Fly to an island for lunch…are you crazy?

OK…so I’m flitting around the blogasphere looking for something interesting and find a story about the Santa Catalina Island Airport.  That got my attention because my pal is an avid fan of the place….and I’ve never been sure about the landing when I’ve flown there.

Any excuse will get my friend to the Airport in the Sky but this was about a couple of young women flying down during the week to have a $100 burger.  $100?… does that include the gas?

OK I’m all ears.

For the (almost) complete article go to:http://blogs.forbes.com/wheelsup/2010/06/26/avalon-airport-in-the-sky/#respond

…..and tell me what you think?

http://blogs.forbes.com/wheelsup/2010/06/26/avalon-airport-in-the-sky/#respond

Seal Beach 95th Founder’s Day Coming Up!

From Libby Appelgate, Publicity Chair, Seal Beach 95th Founder’s Day
 
Seal Beach will commemorate its 95th birthday and will celebrate all of the month of October. Our population has grown far beyond the original 250 but today’s locals will have a chance to experience the same excitement as in 1915. Long Beach, Los Alamitos, Surfside and Huntington Beach residents are invited to help us celebrate.  Especially we want our Leisure World neighbors involved. 
 
Our first event will have dining, dancing and great music by the Emperor band; a Southern California Classic Rock Band. They play very exciting songs including The Beatles, The Who, Doobie Brothers, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Beach Boys, Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, Styx, Lynard Skynard plus many original songs of their own.

        Wear the garments of your favorite era.
  

  Gwen & Riley Forsyth in their favorite 70’s Hippie outfits

Meet us at the Old Ranch Country Club, 3001 Lampson Ave. on Saturday, October 2, 2010 at 6 PM. 
$75 advance ticket sales. Call Gwen and Riley Forsythe and Reserve your table today, they are selling fast! 562 598-9044 or 562 598-9294                 
website:www.sealbeachfoundersday.com<http://www.sealbeachfoundersday.com>   
 Proceeds from silent auction will go to Save Our Pool Fund for the community pool at J. H.  McGaugh Elementary School.

A BIg  Hug and a Thank You to Our Sponsors!

 Our sincere gratitude to the following for their support of Founders Day: 

 Silver Sponsors: Consolidated Disposal Service

 Bronze Sponsors:  Sea Air Federal Credit Union &  Seal Beach Family Medical Group 

 Patron Sponsors:  Woman’s Club of Seal Beach

 Apparel sales & sponsorships help fund the culminating event of the Seal Beach Founders Day Celebration, the Parade & Family Festival on Sunday, October 10.  All other events are supported through ticket sales. 

 Sponsors will receive the following benefits leading up to and during Founders Day: recognition in event programs, press releases, web site, Cable TV- 3, and the City’s Community Services Recreation Guide, as well as special recognition at events, festival, and parade.  

 Sponsorship levels are as follows: 

Platinum Sponsor – $5,000 or above (includes name on Main Street banner)

Gold Sponsor – $2,500

  Silver Sponsor – $1,000

  Bronze Sponsor – $500

  Patron Sponsor – $499 or under (event program listing only)

All donations are tax-deductible.  For more information, contact Carla Watson at 562/598-9294.  

 Additional sponsorship opportunities are available for the Family Festival.  For  information on sponsoring a carnival attraction or a musical guest  for the Festival, contact Tim Kelsey, 562-431-2527, ext. 1341

World Famous Wiener Dog Races Coming Up!

The 15th Annual Wiener Nationals are Saturday July 10 at the Los Alamitos Race Course.

The first race is  6:15 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults, free for kids 17 and under.

Tickets can be purchased at the Seal Beach Animal Care Center, at Seal Beach Music on Main Street and Up, Up and Away Kites on Main Street.

These tickets are good for grandstand as well as Clubhouse admission, and all proceeds go to the Seal Beach Animal Care Center. (Tickets purchased at the race course do not benefit the Care Center.)

