HomeMy WebLinkAbout1991 City of Huntington Beach Miscellaneous Historical Data •
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CENTEN�1A
HUNTINGTON BEACH
• A Bicentennial
Community
• "ci#t� 4 exi cu,,c in, , han�
•
CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH
MISCELLANEOUS HISTORICAL DATA
Compiled by
Alicia Wentworth
City Clerk
Retired
•
MISCELLANEOUS HISTORICAL AND RESEARCH DATA
® TABLE OF CONTENTS
Elections from 1958. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 2
Election Statistics from 1964. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 6
Population. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 - 8
Population Graph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
CensusMap. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Budgets from 1965. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Assessed Valuation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Mayors from 1909. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 - 14
Mayors Pro Tempore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Council Compensation - Benefits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Organizational Chart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
City Councils - 1926 - to date. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 - 19
City Clerks From 1909. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
® Police Chiefs from 1909. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Annexation Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Historical Map - 1916. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Original City of Huntington Beach Boundaries & Street Names. 24 - 25
® Industrial Zoning Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Vicinity Maps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 - 28
Huntington Central Park Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 - 30
Elementary School Districts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
® Circulation Plan - Streets & Highways. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Bike Route Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Traffic Flow Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Demographics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 - 36
CitySeal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
CityLogo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
How Huntington Beach Began. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
1973 History of Huntington Beach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 - 44
Huntington Beach - Historic Past. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 - 48
Street Name History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 - 52
Newland House History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 - 56
Fire Department History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 - 61
Water Supply for the City of Huntington Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 - 65
Oil Producing Areas Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Huntington Beach Tidelands Controversy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 - 71
Oil Boom Recalled. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . 72 - 73
Oil Field History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 - 78
Oil Fortunes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 - 81 +�
Southern California Edison Generating Station. . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Huntington Beach - Mid Century/Future. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 - 90
Ocean View School History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 - 93
Geologic History - Huntington Beach Union High School District 94 - 95
Pictorial History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I - XXVII
Updated: 10/79 1/85 1/91
1/81 5/85
6/81 3/86
8/82 7/86
5/83 6/87
7/83 3/88
12/84 3/89
ELECTIONS -- HUNTINGTON BEACH 6/30/71 18 year old vote estab.
DATE PURPOSE REGISTERED TOTAL VACANCIES CANDIDATE
VOTERS VOTERS NO.
® 4/7/58 General Municipal 3,713 2,357 4 12
6/9/59 Master Plan-Land Use 3,652 1 ,794
4/12/60 General Municipal 4,043 2,457 5 14
4/10/62 General Municipal 6,875 3,831 4 12
4/30/63 Water Rev. Bonds 11 ,149 2,059
4/14/64 General Municipal 15,963 6,757 5 24
11/3/64 Special Municipal 41 ,254
Attorney - Chief of Police App.
8/10/65 Special Municipal 22,947 6,907
Districts
1/11/66 Special Municipal
Charter 24,370 4,365
4/12/66 General Municipal 26,205 8,713 5 29
4/9/68 General Municipal 33,290 8,808 5 17
11/5/68 Special Municipal 43,385 UNK
Consolidated Park Bond
Library Bond Charter Amend.
6/3/69 Special Municipal Park 38,869 8,052
Bonds
4/14/70 General Punicipal 41 ,291 14,339 5 19
11/3/70 General Election, Charter 48,547 32,290
Amend. K-L-M-N
4/11/72 General Municipal 50,540 15,660 4 15
6/6/72 Special Municipal 56,307 39,339
® 11/6/73 Special Municipal 61 ,500 27,100
4/9/74 General Municipal 64,396 12,064 6 17
11/5/74 Special Municipal 72,088 42,336
Election Proposition
"W"-Property Transfer Tax
After November Purge 46,431
5/27/75 Repeals Property Transfer 56,195 18,808
Tax Charter Amendment Y-14,264 N-4,544
(l )
DATE PURPOSE REGISTERED TOTAL VACANCIES CANDIDATE
VOTERS VOTERS NO.
4/13/76 General Municipal 61 ,070 13,462 5 15 40
11/2/76 Special Municipal Election 72,410 46,250 Y-10,522 N-31 ,814
Prop. M-N Votes for
Tax Increase
4/11/78 General Municipal 77,674 15,905 5 19 0
6/6/78 Special Municipal Election 80,683 Total Votes Cast 52,596
Charter Amendments DEFGHJ
4/8/80 General Municipal 90,078 13,725 5 17
6/3/80 Special Municipal Election
Prop K - Sales Tax Advisors 93,691 Y-34,912 N- 7,944
Prop L - Low Cost Housing Y-25,011 N-16,809
4/13/82 General Municipal 96,849 12,510 5 18
11/2/82 Special Election Consolidated 97,538 Total Votes Cast 62,521
11/6/84 General Municipal 102,734 78,878 5 18
Measure D - Repeal 2 term limit Y-20,711 N-48,489
E - City Clerk Appointive Y-21 ,821 N-44,966
F - City Treasurer Appointive Y-20,116 N-46,230
G - City Clerk Qualifications Y-40,100 N-26,415
H - City Treasurer Qualifications Y-41 ,855 N-25,008
11/4/86 General Municipal 99,735 58,619 5 23
11/8/88 General Municipal 107,227 82,021 5 20
11/6/90 General Municipal 97,541 60,894 5
Measures - Charter Amendments
C - Sale/Lease-Parks & Beaches
(Voter Initiated) Y-42,049 N-14,914
D - Sale/Lease-Parks & Beaches
(Council Initiated) Y-31,298 N-25,019
(2)
® • G - GENPUL '� ® ® �► A ® • •
S - SPECIAL .
I - INITIATIVE
R - REFERENDUM OR RECALL GENERALIZED ELECTION INFORMATION
1964 - 1968
pprox.
Date Election Vote Total Cast Registered
Voters
Aril 1964 General Municipal (Ballots) 6,757 15,963
(Res. drawn up but not on ballot
re: App°tive Police Chief)
G
November 1964 Special - City Atty & Chief of Atty Yes - 5,811 (Ballots) UNK
Police Appointive No - 14,813
(FAILED) Police Yes - 8,751 (Votes) 41 ,254
S No - 11 ,879
ugust 1965 Special - Mayor & 6 Members Yes - 2,871 (Votes) 6,907 22,947
No - 4,033
(FAILED)
January 1966 Charter Revision - (included Yes - 3,255 (Votes) 4,365 24,370
7 Council & Chief of Police No - 1 ,108
Appointive)
S
Aril 1966 General Municipal i (Ballots) 8,713 26,205
G
Aril 1968 General Municipal + Amndmts: Atty Yes - 2,614 (Ballots) 8,808 33,290
Atty, Treas, Clerk - Apptive No - 5,854
Clerk Yes - 2,278 (Votes) 25,373
No - 6,155
Treas Yes - 1 ,386
G No - 7,086
November 1968 Prop M - Park Bond Prop M Yes - 22,009 (Ballots) UNK 43,385
N - Library Bond No - 13,648
0 - Atty; Appointive Prop N Yes - 21 ,514 (Votes) 105,110
No - 13,638
Prop 0 Yes - 15,037
S No - 19,264
w
G . General
S - Special
I - Initiative GENERALIZED ELECTION INFORMATION
R - Referendum or Recall 1969 - 1974
Approx.
Date Election Vote Total Cast Registered
Voters
June 1969 Park Bonds Yes - 5,933 (Ballots) 8,052 38,869
No - 2,066
S
April 1970 General Municipal (Ballots) 14,339 41 ,291
G
November 1970 Prop K - Elective Mayor & Prop K Yes - 16,060 48,547
Comp for Council No - 16,230 (Ballots) 32,290
Prop L, M, & N (miscel ) (All adopted)
S
April 1972 General Municipal (Ballots) 15,660 50,540 31%
G
June 1972 Meas C - Flouride Meas C Yes - 23,161 (Ballots) 39,339 56,307
No - 15,194
Meas D - Comp; Treas, Meas D Yes - 9,533 (Votes) 75,063
Clerk; Council No - 27,175
S
November 1973 Attorney; Clerk, Treas; Atty Yes - 11 ,674 (Ballots) 27,100 61 ,500 44%
Appointive Positions No - 15,522
Clerk Yes - 12,007 (Votes) 81 ,900
No - 15,128
(FAILED) Treas Yes - 11 ,906
S No - 15,663
April 1974 General Municipal (Ballots) 12,064 64,396 20%
G
November 1974 Prop W - Repeal Real Estate Yes - 10,522 (Ballots) 42,336 72,083
Transfer Tax & Impose No - 31 ,814
Trash Collection Fee
S
G - General
S - Special
I - Initiative GENERALIZED ELECTION INFORMATION
R - Referendum or Recall 1975 - 1982
Date Election Vote Total Cast Registered %
Voters
May, 1975 Real Estate Property Tax Yes - 14,264 (Votes) 18,808 56,195
I Prohibited by Charter No - 4,544 April , 1976 General Municipal (Ballots) 13,462 61 ,070 17% I
G
Nov. , 1976 Req Affirmative 3/4 vote Prop M Yes - 42,915 (Ballots) 46,250 �2,410
Increase Taxes No - 13,905
Req Affirmative 5 votes Prop N Yes - 36,772 (Votes) 111 ,536
S Increase Taxes No - 17,944
April , 1978 General Municipal (Ballots) 15,905 77,674 20%
G
June, 1978 (D) "Housekeeping" Prop D Yes - 24,200 (.Votes) 52,596 8.0,683 i
S changes in Charter No - 15,847
(E) City Council - limit Prop E Yes - 33,775 j
two consecutive terms No - 9,507 f
(F) Compensation for Prop F Yes - 17,920
for Councilmembers No - 24,373
(G) City Attorney - to Prop G Yes - 9,071
be appointed No - 34,478
(H) City Clerk - to be Prop H Yes - 10,372
appointed No - 33,144 j
(J) City Treasurer - to Prop J Yes - 9,043
be appointed No - 34,642
April , 1980 General Municipal (Ballots) 13,725 90,078 15%
G
June, 1980 Sales Tax Advisory Prop K Yes - 34,912 1
No - 7,944
Low-Cost Housing Prop L Yes - 25,011 51 ,795 93;691
S No - 16,809
April , 1982 General Municipal ' (Ballots) 12,510
-- - _. G (Votes) 57,164 96,849 11 .9%
Nov. , 1982 Special Election Prop L Yes - 47,791 62,521 97,538 64%
S Consolidated No - 10,003
i
.....- -.--,- _
G - General
°i S -Special GENERALIZED ELECTION INFORMATION
-----
I - Initiative 1984 1988
- ---R-- Referendum_or_Recall--- ---------------------------- --- ------------ --- --_---------- --------
Approx.
Date Election Vote Total Cast Registered
--- --- --------------------------- -------------------------- ----- ------- - ---platers___- --------
November 6, 1984 General Municipal Ballots 78,878 102,734 77%
(Consolidated w/County)
Measures
D - Eliminate 2-term limit D. Yes 20,711 No 48,489
E - City Clerk-appointive E. Yes 21 ,821 No 44,966
F - City Treasurer-appointive F. Yes 20,116 No 46,230
G - City Clerk-qualifications G. Yes 40,100 No 26,415
H. - City Treasurer-qualifi- H. Yes 41 ,855 No 25,008
cations
Councilmember Finley 33,135
Councilmember Kelly 32,850
Councilmember Green 19,369
City Clerk Alicia Wentworth 53,162
City Treasurer Warren Hall 52,877
November 4, 1986 General Municipal Ballots 58,619 99,735 58.7%
G Councilmember Erskine 20,917
Councilmember Mays 19,467
Councilmember Bannister 17,333
Councilmember Winchell 15,909
City Attorney Gail Hutton 31 ,338
November 8, 1988 General Municipal Ballots 82,021 1079227 76.4%
G Measure J Yes 35,472 No 36,074
Councilmember Silva 29,634
Councilmember Green 28,975
Councilmember MacAllister 27,603
City Clerk Connie Brockway 30,317
Treasurer Don. Watson 53,057
GENERALIZED ELECTION INFORMATION
1990 -
Approx.
Date Election Vote Total Cast Registered %
Voters
November 6, 1990 General Municipal Ballots 60,894 97,541 62.4%
G (Consolidated a/County)
Measures - Charter Amendments
C - Sale/Lease-Parks & C. Yes 42,049 No 14,914
Beaches (Voter Initiated)
D - Sale/Lease-Parks & D. Yes 31 ,298 No 25,019
Beaches (Council Initiated)
Councilmember Moulton-
Patterson 34,873
Councilmember Winchell 32,059
Councilmember Robitaille 25,178
Councilmember Kelly 22,004
City Attorney Hutton 30,116
POPULATION
® CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH
1910. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 815
1920. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1687
® 1930 (Census). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3690
1940 (Census). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3738
1942 (Estimate). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4912
1943 (Estimate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 5048
1946 (Special Census). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5173-'
1950 (Census). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5258
1953 (Special Census). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5871
ORANGE COUNTY
1940 (Census) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130,760
1948 (Estimate). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200,000
1950 (Census). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214,061
1953 (Estimate). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269,900
(State-Estimates only)
POPULATION OF THE CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH 1909 3.57 sq. mi .
1960 October Federal 11 ,492
1961 April State Dept. of Finance 15,850
1962 April State Dept. of Finance 24,700
1962 October Federal 34,143
1963 April State Dept. of Finance 42,300
1963 October Federal 50,290
1964 April State Dept. of Finance 57,104
1964 October Federal 64,228
1965 April State Dept. of Finance 68,900
1965 October Federal 75,053
1966 April State Dept. of Finance 79,400
1966 October Federal 86,646
1967 April State Dept. of Finance 90,300
1967 October Federal 94,377
1968 April State Dept. of Finance 99,000
1968 October Federal 104,124
1969 April State Dept. of Finance 109,600
1969 October Federal 112,021
1970 April State Dept. of Finance 116,400
1970 October Federal 115,960
1971 April State Dept. of Finance 126,900
1972 February State Dept. of Finance 137,000
1972 November State Dept. of Finance 143,500
1973 April State Dept. of Finance 142,600
1974 February State Dept. of Finance 143,325
1975 January State Dept. of Finance 146,400
1976 January State Dept. of Finance 151 ,500
1977 January State Dept. of Finance 157,800
1978 January State Dept. of Finance 161 ,301
1979 January State Dept. of Finance 167,419
1980 January State Dept. of Finance 172,200
1980 April Federal 170,505
1981 January State Dept. of Finance 173,393
1982 January State Dept. of Finance 176,788
1983 January State Dept. of Finance 179,658
1984 January State Dept. of Finance 180,821
1985 January State Dept. of Finance 181 ,872
1986 January State Dept. of Finance 184,876
1987 January State Dept. of Finance 186,823
1988 January State Dept. of Finance 1871740
1989 January State Dept. of Finance 188,701
1990 January State Dept. of Finance 191,603
(8)
7 _
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Census Tracts in Huntington Beach
BY POPULATION
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HUNTINGTON BEACH C4LIFORNiN 1980 Population by Census Tract
\ 1
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•
HUNTING10N BEACH BUDGETS
FROM 1965
A
YEAR POPULATION GENERAL FUND TOTAL BUDGET
1965-66 75,053 $ 51075,123 $ 6,436,062
1966-67 86,646 5,361 ,940 7,215,727
® 1967-68 94,377 6,070,868 8,555,294
1968-69 104,124 7,170,114 9,9475759
1969-70 112,021 8,848,880 12,521 ,553
1970-71 115,960 10,798,879 14,915,756
® 1971-72 137,000 11 ,207,584 16,500,703
1972-73 143,500 14,201 ,512 19,284,974
1973-74 146,300 19,171 ,051 23,380,533
1974-75 143,325 22,489,199 31 ,790,611
1975-76 146,400 24,117,187 34,363,225
1976-77 151 ,500 27,000,940 39,821 ,036
1977-78 157,800 30,976,571 53,191 ,558
1978-79 161 ,303 31 ,521 ,765 52,568,390
1979-80 167,419 35,902,254 50,566,036
1980-81 172,200 42,047,169 62,392,231
1981-82 172,813 47,212,276 74,092,663
1982-83 174,487 51 ,033,990 76,847,222
1983-84 178,706 54,281 ,000 84,723,663
1984-85 179,991 59,715,204 89,689,112
1985-86 181 ,946 67,3009000 97,500,000
® 1986-87 184,280 70,634,126 109,213,719
1987-88 186,757 75,191 ,619 132,255.726
1988-89 187,740 79,672,569 146,571 ,031
1989-90 188,701 945594,190 176,747,308
1990-91 190,603 94,316,355 178,965,009
( 11)
DATE ASSESSED VALUATION (25%) TAX RATE
(per $100 assessed valuation)
1962-1963 $ 105,377,280 1.33
1963-1964 126,176,360 1.33
1964-1965 151,863,520 1.33
1965-1966 189,763,880 1.33
1966-1967 220,691,540 1.33
1967-1968 215,690,430 1.33
1968-1969 235,668,660 1.45
1969-1970 293,272,790 1.45
1970-1971 339,783,919 1.45
1971-1972 370,230,779 1.62
1972-1973 410,283,199 1.62
1973-1974 442,271,658 1.62
1974-1975 529,973,310 1.62
1975-1976 580,623,450 1.62
1976-1977 710,079,235 1.62
1977-1978 854,321,745 1.55
1978-1979 831,783,620 .1972
1979-1980 983,927,670 .1972
1980-1981 1,122,000,000 .1854
ASSESSED VALUATION (100%)
1981-1982 5,219,684.140 .04635
1982-1983 5,672,213,998 .05756
1983-1984 6,292,926,314 .05682
1984-1985 6,725,806,949 .05630
1985-1986 7,375,476,490 .05563
1986-1987 7,861,120,245 .05529
1987-1988 8,364,799,879 :05490
1988-1989 8,580,201,414 .05470
1989-1990 9,033,404,047 .05419
1990-1991 9,982,432,040 .05406
(12)
•
MAYORS
Elected
A Mayor Mayor
Date Total Years Name Dates On Council
President of the Board
2/18/09 3 Ed Manning Resigned 11/20/12
4/15/12 2 W. D. Seely 4/18/10 - 4/11/14
• 4/6/14 3 E. E. French 4/11/14 - 4/24/16
4/17/16 1 M. E. Helme 2/18/09 - 5/14/17 - resigned
5/7/17 1 W. E. Tarbox 4/27/14 - 4/8/18
4/15/18 10 mos. E. E. French 4/8/18 - 2/17/19 - resigned
2/17/19 2 Joseph Vavra 5/14/17 - 4/20 - replaced Helme
4/19/20 3 Ed Manning 2/17/19 - 4/22 - replaced French
• 4/3/22 2 Richard Drew 4/8/18 - 4/26
4/21/24 2 Lawrence Ridenaur 4/24 - 10/25/26 - resigned
4/19/26 2 C. G. Boster 4/24 - 4/28
4/16/28 3 Samuel R. Bowen 4/28 - 4/31 - resigned Mayor
4/13/31 3 Elson G. Conrad 4/28 - 3/34 - resigned
4/l/34 Thomas B. Talbert Special Election 11/13/33
• 4/20/36 2 Willis H. Warner 4/34 - 4/38
4/18/38 2 Marcus M. McCallen 4/38 - 4/42
4/21/42 6 Thomas B. Talbert 4/42 - 4/54
4/15/46 2 Ted W. Bartlett 4/44 - 4/48, 4/54-4/58, 4/66-4/78
4/19/48 2 Jack Greer 4/48 - 4/52
4/17/50 2 Vernon E. Langenbeck 4/46 - 7/53 - resigned
• 4/14/52 4 Roy Seabridge 4/48 - 4/56
4/16/56 2 Victor Terry 10/11/54- 5/56 - (replaced
4/14/58 2 Earl T. Irby 4/56 - 5/60 Seabridge)
4/18/60 2 Ernest H. Gisler 5/60 - 4/68
5/7/62 2 Robert M. Lambert 4/58 - 4/66
4/12/64 2 Donald D. Shipley 4/64 - 4/76
• 4/17/66 1 Jake R. Stewart 4/60 - 4/68
4/17/67 1 Donald D. Shipley 4/64 - 4/76
4/16/68 1 Alvin M. Coen 4/66 - 4/78
4/21/69 1 N. John V. V. Green 4/66 - 4/74
4/21/70 1 Donald D. Shipley 4/64 - 4/76
4/19/71 1 George C. McCracken 4/68 - 4/72
® 4/17/72 1 Alvin M. Coen 4/66 - 4/78
4/16/73 1 Jerry A. Matney 4/68 - 4/76
4/15/74 1 Alvin M. Coen 4/66 - 4/78
4/21/75 1 Norma Brandel Gibbs 4/70 - 4/78
4/19/76 1 Harriett M. Wieder 4/74 - 4/78
4/18/77 1 Ronald R. Pattinson 4/76 - 12/84
• 4/17/78 7 mos. Ron Shenkman 4/76 - 11/20/78 - resigned
11/20/78 5 mos. Ronald R. Pattinson 4/76 - 12/84
4/16/79 1 Don MacAllister 4/78 - 11/86
4/19/80 1 Ruth S. Bailey 4/78 - 11/86
4/20/81 1 Ruth E. Finley 5/79 - 11/88
® 4/19/82 1 Robert P. Mandic, Jr. 4/78 - 11/86
4/18/83 7 mos. Don MacAllister 4/78 - 11/86
11/21/83 1 Jack Kelly 4/80 - 11/88
12/3/84 1 Ruth S. Bailey 4/78 - 11/86
11/18/85 1 Robert P. Mandic, Jr. 4/78 - 11/86
• ( 13)
MAYORS
Elected
Mayor Mayor
Date Total Years Name Dates on Council
12/1/86 2 Jack Kelly 4/80 - 11/88
11/16/87 1 John Erskine 12186 - 12/90
12/05/88 1 Wes-Bannister 12/86-= 12/90
11/20/89 1 Thomas Mays 12/86 - 12/90
12/3/90 1 Peter Green 1204 - 12/91
(14)
MAYORS PRO-TEMPORE
Shipley, Donald D. 66/67
Green, N. John V. V. 67/68
Green, N. John V. V. 68/69
® McCracken, George 69/70
Matney, Jerry A. 70/71
Matney, Jerry A. 71/72
Bartlett, Ted W. 72/73
® Duke, Henry 73/74
Gibbs, Norman Brandel 74/75
Wieder, Harriett M. 75/76
Pattinson, Ronald R. 76/77
® Shenkman, Ron 77/78
Siebert, Richard W. 4/78 - 3/79 resigned
Thomas, John A. 3/79 - 4/79
Mandic, Robert P. Jr. 79/80
® Finley, Ruth 80/81
Pattinson, Ron 81/82
MacAllister, Don 82/83
Kelly, Jack 4/83 - 11/83
® Thomas, John A. 11/83 - 12/84
Mandic, Robert- P. Jr. 12/84 - 11/85
Finley, Ruth 11/85 - 1 2/86
Erskine, John 12/86 - 11/87
® Mays, Tom 12/87 - 11/89
Green, Peter 12/89 - 12/90
Silva, Jim 12/90 - 12/91
® (15)
COMPENSATION - CITY COUNCIL
$ 25 month - Ordinance 236 - Adopted 2/27/22
$ 50 month - Ordinance 317 - Adopted 4/9/28
$125 month - Ordinance 902 - Adopted 4/10/62
$175 month - City Charter since 1966
EXPENSE ALLOWANCE
$125 month - Ordinance No. 2079 - 8/18/76
$290 month - Ordinance No. 2566 - 7/19/82 (w/annual adjustment)
$390 month - Mayor - Ord. No. 2566 - 7/19/82 (w/annual adjustment)
$434 month - Mayor - FY 86/87
$323 month - Councilmembers - FY 86/87 - (Ord. 2566 w/adjustment)
$447 month - Mavor - FY 87/88
$333 month - Councilmembers - FY 87/88 - (Ord. 2566 w/adjustment)
$468 month - Mayor - FY 88/89
$349 month - .Councilmembers - FY 88/89
FRINGE BENEFITS
Ordinance No. 2079 - 8/18/76
Ordinance No. 2566 - 7/19/82
(16)
CITY OF HUNTING TON BEACH PEOPLE
Organizational Chart CITY COUNCIL
ASSISTANT CITY CITY
ADMINISTRATOR ADMINISTRATOR
DEPUTY CITY CITY CITY CITY
ADMINISTRATOR TREASURER ATTORNEY CLERK
PUBLIC
FORMATION
PUBLIC ECONOMIC COMMUNITY ADMIN. COMMUNITY
POLICE FIRE LIBRARY
WORKS DEV. DEV. SVCS. SERVICES
Recreation&
Uniform Fire Economic Pubtic
Engineering Planning Finance Human
Division Prevention Dev. Service
Resources
Admin. RedevJ Information Beach Support
Operations Water Building
Division Housing Systems Division Services
Investigation Emergency Cultural
Division Services Landscape Peronnn Bw
Arts
Services Tele• F
Real
Division communlca• Maintenance Property
n
Insurance&
HUNTINGTON BEACH Benefits
r
v
v
vvV7l i 1(�rl )
LEGEND
IO - In Office
E - Elected
R - Resigned
A - Appointed
CITY COUNCILMEN a
TRUSTEES - October 3, 1927, Charles J. Andrews appointed trustee to fill
vacancy caused by death of Trustee Wharton.
