FORECAST 2001

Huntington Beach city officials and police officers should come to

terms over salary negotiations which have gone on since June.

The Huntington Beach Police Officers’ Assn. claim that low wages --

the second lowest in the county -- have hurt recruitment and retainment

of qualified officers and reached a stalemate with city officials in

September. Both sides agreed to bring in state mediator David Hart in

October to go over their respective arguments, but have since met on

their own hoping to reach an agreement.

City officials have offered a three-year contract to the police union,

sporting a 10.47% wage increase the first year, with 3% and 5% increases

the following two. Police union officials responded with a counter offer

on Dec. 11, but said they have yet to receive a response.

Huntington Beach police officers have been working without a contract

since Sept. 30, when their previous labor agreement expired.

-- TARIQ MALIK

Bond issue possible for Surf City schools

The Huntington Beach City School District will likely call for a bond

election this year.

To continue work on the district’s aging buildings, officials have

spent the past year discussing whether to put a bond on the ballot.

The bond would cost taxpayers $13.05 a year per $100,000 of assessed

value of a home. Property taxpayers would pay the extra money for 30

years.

The district needs about $56 million worth of repairs and upgrades at

itsschools, officials estimate. The district is eligible for $21 million

in state money, but it must match it with $4.2 million of its own money

to get it, officials said.

“I’ll continue to recommend to the board that we need to do this,”

Supt. Duane Dishno said. “It’s the only way -- in conjunction with other

things -- that we can do this.”

Dishno said this summer he is confident the board members support a

bond measure.

A telephone survey in June showed strong voter support for a bond.

More than 70% of the respondents indicated they would support a hike in

property taxes to finance a school bond.

“[The survey results are] extremely positive,” said Jerry Buchanan,

assistant superintendent of administrative services. “This means that the

district board could pass a bond issue.”

The passage of Proposition 39 could also make it easier. With this

initiative, districts may opt to garner 55% of the vote --with certain

restrictions-- rather than a two-thirds vote in regards to bond issues.

With strong backing from voters and the ability to lower the threshold,

city officials will probably put the bond on the ballot this year.

The district is waiting for results from a recent phone survey.

Officials expect more evidence of strong support.

-- ANGELIQUE FLORES

District may unify Fountain Valley schools

A unified Fountain Valley School District is looking promising next

year. With support from the residents as well as city officials, the

board will likely move forward in March for unification with Huntington

Beach Union High School District, taking in Fountain Valley and Valley

Vista high schools.

Trustees aren’t looking favorably upon unifying the school district

along city boundaries after reviewing its possible effect on the

community. Such a move would absorb all schools in the city, some of

which now belong to Huntington Beach Union High, Ocean View and Garden

Grove Unified school districts.

Fountain Valley School District’s Huntington Beach-based schools would

be pushed out to another school district.

Benefits to come with unifying along district lines include more local

control, educational continuity from kindergarten through high school,

increased efficiency in running the district, facility improvements and a

in increase in revenue of $13 million, Steve McMahon, the district’s

assistant superintendent of business.

With a foreseen financial burden and opposition from Ocean View and

Garden Grove Unified school districts, Fountain Valley School District

will not likely pursue unification of all schools within the city.

“I don’t think we’re ready for this,” Trustee Julie Larson said.

The board will probably consider unifying first along district lines

to get the increased revenue limit. Once the new district has a good

solid financial standing, then the new board may look at taking in other

Fountain Valley schools in the other districts.

The board will make a decision on unification in March. The new

district wouldn’t be organized until 2003.

-- ANGELIQUE FLORES

School gymnasiums will move forward

The Ocean View School District will slowly but surely move forward

with plans to construct a gymnasium-auditorium at each of the four middle

schools.

Many residents of the Marine View, Mesa View and Vista View school

communities have expressed support of a gym, depending on the size,

location, rental and traffic and parking accommodations.

However, the district faces a tougher hurdle in the Spring View

community, where some residents are strongly opposed to having any kind

gym in their neighborhood at all.

These residents laid dormant over the past few months while the other

three communities presented their grievances to the school board.

However, they’ve made their voices heard, sounding off a strong

unwillingness to compromise.

Once an environmental study is complete and the Community Advisory

Committees have made their recommendations, the board will iron out the

details of each gymnasium which may vary by community.

Hopefully, the endeavors to rectify past communication gaps will

continue and dialogue between the district and the community will remain

open.

It may take months before plans are flushed out and ground is broken.

-- ANGELIQUE FLORES

Battle over Bolsa Chica continues

It started in the 1970s, crystallized in the 1980s and turned into a

political hot potato during much of the 1990s.

Now going into its fourth decade, the debate over the future of the

Bolsa Chica reached another milestone last year as the members of the

California Coastal Commission voted to further chop down its development.

When the commissioners voted to limit the number of developable acres

to 60, it basically crippled the plans by the landowner, Hearthside

Homes, to build some 1,200 housing units there.

Hearthside executive Lucy Dunn complained that the commission left the

company with no choice but to build three-story condominiums, something

no one really wants.

The commissioners did something else too. They basically signed a

guarantee that 2001 will be marked by even more fights over this

contentious parcel of land that lies adjacent to one of the last vestiges

of wetlands on the California coast.

Look for environmentalists to make a stronger push to buy the land

from Hearthside this year, at what they hope will be a discount price now

that there is less land to develop.

Similarly, look for Hearthside Homes to take its housing plan back to

the county and get, what they hope, will be a development that is

palatable to coastal commissioners and city officials alike.

Either way, one thing is almost certain for 2001. The debate over the

Bolsa Chica will still not come to an end.

-- TONY DODERO