Political sign restrictions loom

In one of his first acts of office, newly elected City Councilman

Keith Bohr wants to restrict the amount of time council candidates

can post political signs.

City law allows candidates to begin posting campaign signs on

public property 75 days before the election and then 15 days after

the election.

With 16 to 20 candidates running for council each election, the

number of signs in the community can get out of control, Bohr said.

Popular intersections become completely papered with the signs he

said. They cause litter, and in recent elections, sign theft has

become a problem.

Bohr is proposing that candidates be allowed to post their signs

45 days in advance.

“Basically I’m trying to take a whole month off the time signs are

out,” he said. “A lot of people have complained about them.”

The ordinance would also require candidates to take their signs

down after 12 days. He said elections are always held on a Tuesday

and the 12-day marker gives candidates two full weekends to get their

signs down.

“Right after the election, I got three voice mails reminding me it

was my civic duty to remove my signs,” he said. “Obviously people

want these down as quick as possible.”

Councilman Dave Sullivan said he supports the measure.

“I’m going to want to hear from the city attorney about how

enforceable it is,” he said. “There might be some 1st Amendment

issues, but I think it is very clear from the residents that they

consider these signs to be visual blight.”

Public works seeking speed limit increases

Traffic engineers in Huntington Beach are asking the City Council

to bump up speed limit increases on five city streets.

At Monday’s meeting, officials with the Public Works Department

will ask the council to make 5 mph increases to several thoroughfares

to help city police better enforce traffic laws.

“The Public Works Department has been working on this for quite

some time now,” Huntington Beach Police Chief Ken Small said. “It’s a

periodic review based on information from traffic surveys.”

It is difficult for police to enforce speed limits in court if the

posted speed of a street is dramatically different than the average

speed of drivers on the road, usually determined through a traffic

survey, Small said. By bringing the speed limit in line with the

speed people typically drive, police have a better chance of stopping

drivers at speeds that surpass normal limits.

The following streets will see speed limit increases: Atlanta

Avenue, from Newland Street to Magnolia Street will increase from 40

to 45 mph; Atlanta Avenue, from Magnolia Street to Brookhurst Street

will increase from 40 to 45 mph; Garfield Avenue from Goldenwest

Street to Main Street will increase from 40 to 45 mph; Talbert

Avenue, from Gothard Street to Beach Boulevard will increase from 40

to 45 mph; and Yorktown Avenue, from Beach Boulevard to Newland

Street will increase from 35 to 40 mph.

Water District swears in new members

Congressman Ed Royce swore in the newly elected slate of Orange

County Water District board members at the agency’s Fountain Valley

headquarters Wednesday.

Board member Philip Anthony, who represents parts of Northern

Huntington Beach, was sworn in for his sixth term since he first took

office in 1981.

The water district’s board is composed of 10 directors -- seven

elected from divisions throughout north and central Orange County,

and three council-appointed directors, representing the cities of

Anaheim, Fullerton and Santa Ana.

Each of the seven elected board members serve a four-year term,

and the three appointed members serve a length of time to be

determined by the city council they represent.

Wes Bannister represents most of Huntington Beach for the water

district. He will be up for reelection for his fourth term in office

next year.

The newest member to the water district board is Roger Yoh,

representing Buena Park. Yoh will replace Larry Kraemer who recently

retired from the board after 26 years of service. Yoh is a graduate

of UC Irvine with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. Yoh is

now employed with the California Department of Transportation in Los

Angeles and serves as a senior transportation engineer.