Bolsa Chica Project gets money from ports

The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are being asked to kick in an

additional $23 million in funds to pay for a massive project to move

Pacific Coast Highway and reconnect part of the wetlands with the

ocean.

The funding would push the bill of the project to about $100

million, paid mostly by the ports in exchange for an agreement to

expand their massive shipping operations into environmentally

sensitive habitats in Los Angeles County.

A committee of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners

approved the plan Aug. 22 to hand over an additional $11.4 million,

and the Los Angeles Harbor is weighing a similar proposal.

The additional funding is due to higher-than-expected cost

overruns and unanticipated cleanup costs, Long Beach Port Director

Robert Kantar said. But officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service said the additional money was simply being spent to enhance

the project.

The Bolsa Chica Wetlands Steering Committee is hoping to remove of

the oil drilling equipment from the site and eventually reconnect the

wetlands with the ocean. To do this, Caltrans has undertaken a

complex engineering project to relocate part of Pacific Coast Highway

and elevate a portion of the road to allow coastal waters to

reconnect with the wetland habitat. Volunteers also have an ambitious

native plant restoration project planned.

Free financial planning seminar is scheduled

Six nonprofit organizations have teamed up to offer “Its Your

Estate,” a free, eight-week workshop series, in Huntington Beach.

Focusing on a different topic each week, the sessions will be held

from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 21 through Nov. 9, at the Adult Day

Services of Orange County, at 9451 Indianapolis Ave. in Huntington

Beach

Peter C. Kote, chairman of Laguna Canyon Foundation’s Estate

Planning and Gifts Committee, will moderate the forum. Sponsors

include Laguna Canyon Foundation, American Heart Assn., Orange County

Community Foundation, Laguna Playhouse and Arthritis Foundation and

Orange County Child Abuse Prevention Center.

The sessions will look at the following issues: the first question

to ask a professional advisor; the most important legal document for

estate planning; ways to allocate investments in order to preserve

wealth; the disadvantages of living trusts; the pros and cons of

going through probate; how to calculate the amount of income tax your

estate will pay; and whether establishing a charitable trust requires

designating a charity.

Workshop participants will not be approached to make charitable

contributions or to purchase financial products, and their names will

be kept confidential.

For reservations, call the Adult Day Services of Orange County at

(714) 593-9630. Complimentary refreshments will be served.

Former mayor gets county appointment

Former Huntington Beach Mayor and City Councilman Don MacAllister

has accepted an appointment by Orange County Supervisor Jim Silva to

serve on the Senior Citizens Advisory Council.

MacAllister replaces Pat Davis, another long-time Huntington Beach

community leader, who retired and relocated.

The council advises the Board of Supervisors Community Services

Agency and the Office on Aging on matters affecting senior citizens

in Orange County.

The council consists of 40 volunteers appointed by local elected

officials, providers of veterans’ health care, and the public.

Community college to host

a fashion-show fundraiser

The 13th Annual Golden West College Patrons Fashion Show &

Fundraiser will be held Oct. 15 at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort

in Huntington Beach. A silent auction at 10:30 a.m. kicks the day

off, followed by a luncheon and a fashion show. Tables, which seat up

to 10, cost $450; the per-plate cost is $45. Tickets include

complimentary parking. A portion of the cost is tax-deductible.

Proceeds raised go to scholarships to help deserving students. For

reservations and membership information, call (714) 895-8316, or go

to o7www.gwc.info/patronsf7.

“We are honored to support the students and the college, and it

gives us great satisfaction in helping as many students as possible

realize that their career ambitions are obtainable with a good

education,” Joanne Bumm, president of the college patrons said in a

recent news release.