CITYSCAPE ROUNDUP:City enforcing business license tax

A recent state legislation will help the city check if businesses in Huntington Beach are complying with the city’s business license tax. The legislation paves the way for the city to access information provided on an individual’s state income tax return and compare it with their records to find businesses that are not paying their annual taxes.

Select city staff would have access to the state file that would match Huntington Beach businesses with the city’s business license database, city Fiscal Services Manager Jim Slobojan said.

“It spits out the exceptions so we can review and notify those businesses we have from the state list but don’t show up as having licenses in the city,” he said.

Neighboring cities such as Long Beach and Newport Beach have successfully implemented the program and observed an increase of 10% to 20% in business license compliance, Slobojan said.

The program could net about $200,000 in business taxes for Huntington Beach, he said.

But the labor-intensive nature of the program has held staff back from enforcing it in the past. The state legislation was passed in 2001.

“It’s time-consuming, and it could take longer than one year to find businesses that are not in compliance,” Slobojan said. “But this year, we just felt we had the resources now to take another approach to ensuring compliance within the city.”

Trick or treat for a cause

You could expend some candy calories this Halloween running or walking for the “Trick or Treat 5K Run/Walk” this Sunday. The run/walk is hosted by the Council of Orange County Society of St. Vincent de Paul for the first time.

The race is slated to start and end at Huntington Beach’s historic pier. It begins at 8 a.m. Children of all ages are welcome to participate in the race and raise donations for St. Vincent de Paul. They can sign up online at SVdPOC.org through Active.com. Race participants can also flaunt their Halloween costumes and win awards for best costume.

Proceeds from the Trick or treat event will go toward funding St. Vincent de Paul services, including a program to help homeless people, and children and loved ones of those incarcerated.

St. Vincent de Paul helps more than 67,000 people each year through local parish conferences, three of which are held in Huntington Beach. The organization has assisted more than 22,800 people with the help of volunteers.

Hilton, Hyatt win awards

The Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort and Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa won the four-diamond award from the Automobile Club of Southern California. They were among 55 Southern California hotels and 37 restaurants to win the coveted mark. The awards were presented to the hotel and restaurant general managers and restaurant chefs at The Balboa Bay Club & Resort in Newport Beach on Oct. 16.

“Our members rely on the AAA diamond ratings to seek out upscale dining and travel experiences,” the Auto Club’s Approved Accommodations Manager Charles Smith said in a news release. The award-winning properties are among the top 4% of more than 2,600 Southern California hotels, motels and restaurants inspected by the Auto Club.

The Hilton Waterfront has earned the four-diamond award 16 times; the Hyatt Regency has received it four times.

“[We] congratulate the restaurants and hotels that achieved the AAA Four Diamond rating for their hard work, exemplary service and hospitality, and beautiful accommodations,” Smith said.

City Treasurer honored

City Treasurer Shari Freidenrich was appointed to the board of directors of the Assn. of Public Treasurers of the United States and Canada at its 41st annual conference held in Memphis, Tenn. Freidenrich has worked for the city since 1996. She is a past president of the California Municipal Treasurer’s Assn. and was a board member for more than six years.

She is a certified public finance accountant as well as a certified public accountant. She graduated from Washington State University with the a Bachelor of Administration degree with an emphasis on accounting.

Freidenrich is also a past president of the Rotary Club of Huntington Beach and Soroptimist International of Huntington Beach.

Shopping center on the block

Hanley Brown Group Real Estate Advisors have listed the College Country Shopping Center in Huntington Beach for $12.6 million. The shopping center, near Bella Terra Mall and Golden West College, was built in 1979 and has high-end restaurants, and office and shop space.

“The majority of the tenants in the center have been at the location for more than five years, which shows the desirability and strength of the location,” said Eric Wohl, senior associate at Hanley Brown Group. “With numerous tenants paying below-market rents, the offering presents a prospective investor with tremendous upside potential in a prime, central Orange County location.”

The 60,000-square-foot center includes four retail buildings and a two-story office building. The four-acre center, anchored by Del Taco, is at the corner of Center Avenue and Gothard Street.

Art league presents watercolorist

The Huntington Beach Art League will present guest speaker Timothy J. Clark, watercolor and oil painter, at its monthly meeting on Nov. 1. Clark, who is well-known for his landscapes, portraits and interiors, has exhibited at museum venues and in permanent collections.

Clark was recently named one of the top 20 watercolor teachers in the United States by Watercolor Magazine.

The free demonstration will be held at 7.30 p.m. at Rodgers Senior Center at the corner of 17th and Orange streets in Huntington Beach. For more information, call Lorin Zechiel at (714) 962-0263.