Oil Spill

As the horrific environmental disaster in the Gulf continues to destroy the precious wildlife and threaten the livelihood of generations of seafood fisherman, it is impossible not to empathize with the longtime residents. The fallout will ultimately affect the next generation of fishermen and the legacy they hold so dear. Huntington Beach is a city rich in legacy and tradition, much like our beachfront neighbors in the Gulf. We should all take a moment to embrace these treasures, count our blessings and not take them for granted.

Kenneth Ma HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Despite facing 33 felony counts of dumping dredge or compost into a portion of the Bolsa Chica wetlands, former Councilman John A. Thomas said he believes he has a good chance of winning a City Council seat in the November election because of his experience both as a politician and a businessman. I will "represent the public at-large, and I am there for the people, not special interest groups," said Thomas, who served on the council from 1978 to 1986.

We as a people care for animals. When birds were injured in the big oil spill off the coast of Huntington Beach in 1990, people turned out in droves to help. When the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center had to close this summer because it couldn't afford to pave its parking lot, so many people pitched in that the care center was able to reopen within a week. The people in this city care so deeply for their animals that Huntington Beach has an off-leash dog park, a dog beach and even a restaurant that caters to dogs.

Kenneth Ma HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Renovations on a busy section of Huntington City Beach have been delayed until late November because of changes made to the plans. The $6.5-million renovation project, dubbed South Beach Phase I, was originally scheduled to begin after Labor Day, with a completion date of summer 2001, said Ron Hagan, the city's community services director. But modifications to the plan will push the start back two months, with a completion date revised to fall 2001.

Kenneth Ma HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Former Councilman John Alfred Thomas has been charged by the Orange County district attorney's office with 33 felony counts of dumping dredge or compost into a portion of the Bolsa Chica wetlands, considered to be national waters. "This is egregious because he has destroyed a portion of the most environmentally sensitive ecosystem in the country," said Deputy Dist. Atty. Scott Zidbeck. "Of all the wetlands in the state, only 5% remain -- of which Bolsa Chica is one."

VIC LEIPZIG AND LOU MURRAY Recent weeks have brought two important and positive steps for the environment of south Huntington Beach. First, the lawsuit brought years ago by Mills Land and Water Company against the city of Huntington Beach has finally been settled. The settlement will insure protection of the vast majority of the wetlands that lie between Beach Boulevard and Newland Street. Back in 1901, the Mills Land and Water Co. bought 250 acres of oceanfront property with the intention of being able to develop it some day. Oceanfront property should have been a safe investment.

Community colleges are bracing for an arrival of would-be UC and California State students despite Democrats' vows in Sacramento last week to fight Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to redirect students to junior colleges first. Under Schwarzenegger's proposed budget, the UC and California State systems must turn away nearly 10,000 eligible freshmen, but can offer them guaranteed admission after completing required courses at a California community college.

In a world of birdbrains, crows stand out as geniuses. They can count to three, they show reasoning ability and they are highly adaptable. Their intelligence is what makes them so successful as a species and what makes them such a nuisance. Crows form huge flocks that harass, peck and divebomb sleeping owls and resting hawks. This characteristic is probably why a group of these birds is called a murder of crows. Crows will eat nearly anything, including eggs and baby birds of other species, road kill and garbage.

VIC LEIPZIG AND LOU MURRAY If you've been to the beach at night in the last couple of months, you probably saw it. Bright flashes of light illuminated each crashing wave in a rolling neon cascade. Moonlit waves sparkled and flashed with a glowing green bioluminescence. And if you stomped on the wet sand, green lightning bolts shot out from your feet. But by day, a band of brownish red stretched hundreds of feet offshore, turning the normally white waves brown and sending ugly piles of frothy protein scum blowing across the sand.

A state coastal protection agency has handed the city $2 million to help fund the final stage of a 10-year effort to improve South Beach. City officials are chipping in $9.5 million in matching funds for the project. The California Coastal Conservancy awarded the grant Jan. 23. "The world class beaches of Huntington Beach attract some 11 million people a year," Coastal Conservancy Chairman Paul Morabito said. Conservancy board members tapped in to clean-water measure Proposition 40, which was passed by state voters in March, for the funds.