CITY ROUNDUP:’Reasonable doubt’ at issue

The jury continued to deliberate Tuesday in the trial of Donna Prentice, accused of murdering 3-year-old daughter Michelle Pulsifer in Huntington Beach in 1969.

The prosecution and defense made their closing arguments June 13, and jurors have been considering the case since then. They did not meet Monday; Superior Court Judge James Stotler allowed them to adjourn that day because one juror had a medical condition.

Jurors will have to decide whether Prentice is guilty of first or second-degree murder, as the prosecution claims, or whether now-dead former boyfriend James Michael Kent was the real criminal, as Prentice’s defense lawyer argued.

In a case where no body has been found and some details may never be known, both sides clashed over the meaning of “reasonable doubt,” the legal standard for a not guilty verdict.

Public works director retires after 31 years

Robert Beardsley, the city’s public works director, has announced his retirement after nine years in Huntington Beach and 31 years in public service.

Officials praised Beardsley at Monday’s City Council meeting, calling him a supremely dedicated public servant who turned around the city’s infrastructure problems by working day and night.

He likely oversaw $1 billion in improvement projects, said City Administrator Penny Culbreth-Graft.

“He truly changed the face of Huntington Beach with the works he has done,” she said. “And he changed the hearts of those who worked with him. He is a compassionate man who doesn’t leave work at 5 o’clock, or 10 o’clock or — so staff says from the e-mails they get from him — 3 o’clock [in the morning].”

Beardsley said the credit for his successes shouldn’t just go to him.

“There are seven people I work very closely with on a daily basis,” Beardsley said. “They, and the 250 people they work with, make it all happen in this city. I just nag them to death.”

Beardsley’s last day on the job will be June 29. His retirement party is today.

Fines raised for illegal use of fireworks

Huntington Beach authorities have announced they are enforcing fireworks laws more strictly than ever this Fourth of July, and fines for breaking the law are higher this year.

It is illegal to own, possess, sell, use or manufacture fireworks anywhere in the city. This includes all kinds of fireworks, even those purchased outside of the city or over the Internet, as well as fireworks labeled “safe and sane,” city officials said.

This year, civil citation fines have been raised to $500 for a first offense and $1,000 for additional offenses. Anyone who witnesses the use or possession of illegal fireworks is urged to call police at (714) 960-8825.

Dog Beach parking meters accept credit

Looking for a parking spot but don’t have change? At Dog Beach, you won’t need it, as the San Diego-based IPS Company has installed 20 meters that accept credit cards.

The pilot program for the new technology lasts six months, and city staff are on site offering help and polling people who use the new machines.

Energy-efficient lights replace old bulbs

The city Public Works Department has been installing energy-efficient lighting during routine replacements, replacing about 500 incandescent bulbs with fewer wasteful alternatives. The city estimates $28,000 in energy savings which, along with an expected $9,400 in incentives from Southern California Edison, would make the bulbs pay for themselves in less than a year.

Rohrabacher celebrates his 60th birthday

Huntington Beach Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, who turns 60 today, celebrated his birthday over the weekend in characteristic fashion: he rallied for one of his pet causes, then held a fundraiser for his 2008 reelection.

At a Saturday rally staged by anti-illegal immigration activists, Rohrabacher spoke about jailed border patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean, who were convicted of not following procedures when they shot a drug smuggler near the U.S.-Mexico border. Rohrabacher has said the policy the agents allegedly violated is ridiculous and has pushed for a presidential pardon for months.

About 50 people with signs lined the corner of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach for the event, the congressman said this week.

Since Rohrabacher also wants to support someone with a reasonable chance of winning, he might have a tough time finding a candidate. While Tom Tancredo and Duncan Hunter have been fairly in line with Rohrabacher on immigration, they’re not considered as viable as front runners like Rudy Giuliani.

And Mitt Romney is taking a stand on immigration now, but he may have waited too long to have any credibility. So who’s left?

“The one who I think has the most chance of becoming a legitimate leader on the issue of illegal immigration, who also has a very reasonable chance of becoming president, would be Fred Thompson,” Rohrabacher said. Thompson has yet to formally announce his candidacy.