Sunset 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.

Recent comments in the Independent by Jack Markovitz of the Citizen's Assn. of Sunset Beach give the impression that most of the residents of Sunset Beach are opposed to being annexed by Huntington Beach ( "Sunset annexation hearing postponed," March 3). Let me point out some important facts. What are the motivations of those opposing annexation? 1. Economic: Many property owners rent out their properties on a weekly basis, especially in the summer. Very often, the renters invite their friends to large parties right next to homes inhabited by families with children.

The county approved a resolution Tuesday transferring about $550,000 in taxes to Huntington Beach in preparation of annexation, officials said. The county passed a property tax exchange with Huntington Beach that gives the city the majority of the 1% property tax levied on the small beach community and 100% of a fire and library tax. The city will take possession of the funds, which are estimated to be $10,000 more than Huntington Beach originally...

A Long Beach man was sentenced Monday to life in prison for the 1988 stabbing of a Sunset Beach man to death before setting him and his apartment on fire. Paul Gentile Smith, 50, was sentenced to life in state prison without the possibility of parole for the torture and murder of his high school friend Robert Haugen, 29, at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana. A jury found Smith guilty Nov. 2 of special circumstances murder with torture and a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a deadly weapon.

A political watchdog group has joined forces with the Citizen's Assn. of Sunset Beach in its appeal of a recent court decision regarding the community's annexation to Huntington Beach. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn., which formed in 1978 to defend taxpayers' rights, plans to prepare the briefs and oral arguments for the association's appeal of Orange County Superior Court Judge Frederick P. Horn's August decision to allow Huntington to annex the neighboring seaside community.

The opponents of new taxes in Sunset Beach are seeking another day in court, and they have the Tea Party behind them. Not the Tea Party from 2010. The one from 1773. Attorneys for the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation, which is backing the Citizen's Assn. of Sunset Beach, have called for a rehearing of the appellate court's decision that upheld the new taxes Sunset residents have to pay after being annexed by Huntington Beach. The petition filed Oct. 22 starts with a historical reminder of the perils of taxation without representation, which some Sunset residents feel is now the case for them.

Torus Tammer The Orange County Sheriff's Department has stepped up to the plate and responded to the safety concerns of residents in Sunset Beach. The beach town has, in the past, rarely needed an intense police presence, but many residents changed their minds about that when a group of children found a small paper envelope containing what may have been methamphetamine while they were playing outside about six months ago. Robbie Faris took the role as spokesman for 20 households that united out of mutual concern for the community's safety.

The Orange County district attorney's office is looking for additional potential victims of a Sunset Beach masseur accused of sexually assaulting three women while working at Massage Envy in Seal Beach. Jason Michael Elliott, 28, is charged with three felony counts of assault with the intent to commit a sexual offense. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of eight years and eight months in state prison. Elliott, whose pre-trial hearing was scheduled Friday, is out on $100,000 bail, according to the district attorney's office.

I want to express my gratitude for your article about the church I have attended for the past six years or so — Calvary Chapel of the Harbour (“Prayers for home,” Dec. 3). I was not “looking” for a new church, but as I live in the Harbour, I came across Pastor Joe Pedick’s small church. I have been blessed in so many ways by the family of God who meet there faithfully to honor God and support each other and the community at large. What a blessing to have them in the neighborhood!

A woman was fatally struck by a car while walking across Pacific Coast Highway in Sunset Beach on Thursday night. According to dispatcher Beth Smith of the California Highway Patrol, the woman was in a crosswalk when the vehicle struck her at about 9:20 p.m. at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Coral Cay Lane. The incident is being investigated by the highway patrol and not the Huntington Beach Police Department, since the collision occurred in county-owned Sunset Beach just over the city line.

From a distance, they appear to be expressionist paintings of musicians and marine life. But upon closer inspection, light reflects off the dual-pane window and exposes a crisp image - looking as if it were a print on glossy paper. Huntington Beach artist Joshua Serafin's oil paintings on recycled glass, along with canvas-based work, will be featured in the upcoming Sunset Beach Art Festival. Serafin, along with almost 200 other artists, will showcase his art pieces along the Sunset Beach green belt from 6th Street to Broadway (14th Street)

The Sunset Beach Business Assn. is holding its first Restaurant Week now through Sunday. The event, themed "Sea You at Sunset Beach," is designed to promote Sunset Beach as a tourist destination and to turn it into an annual draw. Restaurants and businesses have been encouraged to offer dining, hotel and merchandise specials throughout the week. For information about participating restaurants, visit sunsetbeachbiz.info/Restaurant_Week.php . J. King Neptune's Restaurant is headquarters for Sunset Beach Restaurant Week, and the Sunset Beach Business Association  will hold a Restaurant Week Mixer at Neptune's from 5 to 7 p.m. on Saturday.

Concern America is holding its 16th annual Walk Out of Poverty on Saturday in Fountain Valley. The five-mile walk-a-thon is designed to raise funds for projects in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Colombia and Mozambique. Concern America trains people to provide their own health care, start cooperative businesses and build potable water systems along with other technology projects to improve the lives of people in rural, materially impoverished communities, according to a news release.

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.

The Sunset Beach Junior Lifeguard program can keep catching waves along the shore, as long as they're headed out of town. The group has taught youngsters the basics of lifesaving for more than 20 years but now neighbors and the Sunset Beach Community Assn. are saying it's time for the program to move along. During the process of annexation to Huntington Beach in 2010, the Sunset Beach Community Assn. asked the city to discontinue the program. The two groups agreed to a written agreement that stated the city "shall not enter into an [sic]

The opponents of new taxes in Sunset Beach are seeking another day in court, and they have the Tea Party behind them. Not the Tea Party from 2010. The one from 1773. Attorneys for the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation, which is backing the Citizen's Assn. of Sunset Beach, have called for a rehearing of the appellate court's decision that upheld the new taxes Sunset residents have to pay after being annexed by Huntington Beach. The petition filed Oct. 22 starts with a historical reminder of the perils of taxation without representation, which some Sunset residents feel is now the case for them.

Motorists heading to the upcoming 45th annual Sunset Beach Art Festival should spot the post office. The local landmark at 16885 Pacific Coast Hwy. is a block from the site of the festival, which will happen during the Mother's Day weekend. Out-of-towners heading into Sunset Beach nowadays can no longer miss the little yellow building; they'll be able to use a set of murals recently painted on its outer walls as markers. "I'm so excited," said Postmaster Corinne Brubaker, the postal worker who was the force behind the mural project.

While the contention goes on over Sunset Beach's recent annexation by Huntington Beach, Pat Thies is busy living in the past. Just as she does for a few months every year. Thies, who frequently visited Sunset throughout her life and moved there a decade ago, created a calendar in 2004 to celebrate the seaside community's 100th anniversary. The calendar, which residents used the following year, provided a pictorial history of Sunset, with "then" and "now" photos showing sites around town alongside their past incarnations.

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.

Stacy Londo can see the annexation of Sunset Beach through two sets of eyes. One is that of a concerned resident who wants to preserve the pace of life in her tranquil seaside neighborhood. The other is a child's. Londo, who has lived in Sunset for 13 years, shares some of her neighbors' wariness about the area's August annexation by Huntington Beach. Like them, she worries that the long-unincorporated strip of Orange County will lose its offbeat vibe, and that the city may implement parking meters and other changes.