November 16, 1926 - Voting precincts established
1926 - IO - Wharton, Boster, Ridenaur, Dunning, Drew
E - Mitchell , Harris
R - Ridenaur
A - Shank
1928 - IO - Andrews, Mitchell , Shank, Harris, Boster
E - Bowen, Butcher, Conrad
1930 - IO - Bowen, Bucher, Conrad, Mitchell , Harris
E - Stevens, King
1932 - IO - Butcher, Huston, Stevens, King, Conrad
E - Conrad, Huston, Marion
R - Conrad
1934 - IO - Talbert, Gores, Stevens, King, Marion
E - Talbert, Warner, Chamness , Tovatt (2 yrs)
1936 - IO - Marion, Chamness, Warner, Tovatt, Talbert
E - Chamness, Henricksen, Morehouse
1938 - IO - Warner, Chamness, Talbert, Henricksen, Morehouse
E - McCallen, Talbert
r 1940 - IO - Morehouse, Chamness, Henricksen, Talbert, McCallen
E - Chamness, Morehouse, Grable
1942 - IO - Henricksen, Grable, Morehouse, Talbert, McCallen
R - Grable
E - Henricksen, Talbert, Hawes (2 yrs)
1944 - IO - Henricksen, Grable, Hawes, Morehouse, Talbert
E - Grable, Hawes, Bartlett
1946 - IO - Henricksen, Grable, Hawes, Bartlett, Talbert
E - Terry, Langenbeck
1948 - IO - Greer, Terry, Hawes, Langenbeck, Bartlett
E - Greer, LeBard, Seabridge
1950 - IO - Wood, Seabridge, Langenbeck, Greer, LeBard
E - Langenbeck, Talbert
b
1952 - IO - Greer, Talbert, Seabridge, LeBard, Langenbeck
E - LeBard - Seabridge, Wood
(18)
1954 - I0 - Bryant, Talbert, Wood, LeBard, Seabridge
E - Bartlett, Lockett
1956 - I0 - Terry, Bartlett, LeBard, Seabridge, Lockett
® E - Bryant, Irby, Terry
1958 - I0 - Bryant, Lockett, Irby, Bartlett, Terry
E - Lambert, Waite
1960 - I0 - Sork, Lambert, Terry, Waite, Irby
® E - Gisler, Stewart, Wells_
1962 - I0 - Wells, Lambert, Stewart, Waite, Gisler
E - Lambert, Welch
1964 - I0 - Gisler, Stewart, Welch, Lambert, Wells
• E - Gisler, Stewart, Shipley
1966 - I0 - Gisler, Stewart, Lambert, Shipley, Welch (1966 Charter Amendment -
E - Coen, Kaufman, Green, Bartlett 5 to 7 Councilmen)
1968 - I0 - Coen, Bartlett, Gisler, Kaufman, Stewart, Green, Shipley
• E - Shipley, Matney, McCracken
1970 - I0 - Ship,ley, Bartlett,-McCracken, Matney, Coen, Green)
E '- Bartlett, Coen, Green,-'Gibbs
1972 - I0 - Shipley, Bartlett, McCracken, Matney, Coen, Green
® E - Shipley, Matney, Duke
1974 - I0 - Shipley, Bartlett, Gibbs, -Green Coen, Duke, Matney
E - Bartlett, Coen, Gibbs, Wieder ' , \
1976 - I0 - Bartlett, Wieder, Coen, Matney, Shipley, Duke, Gibbs
• E - Siebert, Shenkman, Pattinson
1978 - I0 - Bartlett, Pattison, Coen, Siebert, Shenkman, Wieder, Gibbs
E - Mandic, MacAllister, Bailey, Thomas
R - Shenkman, Siebert
A - Yoder, Finley
1980 - I0 - Pattinson, Mandic, MacAllister, Thomas, Bailey, Yoder, Finley
E - Pattinson, Kelly, Finley
1982 - I0 - Pattinson, Mandic, MacAllister, Thomas, Bailey, Finley, Kelly
E - Mandic, Bailey, MacAllister, Thomas
November,1984 - I0 - Pattinson, Mandic, MacAllister, Thomas, Bailey, Finley, Kelly
E - Finley, Kelly, Green
1986 - I0 - Mandic, MacAllister, Thomas, Bailey, Finley, Kelly, Green '
E - Mays, Erskine, Winchell , Bannister
A
1988 - I0 - Erskine, Mays, Winchell , Bannister, Kelly, Green, Finley
E - Silva, Green, MacAllister
IO - Erskine,1990 - Mays, Winchell , Bannister, MacAllister, Silva, Winchell
E - Winchell , Moulton-Patterson, Robitaille, Kelly
1909 - 1924 2 YEAR TERMS
1924 - 4 YEAR TERMS
OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK
49
1. 03/01/09 M. D. ROSENBERGER Bonded
10/25/09 Resigned 7 months
2. 11/22/09 E. R. BRADBURG Appointed 5 months
3. 04/11/10 C. E. LAVERING Elected
04/15/12 Elected 4 years
4. 04/13/14 CHARLES R. NUTT Elected
07/31/22 Resigned 8 years
5. 07/31/22 W. R. WRIGHT Appointed to fill unexpired term
04/14/24 Elected
06/01/26 Resigned 4 years
6. 06/01/26 CHARLES R. FURR Appointed to fill unexpired term
04/16/28 Elected
06/02/47 Resigned 20 years, 11 months
7. 06/02/47 JOHN L. HENRICKSEN Appointed to fill unexpired term
04/19/48 Elected 12 years, 10 months
8. 04/18/60 PAUL C. JONES Elected
04/01/73 Deceased 13 years
9. 04/30/73 ALICIA M. WENTWORTH Appointed
04/09/74 Elected to fill unexpired term
07/08/88 Retired 15 years, 2 months
10. 07/09/88 CONNIE BROCKWAY Appointed
11/08/88 Elected
(20)
1164K
H. B. POLICE CHIEFS
(appointed and elected from 1909)
Police Department Established - 6/13/21
C. E. Fright - Marshal 2/17/09 8/16/09
A. G. Boone - Deputy Marshal 6/21/09
C. Y. Sorenson - Marshal 1910
E. L. Vincent - Marshal 2/1/14
Jack Tinsley - Marshal 2/2/14 11/7/27
Jake Reed - First Constable (Under Tinsley)
Bannister - Constable (under Tinsley)
® R. Choat - Chief (appointed) 11/7/27 7/31/28
Charles D. Stewart - Chief (appointed) 8/l/28 12/14/31
Laverne F. Keller - Patrolman (appointed) 3/5/25
Acting Police Chief (appointed) 12/14/31 4/19/34
® - - George M. Gelzer - appointed Spl . Off. 10/22/28
appointed Patrolman 3/4/29
appointed Chief 4/20/34 4/20/36
Harvey Lester Grant - appointed Patrolman 4/7/30
® appointed Chief 4/20/36
First Elected Chief 11/15/37 4/21/42
Donald Blossom - appointed Desk Clerk 6/28/34
appointed Asst. Chief 7/1/40
elected Chief (twice) 4/21/42 4/17/50
® Ben Delaney - elected Chief (3 times) 4/17/50 10/8/58 (deceased)
Clinton Aright - appointed 11/3/58 4/16/62
Howard Robidoux - elected Chief 4/16/62 6/17/64 (deceased)
• John Seltzer - appointed Patrolman 6/12/37
appointed Chief (6/15/64
Acting) 7/15/64 7/31/68 ret. (deceased)
Earl Robitaille - appointed Chief 8/l/69 4/17/87 (retired;
Grover "Bill" Payne - appointed Chief4/18/,87 8/4/89 (retired;
Ronald Lowenberg - appointed Chief 9/25/89
(21 )
P
44
OfCb
i
BDLSA ME
NORTH "`2 —�
_ AMMUNITION 2.95 SO.MI. '
SWSET BEACH'2 ME FADDEN 'AV
<.009 50 A11 ,NET HUNTINGTON CENTER ANNEXATION 1
�5.64 / 5-9 58 NORTH ♦3 FROM NESTAIINSTER
DEPOT .94 MI. Dos 7 Ml.
SUNSET BEACH*I / 519-58 AVE
:010 SO MI. EDIMGEM
-2-63 _ HEIL
OL WEST' r ST 2 e", r sET HEIGHTS'1 9?22564MI.
7-25-63 28 SO.M/. 03 SO.ML .OI SO.MI. _ HELL-MAGNOLIA ANNEXATION"54
10-26-59 �4-6-60 2-25-63 TO WESTMINSTER
�\SUNSET HARBOUR _ waL JAY H 022SO.Ml.,p-30-71
H EAST
SUNSET 1.3/ SO.M(, a So.AlL SCHONLE NORTH *1 NO 46 Ml.
BEACH 9 ., 6-21-62 .02'50 ME
003�y� 12-9-60 _ .lo•8-82 7.65 S0.MI. 7-58 .
L�5,q AVE
3-8-65 I�i7 SO MLA 3 � RME 8-2 $7 1
•MDJTINGTON .11 SO4 SUNSET HEIGHTS 2 +
HARBOUR 18 2 1=s0 MI.J EWLAND 1-
.07 SO MI. 7 25-63 c .12 S0.Ml.
87 SO " 12-23-60 M.y,
HUN7INGTON a r D6 SO.MI 2 AVE
SUNSET BEACH`3 H� BOLSA ¢ SLATER 6
0008 S0.MI
II- _ All.
--64 CH IC CALVLl$ED 1. EWLAND'56 0 I-18-63MI
HUNTWGTON HARE m SO MI
M1.A ST*2
8 . M
1.002 SOMI SOLSAMA 4 P`61 9-29-71 D2 so.
.03 SO 8-22-60
AVE6-8-72 4 TALBE1i
LBOLSA CHICA 5I 4-6-
177SO Mt SUNSET HEIGHT 3 AtlRTHEAs7~3
3-24-66 28 SO M1. .02 SO.M FRAry
[so- CMLA STATE PAR 12'21-64 ,1 ; 4-/7-6! NEW 4
.083 SO.MI. C f`��, I S 6'a0-70 M' '
c SKNat 801-SA`1 AVE
IS-11-65 r`rr OR0.3359 r— c,'� WLAN DU3
544SO-MI .005190.1011.
9.15.71 GARFIELD� HARPER 1-24-68
.25 SO MI. c y .03 S0.Mt`
INCLUDES 1. "' GARFIELD 4-4-� AVE
PARCELS IR83 'T---
3. I b S~
2 a �
NAA94 AVE• 'T AVE
ORIGINAL 5`
CITY LIMITS
3.57 SO.ML yr'
2-17-09 4 +` DIMS AVE
EAST"'I
ANNEXE® AREAS 6.34 SO,MI.
MDIANAPDLIG AVE /
1
a89.11 a
.I/S0.MI.
12.14.45
ATLANTA 2 AVE
z ORD.488
i 1
.IOI SO.MI,i
� HAtlILTON
CITY OF
HUNTINGTON BEACH
ORANGE COUNTY , CALIFORNIA 'BANNING AVE
ORD.541
o 0000 93 SO.MI.
7-14-49 1/
SCALE in FEET
DECEMBER 14,1964
�HUNTWGTON BEAr'H STATE PARK
16 SQ M.
5-11-65
Longitude 118' 00' 02"" W
(22) Latitude 330 41 ' 42" N
SAN BERNARDINO CO. '
--A-
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y
PAVED
STATE AND COUNTY HIGHWAYS
ORANGE COUNTY,CALIFORNIA �t y'�
ram. I
J.L.M<8 D Rf !, c�.r s� eyw \. S A 2v D I Y G O C <
® 9 ,
se•ce o �
i
Pm,ed Roads Indicated Thus Ordinary Roads Thus
Incor(ID1ted Gfies Shown Th-,
(C t9ifi bs'� !{paw..lo.Counry Surveyor ���.
Orange Colmty's Higtiwoy System hwAudes 230 Miles of flowed Roods
�� Orange County Citloa ere Noted for the mills*of Pawed Streets-11thai their Coepomte Limits '
Improved Highv ye ere en Investment that Pay*Enormom Dividends in Wo Many Ways to Eeumoretm
TSW Sell asd 08 Pmhc iom for de Past Fite Yeah
•Nature's Prolific Wonderland"• oa osaIIiiieef r- sow I0 d'*°D'°g9°r to Us a&old—G�mnb l ,s ta ed I, r I '
mw-pso4mto_C 9ls,aomam teoAm.w.m �
CL1MAl'E DU LUXE !sp—J3?islltsOs, `; alluq*mro wwua ►m farl 1Ai!Rof is C!slrae oseety.
>ma-maaaa*t* zlsaacmm - alo*ss¢ot P0�$°
Orange Count ,California 79t4 �°qD N tursaa M T ftJJmm .. A mlJl mei0em ed t7memsrm of
Y tin* Aaaso r6oatw*w .7Aowteami.
® Grand Total Productlotr for-pY
HISTORICAL MAP 1916
(23)
I—T-T T=� -- ----
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i
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sins
IFU
MEN
< BENI ---_
IS
March, 1925
Scale 1 = 200 ft.
CITY OY
111INTINCTON BENCH �`Qe
ORANGE COUNTY,CALIPORNIA ----��
E. M. Billings - City Engineer
t,
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(25)
WET TR AV
SCALE IN MILES
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INDUSTRIAL ZONING MAP < t < 10
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ATLANTA V = AVE. _
CITY OF' �� 2 m
o
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LEGEND
---- CITY BOUNDARY L i NE
INDUSTRIAL AREA
4 Indu8trial Parke
(26)
RQ �� 40 Ml. }
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7 (LD
5 ,o ,5 VICINITY MAP
P
H
m
UN'TING 'TONBEACH ��L. v°�
V BEACH
���
Co
O"J C 'y
SAN FERNANDO �Q*b
VALLEY s
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l
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F,p 1 t
HOLLYWOODO �y OALHAOMBRA-OEL MONTE COVINAO SAN ®ERNARDIp4 F*WX
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TARIO
®SApTA �® lOn 60 ®INDUSTRY O®
AIRPORT
SANTA tL$G
MONICA >4 LOS LE COMMITY ERCE
O OPICO RIVERA ��� 0CHINO
�e
v 5 7cc
�®
L A INTERATIOkAL a ♦r i
AIRPORT Hlk>tl�OINGTON � OWHITTIER OPp� � \
L A. Co.
EL SEGUfdDo/ 9 PARK O n -
O ® 17 SANTA FE ` m ORANGE CO
i SPRINGS ' >�
MANHATTANO a p5 BREAO 9 +
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(30)
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(31 )
AMENDMENTS _ A
PLANNING OTI CIRCULATION PLAN OF ARTERIAL
COMMSSION COlA4GIL
��— - STREETS AND HIGHWAYS
T � v ADOPTED BY CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO..4368-DEC.12,1976
LEGEND
- -_- FREEWAY STREET CAPACITY
MAJOR 45,000
1 -- PRIMARY 30,000
-- SECONDARY 20,000
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NOTE
SOLID LINES INDICATE EXISTING RIGHT OF WAY
\ E� NOT NECESSARILY ULTIMATE RIGHT-OF WAY
DASHED LINES INDICATE AREAS WHERE NO
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C®TY OF
HUNrINGrON
BEACH rRAFFIC FLOW MAP
(34)
MARCH 1985
® HUNTINGTON BEACH CITY HALL
2000 Main Street, 92648
(714) 536-5227
Current Population as of 1990 was 191 ,630
Prepared by the Finance Department
1980 Demographics Characteristics*
® Populatioa Ethnicity of Population Age by Sex
1950: 5,237 Percent Number Male Female
1960: 11 ,492 White 85.00% 144,977 0-4 5,402 5,346
1970: 115,960 Black .70% 1 ,185 5-9 6,138 5,857
1976: 152,148* Amer Ind/Eskimo .40% 818 10-14 7,548 7,082
® 1977: 157,800** Aleut. 15-19 8,619 8,369
1978: 161 ,300** Asian Pacific 5.00% 8,453 20-24 9,262 8,804
1979: 167,419 Spanish 7.90% 13,427 25-34 16,501 16,492
1980: 170,505 Other 1 .00% 1 ,645 35-44 12,126 12,565
1981 : 173,393** 45-54 9,094 8,691
1982: 176,788** Total 100.00% 170,505 55-64 6,121 6,469
® 1983: 179,658** 65-74 2,745 3,825
1984: 180,821** 75+ 1 ,121 2,328
1985: 181 ,872**
1986: 184,876** Total 84,677 85,828
1987: 186,823**
1988: 187,740**
® 1989: 188,701
1990: 191 ,603
*1975 Census Revised Figures 1980 Census
® ** California State Department of Finance Estimates
City Labor Market Data
No. of Employment Percentage_
® Firms 1980 Census of County Major Employers
Total 2,555 43,747 5.2 City of Huntington Beach
Agriculture 8 424 4.7 General Telephone
Mining 10 287 13.0 Huntington Beach Union
® Construction 211 1 ,794 3.6 High School District
Manufacturing 263 11 ,860 5.5 Huntington Center
Trans/Comm/Utilities 74 1 ,992 7.4 Humana Hospital
Trade 826 11 ,442 5.7 McDonnell Douglas
Fin/Ins/Real Estate 239 1 ,992 3.6 Golden West College
Services 822 6,585 4.6
® Government 93 7,346 6.7
Unclassified 9 24 2.6
Source: Industrial Commercial Data System (INCOM)
® (35)
HUNTINGTON BEACH CITY FEATURES
i
Assessed Valuation Authorized Building Permits
1982-83 - $5,672,213,998
1983-84 - $6,292,926,314 Single Family Multiple Family
1984-85 - $6,725,806,949 Dwellings Dwellings
1985-86 - $6,961 ,275,353 1980 613 222
1986-87 - $8,000,260,977 1981 - 302 448
1987-88 - $8,364,799,879 1982 126 83
1988-89 - $8,580,201 ,414 1983 996 19
1989-90 - $8,683,108,859 1984 944 532
1985 271 608
1986 383 645
1987 514 433
1988 1 ,098 311
19.89 229 270
Housing Units: Total Valuation of Building Activities:
1980 - 61 ,126 (in thousands of dollars)
1981 - 65,044
1982 - 65,521 Residential Nonresidential Total
1983 - 66,102 (including alterations) (Comm/Indus/Other)
1984 - 66,335
1985 - 67,308 1980 $33,360,432 $44,212,463 77,572,895
1986 - 68,686 1981 33,482,935 64,208,740 97,691 ,675
1987 - 69,500 1982 12,208,686 27,069,458 39,269,144
1988 - 70,052 1983 51 ,067,426 34,689,643 85,757,069
1989 - 71 ,156 1984 64,872,182 62,282,404 127,154,586
1990 - 71 ,966 1985 51 ,838,713 97,183,610 148,022,323
1986 77,601 ,402 75,387,900 152,989,302
1987 77,476,722 142,666,505 220,134,227
1988 182,705,851 70,919,505 253,624,998
1989 60,607,990 89,534,742 150,142,732
TAXABLE SALES: 1986 1987
Type of Business Permits Taxable Permits Taxable
(taxable transaction in Transactions Transactions
thousands)
Retail Stores:
Apparel Stores 108 41 ,452 122 45,412
General Merchandise Stores 23 153,399 25 165,496
Drug Stores 22 22,448 26 22,087
Food Stores 91 99,277 94 85,060
Packaged Liquor Stores 43 15,145 43 19,323
Eating & Drinking Places 385 130,540 401 136,593
Home Furnishing & Appliances 100 80,084 107 88,584
Bldg Material & Farm Implements 53 185,983 53 190,306
Auto Dealers & Auto Supplies 64 271 ,924 69 271 ,355
Service Stations 70 96,245 69 133,407
Other Retail Stores 452 116,169 508 119,778
Total Retail Stores 1 ,411 1 ,212,666 1 ,517 1 ,277.401
All Other Outlets 4,630 242,624 4,746 267,374
Total All Outlets 6,041 1 ,455,290 6,263 1 ,544,775
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT (See Industrial Parks Map - Page #26)
Number of Acres zoned for planned industry: 1 ,762 (6/86)
Number of acres vacant: 350 (4/88)
(36)
O F F I C I A L C I T Y S E A L
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THE COMMON SEAL OF THE CITY OF HUNTINGTON 'BEACH SHALL BE CONSTRUCTED AS TO
® MAKE THE FOLLOWING IMPRESSION: A CIRCLE, WITH A CENTERPIECE CONSISTING OF
A VIEW OF OCEAN WAVES, WITH THE OUTLINE OF CATALINA ISLAND, AS SEEN FROM
THE CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH, IN THE BACKGROUND, AND WITH THE WORDS "CITY
OF HUNTINGTON, ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, INCORPORATED FEBRUARY 17th 1909,
A.D." SURROUNDING SAID CENTERPIECE AND NEAR THE INSIDE MARGIN OF SAID CIRCLE.
(ORDINANCE NO. 3 - ADOPTED 2/23/09)
(37)
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HOW HUNTINGTON BEACH BEGAN
Dozens of streams laced the countryside. Artesian springs bubbled, while flocks
of birds so thick as to almost blot out the sun soared and wheeled overhead.
The thousands of new residents pouring into Huntington Beach are unaware that
this was the picture when the nucleus of their community was created exactly 145
years ago.
It was on May 22, 1834, that a section of the vast Spanish possessions known as
the "Nietos Grant" was split off. Named Las Bolsas (the pockets) , it covered
21 square miles, from which the cities of Huntington Beach, Westminster, Garden
Grove and Talbert community have arisen.
It was granted by Mexican Governor Jose Figueroa to Catarina Ruiz, the widow of
one of the Nietos. Ex-soldier Manuel Nieto had been given what is now the west
half of Orange County plus land in • the Whittier area.
Nietos died in 1804, but it wasn' t until 30 years later his holdings were divided
at the request of his heirs. Seven years after that, the 6-square-mile rancho to
the northwest , Bolsa Chica (little pocket) , was split off and granted to Joaquin
Ruiz.
In the 185O ' s both Bolsa Chica and Las Bolsas came under the ownership of Abel
Stearns, who became the largest owner of land and cattle in Southern California.
A native of Massachusetts, he came to California in 1829 and settled as a trader
in Los Angeles in 1833.
Even as late as March 11, 1889, when the new county of Orange was created out of
the southeast part of Los Angeles County, the land was still largely "rancho" ,
the scene predominated by streams and lush grazing plains.
