City Manager

Asst. City Administrator Bill Workman may soon be leaving Huntington Beach for northern shores. On Nov. 30, the City Council of Redondo Beach is expected to appoint Workman as its new city manager, a position similar to city administrator, Redondo Beach's Mayor Pro Tem Chris Cagle said. Workman was selected by Redondo Beach after a four-month search to replace retired former City Manager Lou Garcia. He will oversee 500 employees. "I've made a lot of wonderful friends here and I'm sad that I won't be able to see them on a daily basis," Workman said.

Council members voted 4-3 on Monday to consider altering the schedule set for increasing developer impact fees. Instead of phasing in an increase of the one-time fee over three years, council members are considering shortening the period to two years and four months. Mayor Connie Boardman initially asked the council to charge 100 percent of the impact fee to developers, but agreed to Councilman Jim Katapodis' compromise of changing the fee schedule. Chamber of Commerce President Jerry Wheeler has approached the City Council for the past two meetings and asked them to not change a fee schedule he and business owners have fought for. "You made a deal and now you're changing it," he said.

It had been almost three years this month since the Huntington Beach Police Department hired a new officer. Officer Thomas Engle turned the tide Sept. 6 when he was sworn in by Chief Ken Small, Mayor Joe Carchio and City Manager Fred Wilson. His hiring was the first of more to come and is in anticipation of a few planned retirements, said Lt. Russell Reinhart. Small was given the go-ahead to hire two more officers, and the department plans to ask to hire more officers by the end of the year, Reinhart said.

Huntington Beach officials are working with the cities of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach to come up with ways to connect city and county parks that surround the Santa Ana River through common trails and signage. Once completed, the three cities’ parks and some county park land would extend for 1,000 acres in what will be called the Orange Coast River Park, said Tom Hatch, Costa Mesa assistant city manager. The Friends of Harbors, Beaches and Parks, a nonprofit organization aimed at preserving and beautifying beaches, parks and open space in the county, has formed a river park subcommittee.

NEW CITY ADIMINSTRATOR The City Council approved the appointment of Penelope Culbreth-Graft as Surf City's new city administrator. WHAT IT MEANS: Culbreth-Graft is Huntington Beach's first female city administrator. She comes from a position as assistant city administrator in the city of Riverside, where she has been since February, 2003. For three years before that Culbreth-Graft was the tribal government manager for the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians in San Diego County.

Flea market planned to help victims of Bluebird landslide Village Laguna will host a flea market from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, October 15 to raise funds for the Bluebird Canyon slide victims. All proceeds will be donated to the nonprofit Laguna Resource and Relief Center, which has been collecting funds for Bluebird residents affected by the slide. The flea market will be held in the parking lot of the Neighborhood Congregational Church on Glenneyre Street at St. Ann's (opposite the Women's Club)

Angelique Flores One of Huntington Beach's foremost programs to help kids stay away from drugs and alcohol is in danger of folding. The Drug Abuse and Resistance Education (DARE) program may be among the $7 million in cuts needed to balance the city's budget. "I hate to see the DARE program go away," said Sarah Battis, a parent at St. Bonaventure School. However, the city has asked all departments to reduce spending by 5%, said spokesman Rich Barnard.

Torus Tammer FOUNTAIN VALLEY -- The City Council will take its first official steps to replace former Councilman Chuck Conlosh by placing two options on the agenda at next week's meeting. City Manager Ray Kromer said the council will review the two choices -- either by holding a special election or by having a special appointment. "The council will take a course of action at the [Tuesday] meeting by choosing one of those options," Kromer said.

o7Text of Stacey Murphy's resignation letter to City Manager Mary Alvord. f7 Dear Mary: It is with a heavy heart I send this letter to you. This letter shall serve as my resignation from my position as a City Council member of the city of Burbank. This is not an easy decision for me personally, however, for the best interests of our city, and my children, it is the right thing to do. Our council has many important issues facing it at this time.

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.