HUNTINGTON BEACH : Santa Cruz Vying for Official Surf City Tag

A most heinous surf war is brewing in Sacramento between Huntington Beach and Santa Cruz, dudes.

The brouhaha got its start when Assemblyman Tom Mays (R--Huntington Beach), a local surfer, introduced a resolution in March seeking to have the state Legislature officially recognize the city as “Surf City Huntington Beach.”

It looked like the resolution would easily sail through the Legislature. But then surfers in Santa Cruz got wind of it and cried that it was bogus.

They raised a wave of protest in newspapers and radio talk shows, citing their city’s surf history and surf museum. They claimed Santa Cruz had the right to the title.

Assemblyman Sam Farr (D-Carmel), who represents Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, agreed and had the bill assigned to the Local Government Committee--which he happens to chair. Mays’ measure was subsequently wiped out, at least temporarily.

Mays said Monday that he is trying to work out a solution to the good-natured rivalry, such as letting Santa Cruz join a Sister Surf City Assn. with Huntington Beach. He also said he wouldn’t mind if Farr introduces a bill for a Surf City Santa Cruz.

“We were kind of caught off guard,” Huntington Beach Deputy City Administrator Richard Barnard acknowledged Monday.

“We knew there was a Surf City in North Carolina and a Surf City in New Jersey, and even a Surf City in Australia somewhere. We never heard of one in Northern California. It was a new twist.”

Barnard and other locals are slated to go to Sacramento to lobby for the bill when it makes its second try, probably in June.

Natalie Kotsch, founder of the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum and a strong Surf City proponent, said a recent survey shows that more than a third of Huntington Beach residents are surfers.

“We are Surf City, whether Sacramento says so or not,” Kotsch said. “But the name would be lovely to have.”

Community Services Director Ron Hagan said the surf war is not an all-or-nothing battle, but he has gathered what he says is conclusive proof that Huntington Beach is indeed Surf City if the Santa Cruz surfers really want to put up a fight.

Pulling out a copy of “The Surfin’ary,” a dictionary of surfing terms and surf-speak, Hagan showed that the first definition under the entry for Surf City is “another name for Huntington Beach, Calif.”

The Huntington Beach City Council adopted the Surf City nickname last September to get publicity, attract corporate sponsors and cash in on commercial products. Mays’ bill was designed to get the city some statewide publicity, city officials said.