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The Orange County Tribune June 7, 2023

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MIDWEEK EDITION

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Volume 3, Number 42 n orangecountytribune.com n Wednesday, June 7, 2023 n orangecountytribune@gmail.com

n HUNTINGTON BEACH CITY COUNCIL

Form Panel to Revise the City Charter A divided Huntington Beach City Council voted Tuesday night to form an ad hoc council committee to recommend proposed changes to the city charter. The vote was split along familiar lines, with Mayor Tony Strickland Mayor Pro Tem Gracey Van Der Mark and Councilmembers Pat Burns and Casey McKeon in favor, with Councilmembers Rhonda Bolton, Dan Kalmick and Natalie Moser opposed. Burns suggested the creation of the committee, to consist of Strickland and

two council colleagues of his choosing. The recommendations would need to come back to the council in time to make the deadline to appear on the March 5, 2024 primary election ballot. Also on Tuesday night, the council voted 7-0 to continue a public hearing on adoption of the municipal budget to the June 20 meeting. City staff told the council that while the budget was balanced for the next two years, a deficit is projected for 2024-25 or 2025-26. Due Continued on page 2

Ground-breaking for Brookhurst Place 2.0 Long-timers may remember the land at the northwest corner of Garden Grove Boulevard and Brookhurst Street as the home of the Smith Ford and Brookhurst Dodge car dealerships. Today’s motorists driving by may think of it as just one big empty lot. Soon, it will rise as Phase II of the Brookhurst Place development which will bring a mix of housing, commercial and retail

space, a hotel and more to the 14-acre site. On Tuesday, the groundbreaking was held for Phase II with city officials and Ronnie Lam, CEO and president of Kam Sang, the developer. Mayor Pro Tem George Brietigam said, “It comes during a great time for our city, when we are dynamically re-energizing ourselves, to coin a phrase from our mayor, Continued on page 2

BILL SHOPOFF (with scissors) at the opening of the Uptown Newport Park project.

Bill Shopoff, the man behind the new Bolsa Pacific project By Jim Tortolano Orange County Tribune

Westminster Mall, the now-fading shopping center that was once the retail jewel of its namesake city, was originally a cutting edge development that was anchored by four – four! – department stores. Now, its planned replacement, Bolsa Pacific at Westminster, is intended to once again place that location at the forefront of modern development and – incidentally – help restore its place as a major tax generator for the city. William “Bill” Shopoff, 65, is the man behind the plan. As head of Shopoff Realty Investments, he’s built the sprawling Uptown Newport development combining residential, commercial and retail uses, as well as two parks. Now he and his firm turn their attention to Westminster and its mall. “We recognized the opportunity to add much-needed housing to the City

FRONT VIEW Bolsa Pacific project

of Westminster, removing the underutilized department store space and replacing with housing, a muchneeded element for the community,” he said. “We believe the re-birth of this area will start with this incredible mixed-use development that will once again become a gathering point for the community for decades to come.” The 26-acre project would include: Continued on page 2

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