CHRIS MACDONALD NEWS January 17, 2021

2021 Newsletters:

Hello Friends,

From Huntington Beach City Councilwoman Barbara Delgleize: Hope your New Year is off to a good start. HBReady.com is again proving to be a wonderful resource for all things HB. Orange County Health Care Agency has announced some progress distributing COVID-19 vaccines. The County has created POD (point of distribution) system to dispense vaccines for residents over 65 yrs. old. All residents are encouraged to register to be notified when the County of Orange's vaccine and testing management app, Othena, has appointments available and is ready for their use by visiting https://othena.com/individuals.php and filling out the online form. 

Our upcoming City Council meeting with be on Tuesday the 19th due to the MLK holiday on 18th. The meeting will held virtually, in keeping with the Governor's mandate to limit in-person gatherings.

 

There will be a public hearing at the city council meeting Starting on January 20th, Wednesday through April 21, 2021 at 7pm the city will be putting on Virtual Town Hall Series: COVID-19 & Vaccines every 1st & 3rd Wednesday evenings broadcasted live via YouTube & Facebook. Join the City and the OC Health Care Agency in a series of meetings to get the facts on the COVID-19 vaccines. Use this opportunity to make an informed decision for yourself and your loved ones.

Another item coming up will be Identifying the terms & conditions for the Fire Department Response Away from their Official Duty Station and Assigned to an Emergency incident. Due to the high demand on our local hospitals and essential staff HB Fire is assisting in serving when the need is there.

There is also a public hearing on the Magnolia Tank Farm and Adopt Resolution No. 2021-05 Increasing Residential Trash Rates due to recycling rates increasing. Due to the need to have a Special Election for OC Supervisor's Race to replace Michelle Steel there will be a license agreement with the County of Orange for use of the Huntington Beach Civic Center, Huntington Beach Central Library, and Murdy Community Center as Vote Centers for the March 9, 2021 Special Municipal Election. Assistance for Vets at the Central Library

In addition to resume assistance, live job-coaching, interview assistance, and thousands of academic lessons provided through the Library's Brainfuse JobNowservice, there is now a service created specifically for Veterans: VetNow. These resources are available 24/7, with live assistance daily from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. PST, and can be accessed online using a library card at Your Library @ Home.   To reach a tutor during live hours, users can click on the Connect button under "Live Veteran Navigator" to talk to someone who can help visitors learn more about the eligible VA benefits and community resources. Outside live hours, in the "Tools for Veterans" section, users can either click on Submit Question for help navigating the VA system, or Veterans Resources to access helpful information on understanding all benefits and resources available.

Huntington Beach Planning Commission Chairman Alan Ray Said: Alan Ray was elected chair and Brendon Perkins was elected vice chair for 2021. A mixed use project at 714 Pacific Coast Highway was denied with a vote of 3 for and 4 against. Resolutions were read expressing thanks to outgoing commissioners Bill Crowe, Pat Garcia, and Dan Kalmick. Three new planning commissioners were welcomed: Kayla Acosta-Galvan, Oscar Rodriguez, and Gracey Van Der Mark.

From Patrick Brenden, Bolsa Chica Conservancy CEO...
1. Although the current pandemic conditions have forced us to temporarily close the Bolsa Chica Wetlands Interpretive Center, you will find a friendly Bolsa Chica Conservancy Staff member posted near the front door each day from 9am to 3pm. Please stop by to pick up a free trail map and to ask any questions you might have about the Ecological Reserve, its many miles of trails, the flora and fauna you might witness, or anything else that strikes your curiosity.
2. The current Interpretive Center has been housed in its current double-wide mobile unit configuration for more than 25 years and it is definitely showing its age. Fortunately, through grant funding that came from Proposition 68, we will soon be replacing the current facility and outbuildings with a brand new configuration featuring permanent public restrooms (no more porta potties), an expanded Interpretive Center with new displays and larger classrooms and lab facilities. The timing for the new facility is still uncertain but it should happen later this year.
3. DID YOU KNOW? The portable toilets and handwashing stations that are available to the public in the North and South parking lots at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve are paid for by the three non-profit organizations working to protect, preserve, restore and maintain the wetlands. The cost is significant and the California Department of Fish & Wildlife doesn't have funding to cover the cost. The Bolsa Chica Conservancy, the Amigos de Bolsa Chica, and the Bolsa Chica Land Trust each cover 1/3 of the monthly cost of providing these facilities. Perhaps you would consider making a donation to one or all of these organizations to help offset these costs.

