CHRIS MACDONALD NEWS  FEB.14, 2021

2021 Newsletters

More 2021 Huntington Beach Happenings

Hello Friends,

A very Happy Birthday to Huntington Beach Resident Ken Eichler.

From the desk of City Council Member Barbara Delgleize:

Mayor Carr to present the Mayor's HB Excellence Award to Catherine Lukehart, Homeless Outreach Coordinator, Huntington Beach Police Department. Due to President's Holiday our next City Council meeting will be evening of February 16, 2021.

Mayor Carr to recognize American Heart Month during the month of February.

HB City Hall is still closed to the public so the City Council Meeting will be presented on Zoom.

2021 Fireworks Stand Application/Lottery Process-Application Period:

March 1st through March 31st Permits: The maximum number of permits that may be issued during any one calendar year shall be fifteen, with a maximum number of five permits issued to qualified organizations in each of the following categories: Civic Organizations, High Schools, and Youth Sports.

Recommend Approve, accept, and authorize the appropriation of a donation in the amount of $150,000 from the Friends of the Huntington Beach Public Library Approve, accept, and authorize the appropriation of $150,000 donation from the Friends of the Huntington Beach Public Library.

COVID-19 tidbit: Vaccine Efficacy

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have shown astonishing — and essentially equivalent — degrees of efficacy, at least in the early stages after vaccination. The Pfizer vaccine showed efficacy of 95% at preventing symptomatic Covid infection after two doses. The vaccine appeared to be more or less equally protective across age groups and racial and ethnic groups.

The Moderna vaccine was 94.1% effective at preventing symptomatic Covid-19, after the second dose. The vaccine's efficacy appeared to be slightly lower in people 65 and older, but during a presentation to the Food and Drug Administration's advisory committee in December, the company explained that the numbers could have been influenced by the fact there were few cases in that age group in the trial. The vaccine appeared to be equally effective across different ethnic and racial groups.

Administrative Items:

Residents how do you want your Main Street to be? Weigh in with your opinions to city council members.

Consider an Extension of the Temporary Closure of the Second Block of Main Street to Vehicular Traffic Through Labor Day (September 6, 2021); Authorize Staff to Engage an Urban Design Firm; and, Appoint the Mayor, Mayor Pro-Tem, and a City Council Member to Serve on an Ad Hoc Downtown Urban Design Study Committee A) Authorize the City Manager to continue the temporary closure of the second block of Main Street to vehicular traffic to accommodate outdoor dining and retail in the public right-of-way through September 6, 2021; and, B) Authorize staff to engage an Urban Design Firm; and, C) Establish an Ad Hoc Downtown Urban Design Study Committee; and, D) Appoint the Mayor, Mayor Pro-Tem, and a City Council Member to the Ad Hoc. Sending Happy Valentines and Happy Presidents Day to all our residents and readers.

From Patrick Brenden, Bolsa Chica Conservancy CEO... Wild Love Stories A Tail of Serpent Seduction By Kenny Perez, Bolsa Chica Conservancy

Not so! Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus helleri) are actually quite social and passionate creatures. During spring, when their biological clocks start ticking again, the female rattlesnake will release pheromones into the air to signal to nearby males that she's looking for love. With their incredibly powerful sense of smell, it doesn't take long for any males in the area to come slithering. Here is where it gets interesting.

If two males are pursuing the same female, they will vie for dominance in a ritual often called the "combat dance." During the combat dance, each male will raise up to a third of his body vertically off the ground in an attempt to intimidate their rival. If the rival doesn't immediately back down, each male will twist around the other opponent and attempt to throw them to the ground. This wrestling match will continue until one of the males backs down. Some combat dances have been documented lasting well over a half hour!

Once a victor has been declared, he will track down the female and begin courting her. In a display that might be otherwise seen as love or affection in other species, the male will court the female by rubbing her back with his chin and touching her with his tongue. Sssteamy!

These many different love stories can be a metaphor for supporting non-profit organizations like the Bolsa Chica Conservancy. Whether you chose to Volunteer your time, Donate Today, or just spread the word of an organization, these strategies can all have equal success! Go to www.bolsachica.org and choose which strategy works best for you!

Huntington Beach City Historian Jerry Person Presents Remembering When:

Public Works Employees, Your Unsung Heroes

Some of the most unsung heroes found in our city during the past year of the pandemic are the dedicated employees from the Public Works Department. People forget how much they depend on them that we often need to be reminded of there importance to the city and its residents they are.

This week we'll remember some of those people and activities of Public Works and the work they have done in the past.

During World War I the city was buying asphalt for the streets and how the city decided they wanted to have its own asphalt making yard. Because of the war, asphalt was quite expensive but when the price came down the city closed the yard on Pacific Coast Highway where once the Grinder Restaurant and Huntington Shores Motel would later occupies the old asphalt site. Today Pacific City shopping center sits on that ground.

Before he passed away, Everett (Deek) Diekoff who worked for public works in the early days as a heavy equipment operator once told me of how after work the guys at the yard would all head over to the Green Shack for a cool one or two. The old Green Shack was then located at Clay and Main before it moved one block up Clay.

Mr. Diekoff also told me how he would oil the roads all over town to keep the dust down, the city would buy the oil from McCallen (McCallen, McVicar & Rood Oil Refinery) down on 17th Street.

Phil Hoggett worked 31 years with the city told me years ago how people would use Sully-Miller Lake (on Ellis Avenue) as a car dump and how they were forever pulling old junked cars from the lake, stolen or not.

There was a time when the city was building the Heliport and Shooting Range in the 1970's and how the city thought they would use the area around it for a holding area for plants and shrubs, but it turned out the methane there killed most of the plants. Not one of their best ideas.

I was learned of the time that a temporary road was needed to connect Talbert between Gothard and Goldenwest at the library some 40+ years ago (part of it is still there today). In those days the city just called Deek (Mr. Diekoff) to bring the grader and smooth the site, asphalt came next and the road was done, no plans, no EPA report, public works just built what the city needed, you didn't have all that red tape, you just got it done. How times have changed, So the next time you see a public works crew working, give them a thanks for being there while the rest of us stayed home safe from the COVID-19 virus.

Many Thanks for reading this Newsletter,

Chris MacDonald

Website: calcoasthomes.com

E-Mail: justlisted@yahoo.com