Sunset Beach residents say H.B. not their first choice

Sunset Beach residents said they would rather be annexed by Seal Beach than Huntington Beach — if they have to choose — through a straw vote at a town meeting Wednesday.

About 200 people came out to the meeting to learn and talk about the possible annexation of Sunset Beach, Greg Griffin, president of the Sunset Beach Community Assn., said.

The small community of 1,200 is facing the prospect of becoming part of Huntington Beach after the Orange County branch of the Local Agency Formation Commission voted to put Sunset Beach under the city’s sphere of influence. This move could lead to the annexation of Sunset Beach into Huntington, but the residents have other plans.

Residents raised their hands in favor of becoming part of Seal Beach during the meeting, while, Griffin said, no one raised their hands for Huntington.

“Seal Beach already has Surfside . . . Seal Beach kind of leaves [them] alone,” Griffin said. “And that’s our expectation.”

Besides the prospect of being left alone, Griffin said, residents feel they will have more say in Seal Beach, whose population is only 24,000, compared to the behemoth 200,000 of Huntington.

While Sunset Beach is in talks with Seal Beach officials, Griffin said they haven’t discussed anything with Huntington, but are open to hearing what city officials have to say.

Seal Beach Mayor Gordon Shanks and City Manager David Carmany attended the meeting, and Carmany said Seal Beach would be open to discussing the possibility of taking on Sunset Beach at an Aug. 10 meeting.

While Sunset is looking into its options, residents would prefer to stay an independent community. Both Huntington Beach Mayor Keith Bohr and Carmany said they can understand the community’s desire to keep its identity.

“In a perfect world, they would like to stay the way they are,” Carmany said.

While Sunset might not be able to stay independent, Carmany said he believes it will be able to maintain its identity like other communities that have been annexed, including Corona Del Mar in Newport Beach.