2020 in review: Top stories of the year in Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach went through a turbulent 2020, much of it tied to the novel coronavirus pandemic that exploded in March.
Traditional events were canceled or modified in Surf City, and a turbulent election season transpired. Yet there was progress made in key areas like the opening of the city’s long-awaited Navigation Center.
Here are some of the top stories of 2020:
Navigation Center opens
The city’s homeless navigation center opened on adjacent lots on Beach Boulevard and Cameron Lane on Dec. 7, ending years of buildup and trying to find the right site.
The navigation center, operated by Mercy House, provides up to 174 shelter beds for adults and will also facilitate additional case management and support services. Those staying at the temporary shelter are expected to have access to services including vocational training, mental health treatment and transportation to necessary appointments.
The city broke ground on the site in August after considering 35 different shelter sites over the last several years, City Manager Oliver Chi said.
Kim Carr, Tito Ortiz take leadership roles
The City Council’s makeup changed significantly as Tito Ortiz, Dan Kalmick and Natalie Moser were all elected in November.
Ortiz, a lifelong resident of Huntington Beach and former mixed martial arts star who ran claiming to “Make Huntington Beach safe again,” easily got the most votes of the 15 candidates to run. He was appointed Mayor Pro Tem after being sworn in.
Kalmick and Moser, on the other end of the political spectrum, were both endorsed by the Democratic Party of Orange County.
Kim Carr was sworn in as mayor in December, taking that mantle from Lyn Semeta.
Protests abound at H.B. Pier
The Huntington Beach Pier was the home of protests seemingly every weekend after the pandemic hit. Many were either protesting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order, or in support of the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd.
Approximately 2,500 people gathered at the pier on May 1 to call for the reopening of California. About a month later, Black Lives Matter demonstrators were met with counter-protesters during a protest on May 31. Local businesses boarded up their windows and the gathering was declared an unlawful assembly, but no looting was reported.
More recently, in November, people gathered there to protest a statewide curfew that was implemented after Orange County regressed into the purple tier for reopening.
Fourth of July parade continues, with modifications
The long-running Huntington Beach Fourth of July parade continued during the coronavirus, albeit with heavy modifications.
Instead of the traditional parade down Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street, the 2020 version featured two smaller motorcades that went through Huntington Beach neighborhoods. The parade honored veterans, local elected officials, high school seniors and other notable community figures, and it came within a mile of every home in the city.
A home-decorating contest also took place, with the theme of the celebration being “Surf City Dreamin’.” The Festival at the Pier, Fourth of July run and traditional fireworks show were all canceled.
U.S. Open of Surfing, Great Pacific Airshow canceled
Two events that bring sizable crowds into Huntington Beach were canceled due to COVID-19.
The U.S. Open of Surfing, a mainstay of summer in Surf City, was canceled in June. The nine-day event, billed as the largest action sports event in North America, typically brings hundreds of thousands of people to the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier.
The Great Pacific Airshow typically utilizes that space in September, but it also was canceled in July.
Both events plan to return in 2021.
Handy resigns as police chief; Harvey takes helm
Huntington Beach Police Chief Robert Handy resigned in October, after serving in that role for seven years. He said he would be leaving law enforcement but will remain a resident of Surf City.
Handy’s assistant chief Kelly Rodriguez was named the interim chief but she quickly resigned that role, saying she didn’t want to be a part of political fights that were happening in the community.
The Huntington Beach Police Management Assn., which represents nine lieutenants and three captains in the department, endorsed Ortiz, Casey McKeon and Gracey Van Der Mark in the City Council race. A political flyer sent to homes in Huntington Beach, which was endorsed by the Police Management Assn., was critical of City Council candidates Moser, Kalmick and Oscar Rodriguez.
However, the Police Officers Assn., which is another police union that represents the rank-and-file police officers within the department, endorsed Kalmick along with Ortiz.
Julian Harvey, the formerly the deputy police chief for Anaheim, was hired as Huntington Beach’s interim chief in November.
Poseidon debate rages on
The Poseidon water desalination plant in Huntington Beach remains a hot topic, though nothing was actually resolved on that issue in 2020.
The Santa Ana Regional Water Board was set to vote on issuing a permit to Poseidon in September, but that was delayed after Poseidon requested more time to address concerns that were raised during public hearings in August.
Should the regional water board grant Poseidon a permit, it would also need a permit from the California Coastal Commission before a possible contract with the Orange County Water District could be agreed upon and construction of the $1.4 billion facility.
Proponents say desalination will provide an affordable and drought-proof water supply to the area, but opponents question the need and say that the plant would be ecologically destructive.
Downtown area closed to traffic
The second and third blocks of Main Street were closed to street traffic over the summer, as a way to encourage outdoor dining and support local businesses during the pandemic.
That closure has led to increased business for many restaurants downtown, though some business owners in the third block have said the closure hurts their business instead of helping it.
At the last City Council meeting of the year, the Council voted 4-3 to keep the second block of Main Street closed to traffic through February but to reopen the third block as soon as possible with modifications.
Huntington Beach joins Orange County Power Authority
Following a special meeting, the City Council voted 5-2 on Dec. 21 to join the Orange County Power Authority, a new Community Choice Energy program being spearheaded by the city of Irvine.
Huntington Beach Councilman Mike Posey has been sworn in as a board member for the group, which provides electricity customers an alternative to Southern California Edison. Electricity users in participating cities are estimated to save about 2% on their energy bills. They will automatically be enrolled in the program, but can switch back to Edison if they choose.
Fullerton, Lake Forest and Buena Park are the other cities on board with the CCE. Launch costs are being handled by Irvine.
Judge rules against H.B. in beach closure suit
An Orange County Superior Court judge denied a preliminary injunction sought by the city of Huntington Beach on May 14, after Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered ordered all Orange County beaches closed April 30.
Huntington Beach City Atty. Michael Gates said that Newsom had overstepped his authority and closing the beaches was unconstitutional. The city filed suit against the state after a 5-2 vote by the City Council.
The beaches were reopened for active use on May 5, but Huntington Beach did not drop its lawsuit against the state, which also included several private businesses in Huntington Beach and Newport Beach as plaintiffs.
“The court denies plaintiffs’ invitation to adjudicate a closure no longer in effect,” Judge Nathan Scott wrote in his decision. “Plaintiffs have not shown the governor is likely to close the beaches again.”
Scott added that the plaintiffs “have not shown a sufficient likelihood that a narrow restriction on passive beach use during a pandemic is unconstitutional.”
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.