The Stearns Rancho Company ran cattle and horses and raised grain on the property
and decided to sell the ' swamp 'as least desirable.
Little by little the area along the beach began to take on character. . .albeit
what it may, and the beach took on the name of Shell Beach. . .but with the intro-
duction of the year 1901 the name was changed to Pacific City as a local syndicate
formed by P. A. Stanton purchased 40 acres at the beach and subdivided 20 acres
along what is now both sides of Main Street. The dream to rival Atlantic City
was that of Mr. Stanton and not shared by too many others in his day. His year of
activity ended as Stanton sold out in 1902 to Henry E. Huntington and the Huntington
Beach Company. . .and the Pacific Electric Railway came to the seaside community
which was renamed Huntington Beach in 1904.
The city was incorporated in February, 1909, with Ed Manning as the first mayor.
The original townsite consisted of 3. 57 square miles, with a population of 915;
and remained so until 1957 when a series of annexations began. By 1970, Huntington
Beach had become the largest city in area in Orange County, ,with a total of 51.30
square miles.
® One of the fastest growing cities in the West, the population has increased from
5, 358 to 167,419 in 1979.
Oil was discovered in profitable quantities in Huntington Beach in 1920 and
remains today an important part of the economy --- 1691 producing wells and
several refineries. Slant drilling into the tideland pools has produced for the
State of California many millions of dollars per year in royalties.
® One of the richest farming sections in the Western states, the Huntington Beach
area produces such crops as lima beans, sugar beets, asparagus, chili peppers,
tomatoes and a variety of truck farm crops. There is an abundance of cool water
for both irrigation and domestic purposes.
Circa 1970
(39)
1973 HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH
By Patti Bauer
If you know Huntington Beach as a City of 143,500 people, forty thousand homes, five freeway off-
ramps, four high schools, thirty-one elementary schools, mile upon mile of asphalt roadway, row upon
row of block walls, there's more.
Join me in a journey from Yesterday to Tomorrow.
Where once existed acres of marsh and willow thicket, with various species of wild birds, bubbling
artesian wells and dozens of flowing streams dotting the countryside, now stands our City.
Almost 139 years ago, on May 22, 1834, lands were partitioned from the massive Spanish Grant given
to Manuel Perez Nietos. Those lands, named Las Bolsas (the pockets of bays) covered 21 square miles,
from which the cities of Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Westminster and Fountain Valley have arisen.
It was granted by Mexican Governor Jose Figueroa to Catarina Ruiz, the widow of one of the Nietos.
Manuel Nietos died in 1804, but it wasn't until 30 years later his holdings were divided at the request
of his heirs. Seven years after that, the six square mile rancho to the northwest, Bolsa Chica (little
pocket) was split off and granted to Joaquin Ruiz.
In the 185O's both Bolsa Chica and Las Bolsas came under the ownership of Don Abel Stearns, who
became the largest owner of land and cattle in Southern California. A native of Massachusetts, he came
to California in 1829 and settled as a trader in Los Angeles in 1833.
Stearn's successor, the Stearns Rancho Trust, which ran cattle and horses and raised grain on the
property, sold the swamp lands which were considered least valuable and retained the mesa.
The five--mile stretch of beach along the Rancho Las Bolsas was called Shell Beach, because of the
numerous little bean clams, called Donax that dotted the sand with color.
Midway along the beach the backland swelled into a low mesa, whose base was so eroded by the
tides that a steep bluff was formed. It was on this mesa that the town of Huntington Beach was created.
Colonel Robert Northam purchased this mesa from the. Stearns Rancho Company, of which he was manager.
The swamp lands surrounding the mesa became known as "Gospel Swamp" because it was used by early min-
ister-settlers to preach the Gospel. Although no regular church existed, residents could find a con-
tinuous series of revival meetings in "Gospel Swamp".
Swamp surrounded the mesa most of the year making it almost inaccessible to Shell Beach. There
were no railroads, bridges, nor roads to the beach from any direction.
In 1901, Philip Stanton formed a local syndicate and bought 1500 acres of Rancho Las Bolsas from
Robert Northam for the sum of $100,000. The syndicate organized the West Coast Land and Water Company
and on high ground above Shell Beach laid out streets and lots in a forty acre tract. It was Stanton's
dream to build a town on the Pacific Coast that would rival Atlantic City on the east coast, and so
the project was named Pacific City. A water system was installed, streets were paved, and a pavilion
was built on the ocean front. To show signs of habitation, a church and a residence were hauled in
from the defunct town of Fairview. In drilling a well for domestic water, considerable gas came out
of the hole, much to the annoyance of the promoters. In August 1901, the first lots were placed on
the market with prices ranging from $100, to $200, each. A number were given away to persons who would
agree to build some kind of structure immediately. In 1902, Philip Stanton sold his interest in
Pacific City to the Vail-Gates group of Los Angeles.
(40)
_ 2 _
Henry E. Huntington, who owned the Pacific Electric Railroad and was a heavy stock holder in the
Southern Pacific Lines, became interested in Pacific City. His "red cars" were already running to
Long Beach and the Southern Pacific owned the rails from Newport Beach. Buying an interest in the'
West Coast Land and Water Co., he extended his red car line along the ocean front from Long Beach
and electrified the old railroad line to Newport Beach. A wooden pier was built into the ocean and on
the bluff a two-story frame hotel, the Huntington Inn, was erected. As a gesture of goodwill
the name of the city was changed to Huntington Beach. A post office was established in 1903 and an
old piano box served as its first quarters. The first electric passenger train rolled into Huntington
® Beach on July 4, 1904. An extensive advertising campaign drew attention to Huntington Beach and a
real estate boom developed. Lots that had sold for $200 a year before sky-rocketed to $43,000. More
land was added to the original townsite. The Huntington Beach Company, comprised mostly of Angelenos,
had acquired the remaining holdings. The company's first president, J. V. Vickers, had been a director
of the West Coast Land and Water Co., when Mr. Stanton headed the syndicate. Mr. Vickers was an advo-
cate of town beautification and saw to it that trees were planted on every street.
The City of Huntington Beach was incorporated February 17, 1909, with Ed Manning as the first
Mayor. The original townsite consisted of 3.57 square miles, with a population of 915. There were
542 registered voters. The first school was built the same year.
From 1910 to 1920 the City made very slow progress. The Huntington Beach Co. operated a ranch
®: raising food grains on some of the 1400 acres they owned. In 1918, they held public land auctions to
stay out of debt. The Encyclopedia Britannica Company came. looking for the cheapest possible land
to subdivide and give away as bonus lots to purchasers of a set of their Students Reference Encyclo-
pedias, (a special edition of some ten or twelve volumes). They negotiated a deal with the Huntington
Beach Co. and purchased seven, five acre tracts located 212 miles from the beach in the northwest
section of the Huntington Beach Co. property. They subdivided. each five acre tract into sixty lots
resulting in 420 lots in all. These lots located inland, on hillsides and in ravines, were for the
most part worthless.
In 1919, Standard Oil Company leased 500 acres of land from the Huntington Beach Co. The first
oil well was drilled in what was then the northwest area of the City. This well was known as A-1 and
was brought in during August, 1920, producing 91 barrels of oil a day. They continued to drill more
wells on their lease and a multitude of others moved in with hopes of finding a profitable oil well.
Wells sprang up over night and in less than a month the town grew from 1,500 to 5,000 people.
On November 6, 1920, Standard Oil Co. brought in the history making well known as Bolsa Chica
No. 1. This well blew out late in the afternoon with a roar that could be heard for miles around. An
estimated 4,000,000 cubic feet of gas and 1742 barrels of oil were produced per day by this well alone.
Standard Oil Co. shipped several hundred men from other fields into Huntington Beach to help contain
the overflow of oil. Bolsa No. 1 proved that the Huntington Beach oil field was a great discovery
and soon the population was over 7,000 persons. Areas as small as a City lot were leased and used
for organizing oil corporations. Scores of them were formed and their stock put on the market. People
were brought in by bus loads and told how they could become oil millionaires. Full-page publicity
and national advertising built up the fame of Huntington Beach. People became fanatical about oil
® stocks. The old established oil companies quietly continued to drill more wells. After a year or so
of frenzy, the oil field was fully explored and the excitement died down. Some small companies made
fantastic profits. Each owner of an encyclopedia lot received an income of $100 a month. What
appeared to have been a valueless gift of land resulted in fortunes of various amounts to its re-
cipients. Their bonanza continued several years.
In 1926, the area between Bth Street and 23rd Street, known as the town lot field, produced a
second oil boom. The profits from oil were now available to the owners of these lots. Houses and
other structures were moved and practically every lot was turned into an oil lease. The waste from
the oil wells destroyed all the trees that were planted for beautification.
(41 )
3 -
Finally, in 1930, oil was discovered and produced from the tideland ocean pool utilizing the
whipstock method. The development of this .idea proved that oil from the known ocean pool lying off
shore could be drilled from the upland by slant drilling, and in the process, preserve the beach and
public playground. Today, close to 500 whipstock wells produce approximately 10 million barrels of
oil annually and millions of dollars per year in royalties for the State of California.
While oil was the principle Factor in Huntington Beach economy, recreational and cultural oppor-
tunities were not ignored. A public library was started as early as 1909. Fourth of July celebration
with parade, picnics and gatherings and concerts on the beach were well attended by the citizens. In
the 1920's the Bolsa Chica Gun Club was formed by a group of wealthy sportsmen from Los Angeles.
Located on a bluff in the swamp land, west of the town, it looked down over the most populated bird
and wildlife acreage in the area.
Pacific Coast Highway was constructed in 1925, making the beach access a lot easier.
The Huntington Beach Co. built the area's first pier of wood in about 1904. During the interim
of 1912 a heavy storm demolished the middle of the pier, leaving the end protruding from the ocean
several hundred feet from shore. Subsequently the City Council, with Thomas Talbert heading the
promotion, floated a bond issue to build a concrete pier; and the new structure was dedicated in
April 1931. In an extremely heavy storm in September 1939, a 300 foot section of the pier was washed
away. By August 1940, repairs were completed bringing the pier's length to its present 1821.8 feet.
Yearly, an average of 200,000 fishermen frequent this pier, famous for its location in waters which
abound in many species of fish.
For many years the Huntington Beach Co. was willing to give the beach frontage to the City.
Tom Talbert, twice mayor and longtime City Councilman, urged the City to accept, but many citizens
felt that City ownership would create new expenses and responsibilities and the council repeatedly
refused to accept the beach frontage. In 1921, a bond issue of $75,000 for purchase of the beach
from the pier to 9th Street was carried by a more than 2/3 majority, but the City Council declared
the election void on a technicality.
In 1931, as a realtor, Mr. Talbert started negotiations with the Huntington Beach Co. for the
purchase of the beach frontage from the pier east as far as the trailer park. However, the arrange-
ment proved to be unacceptable since the Huntington Beach Co. would retain too many privileges.
The City went to court and demanded that the beach frontage from the trailer park to 23rd Street
be deeded to the City at no cost. The case was heard in San Diego County. A compromise was reached
and the City received all frontage east of the pier and withdrew its claim to all frontage west of the
pier, and the case was closed. The long clean beach was a dominant asset to the City and would
become a successful attraction in the years to come. An open air bowl. seating 4,000 people was in-
stalled near the beach and became well known for the concerts and shows that appeared.
The State Park Commission purchased 11,000 feet of ocean frontage east of Huntington Beach from
the trailer park to the Santa Ana River in 1948. The area was fenced, parking facilities and all the
necessities provided for the public, and after two year's work the Huntington Beach State Park was
opened.
West of the City was a three-mile stretch of beach that was privately owned. For years, campers,
fishermen, and squatters used the shore without control of any kind. A litter of bottles, cans and
trash accumulated to such an extent that the place became known as "Tin Can Beach". In 1961, the
State of California purchased it and began developing Bolsa Chica State Park.
During the years which followed, Huntington Beach was known primarily for its production and
agriculture. In 1964, a total of 1,776 oil wells in the Huntington Beach oil pools produced 16,095,564
barrels of oil. This yield would amount to more than $44 million, based on an average basic price of
$2.75 per barrel. On the basis of these figures, Huntington Beach ranks number three among the largest
(42)
® _ 4 _
petroleum producers in the state.
Located in one of the richest farming areas in"the West; because of its'`underground wells and
peat bogs local farms grew lima beans, sugar beets, tomatoes, celery, and similar-truck "farming crops.
To the northwest of Huntington Beach, a community called-Wintersburg, now_a part--of the City, where
most of the growth took place in the 60's; the acreage was,used-primarily for.farming.
Expansion of the City began in 1957 when annexations were made.from large-property holdings, and
many farmers asked for admittance to.the City, primarily because of its:sound tax base:
From 1957 through 1960, Huntington Beach experienced its most rapid growth in.area.:-.It-increased
its size to 25 miles as a result of. 11 annexations totaling" 20 square" miles. ..From 1961 to� the present
time, 22 annexations increased the city's area to its present" 26 square miles." The.ultimate:size, of
Huntington Beach will be 55 square miles; 30"miles of land and 25. square miles of ocean—
The most spectular development in 1963 was Huntington. Harbour, a multi-million dollar project
that turned swampland into a beautiful residential district of islands, channels and yachting-facilities.
Aside from oil, two of the oldest industries in the City were. the Bolsa Tile Plant, and the Holly
Sugar Factory. Today, the tile plant is still in business manufacturing tile,"-but alas," the old Ho11y
Sugar Factory stands abandoned. The two largest industries in Huntington Beach-brought many.-prospect-
ive residents. The Edison generating plant was constructed in 1956, and the-Douglas Aircraft- Space
Systems Center opened in 1963.
In the past two decades Huntington Beach-has been the fastest growing city in the .nation, perhaps
in the world. The 11,000 population of-the 1950's stands_at 148,000'and .still.nearly.half;bf the City's
land is yet to be built upon.
The rapid growth in such a short period has generated many serious problems, none insurmountable,
but all requiring the attention of the-City Council, administration and" taxpayers. ".The concerned cit-
izens of the community got busy by forming or-joining groups that would study the problems and come
up with solutions or recommendations. For this attidude the City has.been recognized- as one of the
® top 22 cities in the nation as a finalist in the 1970 National Municipal League's All=America City
Contest.
Huntington Beach has also been honored with the inaugural award of the Project-21 Team of the
University of California at Irvine for citizen "involvement and government cooperation along the
waterfront and byways in the areas of landscaping, preservation of the natural resources and the in-
terest of people in making this not just a good community, but the best:
For the past few years the emphasis has been on improving the cultural and ecological climate
through the efforts of citizens and government. Both an Environmental and Art and Cultural Council
have been established by the City Council.
® Huntington Beach became a chartered City in February 1937, by special action of the state legis-
lature. Today it has a seven member City Council. The Council selects its Mayor, City Administrator,
Planning, Recreation and Parks, Personnel, Library Commissions;- Environmental Council, Design Review
Board and Art and Cultural Council.
Since 19659 these advisory commissions along with several citizens committees have accomplished
many community projects, that have been very beneficial to the community.
In 1968, the Urban Land Institute Citizens Committee made several recommendations to the City
Council towards the improvement of the City. The beach area development plan was approved and comple-
ted in 1969, making the beach one of the finest in California. The new Civic Center site chosen and
now under construction will be completed in 1973, and plans for the downtown redevelopment are on the
drawing boards.
(43)
- 5 - 0
With the need for more parks and open space, the "People for Parks" committee was formed in 1969,
and with their leadership a $6,000,000 park bond was approved by the citizens by more than 70% in favor.
A 400 acre Central City Park, two community, and several neighborhood parks have or will be completed
in 1973.
In October 1972, groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the new $3,000,000 Library, designed by
world famous architects Richard and Dion Neutra. The library will be built on a hill in Central City
Park overlooking Lake Talbert.
A Recreational Trail Plan for the City was approved in 1972, and is under construction now and
with a new federal grant approved, will be completed in the near future.
With all the land development and construction in the last few years, there has been an interest
in some of the past. A historical society was formed by several interested citizens, and the preserva-
tion and collection of artifacts and data is being assembled for the future. It is their hope that it
will be displayed in a museum of sorts.
Past history tells of the existence of Gabrieleno and Wainaleno Indians in this area. There were
several contacts made by the Spaniards and some history of the. Gabrielenos was recorded by a priest in
1826.
An archeological firm was hired by the City in 1972, to survey and study the possible sites. It
was discovered that there were 21 known archeological sites in Huntington Beach. Significant finds along the
bluffs show that the Indians existed here during two different periods; 400 to BOO years ago, and 2,000
to 6,000 years ago. An indian maiden, fully intact was found in what archeologists believe to be one
of their burial grounds or villages. Many of the findings will help identify the periods and tell
something of the past history, as none of the descendants exist today.
After a look at yesterday, what will come tomorrow?
(44)
•
H U N T I N G T 0 N BEACH - THE HISTORIC PAST
1800 - 1950
By: Barbara Milkovich
• In prehistoric times, the Huntington Beach region was inhabited by natives we
have come to call Gabrielinos, a name derived from the Mission San Gabriel. This
civilization was uniquely adapted to life along the coast, and had a number of
settlements here, particularly along the bluff line at the Bolsa Chica. Several local
• archeological sites have been identified, including some with human remains.
During the Spanish and Mexican periods, the area that would become Huntington
Beach was rancho land. First, it was contained in the great Las Bolsas Rancho, granted
® to Manual Nieto before 1800. Later, part of it was divided as the Rancho Bolsa Chica.
Like so much of the land surrounding these ranchos, these two were used for range land.
The first American settlers who lived on the inland edges of the ranchos discovered that
the beach below the prominent bluff had a vast deposit of shell, so would go there to
® gather shell as a livestock feed supplement. The beach, was called Shell Beach for
several years before urban development began.
During the 1870's and 1880's, the boundaries of the Rancho Las Bolsas and
• that of the Rancho Santa Ana de Santiago were challenged by settlers who felt that some
of the land was not part of either rancho. Until the dispute was finally settled,
ownership was risky, so the area did not become legally inhabited as fast as other parts
of Orange County. Squatters were a fact of life on the rich marshy land, and because
one of them, Isaac Hickey, a preacher, lived in the marshy area southeast of the bluff,
it became known as Gospel Swamp.
To the northwest of the bluff lay the Bolsa Chica, a salt water marsh, and to
• the southeast of it, the delta of the Santa Ana river. Because of the uplifts that mark
its geology, Huntington Beach is one of the richest oil fields in California, and was
the first of the great Los Angeles fields to be developed in the 1920's.
(45)
Huntington Beach - The Historic Past 2
As early as the 1860's, the area had been opened to agriculture, and by the
late 1870's, the southeastern delta was called the "Egypt of America" because it was so
fertile. Here rich crops of vegetables were grown, including celery, asparagus,
peppers, corn and potatoes. Barley was also an important crop and grown on the mesa
land inland from the town.
Before the community of Huntington Beach was developed, Westminster was
settled as a center for the agricultural region. However, the peat fields, while
wonderful for celery cultivation, were too soft for railway building. The first
railroad into the region, the Santa Ana and Newport Railroad, was constructed in 1897
from Santa Ana to Newport Beach, and along the coast to the edge of the bluff which
became Huntington Beach. It was forced to stop only seven miles from the coast by
virtually impassable peat bogs, several miles from Westminster. This meant that, in the
1�
early period, Huntington Beach developed as the transportation center for the region.
Huntington Beach was originally laid out on the top of the bluff, which was
the largest area of high land along the Pacific coast between Long Beach and Newport
Mesa. The first developers, Philip Stanton, John N. Anderson, and S.H. Finley named
their venture Pacific City, and hoped to establish a resort along the lines of Atlantic
City, New Jersey. By 1902, some eighteen months after they began, they sold out to
another group which included Henry Huntington. As a result, the name of the community
was changed, to Huntington Beach and the Pacific Electric railway was constructed along
the bluff, linking it with Long Beach.
Once the electric railroad was in operation, city boosters sought tourist
traffic. They were fortunate to attract the Methodist Resort Association which accepted
the gift of land to establish a camp in the center of town. This site, later called
"Arbamar", became a popular location for meetings during the summer months. Besides the
Methodist Association annual camp meeting, the area served such diverse group meetings
as the Grand Army of the Republic, and the Socialist Party, for fifteen years.
The City claims many prominent settlers during the pioneering years of
Coastal Orange County. William Newland, who developed much of the fine farm land in the
Huntington Beach area and provided capital for numerous enterprises, was one of the very
first to settle here in 1897. His home has been restored as a museum by the Huntington
Beach Historical Society in tribute to the agricultural founders of the area. Besides
(46)
® Huntington Beach - The Historic Past 3
the Newland House, at Beach Boulevard and Adams Street, the city boasts another National
Register complex, the Helme-Worthy buildings. These are still in family hands and are
located at 6th and Walnut Streets. They include a rare Western False Front commercial
building (circa 1904) and an older farm house moved on site in 1903. The builder,
® Matthew Helme, was a furniture store owner, and early member of the Board of Trustees.
Huntington Beach owes much of its municipal development to his concept of a modern city.
Other early settlers include Charles Warner, a member of the first Board of
Trustees, whose home stands at 10th and Walnut. His son, Willis, was a member of the
Orange County Board of Supervisors. Outstanding, also, was Tom Talbert, member of the
County Board of Supervisors, a long time city booster. His memoirs represent the bulk
of early history available about the coastal region and his residence is at 6th and
Pacific Coast Highway.
The fledgling city capitalized on its vast stretch of beach as a recreation
site from the very beginning. In fact, when the Huntington Beach Company took over the
development in 1903, one of the first things they did was erect a long wooden pier out
into the surf for fishing and strolling. The present concrete pier was dedicated in
1914 and has achieved world wide recognition as a fine .surfing location. For a number
of years, the Ocean Pacific Surfing Championships have taken place here. Time has taken
its toll of the under structure of this venerable pier and plans are being made now to
replace it as new development occurs along side, on the beach below.
Before the surfing event began, at least one other convention was a yearly
activity. During the 1940's and 1950's there was a state wide convention of twins held
at the pier and adjoining pavillion each fall. There were prizes for the best looking
pair, the most look alike, etc., etc. This, too, was quite popular since over 300 pair
of twins took part in the 1955 festivities.
Huntington Beach developed early as an industrial area, dependent on the
abundant raw materials present around it. The first of the industrial sites was the
Rainey Tile Co., which manufactured industrial tile used to drain the agricultural
fields of the region. It, and another tile company, La Bolsa, were located northeast of
town, at a rich clay deposit near the railroad.
(47)
Huntington Beach - The Historic Past 4
Huntington Beach's incorporation as a sixth class city in 1909 encouraged
more industry to come into the corridor along the Southern Pacific/Pacific Electric
tracks. As the sugar beet industry developed in Orange County, Holly Sugar Co. built a
major plant in that same area. A broom factory, drawn by abundant broom corn in the
Gospel Swamp, followed, and a linoleum factory rounded out the early industrial
economy. These were eclipsed in 1920 with the discovery of oil on the Huntington Beach
bluff. Within a few short years,the discovery led to the development of six large oil
fields in the region, and Huntington Beach ultimately ranked among the six largest oil
fields (in terms of production) in the United States.
Development concentrated in agriculture and oil until the late 1950's when
Orange County began to boom. Now a haven for light industry, Huntington Beach became
home to some 900 companies by 1986, with a payroll of more than 40,000 employees.
Much of the material in this essay is a product of my personal research. As I intended
to develop it further and use it in my own work, I must retain control over it.
