Free Republic

Tyler Laube pleaded guilty Oct. 23 to a single misdemeanor charge of interference with a federally protected right without bodily injury...prosecutors dismissed anti-riot act charges. The 27-year-old Redondo Beach man was sentenced to 35 days behind bars, or time already served, for punching a journalist in the face during a clash between former President Donald Trump supporters and opponents in Huntington Beach seven years ago. Carney sided with the defendants in their constitutional argument against the anti-riot act. In Judge Carney's view, "far-left groups were at least equally culpable in causing much of the violence that erupted at the various...

Federal prosecutors who opted not to pursue charges against “Antifa” members cannot prosecute a Huntington Beach man accused of helping establish a Southern California-based militant, white supremacist group whose members attacked rivals at Southern California political rallies, a judge ruled Wednesday. Criminal charges against Robert Paul Rundo for allegedly recruiting and training others to commit violence at rallies in Huntington Beach, San Bernardino and Berkeley were dismissed by U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney, who accused the U.S. Attorney’s Office of selective prosecution for pursuing suspected “far-right, white supremacist nationalists” but not “Antifa and other extremist, far-left groups.” Carney wrote...

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. - This oceanside enclave is a lot like the rest of coastal California: Its signature pier juts into the Pacific as waves big enough to make surfers salivate break beyond miles of white sand. But when it comes to politics, this city of 200,000 south of Los Angeles loudly defies the blue-state stereotypes. Lately, the beach town has become a battleground, its council chambers a coliseum for culture warriors. The conservatives who now control city government have pursued policies that position Huntington Beach as the ideological counterweight to the state’s liberal leaders. In the past year alone,...

HUNTINGTON BEACH, California, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Bisecting a wide sandy beach, the Huntington Beach pier beckons tourists and surfers alike, creating a break in the waves that helps gives the city its nickname: Surf City, USA. It is a scene as laidback as the name would suggest - and a stark contrast to the political hostility spilling out of City Hall just a short drive inland.

Lacking power at the state level, conservatives are leaning into local governance to protest California’s progressive politics. The fight in Huntington Beach could be a harbinger of what’s to come.

Reports of "aggressive shark behavior" have temporarily shut down a two-mile stretch of a popular California beach, officials said Sunday. Witnesses at Sunset Beach in the Southern California town of Huntington Beach told lifeguards that a shark was splashing and acting aggressively at 3:45 p.m. on Nov. 5 before a whale washed up on shore. "While the whale was still alive, bite marks were seen on the mammal," the city said in an alert posted on social media. The young whale was beached near lifeguard tower 22. "As is the City’s policy when aggressive shark behavior is witnessed, the shoreline...

A Huntington Beach City Council decision over what flags to fly in front of city government buildings made earlier this week received increased scrutiny on Thursday with more LGBT groups demanding that the rainbow-striped gay pride flag be allowed to fly again.

As California goes, so goes the nation, or so they say. If that rings true, the nation is set for a reversal of some of its strictest renewable energy plans, after the Huntington Beach City Council voted to dump its plan for 100% renewable energy...Huntington Beach, California, is changing the plan it had in place with the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) - a nonprofit offering clean energy.But its recent history in a rather unfavorable media limelight has given the city council pause.And Huntington Beach wasn’t the first municipality to pull out - Orange County bailed on the green power...

Shocking surveillance footage shows California jewelry store workers fighting back after several smash-and-grabber robbers rush into the shop and attempt to make off with valuable gems. FOX 5 San Diego obtained the video showing at least four individuals wearing hooded sweatshirts run into Princess Bride Diamonds, located in Bella Terra mall in Huntington Beach. One of the suspects uses a hammer to smash open a glass display case, as others rush in carrying backpacks. But workers at the store quickly jumped into action, running toward the would-be thieves. The employees, including a brother and sister who work for their father...

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — A California coastal panel on Thursday rejected a long-standing proposal to build a $1.4 billion seawater desalination plant to turn Pacific Ocean water into drinking water as the state grapples with persistent drought that is expected to worsen in coming years with climate change. The state’s Coastal Commission voted unanimously to deny a permit for Poseidon Water to build a plant to produce 50 million gallons of water a day in Huntington Beach, southeast of Los Angeles. Poseidon said it was disappointed in the decision. “California continues to face a punishing drought, with no end...

