City Asks the State to Give It a Beach : Proposal: Huntington Beach, which leases and cares for the 2 1/2 miles of strand north of its pier, wants to own it. The state is willing to talk.

In a move that would triple the amount of beach owned by the city, Huntington Beach officials are trying to talk the state into giving the city 2 1/2 miles of strand north of Huntington Beach Pier.

The city only owns one mile of beach, immediately south of the pier. The land on the north side is leased from the state, and it costs the city about $475,000 a year to maintain that once-littered section of beach.

A recent City Council controversy over the expense of maintaining the beach led city officials last week to a new conclusion: Huntington Beach should try to gain ownership of the land.

City officials have launched talks with state officials, and Henry R. Agonia, head of the state Department of Parks and Recreation, said he will be in Huntington Beach today to discuss the situation.

Deputy City Administrator Rich Barnard said the city has been pouring thousands of dollars into maintaining the state-owned beach.

“The city also has been investing millions of dollars into a bluff-top park (bordering the beach),” Barnard said. “With that kind of investment, we want to make sure this beach remains attractive--the front door to the city.”

Agonia, in a telephone interview from Sacramento, said it is too early to predict what may come of the state’s talks with city officials about the beach. But Agonia said the state is interested in hearing the city’s concerns.

“I think we need to look at the (lease) agreement,” Agonia said. “I think we can look to see if any adjustments are needed.”

Agonia sidestepped questions about whether the state would be interested in deeding the beach land to the city but said such a move would require the approval of the state Legislature.

The state has seldom given up any of its holdings, especially beach land. But there are some cases where the state donates park or historical land to a city or county. Agonia noted that the state about four years ago deeded its ownership of El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park--more commonly known as Olvera Street--to city and county governments in Los Angeles.

In Huntington Beach, the strand leased from the state extends from the intersection of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway north to the city limits at the edge of Bolsa Chica State Beach.

The city does not pay a fee to lease the beach, but the agreement calls for the city to pay all operating and maintenance costs. Also, all permanent improvements by the city, such as landscaping and parking lots, revert to state ownership after the lease expires.

The 2 1/2-mile stretch of state beach has historically been somewhat of an “orphan,” city officials said. They noted that the strand is between Huntington State Beach on the south and Bolsa Chica State Beach on the north, but the strip was not as well-maintained by the state as either Bolsa Chica or Huntington State beaches, city officials said.

“If you had before-and-after pictures, you could see that the beach today (under lease by the city) is much more attractive,” said Barnard. “It’s like the difference of night and day. There used to be oil pipes strewn all over the ground there. The city, working with the county and the Coastal Conservancy, has made a big difference in how that area looks now.”

Barnard noted that the city, since taking over the lease, has persuaded oil companies to dismantle and remove pumps and equipment from the bluffs adjoining the beach. Simultaneously, the city built a landscaped park along the bluffs, paralleling Pacific Coast Highway.

“That beach was in terrible condition before the city took it over,” said Councilwoman Linda Moulton-Patterson. “It was filthy. I live near that beach, and I can tell you that since the city took over its maintenance, it has really been improved. I’d be very opposed to turning the beach back to the state.”

But, ironically, it was Councilman Jim Silva’s suggestion that the city relinquish its lease of the beach that triggered the city’s request for ownership of the strand.

Two weeks ago, during the city’s heated debate over imposing a new 5% fee on cable television, Silva, who opposed the fee, said the city could make other cutbacks--including dropping its lease of the state beach.

At Silva’s request, the City Council called for a staff analysis of what it costs the city to maintain the beach, a study that showed that expense to be about $475,000 a year.

In contrast, the city receives about $100,000 in revenue from the beach, mainly from parking fees and revenue from offshore oil pumping.

Mayor Peter M. Green, however, noted that the analysis shows the city can expect to receive $455,000 a year from the beach when a new parking lot is completed next year. “I think we will soon be in a position where the income will be about as much as the expense (in direct costs),” the mayor said.

Even if the city is unsuccessful in obtaining full ownership of the north beach, it has the option of continuing its current lease until the year 2026.

Huntington Beach has more than eight miles of coastline, but owns only the one mile between Beach Boulevard and Main Street. The remaining sections of the beach are all state-owned.