CITYSCAPE ROUNDUP: Report concludes city can’t take over trailer-park code enforcement

A 100-page report on whether the city could feasibly take over code enforcement at its 18 trailer parks — where some have complained about lax state oversight — can be boiled down to one word: no.

The city could indeed take over a few specific functions from the state, the staff report said, but complicated state and federal rules mean the city can gain no authority over the trailers themselves, and it can only enforce state rules on the rest — not pass any ordinances of its own. Worse, residents trying to add on to their homes would often have to get twice as many permits from both the city and the state, whose nearest office is in Riverside County. Finally, because the city is restricted in setting fees, the costs would far outstrip revenues.

“On the surface it would seem a benefit to have more local control, but it doesn’t seem like we can convert to fully local oversight,” said Councilwoman Jill Hardy, who had supported the study. “I’m usually the first person to say, ‘Let’s not spend money we don’t need to.’ And this appears not to help the residents.”

H.B. High named 2007 Distinguished School

Huntington Beach High School has been named a Distinguished School for 2007 by the California Department of Education, the only school in Huntington Beach to do so. The schools were announced Monday by state Supt. Jack O’Connell. The awards will be presented in person at ceremony May 18 at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim.

The school had to meet all state and No Child Left Behind standards just to apply; winners needed to succeed in a wide range of areas, from parent involvement to intervention programs.

Huntington Beach High has a number of programs that impressed state judges, said principal Dave Lindzey. In the last few years, it introduced academies for 9th- and 10th-grade students who need extra help to make the transition to high school. Parents put 50,000 hours of volunteering into the school last year. And the Academy for the Performing Arts, which 600 students are enrolled in, regularly beats out schools around the county for awards. Lindzey also credits the “very strong” teachers and classified staff for working hard to make a well-rounded program.

“We are very proud,” he said. “We’re very excited. That’s a huge award for us.”

The award won’t just spotlight the school, Lindzey said. It will help students as well.

“Our kids will benefit from the academic reputation of the school in terms of college admissions,” he said. “The colleges will know they went through a rigorous program. It benefits the kids.”

Soroptimist International honors H.B. women

Soroptimist International of Huntington Beach has scheduled its annual “Women of Distinction” luncheon for noon today at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort, honoring four women who have supported their community.

Those honored are Barbara Enlow, Donna Gray, Eve Thompson and Theresa E. Murphy.

Enlow, who owns Crown Cleaners, has given service for 35 years to the Huntington Harbour Philharmonic, American Red Cross and California’s Women Chamber of Commerce, trained teenage girls for their first jobs, among other efforts.

Gray, who is community affairs representative for G&M; Oil, serves on 17 chambers of commerce, as well as serving on the board of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Huntington Valley, as well as volunteering for the annual Duck-a-Thon.

Murphy, who has been executive director, board president and CEO of Precious Life Shelter, was named 2004 Woman of the Year by state Sen. Tom Harman, as well as an Honorary Service Awardee by the California PTA; she works on the Orange County Homeless Issues Task Force, the West Coast Maternity Home Assn. and the Crisis Pregnancy Network of the Diocese of Orange.

Thompson, who helped found Huntington Beach Hospital Nursing Staff, is also past president of the Orange County Medical Alliance and a board member for Adult Day Services of Orange County.

Task force chairman receives award

A Huntington Beach resident and retired L.A. County Sheriff’s Department employee has received a countywide civil rights award from the Orange County Human Relations Commission.

Alan Chancellor, chairman of the Huntington Beach Human Relations Task Force and a member since 2001, will receive a Community Leader Award for extraordinary contributions to Orange County in the area of human or civil rights at the commission’s May 3 gala at the Grove of Anaheim.

Chancellor worked with Huntington Beach students to organize an intercampus Day of Dialogue and field trips to the Museum of Tolerance, supported the Making Victims Whole program for hate-crime victims in the city and pushed for the recognition of heritage months at City Council meetings as a way to promote cultural understanding.