Storm batters, but doesn’t damage

Huntington Beach was battered but not bruised by a torrential storm

that blew through town over the weekend, keeping residents indoors

but mostly dry.

Pacific Coast Highway from Goldenwest Street to Warner Avenue was

temporarily shut down due to flooding, but there were no reports of

serious damage, said Surf City Utilities Manager Howard Johnson.

“I think Huntington Beach faired excellent,” he said. “We know

where the problem spots are and we had crews working out there 24

hours a day.”

Huntington Beach got three inches of rain over the weekend,

two-thirds of which came down Sunday, said Stan Wasowski from the

National Weather Service. The storm was caused by a tropical jet

stream that got trapped under a high pressure system in Hawaii,

bringing thick pockets of moisture and rain as it blew eastward.

Despite the heavy rainfall, Johnson said the city’s pumping

stations operated without failure and only three city streets

required closing: Main Street at 12th Avenue, Alabama Street at

Knoxville Avenue and Newland Avenue at Edison Way.

“We didn’t see the intensity in the rain the way that areas in Los

Angeles did,” Johnson said. “Once the rain started, it mostly stayed

in a steady flow.”

A lack of customers was the main trouble Downtown, business owners

said.

Longboard Restaurant Manager Ron McClin said business was slow on

Main Street.

“People don’t go out in the rain,” he said. “But we haven’t really

seen any other issues.”

No major damage was reported as a result of the storm, but Deputy

City Clerk Kelly Mandic said someone reported a tree falling over

onto their car.

Wasowski said the coming weekend will be mostly rain free and

sunny as the storm begins to blow toward the eastern part of the

country.

“They’re going to start having some of the same problems we did,”

he said.

Central Coast city fights for Surf City moniker

Santa Cruz fired its first legal salvo at Huntington Beach this

week over the Orange County city’s decision to trademark the phrase

“Surf City U.S.A.”

Upon hearing news that Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors

Bureau President Doug Traub recently took action to trademark the

name, Santa Cruz mayor Mike Rotkin has asked Santa Cruz City Atty.

John Barisone to look into pulling a trademark for the name “Original

Surf City U.S.A.”

For years the two cities have sparred over the moniker, each

insisting to be the true capital of surfing. While Santa Cruz enjoys

the well-known Beach Boardwalk and legendary Steamers Lane surfing

spot, Huntington Beach has one of the largest coastlines in the state

and is home to the U.S. Open of Surfing and Dean Torrence, co-author

of the 1964 hit “Surf City.”

When Rotkin found in November that Traub had trademarked the name,

he called city officials “a bunch of wimps” and challenged them to a

surf-off for control of the title.

Traub declined the offer and said he will continue to push ahead

with his plan to market Huntington Beach as an overnight tourist

destination, unconcerned about Santa Cruz’s latest foray in the

decades old battle.

“We all work hard everyday, if that’s what they want to focus

their energy on, then fine,” he said.

He also added that Huntington Beach has only trademarked the name

in nine categories such as clothing, surf boards and letterhead,

adding there is still plenty of things that Santa Cruz could put its

own stamp on.

“The category for surgical, medical and dental equipment is still

available,” he said. “So is tobacco -- there’s one they can still

get. I also think there’s an opening in carpets, rugs and mats.”

City Administrator announces shakeup

The vacancy created by Assistant City Administrator Bill Workman’s

move to Redondo Beach has triggered a personnel shake up at City

Hall, City Administrator Penny Culbreth-Graft explained in a recent

memo.

All moves are considered temporary and Culbreth-Graft said she

plans possibly to restructure several positions.

Filling Workman’s shoes will be Bob Beardsly, the city’s director

of public works.

Paul Emery, public work’s second in command, will take over in

Beardly’s absence.

December also saw the departure of Clay Martin, the city’s

director of Administrative Services. Chuck Thomas, a captain with the

Police Department, has agreed to temporarily take on the role

overseeing risk management, human resources and procurement.

Behzad Zamanian is serving as the acting director of information

services, following the recent departure of Janis Ingels. Zamanian

formerly worked as the business systems manager for the Information

Services Department.

“I am in the process of selecting a recruiter for the permanent

Information Services and Assistant City Administrator positions,”

Culbreth-Graft wrote in the memo. “Upon entering into a contract, a

full recruitment will be conducted for those two positions.”