City Roundup:

The City Council is scheduled to meet in closed session Friday to discuss the appointment of an interim city administrator.

With City Administrator Penny Culbreth-Graft’s recent announcement she was leaving for a new job as city manager of Colorado Springs, Colo., council members will have to pick someone to fill the job after she leaves in January. One thing they will have to consider is whether to look within the city or search elsewhere, Mayor Gil Coerper said.

They will also have to decide how to search for a permanent replacement.

The closed session meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday at City Hall, fourth floor conference room No. 2, 2000 Main St. The public is barred from watching the closed session, but anyone who wishes to make a comment ahead of time may do so.

Any action taken by the council will be announced after the meeting concludes.

State beach gets recycling signs in next few weeks

Visitors to state beaches like Huntington State Beach will get a little bit more of a reminder not to throw away that plastic bottle. A partnership between the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Keep California Beautiful and a plastic industry group is bringing more recycle bins to some beaches and plenty more signs to others, said Jennifer Killinger, a spokeswoman for the plastics division of the American Chemistry Council.

“When you think about Californians’ active lifestyles, from running to bicycling to beachgoers, it seemed like beaches were logical places for the bins,” she said.

As Huntington State Beach already has bins, the focus will be on more signs showing residents what they can recycle in them, she said. New signs are expected in the next few weeks, she added.

Rep. speaks out about U.S. Atty. Johnny Sutton

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher’s claws were out again as another chapter of the controversial case against Osvaldo Aldrete Davila unfolded in Texas last week.

Davila, who was shot in the buttocks in February 2005 as he ran from Border Patrol agents, was arrested this month and faces charges of smuggling marijuana into the country in September and October 2005.

Rohrabacher, who has carried out a very public campaign against the prosecution of the border patrol agents, particularly U.S. Atty. Johnny Sutton, had no praise for Sutton after Davila’s arrest.