Category: Huntington Beach

Ice Skating at Huntington Beach Pier Returns in November

The Surf City Wonderland ice skating rink is returning to the Huntington Beach on Nov. 18, transforming the pier into a holiday destination for the second year in a row. The rink will be in Pier Plaza for a unique, ice-meets-sand experience to ice skate with a view of the ocean. It will be open…


Oil Pipeline Operator Set to Pay $50 Million to Settle Suit Over 2021 Spill in Huntington Beach

Groups affected by the 2021 oil spill off the coast of Huntington Beach will receive $50 million in financial compensation from the pipeline operator, Amplify Energy, according to court records filed Oct. 17. The agreement requires Amplify to pay $34 million to fishers, $9 million to property owners, and $7 million to tourism industry, including…


Anthony Williams of Huntington Beach Appointed to California Fish and Game Commission

Anthony C. Williams, a Democrat from Huntington Beach, was appointed to the California Fish and Game Commission—which works with the California Department of Fish and Game to protect wildlife and the ecosystem in the state—by Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose office announced Oct. 5. Williams, 54, was the director of public policy for Amazon for two…


Huntington Beach Mental Crisis Team Responds to Over 2,000 Calls a Year

Be Well OC—a mental health support system serving Orange County through a partnership of hundreds of public and private organizations and government agencies—released a report (pdf) specific to its mobile response program in Huntington Beach this week that summarized the program’s contribution to public safety and residents’ mental well-being in the past year. According to the…


Huntington Beach Police Find Nonverbal Boy Alone, Arrest Mother

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.—A noncommunicative boy was found alone in Huntington Beach Oct. 3, prompting a call for public help to locate his family before police were able to identify him—and take his mother into custody. Kimberly Kalafatic, 46, of Huntington Beach, was arrested on the late morning of Oct. 3 on suspicion of child endangerment,…


Huntington Beach Man, Woman Killed Climbing Mountainside Near Idyllwild

SAN DIEGO—A pair of climbers who died trying to scale a mountainside east of Idyllwild have been identified as Huntington Beach residents, one of them a former Dallas Cowboys and San Diego State football player. Gavin Escobar, 31, and Chelsea Walsh, 33, died about 12:20 p.m. Sept. 28 near the Tahquitz Peak Fire Lookout, southeast…


Former NFL Player, Woman Killed Climbing Mountainside in Southern California

SAN DIEGO—A pair of climbers who died trying to scale a mountainside east of Idyllwild in Southern California have been identified as Huntington Beach residents, one of them a former Dallas Cowboys and San Diego State football player. Gavin Escobar, 31, and Chelsea Walsh, 33, died about 12:20 p.m. Sept. 28 near the Tahquitz Peak…


Huntington Beach Again Considers Annexing Bolsa Chica Ecological Preserve

After years of consideration and failed attempts, the Huntington Beach City Council is again considering ownership of the Bolsa Chica Ecological Preserve. The city council last decided not to move forward with an annexation in 2014. This year the council directed staff to prepare an updated study to determine feasibility of an annexation. City staff…


Oil Company Pleads Guilty to Misdemeanor Negligence in 2021 Southern California Spill

SANTA ANA—The company behind last year’s oil spill off the coast of Southern California pleaded guilty Sept. 8 to negligently discharging about 25,000 gallons of crude when its underwater pipeline ruptured, causing a temporary closure of beaches and fisheries. In a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, Amplify Energy and two of its subsidiaries—Beta Operating Co. and…


Huntington Beach to Provide Rental Assistance to Senior Mobile Home Residents

Elderly residents of mobile home parks in Huntington Beach may be eligible for temporary monthly relief soon, after the city councilors unanimously approved a rental assistance program Sept. 6. “I know this isn’t a panacea to the rental increases that our mobile home folks have been seeking, but it does potentially buy us some time…