The proposed plant would operate like Poseidon Water’s site in Carlsbad, where ocean water is put through a process that includes using thousands of pressure vessels and reverse osmosis to remove the salt. Poseidon officials say that from the time the water comes in from the ocean, it takes just about two hours to get it to the point where people can drink it. In California, where water sources are shrinking, proponents of the project say the plant will provide a great drought-proof source of water. In Huntington Beach, about 107 million gallons of seawater a day would be used...

The slick, which was first reported on Saturday afternoon, is thought to come from a pipeline leak connected to an offshore oil platform known as Elly and seeped into nearby Huntington Beach, including in Talbert Marsh, which is home to about 90 species of birds, according to the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy. Officials on Sunday said they’ve measured a 5.8-mile oil plume running from the Huntington Beach Pier to Newport Beach, and was reported to be “approximately 13 square miles in size.” Authorities are urging people to avoid the beach areas around Huntington Beach and Newport Beach. The oil spill...

Canines and humans hit the waves Saturday at the annual Surf City Surf Dog competition in Huntington Beach. Competitors had 12 minutes to catch their top five waves and be judged on confidence level, length of ride and overall ability to ride. [photos at link]

A man was shot and killed at Huntington Beach in Southern California on Saturday afternoon where hundreds of people were gathered nearby at the U.S. Open of Surfing competition. The incident occurred at around 3:15pm close to the pier. Witnesses managed to capture the shooting on camera. Pictures and video posted to Twitter sees the suspect lying on the sand surrounded by half a dozen police officers, many of them with their weapons drawn and aimed at the man. ... ...One eyewitness told TMZ police were chasing the man who had already been shot once by cops....

Since March, dozens of brown pelicans appear to have been seriously injured by a person or people in Orange County, conservationists said. The lifeguards in Orange County, Calif., brought the injured brown pelicans to the veterinarian one at a time, the birds’ large wings mutilated, their bones twisted and fractured... ...Of the 32 brown pelicans that Mrs. Wayns and her team have treated since March, only 10 have survived, she said. The low survival rate is tied to the “extensive injuries that have been brought to them,” Mrs. Wayns said in an interview on Tuesday. Debbie McGuire, executive director of...

Los Angeles (CNN)A social media post telling people to show up to a party in Huntington Beach led to the unlawful assembly of more than 2,500 people, police said.... ..."The initial crowd at the beach grew in size and moved to the downtown area where it was estimated to be over 2,500," the Huntington Beach Police Department said in a statement.... ..."As the crowd size continued to grow rapidly, large groups disbursed into various locations throughout the area, throwing bottles, rocks, fireworks, and other items...

HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA) — It was back to the classroom this week for the 120 teachers in the Huntington Beach Union High School District who have been teaching from home since the school year began. The option of remote teaching is no longer being offered by the district, which has prompted a group of students to organize a virtual strike in support of their teachers who have been forced to use their sick time or take a leave of absence if they do not feel safe returning to campus. “The teachers who felt OK to be there, a majority of...

Looks like walking on Pier is "essential" and so is surfing. Good! Revolt!

"Racists Are Going To Racist, And This Pandemic Is No Different," blared the headline on Twitter. "‘Reopen’ Protests Are Motivated By Racism, Lack of Concern for Black and Brown Lives," screamed the cover title. A helpful subtitle explained, “This op-ed argues that the calls to ‘liberate’ America are rooted in white entitlement.” All courtesy of everyone's favorite childish social justice warrior mag, Teen Vogue. Author Kandist Mallett began by complaining about “mostly white bodies who were not wearing masks nor practicing social distancing” on Huntington Beach, California. These beachgoers, who actually were spread out despite deceiving pictures, were blasted over...

An organization called We Have Rights is in downtown Los Angeles and Huntington Beach, where beaches were closed by order of Gov. Gavin Newsom after large crowds descended last weekend. In Huntington Beach, the demonstrators were shoulder-to-shoulder with beachgoers defying the beach closure orders. Several people were spotted riding bicycles and carrying surfboards to the water in defiance of the governor’s orders. “I’m here because I want our salon open,” said protestor Tami Avants. “I think everybody is essential.” An estimated 2,500 to 3,000 people were just feet from the shores, calling for the governor to end shutdown orders. “The...