Surf City

The resurgence of roller derby occurred nearly eight years ago, but the sport and the Orange County Roller Girls league is still growing. Since its inception in 2006, the Roller Girls dreamed of finding a track they could call home. Now, the Huntington Beach-based nonprofit's dream has become a reality. The league is leasing a new building in Santa Ana that will house their new banked track. The Roller Girls recently signed a lease for a building at South Main Street and St. Andrew Place that will accommodate their track, the OC Roller Skates retail store and the league's administrative offices - in essence, a hub for all things Roller Girls.

On an afternoon last week, Gary Sahagen played a role that he had watched many others play during his decade at the International Surfing Museum. The role of visitor. Sahagen, who joined the museum as a trustee in 2001, stepped down in January from his post as director-at-large. Before agreeing to meet at his former grounds for an interview and photo shoot, he admitted that walking through the front door might be bittersweet. But as he led an impromptu tour around the shelves and displays, Sahagen seemed like the man in charge, even if he wasn't any longer.

Planning Commissioner Barbara Delgleize has entered the race for Huntington Beach City Council, bringing the field of candidates to six. Delgleize finished a close fifth in the last council race, when 21 candidates ran for four open seats. She garnered 414 fewer votes than Joe Shaw, who was elected to the dais. "I was too close not to try again," said Delgleize, who added that she was "very passionate about wanting the city to work. " Assistant City Clerk Robin Lugar said Delgleize filed her paperwork with the city March 7. A Realtor with an office in Surf City, Delgleize was appointed to the Planning Commission in January 2009.

Members from the Occupy Orange County movement told the Huntington Beach City Council on Monday that they're considering Surf City for their next stop. Three Occupy members spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting, saying they would like to work with the city and police to set up camp in Huntington Beach for the betterment of the city. One of the three speakers was 20-year-old Huntington Beach resident Jacob Zerba, who said he's invested a lot of his time in Occupy.

Manly, Australia, has embraced its feminine side. The coastal suburb of Sydney may have a testosterone-heavy name. But the popular surfing destination signed on Thursday as Huntington Beach's new - if unofficial - sister city. Representatives from Huntington and Manly signed an official memorandum of understanding at a ceremony during the first Australian Open of Surfing, a weeklong event taking place through Sunday at Manly. Chris Cole, the specific events coordinator for Huntington's Community Service Department, made the flight to represent Surf City.

Sunday's forecast calls for a series of substantial waves to surge down Pacific Coast Highway near the Huntington Beach Pier. The first swell is expected to hit the fabled coastline at 6:30 a.m. and successive swells are to follow over the next hour and a half. But not to worry: The incremental swells are made up of a sea of humanity. Twenty thousand runners are signed up to participate in the 2012 Surf City USA Marathon, known as the largest combined oceanfront marathon and half-marathon event in the state, according to General Manager Amy Tomchak.

Huntington Beach's top newsmaker of 2011 wasn't a person or an organization, but rather a controlled substance. Throughout the year, the Independent's front page featured more drinks than a typical bachelor party. Statistics showed Huntington at the top of California cities its size in alcohol-related car accidents. State officials investigated a popular restaurant that had been tied to a large number of DUIs. Residents incited a hearing on whether downtown could have one more liquor-serving license.

Amid ongoing concern about drinking problems in Huntington Beach, a group of restaurant owners has banded together to form a nonprofit to lead classes in how to serve alcohol responsibly. Marco Perry, general manager of the Shorebreak Hotel, announced last week the formation of the Surf City Food and Beverage Marketing Assn., which would train bar and restaurant employees to identify customers who have had too much to drink and explain the legal consequences of serving intoxicated patrons.

Huntington Beach has found a way to be green and, well, generate some green. The city has partnered with Greener Corners and Rainbow Environmental Services Inc. to install up to 150 recycling bins in downtown, near the beach, parks and other areas citywide. The bins will mainly target the estimated 16 million visitors who come to Surf City on an annual basis. The bins will carry advertisements. "This is going to be exciting for us," said Mayor Joe Carchio. "We'll be able to keep the city cleaner and dispose of the recycling and hopefully make some money on it. " A ceremony was held Wednesday at the entrance of the Huntington Beach Pier to formally announce and promote the partnership.

Last time we checked in with him, Brett Simpson — "Simpo" to his friends — was leaving the water on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier with his head down. It was his first heat of the U.S. Open of Surfing in August and he was trying to defend the title he had won twice in a row, pulling in a cool $100,000 with each win. But Simpson was one-and-done, eliminated from the competition, forced to get over it and move forward. It's been a crazy year for the Huntington native, with highs and lows and not much middle ground.