The Orange County Centennial, Inc. has permission to use my data in its publication but
must give credit to my research where appropriate. Please contact me for exact
references as needed.
arbara Milkovich Dated: 1987
6032 Dundee Drive
Huntington Beach, California 92647
(714) 897-9766
(48)
1420k/10-87
Marvin Carlberg
April , 1978
® ORANGE COUNTY HISTORY. AS PORTRAYED IN LOCAL STREET NAMES
HUNTINGTON BEACH - Streets Underlined
CURRENT NOTABLE PEOPLE - In Parentheses
OTHER COUNTY STREETS
Adams In 1901 William L. Adams bought the "Estancia" , or the
"Gabe Allen Adobe" from Gabriel Allen, who had bought it
from Eduardo Pollareno in 1870. Adams sold the Estancia
to the Seagerstrom family who, in 1963, donated 5 acres
of the land that included the Estancia to the City of Costa
Mesa who turned it into a park and museum site, which is
open to the public. It was believed that the Estancia
was built by the padres from Mission San Juan Capistrano
as a station for the sheep herders.
Baker As many other people, Martin A. Baker, an early settler,
arrived in Orange County in 1900. He lived on the property
near the southwest corner of Baker and Newport Blvd. ,
living in the "old Wolfe home." (Current history includes
Orange County Supervisor in the early 1970's, David Baker. )
Ball Charles D. Ball was one of the founders of the Orange
County Medical Society, being a prominent doctor from
1887 until his death in 1935. He occupied the presi-
dency of the Orange County Historical Society from its
beginning in 1919 until his death. He also served a
term in the California State Assembly.
Banning Mary H. Banning bought 4000 acres of land in 1872 for
$17,500, to be farmed in grain. 150 acres of this was
later sold to William Hof who, in 1891 , became the first
settler in Costa Mesa.
Bushard In the 1860's John B. Bushard moved to California and
established first a business of hauling goods from Bakers-
field to the Los Angeles Area and to Prescott, Arizona.
He later sold and invested in real estate, owning at one
time 1800 acres of the Bolsa Ranch. He raised celery,
sugar beets and beans on 190 acres of this land (purchased
at $10 an acre) . (Tom Bushard is now deceased and was
Superintendent of Parks in Huntington Beach. )
(Caspers) Orange County Supervisor during the early 1970's who
actively supported parks and open space in Orange County.
Caspers Regional Park was named for him, after he died
e at sea.
Chapman This co-founder of Orange County, A.B. Chapman, was one
of the purchasers of a large southern portion of the Rancho
Santiago de Santa Ana in 1868.
(49)
2
Clark W. A. Clark was a senator from Montana who built the first
sugar beet .factories in Orange County, in Los Alamitos in
1896, and later in Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, and Anaheim.
George H. Clark from Chicago bought acreage and built a
three-story mansion for $22,000 on Baker Street. His
family included prominent members of the county for decades.
Their mansion burned down Christmas Day in 1953.
A. B. Clark in 1890 was the first to wrap choice citrus
(from the groves in Anaheim) in tissue paper.
Collins In 1903 W. S. Collins, President of the Newport Beach
Company, purchased the Fairview Hotel and Mineral Hot
Springs. He converted the area to a great health and
pleasure resort, but it was never the success he
envisioned.
Dana Richard Henry Dana, author of Two Years Before the Mast
visited the Orange County coast near San Juan Capistrano
(now Dana Harbor) in 1835 aboard his ship the Pilgrim.
Davis In 1921 Grant Davis opened Costa Mesa's first barber shop
and soda fountain
(Disney) Disneyland, the major tourist attraction in Orange County,
was opened in Anaheim in 1955. The peak visitor period
occurred in 1970 with 10.2 million people. This entertain-
ment center was created by Walt Disney, movie cartoonist,
film producer, creator of Mickey Mouse.
Edwards The E.E. Edwards family were early settlers. Colonel
Edwards introduced the bill that created Orange County
in 1889 (by the California State Legislature. )
Ellis James S. Ellis bought some land and farm implements from
the first settlement on the. Irvine Ranch. Mrs. Ellis
became known in the area for her greyhound dogs.
Henley Ellis bought, in 1909, a model Buick, the second
car in the Costa Mesa area. This car was entered in the
1913 Los Angeles to Phoenix race.
Gibson Donald Gibson came into Orange County in 1919 and purchased
one of the Fairview Farms 10-acre tracts in the vicinity
of what is now the Wienerschnitzel Restaurant on the corner
of Harbor and 19th in Costa Mesa. Gibson was both a county
road grader and a service station attendant.
Gisler Swiss immigrant Samuel Gisler was a dairyman and rancher
in the outskirts of Huntington Beach. He was considered
a most satisfactory and profitable rancher, raising excellent
sugar beets. He was the father of Ernie Gisler, later mayor
of Huntington Beach.
(50)
3.
Goodwin Around 1886 the Josiah Goodwin family moved from Boston
® to one of the first farmhouses in Paularino. The little
wooden farmhouse still stands.
Gothard The progressive spirit of Orange County was developed and
exemplified in George Gothard and his son B. T. They were
successful ranchers in, Wintersburg (now part of Huntington
Beach) growing celery, and in Anaheim growing walnuts.
The sand and gravel pits along Gothard Street were on their
property, and mining was started early in the century by
this family.
Hayes John Hayes was one of the early settlers in Orange County.
In the late 1800's he lived on the northwest corner of
19th and Orange.
Hewes David Hewes was an El Modena resident who, in 1869, donated
a Golden Spike for the Transcontinental Railroad.
40 Holt Frank Holt and his brother Ansel opened Harper's (Costa
Mesa's early name) second grocery store in May, 1914.
Irvine In 1864 James Irvine, and Flint and Bixby purchased two
former Mexican land grants which included 109,000 acres.
i They started a sheep ranch on the property. James Irvine
II inherited the ranch in 1892, experimenting with lima
beans which were grown successfully for decades. The
Irvine Ranch still includes thousands of acres of undevel-
oped land in the south and eastern parts of the county.
® Jefferson Amos Jefferson sold four lots of land to the Fairview
School District in April , 1891 . Later that year he had
the Fairview Hotel moved four blocks from where it stood,
to right next to the hot mineral baths where he tried to
establish a health resort.
(Knott) In 1927, Walter Knott started his famous berry growing in
Anaheim. Knotts Berry Farm was first opened to the Public
in 1940.
Lambert In 1924 W. T. Lambert became a member of the Board of
Directors of one of the first banks in Garden Grove. Later
he became the county auditor. Lambert was influential in
bringing the poultry industry to the area. A younger
member of the family was mayor of Huntington Beach during
the 1960's.
McFadden James and Robert, the McFadden brothers, were in the shipping
business, and established McFadden Wharf in Newport Beach in
1868, as the pioneer seaport for Orange County. Their ship
"The Newport" was the inspiration of the name of that city.
(51 )
4.
Modjeska Madame Helena Modjeska was an opera singer in the late
1800's who joined the Polish colony in Anaheim in 1876.
Ten years later her large estate in the Santa Ana Mountains
was started. This estate still stands, 2 mile from the end
of Modjeska Canyon Road (not far from Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary) .
Murd The Murdy family had extensive property in Wintersburg
(now Huntington Beach) for farming. During the 1960's
he was a State Senator.
Rochester In 1909 James Rochester moved to Orange County from New
York. He is very well known for his fine engravings, a
profession which he had until serious eye strain forced
him to retire. He built a two-story house at 18th and
Newport in Newport Beach.
Newland Huntington Beach Pioneer William Taylor Newland farmed
1000 acres of land he purchased from Abel Stearns, part
of a Spanish land grant. In 1898, he built the Newland
House near Beach Blvd. and Adams Avenue, the oldest house
in the city. In 1976, this house was declared a historical
site, and restoration of the building and grounds were
started.
Segerstrom The Segerstrom family was one of the major land owners
in Costa Mesa. They presented the Estancia adobe as a
gift to the City of Costa Mesa.
(Shipley) Donald D. Shipley is an active conservationist, and was
a member of Huntington Beach City Council from 1964-1976.
He supported parks development and environmental concerns.
Shipley Nature Center is named after him.
Slater William F. Slater - extensive farming property in Wintersburg,
now Huntington Beach, in the early 1900's.
Spencer Carl Spencer donated land in Costa Mesa for the Women's
Club and for the library. He also donated several
thousand books. He started the Costa Mesa Boys Club.
Spurgeon In 1869, William L.H. Spurgeon, a storekeeper, was the
founder of the City of Santa Ana.
Talbert Thomas Talbert was an Orange County pioneer, who wrote,
"This section of the country along the coast between Long
Beach and Newport Beach, south of Westminster, was one of
the greatest natural habitats for wildlife and game birds
in the world."
Warner E. G. Warner was a big rancher in Orange County, and was a
noteworthy member of the Santa Ana City Council for many
years
(52)
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This charming two-story farm house, built by W. T. and Mary Newland in 1898, stands on a
mesa overlooking the lowlands at Beach Boulevard and Adams Avenue. It has been meticulously
restored by the Huntington Beach Historical Society and was recently listed on the National
Register of Historical Places.
The Newland family lived here for fifty-four years, developing a highly productive agricultural
region with the assistance of their neighbors. This fertile valley was recognized nationwide for the
variety and excellence of its crops. In addition to their contribution to agriculture, the Newlands
are remembered for their support of education, social services and commerce in the community.
The Newland House is located in the Newland Center near the intersection of Beach
Boulevard and Adams Avenue. Tours are conducted the second Saturday and third Sunday
of each month from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m.
For further information, call (714) 962-5777.
(53)
HUNTINGTON BEACH
NEWLAND HOUSE HISTORY
By: Barbara Milkovich
Huntington Beach Historical Society Archivist
Like so many of their fellow Midwesterners, William T. and Mary Newland were
drawn from Illinois to Southern California during the "Boom of the Eighties."
By the mid-1880's, regional boosters had created an alluring picture of
Southern California and competition between the Southern Pacific Railroad and
the Santa Fe had caused fares to drop dramatically. This meant that people of
modest means could afford to migrate to the Los Angeles area. The Newlands
first lived on a small farm at Compton, then moved to what became Orange
County. There Newland raised grain (in 1899 40,000 acres of barley) on the
great San Joaquin Ranch, property of the Irvine family.
'Between 1897 and 1900 the Newlands purchased the mesa where their home now
stands in addition to about 500 acres of rich peat land to the south and east
in the area called "Gospel Swamp." When they arrived on the mesa, much of the
peat land was submerged and it looked like one big lake with islands of tulle
grass and willows. On investigation, Newland found that there was sufficient
grade to drain the whole basin into the ocean, and with the help of �+
neighboring owners, cut ditches and recovered the land for planting.
Successful almost from the first with his vegetable crops, he eventually
raised celery, lima beans, chili peppers and sugar beets, in particular, on
the bottom land, and grain crops on the mesa. Mary Newland took over the
operation of the ranch after her husband's death in 1933, and operated it
herself, into the 19401s.
The Newland ranch was a self-contained unit with vegetable garden, berry
bushes, orchard, cows, chickens, turkeys, goats and even pet peacocks in the
house yard. Originally, Newland had a working stock of fifty mules and horses
as well. Outbuildings were typical of a large farm and included barns,
stables, corrals and bunk houses for the ranch hands. Originally, domestic
water came from an artesian spring near the modern intersection of Beach
Boulevard and Adams Avenue. Later a well was drilled behind the house and
water stored in the water tower which is still there. Kerosene was used for
lamps. Wood, much of it gathered from the swamp land, was used for cooking in
the early days. Modern utilities were installed as they became available
because Huntington Beach had electric power by 1906.
The house, itself, was built on an ancient, long deserted Indian Village. In
the 1930's the WPA (Works Progress Administration) conducted an archaelogical
investigation of the mesa and removed many of the artifacts contained on the
site. Later excavations have uncovered cog stones, shells and bone which were
carbon dated to 5000 B.C. Because of the treasure of antiquities the site
represents, the grounds are designated as an Orange County archaelogical site.
Described in 1899 as a "modern nine-room two-story cottage," the farm dwelling
remains as one of the few examples of late Victorian architecture in
Huntington Beach. Through the efforts of a dedicated historical society, it
has been carefully restored to its appearance in the early century, and was
recently placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
(54)
-2-
The dominate feature of the Newland House is the second floor tower room with
its magnificent wide-ranging view. It was originally planned as an office for
Mr. Newland but ultimately when he found it impractical, became a sewing room
for Mrs. Newland. Other interesting areas include the sun room adjoining the
dining room and the sleeping porch upstairs. Both were added in 1915. The
society has decorated the house with close attention to authenticity so that
each room contains fascinating household items which might have been in use
when the house was headquarters for a busy ranch family and some fifty farm
laborers.
The Newlands were widely respected and considered leaders in Huntington
Beach. Newland bought stock in the West Coast Land and Water Company which
developed the original village called Pacific City. Although he sold his
stock within a few years, he retained an interest in the community and was
active in the Board of Trade as well as the local celery growers
associations. He also held stock or served on the board of directors of the
local bank, now the Security Pacific Bank, the local newspaper, still the
Huntington Beach News, and several industrial businesses. In 1906, he
established the Huntington Beach Canning Company, and was instrumental in
securing an electric railway route directly from Huntington Beach to Santa
Ana. Still later, ,he served on the highway commission when Pacific Coast
Highway was extended from Long Beach to Dana Point.
Because of their large family (7 daughters and 3 sons) the Newlands were
interested in formal education. One of the legends about the origin of the
city tells that Newland encouraged development in order to have enough
families nearby to begin a school close to his property. As a result of
their, and others' interest, an elementary school district was established in
1902 and a regional high school established in Huntington Beach before 1910.
Both he and Mrs. Newland served on the high school or elementary school boards
for many years.
After Mary Newland's death in 1952, the house was leased to Signal Oil Company
and rented to their employees until 1972. At that time, it was presented to
the City of Huntington Beach. For two years, it stood vacant, deteriorating.
Finally, in 1974 the Huntington Beach Historical Society began the restoration
of this landmark.
"Newland House Rose Garden," a small garden next to the house has been
lovingly created using old roses and other plants representative of turn of
the century horticulture. Here too, is a "smell and touch" trail of fragrant,
highly textured plants for tactile enjoyment, as well as a herb display.
A highlight of the summer is the annual Turn of the Century Country Fair which
welcomes the general public. This event has all the trappings of a turn of
the century fair. Local artisans demonstrate old fashioned crafts and sell
their hand created wares. Society members provide home made goodies for a
® bake sale and an old fashioned cake walk. The cake walk proceeds around the
water tower, attracting young and old alike. Ice cream sundaes, clowns and
strolling performers complete the atmosphere of this lively, nostalgic day.
(55)
-3-
The Christmas Victorian Tour Season presents a glimpse of the Newland home as
their many early day guests must have seen it. The parlor, lavishly decorated
with live greens, features a large tree decked in hand made Victorian
Christmas ornaments. The house glows softly by candle light on evening tours.
Memorable tours of the past are also conducted in the daytime. A special
attraction is always provided by the Society Jellymakers. Pomegranate jelly
is made from the remaining old tree on the property which provides nearly 500
jars of bright red, tart jelly that is sold in the Country Store each Holiday
Season.
House tours were conducted by its docents for almost 4000 visitors in 1986 and
are available twice a month on a regular basis. Tours are also presented by
appointment for groups of children and adults. A "must do" stop on the tour
is a visit to the Country Store which features unusual gifts with a Turn of
the Century flair. Future plans include special activities geared to the
interests of young children so they may share in the history of the community.
The society cordially invites you to visit the Newland House and learn about
our early city and the surrounding farming region. To join in the pleasure of
being a House Docent, or help with other society activities such as the
country fair or our new oral history program, please contact the Huntington
Beach Historical Society at 962-5777 to discover what is going on in the
continuing history of Huntington Beach.
Is
(56)
HUNTINGTON BEACH
FIRE DEPARTMENT HISTORY
~ A proud and spirited group of Firefighters in the City of Huntington Beach present
the following brief history of Huntington Beach and our Fire Department.
"Dozens of streams laced the countryside. Artesian springs bubbled, while flocks
of birds so thick as to almost blot out the sun soared and wheeled overhead."
The thousands of new residents pouring into Huntington Beach are unaware that this
was the picture when the nucleus of their community was created exactly 145 years
ago.
It was on May 22, 1834 that a section of the vast Spanish possession known as the
"Nietos Grant" was split off. Named Las Bolsas (the pockets of bays) , it covered 21
square miles, from which the cities of Huntington Beach, Westminster, Garden Grove
and Talbert communities have arisen.
It was granted by Mexican Governor Jose Figueroa to Catarina Ruiz, the widow of one
of the Nietos. Ex-soldier Manual Nieto had been given what it now the west half of
� . Orange County plus land in the Whittier area.
Nietos died in 1804, but it wasn' t until 30 years later his holdings were divided
at the request of his heirs. Seven years after that, the 6-square-mile rancho to
the northwest, Bolsa Chica (little pocket) , was split off and granted to Joaquin
Ruiz.
i
In the 1850's both Bolsa Chica and Las Bolsas came under the ownership of Abel
Stearns, who became the largest owner of land and cattle in Southern California.
A native of Massachusetts, he came to California in 1829 and settled as a trader
in Los Angeles in 1833.
® Even as late as March 11 , 1889, when the new county of Orange was created out of
the southeast part of Los Angeles County, the land was still largely "rancho" , the
scene predominated by streams and lush grazing plains.
The Stearns Rancho Company ran cattle and horses and raised grain on the property
and decided to sell the "swamp" as least desirable.
Little by little the area along the beach began to take on character. . .albeit what
it may, and the beach took on the name of Shell Beach. . .but with the introduction
of the year 1901 the name was changed to Pacific City as a local syndicate formed
by P. A. Stanton purchased 40 acres at the beach and subdivided 20 acres along what
is now both sides of Main Street. The dream to rival Atlantic City was that of Mr.
Stanton and not shared by too many others in his day. His year of activity ended
as Stanton sold out in 1902 to Henry F. Huntington and the Huntington Beach Company. . .
and the Pacific Electric Railway came to the seaside community which was renamed
Huntington Beach in 1904.
The city was incorporated in February, 1909 with Ed Manning as the first mayor.
• The original townsite consisted of 3.57 square miles, with a population of 915;
and remained so until 1957 when a series of annexations began.
Mayor Manning asked John_ Philip, a hardware merchant, to organize a volunteer fire
company. On March 15, 1909, twenty men held the first meeting and organized the
Huntington Beach Volunteer Fire Department with John Philip elected Fire Chief.
40
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2.
They petitioned the City Council for recognition, and approval was given on April 26,
1909. The first act was to seek funds to purchase necessary equipment. A firemen's
ball was held to raise money. They requested the City Council purchase a large fire
bell , a hose cart with 600 feet of tubed fire hose, a nozzle, hydrant wrench and 0
installation of fire riser hydrants on the wooden fire mains in the alleys. The
equipment was received and placed in service by late fall .
Two members of the City Council traveled to Los Angeles to evaluate the sound of
several fire bells. The fire bell was mounted on a platform 20 feet above ground,
southwest of Main and Walnut Streets. The bell was stationary with a movable clapper
that was pulled back and forth with two ropes making a fast ding-dong sound in order
to differentiate it from the church bells that were sounded by rocking the whole bell .
With the arrival of the equipment, there was need for a fire station and meeting place.
A portion of the large horse and carriage stable on the northwest corner of Third and
Orange Streets was rented for a fire station for $8 per month. The livery stable 41
later burned and the fire equipment was moved to the same location as the fire bell
in the alley off Walnut Avenue.
Chief Philp resigned during the first year. Elected Fire Chiefs continued until 1921
and included Art Insley, a cement mason; Mr. H. T. Sundbye, a dry goods merchant; C. Y.
Sorenson, Mr. J. C. Fountain, Gale Bergey, Walter Wade, and E. R. French. From 1921 0
to 1928 the Chief of Police served as Fire Chief: including Jack Tinsley, R. Choat,
Vern Keller and Chief Stewart.
The firemen prepared rules and regulations in a handbook which included a map of the
City showing the location of the fire hydrants . No thought was given to the purchase
of a fire pumper as they believed the hose cart was sufficient. A large reservoir of 0
1 ,250,000 gallons of water located on the hill on Goldenwest Avenue provided 35 pounds
pressure downtown. It was thought that was sufficient to handle the fire protection
within the City as most of the houses in the early days were built apart, preventing
exposure problems.
During the early years, most of the businessmen of the City were members of the
Volunteer Fire Department and donated their services free of charge. They did ask
the City Council to pay their poll tax, a $1 .00 tax allowing them to vote. The City
Council , not having the money, turned them down. The men policed themselves well
and members were dropped for failure to turn out for drills or fires. Normally a
complement of 15 to 18 men served on the Volunteer Fire Department in those early
days. The only pay they received was the sum of $2.50 per call which was paid to
the first person who arrived at the fire with the horse and wagon. Normal procedure
was to hook the hose cart to the rear of a wagon, add additional equipment, and pro-
ceed directly to the fire. Horses were galloped at full speed and at times caused
accidents. One accident was caused when the driver turned too sharply at the corner
of Eighth Street and Olive, turning the hose cart over and breaking the wheel . In
another accident the volunteer was riding on the reel of hose and upon turning the
corner too fast, he fell off, striking his head, resulting in injuries from which
he later died. Upon arriving at the fire, the hose cart was disconnected, the hose
and nozzle pulled off and a reel of rope about 20 feet long was pulled out from the
front tongue of the cart. Two men held on to the handle of the hose cart and 8 to
10 men pulled the rope. The hose cart was pulled directly in line across fields and
vacant lots to the fire and the hydrant, to a maximum of about 600 feet from the
fire. Many times the hose didn' t quite reach the burning house and the water was
used for taking care of the buildings next door. Successful results were rare due
to the lapse time between ignition and first application of water. As volunteers
arrived, they removed everything from the house or building and prided themselves
on their ability to save everything without damaging furniture or possessions. IF
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® 3.
Brush fires in these early days were handled by using burlap sacks. They wet the
sacks and literally went around the edge of a field and beat out the fire with the
wet burlap sacks.
Early day fires were somewhat different in types and cause. Cooking was done on
wood stoves using wood or dried peat or use of a two burner kerosene stove. Kero-
sene stoves were common causes of fires. Cigarette smoking was not common until
after World War I so there were very few fires caused by careless smoking. Most
houses were heated with fireplaces, using wood or coal . Many fires were caused by
hot coals popping out onto the wooden hearth. Internal combustion fires were
common due to storage and use of hay in small barns. Automobiles were coming into
use and it was common practice to dispense gasoline in the barn causing numerous
explosions and fires. Generally, the people in Huntington Beach were careful and
in the first 20 years only one fire occurred in a downtown business and not too
many fires in houses.
A
By 1918 the town had grown to the point that mechanized fire apparatus was needed.
A sheet metal shed was built at the new City Hall on Fifth Street to house the
equipment. A Model "T" Ford truck was purchased with two mounted forty gallon
chemical extinquishers and 100 foot long 1" chemical hoses. At this time no other
fire equipment was located west of the Santa Ana River and our fire department
answered alarms throughout the farming area to the north and east of town.
An oil boom in 1920 created a need to reorganize the Fire Department. It was ap-
parent the present Volunteer Fire Department lacked adequate manpower and equipment
to serve the rapid growth of the City and the rash of oil fires. Oil industry
employment increased the population from 1 ,400 to 6,000. A bond issue election was
held to purchase a motorized pumper. from Seagrave Corporation at a cost of $10,000.
The 750 gallon per minute pumper was capable of carrying 1 ,500 feet of 22" fire hose,
200 feet of 12" fire hose and other equipment. It had a 20 gallon soda and acid
chemical tank with 100 feet of 1" booster hose. The pumper carried the boots, hel-
mets and coats of the volunteer firemen. The young men returning from World War I ,
with the assistance of the American Legion, made up the nucleus of the new Volunteer
Fire Department. The,City Council consolidated the Police and Fire Department under
the management of the Chief of Police. It was necessary to have a full-time paid
driver for the new pumper. Jack Kenneth, a licensed driver from Corona, was employed
to serve as first aid fireman and fire engineer. He resided in the fire station
and worked 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A five horsepower, double-end siren was
purchased and mounted at City Hall to alert the volunteers. Standard Oil Company
mounted a large steamboat whistle at their boiler house to provide the same service.
