Events in the news this week.

A debate over whether Huntington Beach should hire a public relations consultant to help spread the word about the city’s redevelopment will come to the floor at the City Council meeting on Monday. Council members will discuss a proposal that the city spend $150,000 for the consultant. While some officials believe such a move is unneeded, others say the consultant may be able to deliver national media coverage of the city’s redevelopment effort.

The hub of the city’s efforts has been the Main-Pier area Redevelopment Project. Officials envision a “village-type” area, complete with hotels, shops and restaurants, along Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway. The municipal pier will be the centerpiece of the project. Another new development is the Waterfront project--which will include a 12-story hotel-restaurant-convention complex--on Pacific Coast Highway between Beach Boulevard and Huntington Street. It is scheduled to open in July.