Bergeson Rejects Request to Shelve Bolsa Chica Bill

State Sen. Marian Bergeson (R-Newport Beach) said Wednesday that she won’t consider the Huntington Beach City Council’s request to withdraw her bill to create a special assessment district for the Bolsa Chica wetlands area until after a June 9 public hearing on the issue.

But Bergeson--whose bill would create a privately controlled special district to govern early stages of a proposed marina and residential development in the environmentally sensitive marshlands next to Huntington Beach--expressed frustration in trying to satisfy the city’s concerns.

“Quite frankly,” Bergeson said, establishing precisely what Huntington Beach is seeking from the bill is “like trying to find out what an octopus wants by looking at one of its tentacles. We’ve submitted amendment after amendment. We’ve tried for two years now.”

The City Council voted 5 to 2 Tuesday night to request that Bergeson shelve the bill until such concerns as payment for sand replenishment and wetlands restoration are resolved. The council also set the public hearing date in the event Bergeson wouldn’t delay the bill.

“In the meantime, a number of us are going to try prevailing on Bergeson to put this thing on hold,” Mayor John Erskine said.

Bergeson said she views the county’s support of her bill as most critical to state legislators who will hear it this month because the development is in unincorporated territory and was approved by the County Board of Supervisors.