Spring has sprung. What beautiful weather we have had. Yet, though the weather has been wonderful, we are in a serious drought. The State has required that we enact strict water conservation measures and I’ve talked to many of you who are doing your best to use less water and be more efficient in your water usage. It looks like our efforts need to continue through the spring and summer and hope next year brings us the much needed rain.
For more information on water conservation and how to do your part, check out the City’s new, user friendly website! On anther note, the 5/10K walk/run was a great success this weekend. This event is not only fun, but supports many of our recreation and youth programs. Thank you to all who help make this a great event: organizers, participants and sponsors.
Here are some things that may interest you:
Coffee Chat at Bogart’s
Friday, April 17, from 4 to 6 p.m.
Join me and our swimming pool consultants!
Join me for a cup of coffee and good conversation on Friday, April 17 at 4 p.m. The Swimming Pool outreach will be one topic of conversation as the consultants will be with me to answer any questions you may have. I had a lot of questions for them and found them to be very knowledgeable. It is a big decision and one not to be taken lightly. So come, be part of the process and help us make the right decisions. We look forward to seeing you at Bogart’s at Main and Ocean.
Easter Sunrise Service on the Beach
Sunday, April 5, the First United Methodist Church will conduct Easter Services on the beach, west of the pier between the hours of 6:30 to 8:30 a.m.
28th Annual Seal Beach Car Show
The Car Show along Main Street will be held on Saturday, April 25th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Come, check out the cars and meet your neighbors for a day of vintage fun.
Traffic signal operations
There have been some questions recently about our traffic signal operations so I met with our Director of Public Works Sean Crumby to discuss this and those signals at on-ramps to the 405 Freeway which are owned and operated by our state transportation department Caltrans. The signals on Seal Beach Boulevard have a fiber optic communication system that allows the City to coordinate those signal with each other. Our City traffic signals are timed such that the cycle of the signal varies between 60 and 120 seconds. Each signal has multiple modes that have the timing set differently for the morning rush, the evening rush, and the rest of the day. The system is continuously being improved and the City is currently building a traffic management center to better monitor the signals. If you have concerns or a questions about any of the signals feel free to call our Public Works Department about how our traffic signals operate in Seal Beach. Seal Beach has a total of 23 traffic signals. Most of the signals lie on Seal Beach Boulevard, Westminster Avenue, and Lampson Avenue. The traffic signals on Pacific Coast Highway 562-431-2527 ext. 1317.
Questions about the ships off shore
Another question that has come up lately is about the ships offshore. The work slow-down has been settled, but it will still take months to get the ships into the ports and unloaded. I met with Congressman Dana Rohrabacher and after his looking into the issue, here is his report:The U.S. Coast Guard and the Marine Exchange of Southern California provided the following information that addresses your concerns:
• The typical time a cargo vessel spends in the congestion queue to the ports is three to four days.
• The average number of vessels in the queue on a given day is 30.
The Marine Exchange Current Vessels Traffic report dated March 12, 2015 shows 33 “congestion” vessels at anchor awaiting berth.
• All vessels have an on-board effluent holding facility, the contents of which are not permitted discharged within 12 miles of the coast.
• The U.S. Coast Guard monitors the vessels for compliance with laws and regulations.
• Ship crews remain on-board while queuing at-anchor and at berth.
Beach Clean Up
Each month SaveOurBeach.org holds beach and wetland clean ups.
If you would like to join in to keep our beach and wetlands cleaner, you can sign up online for the next cleanup.
Bring your kids and grandchildren and meet at the First Street Parking Lot.
I hope you will join me at a Coffee Chat so we can talk about what is important to you. That helps me to represent you better.
Seal Beach Mayor Ellery Deaton is the councilwoman for District Three, which includes Old Town and Surfside.