What’s Up In Seal Beach is personally knowledgeable of the wonderful service the Center provides to stray animals as well as all of us who live in Seal Beach.  The SBACare Center is one of the few animal centers that does not end the life of any of the pets under its care and almost all of its workers donate their time and effort.

The Weiner Nationals are great fun for adults and children and you’ll be supporting a superb group dedicated to putting together loving pets and loving people.

The SBACC will also be hosting the Fifth Annual Wine Tasting and Auction will be held on Saturday August 28 at the Oakwood Apartments Community Room on 1st Street in Seal Beach, starting at 7 p.m. Items to be auctioned will include original art by our four legged residents.

The 15th Annual Wag ‘n Walk has been set for Saturday September 25 at the Seal
Beach Pier.

For more information, go to the Events section of our web site, www.sbacc.org,
or call the Care Center at 562-430-4993 during our open hours.

County Real Estate Favors Buyers !

Supply and the number of distressed properties on the market, both continue to increase, while the number of new pending sales during the last 30 days (demand) fell again according to numbers run on June 10. 2010.

The inventory of active Orange County residential real estate on the market continued its relentless expansion for the two weeks ending June 10, 2010. Increasing by another 278 homes, or 2.8%, inventory was 10,117 as of June 10. As we have been reporting, inventory has steadily increased since the beginning of the year, when it hit a low of 7,293 units.

Demand, on the other hand, stopped keeping pace with the expanding inventory back in mid-April. Last year, movement in the supply/demand relationship favored sellers until it swung around in favor of buyers in mid-November.

for the complete story please go to: http://www.oc180news.com/article/West_Orange_County_Features/Real_Estate/Trends_in_Orange_County_Real_Estate_Continue_to_Favor_BuyersSupply_Distressed_Properties_up_Demand_DownBiweekly_Report/18863

FREE Fishing Tournament For Returning Military

The Heroes Tournament put on by the Southern California Tuna Club has always been a wonderful trip for the military and for the Tuna Club members.

It’s a completely FREE deep sea fishing experience for all active and reserve military memebers returning from deployments within the last year.

Because of the success of prior tournaments The Southern California Tuna Club has again extended an invitation to Service Members to go ocean fishing for a day. The trip is all-inclusive (tackle, bait, and lunch), there will be no payment required, except for required fishing licenses.  First come first served.

The boats are sportfishers that are privately owned by Tuna Club members.  These are not “Day Boats” so there are better accommodations and an all around better fishing experience.

Each Service Member may bring 2 immediate family members or 1 unrelated guest.  No exceptions.  Guests should be at least 12 years old and in good health.  Anglers 16 and older must be licensed to fish.  Please purchase a license prior to the trip (approx. $15 for one day).

It is recommended that you bring a variety of clothing as temperatures/conditions vary throughout the day.  Sunscreen is a must!  Non-marking soled shoes are required to prevent damage to the boats’ decks.

If you’re interested please call or send an email to a POC to make your reservations.  Please include your name, rank, contact number, e-mail address, number of guests, and the best time to call as we will be confirming reservations approximately 7 days prior to the event.  Last day to register is noon 2 July, 2010.

Reservations are a must as there are a limited number of seats (70 total) on a first come, first served basis.

Pick up time will be at 7 a.m. at the Long Beach Yacht Club.  The estimated conclusion time is 1400.  The address is 6201 E. Appian Way, Long Beach, CA 90803.

POC: SFC John Berry @ 831-601-8499  Email: john.l.berry@us.army.mil
SSG Sheila Harris @ 916-844-5535 Email:  sheila.l.harris@us.army.mil
Contact: Laura Herzog
Community/Public Relations
The Joint Forces Training Base
4522 Saratoga Ave., Bldg 15
Los Alamitos, Ca 90720
Laura.herzog@us.army.mil
–Office (562) 795-2017
–Cell (562) 522-5040

. . . . And You Thought Bolsa Chica Was Saved ?