In 1923, a new pay schedule was adopted. Volunteers received the sum of $5.00 for
each fire for the first three hours and $1 .00 per hour for each remaining hour. A
two hour drill paid $2.00.
In 1924 the Fire Department moved into new quarters at Fifth and Orange Street. It
was the first time they had adequate fire headquarters. It had two stalls, each
containing two fire pumpers and a six man dormitory providing space for two additional
paid .firefighters. In 1927, a second pumper was purchased.
One of the largest fires in the City's history took place in 1927 when the Alfred
Gasoline Company Plant on 18th and Olive Streets exploded and set fire to all the
derricks, wiping out the entire block. The loss exceeded several million dollars.
This major fire established the need to separate the Fire and Police Departments.
In 1928, James K. Sargeant, was appointed Fire Chief. He chose as his Assistant
Chief, Mr. Delbert E. Burry, of the Southern California Water Company.
0 (59)
4.
By 1928, many of the Legionnaires had lost interest. They were replaced by volunteers
from various utility companies and industries that would allow their employees to
answer fire alarms without loss of pay. In fact, many employers would pick up the 0
volunteers and bring them to the fire. Cooperation was 100 percent. Fire protection
did not increase in the surrounding areas. Our Fire Department continued to serve
rural areas and oil fields in County territory. If help was needed on an oil fire,
the Signal Hill Fire Department provided assistance.
On March 10, 1933, the City suffered an earthquake which did considerable damage to 0
the city. The fire station was damaged and it was necessary to move out and sleep
in tents for a period of a month.
By 1937, larger facilities and more apparatus were needed. City Councilman Hendrickson
was responsible for the purchase of a new pumper and a new fire station. The pumper
was a 1 ,000 gallon per minute Seagrave with a 12 cylinder engine, four-wheel brakes 40
and modern facilities on the pumper. Chief Sargent became acquainted with Fire
Captain Glenn Griswold, of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, who was expert
in oil fire fighting and invented and experimented with the use of several types of
fog nozzles. Chief Sargent purchased the nozzles and our city became one of the
first in the nation to use fog, expecially on oil fires. In 1938, the Federal govern-
ment Works Progress Administration provided material to build a new fire department 40
headquarters. The volunteer firemen salvaged the old fire bell and mounted it on a
concrete pedestal in front of headquarters. This larger building had three stalls in
front and one stall to the side of the building. It provided offices, workshop, first
aid room, dormitory, kitchen, an inside hose tower and an upstairs classroom and
recreation room. The paid force now consisted of the Chief, seven men and fifteen
volunteers.
The volunteers maintained a separate organization with funds collected from the Annual
Firemen's Ball , used to provide membership fees. They took an active interest in the
California State Firemen's Association and were effective in improved legislation for
the fire service.
Chief Sargent retired on August 5, 1950, and Delbert G. Higgins a Volunteer Fireman
since 1932 was appointed Fire Chief and Lifeguard Chief. The Council indicated it
wished improvements and changes. At this time there were seven paid firemen and nine
volunteer firemen. One of the first acts was to appoint an assistant Chief, William
A, Reardon.
By 1962, many improvements had been made. We were growing so fast that it was
necessary to build additional permanent facilities. The fire station designed by
Jordan and Hensley of Costa Mesa was located at Heil and Springdale. The City was
able to purchase the old Edison warehouse facility on 704 Lake Street and expended
$170,000 to renovate the building into a fire station, fire headquarters and police
vehicle repair facility.
The City started a very rapid growth period. 1 ,400 new residents per month was not
unusual . A temporary fire station was located at Garfield and Huntington. Two 1 ,250
gallon per minute pumpers with closed cabs were purchased. Equipment was assigned
to the newly developed Huntington Harbour area. Two surplus navy amphibious ducks
were obtained and converted for fire protection purposes and housed at the Heil
Station at night and in the harbour parking lot during the day. A new station at
Bushard Street, south of Yorktown, was built and put into operation to handle the
expansion on the east side of town.
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5.
In. early 1966, Assistant Chief Reardon retired. Recruitment for an Assistant Chief
was instituted and Ray Picard, Battalion Chief, Pasadena Fire Department was appointed
to the position. He worked with Chief Higgins for one year and was appointed Fire
0 Chief upon Chief Higgins retirement in 1967. The first 85 foot snorkel truck was
delivered and 20 men graduated from the fire academy the day Chief Higgins retired.
A modern fire department was about to be born. A battalion chief training officer
was selected to establish a training program and supervise the 16 volunteer firemen
still in use at our outlying fire station.
® As the city continued to grow, so did the need for fire protection. Seven strategically
located fire stations, housing eight 3-man engine companies, two 4-man "truck companies
and two 2-man paramedic companies , rounded out the needs of the City. A well planned
joint powers authority was established to provide communications, joint standard
training, cross boundary responses, incident reporting and arson investigation for
Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Westminster and Seal Beach. This program provided
a both outstanding cost savings to the four cities and an innovative approach to fire
protection.
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i
EIGHTY YEARS' PROGRESS
WATER SUPPLY FOR THE CITY OF HUNIINGTON BEACH
1904 - 1984
By: James Wheeler - Public Works Director 1958-1973
City of Huntington Beach
INTRODUCTION
This paper is divided into parts which separate the eras of the systematic
delivery of water to residents and businesses in the City of Huntington Beach.
These are clearly defined periods of time except for the years 1964-67 during
which private operations were incorporated into the municipal water system.
From time to time some note will be made of the population and area changes
that occurred over the years and their relationship to the development of the
City system. Recognition must be given to those whose foresight and concern
for the need to develop a municipal system provided the initial philosophy and
provided the funding to begin essential works prior to the need for their being
put into service. This will be done without mention of names for the sake of
simplicity and in fear of not remembering someone who played an important role.
PRIVATE ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT 1904 - 1967
At some time after acquiring the old seashore lands called Pacific City
from the investor landowners the site was renamed Huntington Beach by the new
owners, the Huntington Beach Company, in the spring of 1904. The same year on
July 4th the first electric car arrived from Los Angeles. Upon acquisition
the Huntington Beach Company made public improvements which included a water
system. For lack of a specific date of commencement of service it can be
surmised that it was one of the first constructed elements of the original
infrastructure.
The first State of California Railroad Commission decision on Huntington
Beach, dated August 14, 1914, was approval of the water rates of the Huntington
Beach Company. On December 1, 1915 the Commission issued rules and regulations
for operation of the Huntington Beach Water Company. At this time the Huntington
Beach Company had spun off the water business to its wholly-owned subsidiary ,
Huntington Beach Water Company, so that it could deal separately with the
provisions of the Public Utility Act.
In 1925 Huntington Beach Water Company engaged a Los Angeles based
engineering firm to review the viability of its operation. At the time 1, 300
properties were being served and, in addition, water was being delivered to
the oil field. These combined sources of revenue resulted in a profitable
operation and the consultant recommended the development of a new source of
water supply to the north of the City. Subsequently a well field and wooden
tank storage was put in service, located on Golden West Street, north of
Talbert Avenue.
A Los Angeles investor purchased Huntington Beach Water Company in 1925.
In 1927 American States Public Service Company, a Chicago (Illinois) utilities
holding company became interested and by the fall of 1929 the American States
Water Service Company of California was formed to manage these California
holdings. In the ensuing years this company suffered the troubles of the
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depression and eventually the courts ordered a distribution of the common stock..
Sufficient stock holdings were gathered so that in 1936 the Southern California
Water Company was formed. This company operated in Huntington Beach and other
Orange County communities.
From 1936 until purchase of the property in 1964 by the City of Huntington
Beach, Southern California Water Company operated and increased its services
within the "Old Town" area of Huntington Beach. At the time of acquisition
Southern California Water Company was serving 2,825 customers, mostly residen
® tial. Included was the Southern California Edison steam generating plant, the
largest customer, consuming an average of two million cubic feet per month for
boiler feed water. Sea water was used for cooling.
In 1956 a residential subdivision in county jurisdiction, located southeast
of the intersection of Beach Boulevard and Talbert Avenue, was developed and
water service was provided by Dyke Water Company. Dyke, a private investment
operation, provided water from a single well to the 163 homes. Its object was
to offer revenue producing minimal water service, but inadequate for fire
purposes. This system was acquired by the City in June 1967 after annexation.
Services were then metered and the system was tied in to distribution mains,
giving the area a guarantee of continuity of service and ample water for fire
protection.
Water was provided to the Surfside-Sunset Beach area by the Sunset Beach
Water Company. With the development of off-street parking up-coast from Warner
Avenue by ,the County, City water mains were extended through 'the project to
Anderson Street to provide fire service. As the area redeveloped to a higher
intensity use, including multi-story structures, Sunset Beach Water Company
could no longer meet service requirements and was acquired by the City in June
1966.
Several small water companies served limited areas of old subdivisions
bordering Beach Boulevard. All provided an adequate but minimal service to
customers or association members. As development occurred main extensions
passed through these areas to serve new construction and afforded an opportu-
nity for water from the City to those properties being served by the private
water operation. There was the usual reluctance of those served to take City
water; taste and metering being the main concerns. The City did not insist
that service be taken but stood back and let nature take ' its course. As
zoning changed, the over-sized lots redeveloped to multiple use. The little
systems could not supply them and they had to take City service. At the same
time fire heads were installed, insurance rates decreased and. further develop-
ment accelerated.
In 1957 the following small companies were operating: R. J. Curry Tract,
west of Beach Boulevard at Newman Street, 10 services; Liberty Park Water
Association, west of Beach Boulevard at Liberty Street, 52 Services; Boulevard
Water Company, Inc. , west of Beach Boulevard and south of Edinger Avenue, 107
services; Moore Mutual Water Company, Inc. west of Beach, south of Warner
Avenue, 60 services.
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DECADE OF DECISION 1950 - 1959
The minds of the thinking people dwelled on the ever growing development
to the north in Los Angeles County. Plans were devised to deal with the inev-
itable invasion of homes and businesses in the County of Orange ; government
and non-governmental agencies prepared to meet the onslaught.
Southern California Edison Company proceded to double generation at the
Huntington Beach steam generating plant and planned additional units. New
gas transmission mains bringing more Texas natural gas, crossed the county.
The County Flood Control District and Road Department, and the State Division
of Highways, within their financial limits, commenced to expedite the execution
of planned projects.
On January 11, 1951 Orange County Municipal Water District (now Municipal
Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) ) was formed. It was created as the
agency to obtain water from Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
(MWD) to serve most of the developable lands in Orange County. Not included
were the cities of Anaheim, Fullerton and Santa Ana, all original members of
MWD, and Coastal Municipal Water District which annexed to MWD in 1942. MWDOC
was to act as the wholesaler of water to cities and agencies purveying to users.
It had no transmission system and no storage and would provide none of these.
The West Orange County Water Board (WOCWB) was established November 23, 1953
with the City of Huntington Beach one of its members. WOCWB was the agency to
execute the connection to MWD feeders and be the contracting agent to build the
transmission mains serving its members.
Huntington Beach leaders commenced their planning, ordered feasibility
studies and eventually plans and construction documents. Concurrently they
launched a three-pronged effort to ensure the future of their little city by
the sea. First was the promotion of a bond issue to fund delivery of MWD water
within the city. This was accomplished in 1955 when a bond issue ballot measure
was approved by 78 percent of the electorate. The two other prongs were annex-
tion and formation of Sanitation Districts. By 1959 the city had expanded from
its original four to more than 22 square miles and had committed itself to
constructing trunk sewers to serve the annexed areas. And so, 1959 found
Huntington Beach a city of substantial size with primary utilities in place,
and a mature and resolute governing body and the nucleus of a professional
staff. Master plans were delineated and ordinances were enacted setting forth
the requirements of development. Homes, commerce and industry were welcome in
Huntington Beach if they could pay their way; there would be no city general
tax subvention for projects.
THE YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT 1960 - 1984
Major residential development commenced in 1960 and continues to occur
today. The housing tracts were followed by commercial development to provide
services to the new residents. As the city grew in population commercial use
became more substantial, industry gradually moved in to serve the market, banks
sprang up. Schools met the needs of the growth. As land became dearer, luxury
homes were built and intensive residential land use resulted in extensive
condominium construction. From a 1960 population of 11,500 to the 180,000 of
1984 the city has never caused a slow down in development by its inability to
have water available.
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The first construction of housing was in the north and northwest ; always
abutting or within an economical distance of West Orange County Feeder No. 1.
Due to the demand for homes, developers continously constructed the basic 12-
inch and 8-inch master planned mains.
In 1961 the first water well was developed to supplement imported water.
A second bond issue, in 1963, was presented to the voters and carried by a
94-percent yes vote. These bonds funded the acquisition of Southern California
Water Company, construction of West Orange County Feeder No. 2 and a joint ven-
ture transmission line with Costa Mesa County Water District to bring water
from San Joaquin Reservoir to the east city limits on Adams Avenue, and for
other miscellaneous projects.
Despite the rapid growth, water system development remained abreast or
ahead of the demands put upon it. Trunk water mains up to 42-inch diameter,
interconnected with two West Orange County Feeders and the East Feeder on Adams
Avenue. Fourteen and 16-inch trunks were extended to ensure adequate services
to the geographically isolated extremities of the system.
Reservoir capacity was, between 1961 and 1972, increased to 170.5 million
gallons; 24.5 MG at Overmeyer, 16.0 MG at Peck, and 130.0 MG at San Joaquin
Reservoirs.
Water well development has been ongoing and by 1983 there were nine wells
in service capable of producing 25,000 GPM. These wells alone are capable of
supplying the total average daily water consumption of the city. Of course,
such production is not realized. Huntington Beach is fully aware of the
necessity of protecting and conserving the underground source and produces
within the limits of rules governing use of the basin.
Good planning and financing has resulted in an outstanding water operation.
Monies advanced from general funds in the years before the water operation paid
its own way have been repaid. The present operation pays for interest and re-
demption on the outstanding bonds. The staff of the Water Division today is
an extremely professional group.
A detailed current report of status can be found in the October 1983
Public Information Report by the Water Division of the Department of Public
Works.
Blowouts and oil fires complicated the oil recovery process and whenever
there was a disaster, Stricklin was usually in the midst of the rough going.
"There is a vegetable gas in this area about 1,800 feet down. When they
drilled down that far they would hit these gas pockets and it would blow out, "
he recalled. "It would blow the rig down and cut the timbers all up. I 've seen
rocks bigger than your fist fly up in the air and cut the timbers all up. "
• "We had water and pumps of our own in the fields to fight fires. We would
hook up a hose to a pump and the fire department did what it could, but it just
wasn 't equipped to handle them. "
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r OIL HISTORIES
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0 MARGINAL CITY OF
HUNTINGTON ®EACH
ORANGE COUNTY CALIFORNIA
OCT.I,19"
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THE HUNTINGTON BEACH TIDELANDS CONTROVERSY
By Floyd G. Belsito - 1965
INTRODUCTION
The controversial issue of who owns the tidelands within the corporate limits of the City of
Huntington Beach has been hotly contested for over thirty years. The two contestants who loomed
largest in the issue were the City of Huntington Beach, and the Standard Oil Company of California.
Numerous times this issue was brought before the state legislature and the people, and on every
occasion it ended to the disgruntlement of the City Huntington Beach.
HYPOTHESES
My hypotheses is that public opinion, initiated by the citizens of the City of Huntington Beach,
their elected representatives and other influential figures, was successful in forcing both the State
of California and the Standard Oil Company of California to yield their positions concerning the
allocation of tidelands rights to the City of Huntington Beach.
HISTORY
* To thoroughly understand the problem, it is necessary to retreat to the early pioneering days
of wildcat drilling in Huntington Beach. In the late 1920's geologists, after thorough examinations,
stated that the submerged lands off the shore of the City contained in excess of seven million
barrels of oil that represented a wealth of hundreds of millions of dollars.
At the time of this discovery, Standard Oil had acquired land along the beach front and had set
up operations for straight-down drilling. A wildcat group of three people, McCallen, McVicar and
Rood, were indirectly responsible for bringing the tidelands issue to the public's attention. McVicar
had invented the removable whipstock that enabled a person to slant drill instead of the standard
straight-down drilling. This group of three men sent their pipe lines down, under the Standard Oil
wells, and out into the ocean. Before they were discovered, they had succeeded in becoming quite
wealthy.
Finally they were challenged by the Standard Oil Company over their right to drill beneath
Standard's string of wells. Oscar Lawler, chief counsel for Standard Oil contended that underwater
trespass was similar to a burglar digging underground and coming up in the money vault of a bank.
The Huntington Beach News, who assumed the position of advocate of the independent operators,
held that oil was a migratory mineral which in the case of the billion dollar tideland oil pool had
been placed there not by Standard Oil, but by God.
Gradually public opinion veered to the side of the independent and in the course of time the
Standard Oil Company not only yielded gracefully, but made business friends and associates of the
® independents they had formerly opposed.
Public opinion had become so strong that in early 1931, the Huntington Beach City Council sent
a request to the state legislature to initiate a bill that would give Huntington Beach its tidelands
rights. Huntington Beach was one of very few cities that was denied this privilege.
Thus, Assembly Bill No. 4 was drafted that would, if approved, grant to the City of Huntington
Beach all the right, title and interest of the State of California, held by said state by virtue of
its sovereignty, in and to all tidelands and submerged lands, whether filled or unfilled situated
below the line of mean high tide of the Pacific Ocean, within the present boundaries of said City
or of any harbor, bay or inlet within said boundaries, to be forever held by said City, upon the
following conditions:
• (a) the lands to be granted shall be used by the City for the promotion of commerce, naviga-
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2.
tion and fishery, and may not be alienated from the city to any private individual, firm
or corporation; except that the City may grant a franchise or a lease not to exceed
thirty years for the express purposes of promoting commerce, navigation and fishery.
(b) the tidelands and submerged lands shall be improved without cost to the state, and any
harbors constructed thereon shall remain a public harbor for all purposes of commerce
and navigation.
(c) that if a franchise, permit or lease is granted by the city, 50% of the income derived
therefrom shall be paid promptly by the city into the state treasury.
The Standard Oil Company protested against the acquisition by the City of Huntington Beach
of the tidelands adjoining their valuable holdings. James S. Lawshe, manager of the Huntington
Beach Company, of which Standard Oil is the holding company, called attention to the fact that they
paid 40% of the taxes of Huntington Beach. The loss of drilling the valuable tidelands would be
a serious loss to the City, Standard Oil, and the Huntington Beach Company.
The Huntington Beach News retaliated by saying the profit which Standard Oil stood to lose was
not rightfully theirs to begin with, and the 40". taxes paid to the city is only small compensation
for the damage wrought to what nature intended should be one of the most beautiful spots on the
shores of the Pacific.
The Hearst press came to the defense of Standard Oil by depicting through editorials and car-
toons the despoilation of the beaches if off-shore drilling were allowed. Acccording to the Hunt-
ington Beach News, Standard Oil's opposition was not based on any desire to preserve the beauty of
the beaches, but to prevent any possibility of encroachment by tideland drilling upon their own oil
revenue.
On April 7, 1931, the Assembly voted 66-0 to grant Huntington Beach its tidelands rights. On
May 12, 1931, the State Senate voted 29-0 to sustain the decision of the Assembly. For all intents
and purposes, it appeared a certainty that the bill would become a reality. All that was necessary
was the signature of the Governor to effectuate the bill.
A lobbyist for the Standard Oil Company made the threat, following the passage of the tideland
grant to Huntington Beach, that he would see to it that Governor Ralph vetoed the bill. It seemed
appararent that if Governor Ralph did veto the bill, after unanimous approval by the state legisla-
ture, he would be acting solely in the interest of the Standard Oil Company and for the protection
of their financial interests.
But, if he signed the bill, he would be placing responsibility and control of tidelands leas-
ing solely up to the people of Huntington Beach. The City would then do as it pleased. If it
elected to lease the tidelands, the bill provided that one half of any royalty derived should go
to the state, and the other one half to the City. In any event the City would own its tidelands
and have jurisdiction and control that had been denied it for the past twenty years.
Governor Ralph had until June 19, 1931, in which to sign the bill. Failure to do so in the
time prescribed would result in a "pocket veto." The bill would be killed and could not be resur-
rected for two years.
As the deadline drew near, there was much speculation in political circles all over the state
concerning the astonishing hold the Standard Oil Company had in persuading the Governor to even
delay signing a measure passed by an overwhelming majority in the legislature. Governor Ralph
found himself between two lines of fire on the question of the tidelands bill. Phil Stanton, his
Orange County advisor, had urged him to weigh with due consideration the wishes of Orange County
friends of the measure.
The powerful Standard Oil Company on the other hand had brought all the pressure at their
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command upon the Governor to protect their marbles and to see that the community from which they
took them did not get any of them back.
S The Governor decided to placate both sides, and hit upon the expediency of stalling the issue,
by announcing a public hearing of the matter on June 17, 1931. The results of the meeting were so
discouraging that Mayor E. G. Conrad of Huntington Beach issued a statement to Governor Rolph ex-
pressing his dissatisfaction with the manner in which the hearing was held, and the inconclusive
results attained.
The meeting was attended by over fifty leading citizens of Orange County, including mayors, 4
councilmen, secretaries and presidents of chambers of commerce from practically every city and
community in Orange County. Also in attendance were the Supervisors of Orange County, Assemblymen
and a State Senator. All of them were there to ask the Governor to sign the bill. But, due to
the method of handling the meeting, they had no opportunity to be heard.
On June 19, 1931, as had been predicted by a Standard Oil lobbyist, Governor Rolph refused to
sign Assembly Bill No. 4. This was the first time in the history of California that a Governor
ever vetoed a bill that was unanimously passed by both houses of the legislature.
The issue did not remain dormant for very long. On May 19, 1932, a petition concerning
® tidelands rights bearing 803 local signatures was presented to the Huntington Beach City Council.
It petitioned the Mayor and the City Council to approve a proposed amendment to the state consti-
tution. This amendment would provide for the granting to Huntington Beach of tidelands owned by
the State located within the corporate limits of Huntington Beach. This bill which was to be
brought to the attention of the voters in the form of an initiative, was identical with Assembly
Bill No 4, that was unanimously passed by both houses of the state legislature at its last session,
but was vetoed by Governor Rolph.
The City of Huntington Beach had executed a contingent lease with the state providing for a
royalty of 16-2/30, one half to go to the state, and one half to the City. Also, a bonus of
$100,000 was included for the first oil produced.
® The lease executed with the Pacific Exploration Co. Ltd., as the third party provided for oil
drilling in the tidelands from the west city limits, to 17th Street, and extending one mile out
into the ocean. It carried a provision that the lease would not go into effect unless the people
of the state adopted the initiative tideland measure to be voted upon in November, 1932.
Once again opposition developed rapidly against the initiative. The main argument was that
the danger of beach pollution from wells drilled in the surf and the harm done by the uninspiring
sight of oil wells in the ocean lent itself to any campaign against tideland drilling.
Interest and enthusiasm rapidly mounted in favor of the tidelands amendments. Twenty solici-
tors were assigned to Orange County in the state wide drive to secure the necessary 35,000 signa-
tures to insure the amendment appearing.on the November ballot.
The Huntington Beach City Council called a special meeting on July 28, 1931, for the purpose
of entering into a new tideland drilling lease with the Pacific Exploration Co., Ltd. A technical
error had appeared in the first lease which was eliminated in the revised instrument. The clause
which specifically stated that the lease wouldn't be effective until the voters of the state had
given tidelands to the City of Huntington Beach was stricken. Under the law you cannot change or
® correct a lease, but must cancel and enter into a new lease.
