2014 Newsletters: What's Happening April 4, 2014

I'd like to wish the following people a Very Happy Birthday. They are: Huntington Beach Shipley Nature Center Board Member Tom Livengood, My Cousin Ann Stock, Former Huntington Beach Mayor Don Hansen, El Segundo Resident Andi Schoenbaum, Sail Properties Co-Owner Terry Eselun, Huntington Beach Harvest Club Founder Jeff Lebow and Bay Area Resident Megan Delgleize.

The Huntington Beach Police Department Chief Robert Handy's Administrative Assistant Karin Reed would like to Inform each of you of this Item: Huntington Beach Police Join Crackdown on Texting and Handheld Cell Use Behind the Wheel -

As part of April's Distracted Driving Awareness Month campaign, the Huntington Beach Police Department will be joining with over 200 other local law enforcement agencies and the California Highway Patrol in a month-long zero tolerance‖ enforcement and education campaign to curb those texting or operating hand-held cell phones while driving. Officers will be on alert throughout the month for those who break the cell phone laws and place themselves and others in danger. Special high visibility enforcement operations to cite cell phone violators will take place on April 3rd, 8th, 17th, and 22nd.

The increased enforcement and education aims to persuade drivers to recognize the dangers of distracted driving and reduce the number of people impacted by this perilous behavior. The "It's Not Worth It!" theme emphasizes that a phone call or text isn't worth a hefty fine or a collision. The current minimum ticket cost is $161, with subsequent tickets costing at least $281. Last year, Huntington Beach Police Department officer's issued over 2,860 citations to motorists who were talking or texting while driving. These violations are a contributing factor to traffic collisions and have resulted in injuries and deaths in the past. Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. In addition, studies show that texting while driving can delay a driver's reaction time just as severely as having a blood alcohol content of a legally drunk driver. According to research, sending or receiving a text takes a driver's eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds. Even a three second glance at freeway speeds means a driver has traveled the distance of a football field. Research shows that there is no difference in the risks between hands-free and hand-held cell phone conversations, both of which can result in ―inattention blindness which occurs when the brain isn't seeing what is clearly visible because the drivers' focus is on the phone conversation and not on the road. When over one-third of your brain's functioning that should be on your driving moves over to cell phone talking, you can become a cell phone zombie.

The Huntington Beach Public Works Department Construction Manager Eric Charlonne Says: Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation Mayor Harper is joining mayors across the country in asking residents to make a commitment to conserve water and cut pollution by taking part in a national contest aimed at drastically slashing water and energy use across the nation ? and in return residents can win a new Toyota Prius Plug-In, water saving fixtures, and hundreds of other prizes. The Wyland Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation, April 1- 30, is a non-profit national community service campaign to see which leaders can best inspire their residents to make a series of informative through easy-to-use online pledges to reduce water and energy usage. "As 2013 was one of the driest years on record and with our state's emergency drought situation, it is ever more important to not waste water and take extra measures to conserve," said Mayor Harper. "I know Huntington Beach residents can enthusiastically get behind this effort to do their part to conserve water." Mayor Harper is encouraging Huntington Beach residents to conserve water, save energy, and reduce pollution on behalf of Huntington Beach at mywaterpledge.com/national throughout the month of April. Last year, residents from over 1,000 cities in all 50 U.S. states pledged to reduce their annual consumption of freshwater by nearly a billion gallons, reduce waste sent to landfills by 18.3 million pounds, prevent more than 69.9 million pounds of hazardous waste from entering our watersheds. To participate, residents enter online at mywaterpledge.com, then make a series of online pledges to conserve water on behalf of Huntington Beach. Cities compete in the following population categories: (5,000 -- 29,999 residents, 30,000 --99,999 residents, 100,000 --299,999 residents, 300,000 --599,999 residents, and 600,000+residents). Cities with the highest percentage of residents who take the challenge in their population category are entered into drawings for hundreds of eco-friendly prizes, including home improvement gift cards, home irrigation equipment, and a Grand Prize Toyota Prius Plug-In. The challenge also features additional resources for residents to take their commitment of conservation even further, from regional water and energy resource issues to cost-saving tips at home. The 3rd National Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation is presented by the Wyland Foundation and Toyota, with support from the U.S EPA's Office of Water, National League of Cities, U.S. Forest Service, The Toro Company, Wondergrove Kids, Bytelaunch, and WaterSmart Software.

Tapping Team Results Congratulations to the Public Works Utilities Division tapping team of Jesse Calderon, Rich Glover, Tony Velez, and Nate Baldwin for placing second at the 2014 AWWA CA/NV pipe tapping competition held in Anaheim. The team had a run of 1 minute 26 seconds while LADWP came in first with a time of 1 minute 16 seconds. The team competed against the City of Anaheim, City of Santa Ana, Yorba Linda Water District, City of Brentwood, Laguna Beach Water District, City of Long Beach and two teams from LADWP. AWWA allows the top two teams to compete in the nationals since the section represents the state of California and Nevada.

