Annexation

The countdown has begun! There are only two weeks until Newport Beach begins to celebrate its 100th birthday with the "Let's Do Launch" beach party featuring the Beach Boys. The celebration will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 2 at the Newport Dunes. Don't be left out. Call the city at (949) 718-1856 or go online today at o7www.newportbeach100.com/beachboysticketsf7. Just $15 a ticket will guarantee you a day of friends, fun and celebration. Another happening in Newport Beach will be a special meeting of the Santa Ana Heights PAC at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Muth Interpretative Center.

The Sunset Beach Community Assn. filed a notice of intent to petition with the Orange County Local Agency Formation Committee — the first step in becoming an incorporated city — Aug. 18. The action comes after the association held a meeting to discuss its options after Seal Beach decided to end all discussion of annexing Sunset Beach. The Orange County Local Agency Formation Committee put the community under Huntington Beach’s sphere of influence July 8, opening the small community up to the possibility of annexation.

The Year of our Lord 2006 was so busy for me, perhaps the busiest of my life. With fundraising, running a campaign, assisting a successor, transitioning out of one job and into another, hiring a new staff, being sworn in and hitting the ground running — 2006 was packed! I have had many successes in 2006:   A hugely successful race for Orange County Supervisor garnering nearly 70% of the vote.     Assisted in a succession plan to ensure that the Treasurer-Tax Collector's office will be properly taken care of.     Hired an excellent staff to assist me in my new role as a County Supervisor.

Emotions ran high as the Huntington Beach City Council voted late Monday to annex neighboring Sunset Beach over the cries of residents who tried to block the decision in hopes of keeping the funky, unincorporated beach town independent. The council voted 5 to 2 to direct city administrators to complete an application with the Orange County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) to acquire Sunset Beach, the city's northern neighbor along Pacific Coast Highway. Mayor Cathy Green and Mayor Pro Tem Jill Hardy dissented.

Huntington Beach's annexation of Sunset Beach is on hold until the Orange County Superior Court makes a final hearing, the court decided Wednesday. Judge Frederick P. Horn set a hearing date for March 2 during proceedings for a lawsuit filed by the Citizen's Assn. of Sunset Beach. "We're very pleased to have the court's ear, and we're looking forward to presenting the arguments for the various briefs," said association President Jack Markovitz. "It certainly would have destroyed morale in the community to have [the annexation]

The Huntington Beach City Council plans to vote July 19 on whether to apply to annex Sunset Beach, the unincorporated seaside community to its north. At a study session Monday, the council opted to wait a month and a half before voting so the Orange County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) could consider a pair of consultants' reports on the economic feasibility of annexing the area. A city-commissioned report by Ralph Andersen & Associates declared that Huntington could make as much as $624,000 annually if it annexed Sunset, while a report from Willdan Financial Services, ordered by the Sunset Beach Community Assn.

Sunset Beach is now officially part of Huntington Beach, a spokesman for a county commission said Monday. Benjamin Legbandt, a policy analyst for the Orange County Local Agency Formation Commission, said his group had filed paperwork with the county earlier in the day. The state will have to approve the paperwork as well, but Legbandt called that an administrative formality and said the annexation can be considered complete. Orange County Superior Court Judge Frederick P. Horn ruled Thursday against the petition by the Citizen's Assn.

Sunset Beach recently became a part of Huntington Beach. As supervisor for the 2nd District, which includes Sunset Beach, and as chairman of the Orange County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), which governs the annexation of territory to cities, I have long supported annexation. I knew that in the long-term, the county would not be able to afford to provide the level of municipal services Sunset Beach residents enjoy. This process was controversial. Sunset Beach residents have a long history of independence and a passionate desire to protect the charm and character of their coastal community of nearly 1,000.

The Huntington Beach City Council gave city staff the green light Monday to update its report on the possible annexation of the remaining portions of the Bolsa Chica Wetlands and uplands. In a 5-1 vote, with Councilman Dave Sullivan dissenting and Councilman Jim Katapodis absent, the city agreed to spend around $5,000 to update the study. "We have a huge pension problem over our head. The magnitude is going to be massive," Sullivan said. "We cannot afford to take this on. It's protected by government agencies.