Max Felix, chief counsel of Standard Oil, submitted a protest against the proposed lease by
Pacific Exploration Co., Ltd. He stated, "It has come to our attention that Pacific Exploration
Company is offering for sale a purported oil lease covering the southwesterly thirty feet of
Ocean Avenue in Huntington Beach extending from the northwesterly boundary of the city limits to
® the westerly line of 23rd Street. Our examination of the claim of title to this real property
(69)
4.
satisfies us that the City of Huntington Beach is without such title as would authorize its execu-
tion thereof. We have felt that the representations made as to the City's readiness to enter into
such lease are most inaccurate. The Standard Oil Company well challenge and resist the validity of
any such lease as a violation of its property rights. 1t
On November 2, 1932, Mayor Conrad demanded that Governor Rolph undertake an investigation con-
cerning the activities of a major oil corporation alleged to be draining millions of dollars in oil
and gas from beneath the tidelands of Huntington Beach. He advised the Governor that there were
167,000 earnest citizens of California who sponsored the initiative, now labeled Proposition #11.
Mayor Conrad received an answer within a week from Governor Rolph. His telegram read, "My
dear Mayor: Your wire received: Kindest regards: James Rolph, Governor".
On November 10, 1932, while the rest of the nation was turning out at the polls to elect a
new president, the citizens of the state and particularly the citizens of Huntington Beach turned
out to vote on the controversial Proposition #11. The Proposition carried in the city by a vote
of 1258-528, but it lost in the state by 1,079,451 to 709,438. It seems apparent by the obvious
voting behavior that what the local residents felt was their inalienable right was not felt by the
voters in the state.
The defeat of Proposition #11 at the polls resulted in the attempt by many independent operators
to slant drill from privately owned property, under the Standard Oil Company wells, and out into
the tidelands. When Standard Oil and the State of California accused one of these operators, the
Termo Company, of slant drilling into the tideland pools, it resulted in a cross complaint filed
by the City of Huntington Beach against the State and Standard Oil. George W. Bush, special
counsel for the City, revealed a clause in the State Tideland Leasing Act denying the State the
right to participate in drilling operations in tidelands fronting incorporated cities. Despite the
fact that much of the evidence was in favor of the Termo Company, they decided to settle litigation
with the State. For over seven years Standard Oil had been drilling into the tidelands. At no time
during this period did state officials complain, or had they ever taken any action to secure a
royalty from them. But, after several independent operators succeeded in bringing in good wells,
these same officials awakened to the fact that oil was being drained from the tidelands and brought
suit against various independent operators. By this method, the independents were forced to enter
a compromise royalty agreement with the State.
The City of Huntington Beach did not take an active part in these suits until it was definitely
established that the state officials intended to force down the throats of the independent operators
a schedule of royalties that practically amounted to confiscation of their property. The schedule
of royalties submitted by state officials at the time the city filed its cross complaints ran from
5% on a fifty barrel well to 66% on a 3000 barrel well. Some operators have land owners royalties
as high as 35%. On a 3000 barrel well, if allowed to produce, it would have been necessary for the
operator to pay out royalties to the landowner and the state amounting to 101% of the oil, or 1%
more than his well produced.
Since the City's intervention into the suit, the state officials reduced the royalty schedule
to a more reasonable 19% on a 1000 barrel well. In filing the cross complaints the City Council
had three points in mind:
(1) Aiding the operators in obtaining an equitable adjustment of their difficulty with the
state officials.
(2) In rebuttal to a published order by the State Finance Director Vandegrift that no wells
be drilled after November 1934, they requested that further drilling be permitted in
order to provide employment for hundreds of workers and to permit the property owners to
get a reasonable return from their land.
(3) That by increased oil production the City would benefit by reason of the mineral tax on
oil produced.
(70)
5.
State Director of Finance Vandegrift gave, as the main reason why the state failed to accept
royalty voluntarily offered by Standard Oil, the changed conditions due to whipstock drilling into
the tidelands. Standard Oil offered this royalty in 1933 to compensate for any possible damage of
state tidelands by its Pacific Electric wells on the Huntington Beach bluff. This offer was made
as a means of removing any possible source of friction and also to contribute to the needs of the
state for additional revenue. Standard Oil had contended that a fault intervened between its wells
and the tideland pools, thus removing the possibility of purposeful draining.
Director Vandegrift said that the whipstocked wells were doing many times the amount of damage
to state lands that the Standard Oil wells could have done. He said that any drainage by Standard
Oil wells was legal as they were not drilled at an angle with a deliberate intention of penetrating
® the state lands. Therefore, any drainage that ensued was accidental and did not constitute tres-
pass. Also, he stated that Standard Oil was in itself an injured party because of the wells that
were drilled through its property. These wells inadvertently damaged the Standard Oil wells and
drained its strip as well as the state lands.
On August 2y 1934, Standard Oil and the state won the whipstor_king case in court which resulted
® in the curtailment of off-shore drilling by the independents.
While the litigation concerning the whipstocking case was taking place, another bill was intro-
duced into the Assembly on July 19, 1933, by Mr. Cronin. This bill was very similar to Assembly
Bill No. 4 that was pocket vetoed in 1931. This bill was approved by the Assembly on July 21, 1933,
by a vote of 54-23. But, it died in the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee.
The City of Huntington Beach did not take defeat easily. On April 11, 1935, the City Council
supported a measure that would permit the City to enter into a new tidelands lease with The South-
west Exploration Company. Assembly Bill No 1684 was introduced into the Legislature. The bill as
originally presented provided for a flat 16 2/3o royalty to the state with an amendment entitled
"The Hornblower Amendment" attached. This amendment provided for open competitive bidding and
® condemnation of property of littoral land owners. The Assembly voted approval for open competi-
tive bidding, but ,struck out the Hornblower Amendment. This brought the City of Huntington Beach
back into the picture with its royalty rights protected. The bill as approved by both houses would
enable the City to share in royalties of from 390' to 420. It also provided for the leasing of the
tidelands to the littoral land owners. The bill was then sent to Governor Merriam to be signed.
Once again the fate of the City's tidelands rights rested"with a reluctant Governor. As if history
repeated itself Governor Merriam killed the bill by "pocket veto".
Since 1935 there have been other attempts by the City to obtain what they consider to be their
just dessert. None of these attempts had been successful. Finally in 1963, Assemblyman James E.
Whetmore introduced a measure into the Assembly that would provide a rebate of state tidelands oil
revenues to local beaches. This rebate would amount to I%' of tidelands revenues. In the case of
Huntington Beach this would initially.amount to an annual sum of $56,000, increasing proportion-
ately each year. A small sum in contrast to what it would have received under previous attempts.
The bill had received a boost by Governor Edmund G. Brown. This was the first time a Governor
looked favorably upon a tidelands bill. The Governor made it known that he intended to write a
letter to the Assembly Ways and Means Committee to clear the way for that unit to hear the
measure before the budget was handled. Until the Governor's statement, the bill entitled Assembly
® Bill No. 1151 had been stalled in committee. With the Governor's obvious backing, "it was appar-
ent that the City of Huntington Beach was on the threshold of achieving the fruits of its labor.
On May 15, 1963, the Assembly passed AB 1151 by a vote of 76-0. On June 15, 1963, the Senate
passed the bill 32-0. And, at long last, Governor Brown signed the bill into law.
CONCLUSION
It is apparent that public opinion, initiated by the citizens of the City of Huntington Beach,
their elected representatives and other influential figures was reflected in the voting behavior
of the State Legislature. But, in the final analysis, it was the realization by an enthusiastic
Governor of the benefits to be received by both "the State aM,the.City.of Huntington; Beach that
enabled the Bill to become law.
(71 )
OIL BOOM RECALLED
By Oscar L. Stricklin
(Since Deceased)
PIONEER WRITES OF HUNTINGTON ERA
Oscar L. Stricklin, now 85, (12/15/71 ) knows his memory of Huntington Beach ' s
wild and wooly oil boom years will soon fade away with age.
Rich with images of history--from listening to one of the first crystal radios
and uncovering a mass grave--it has all been preserved for future generations in
his own autobiography.
Though his story is only that of an average man who worked hard all his life
as oil rig builder, bean farmer and horse rancher, the first 100 copies have al-
ready been grabbed up.
On the advice of his many relatives, Stricklin dictated the 52-page volume
to Barbara, his grandson' s wife during 1970. The leatherette-bound book, complete
with old photographs, became a fitting present for the 63rd anniversary of Stricklin
and his wife, Sadie, earlier this September.
When the couple moved to California from the Midwest in 1920, only three oil
wells existed in Huntington Beach. Stricklin helped build the fourth.
"There wasn't anything here then. Huntington Beach was just a small place
without paved streets or lights, " he noted in his book. "Their streets were just
oil roads--they ' d grade up a street and put oil on it. "
At the time the city had only one policeman, Jack Tinsley, who also acted
as fire chief and city inspector. If anyone wanted to get anything done, Tinsley
was the man to ask.
Even though the roads were rough, Stricklin and his wife braved potholes and
ruts to go to Long Beach where they listened to one of the first radios.
"They were advertising the radio down at the Pike. There was a long table
where they had four crystal sets and you could listen to the radio for five or
10 minutes for a quarter" he remembered.
"We also had one of the first televisions. It had a little 10-inch screen
and people came from all around our house to see that television, " added Stricklin,
who now lives at 17292 Golden West St.
During the oil boom of the mid-20' s Stricklin continued his employment as
rig builder for Standard Oil , only at an accelerated pace.
"People came pouring in here like there was a gold rush. We really got busy
then. We used to work in the oil fields every day. We didn't know what a day off
or a vacation was," he wrote.
One of his major projects was the construction of a half-mile long concrete
sea wall along the bluffs area. It still exists today, protecting pumping equip-
ment from erosion by water.
(72)
-L-
One fire during the 1930 's was so severe that it disrupted passenger service
on the Pacific Electric Railway, according to Stricklin, "The "fire got so hot
® that it melted the pavement on Pacific Coast Highway and on the ocean side of the
PE tracksf 11claims the former oil man.
The heat expanded the rail and buckled it so it rose as much as three feet
above the ground. It took us pretty near a week before we got that one stopped.
® After the depression years Striklin acquired some land on which he started
one of his sons in the bean farming business. Digging for a drainage ditch he
uncovered two Indian skeletons.
That find, however, compared only mildly to a mass grave on Slater Avenue
which was broken open by another farmer during the 1920' s, according to Stricklin.
Stricklin took some of his men to the grave and helped the farmer uncover
36 skeletons whose origin remain a mystery to him.
"There were that many in an area about ro feet square. Some of them were
actually sitting up, others were stooped over and some were lying down flat,"
he wrote.
"We didn ' t take them out. We 'd uncover them and get all the dirt 'away from
them and just leave them sitting there. It was a gruesome sight. Nobody knows
whether it was a massacre or whether they had died and were put there, or whether
they drowned in a flood. We called the people from the state and they put them
in a museum somewhere. "
By Rudi Niedzielski - Daily Pilot Staff 12/15/71
s
(73)
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HUNTINGTON BEACH OIL FIELDS
Compiled by Herbert A. Day
Former Oil Field Superintendent
Discovery Well and Golden►aest Garfield Area
41
The Huntington Beach Oil Field is located in Orange County
approximately 15 miles southeast of the City of Long Beach along the
Pacific Coast Highway. It is the fourth largest California field in
cumulative production having produced 792,713,294 barrels of oil as of
December 31 , 1967. In the year 1967 the production totaled 20,713,294
barrels of oil .
A brief history encompassing the time of the discovery well through
the latest important discovery within the field follows shortly hereafter.
Gratitude is in order to the State of California, Division of Oil 41
and Gas, and to local operators and their employees who took part in the
development of the Huntington Beach Oil Field for their invaluable
information.
A series of discoveries, often in widely separated areas, led to
the present day Huntington Beach Oil Field. Each discovery has been
followed by a flurry in drilling activity, most of which, has little to
no controls. According to George Hazenbush and Dennis Allenl oil was
first discovered on May 24, 1920, when Standard Oil Company of California
completed well "Huntington A" No. 1 at a depth of 2,199 feet, producing
45 barrels per day of 14 gravity oil .
The same well was subsequently deepened to 2,381 feet and produced 46
70 barrels of oil per day after deepening. However, and according to the
same authors, it caused little excitement because of the low rate of
production.
In November of the same year, Standard Oil Company of California 41
drilled what is generally considered the Huntington Beach discovery
well . This "Bolsa Chica" No. 1 located near Reservoir Hill , was
completed at a depth of 3,455 feet, producing 1 ,300 barrels of 21 gravity
oil per day. "Ashton" No. 1 was located approximately one-half mile
northeast of "Bolsa Chica" No. 1 .
A flurry of drilling followed, which extended into the Goldenwest
and Garfield area.
This was the first of the closely spaced wells in the Huntington
Beach Field. After the drilling of 100 wells by various companies, and a
total production of 119,000 'barrels per day, drilling activity declined
in this area by December 1923.
(74)
-z-
Barley Field Area
The next area of drilling activity, known then as the Barley Field
area and lying northwest of 23rd Street (Goldenwest Street) between
® Pacific Coast Highway and Clay Street, was developed slowly by the
Standard Oil Company of California between 1922 and 1926.
Townlot Area
In April 1926, drilling restrictions were lifted in the Townlot
area between 17th Street and 23rd Street (Goldenwest Street) which led to
the discovery in July 1926, of the Jones sand by the Superior Oil Company
when they completed "Jones" No. 1 at 3,063 feet flowing at the rate of
• 472 barrels of 17 gravity oil per day. "Jones" No. 1 is located at the
corner of 22nd Street and Pacific Coast Highway. According to Hazenbush
and Allen2, this interval was probably the Stray sand, which is
actually about 350 feet above what is now commonly called the Jones sand.
•
Townlot Area--Lower or Main Zone
In September 1926, Wilshire Oil Company discovered what was called the
Lower or Main zone in the Townlot area, when they deepened "H.B. " No. 1
♦ at the corner of 22nd Street and Walnut Avenue .to a depth of 4,074 feet,
flowing 700 barrels per day of 24.6 gravity oil . Intensive drilling
activity followed, which led to some of the closest well spacing in
California history. Many wells were drilled on 25 x 117-1 /2 foot 1_ots
with production reaching a maximum of 63,400 barrels of oil per day from
78 wells in the area:
•
Townlot Area--Tar(Bolsa) Zone
® During the development of the Lower or Main zone in the Townlot
area, shallow oil sands were noticed while drilling some of the wells.
In November 1926, McKeon Drilling Company, Inc. completed "Dubois" No. 1
at 1 ,952 feet, producing 200 barrels of 14 gravity oil per day. This
completion led to another mild flurry of activity and a drilling campaign
to develop the Tar (Bolsa) sands in the Townlot area.
•
•
(75)
-3-
Tidelands
The offshore pools were discovered in May 1930, when the Superior
Oil Company redrilled "Babbit" No. 1 from the Townlot area to an interval
of between 3,838 and 4,313 feet producing 345 barrels of 26 gravity oil
per day. The reported production had increased to 1 ,450 barrels per day
in August of the same year. Although this was considered unusual
production from the Townlot area, it wasn't determined until later that
the well was bottomed in what was to be known later as the Tideland pool .
This well , located on 21st Street between Walnut Avenue and Pacific
Coast Highway, is generally considered to be the discovery well of the
offshore pool .3 This fact, however, was not generally known until 41
Wilshire Oil Company completed "H.B." No. 15, on Pacific Coast Highway
between 18th and 19th Streets, in July 1933, flowing at the daily rate of
approximately 4,800 barrels of 26 gravity oil . The horizontal drift of
this well as. eventually determined to be in excess of 1 ,400 feet offshore
from the Pacific Coast Highway.4
Other operators, including McVicar and Rood, developers of the
"whipstock" (a tool used for directional drilling) , soon began directing
wells offshore and completing them in the tideland pool .
This led to a temporary injunction being filed in September 1933,
by the State of California against one operator which carried an 'order
that a directional survey be made of the well . This survey proved beyond
question that the well was bottomed under State tidelands and brought
about sliding scale royalty agreements between the State Lands Commission
and the Operators producing from the State tidelands.
In March 1938, the Legislature passed the State Lands Act and a new
and far more orderly stage of offshore development followed. The first
successful bidder on a tideland parcel offered by the newly created State
Lands Commission was Southwest Exploration Company, now Signal Companies,
Inc.
Their lease lies between the southerly prolongation of 23rd Street
(Goldenwest) on the Southeast to a parallel line about one and
one-quarter miles of the northwest and extends oceanward for one mile
beyond the ordinary highwater mark. Orderly development began in 1938
with from 6 to 50 wells being drilled each year.
There was an average of 452 producing wells in 1967 averaging
approximately 60 barrels of oil per day for each well . The Main zone is
the principal producing interval , producing nearly three times as much
oil as the Jones sand from slightly over twice the number of producing
wells.5
(76)
•
Five Points Area
Development of the Five Points area began in April 1936, when
Twentieth Century Oil Company completed "Schaaf-Bruce" No. 1 on the south
i side of Ellis Avenue, east of Beach Boulevard. Completed in the upper
Ashton zone, low production rates and a thin zone kept activity in this
area to a minimum and a major book failed to materialize.
• Signal--Bolsa Lease
The year 1940 saw Signal Companies, Inc. developing the
Signal-Bolsa lease which was an offset to the Standard-Bolsa lease.
Although a productive area, its development was orderly and uneventful
• from a historical standpoint.
Townlot Area--Upper Tar (Middle Bolsa)
• In 1946 and 1947 interest was renewed in the Tar zone Bolsa of the
Townlot area. O.L. Bolton drilled "Mize" No. 1 , at the corner of 20th
Street and Orange Avenue, in April , 1947. Completed in the upper Tar
(middle Bolsa) zone, this well initially produced 60 barrels of
13.5 gravity oil per day. This produced another flurry of drilling,
resulting in 136 new Tar zone wells 1949. Initial production of these
• wells varied between 10 and 100 barrels of 12.5 to 14 gravity oil per day.
Southeasterly Extension of
Townlot Area
• Jack Crawford is generally credited with the discovery of the
Southwesterly extension of the Townlot area, however, A.L. Hunter,
W.C. Bradford and D.R. Allen state that it was Clark C. Peterson' s
redrilling of the abandoned well "Brower" No. 1 in August 1953, near the
corner of Huntington Avenue and Chicago Street, which initiated the
• latest drilling flurry in the Huntington Beach Field.
This well flowed at an initial rate of 500 barrels of gravity oil
per day for 3 days, but production declined rapidly leading to the
eventual abandonment of the well . The activity following completion of
this well resulted in Jack Crawford, et al , drilling "Huntington" No. 1
• at the northeast corner of Atlanta Street and Huntington Avenue.
"Huntington" No. 1 was completed on March 8, 1954 with an initial
production of 200 barrels of 25.8 gravity crude per day.
The latest flurry within the. Huntington Beach Field was beginning!
Encouraged by this success, Huntington Syndicate drilled and completed
® wells "Huntington Syndicate" No 2 and No. 3 to the west in the same Main
Zone, each producing at the rate of 150 barrels of 26 gravity oil per day.
•
(77)
-5- 0
Jack Crawford, et al , next drilled and completed the first Jones
sand producer in this area. The well , "Huntington" No. 5 was drilled in
the vicinity of First and Olive Streets and started flowing January 1 ,
1955, at an initial rate of 736 barrels per day of 20.8 gravity oil . Now
the boom was on in earnest!
In rapid succession, 216 wells were drilled, of which only 6 were
non-productive. However, because of the close spacing and rapid
withdrawal of the oil and gas, production per well declined from
approximately 500 barrels per day to 15 barrels per day in less than a
year.
(1 ) Hazenbush and Allen, "Huntington Beach Oil Field, History,
California Oil Fields," Vol . 44, No. 1 (1958)
(2) Ibid
(3) Murray-Aaron, Eugene "Tideland Pools of Huntington Beach"
Division of Oil and Gas "Summary of Operations—California Oil
Fields," Vol . 33, No. 1 (1947)
(4) Ibid
(5) Frame, Ralph G. , "California Offshore Petroleum Development,
California Oil Fields," Vol . 46, No. 2 (1960)
(6) A.L. Hunter, W.C. Bradford and D.R. Allen—"Huntington Beach
Oil Field, Southeast Extension of Townlot Area California Oil
Fields," Vol . 41 , No. 1 (1955)
Article Excerpted From City of Huntington Beach
Historical Notes - September 1975
Compiled by Connie Bauer
Edited by William G. Reed
14060k
(78)
OIL FORTUNES THAT WERE GAINED FROM BOOKS
® Here is one of those impossible stories that is nevertheless true:
How unwanted books and unsalable beach lots made hundreds
of thousands for unsuspecting buyers
By K. Philip Frederick
(193 5)
They sought culture, twenty ,years ago back on a bleak New England home—
stead, and found a fortune. Aladdin rubbed his lamp for these forthright folk
and gave them oil. It all has to do with a promoter, and a printer — a tale that
can be compared only with the fable of Cinderella.
The promoter bought a few acres on the edge of what was then something of a
mythical townsite — Huntington Beach, on the north coast of Orange County.
The promoter had nothing more definite in mind than to sell the few acres, as
twenty—five foot town lots, to a public eagerly purchasing town lots most
anywhere in Southern California. The 'boom of that fragrant period in South—
land promotion faded before the promoter could subdivide his land and place
the lots on the market.
Meanwhile there was a printer back in old New England, who had invested in a
set of plates of a then—new encyclopedia. He had printed and bound several
thousand copies of the set, but the public seemed as loath to buy encyclopedias
as town lots. His warehouse was full, but buyers there were scarce.
On the scene steps the mutual friend — with the result that the Huntington
Beach town lot promoter and the New England printer came to terms.
In those days, when New England was a snowbound and as hidebound as tradi—
tion paints her, California was a far off land of romance and tradition. Cali—
fornia, to the New Englander of that day and age, meant something akin to the
Puritan interpretation of the gateway to Paradise.
Hence, when suddenly there burst upon the New Englander's consciousness,
through the medium of the local weekly press and a few standard daily jour—
nals, advertisements informing him that he could, for the payment of a small
sum down and a mortgage on the future, secure that fount of all knowledge, a
modern encyclopedia, together with a city lot in the booming town of Hunt—
ington Beach, California, overlooking the blue Pacific and within shooting
distance of the orange groves, the reaction was miraculous. Sets of the ency—
clopedia cluttered marble—topped tables in New England from Bangor to
Boston.
The California promoter sold out, and so did the printer. But "Ezra Hicks" and
his fellow New Englanders paid the bill — and through the nose and whiskers
many of them thought. The encyclopedias helped Nellie and Johnnie acquire
an education — but somehow there never was money enough left over to carry
any member of the family out to California to view or occupy that "free" town
® lot.
(79)
-2-
Years rolled by. Grant deeds to those twenty-five foot town lots in Hunting-
ton Beach were buried in the bottoms of old trunks in musty New England
garrets. Owners went to Europe in riches, or to the poorhouse in rags - while
the encyclopedias rested on library shelves or went to the secondhand book-
sellers.
Then oil came to Huntington Beach—great gobs of rich black gold. The clatter
of rising derricks and the clank of rotary drills was music to the ears of pro-
moters. The oil boom smacked into the middle of the town lot—the encyclo-
pedia town lot section—and splattered all over the globe trying to find owners
to whom it might present wealth beyond any New Englander's dreams.
Garrets were turned upside down in frantic search for deeds. Attorneys were
enriched, and enlightened, by journeys to the far corners of the land and even
to Europe seeking heirs or legatees to whom New England estates had been
left, including somewhere in their list of assets some obscure mention of a
town lot at Huntington Beach. Courts were beseiged to clear titles to which
there either was no claimant or too many.