Huntington Beach City Historian Jerry Person presents Remembering When

Watering Holes of the Past

The Pandemic holidays are over for a while and its time to recoup and recover from all the "parties" held at bars, saloons, and outdoor restaurants, from their drinks that they served. These places went by taverns, bars, beer parlors, cafes, cocktail lounges etc. These people just called them watering holes.

Huntington Beach has had its share of watering holes to help celebrate all the year's holidays and this week lets remember just a few that maybe you may have celebrated holidays and unholidays inside their hallowed doors.

How many remember Gary Mulligan's Main Street Saloon at 117 Main (1970's) and the Fifth Street Saloon at 210-Fifth (1982). Remember Gary Mulligan bar with its old wooden wheelchair hanging from the ceiling and the Fifth Street Saloon with its bullet hole in the fireplace shield when bank robbers ran through the place chased by police.

Some can still recall seeing oil workers enjoying a cold one after hard work at their local watering hole like the Green Shack at 7771 Clay or the Gusher at 225-17th Street. Before the Gusher with Ray Cook (1967) and Louis & Dorothy Hackathorn (1970) you had Ray Thanksley Ray's Cafe (1948), E.E. Ford's Cafe (1952) and before this converted house was torn down it was the "Tav", the Huntington Tavern to many of the locals of the 1980's.

Out on Beach Boulevard you could relax and have a few at Frank & Lorraine's Hoss Corral (1950), Lee's Corral (1952) and T J Corral with I.F. Girdner & Alvin Parrock (1958), all located at 16351 Beach.

As the Hippie Era of the 1960's and 70s came, Beach Blvd. had its share of watering holes like the Top Hat Lounge of John Quinliven (19582 Beach), the Show Boat (19202 Beach), Harold Smith & Ed Clark's Flaky's Tavern (18760 Beach), Lucky John's, Happy Jacks, Amato's Villa (18582 Beach) and the Gaiety that was located at (16612 Beach).

There was Sutter's Mill located on Warner Avenue near Beach Boulevard and of course the many restaurants that served refreshments in Surf City's outskirts.

Main Street had its share of watering holes too before the Main Street Saloon, there was the Esquire (1965) and Gospel Swamp (1973) at 117 Main.

A side alley door made Bob Lindley & C. Adams' Garland Inn an easy entrance at 111 Main, also there was the Paddock and the Squeeze Inn of the 1950s & 60s. Then there was the Riptide on Main, and the Green Shack on Clay.

Art Lauback and John & Ray Dolan had the One-O-Seven at 107 Main in the 1940's & 50s, later it would move to 119 Main with Bill Gannon and Bill & Charlotte Allen in the 1960s.

At 406 Ocean Avenue (PCH) the Capri had its grand opening on October 23, 1944 with Robert Bachelor, but most remember C.E. "Crit" Critten bartending in the 1960's & 70s. At the pier there was the Fisherman Restaurant and later Maxwell's by the Sea restaurant.

The Golden Bear Cafe (306-310 PCH) served drinks during the "Dry Days" of the late 1920s to the 1940s and the new Golden Bear nightclub into the 1980s. Over at 410 Ocean (PCH) we find the Buccaneer with Jack Jackson (1958) and the Fireside (1965).

These are just a sample of the many "watering holes" that have come and gone that had kept our thirsty residents happy.   hbnews@hbquik.com .

Many Thanks for reading this Newsletter,

Chris MacDonald  

Website: calcoasthomes.com

E-Mail: justlisted@yahoo.com