Santa Monica

Jenny Marder Huntington Beach Police Chief Kenneth Small has surrendered the fight for an ordinance decried by many as unconstitutional in the wake of harsh criticism from residents. The ordinance, which passed a first reading Jan. 16, would have prohibited certain materials such as metal poles, PVC pipes and hard plastic from being used in demonstrations. The proposal would have given officers the tools to respond to violent situations at rallies, Small said.

Imagine a Downtown free of traffic and gas fumes. This could be Downtown Huntington Beach if a proposal to transform the first three blocks of Main Street into a pedestrian promenade passes the City Council early next month. City Council members Dave Sullivan and Pam Julien Houchen will ask the board to approve closing the first three blocks of Downtown on a trial basis at the council's May 3 meeting. Sullivan thinks the action would be "hugely popular" with residents and Downtown businesses.

I had a nice surprise recently in the mail from Frederik Bos of Victorville, a former resident of Huntington Beach. Enclosed with a letter on how much he enjoyed reading about our city's history was a postcard of Huntington Beach dated Sept. 26, 1905. Thank you so much for this piece of early Huntington Beach history. I will treasure it always. This week we are going to look at a former member of our City Council who served from 1940 to 1948. In his campaign of 1944 he said of himself "It is for the best interests of our city, to keep on the job a man who has proven his ability."

JERRY PERSON "Huntington Beach has expanded its boundaries nearly as far as it can. We have the property we needed for industrial and residential growth. What we need now is a sewer system to service the area. Huntington Beach is really going to boom in the next few years." These were the words spoken by former Huntington Beach Mayor Earl Irby, a building contractor, Irby 45 years ago. But these same words could apply to what is happening to our city today.

DANETTE GOULET A couple weeks ago I was Downtown eating lunch at the new Irish place, Killarney's. We were in the outside eating area because it was a gorgeous day -- the sun was shining, but a light breeze kept it cool. But nothing spoils a great meal in the sunshine like car exhaust, thumping, competing bass from stereos and the braggart revving of motorcycle engines. Those things all have their place, but it shouldn't be Main Street Downtown.

This week we'll look at a former principal of Huntington Beach High School -- Raymond M. Elliott. Elliott's family tree goes back to Fort William Henry Harrison in Indiana, where Elliott's grandfather ran the trading post. When the town of Terre Haute, Ind., was established, his grandfather became its first city clerk. Elliott's father worked as a train dispatcher for the railroad, which required the family to relocate quite often. The family moved to Pasadena and then to Los Angeles, Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco and to Berkeley.

Jack Schneider When Chandra Gurung came to the United States, she was 26 years old, and had a mere $300 in her pocket and a suitcase full of clothes. Today, 12 years later, she is the owner of Chandra's Hair Salon, on Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach. Now 38, Gurung has been a Fountain Valley resident for three years. Before that, she lived in Huntington Beach for five years. Gurung's life has been a journey different from that of most. Her struggle began before she was even born with her parents having to endure a life as Tibetan refugees.

Two touchdowns and a field goal are often not enough to win a quarter in community college football. So it's not surprising that averaging 16.7 points per game last season netted Orange Coast College just two wins in 10 games. The Pirates' offense produced a pedestrian 22 touchdowns last fall, which was up from just 16 in a 4-6 campaign in 2003. But it still wasn't enough to keep Coach Mike Taylor's squad from failing to record its second winning season in the last 11. Taylor, understandably, cites scoring points as a premium this season, though a defense stocked with returners, including three named All-Mission Conference American Division in 2004, should help limit opponents' scoring.

The following information is collected at the Orange County Clerk Recorder's office in Santa Ana. Births are reported from Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center. MARRIAGES FOUNTAIN VALLEY Michael T. Bui and Thuy H. Pham, Nov. 26 in Garden Grove Russell Eugene Crew and Mary Irene Bolin, Jan. 5 in Santa Ana Jessie Son Le and Thuy-Vy Hoang Nguyen, Jan. 7 in Fountain Valley Kevin Zhen Tse and Vyen Tuonganh Nguyen, Jan. 7 in Santa Ana John Philip Arnold and Marta Serrano Fallas, Jan. 8 in Westminster Steven Chiem and Kathy Thuy Do, Jan. 8 in Fountain Valley Anbinh Quoc Duong and Elizabeth Frutos, Jan. 8 in Anaheim Hao Cong Tran and Anh Nguyen Thi Tran, Jan. 8 in Stanton Chadwick Louis Gatz and Pei-Shan Sandra, Jan. 12 in Santa Ana Sang Hoang Nguyen and Kim-Lan Thi, Jan. 12 in Santa Ana Henry John Hammond Jr. and Pemath Latha Hewage, Jan. 15 in Fountain Valley David Huy Nguyen and Thanh Hoang Nguyen, Jan. 15 in Norwalk Yung Hsi Joseph Wen and Sheila Hsiu Chen Tai, Jan 15 in Santa Monica Edward Lee Baugh II and Jane Wanjiru Mwangi, Jan. 18 in Santa Ana Keith Lawrence Allred and Lorena Pineda Ybarra, Jan. 22 in Newport Beach HUNTINGTON BEACH Joerg H. Doerper and Martina L. Flodin, Nov. 23 in Santa Ana Barry W. Bross and Lindie Hatting, Nov. 23 in Santa Ana John J. Campbell Jr. and Jennifer S. Bemis,...