The case of Ezra Hapfield and his descendants is illustrative. Ezra bought an
encyclopedia for his daughter Hattie, who was attending a girls' finishing
school, and when the deed came he was so busy keeping the ploughshare out of
the rocks on the old farm that he tossed the deed into the family secretary, Q
from whence at some later date it was transferred to an old horse-hair-cov-
ered trunk, and promptly forgotten.
Hattie married, bore a son, and upon the death of her husband Donald Corwin
Baker, returned to her father's roof with the boy, Donald Corwin Baker, Jr.
Life on the farm went on.
Suddenly came the letter from a California firm of attorneys, making guarded
inquiries as to a certain Huntington Beach town lot, giving range, block and
number. Ezra had to scratch his head a bit to even remember any transaction
by which he had acquired a lot. But he and Hattie finally dug the deed out of
the horse-hair trunk.
Even then they were only mildly curious—the letter mentioned nothing about
oil and they had not heard of the boom. Correspondence ensued. An offer was
made for the lot—something over three hundred dollars. This offer startled
the father and daughter. "Why that's more than I paid for the blamed ency-
clopedia and all," said Ezra to his daughter.
The upshot of it all was that they paid up the back taxes, redeemed the pro-
perty, sold the cow and the ducks and the chickens, and bought tickets for
California. If that lot was worth three hundred dollars to some attorney's
client, it might be worth a lot more, and they wanted to know about it.
It was indeed worth more, for it was located over the heart of the vast sub-
terranean oil reservoir.
A handsome bungalow on a slope overlooking the sea, with orange trees in the
back yard and winter-blooming roses on the porch, housed Ezra and Hattie and
the grandson. They bought it with their first oil royalties. And the oil royal-
ties kept coming in.
(80)
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Ezra Hapfield is gone now, but his last days were happy and carefree. But
Hattie lives on in the cottage, while Donald finishes college. They may move
on to their sizable orange ranch in Orange County as soon as Donald gradu—
ates. And still the oil checks come in—from that encyclopedia well.
This is no fairy tale, or perhaps it is one which came true—for any visitor to
Huntington Beach these days can drive out past the handsome high school,
built largely with oil tax revenues, and come to the section of derricks known
as the Encyclopedia Wells. There are the wells, pumping away and pouring
their black bold, as they have steadily for the past twelve years, into the bank
accounts of .scores of families in which some member, in the years gone by,
took a flier at an education with a real estate side line, and bought an ency—
clopedia.
i
4�
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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON HUNTINGTON BEACH GENERATING STATION
Southern California Edison Company's Huntington Beach Generating Station is located
on a 53 acre site at Huntington Beach, California. The plant was built by the Bechtel
Corporation, took five years to complete, and cost $125,000,000. The rapid growth of
Orange County, the availability of large quantities of sea water for cooling, and access
to transmission lines were factors in determining the location of the plant.
Huntington Beach is the sixth addition to Edison's Steam Generating Stations. Other
steam stations are located at Long Beach, Redondo Beach, Etiwanda, El Segundo, Los Alamitos,
Oxnard, Ormond Beach and Mojave. From its four turbine-generator units and gas-turbine
peaking unit, it can produce 990,000 Kilowatts or roughly 990' of the Company's total
generating capacity including Big Creek and Hoover Dam hydro-electric plants. Huntington
Beach produces enough electricity to serve a city of 1,500,000 population.
Basically, Huntington Beach's operation is similar to that of other steam-electric
generating stations: water is heated to steam in boilers; the steam, under high pressure,
spins the turbo-generators, producing electricity which is sent out to homes, farms and
industry in Edison territory. Looking at this process in a little more detail, production
begins with the boilers. There are four of them, each over 100 feet high and capable of
producing 1,560,000 pounds of steam per hour. Inside these boilers are thousands of feet
of tubing in which water is converted to steam by heat in excess of 2500°F. The live
steam is directed against the blades of the turbine at high pressure, taring the generator
which produces electricity at 13,800 volts. This energy is "stepped up" to 220,000 volts
and transmitted to Ellis and Barre Substations for distributing into the Edison system.
Brain and nerve center for each pair of units is the central Control Room, where the
station operation and output is controlled. Television screens on the control board give
operators an actual picture of flames and water level in the boilers, transmitted by
cameras in the boiler walls.
Two water cycles are provided to operate the station. The first, fresh water, is
filtered, and demineralized before being converted to steam which spins the turbines.
After being used to produce electricity, the steam goes to condensers, is cooled back into
water, then pumped to the boilers to begin the entire process again. Water for the second
cycle - cooling steam back into water - comes from the Pacific Ocean through a 4' mile,
14 foot pipe to the plant. The eight cooling water pumps each have a capacity of 44,000
gallons per minute. After condensing the steam, the cooling water is returned into the
ocean.
The gas turbine peaking unit utilizes 8 aircraft-type jet engines exhausting into
four expander turbines. The unit is capable of reaching full generating capability of 120
MW within three minutes after start.
This entire project was built by private business, undertaking all the risks and
doing the job at no cost to the taxpayers anywhere. Edison's total Orange County taxes
amount to $12.9 million (87-88) annually. Of this amount, 2.2 million dollars goes to
the Huntington Beach schools.
$3,261,150 was paid to Orange County in property taxes for Southern California Edison
properties within the City of Huntington Beach for 86-87. Of this amount $2,254,561 was
from the Huntington Beach generating station alone.
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HUNTINGTON BEACH
PAID CENTURY — FUTURE
1950 — 2000
Geographically, the City remained small until a period between 1957 and 1959 when a
series of annexations increased the area under its jurisdiction by over 20 square
miles. This action allowed Huntington Beach to capture a large portion of the
® residential construction boom which occurred in western Orange County in the late
1950's and early 60's. This rapid growth gave Huntington Beach the distinction of
being the fastest growing city in the nation during that time.
e In 1963, the development of Huntington Harbour, a spectacular multi—million dollar
project, turned swampland into a beautiful residential district of islands, chan—
nels, and yachting facilities. Another new arrival in the City during 1963 was the
McDonnel Douglas Aircraft Space Systems Center. This facility and the Edison Gen—
erating Plant, constructed in 1956, brought many prospective residents to Hunting—
ton Beach.
Starting in the 60's, an emphasis was placed on the cultural and ecological climate
® through the efforts of both citizens and government. In 1968, with the need for
more parks and open space, the citizens approved a $6 million dollar park bond by
more than 70% of the vote. This provided for a 200 acre central park, two communi—
ty centers and many neighborhood parks.
The 70's heralded in the beginning of many needed facilities. In October, 1972
groundbreaking ceremonies were held for a new $3 million library, designed by world
famous architects Richard and Dion Neutra. The library was built on a hill over—
looking one of several lakes. The City's new Civic Center Complex at 2000 Main
Street was completed in 1974 at a cost of $7 million.
In the decade of the 80s, the city has embarked upon an aggressive economic devel—
opment and revitalization effort that includes as one element, the redevelopment
program. A current five year plan from 1987 — 1992 summarizes the goals and objec—
tives, and activities for all of the following redevelopment project areas:
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HUNTINGTON CENTER
REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT AREA
The Huntington Center Redevelopment Plan was adopted by the Redevelopment Agency in
1984 and encompasses some 160 acres of commercial , mixed use development, public,
quasi—public, and institutional land use. The primary activities in this project
area are:
1. Huntington Center — A regional shopping mall of approximately 40
1 million square feet with anchors at The Broadway, J.C. Penney,
Mervyn's and Montgomery Ward.
2. One Pacific Plaza — A landmark commercial center, the 500,000
square foot complex is situated on 14.3 acres adjacent to the 405 Free—
way. This master—planned business and financial center is home to two
6—story office buildings, a 4—story Memorial Health Services facility,
two restaurants, a 2—story garden office complex, and parking to accom—
modate over 1600 vehicles. A 12—story office tower and a 224—room full
service Holiday Inn Hotel .
3. South Side of Edinger — This area encompasses a commercial strip
from Sher Lane to Beach Boulevard and includes such uses as Mercury Sav—
ings and its expansion, American Savings and a variety of retail uses.
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MAIN—PIER
® REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT AREA
The Main—Pier Redevelopment Plan was adopted by the Redevelopment Agency in
1982 and amended in 1983 and encompasses some 336 acres of residential, office
professional, retail, and visitor—serving land uses. The primary activities
envisioned in this project area to date are:
1. Main Pier Phase I
Pierside Village — A proposed specialty retail center located on the
south side of the Huntington Beach Municipal Pier to include a minimum .
® 75,500 square feet of retail and restaurant space. Pierside Village
will house new retail shops, restaurants, concession stands, and provide
additional parking for the village and beach users. The project has
been approved by the City and by the California Coastal Commission in
late 1986.
2. Villas Del Mar — A 64 unit residential condominium complex located
east of Lake Street between Indianapolis - and Acacia Avenues on a
2.4 acre site. The project was approved in April, 1987. Construction
began in August of 1987, and completed in 1989.
3: Town- Square* — A proposed mixed—use residential/commercial complex
located north of Orange Avenue, south/east of Sixth Street, and west of
Lake Street. Completed in 1989.
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4. Main Pier — Phase II*
A proposed mixed—use project located north of Pacific Coast Highway between
Main and Sixth Streets. Project plans call for residential condominium
units, with retail/commercial square footage and on—site,, parking. Adjacent
to the project is a pedestrian overpass crossing Pacific Coast Highway pro—
viding access to the Municipal Pier, Pierside Village, parking structure, and
the beach.
5. Retail Parking Structure Project — 200 Block of Main Street*
This project, as envisioned, would provide for new retail square footage with
potential air rights office space over the first floor retail, and a parking
structure. Under construction and scheduled for completion in mid-1990.
6. Lake/Atlanta Residential — A proposed residential complex of 159 units
located on a 6 acre site east of the Lake Street realignment between Orange,
Atlanta, and Pecan Street. Completed in 1988.
7. The Waterfront* — A mixed use project on 45 acres of land fronting the
inland side of Pacific Coast Highway between Huntington Street and Beach
Boulevard. The proposed project may feature 4 hotels with approximately 1500
rooms. Commercial uses will include a health and tennis club, retail plaza
with restaurants, and an upscale shopping plaza. The residential component
of the project will feature water oriented multi—family units. The project
is proposed to be built in phases over a ten to twelve year period of time,
extending to the year 1999. Phase I Hotel completed in late 1989.
8. The Breakers — A 342 unit apartment project located on the east side of
Beach Blvd., south of Atlanta. The project features one and two bedroom
units. Recreational amenities include pool, spa, recreation building, tennis
and volleyball courts. The project was completed in 1985.
*Contingent on the project approval by Planning Commission
and/or City Council.
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® -5-
OAKVIEW
REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT AREA
The Oakview Redevelopment Plan was adopted by the Redevelopment Agency in 1982 and
encompasses some 68 acres of commercial and residential land uses and community
facilities. The primary activities in this project area are:
1. Charter Centre — This complex located at the southwest corner of Beach
Boulevard and Warner Avenue totals 400,000 square feet including a landmark
14—story office tower, three restaurants, a five—plex theatre, a health club,
and a six—story parking structure. Estimated project value is $45 million.
Completed in 1985.
2. Koledo Lane Demonstration Project — Located on Koledo Lane, just north of
Slater Avenue, Koledo Lane Demonstration Project consists of 16-4 plex resi—
dential buildings rehabilitated to Section 8 Code Standards featuring a
vacated street converted to a pocket park/passive play area. Existing car—
ports were demolished and replaced with enclosed garages and new laundry
rooms. Property owners were also allowed construction of fifth unit above
the garages. These improvements were financed by Community Development Block
Grant funds and private dollars. The continued maintenance of this invest—
ment is protected through a Property Owner's Association of all landlords
represented in the project, which was completed in 1985.
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TALBERT—BEACH
REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT AREA
The Talbert—Beach Redevelopment Plan was adopted by the Redevelopment Agency in
1982 and encompasses some 25 acres of residential and industrial land uses. The
primary activities of the project area are:
1. Emerald Cove — A senior apartment project constructed by the William Lyon
Company in partnership with the Huntington Beach Redevelopment Agency. The
project consists of 164 units at 50 percent below market rental rates and
features a recreation center, well—landscaped grounds, attractive design, and
adequate parking. This project received a National Certificate of Merit from
the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for public/private part—
nerships in 1986. Although federal Community Development Block Grant funds
were initially leveraged into the project, Emerald Cove functions without
subsidies from the federal or state governments. (South of Talbert, West of
Beach)
2. Windward Cove — A senior condominium project constructed by the William
Lyon Company, this project features 96 units of for—sale housing with initial
purchase prices well below market rates. The project looks out on Terry Park
and is adjacent to Emerald Cove. Completed in 1985.
3. Capewood — Developed by Citadel Service Corporation, Capewood features
54 family condominium units. Citadel participated in the Single—Family Mort—
gage Revenue Bond to provide below market rate home loans for first time
buyers. Completed in 1986.
4. Talbert—Beach Industrial Project — Developed by Boureston Development, this
project will feature a 120,000 square foot, light industrial building on a
5 acre site located south of Talbert Avenue and west of Beach Boulevard. The
project was approved by the City in 1987. Completed in 1989.
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-7-
5. Happy Drive Residential Project — An 89 unit senior citizen residential
project located on a site of approximately 2 acres, south of Happy Drive.
® The project was approved by the city in October of 1986.
YORKTOWN — LAKE
REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT AREA
The Yorktown—Lake Redevelopment Plan was adopted by the Redevelopment Agency in
1982 and encompasses some 30 acres of civic center and residential land uses. The
primary activities in this project area are:
® 1 . Civic Center — An existing 188,829 square foot civic center complex con—
sisting of a 5—story police facility and jail , an outdoor amphitheater, meet—
ing rooms, and the City Council Chambers. Completed in 1974.
Preparations are underway to prepare a new site plan for the Civic Community
Center and additional parking facilities. Approval of a joint development
plan for the entire project area in cooperation with the Huntington Beach
Company for Residential Project Phase I and II, is scheduled for Fiscal Years
— 1988-1992.
Huntington Beach has, without a doubt, a colorful history. Born of plans to create
empires and fortunes, it had yielded fortunes of its own. Its coastal location,
® mild weather, clean air and shoreline characteristics have made surfing also a part
of the City's heritage. Huntington Beach has long been known as one of the world's
great surfing areas and plans are underway to establish an International Surfing
Museum. As a resort area the City's nine miles of Pacific shoreline, have attrac—
ted 5 million enthusiasts annually. Finally, in terms of history, the residents
who have taken pride in their community have had the most to say. Their actions
though the years have shaped the City in terms of both development and the appro—
priate control of development. The future is certainly predicated on our
® Huntington Beach Slogan . . .
"CITY OF E X P A N D I N G HORIZONS"
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A C K N 0 W L E D G E M E N T
L7
HUNTINGTON BEACH REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY
Five Year Plan
Chairperson Jack Kelly
Members
Wes Bannister
John Erskine
Ruth Finley
Peter Green
Tom Mays
Grace Winchell
H
ADMINISTRATION
Paul E. Cook
Interim City Administrator
Douglas N. La Belle
Deputy City Administrator
Director of Community
Development
H
OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK
Huntington Beach Historical Data Book
Compiled by
Alicia M. Wentworth
City Clerk
1974 Civic Center Dedication
Excerpts From Data
Compiled by
Kaye H. MacLeod
Orange County Centennial Cities Committee
Tawny Wolfe, Secretary—Typist
(qn) 1424k 111—R7
THE DRAWING IS A LIKENESS OF THE FIRST OCEAN VIEW SCHOOL DISTRICT
SCHOOL BUILT IN THE OCEAN VIEW SCHOOL 16940 "B" STREET
' DISTRICT BEFORE THE TURN OF THE CENTURY. HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA
IT WAS LOCATED NEAR BEACH BLVD. AND 847-2551
EDINGER. (THE DRAWING WAS EXECUTED BY
PARENT VOLUNTEER DIANNE BIRNBAUM.)
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I
BRIEF HISTORY
OF
OCEAN VIEW SCHOOL DISTRICT
-- by Richard Pariseau
The Ocean View School District, founded in 1874, is one of the oldest districts
in Orange County. The district is even older than the city of Huntington Beach,
whose residents it primarily serves. As the city grew, the name "Gaspel Swamp" was
altered to Shell Beach, then to Pacific City, and in 1904 it was again changed to
Huntington Beach in honor of the owner of the Pacific Electric Railroad, Henry E.
Huntington.
Huntington Beach was sparsely settled in the 1870's. The area was hardly a
desirable place to live, with peat springs everywhere and always the possibility of
the Santa Ana River flooding everything except the "Mesa" which rose above the fury
of the water.
The first Ocean View class was believed to be held in a home east of the
Huntington Beach ranch house. The house stood at approximately 7802 Garfield
between Huntington and Florida Streets.
The early years of the first school were difficult ones. Even though Ocean
View had a high number of census children, many lived miles away. Often the trails
to school were inaccessible because of water and mud. Hardships were abundant and
strong boys and girls were needed to help with chores. The work was never ending.
During 1875-1876 school year the district census grew to 88 with enrollment of
60 and average daily attendance of 40.
Migration from the mesa began in the late 1870's. Many residents were squatters
and were forced to move.by the legal owner, Abel Stearns. In 1880 the ADA dropped to
just five and the school doors closed. The doors were not closed for long because
the next year children were beating down the tullies on their way to class.
During this time the Great Bolsa Ditch was completed and draining much of the
land in the vicinity of Smeltzer (Edinger) and many of the mesa squatters were
homesteading the rich peat land. The residents probably found the walk to Ocean 40
View School on the mesa a burden for their children.
In 1886 Israel Brush donated three acres of land on the southeast corner of
Smeltzer and Beach Boulevard (where new construction is now underway) to be used for
the construction of the new school. The school was a beautiful sight with wood frame
construction, plastered interior walls and ceilings. It was painted a very bright
color, believed to be yellow with orange trim. The school consisted of one large
classroom. There was a boys' entrance and a girls' entrance with each having its
own anteroom (cloakroom). Between the anterooms was the library with the belfry above
and a rope hanging down. The rope was used to ring the bell every day to call the
students to class at nine o'clock. The bell was sent from England for the purchase
price of $45 and now is mounted in front of the Ocean View School District office on
Beach Boulevard.
The teacher's desk and chair were on a raised platform on the same level as the
library. When sitting at the teacher's desk, one could see all sections of the room.
(92)
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When the opportunity arose, the platform was used as a stage. In the southwest
corner of the school room was a large wood stove. The boys took care of the wood
® and kept the fire going. On occasion the boys would bore a hole in the wood where
they placed a bullet. A loud noise would come from the old stove and distract the
students for just a minute, and of course, a few would smile.
The population around the school was growing. In 1892 an addition was placed on
the back of the original building. The accuracy of carpentry was so precise that most
® of the Ocean View students from 1891 to 1913 thought the addition was part of the
original building.
Population was again on the increase and in 1900 an addition was built next to
the two-room schoolhouse. It contained two rooms and housed the primary grades.
® The population increased more rapidly in an area called Wintersburg on Warner
near Gothard. Land was purchased and a school building was constructed on the
southwest corner of Beach Boulevard and Wintersburg (Warner Avenue).
The students left their old school for their 1912 vacation, never to return.
The bell tower no longer held the bell as it was moved to the new school.
After Christmas vacation, the pupils moved to their new school. The new
building housed four classrooms and a basement. The basement was used for play on
rainy days, and also for restrooms. In 1923 an auditorium was built and furnished
with 400 seats. Three classrooms were added to the main building. A two-class
primary room was added in 1927.
Ocean View School and adjacent Springdale districts combined in 1946. With
this increase in enrollment the district made plans for a new school. The new
school.was completed in 1949 just south of the present school. The new school
had eight classrooms, administration offices and cafeteria. This school now
provides the offices for the district. The old two-story building was demolished
in 1953.
The 1950's was a period for the district to prepare and buy land for the growth
ahead. Population of the city of Huntington Beach increased from 11,492 to 115,557
in 1970. In 1963 Huntington Beach was the fastest growing city in the nation.
® During this ten-year period, 21 schools were constructed.
In April of 1974-the district will launch its 25th school, Nueva View, a
special education facility.
(93)
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1905 Main Street,Huntington Beach,CA 92648
(714)536-2514
THE GEOLOGIC HISTORY OF THE HUNTINGTON BEACH UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT
The ocean extended over most of the western county region until quite
recently. During the ice ages , the sea level dropped so that terrestrial
life spread onto river deltas , covered by the ocean today. It was during
the inter-glacial periods that the ocean extended as far inland as Santa
Fe Springs and Buena Park.
The largest river in southern California, the Santa Ana River, is an
antecedent river that flows from the San Bernardino Mountains through
Santa Ana Canyon into the ocean. It has changed its channel across
Orange County several times and has cut the embayment in Newport Beach.
Fountain Valley , its present course, between Costa Mesa and the Huntington
Beach anticline and Bolsa Chica marsh between the anticline and. Seal Beach
are the other river channels.
In the 1860' s the river produced a "hundred-year-flood" that carried
the sand from inland down to form the sand spit upon which Newport and
Balboa are built. More recently in 1938 a large flood carried sand
across Garden Grove and Westminster, destroying extensive farmlands.
In order to use the farmlands again, a huge plow with discs over ten
feet high was constructed. Tractors , used to build the Panama Canal ,
were imported to pull the plow across the fields and disc in the sand.
The delta of the Santa Ana River must have been a large swamp during the
Pleistocene, especially in the last 10,000 years , as thick peat deposits
underlie the entire area. Fossils of plant stems and seed pods as well
as imperial mammoths , giant ground sloths , horses, bison, and camels have
been found in the black carbonized peaty matter.
Peat in Orange County was rarely used a fuel ( it stinks when it is burned) .
During the last century, Chinese immigrants living in the county unsuccess-
fully attempted to convert the swampy bogs into rice paddies. Around the
turn of the century , traveling revival tent shows were set up on the boggy
land (no one wanted them anywhere else) and this area became known as
"Gospel Swamp" .
By the second decade the bogs were drained (the area still can only stay
above water by keeping pumps running all the time in canals that cross
the school district) . Celery and sugar beets were the primary crops with
lima beans favoring the sandier soil near Costa Mesa. Horses, working
in the fields, were shod with large flat wooden "peat shoes" to prevent
them from sinking it)to the spongy peat. The peat caused $urthe.r problems
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-2-
to land developers in the thirties when a peat fire started and burned
out of control . Farmers flooded their fields to stop it.
® The instability of the peat has produced considerable concern for
builders. The Westminster Shopping Mall was built on "rollers" or
loose material so that it floats on the ground. It is a funny sensation
to be upstairs in the Mall and feel it shift.
The peat has produced a very unstable subsoil that is a prime
candidate for liquefaction. Heavy traffic passing the new Westminster
City Hall caused microseismic activity of sorts which resulted in the
liquefaction of the peat. The city hall developed such serious structural
problems. that it was condemned.
Matters are not helped any by the proximity of the very active Newport-
Inglewood fault zone (a 3.8 sharp jolt was produced April 4—this last
week) . . This fault produced the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake (the epicenter
of which was about four miles southeast of Huntington Beach High School )
and the 1812 Capistrano Earthquake that destroyed Capistrano Mission. We
feel two or three small shakes each year from this fault and a quake of
Richter Magnitude 6+ -would not be a surprise to seismologists. The fault
represents the boundary between the eastern bedrock complex (granitics)
and the western bedrock complex (Franciscan metamorphics) and is considered
by some geologists to represent the pre-Neogene subduction zone that
extended along our prehistoric coast.
City planners have chosed to ignore the active fault zone and the
potential for liquefaction by permitting high density housing over the
fault zone. To add to their decision, they have encouraged development
in the old Santa Ana River channel which is five feet below sea level
in the Bolsa Chica area and saturated with water year-round.
