Judge strikes down Sunset group’s petition

Huntington Beach has declared the annexation of Sunset Beach a “done deal” after a judge ruled Thursday that the transition may proceed.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Frederick P. Horn ruled against the Citizen’s Assn. of Sunset Beach’s petition to block the annexation until Sunset residents could vote on paying the same taxes as the rest of Huntington. Horn declared that Sunset met the criteria for an island annexation and that the taxes Sunset residents would pay after the move did not count as new taxes because they were already established in the city.

City Attorney Jennifer McGrath said the Orange County Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO, will file an official notice of annexation with the state Monday. By Wednesday, she said, Sunset will officially be part of Huntington.

…Continue reading Judge strikes down Sunset group’s petition

Happy birthday to Editor John Canalis

The staff at Times Community News South gather for a photo with Editor John Canalis on his 40th birthday Friday.

Judge promises rule in Sunset annexation

The fate of Huntington Beach’s annexation of Sunset Beach is in the hands of a judge after attorneys for the city, a county commission and a residents’ group squared off in court Thursday.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Frederick P. Horn promised to come back with a ruling after hearing arguments for and against the annexation of the seaside community. Horn did not give a time frame for when he would make his decision.

At the hearing, an attorney for the Citizen’s Assn. of Sunset Beach argued that the annexation was unconstitutional because it would result in Sunset residents paying new taxes. Attorneys for the city and the Orange County Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO, argued that taxes and annexation were different issues and that the commission had followed protocol in approving the transaction.

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Sam Perricone dies at 91; giant of citrus industry

Sam Perricone owned 500 acres of avocados in San Diego County and numerous orange groves in California and Arizona. He also was a partner in a company that grows Cuties brand mandarins and owned packinghouses in California and Arizona.

By the time he was 16 in 1936, Sam Perricone was picking and packing lemons in Corona and Riverside and then hauling them to Los Angeles in his small pickup truck to sell at the Grand Central Market.

Perricone, who became a giant of the citrus industry, died of congestive heart failure Friday at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, said his daughter Lucy Perricone. He was 91.

A resident of the Orange County community of Sunset Beach, Perricone owned or was a partner in about 25 businesses related to agriculture.

That included owning some 500 acres of avocados in Pauma Valley in San Diego County and numerous orange groves in California and Arizona. He also was a partner in a company that grows Cuties brand mandarins and owned packinghouses in California and Arizona.

…Continue reading Sam Perricone dies at 91; giant of citrus industry

Sea World, marine mammal center in same network

The Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach last week rescued an elephant seal pup in Seal Beach, which Sea World had rehabilitated.

Melissa Sciacca, director of development and marketing at the center, said the incident wasn’t cause for concern.

The seal, named Safari, was found weighing 92 pounds at 5 months old, and was described as lethargic, with feathers in his mouth. The center is investigating what caused Safari to become stranded. A tag designated the pup as coming from Sea World in San Diego, according to Sciacca.

“It’s important to establish first off that it’s normal to get each other’s animals,” Sciacca said, noting that Sea World occasionally picks up seals rehabilitated at the center, which serves the Orange County coast.

Last month, the center also picked up a seal from Sea World named Yahoo due to an abscess that needed medical attention.

…Continue reading Sea World, marine mammal center in same network

Three staffers win at LAT Editorial Awards

LOS ANGELES — Three Times Community News (TCN) journalists won Los Angeles Times 2010 Editorial Awards Tuesday in recognition of their contributions to the Daily Pilot and its sister newspapers.

Web Editor Jamie Rowe, who oversees the digital efforts of the Daily Pilot, the Laguna Beach Coastline Pilot, the Huntington Beach Independent and the OCNow blog, won the Editor’s Award, the top recognition, for her efforts to improve the newspapers’ online presentation and traffic.

Page Designer Kelly Parker, who designs each of those papers, won the Design Award for her work designing compelling front and inside pages. Parker was also recognized for her news judgment, supervision of the Sunday edition and taking on new initiatives, including editorial content added to the Saturday real estate section.

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Friends, strangers help family displaced by fire

When Sally Nobbs and her family jumped out of the windows of their Sunset Beach home to escape a five-alarm fire Thursday, there was no going back: They lost everything.

But almost immediately, Nobbs, who lived in the rented home with her boyfriend, his two sons and a roommate, was overwhelmed with the generosity of neighbors and friends.

“When we were sitting on the beach and watching our house burn down, people were running up to us and giving us things we needed, like clothes and shoes,” Nobbs said.

Friends and strangers packed Nadine’s Irish Mist on Monday night for a benefit to support the family affected by the blaze, which burned one house to the ground and damaged those on either side of it. It started when burning coals fell through the bottom of a barbecue and landed on a wood deck, according to Kris Concepcion, a spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority.

…Continue reading Friends, strangers help family displaced by fire

Restaurant, women’s club organizing fundraiser for Sunset fire victims

A Sunset Beach restaurant will host a benefit Monday night for a family of renters who lost most of their possessions in Thursday’s house fire.

The event, which includes music, a buffet and an auction, will start at 7 p.m. at Nadine’s Irish Mist, 16655 Pacific Coast Hwy. There is no official admission, but attendees are asked to bring donations.

Owner Niall Coyle said he was hosting the event partly to raise funds and partly to show community support for the renters, who are personal friends.

“I think the moral aspect of having people there to support them is going to be equally important,” he said.

…Continue reading Restaurant, women’s club organizing fundraiser for Sunset fire victims

Charcoal barbecue may have sparked fire that burned beachside homes

Blaze in Sunset Beach. (Rick Loomis, Los Angeles Times)

Authorities believe a barbecue caused a fire that destroyed a huge seaside home and badly burned two others in Sunset Beach.

The fire Thursday in the 16500 block of Pacific Coast Highway sent thick columns of dark smoke into the air as firefighters used water cannons mounted on aerial ladders to battle the blaze that engulfed one multistory structure. Authorities shut down a stretch of PCH.

One firefighter fell on the roof of a home and hit a ledge, injuring his rib cage. He had been released from Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian by Friday morning, said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Greg McKeown.

…Continue reading Charcoal barbecue may have sparked fire that burned beachside homes

Fire engulfs 2 structures in Sunset Beach

(KTLA)

A fast-moving fire was burning at least two large oceanside in Sunset Beach on Thursday afternoon.

Fire crews were attempting to prevent the flames from spreading to other homes. The Orange County Fire Authority said on its Twitter feed that it was calling a third alarm on the blaze.

Capt. Greg McKeown of the Orange County Fire Authorities told KABC-TV Channel 7 that there were no reports on injuries and that the cause was known. He said 60 firefighters were either on scene or on their way.

The fire struck in a row of tightly packed homes along Sunset Beach’s boardwalk.

[Updated at 5:26 p.m.: A portion of the home where the first started collapsed.

Firefighters were making progress to contain the fire to two homes on the 16500 block of Pacific Coast Highway.

Traffic on Pacific Coast Highway was jammed because of the fire.]

–Shelby Grad, Los Angeles Times