DUBIOUS DISTINCTIONS:

In 2007, thousands invaded our borders.

They took up residence in low-lying areas near the coast, evading authorities and often reacting aggressively when confronted. It was rumored the intruders were procreating.

Residents were warned to seal their doors and windows against the threat. But despite best efforts, “sometimes they get in the house just because you’re coming in the door,” one Huntington Beach resident reported.

How were we to know that opening an inlet from the ocean to the wetlands for the first time in 100 years would spawn an invasion of black salt-marsh mosquitoes? That seems a problem for another backyard.

County vector control agents did what they could to fight the infestation, caused by changes to the Bolsa Chica wetlands. It seems the restoration of the tidal inlet had inadvertently created an area of standing water that served as a perfect breeding ground for the biting midges.

Figuring out just where to spray was a difficult task, because every time the tide was high, the marsh endured a bit of reshaping, according to an Orange County Vector Control spokesman. Workers never could quite predict where to spray to stop the mosquitoes from hatching.

While many good environmental deeds don’t go unpunished, there is something to be grateful for. The long-lived, wide-ranging and vicious black salt-marsh mosquito is not a carrier of the dangerous West Nile virus.

WARDROBE MALFUNCTION

Another pest came before the City Council in 2007: the public nudist.

At issue was the specific individual liberty to go naked, even if it meant one’s neighbors might see.

Naturists (people who believe, among other things, that clothing should be optional) appealed to the City Council not to pass an ordinance banning public nudity. But the police chief requested such a law after complaints that a downtown man was repeatedly appearing in public in the buff.

The City Council decided to put a law on the books with a unanimous vote in August that bans nudity in the public view. But wording the ordinance was not easy. In early drafts, a person would have been in violation merely by exposing their “natal cleft.”

Realizing the jails would soon be filled with refrigerator repairmen and other hard-working people who must bend over to make their living, the council deleted the reference to the human intergluteal crevice. They also deleted the reference to keep certain types of bikinis legal.

With the new law, “we remain thong-friendly in Huntington Beach,” according to Councilman Don Hansen.

AVIAN CRUELTY

While officially banning public nudity may have provided some of the lighter moments for city government in 2007, there was more disturbing news of dubious distinction.

In January, a mallard duck was rescued from a flood-control drainage area after being shot through the breast with a 24-inch arrow. It was the second time a wild bird had been found in the city with such an injury. An Egyptian goose was found earlier with a 29-inch arrow in its neck.

Both birds were treated at the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center, which offered $1,000 each for information resulting in an arrest and conviction about the shooters of both birds. The mallard died in February of infection caused by its injuries.

Even more shocking: officials have said the bird shootings are probably not related.

POT-FREE ZONING CODE

A battle in the war on drugs was fought in Huntington Beach in 2007.

The city planning commission recently voted to strip medical marijuana dispensaries out of the zoning code.

Those against the dispensaries say they infect their communities with crime, and attract drug users bent on taking advantage of a system meant to help the sick. The federal Drug Enforcement Agency is on watch for business owners within the city that may be renting to clinics.

Yet the issue of medical marijuana has gained support in California, even in conservative Orange County.

“The federal government should be spending its money interdicting drug traffickers, not trying to go and get someone in treatment for cancer who’s smoking marijuana so it ignites some hunger after radiation,” said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, who is ironically, one of Congress’ strongest federal advocates for medical cannabis.

COST OF LIVING

Finally, 2007 was not without controversy over the government payroll.

State pay raises went into effect recently, though Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger suggested lawmakers consider turning down the 2.75% increase because of a projected $10 billion deficit in the state budget next year.

Among those to accept the raise was State Sen. Tom Harman, who had been singing for spending cuts in the state budget.

“Yes, I have elected to accept [the raise],” Harman said in early December. “I don’t even think this is particularly newsworthy.”

Assemblyman Chuck DeVore said he worked very hard and should get more money. Assemblyman Jim Silva said he needed the $3,000 raise.

“I know when I pay my bills they don’t say, ‘Well, you took a cut so we won’t increase your costs for food or insurance,’” Silva said.

Who can’t sympathize with that?