CITY ROUNDUP:

The California Coastal Commission was scheduled to meet Wednesday to consider the long-debated Parkside Estates housing development south of Warner Avenue on the west side of Graham Street.

While developer Shea Properties aimed to convince the commission that the agency’s staff was requiring too much protected open space, environmentalists who oppose the development said most of the land was endangered habitat or wetlands.

It was not clear by press time what the result of the meeting would be.

For coverage of the meeting and its aftermath, check the Independent website at www.hbindependent.com.

Youth ambassador deadline approaching

The Sister City Assn. of Huntington Beach is taking applications for youth ambassadors to visit Japan or New Zealand in an annual exchange program. High school freshmen, sophomores or juniors can sign up for the two-week reciprocal exchange.

Ambassadors go to Waitakere, New Zealand, over spring break, while others go to Anjo, Japan, in August.

Their counterparts in Japan and New Zealand visit Huntington Beach in July, timed so they can attend Fourth of July festivities.

Some costs are paid by the Sister City Assn. For an application, go to the Huntington Beach library, City Hall, or www.hbsistercity.org. The deadline is Wednesday.

For information, call Carmen Erber at (714) 846-7685.

Harman to moderate panel on housing programs

State Sen. Tom Harman will moderate a panel in Newport Beach on employer-assisted housing programs today. The event, organized by the Orange County Housing Trust, runs from 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. at the Radisson Hotel, 4545 MacArthur Blvd.; tickets are required.

Harman’s panel is scheduled to discuss government incentives for companies that provide housing assistance for their employees. Panelists include officials from the California Dept. of Housing and Community Development, the Orange Housing Development Corporation, and the California Chamber of Commerce. For more information or tickets, call the Orange County Housing Trust, (949) 559-9382.

Taxpayers Assn. gives Silva perfect score

Assemblyman Jim Silva received a perfect score this year on the California Taxpayers’ Assn.’s annual legislative report card. He received 100% from a decades-old statewide advocacy group, which generally opposes raising taxes.

“Assemblyman Silva’s voting record shows that he has a true concern for the taxpayers of California and their family budgets,” Cal-Tax’s acting President Teresa Casazza said in a news release. “Assemblyman Silva understands how the tax burden impacts the lives of the people who pay the tax bills, and he has consistently voted to allow Californians to keep more of their hard-earned money.”

Harman said he is upset with the group over his 94% report card score, saying they made a bad call on the vote that kept him from 100%.

The issue comes down to a vote in committee on the bill AB 1561, which tweaks various tax provisions partially in an attempt to comply with federal guidelines. The taxpayer group’s legislative guide supported the bill, saying “conformity eases the burden of tax compliance;” Harman, on the other hand, contends the net result raises taxes, something he has pledged never to do.

“If Cal Tax wants to include AB 1561 as part of their score card this year, then I guess I would prefer a near perfect score than a 100%,” he wrote in a letter to constituents.