Animal hospital finally gets new home

The Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy is getting a much needed

upgrade after Planning Commissioners approved its remodel Tuesday.

Because it is at the intersection of Newland Street and Pacific

Coast Highway, the hospital must go through a maze of regulatory

issues including securing a coastal development permit.

The biggest improvement to the site will be the replacement of a

modular building with a 4,200-square-foot hospital and visitor

center.

The hospital will provide service to animals that are injured in

the wild as well as educational tours and exhibition space for nature

enthusiasts. The center usually operates from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and

will be staffed by two to four volunteers.

The new building marks the end of a 12-year process for the animal

hospital to find a permanent home. The animal shelter first

approached the council in September 1992 for approval of a temporary

hospital, but it had to reapply in November 1997 after that permit

expired.

Planner Rami Talleh said the new hospital had a relatively smooth

approval process, although there were a few issues.

“One condition of the permit required them to provide a certain

amount of parking, but that was waived,” he said. “There was also an

issue with outside storage. We kept that condition, but allowed them

to use an outside storage container.”

Construction of the new hospital is expected to begin soon,

although no timeline is available. The upgrade will be funded through

a state grant.

Karaoke bar asks City Council to return permit

A French restaurant with a mostly Asian clientele is accusing Surf

City police of acting un-American.

Managers at Moulin Rouge, a French restaurant and nightclub at the

corner of Brookhurst Street and Adams Avenue, said its constitutional

rights were violated when Police Chief Ken Smalls revoked the club’s

entertainment permit after multiple complaints from neighbors.

Restaurant management has scheduled an appeal of the revocation with

the City Council.

Manager Bill Pham said he believes the club was singled out from

other noise violators because of its mostly Asian clientele.

“That seems like the only distinction to me,” he said. “This is

selective enforcement.”

City Atty. Jennifer McGrath said she found it “offensive” that

Pham would make race claims, while Police Chief Ken Small called the

charge “completely irrelevant” and said it “had nothing to do with

our action.”

Problems for the club began at the beginning of the year when

residents living in the Meredith Gardens neighborhood began to

contact police to complain about excessive noise from Moulin Rouge.

While the facility acts as a French bistro during the day, at night

it functions as a popular karaoke bar.

Small said on several occasions his officers have witnessed Moulin

Rouge violating the city’s noise code by emitting music that can be

heard more than 50 feet away. After Moulin Rouge closes, there’s also

a lot of activity in the parking lot, Small said.

“There’s been an excessive number of police calls for service,”

Small said. “They’ve been issued several citations, and in my

opinion, have not showed good faith to remedy the situation.”

Pham said his restaurant has been working to reduce noise and even

hired a sound engineer to prove that noise emission was not a

problem.

“The city doesn’t seem to want to budge when we present this

evidence,” he said

Moulin Rouge is undergoing a major remodel, but continues to offer

bar service after hours. If the restaurant does have its permit

revoked, it will have to wait another year to reapply.

Wife of assemblyman announces 2006 bid

There are still two more years to go and an election set for this

November, but Dianne Harman, wife of Assemblyman Tom Harman, has

decided to make an early announcement that she plans to run for her

husband’s seat in 2006.

If Tom Harman is reelected this November, he will be in his third

and final term on the Assembly. State law limits Assembly members to

three consecutive terms in office.

Diane Harman, 60, has been married to her husband for 41 years and

has two adult children with him. She has a bachelor’s degree from

Kansas State University and a master’s degree from UCLA. Employed as

a health and wellness workshop leader, Harman also serves on a wide

range of community groups including the Bolsa Chica Land Trust, the

Orange County Federated Republican Women and the Orange County

Community Clinics.

“If elected, I will pursue women’s issues,” she said.

“Particularly, I think we need to see more women on the floor of the

California Legislature.”

County residents approve mosquito tax

Residents in Huntington Beach and other Orange County cities

recently approved the creation of a mosquito, fire ant and disease

control assessment to pay for pest control.

At its Thursday meeting, the Orange County Vector Control District

certified the ballot measure, which garnered 69.8% of the vote from

property owners.

Like other assessment districts, the vote is weighted by property

value and a majority of land owners representing at least 50% of the

overall value of property in Orange County must approve the

initiative.

Homeowners will now pay an extra $5.82 per single-family residence

to fight fire ants and other diseases spread by pests.

“The successful outcome means that the Orange County Vector

Control District will have sufficient funding to meet the many

challenges posed by new and emerging diseases such as West Nile,”

district public information officer Michael Hearst said.