, the upscale restaurant serves gourmet California cuisine

and boasts an array of fresh meats and fish.

“It’s definitely an honor, especially for our first year of

operation,” said Mairead Hennessy, director of food and beverage at

the Californian. “It sets us apart as far as the Huntington Beach

area goes. It means that we need to set the standard, and I think

we’ve become a restaurant that people will look to continue to set

the standard.”

Menu items include appetizers such as Tomato Caprese and seared

ahi sashimi and entrees such as grilled filet mignon, jumbo lamb crab

cakes and pan-seared Chilean sea bass. Warm chocolate cake with

espresso chocolate sauce and citrus cheesecake topped off with

berries are a couple of the specialty desserts.

The Californian is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The cost

of dinner varies from $20 to $35. To make a reservation, call (714)

845-4776.

Planner gets 2003 Athena Award

The Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce awarded Jan Shomaker, a

planning commissioner, community volunteer and owner of Pier Realty,

the 2003 Athena Award Nov. 19.

The Athena Award honors women who excel in their field, devote

time and energy to the community and open paths for other women.

Maggie Bunten, recipient of the 2002 Athena Award, described

Shomaker as a “hands-on problem solver who gives of herself in her

community and her life.”

At the same ceremony, community activist and Shirley Dettloff, a

former mayor, was awarded the Outstanding Citizen Award.

The Outstanding Citizen Award is given to a person who’s performed

an extraordinary act or voluntary service to the community.

“Everything that I’ve done in this city has been a joy,” Dettloff

said when she accepted the award.

Dettloff has also served as a planning commissioner and a coastal

commissioner and is the former president of the Amigos de Bolsa

Chica.