Sports Complex report released

City officials did nothing wrong in handling the development of the

sports complex, Huntington Beach’s new City Administrator Penny

Culbreth-Graft said Wednesday following a month-long investigation

into how nearly $1 million got misspent on the project. Instead she

said a shortage of staff and lack of procedural checks and balances

were partially to blame for the spending fiasco.

Culbreth-Graft became aware of the sports complex problem during

her first City Council meeting in June. Joe O’Connor, the

Oregon-based attorney hired to build the second phase of the sports

complex -- which would have included batting cages, roller hockey

arenas and concession areas -- abandoned the project after collecting

a bulk of the city’s payment on the project.

In her report, Culbreth-Graft said the city was revising its own

contract procedures when the sports complex deal was approved.

“Numerous changes have been formalized since, which would provide

greater contract review, they had been implemented when the sports

complex began,” she wrote.

Culbreth-Graft also said that at the time the project was

approved, the city had not filled a position that reviews public

contracts. She wrote that she hoped she could fill the position soon.

As for the future of the project, Culbreth-Graft said that a

combination of contingency funds and money withheld from O’Connor

would be used to complete construction. Staff are to put together a

proposal for the council within 45 days.

City Councilman Dave Sullivan said Culbreth-Graft’s report failed

to tackle one of the core flaws of the sport complex project.

“I see nothing in this report addressing the problem of paying a

contractor before work is complete,” he said. “Had this contractor

not been paid before work was complete, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

Candidates go on the stump at first event

The race for the Huntington Beach City Council got a little more

intimate this week with the first meeting of political candidates at

the Murdy Community Center, an event marked most by its cordial

atmosphere.

The event was sponsored by the Huntington Beach Coordinating

Council and allotted the nine candidates in attendance five minutes

to discuss their campaign. Moderated by former Huntington Beach Mayor

Don MacAllister -- who is now running for Orange County Municipal

Water District -- the event had few sparks.

“Vote for the three people you think have the ability to lead the

city,” said City Councilwoman Debbie Cook, the race’s only incumbent.

Many of Monday’s speeches called for changes to the city’s budget,

with candidates like Keith Bohr and Don Hansen calling for increasing

the city’s revenue sources through development and tourism while Bob

Kliewer called for greater spending cuts.

Cook said she believed local residents were getting a good deal

for their tax dollars.

“I think your money is really well spent,” she said.

Also in attendance was candidate Steve Ray, who gave an upbeat

pitch as a solid communicator, while Jim Moreno reiterated his three

decades of service with the county of Los Angeles. Restaurant owner

Joe Carchio sold himself as a successful businessman ready to clean

up Downtown, while John Earl gave a pitch to increase participatory

democracy in the city.

Candidate Joey Racano was the last to speak at the event, giving

an impassioned speech against special interests in local elections,

calling for the abolishment of “loopholes that allow them to

circumvent the democratic process with shenanigans and municipal

skulduggery.”

Harmon passes Dead Dad legislation

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a ground-breaking law

introduced by Huntington Beach Assemblyman Tom Harman that grants

rights to child born through artificial insemination.

The law grants certain inheritance rights to children born after

their fathers die.

Harman said the legislation could help the children of soldiers

who were conceived with sperm left by their fathers before they went

off to fight in Iraq. The law gives such children the same

inheritance rights as all others.

“We’re really happy to have this legislation signed by the

governor,” he said. “This has been a high interest item and I’ve got

inquiries from national media about this bill.”