Huntington State Beach

For some, living near the beach in Orange County is a priceless luxury. But actually going to the beach — by car, anyway — is about to get a little pricier. The California Dept. of Parks and Recreation announced this month that annual vehicle passes at state parks will increase from $125 to $195. Among the locations affected are six in Orange County: Crystal Cove State Park and Bolsa Chica, Huntington, Corona del Mar, San Clemente and Doheny state beaches. The department announced April 12 that it would raise the price of several annual passes, including those for vehicle use, on May 1. The cost for single-day use and camping fees will remain the same in most areas, although some regional superintendents may adjust fees for specific parks, spokesman Roy Stearns said.

Orange County health officials closed 1,000 feet of coastline in Huntington State Beach on Sunday due to possible contamination. On its website, the Orange County Health Care Agency said the beach was closed near Magnolia Street in Huntington Beach because of the possible presence of “disinfected treated wastewater.” The closure prohibited swimming, surfing and diving. Scott Styles, a supervisor at the park, said health officials were planning to test the water again Sunday evening.

Police on Tuesday released the identity of a 30-year-old La Habra woman found dead this week at Huntington State Beach. Myphoung Tran's body was discovered early Monday morning. Her identity was initially withheld, pending family notification. The coroner determined that Tran had drowned, said Huntington Beach police Lt. Russell Reinhart. "There's no indication of anything criminal," Reinhart said. "It could possibly be self-inflicted, but we haven't determined that yet. " Huntington Beach police and the county coroner are working together to determine whether Tran committed suicide, Reinhart said.

Paul Clinton The Orange County Health Care Agency has posted health warnings on an often troubled stretch of Huntington State Beach. The agency planted warnings signs in the sand 500 feet in either direction of Brookhurst Street. The area, which is near the Santa Ana River mouth, is a hot spot for beach postings. Ocean water lapping onto the beach also flows above the Orange County Sanitation District's sewage outfall pipe. The beach also lies near several channels that have been known to carry polluted urban runoff into the ocean.

Environmental health officials have closed a number of areas along Orange County’s coastline, including a portion of Huntington State Beach, due to a sewage spill. The closure includes 500 feet north and south of Magnolia Street. The spill was caused by a line break at a private vessel pump-out station, according to a news release from the Orange County Health Care Agency. The size of the spill has not yet been determined, officials said. Other beach closures include areas of Newport Harbor, all of Dana Point Harbor, Capistrano Beach, Capistrano Bay District and parts of San Clemente to the south.

A helicopter made an emergency landing in the parking lot of Huntington State Beach on Monday morning after the pilot noticed smoke coming out of its electrical equipment. No one was hurt in the landing, authorities said. The Huntington Beach Fire Department responded to the emergency landing at Pacific Coast Highway and Magnolia Street after receiving a call from John Wayne Airport about it, said Deputy Fire Marshal Bob Culhane. Culhane originally said there was only the pilot in the helicopter but later said there were two people on board.

Bryce Alderton The combination of less parking spaces at other area beaches along with a lower fee at Huntington State Beach made the summer of 2001 more crowded at Huntington State Beach than last year. Huntington State Beach Lifeguard Supervisor Joe Milligan attributed the increased attendance to the decreased parking fee, which dropped from $6 to $3 a day and the loss of about half the parking spaces at Bolsa Chica State Beach and the closure of Huntington Beach City Beach lots.

The Heal the Bay conservation group had some good news for us in its annual Beach Report Card on coastal water quality. Huntington Beach, like its counterparts elsewhere in Orange County, racked up good grades in the report and avoided the dreaded "Beach Bummers" list of the 10 worst beaches in California. Seven of those were in Los Angeles County. Most of the city's beaches nearly scored straight A's. This is great news, because it means when you swim in the ocean or hit the surf, you can do so with a great deal more confidence.

The former Edison High football star and state beach lifeguard is killed in forklift accident.The south side had lost one of its guardians. Former state lifeguard Ronald Allen Tassin died last week in a forklift accident at his Stonecenter business in Santa Ana. He was 43 years old. Born in Inglewood, Tassin grew up in Huntington Beach and was a well-known high school athlete. He was a starting wide receiver for the 1979 CIF Champion Edison Chargers and a member of the USA Lifeguard National Team.

