Huntington Beach Happenings
by: Chris MacDonald
Posted: April 6, 2020
HUNTINGTON BEACH...Senior Pastor Joe Pedick of Calvary Chapel of The Harbour in Sunset Beach offers words of encouragement. Listen to him on this link from Yesterday's Prayer Session - Calvary Chapel of the Harbour trên Facebook Watch .
Victoria Alberty Said: The Huntington Beach community rallies together to show support. Many restaurants are offering takeout and delivery. Other business services have altered how they do business to accommodate those in need while still follow the directives in place. A local website, www.hbopenforbusiness.com, is doing it's part to help get the word out as to who is open in Huntington Beach. On the site you can see who is open and in what capacity. Businesses who are open can register their business to be included on the site. People can interact via social media as well @hbopenforbusiness. And folks are encouraged to use the same handle for a hashtag, #hbopenforbusiness.com. So when you are out in the community, and see someone open, snap a pic, post and hashtag it! We'll all get through this together.
From Huntington Beach City Councilman Patrick Brenden:
- A special emergency session of City Council was held on Tuesday, March 31st to consider measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- In the first of three items considered, Council voted unanimously to temporarily suspend water shutoffs, penalties and late charges for Residential and Commercial customers who can demonstrate hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The order is in force until May 31, 2020 and may be extended beyond that if conditions do not improve. The action does not relieve the customer's obligation to pay the water bill nor does it restrict the City from recovering the amount due.
- The second item, also approved unanimously by City Council, provides rent abatement for City concessionaires while the State's Proclamation of State of Emergency is in place. That Proclamation was declared on March 4, 2020. Council excluded from its action, a proposal by staff to extend this rent abatement to tenants of a city-owner mobile home park.
- In a third item, Council defeated a motion by Councilmember Hardy and seconded by Councilmember Carr to adopt an Emergency Ordinance establishing a temporary ban on certain tenant evictions for non-payment of rent as a result of COVID-19 related financial hardship. The motion would have provided for greater definition of the Governor's eviction moratorium that was declared on March 27. That moratorium remains in effect for every city in California including Huntington Beach. The motion before Council would have extended the eviction moratorium beyond residential properties to include commercial properties. Councilmembers argued that the Governor's order was sufficient and that including Commercial properties would unduly restrict property owners' property rights.
- The next regular meeting of the City Council is scheduled for Monday, April 6th, at 6pm. The following are highlights from the agenda.
- The City Manager's office will provide an update on the status of the ASCON Landfill remediation. Clean-up efforts remain on hold while alternative work plans are considered. In the meantime, tension cracks in the berm along Hamilton Avenue that were discovered on December 31st, 2019 continue to be an urgent issue. Since December 31st, additional tension cracks have been identified and the Department of Toxic Substance Control has estimated that there is a medium to high risk of slope failure. Such failure could expose nearby residents to unknown levels of odor, dust and potentially toxins. Eight slope stabilization options have been evaluated but no final decision has been made. Residents have expressed their urgent concern that any remedial work done to stabilize the slope could create a situation more dangerous than leaving the slope alone.
- Council will consider approving for Introduction the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City and the Huntington Beach Management Employees' Organization (MEO) for contract period November 1, 2019 through October 31, 2020. This MOU provides a 3.5% pay increase offset by a 1% increase in the employee contribution towards CalPERS (pension) costs. The MOU also increases the City's monthly contribution to health care premiums by $50. The total estimated annual cost of this agreement is $430,439.
- Council will also consider approving for Introduction the proposed MOU between the City and the Huntington Beach Municipal Teamsters (MBMT, formerly known as Municipal Employees Association or MEA) for contract period October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2020. This MOU provides a 3.5% pay increase offset by a 1% increase in the employee contribution towards CalPERS (pension) costs. The MOU also increase the City's monthly contribution to health care premiums by $50. Three are 375 employees in this bargaining group and the total estimated annual cost of this agreement is $944,512.
- Council will also consider approving for Introduction the proposed MOU between the City and the Huntington Beach Police Officers' Association (HB POA) for contract period January 1, 2020 through June 30, 2023. This MOU provides pay increases of 4% in year 1, and 3.5% in years 2 and 3. These increases are offset by additional pickup of pension costs by the employee that varies based on employee classification but ranges from 1% to 2% per year. There is no change to healthcare benefits in year 1 and modest adjustments in years 2 and 3. The estimated annual cost of this MOU is $1.21 million in year one, $1.15 million in year 2, and $1.4 million in year 3.
- The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the City to impose certain restrictions in order to help fight the spread of the novel Coronavirus. Most residents have supported these actions, understanding that the more we do now, the sooner we will emerge from this terrible chapter. For complete information about the pandemic and the actions taken by the City, please check out www.HBReady.com. If you have questions or need to speak with someone, please call the City's new Call Center at (714) 536-5511, operating from 9am-5pm seven days a week.