A plus for the fault has been its role in producing oil traps for the
extensive petroleum resources of Huntington Beach. The Pliocene-age
® oil deposits are as shallow as 4000 feet and have been producing for
over sixty years. Some of the wells in the Edwards field have the
original wooden "walking beam" pumps . No new drilling is being done
today in the city , although secondary recovery is widely being used.
Steam injection facilities behind the high school and next to the
parking lot have been in operation for several years. Whip-stick drilling
along Pacific Coast Highway has tapped vast oil deposits miles offshore.
Additionally four large oil platforms are west of the pier and plans for
more platforms have been made. The Seal Beach Platform, Esther Island,
was completely scoured away by the ocean storms of 1983. it is being
rebuilt.
Huntington Beach was established because of its petroleum resources,
rich farming land and peat deposits , and its attractive beaches. It
® has been shaped by its geologic hazards, notably the Newport-Inglewood
fault, river flooding , and coastal erosion. its future will be interesting
to observe as its resources are reduced and development expands.
Submitted by: Carol Stadum
•
(95)
Op (�
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PICTORIAL
HISTORY OF
=ING10N BEACH
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ORANGE COUNTY,CALIFORNIA'
Pr
Map mfOrange County as it looked in 1920. The Les Bmlsao Grants was located in the area southwest mf
Santa Ana. The county was described as "the smallest in area in Southern California and the richest in
soil products in Anooriom." It was further noted for it's ^'oub'tnmpio weather and miles of paved streets
within corporate city |inmits.^
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HUNTINGTON BEACH
THE HISTORY
Huntington Beach is situated on a portion of the vast Spanish Land Grant known as Las Bolsas (The Pockets pf Bays).
Las Bolsas, which covered 21 square miles, was granted to Manuel Perez Nietos in the 1790's by Mexican Governor
Jose Figueroa. Las Bolsas covered the area from which the cities of Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Westminster and
Fountain Valley have arisen. In 1834, the grant was divided among Nieto's heirs. It was at this time that the six square mile
rancho to the northwest, Boise Chica (Little Pocket), was created. The early settlers used the broad, savannah areas
primarily for the grazing of livestock. In the early 1850's, the Las Bolsas came under the ownership of Don Abel Stearns, a
native of Massachusetts, who became the largest owner of land and cattle in Southern California. Later his successor, the
Stearns Rancho Trust, controlled the land. Through the years, the area gradually changed to agricultural uses.
A five mile stretch of beach along the Las Bolsas became known as Shell Beach, due to the numerous bean clams dotting the
sand with color. Midway along the beach, the backland swelled into a low mesa. It was on this mesa that the original
townsite was created. In the 1880's, Colonel Robert Northam purchased the mesa from the Stearns Rancho Company, of
which he was manager. The swamp lands surrounding the mesa became known as "Gospel Swamp", because they were used
by the early ministers to preach the gospel. Although no regular church existed, residents could find a continuous series of
revival meetings in "Gospel Swamp". The swamp surrounded the mesa most of the year making shell beach almost
inaccessible. At that time, there were no railroads, bridges or roads to the beach from any direction. Eventually, a large
auditorium was built for revivals and conventions. Camp grounds with rows of tents surrounded the "Tabernacle" and this
area of town became known as tent city.
Known as Shell Beach until 1901, the small coastal community became Pacific City when Philip Stanton formed a local real
estate syndicate and bought 1,500 acres of Rancho Las Bolsas from Colonel Northam for $100,000. The syndicate organized
the West Coast Land and Water Company, which was the forerunner of the Huntington Beach Company and, on high ground
above Shell Beach, laid out streets and lots in a forty acre tract surrounding the area of the present Main Street. Stanton's
plan was to create a west coast resort rivaling New Jersey's Atlantic City. However, his dream to rival Atlantic City was
not shared by many others in his day.
William Taylor Newland was another member of the West Coast Land and Water Company. He settled here with his family
in 1897. They built their home in an area east of the townsite and farmed crops of celery, sugar beets, lima beans, chili
peppers and barley. As the years progressed, William Newland became a successful city businessman starting the first bank
and newspaper in the City. He served on the Highway Commission for twelve years which-fought for and finally won state
approval to extend Pacific Coast Highway from Long Beach to Dana Point. Mrs. Newland was very active in the community,
especially within the school system. She was also a charter member of the Women's Club, and in 1939 was named "Woman
of the Year" in recognition of her lengthy service to the community. The Newland house has been completely restored
through the efforts of the City and the Huntington Beach Historical Society, and has become a noted landmark in the City.
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A scene at the train station in the early 1900's is captured in the photo
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On a high bluff overlooking the lowlands of Huntington Beach stands
the gracoius home built by William and Mary Newland in 1898. The
white frame house located on Beach Boulevard at Adams Avenue is
the city's best preserved and most historically significant example of
the late Victorian period. Here the Newlands resided for fifty four
years, established a large, highly productive ranch and helped to
pioneer the city of Huntington Beach through their valuable contri-
butions in the fields of education, business, community and social
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service.
In 1902, Stanton sold the West Coast Land and Water Company holdings to the Vail-Gates Group of Los Angeles. They
changed the name from Pacific City to Huntington Beach and formed the Huntington Beach Company. The name change
was a gesture of good will towards Henry E. Huntington who had become interested in the City. H. E. Huntington, who
owned the Pacific Electric Railroad and held a substantial amount of stock in the Southern Pacific Lines, bought an interest
in the Huntington Beach Company. He extended his "red car" line from Long Beach to the City and electrified the old
Southern Pacific Line to Newport Beach. H. E. Huntington was the nephew of Collins Huntington, a partner in the building
of the Transcontinental Railroad. The Huntington Beach Company continued to expand its real estate holdings and was soon
the principal land owner in the area. The Huntington Beach Company constructed many of the first public improvements.
In 1903 a wooden pier, approximately 1,000 feet long, was constructed by the Huntington Beach Company at the end of
Main Street. Also, on the bluff, a two story hotel, the Huntington Inn was erected. The Inn came to be known as one of the
finest hotels on the seashore.
The first electric passenger train rolled into Huntington Beach on July 4, 1904. An extensive advertising campaign drew
attention to Huntington Beach and soon real estate began to sell and building activity developed. More land was added to
the original townsite. Eventually, a branch rail line was constructed running three miles inland to service three sugar beet
mills, which opened in 1911, and other industries like the broom factory.
The City of Huntington Beach was incorporated in 1909 and encompassed an original townsite of 3.57 square miles. The
population was 915 of which 542 were registered voters. The first Mayor was Ed Manning whose descendents still reside in
the City. The first high school was constructed the same year at a cost of $35,000. In 1906, the streets in the downtown
area were graded and oiled and sidewalks and curbs were added. Later, in 1912, the pier was heavily damaged in a severe
storm. Coincidently, the City Council, during 1912, had been contemplating the construction of a new pier. A $70,000 pier
construction bond was approved by popular vote in 1912. The new 1,350 foot long replacement pier was dedicated in June of
1914, and had the distinction of being the longest, highest and only solid concrete pleasure pier in the United States.
By 1915, the downtown business district had developed. Many new, two story structures had been built and the area around
the pier began to take on a more recreational atmosphere. The open air salt water"plunge" had been built in 1911 west of
the pier and featured both heated and non-heated sections. Other concessions were added to the pier area to service the
tourist trade. Eventually, a roof was added to the plunge structure which remained standing until 1962. A community band
held concerts on the stage which was right on the beach between the pier and the plunge. Through the years improvements
around the pier were built by the Huntington Beach Company and later dedicated to the City. Also, as the City grew, many
of the major improvements and buildings such as the new city hall, streets, sewers and fire equipment were funded through
municipal bond issues.
From 1910 to 1920 the City, in general, made slow progress. Just prior to 1920, the Encyclopedia Britannica Company came
looking for the cheapest possible land to subdivide and give away as bonus lots to purchasers of sets of student reference
encyclopedias. They negotiated a deal with the Huntington Beach Company for land located inland on hillsides and in
ravines, and gave away lots which were, for the most part, worthless.
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The Huntington Beach Inn located at Ocean Avenue and 8th Street
housed for many years the men who came to work in the Huntington
Beach oil fields. Later,the Huntington Beach Elks Club used the In 1912,a heavy storm demolished the middle of the pier, leaving
facility as a meeting place. The Inn's destruction in 1969, brought the end protrudinq from the ocean floor several hundred feet from
an end to the era for which it was constructed. shore.
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The view is looking east on Ocean Avenue (now Pacific Coast Highway)
toward the intersection of Main Street. The "Red Car" is seen at the
Huntington Beach depot with the Pier Pavillion (later to become the
Pier Restaurant) to the far right. The year is between 1904& 1909.
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The corner of Main Street and Ocean Avenue during a 4th of July The view is looking west on Ocean Avenue (now Pacific Coast Highway)
celebration is captured in this photo taken about 1910. The view toward the intersection of Main Street. The wooden pier is in place, but
shows what a person,arriving in Huntington Beach via the Red Car, Vincent's building is not indicating that this photo was taken between
would see upon entering the business district. The large brick building 1904 and 1909.
at the right of the photo, was Vincent's Place, "The" Place Downtown
in 1910. The 4th of July parade and celebration began in 1904 and is
still a popular tradition which attracts many visitors and residents ;01` ..
each year.
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Main Street 1900: This scene was typical of Huntington Beach's
By 1906,the downtown area was beginning to develop. This scene Main Street early in this century. The barber shop was a local
shows Main Street looking toward the pier. landmark for many years.
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Constructed in 1911,the Holly Sugar Factory, shown above, provided A
many jobs in the city.
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Pictured at the top right, is the first grammar school at 5th and Orange
completed in 1909. The location was used in later years for the con- ?MV
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Shown at the right, is Union High School, the city first high school
completed in 1909 and located at Union and Main.
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This was the site of the first city hall, located in the far right of this building at Main and Walnut
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W. L. McKenney may have sold groceries out of this old building on Main and Walnut, but the building was probably best known from the time it was
the "unofficial city hall"of Huntington Beach. Noble Waite's drug store was the gathering place for those who wished to talk about municipal affairs
and many a man decided to run for city council because of discussions held here.
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In June of 1914, the new concrete pier was dedicated. At 1,350 feet in In an extremely heavy storm in September 1939,a 300 foot
length,the structure was known as the longest, highest and only solid section of the end of the pier was washed away. By August
concrete pleasure pier in the United States. Through the years,the pier 1940, repairs were completed bringing the pier's length to it's
has been a focal point for numerous, prestigious surfing events and present 1822 feet.
remains today a Huntington Beach Landmark.
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In the early twenties the beach was a popular place, as is seen
in the photos at the top of the page. At the top left,the city
band is seen performing, and in the background,the full stretch
of the pier is seen. The top right picture shows the beach as
seen looking down from the balcony around the plunge structure.
% At the left is the Saltwater "Plunge"which was located on the
northwest side of the pier. The pool was constructed in 1911
fr and was later covered with a permanent roof. The structure
stood until about 1960.
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This photo shows how the area northwest of the pier looked in 1921. At the far left is the open air saltwater plunge, in the middle are the band stage
and concessions and at the far right is the pier pavillion.
In 1919, Standard Oil leased 500 acres in the northwest corner of the City from the Huntington Beach Company. Their first
well, known au A-1, was brought in during August of l92O with a production rate of 91 barrels e day. More drilling continued
on the lease and soon, other companies moved in. Wells sprang up over night and in less than a month,� the town grew from
1,500 to 5,000 people. Then, on November 6, 1920, Standard [)U brought in the history making well known as Boloo Chioa
No. 1. An estimated 4 million cubic feet of gas and 1,742 barrels of oil were produced per day by this well alone. This
proved the Huntington Beach oil field tobe agreat discovery and soon the population was over 7,000. What followed was on
oil frenzy with areas as onnaU as city lots being used for organizing oil corporations. Scores of companies were formed, their
stock put on the market and, amid anationol advertising campaign, people were bused in and told how/ they could become oil
millionaires by purchasing stock. People became fanatical about oil stock. After ayear or so, the field was fully explored
and the excitement died down. Some ornoll companies made fantastic profits. Owners of encyclopedia lots also profited as
a result mf oil pumped from their land. What appeared at first to be a valueless gift ofland, resulted in fortunes of various
amounts Co its recipients who could be located. Their bonanza continued for several years. In 1928. the area known as the
town lot field produced aneoond oil boom. Houses and structures were moved out and practically every lot was turned into
en oil lease.
The next majoradvancernent in oil production came in 1930vvhen oil was diocovmred and produced from the tideland ocean
pool utilizing the whipstock method. The Whipstock method was developed by a company located right in
Huntington Beach. As of 1973, approximately 500 whipstock wells were still producing about lO million barrels annually.
Through the years, the City was principally on oil town, but recreational and cultural opportunities were developing. A
public library had existed since the City'a incorporation and the Fourth of July celebrations with a parade, picnics and
gatherings became widely attended. In 1925i Pacific Coast Highway was constructed, making the beach much more
accessible.
For many years the Huntington Beach Company was willing to give the beach frontage to the City, but many citizens had e
concern regarding responsibilities for overall operation and control. Later, in 1931v Torn Talbert, Lvvicm Mayor and long time
City Councilman and now armaltor, started negotiations with the Huntington Beach Company for the purchase of the beach
frontage from the pier southeast to Highway 39 /8eooh Boulevard). The negotiations were unsuccessful and ultimately the
City went to court and demanded that the beach frontage from Highway 39 to 23rd street be deeded to the City at no cost.
Finally, a settlement was reached in o San Diego court. The settlement resulted in the City being granted a perpetual
easement over the beach southeast of the pier to Beach Boulevard for "public, recreational, park and playground purposes
and other uses appurtenant or incident thareto." Later, in 1968, the City purchased fee title to 82 feet of this area covering
all the frontage along Pacific Coast Highway from the pier to Beach Boulevard plus all of the beach property from
approximately Huntington Street to Beach. Through the years, the city beach has come tobm known aa one of the finest in
the world in terms of its operation and the beach area in general has gained mworld wide reputation for excellent surfing.
Within few years, the surrounding beaches began to develop. The State Park Commission purchased 11,000 feet of oommm
frontage east of Huntington Beach and in 1950 opened the Huntington Beach State Park. To the west of the City was a
three mile stretch of privately owned beach where for years campers, fisherman and squatters used the shore without
control of any kind. The litter of bottles, cans and trash accumulated to such an extent that the place became known as
"Tin Can Beach". In 1961v the State of California purchased it and began developing BolmaChico State park.
XIII
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Oil became an important industry in the early twenties. Oil field scenes like
these completely took over the landscape in many areas mf the city. When
the big oil boom hit,the Evangeline Hotel mn@th Street (pictured above)
was pressed into service bw the Standard Oil Company to house men from
all over the notion. Through the years,the hotel has housed the men who
helped to build the city and it's industry.
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The new city hall, completed in 1923, was located at 5th and Orange Streets
The facility was financed by Municipal bonds
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This photo shows the new Huntington Beach High School just after completion in 1926. Note the oil derricks at the far right of the picture. They
were located in the fields north of the school which was in the area of the original strikes.
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This 1932 photo of the coastline west of the pier, shows the "Townlot Field"which was the second oil boom that occurred in 1926. The little pier
was at 23rd Street.
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This 1939 aerial photo of downtown shows the Pavalon under construction. The city's Pavalon served as a hall for concerts and festivities for many
years. In later years, the building was converted to a restaurant and became the famous "Fisherman"and in more recent years "Maxwell's."The
famous "Arches"at Main and P.C.H.are seen at the foot of the pier as well as the civic center complex located in the middle of the picture. In the
background are the oil fields and in the distance,the snow covered San Gabriel mountains.
XVII
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Arches spanned Ocean Avenue for many years, coming down only after time threatened
to make the steel unsafe enough to call for their removal. Arches identified the city and 7
provided a handy platform for Christmas decorations year after year.
The 1946 aerial photo at the top shows the civic center at 5th and Orange with the origi-
411
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Huntington Beach High School is in the center of the 1946 aerial photo at the bottom.
The view is looking southwest toward the townlot oil field which opened up twenty
years earlier.
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Geographically, the City remained small until a period between 1957 and 1959 when a series of annexations increased the
area under it's jurisdiction by over 20 square miles. This action allowed Huntington Beach to capture a large portion of the
residential construction boom which occurred in western Orange County in the late 1950's and early 1960's. As a result, the
City's population grew dramatically from 11,500 in the 1950's to nearly 116,000 in 1970, an increase of over 1,000 percent.
This rapid growth gave Huntington Beach the distinction of being the fastest growing City in the nation during that time.
In 1963, the development of Huntington Harbour, a spectacular multi-million dollar project, turned swampland into a
beautiful residentail district of islands, channels and yachting facilities. Another new arrival in the City during 1963 was
the McDonnel Douglas Aircraft Space Systems Center. This facility and the Edison Generating Plant, constructed in 1956,
brought many prospective residents to Huntington Beach. Population growth slowed during the 1970's as vacant land
availability and average family size declined. As of January 1983, the City encompassed 27.74 square miles and had a
population of 178,706.
The rapid growth in such a short period generated many serious problems, none insurmountable, but all requiring the
attention of the City Council, City Administration and.the taxpayers. The concerned citizens of the community got busy by
forming or joining groups to study the problems and come up with solutions or recommendations.
Starting in the 60's, an emphasis was placed on the cultural and ecological climate through the efforts of citizens and
government. Both an Environmental and Allied Arts Board have been established by the City Council. Huntington Beach
became a Charter City in February 1937, by special action of the State Legislature. Today the City is served by a seven
member Council. The Council selects its Mayor and City Administrator. It also selects the Planning and Community
Services Commissions and the Personnel, Library and Design Review Boards as well as the Environmental and
Allied Arts Board.
In 1968, with the need for more parks and open space, the citizens approved a $6 million park bond by more than 70% of the
vote. This provided for a 200 acre central park, two community centers and many neighborhood parks. In October, 1972,
groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the new $3 million library, designed by world famous architects Richard and
Dion Neutra. The library was built on a hill in Central Park overlooking one of several lakes.
The City's new Civic Center Complex was completed in 1974 at a cost of $7 million. The facilities include a modern six
level central structure which houses most of the administrative, engineering and public service personnel and a detached
three level police facility with a jail and communications center. Atop the main structure is a landing pad which is used
primarily for the police helicopter, but with prior approval can be used for other, special landings. Located in the lower
level, is a completely operational civil defense facility the construction of which was funded in part by the federal
government. The facility has been used several times during natural disaster occurrences such as the storm and flooding
which occurred in the spring of 1983. The City lost a large portion of the end of the public pier during that storm including
the landmark "End of the Pier CafeB1. Fortunately, through a combination of good insurance coverage and help from other
governmental agencies, the pier has been reconstructed and strengtened and the new "End of the Pier Cafe1° will open in
1985.
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Highway 39 (Beach Boulevard) cuts through the middle of this 1957 aerial photo taken by the Chamber of Commerce. The pier cuts out from the
coastline in the middle of the picture,and to the left,the construction of the Edison power plant is evident from the facilities protruding from the
beach. This photo shows the city as it looked prior to the housing construction boom which started in the early 1960's and continued in the 1970's.
XXI
Other community facilities recently completed or under construction include various neighborhood parks, continued
improvements to Central Park including new equestrian facilities within the park boundaries, a new Police Heliport Facility,
ongoing improvements to the City's drainage system and the new cable television facility which is located in the lower level
of City Hall. The T.V. unit provides public information programming as well as live coverage of City Council and
Planning Commission meetings. On average, the City spends each year approximately 10% of its budget on community
facilities and other capital improvements.
Huntington Beach has, without a doubt, a colorful history. Born of plans to create empires and fortunes, it has yielded
fortunes of its own, Its coastal location, mild weather and shoreline characteristics have made surfing also a part of the
City's heritage. Huntington Beach has long been known as one of the worlds great surf spots. Surfing has helped to put
Huntington Beach on the map. Finally, in terms of history, the residents who have taken pride in their community have had
the most to say. Their actions through the years have shaped the City in terms of both development and the appropriate
control of development. Huntington Beach has been honored by various institutions and agencies for its actions in citizen
involvement and government cooperation.
The Future
What happens to the City in the future will depend largely on what the residents, now in 1985 numbering over 180,000 have
to say. Through the actions of their elected officials, the people will continue to shape the community. So far, the City has
been well planned with appropriate mixes of residential, commercial and industrial uses integrated to provide a sound
economic base from which to operate city services. The few areas in the City which have experienced some decline, are
currently undergoing redevelopment or have plans in the making.
The Downtown Redevelopment Area Plan, referred to as the Main/Pier Project, is located in and around the original
townsite and is completed in concept. Some final plans and decisions still have to be made, but the plan that has taken many
ybars to evolve, will finally begin the construction phase sometime in 1986 and the result will be a new, revitalized business,
shopping and living district built around the Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway intersection at the Pier.
John Roulette
Senior Budget Analyst-1986
XXII
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A modern day picture of the crowd at Huntinqton Beach
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A picture of the Huntington Beach pier as it looked prior to the storm of March 1983 when it was again damaged in a severe storm. The landmark
"End of the Pier" cafe was lost as well as the platform on which it stood. The pier has since been restored and the new "End of the Pier"cafe will
open in late summer 1985.
XXIII
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Construction began onthe Huntington Harbour complex in 1963. Two islands, IM
Admiralty and Gilbert seen in the photo above,were included in the first phase
of development. The picture at the top right shows the harbour mu it looked in
1969. Sunset Beach io the tiny shoreline community e1the bottom left. Today,
Huntington Harbour,as seen in the photo atthe right, is nearly completed
project offering m wide variety of home styles in both single family and condo-
minium units. Every year, during the Christmas season,the Harbour residents
present "Show of LiQhts" by dressing up their boats with lights and decorations
for o parade through the Harbour. Residents and visitors attend the nightUv
parades which have become locally well known attraction.
}CXIV
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On a hill in Central Park overlooking Talbert Lake stands the City's $3
million Central Library, Information and Cultural Resource Center.
Every attempt was made by world famous architect Dion Neutra to design
the Library so that the structure and park would blend into a happy place
for relaxation, contemplation and study. The building features a four-tier
stack area capable of holding 350,000 books, magazines, cassettes and
other materials. The latest in audio-visual and computer equipment is
available for patron use. XXV
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The new city hall complex was dedicated on March 30, 1974. Planned
�....w. •• „r,:. to serve a population of 270,000,the Civic Center consists of four major
elements which are integrated into one unified complex. A five story
• "• administrative structure is connected to the separate two story police
\ � building/jail facility by an underground tunnel with both structures
sharinq a common underground floor. A single story development wing
houses the Public Works engineering staff and Finance'Personnel on the
North side of the complex. The City Council Chambers, which seats
153, is connected to the complex on the South side by the lower level
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accesswa The Chamber is equipped with projection systems and
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• ���� �� � vv equipment for use in viewing multi media presentations. Also located
in the lower level are several meetinq rooms used for public and city
staff meetings and occasional overflow seating for City Council meetings.
Outside an amphitheatre style central plaza ties all of the structures
together. The plaza is used frequently for public gatherings such as
school graduations and other municipal ceremonies.
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The City's park system currently encompasses over 450 acres. The system
neighborhood parks, two community centers and a central
consists of 54 park. The neighborhood p rks offer g p
Aa residents a relaxing atmosphere within
walking distance from their homes. The community centers are regionally
located in the city and offer supervised recreation and instructional classes
for all age groups. Central Park,quite literally located in the center of the
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city, currently has 200 acres developed including two fishing lakes an
r " w equestrian trails. The master plan for Central Park calls for ultimate
\ development of over 300 acres,a sports complex,three lakes and complete
equestrian facilities. The City's park system is recognized as one of the
finest in the nation. In addition,the city operates a Senior's Center where
a complete program is provided for the recreation and special needs of the
a
` - city's senior population.
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XXVII