On a breezy Saturday morning in the parking lot of Huntington State Beach, Jesus Trujillo was involved in some last-minute preparations before participating in the Huntington Beach triathlon and 5K. The 23-year-old from Rowland Heights had half of his wetsuit on as he used a pump to inflate his bicycle tires before the "Surf City Sprint" started. "I've always wanted to do a triathlon. I've been wanting to do it for years," Trujillo said. "Then one day I was in a bike ride down in Long Beach and saw their poster.

Orange County health officials closed 1,000 feet of coastline in Huntington State Beach on Sunday due to possible contamination. On its website, the Orange County Health Care Agency said the beach was closed near Magnolia Street in Huntington Beach because of the possible presence of “disinfected treated wastewater.” The closure prohibited swimming, surfing and diving. Scott Styles, a supervisor at the park, said health officials were planning to test the water again Sunday evening.

THURSDAY Multi-Chamber Mixer Old World Village hosts its fourth annual Multi Chamber Business Mixer at 7561 Center Ave., Huntington Beach. Representatives from local businesses and chambers of commerce will be in attendance from 5 to 7 p.m. Admission is free; $50 to reserve a table. For more information, call (714) 895-8020. TILL AUG. 4 Bulgarian Artist "Tomorrow Belongs to Me," an exhibit by Bulgarian artist Milko Pavlov, runs at OMC Gallery for Contemporary Art, Old World Village, 7561 Center Ave., Unit 32, Huntington Beach.

For some, living near the beach in Orange County is a priceless luxury. But actually going to the beach — by car, anyway — is about to get a little pricier. The California Dept. of Parks and Recreation announced this month that annual vehicle passes at state parks will increase from $125 to $195. Among the locations affected are six in Orange County: Crystal Cove State Park and Bolsa Chica, Huntington, Corona del Mar, San Clemente and Doheny state beaches. The department announced April 12 that it would raise the price of several annual passes, including those for vehicle use, on May 1. The cost for single-day use and camping fees will remain the same in most areas, although some regional superintendents may adjust fees for specific parks, spokesman Roy Stearns said.

A helicopter made an emergency landing in the parking lot of Huntington State Beach on Monday morning after the pilot noticed smoke coming out of its electrical equipment. No one was hurt in the landing, authorities said. The Huntington Beach Fire Department responded to the emergency landing at Pacific Coast Highway and Magnolia Street after receiving a call from John Wayne Airport about it, said Deputy Fire Marshal Bob Culhane. Culhane originally said there was only the pilot in the helicopter but later said there were two people on board.

Police on Tuesday released the identity of a 30-year-old La Habra woman found dead this week at Huntington State Beach. Myphoung Tran's body was discovered early Monday morning. Her identity was initially withheld, pending family notification. The coroner determined that Tran had drowned, said Huntington Beach police Lt. Russell Reinhart. "There's no indication of anything criminal," Reinhart said. "It could possibly be self-inflicted, but we haven't determined that yet. " Huntington Beach police and the county coroner are working together to determine whether Tran committed suicide, Reinhart said.

A proposal to ban registered sex offenders from municipal beaches and parks in Huntington Beach would violate Constitutional protections by restricting the right to be in public places, the founding dean of the UC Irvine School of Law said. "A city can't say, 'Go to some other city' because other cities will do it and then there will be no place to go," said UCI's Erwin Chemerinsky, one of the nation's foremost constitutional scholars. The Huntington Beach City Council directed its city attorney Monday to draft an ordinance that would bar registered sex offenders from city parks and beaches; the city has no jurisdiction over Huntington State Beach.

The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center is challenging residents Saturday to walk for wildlife. The center is hosting its first 5K walk/run on the sand at Huntington State Beach to raise money for the care and rehabilitation of its wildlife charges. The center helps more than 3,450 birds and animals annually. Registration and check-in is from 8 to 9 a.m., with stretching and warm-ups from 9 to 9:30 a.m. The walk/run lasts from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Participants will need to pay $15 to park at the state beach, just north of the wetlands jetty near Brookhurst Street.

Issei Tanabe of Huntington Beach finished second at the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships at the PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Sunday. The 11-year-old and Tian Lang Guan of China were tied with a three-day 215 at the end of the third and final round. Guan won the boys' 10-11 division after surviving five sudden-death playoff holes. Hundreds of junior golfers, ages 10 to 18 from 43 states and 34 nations, competed at the annual tournament.