By Joe Shaw – Member Board of Directors of Bolsa Chica Land Trust

On April 27, the Huntington Beach Planning Commission approved The Ridge. Hearthside Homes’ 22-unit housing project proposed for an important natural and historic site at Bolsa Chica.

Approval required the commission to re-zone the site from parkland to residential. The land had been zoned as open space/parkland for nearly thirty years. The Commission voted 4-3 to change the zoning despite an abundance of evidence that the project is too close to environmentally sensitive habitat and will destroy a sacred Native American burial and ceremonial site. Voting in favor of the development were Janis Mantini, John Scandura. Fred Speaker. and Barbara Delgleize.

Commission Chairman Blair Farely vigorously tried to save the site from being rezoned. and he was joined by Elizabeth Shierr Burnett and Tom Livengood. Nearly sixty people attended the hearing. Speakers from the Bolsa Chica Land Trust and the Amigos de Bolsa Chica argued forcefully against the rezoning and presented a solid case for the Commission to either require an Environmental Impact Report or reject the rezoning outright. The Ridge property. along with the D.E. Goodell property (otherwise known as the Sacred Cogged Stone site). make up a portion of the Bolsa Chica known as the Bluffs. The Cogged Stone site was recently annexed by the City of Huntington Beach and has. in our view; been zoned for residential use without proper environmental review.

The Bluffs feature breathtaking views of the Bolsa Chica and the undeveloped Shea property known as the upper Bolsa Chica Wetlands. They are perilously close to environmentally sensitive habitat areas already under protection, and overlap “ORA 83” and “ORA 86” which are “1S onca y an cu ura y ” significant to Native Americans and to our understanding of the Bolsa Chica’s ancient peoples.

Because of the natural, archeological, and cultural importance of the Bluffs, the Land Trust is once again leading the fight to save areas of Bolsa Chica that others are willing to give up. If you want to be part of this effort, please donate to the Bolsa Chica Land Trust as we fight to Save the Bluffs! Joe Shaw has been a member of the Land Trust Board of Directors since 2009.

(Editor’s Note: “whats up in seal beach” considers the Bolsa Chica Bluffs and Wetlands an extremely important ecological site for all of Southern California.  We encourage our readers to take a walk over the new bridge at Warner Ave and PCH and you will immediately see what’s at stake.)

to

Local duo in Haiti Relief Program

Tyler Rootlieb, son of a justly proud Seal Beach father , Jerry Rootlieb, recently returned from a  humanitarian aid trip to Haiti.

The  boy laying across Tyler’s lap lost both his parents in the earthquake. Tyler and his good friend Jon Rose, both Laguna Beach residents were “hosted” by the Diana Jenkins/Sean Penn Haiti Relief Organization.  Rose was the originator of the “Waves for Water” charity established long before the Haiti earthquake and has become a good friend of Sean Penn.

Waves for Water, in conjunction with Penn’s organization has been giving out much needed water filtration systems to Haitian refugees.  Rose and Rootlieb left their jobs and families behind to help in what is considered one of the worst catastrophes in the history of North American continent. Worse than the BP oil spill.

Tyler Rootlieb is an employee of DNA Technologies and Jon Rose, is a world renowned surfer who, before he was twenty had traveled to Bali, The Philippines, England, Australia, France, South Africa, Japan India and Central and South America.  Both men agreed that they’d never seen a need as desperate as Haiti’s.

Rose is also the author of “When Life Hands You Lemons.” Both went to Haiti at their own dime and intend to go again.

Rootlieb pointed out that the hurricane season is coming to the Caribbean; everyone knows that.  The Haitian people are desperate for adequate shelters to be built. He asks that if you can donate even $20 you will be saving more than one life.

Go to: http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6591//p/salso/donation/common/public/?donate_page_KEY=2085

“NEW” Alley for Seal Way

Seal Way Residents have been advised with a construction notification of alley improvements starting next month.

