HUNTINGTON BEACH CITY COUNCIL WRAP-UP

Here are a few items the council considered Monday:

DAY CARE USES MODIFIED

Approved 7-0

The City Council made it easier for large family day care units to operate in Huntington Beach on Monday by doing away with the $3,500 application fee and not requiring architectural plans with the application.

WHAT IT MEANS

Huntington Beach has a large unmet need for day care facilities that council members hope to alleviate by making it easier for large family day care units to operate in the neighborhood. The item was introduced by Councilwoman Cathy Green, who said council members aimed to do away with the overly burdensome procedure of getting a permit from the city. Large family day care units are already intensely regulated by the state, she said.

GRAFFITI INCENTIVE

Mayor Gil Coerper pulled the proposal to reward citizens for reporting individuals spraying or painting graffiti on private or public property. The city of Fountain Valley instituted a similar policy that has been successful in reducing graffiti, he said. Coerper said he will bring the item back at a later date.

WHAT TO EXPECT

If council members approve this item, residents will receive a reward of $500 if they report individuals spraying or painting graffiti. Councilman Keith Bohr suggested to Police Chief Ken Small that the city could involve members of the Retired Senior Volunteer Police in the fight against graffiti. Small said he would review the proposal.

3/1 COMMITTEE

The city’s 3/1 committee, which oversees efforts to support soldiers from the 3rd Battalion/1st Marines regiment at Camp Pendleton, is now a nonprofit foundation, having recently received its 501(c)3 status. The Thundering Third Marines were adopted by the city in 2005; however, the item submitted by Coerper was pulled from the agenda to be introduced at a later date.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Coerper didn’t give a reason for pulling the proposal to remove the 3/1 Committee from the city’s roster of boards and commissions. The 3/1 committee, now known as the Huntington Beach 3/1 Marines Adoption Foundation, will maintain its own board of directors, bank accounts and bylaws. The foundation has been highly successful in raising money to support the Marines, totaling about $97,000 this year. With the nonprofit status, the committee will be independent of the city’s overview. But council members will continue to be involved with the committee’s work.

— Compiled by

Purnima Mudnal