Yesterday Afternoon Chip Yost a KTLA Channel 5 News Reporter gave a live report from near 9th Street and PCH on changes to This Year's US Open Of Surfing. He stated that: Among the most significant changes were a strict ban on alcohol even in the VIP areas, no live music and the so-called vendor village will be dramatically reduced in size, according to Lt. Mitchell O'Brien of the Huntington Beach Police Department. Unruly crowds at the 2013 event resulted in multiple arrests and thousands of dollars in damage to local businesses. You can Read more: ktla.com/2014/04/03/big-changes-in-store-for-u-s-open-of-surfing-in-huntington-beach/#ixzz2xvI3npfl .

This Week's Featured Business is: East Winds Asian Cuisine at: 7114 Edinger Avenue in Huntington Beach. Click the link for your deals: /coupons/eastwinds.html . You'll get 10% off any order and if you spend $20 and more you'll get a free appetizer. You must sy that Nancy sent you. If you have questions call: (714) 841-1800.

Tune in to The KTLA Channel 5 Weekend News on Saturdays from 5am to 7am and Sundays from 6am to 9am. Join Chris Burrous, Lu Parker, Liberte Chan, Erin Myers, Dave Mecham and Gayle Anderson's On The Go Segment. This is the best news Show in Southern California. Here's what's happening, strawberry margarita cupcakes from a shop that has a celebrity chef. You can give them comments on their Facebook Page/ e-mail them at weekends@ktla.com. You could text in to win a KTLA Coffee Mug.

Here are some Events happening in Your Area:

Friday, Saturday & Sunday:

Join the excitement as the National Professional Paintball League starts their Super 7 World Series with the Surf City USA Open, on the north side of the iconic Huntington Beach Pier from 7am to 7pm.

Teams from all over the globe make their annual trek to beautiful Huntington Beach to compete for over $50,000 in cash and coveted series points. The Tournament Series starts off in Huntington Beach and is part of a North American Series that finishes in Las Vegas, Nevada.

More than 100 teams are playing in 2 v. 2 games, while over 50 teams will play on 5 v. 5 games throughout the weekend. The NPPL also hosts a spectacular paintball trade show showcasing paintball supplies and equipment.

Tickets are required to watch events on the main field and will be available for purchase on the NPPL website. Sideline viewing and fields 2 and 3 viewing are free.

More Information is available at: nppl.com

Saturday Only:

More than 60 Vendors are at The Peters Landing Local Harvest Farmers Market at 16400 Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach from 9am to 2pm. Bring your kids to the petting zoo, ride the ponies, eat fresh foods, shop for crafts and arts. Listen to Live Entertainment. Some vendors Include: Winks Lobster Rolls, Olive Wood Pizza, Stella Magnetica and much more. Questions call Lee Ostendorf at: . You can also look at her website - localharvestfarmersmarkets.com .

The County Of Los Angeles Fire Museum is open for tours at: 9834 Flora Vista Street in Bellflower from 10am to 2pm. You can look at the 60 antique fire engines from our diverse collection. Questions E-Mail: Info@LACountyFireMuseum.com .

Sunday:

Balboa Car Show at The Balboa Fun Zone Parking Lot on East Balboa Boulevard in Newport Beach from 7am to 9am. Questions: (949) 887-0236.

Star Eco Station in Century City presents Their 14th Annual Children's Earth Day from 10am to 4pm. PRESERVATION THROUGH EDUCATION! An outdoor extravaganza! FREE admission to the festival! Fun for families and kids of all ages, Environmental heroes, Food trucks, Celebrity guests, Eco-friendly games & activities, Green shopping, Preschool area, SAVE-Fari Extravaganza animal show, Live entertainment, Prizes, Meet more than 200 rescued exotic animals and much more! Questions: (310) 842-8060.

Monday:

Tune into The Huntington Beach City Council Meeting at 6pm on HBTV3 as they talk about Items pertaining to this Area. You can also attend it live and speak in public comments. You have three minutes to tell The City Council whatever you want. You must complete a card and give it to Joan Flynn The City Clerk to speak. The address is: 2000 Main Street in Huntington Beach.

Tuesday:

Long Beach Residents don't forget to vote. I support Robert Garcia for Mayor and Suzie Price for Long Beach Third District City Council.

Huntington Beach Downtown Surf City Nights is hopping with The Easter Bunny. Bring your Camera and get a free photo with The Easter Bunny from 5pm to 8pm. Questions: (714) 536-8300.

Thank you very much for reading this Newsletter.

I appreciate any comments.

Sincerely, Chris MacDonald Website: calcoasthomes.com E-Mail: justlisted@yahoo.com