City Council Considers Making Sunset Beach part of Seal Beach

Could Sunset Beach become part of Seal Beach?  According to a recent article featured in the OC Register the City Council is currently exploring what financial impact annexing the unicorporated beach town would have on the city of Seal Beach.   According to a survey of residents, although most want Sunset Beach to remain Sunset Beach (which is not an option any longer), when given a choice 90% would prefer to become Seal Beach residents as opposed to Huntington Beach.   

To read the full article click here.

Trans Pac – Predicted Finishes -Alfa Romeo Flies!

Div 1 – Alfa Romeo continued is long list of consecutive victories in record time.  The 100 foot mono-hull crossed Diamond Head more than 24 hours ahead of the previous best time set by Morning Glory in 2005.  The first boat in history to finish the race in less than six days. Alfa Romeo crossed the finish line about 1/2 hour after midnight and there were plenty of local out to welcome her into Hawaii.

Status of the boats still racing: positions –  as of  9 a.m. Saturday.

Next likely boat to finish is Division 3’s  45′ Criminal Mischief who was only 200 miles out.

Followed by the tiny  (by comparison to Alfa Romeo) Division 6 – 35′ Relentless 368 miles from shore.

Then Division 4’s Tachyon at 465 miles.

Next was Charisma 500 miles away and Horizon 514 miles from the finish.     Pegasus,  a Divison 1 boat but a two-handed entry was 62 miles in front of  OEX who was 663 miles from the finish.

Since I will not be able to give you the finish tomorrow (out of town, folks) here is my best guess at the winners of each division.

Div 1 – Alfa Romeo (already in port.)

Div 2- OEX

Div 3- Criminal Mischief – In the bag for this great boat and crew.

Div 4- Tachyon III – – Reinrag 2 is a close second but Tachyon is a little south and probably will have better wind the rest of the way.

Div 5 – Horizon raced brilliantly and has a fair lead, however, is only making 6 1/2 knots right now and those behind her are making 10.

Div 6 – Relentless.  This little 35′ was overall leader for much of the race. That crew has been brilliant and along with Pegasus deserve to be              seated at the head table at the Trans Pac banquet.

Div 7 – Charisma.  500 miles out but with a substantial lead. It would be very surprising if any in her class caught her before she got into                     the channel.

Special Mention to Pegasus.  A Division one boat, as we said earlier, racing two-handed. Those guys may sleep through the banquet but they’ll set a two handed record that will stand for a long time.

Great Race who you all enjoyed following it on <whatupinsealbeach.com>  

Trans Pac Standing Today

Seal Beach 10:18 a.m. July 9 – Trans Pac standings  Thursday morning.

Alfa Romeo, Div 1, is “flying” along just north of the 26 line of latitude.  Its now the got the number one spot overall having taken it away from the 65 foot smaller Relentless during the night.  Relentless still leads Division 6  and is in  third place overall.

Alfa Romeo is registering 17.9 knots right now… its fourth day above 17 knots.  Got a great chance of setting a Trans Pac record.  Should get to Oahu on Friday.

Criminal Mischief , Div 3, also passed Relentless last night and took over second place overall and still leads Div 3.  She should win her division handily.

Division 2 leader is OEX

Division 7 is Charisma..but Bengal 7 in on her stern and mighty close.

Hula and Bad Pak follow in Division 4 and Horizon has pulled away from the others in her division…for the time being.

The two manned Pegasus is doing remarkably well and seems destined to also set a record for a double-hand entry.

This will be one of the most remarkable Transpacific Yacht races in years.   

 Overall positions by Division

#1-Div 1/ #2 – Div 3/  #3 – Div 6/ #4 – Div 7/  #5 – Div 4/ #6 – Div 5/  #7 – Div 2

Huntington Beach Events

COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT

Skyhawks Flag Football – Week of July 6

This flag football program offers a complete package of skills and thrills that teach young athletes to enjoy the fast-paced game. The camp introduces the core skills of passing, catching, and de-flagging or defensive positioning – all presented in a fun and invigorating training environment. Class cost is $140 for a one-week session designed for children ages 6 to 12. Please see the SANDS Bulletin online for details on the three scheduled camps: www.surfcity-hb.org. !

H B Senior Services

Travel and Trips – Test your luck with a trip to the Pala Casino arranged by the Huntington Beach Council on Aging’s Travel and Trips program. The Pala Casino, near Temecula, features 2300 state-of-the-art slot machines, 87 Vegas-style table games, eight restaurants and live entertainment daily. The bus will depart from the Michael E. Rodgers Seniors’ Center on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. and return at 5:30 p.m. The $35.00 advance registration fee can be paid at the senior center front counter on Tuesday between 9:00 a.m. and 11a.m. or Thursday and Friday between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. You can present picture identification at the casino and sign-up for a Pala Rewards Card for a $15.00 rebate. For more information, call 714-536-9387.

