Huntington Beach Councilman Victor Leipzig

Victor Leipzig, who earlier this month completed a one-year term as mayor of Huntington Beach, presided over a time of tumult. When Orange County filed for bankruptcy protection during Leipzig’s first week leading the City Council, about $43 million of Huntington Beach’s money was frozen in the county’s collapsed investment pool. Leipzig, elected to the council in 1992, spoke with Times correspondent Debra Cano about the financial crisis and other events during his year as mayor.

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Q: What was it like, taking over as mayor just as the bankruptcy hit?

A: The county’s bankruptcy consumed an inordinate amount of attention and an enormous amount of time from city staff. We held daily meetings to track the fiscal crisis.

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Q: What did you accomplish as mayor?

A: One success was with the environment. We’ve made tremendous progress. For many years, the city and the federal and state wildlife agencies were at odds about Central Park. They were concerned that we were not managing the habitat in an environmentally sensitive manner. We formed a committee that meets regularly and discusses shrubbery maintenance, tree trimming and management of the area. There was just very poor communication between the city and state and federal agencies. That’s been completely resolved. The result is that habitat areas will be better managed.

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Q: What about the Bolsa Chica housing project? The county has approved plans for the development, and the California Coastal Commission is scheduled to accept or reject it next month.

A: We’ve been working with the Coastal Commission to preserve the wetlands and still preserve the rights of the property owners. If you look at what the city’s done, you’ll see that over the course of the year we improved our position. We’ve managed to take positions that are environmentally friendly and protect the resources but are not extremist. We’ve also achieved some unity on the City Council, which is unprecedented. We really have the ear of the Coastal Commission. We’ve made a good case, and they are listening to us. But I don’t want to take all the credit. The City Council’s Bolsa Chica committee is a hard-working committee and drafted the city’s positions.

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Q: The city was concerned about the extra cost for services if the project is approved. Where does that stand now?

A: We’ve negotiated the fiscal issues. At the beginning of 1995, there was in excess of $40 million in [projected] costs. . . . The risk of that high cost to citizens has been greatly reduced. But we still have to be on guard, because we don’t have signed contracts. I was hoping to have the hearing [before the Coastal Commission] during my term as mayor, but you can’t control the timing.