“They [the commissioners] want to do this in order that down the road ... they can annex, or foster the annexation, of Sunset Beach,” said Gretchen Hoad, who has lived in Sunset Beach with her husband, Craig, for 37 years.
The commission’s staff wants to eliminate all areas not yet under spheres of influence, said Orange County Sup. John Moorlach. Sunset Beach was the only developed, unincorporated area in Northern Orange County that wasn’t yet under the umbrella of a nearby city.
“It’s a glorious little community,” said Moorlach, one of the three who voted against the action. “In fact, it strikes me as a vestige of a different time era.”
“We raise money by bake sales and pancake breakfasts, and we don’t have to raise taxes,” said Greg Griffin, president of the Sunset Beach Community Assn.
Huntington Beach Mayor Keith Bohr conveyed his approval of the action through Paul Emery, deputy city administrator. Bohr said the City Council hasn’t discussed the Sunset Beach issue yet, but will at its July 30 meeting. Bohr commented that the topic of annexation isn’t an option the city is pursuing — at least at the moment.
“We’re not there yet,” he said. However, “if they’re going to be annexed by somebody, it should be us.”
Commissioner Cheryl Brothers told the residents that coming under Huntington Beach’s sphere of influence won’t force them to “give up their identity.”
However, some residents still fear annexation with Huntington Beach in the future could easily lead to modern development of their quaint town. Residents also fear annexation of their community might squelch the independent, volunteer-like nature of their community.
