CALIFORNIA ELECTRICAL CODE The City Council will...

CALIFORNIA ELECTRICAL CODE

The City Council will consider formally adopting the new

electrical code implemented by the state. City law requires the city

to hold a public hearing to consider the pros and cons of the new

electrical code.

WHAT TO EXPECT

This item is really just a housekeeping measure -- the city is

required to adopt the code and follow state law. Expect little

council debate on this issue and few public comments.

SOUTHEAST REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

The Council will discuss the progress of a five-year plan launched

in 2002 to revitalize 266 acres of industrial space in Southeast

Huntington Beach.

The area, which stretches from Magnolia Street to Beach Boulevard,

includes the AES power plant, the Ascon landfill, a former oil tank

farm, mobile-home parks and coastal wetlands.

WHAT TO EXPECT

It remains unclear what the annual update will find because the

massive area has seen many changes in the past year.

A desalination plant is attempting to link up with the AES power

plant, a homebuilder is attempting to build duplexes an triplexes on

the oil field and an environmental group has purchased a bulk of the

wetlands and plans to move forward with restoration.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT

The City Council will approve this year’s allotment of the federal

government’s Community Development Block Grant. The city must create

an annual action plan to show how it plans to spend the $1.6-million

grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

WHAT IT MEANS

The block grant process is always a contentious one, often pitting

staffers’ recommendations against those put forward by a citizen

advisory group.

This year, the two sides are making nearly the same recommendation

save for one difference: City staffers are recommending the city

spend $125,000 of the money on upgrades to fire stations, while the

citizen advisory group wants to spend only $115,000 on the upgrades

and shift the extra $10,000 to a $40,000 lighting project at the Oak

View Community Park in one of the city’s low-income neighborhoods.

Expect many speakers at the hearing to testify about why their

community groups deserve funding.