More downs than ups in Huntington

In 2004, the highs in Huntington Beach outweighed the lows, and the year ended on a relatively upbeat note. Unfortunately, 2005 didn’t follow suit, finishing up with a sour and all-too-familiar story that likely will have repercussions into 2006.

The No. 1 troubling story of the year, however, was the ongoing battle over the proposed Poseidon desalination plant. Despite the huge outcry from the people who will be affected most by the plant -- its neighbors in southeast Huntington Beach who already suffer from the AES plant, the Ascon site and other industrial businesses -- the City Council has approved portions of the proposal and is set to rule next month on whether the plant can be built.

This fall saw the guilty plea of former Mayor Pam Houchen, who admitted to her part in the illegal conversion of apartments into condominiums without the proper permits. She pleaded guilty to eight counts of wire and mail fraud; in the process she reinforced the idea that something is afoul in City Hall.

Earlier this month, the city’s surf industry got blanked, so to speak. The leading manufacturer of the foam cores of boards went out of business, sending surf shops and board shapers into a brief panic. They passed that panic on to customers, who saw prices on surfboards rise by $100 and more. If prices don’t come down (most expect them to once other manufacturers step in), there could be a slight chill to Huntington Beach’s economy.

And then there was the final, familiar story: trouble with a City Hall official. Last week, City Atty. Jennifer McGrath was arrested and charged with driving under the influence. Preliminary tests showed her blood alcohol level to be .21, far more than twice the legal limit. McGrath, the only elected city attorney in Orange County, is set to be arraigned on Jan. 21. What the incident might mean for her job, and her 2006 reelection, we will learn next year.

The above aside, there was good to be found during the past 12 months, starting with the city’s adoption of a Camp Pendleton Marine battalion. That effort includes the spectacular, such as the April dinner the city held giving the Marines a place in the city’s Fourth of July parade, and the more practical, such as raising money to help the families of the Marines makes ends meet.

There appears to have been a happy conclusion to the years-long battle over the Bolsa Chica. This month, the developer got the OK to begin building 349 homes in exchange for the sale of the lower part of the mesa. A compromise by both sides, it is being hailed by the groups as a victorious ending to the fight.

Another long-awaited ending came with the opening of Bella Terra at the site of the old Huntington Beach Mall. A promising start has city and business leaders looking to 2006 to see how the new center performs.

There were other highlights in 2005: another successful U.S. Open of Surfing; triumph on the sporting stage for Edison’s wrestling team, Ocean View’s and Marina’s baseball teams, Edison’s football team, and, for a second year in a row, Huntington Beach’s Pop Warner Football Pee Wee Division team.

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