Youth Sports Programs

The city’s summer youth sports programs are in full swing offering youth between the ages of 3 and 13 a variety of youth sports programs. On Mondays and Wednesdays, it’s the extremely popular Pee Wee T-ball program offered at Edison and Murdy Community Centers starting at 10:30 a.m. Pee Wee T-ball is followed by the Junior Baseball and Softball programs at 1:30 p.m. Boys and girls in grades 3 through 6 can develop their sports skills with our instructional baseball or softball programs on Mondays and Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m., or take their basketball game to the next level with our Instructional Basketball Program held at Murdy Community Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. for youth in grades of 3 through 7. On Saturdays, Murdy Community Center and the City Gym and Pool are offering Pee Wee Basketball at 9:15 a.m. followed by Junior Basketball at 10:00 a.m. The City Gym will also be offering Shooting Stars Basketball for youth with special needs at 11:30 a.m..

Movies at the Beach – Pier Plaza

Beginning every Thursday in August, the HB Downtown Business Improvement District will present family fun movies beginning at dusk. Enjoy a unique outdoor theater experience with oceanfront view and get comfy with a blanket and chair. Pick up dinner to go at participating downtown restaurants offering dinner specials. The following movies will be scheduled for the month of August:

August 6th Wall-E/ August 13th Kung-Fu Panda/August 20th The Wizard of OZ/ August 27th Monster vs. Aliens /For more information log on to www.hbdowntown.com

INFORMATION SERVICES – Surf City “Pipeline Stats” ( Not an oil pipeline folks!)

Surf City Pipeline is the City’s citizen information and service request system. It has been in operation for over four months now and has been successful in providing easy access to information about City and other government services. You might be interested to know that during this period:

Surf City Pipeline information has been viewed over 18,000 times; over 900 requests for service or additional information have been submitted; requestors have completed 280 surveys following completion of their request; 80% of completed surveys returned rated City staff’s work on their request to be good to superior with employee courtesy rated 86% good to superior. You can access Surf City Pipeline on the City’s website: http://www.surfcity-hb.org.

LIBRARY SERVICES DEPARTMENT

The Family Literacy Program, part of Literacy Volunteers-HBPL, held its Annual Awards Night on Thursday, June 25, 2009, with more than 130 in attendance. Mayor Keith Bohr and Library Director Stephanie Beverage helped welcome and thank all literacy students and volunteers. The program awarded 7 adult students with literacy awards in the categories of motivation, persistence, and dedication to learning – three important ingredients for success in learning and achieving goals. Several volunteers received pins for 5 and 10 years of service to the program and 3 volunteers received special recognition for their outstanding work. We appreciate all our volunteers and the difference they make in the lives of literacy students.

POLICE DEPARTMENT – Great Police Work by the Helicopter Pilot

At about 10:30 p.m. on July 4, 2009, officers received a radio call of a subject breaking the windows of a house and throwing furniture in the street in front of a residence. The streets, sidewalks, and beach were still teaming with residents and visitors from the 4th of July celebrations. The police helicopter, HB1, was first to arrive at the location; the pilots observed a motorcycle fleeing the area at a high rate of speed. The pilots were able to keep an eye on him as he drove around recklessly for a several minutes. The safety of the helicopter proved invaluable since it was able to observe the path of the motorcycle, eliminating the need for patrol officers to take part in a dangerous high speed pursuit.

The fleeing motorcycle reached speeds estimated at over 120 miles per hour while circling around the area trying to avoid capture by the patrol officers coming to the scene. The driver of the motorcycle, a Huntington Beach resident, eventually lost control and crashed into a parked vehicle at Walnut and 21st Street. The driver then took off running on foot, onto the beach in an effort to blend in with the crowds. The pilots were able to keep an observation of the running suspect and led the patrol officers on the ground to him where he was taken into custody. The driver was booked for driving under the influence, reckless driving, hit and run, and outstanding warrants.

Water Conservation

For the reporting period of January through June, Huntington Beach water consumption is down 4% from last year. Residents are encouraged to keep up the good conservation habits, especially as we head into the summer months.

Annual Women’s Conference Tickets on Sale Monday

Each year thousands of women journey to Long Beach for the Women’s Conference which is the nation’s premier forum for women and is hosted by California First Lady Maria Shriver and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.  A full list of speakers and participants will be announced on Monday, however the Press Telegram reported this morning that Katie Couric, Richard Branson, Caroline Kennedy, Kelly Preston, Annie Leibovitz, Danica Patrick and Meghan McCain have all been confirmed as guests.    The two day event to be held October 26th and 27th. 

