CITY ROUNDUP:

Residents worried about traffic safety in Southeast Huntington Beach will have a chance to get direct answers from city officials at a public forum tonight. Police, public works staff and officials will make presentations on efforts to make streets in the area safer, then answer questions from the public. Some of the topics to be covered will be driving speeds, safety for bicyclists and pedestrians, school activities on the streets, future improvements on streets and at intersections, and new enforcement efforts. The meeting will be at 7 p.m. at the John H. Eader Elementary School cafeteria, 9291 Banning Ave.

Pennies for Prevention Campaign raises $15,000

Volunteers’ loose change helped Huntington Beach’s annual Pennies for Prevention Campaign raise around $15,000 for anti-drug and anti-violence programs in schools and elsewhere in the city.

Schools that raised money will have a percentage of what they raised go directly to prevention programs on-site; for each pound of coins collected, $1 went back to the school, earning Sowers Middle School and Oakview Elementary School more than $600 each. The event is sponsored each year by the PRIDE Foundation (Promoting Resources in Drug Education), which funds drug and violence prevention in Huntington Beach.

City receives award for Annual Financial Report

The city has received an award for its summary of the annual budget. The Government Finance Officer’s Assn. gave Huntington Beach its Certificate of Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2006. Popular Annual Financial Reports are user-friendly reports that allow a casual reader to understand the city’s finances.

Nonprofit youth groups can apply for grants from city

Nonprofit youth groups looking for a boost in funding can now apply online or offline for the city’s Youth Sports Grants. The city program is intended to improve facilities for such programs by giving them money to make repairs to facilities or make permanent construction on public property. For more information, go to www.ci.huntington-beach.ca.us and click “Youth Sports Grant Application” or call (714) 536-5486. Only capital expenditures are covered by the grants, not ongoing costs or purchases of portable equipment.

City will bus seniors to and from flu shot for free

The city’s Senior Services department will provide free flu shots for the elderly as part of an autumn health fair. Not only will participants get a chance for health screenings and information, but the city will bus them to and from their homes to the fair. Even those too frail to wait in line can still get inoculated, as they have the chance to receive a shot while seated on the bus. The event is scheduled for 8 a.m. to noon Nov. 8 at Michael E. Rodgers Seniors’ Center, 1706 Orange Ave. For more information, call (714) 536-5486.