To wit:

Dear Seal Way Residents

The City of Seal Beach announces the Seal Way Alley Reconstruction Project from 11^th Street to 14^th Street. The project will reconstruct the entire alley and place back concrete pavement.

The project is expected to start on Monday, July 12, 2010 and be completed by Monday, July 19, 2010. Below is the proposed construction schedule:

MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY	MONDAY
July 12, 2010	July 13, 2010	July 14, 2010	July 15, 2010	July 16, 2010	July 17, 2010	July 18, 2010	July 19, 2010
DEMOLITION		GRADING		POUR AND PLACE CONCRETE		CONCRETE CURE	OPEN TO PUBLIC

During this construction window, all alley access and parking including garages will be restricted.  The City intends to use a rapid set concrete mixture that will reduce the cure time and allow residents to be back on the alley by Monday, July 19, 2010.

The City realizes this will be an inconvenience and your cooperation will be critical to the safe and successful completion of the project. As part of the project, the City will issue parking passes to each resident for the parking inconvenience. The trash schedule will remain on schedule.

If you have additional questions please contact David Spitz, Project Manager, at (562) 431-2527 ext 1331.

If you have any further questions staff will be hosting a Public Meeting at: 10^th Street Parking Lot Thursday, June 24, 2010 at 7:00pm

Respectfully,

Sean P. Crumby – Director of Public Works

What’s Up in Huntington Beach ?

Huntington Beach’s Weekly Report For week of June 7, 2010.

Well let’s start out with the good stuff and work our way down to the not so good stuff.

60th Annual Pier Swim

The Community Services Dept. will hold its 60th Annual Huntington Beach Open “Rough Water” Pier Swim on Saturday, June 12.  The first race is for ages 16-31 and will start at 8:45 a.m.  The second race is for Masters through Ultra Masters and starts at approximately 9:30 followed by the Junior Men and Junior Women, 12-15 years of age at 10:15 a.m.  Trophies will be awarded, first through third places, in each of the eleven divisions with the Gene Belshe Memorial Perpetual Trophy going to the winning team and a trophy to the first Huntington Beach boy and girl.

This is one of the first regular ocean swims of the season. Almost 400 contestants participated last year.  The public is invited to participate or come and watch the competition.  Registration will be taken at the beach on June 12 between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m. – $20 without a shirt.  A limited number of shirts will be available for purchase.  For further information, please call 714-536-5486.

Yoga on Saturdays for Beginners – NEW!

Learn to create balance with proper breathing techniques, body alignment/posture & restore flexibility in a specially designed yoga class — A traditional small class giving individual attention to each student.  This Saturday class is held at the City Gym and Pool beginning June 26 at 10:30 a.m.  For more information, contact the City Gym and Pool at 714-960-8884 or sign up at www.hbsands.org today!

H B Seniors give $2 million in  Services

Senior Services Volunteers – in 2009, over 400 Senior Services Volunteers contributed 51,492 hours of service which calculates to an amazing $2 Million dollars in value to senior services!  Because of this dedicated team of volunteers, Huntington Beach has a thriving senior center and outreach center with a wide range of services, activities and classes.

Several volunteers became members of 500 Hours Club including kitchen volunteers, Beulah Asbra, Doris Byrd and Fanny Hunter; Handy Crafters, Mary Kanaske, Verdelle Web, and Inge Weinfeld; Travel Coordinator Betty Hickey; Meals to the Home Volunteer Ida Dollinger; Computer Teacher Lewis Russakov; and Driver John McGrew.  Also in the 500 club were the Huntington Beach Council on Aging President & Vice President, Don MacAllister and Judy Ann Morris.  Volunteers are essential to the success of the programs of Senior Services and there is always a place for new volunteers.  Currently summer substitutes are being sought for the Meals to the Home program and Transportation program.  Experienced golfers are needed for the On Course Golf Tournament and Office Support volunteers are needed for the busy Outreach Center.  For more information on available volunteer opportunities, contact Diane Swarts, Volunteer Coordinator at 714-374-1544 or dswarts@surfcity-hb.org.