The Women’s Conference is the largest and most dynamic gathering of women in the nation. The annual Conference unites more than 80 internationally-acclaimed leaders, visionaries  and authors with 14,000 women in one arena, plus thousands more online, to share enriching stories of transformation and success, self-empowerment and life lessons. To extend the power and reach of The Women’s Conference, a new website, californiawomen.org, was launched in July 2009.  The Women’s Conference is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization.

When is The Women’s Conference?

This year, The Women’s Conference 2009 will be held on Tuesday, October 27.  And, for the first time, the Conference has been expanded to two full days — with our new A Day of Transformation sessions and Night at The Village on Monday, October 26. 

Who will be speaking this year?

A full list of speakers will be announced on July 13th.

Where is The Women’s Conference?

Since 2004, the Conference has been held at the Long Beach Convention Center, 300 East Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90802.

How do you purchase tickets for The Women’s Conference?

Online ticket registration begins Monday, July 13, 2009, at 9 AM PDT.

“Doghouses” we don’t want in Seal Beach

by Mike Bubhe

Please join me in stopping the proposed doghouses on the roofs of four houses on 10th Street. Come to the City Council meeting on August 10th. It was scheduled for July 13 but Council has continued it to the new date. at 7 PM, in the council chambers on Eighth Street, or write a letter to the city council!

Tiny Relentless Still Leading Trans Pac Yacht Race

At 8 a.m. Wednesday , the 35 foot Relentless was  1058 miles from Diamond Head and was  a narrow overall leader in the Trans Pacific race but it had  a big lead over others in Div 6. However,  Criminal Mischief ,Div 3 leader, is only 30 miles behind her and closing. 

Charisma was still the Div 7 leader and was 1122 miles out.  Charisma, however, was more than two degrees north and the strongest winds are still south of her.

A new leader in Div 4, Hula had 1207 miles to go. 

The Div 5 group is still very tightly grouped. Horizon and Allure both reported  with 1253 miles to go.

The bigger boats in Divsion 2 are starting to show their speed.  Alchemy and OEX reported at 1542 miles out and Pye Wacket at 1547.

Alfa Romeo is pulling away from Magnitude 80.  She is 1215 miles out and was making over 17 knots during her last four hours!

I first saw this promotion in 1950 …. and now its back!

I remember it like yesterday.

They said we’d all have one one day….and I wanted mine as soon as I was eighteen.  (I was fifteen in 1950.)

Now here it is again only this time I may be to old to get one?

I hope not because this one looks a lot better than the 1950 model and makes a lot more sense. You can see it operate at the site below but I doubt you’ll be able to buy one until next year or maybe 2011.

Let me know if you like it because I’m definitely going to get one this time around….if I can.

http://www.terrafugia.com/Video_News_Release.html

Trans Pac winds pick up – few leads change

The 35 foot Relentless is still the overall leader as well as having a big lead in Div 6. She is 1231 miles from Oahu at L 135.43.

Charisma still leads Div 7 and is 1277 miles out and at L 135.47.

Div 4 is now leg by Bengal 7, 1388 miles out and yesterday’s leader Relentless  SC52 is now 25 miles behind Bengal.

Criminal Mischief must have had an interesting night.  It is now the clear frontrunner in Div 3 and is only 1305 miles from Diamond Head.  Its also in the lower latitudes where most of the other boats are eventually going to have to be.

Division 5 is where the race is  tight.  There are four boats in the lead and all within 10 miles of one another.  Allure, Passion, Horizon and Mighty Tongaroa.  Passion and Horizon are within a mile of each other.

All the Div 1 boats are far behind Alfa Romeo and Magnitude 80 and magnitude 80 is 120 miles behind Alfa Romeo…but Mag 80 is a little  lower and that may help her tonight.  Alfa Romeo is 1521 miles out at 130.45.

And lastly is Div 2 and there we have two boats, Alchemy and QEX both reporting Latitude 126.46 which makes them both 1742 miles from shore.

Some of the boats have blogs that can be found at Trans Pac’s site but several attempts at Alfa Romeo’s site…give us nothing but promo’s for the autos and nothing about the boat.

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Seal Beach Bunnies A Bugaboo

Leisure World rabbits might be fun for some but for others they are a pain.  Coyotes and hawks love them for breakfast and dinner…but Leisure World is a little short on hawks and coyotes are even less welcome than the rabbits.

Seal Beach’s top cop says “No” to shooting them…even with a pellet gun.

So what can be done?

Read the entire story in the L.A. Times at http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-rabbits7-2009jul07,0,6345474.story

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