- For our local business community, I offer my support and empathy. As the former owner of a small local business, I know what you're going through. I know the anguish you feel every day and I want you to know that you are not forgotten. At www.HBReady.com, you will find many resources that will answer your questions about recent legislation and what it means for you and how to access help. Check out the Paycheck Protection Program which can cover your payroll and utility costs for up to eight weeks while your business is being adversely impacted by the Coronavirus. Most importantly, don't give up. We will get through this together. I have suggested in the past few days and will repeat it now; residents, please support our local businesses. Consider buying gift cards to your favorite stores and restaurants. This will put cash in their pockets without impacting their expenses.
- In the worst of times, like those we are now experiencing, we see the best in the people of Huntington Beach. Many thanks to everyone who has respected the Safer At Home order, practiced social distancing and frequent hand washing, lent a hand to someone in need, or checked up on an elderly neighbor. Look no further than our Senior Center and the Greater Huntington Beach Interfaith Council to see the power of volunteers. We are blessed to live in a place like Huntington Beach, a place that is blessed to have so many compassionate, caring individuals. If you would like to volunteer, please call the City's volunteer services line at (714) 752-0406. If you know a senior citizen who needs any type of assistance, please call our Senior Center in Central Park at (714) 536-5600.
- Last, and most importantly, I want to recognize and extend my deepest heartfelt gratitude to all the brave individuals putting others before self during this horrible time. I'm talking about doctors, nurses and all healthcare workers, police officers, fire fighters, paramedics and other first responders. These are people just like you and I. People with families. They are the true heroes. I pray for them.
Huntington Beach City Historian Jerry Person Said: Remembering When: Down Home Cooking
If someone had told me that one day that the city of Huntington Beach would be closed down, businesses in malls would close their doors, streets would be absent of traffic and our residents would be staying home from work. I would have said they're crazy, that could never happen, but it has happened. The coronavirus has made it so.
But there is a bright side to all this, people have discovered a whole new way of living at home.
They have found that meals don't have to come out of a frozen box to be microwaved, but can be made from scratch as their great grandparents had done in the dim, dark 20th Century.
With many of the market shelves and freezers empty of foodstuffs. many home-bound cooks, both men and women, have dusted off their grandma's old cook books and with the aid of this thing called a stove could create some wonderful homemade meals for the family.
I remember when I attended high school in that distant past when a majority of the girls in school took home economics classes so that they would be prepared for a married life. In the class students would become familiar with kitchen appliances and the tricks to fixing their families hot home-cooked meals and they also learned how to plan large parties that they may be having later in life.
As every homemaker knows, it is not a simple matter to plan a large party with so many different food dishes along with table settings and the thousand little details involved.
In those distant times it was a badge of distinction for many to show off ones culinary talents to the family by preparing delightful looking and tasty dishes. This is something that that even grand mother had to learn.
In an endeavor to aid the people in what was new in the world of culinary arts, our local newspaper, the Huntington Beach News brought to our city in 1938 a noted home economist.
The paper arranged to bring Isabel Franklin and her all-electric Happy Kitchen cooking school here for a two-day event at the old Memorial Hall . It would be a two-day cooking and home-making event was held on Tuesday, September 21st and on Wednesday, September 22nd, eighty-two years ago.
Franklin had been nationally known and popular home economists in 1938.
Many ladies and some gentlemen of our town were invited to attend her all-electric cooking school where they would learn many new and stimulating ideas, practical suggestions and clever hints in preparing meals for their families and how to arrange large dinner parties.
Franklin showed the them how to prepare meat dishes and how to prepare vegetables without boiling in water. Her two-hour lectures featured such topics as how to make mouth-watering meals from inexpensive foods to lavish party desserts, something that today as we have to stay at home would become very timely and useful.
Those attending that 1938 event would have been eligible to win prizes donated by several of our downtown businesses.
The W. Frank Helm Electric donated an all-electric Silex coffee maker with tray while Tovatt's Hardware gave the lucky winner a cocktail tray and pick set.
J.H. Estus, our General Electric dealer and its manager Jack Crum held a raffle and drawing the lucky numbers the winners would receive a certificates worth from $5 to $35 towards G.E. appliances in their store.
Warner Hardware put in their store window a display of many of the latest electric appliances and Sol White's laundry supplied all the tea towels during the event.
But it was Isabel Franklin that people came to see and hear.
The first day brought in over 300 people where they learned how to prepare a boiled dinner of sausage with peaches and leftover vegetables and for dessert an apricot upside-down cake.
The second day saw even more people as they crowded the hall to watch Franklin prepare a pot roast dinner in a modern electric range. With the pot roast she included a potato and onion side dish and everyone held their breath least the lemon soufflé for dessert might fall.
During this event Franklin gave away these meals to the people holding the lucky ticket.
Huntington Beach resident Victoria Bowen won the grand prize of the grill waffle iron combo with serving tray and dishes.
So at this horrible time, go find those old family recipe books and you might be surprised at how good those homemade meals can be. Lets show that old virus that we are strong enough to win over it. If you have questions you can e-mail Jerry at: hbnews@hbquik.com .