Annual Art Benefit Auction & Art Experience Dinner – June 11, 2010

From now thru June 11, the public is invited to view the 10th Annual Art Benefit Auction works in the main galleries.  These pieces have been donated by a myriad of contemporary artists in a range of media.  The work will be auctioned off to the highest bidder on June 11.  Proxy bidding is available.  Contact the Art Center on 714-374-1650 to register your details. The Art Experience Dinner precedes the Auction event.  Cucina Alessá, our community partner, will be providing the fine dining experience. Only a limited amount of tickets are still available at $75 per person. Call the Art Center on 714-374-1650 to reserve your tickets today.

Children’s Summer Art Camp – Art at the Beach

The Summer Art Camp Program is bursting with a range of fun–filled art activities taught by our knowledgeable and professional artists.  The camp dates are June 21 – August 13. Children between the ages of 6 – 12 can choose from full and half day sessions.  You can register at the Huntington Beach Art Center or reserve your place online at www.hbsands.org.  For more information, call 714-374-1650.

Now to the not so good stories… someone’s house got smoked!

On the afternoon of June 1, 2010, the Fire Department responded to a fire on Skylark Drive. When the first unit arrived, there was smoke and fire showing from a one-story single family home. Twenty-one firefighters, including mutual aid from the Orange County Fire Authority, brought the fire under control in ten minutes. The fire started in a rear bedroom and extended into the hallway. The occupants were not at home at the time of the fire. The cause of the fire is being investigated. The estimate for property loss is $40,000 due to fire and smoke damage.

….and last but not least !

There was a Hit and Run Traffic Accident on June 6, 2010, at about 4:45pm, Huntington Beach police officers responded to the H & R at Pacific Coast Highway and Magnolia Avenue.  The victim, a 21 year old male was crossing the roadway in the crosswalk when he was stuck by a Ford Taurus that went through a red light heading southbound on PCH.  The pedestrian victim received serious injuries and was treated by the Huntington Beach paramedics and then transported to UCI Medical Center.

H B officers were able to locate the suspect driving his vehicle near his home in Newport Beach.  Our officers arrested the driver, Richard Elwood Swanson, a 59 year old resident of Newport Beach.  He was booked in the Huntington Beach city jail for felony charges of Driving Under the Influence and Hit and Run.

ANd that’s the news from Huntington for this week.

Wow…look at these Long Beach kids!

Long Beach Unified School District announced today that this year’s scholarships and other monetary awards earned by graduating Long Beach seniors exceeded $51 million – surpassing last year’s record of $40 million. The new record also represents a significant increase from the $18 million earned by local high school graduates just three years ago.

Students at the California Academy of Mathematics and Science earned $14.42 million. (With a senior class of only 142 students, CAMS graduates earned an average of $101,600 each in scholarships this year.) CAMS  is run by LBUSD and this year’s students admission Amherst, Brown, Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Florida Tech, Georgetown, Harvard, Harvey Mudd, Johns Hopkins, Howard, MIT, NYU, Olin, Pomona College, Princeton, Stanford, Syracuse, all of the University of California campuses, the University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, USC, Vanderbilt, Washington University in St. Louis, Williams and Yale.

Poly High School students earned $10.72 million
Wilson High School students earned $9.13 million
Millikan High School students earned $8.07 million. A member of the girls’ track and   field team, Ashley Smith, earned more than $1.2 million in athletic scholarships (she has committed to attending UC Berkeley.

Lakewood High School students earned $3.37 million

Jordan High School students earned $2.61 million
Cabrillo High School students earned $1.97 million

Renaissance High School for the Arts students earned $737,766

Hundreds of students won non-monetary honors, including awards for Service Learning (logging hundreds of community service hours), K-12 perfect attendance, and recognition by Kiwanis, Rotary and many other local youth service organizations.

LBUSD has 5,957 graduates this year.

For the complete story please go to:http://www.lbpost.com/ryan/9912

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