HUNTINGTON BEACH

United through the Southeast Huntington Beach Neighborhood Assn., residents are taking issues that affect their community into their own hands. They are focusing on the area bounded by Pacific Coast Highway, Hamilton Avenue and Brookhurst and Magnolia streets. The group is different from a homeowners association because it does not have the power to levy dues or fees, but it does have its own bylaws, which state that members have been bound together “to protect and seek their own interests in order to advocate for this area.”

City officials support this move toward neighborhood self-sufficiency: “The idea of less government and more individuals taking responsibility for their own property and neighborhood is something we need to see a lot more of in the future,” City Administrator Ray Silver said.