Council passes city budget

With minimal discussion or debate, the City Council adopted a

$356-million budget on Monday.

To balance the General Fund budget, the council approved nearly $3

million in fee increases to eliminate the budget’s $1.2-million

shortfall.

The city is still in need of $3 million for equipment and vehicle

replacement and infrastructure repair and is $200,000 short of the 7%

general fund reserve required by the city’s financial policies.

The council voted 6 to 1 to adopt the budget for the new fiscal

year, with Councilman Dave Sullivan abstaining.

“I don’t have confidence in these figures, and I can’t vote for

something I don’t have confidence in,” Sullivan said.

Mayor Connie Boardman, however, praised the staff for their work

on developing the budget.

“I want to thank the department heads for the difficult work that

they’ve done and the extra effort they’ve made in addressing the

council’s concerns,” Boardman said. “They helped me develop

confidence in the data.”

15th annual Senior Saturday a super success

Surf City’s 15th annual senior festival was hailed as “the biggest

and best yet” by its organizers.

Senior Saturday, held from 1 to 3 p.m. at Pier Plaza, attracted

2,000 visitors and raised nearly $2,000 for senior services in

Huntington Beach. The event was organized by the Council on Aging, a

nonprofit organization that supports programs and services for

seniors through the Michael E. Rogers Seniors’ Center.

“This is the most sponsors we’ve had, everything went smoothly,

and attendance was good,” said Chris Cole, program coordinator at

Rodgers Senior Center. The event featured about 50 vendor booths with

information about nursing facilities, senior living facilities,

support systems from local hospitals and other programs for seniors.

Live music was held throughout the day, and for the first time, a

dance floor was set up in front of the stage.

“Some of the couples got in and tore it up,” Cole said.

For more information about the Senior Saturday Community Festival,

call the Michael E. Rodgers Senior Center at (714) 536-9387.

Archeologists to speak on Bolsa Chica significance

An 8,000-year-old burial site on four acres of the Bolsa Chica

mesa will serve as the subject of a series of presentations on Sept.

25 at the Waterfront Hilton Beach Resort.

In the talk hosted by the Bolsa Chica Land Trust, John Foster,

chief archeologist of the California Parks Service, and Archeologist

Patricia Martz of Cal State Los Angeles, will speak on the importance

of Surf City’s local archeology.

Known as ORA 83, the area contains evidence of a Native American

village site and burial ground. It is the last remaining Early

Holocene coastal village in Orange County. It was also believed to

have been the primary manufacturing site of cog stones, hand-carved,

star-shaped stone objects that have been found in abundance on the

mesa.

The presentation, titled “Archeological Treasures of Southern

California” will be held at 7 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Cielo Mare Room of

the Waterfront Hilton, at 21100 Pacific Coast Highway.

For more information, call the Land Trust at (714) 960-9939, ext.

3.

Former Mr. Universe invited as Grand Marshal

Gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger, who visited Surf

City on the campaign trail, has been invited to serve as grand

marshal for the city’s 100th Fourth of July parade next year.

Mayor Pro Tem Cathy Green hand-delivered the letter to the

bodybuilder and actor during his visit to Huntington Beach on Aug. 9.

He has not yet responded to the invitation.

The coveted title of grand marshal has been held in the past by

Hollywood legends Mickey Rooney and Robert Wagner and former

president Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Sixth Surf City Art show is set for Pier Plaza

The sixth annual Surf City Art Show and Business Expo at Pier

Plaza on Sept. 27 and 28 will have more than 75 pieces on display.

The Gallery at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa

will showcase two Huntington Beach artists, Toreen West and Richard

Harsh, and San Juan Capistrano’s Kevin Short. It will also have a

collection of European glass on display.

The show, which is judged and juried, will offer sales from 30 of

the artists. It runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days and is free to

the public.