Quake shakes all the way up here

An earthquake that originated offshore 46 miles southwest of San

Diego Tuesday afternoon was felt in Huntington Beach but didn’t cause

panic.

The 5.2-magnitude quake shook at 3:29 p.m. and was felt most

strongly in San Diego, though people as far north as Los Angeles

reported feeling it, said Robert Tindol, a spokesman for Caltech,

where a seismology lab monitored the event.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake’s epicenter was in

the Pacific Ocean, about 49 miles from Tijuana, Mexico.

Huntington Beach police did not receive any calls related to the

quake, Lt. Corby Bright said, though the tectonic rumblings did not

go unnoticed by the department.

“It wasn’t really shaking, it was a rolling, surging earthquake,”

said Sgt. Les Robinson, who felt the quake while he was working in

the police department’s Downtown substation.

The Fire Department also did not get any calls as a result of the

quake, spokeswoman Martha Werth said, though the movement was felt in

the fire department’s fifth-floor headquarters at City Hall.

“Our building swayed just a little bit,” she said.

Condo owners will meet to share information

Owners of condos that may have been illegally converted will hold

a community meeting on Wednesday to share ideas on how residents can

grapple with having their homes reclassified as condos.

City officials believe 120 Huntington Beach apartments may have

been illegally converted from apartments and sold as condos. Police

are conducting a criminal investigation.

In July, the City Council will open hearings on a proposed

ordinance that would streamline the process for condo owners to have

their homes legally converted.

Even with the ordinance, however, converting a four-plex would

cost about $7,000 in city fees. And residents may have to shell out

even more in order to bring their buildings up to code, as well as

navigate through the city’s planning and public works process.

The purpose of the meeting, condo owner Aaron Frankel said, will

be to help residents learn what needs to be done to make sure their

homes are legally converted, since the process could be difficult for

people unfamiliar with city procedures.

“It’s not entirely straightforward, if you haven’t had to go

through the permitting requirements,” Frankel said.

The meeting does not yet have a formal agenda, though he expects

city officials would show up to answer residents’ questions.

“It’s informational, it’s kind of a work-together meeting,”

Frankel said.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday in the lower

Council Chambers at City Hall, 2000 Main St. More information is

available at a weblog he has created, at

https://www.unwarranted.org/surfcity.

Roadwork to watch out for and be aware of

Work to install a sewer line along Bushard Street has been

stalled, but other construction at the intersection of Adams Avenue

and Bushard Street is progressing ahead of schedule, said Jennifer

Cabral, spokeswoman for the Orange County Sanitation District.

During construction of the intersection, traffic is being rerouted

through the work area and drivers cannot turn south on Bushard Street

from Adams Avenue. Work is expected to be completed by July 9, but

installation may be finished by the end of June. Once the sewer line

is ready at that intersection, the work will move north to Yorktown

Avenue and Bushard Street, where similar traffic controls will be

used.

Major repairs are also scheduled to begin next week on Yorktown

and Hamilton avenues. Work will include pavement reconstruction and

repaving. On Yorktown, the repairs will be done between Bushard and

Brookhurst streets. Work on Hamilton Avenue will be conducted along

the stretch of road between Bushard Street and the Santa Ana River.

During the 25 days of construction, both streets will be narrowed to

one lane in each direction in the work areas. The $750,000 project is

being funded by a federal grant and Measure M revenues.

Record your Reagan memories for all time

People wishing to record their memories of former President Ronald

Reagan are being asked to write personal messages for the political

icon that will be deposited at the Reagan Presidential Library. The

state Office of Protocol has requested all California cities give

their residents a chance to contribute to a condolence book.

“We decided to do it just as a tribute,” Deputy Chief of Protocol

Lauren Luttig said.

After all participating cities send sheets covered with messages

to Sacramento, they will be compiled into a large, leather-bound book

that will be presented at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley.

In Huntington Beach, residents will be able to leave their mark on

a poster that will be available today and until noon Friday in the

lobby at City Hall, 2000 Main St.

Eatery shares the wealth

with some local charities

Duke’s Restaurant in Huntington Beach donated $8,800 to local

charities, collected during a weekly event at the ocean-front eatery.

The Big Wednesday events featured celebrity bartenders, live music

and a surfing theme. Guests entered drawings for prizes including

surfboards and skateboards.

“It’s really fun because it’s good energy,” general manager Brett

Barnes said. “Everyone knows it’s for a cause.”

This spring was the fifth year Duke’s has hosted Big Wednesdays,

and Barnes said the restaurant has given more than $100,000 to

charity from the event.

This year, Duke’s donated a share of the money to the Huntington

Beach Lifeguards, Orange County Coastkeepers, Pack Your Trash, the

Core, Surfrider Foundation and Huntington Dog Beach.

In addition to the raffle, half of the sales made in Duke’s

Barefoot Bar are given to charity.