Huntington Beach business owners speak on U.S. Open of Surfing’s financial impact
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Eastside businesses
Recent ICE raids around Southern California have prompted businesses to scale down hours, retool operations or temporarily shut down. Street vendors have eliminated seating areas. Storefronts display signs warning off immigration authorities: “Private Property” or “ICE is not welcome here.” Some shops now unlock their doors only to known customers, at times with children acting as gatekeepers. These urgent precautions, business owners say, are necessary to protect staff and customers. In response to the growing concern, the Boyle Heights Chamber of Commerce has scheduled a workshop for June 30. The workshop aims to equip business owners with tools to protect their workplace and employees in the event ICE agents arrive at their property. In some cases, children of taqueros are stepping in to manage their parents’ businesses. In other cases, regular customers have sent their regular customers to do the shopping for them, likely out of fear of exposure due to their immigration status due to the raids. The L.A. County Department of Economic Opportunity is conducting a study to study the impact of the raids on small businesses.
Why now: Recent ICE raids around Southern California have prompted businesses to scale down hours, retool operations or temporarily shut down – drawing comparisons to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. In some cases, children of taqueros are stepping in to manage their parents’ businesses .
What’s happening: Street vendors have eliminated seating areas. Storefronts display signs warning off immigration authorities: “Private property” or “ICE is not welcome here.” Some shops now unlock their doors only to known customers, at times with children acting as gatekeepers. These urgent precautions, business owners say, are necessary to protect staff and customers.
Read the full story
This story was originally published by Boyle Heights Beat on June 25, 2025.
Across Boyle Heights and East L.A., where immigrant communities form the backbone of the local economy, fear sparked by recent ICE raids has reshaped daily business.
Street vendors have eliminated seating areas. Storefronts display signs warning off immigration authorities: “Private Property” or “ICE is not welcome here.” Some shops now unlock their doors only to known customers, at times with children acting as gatekeepers.
These urgent precautions, business owners say, are necessary to protect staff and customers.
At Jason’s Tacos in East L.A., owner Jason Devora was forced to overhaul his business after federal agents raided his taco truck on June 12. One employee and several customers were taken, he said, leaving grills unattended and his truck deserted.
“We’re now doing phone orders just to have everything ready. We’re doing everything to-go and we have our trompo up there,” Devora said, pointing to his food truck behind him.
Devora’s new model – pre-orders and no lingering – aims to reduce the time his customers spend outside his truck waiting for food and vulnerable to a potential ICE raid. He brought in his brother to replace his detained employee and is working to launch a delivery service.
Devora’s story is not unique. Recent ICE raids around Southern California have prompted businesses to scale down hours, retool operations or temporarily shut down – drawing comparisons to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. In some cases, children of taqueros are stepping in to manage their parents’ businesses.
Graciela Ruiz, owner of La Mexicana Bakery in East L.A., took proactive steps to discourage agents from entering.
“I don’t want [to give] access to my business, and I don’t want [ICE] coming here to bother anyone here – either the customers or the employees,” Ruiz said, pointing to a row of anti-ICE signs against her panaderia’s window. “That’s the reason I put them.”
She admits business has slowed at her panaderia – noticeably but not drastically.
Next door, at Mexican restaurant La Que Si Llena, several employees said business had fallen off. The eatery began to offer local delivery to make up for the lack of business. On a recent weekday, they closed at 2:30 p.m., five hours earlier than usual.
In Boyle Heights, Leo Guerrero and his wife have also seen a shift at their discount clothing and furniture store.
“Usually, I don’t like to pick up the phone. But now I’m picking up,” Guerrero said with desperation in his voice. “I’d rather have [customers] come here and look around, but now they’re calling, getting one thing and then, boom, they’re out the door.”
Guerrero suspects that some of his regular customers have sent their children to do the shopping for them, likely out of fear of exposure due to their immigration status. He considered staying open later to give customers more chances to shop. But with fewer sales and rising fear, it may not be enough.
Warning signs are displayed at La Mexicana Bakery in East L.A. Luis Cano / Boyle Heights Beat )
In response to the growing concern, the Boyle Heights Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, has scheduled a business readiness workshop for June 30. The in-person session aims to equip business owners with tools, training, and resources to protect their workplace and employees in the event ICE agents arrive at their property.
Meanwhile, L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis introduced a motion directing the Department of Economic Opportunity to study the raids’ economic impact on small businesses. The report will also explore ways to support them “in a manner that is responsive to their language and immigration needs.”
For some businesses, no level of adaptation can offset the chilling effect of the raids.
Along 6th Street, a manager of a taqueria argued that the economic impact of the ICE raids has already hurt his business more than the pandemic. The owner, who chose to identify himself only as Mario out of fear for his safety, says he now closes an hour early after losing half of his regular business.
“We’re all afraid of the raids,” he said. “And now, a lot of these other businesses around me just don’t show up.”
US Open of Surfing Draws Crowd, Sponsors to Huntington Beach, with Eye on 2028 Olympics
Huntington Beach’s biggest surfing and action sports festival has a new set of local and international sponsors. Nearly 400,000 attended the just-completed event, which has been hosted in Huntington Beach since 1959. Longtime sponsor Vans of Costa Mesa opted against participating in the event, one of several recent changes for the sneaker and apparel company. The 2023 edition of the surf event included a return for Costa Mesa apparel co. Hurley, which reentered as a brand partner after bowing out from the title sponsorship in 2013 when Vans initially took over. The event also marked the debut for Thrill One Sports & Entertainment, a three-year old media and events firm in Costa Mesa headed by new Chief Executive Matt Cohn. The fast-growing company is valued around $300 million after being acquired by new owners with ties to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) sports brand. It is looking to build an all-encompassing platform for motocross, motorsports, skateboarding and other amped-up action sports.
The Wallex US Open of Surfing, touted as the largest surfing competition and action sports festival in the world, took place along Surf City’s coastline between July 29 and Aug. 6.
The attendance figure is among tops for the event, which has been hosted in Huntington Beach since 1959. Last year’s event also had about 400,000 attendees.
It’s the first year that Wallex, a global payment services provider based in Asia, was associated with the event.
Longtime sponsor Vans of Costa Mesa opted against participating in the event, one of several recent changes for the sneaker and apparel company (see story, page 7).
Local Presence
Even without Vans’ participation, Costa Mesa companies were still front and center at the event, whose total economic impact—encompassing hotel use, restaurants, and other retail spending—was estimated to be $96 million in 2022, according to the city’s tourism-centered marketing organization Visit Huntington Beach.
The US Open is Huntington Beach’s second largest event behind the Pacific Airshow, which brings in close to three million attendees in one weekend, and counts an estimated economic impact of $120 million.
The 2023 edition of the surf event included a return for Costa Mesa apparel co. Hurley, which reentered as a brand partner after bowing out from the title sponsorship in 2013 when Vans initially took over.
This year’s event also marked the debut for Thrill One Sports & Entertainment, a three-year old media and events firm in Costa Mesa headed by new Chief Executive Matt Cohn.
The fast-growing company is valued around $300 million after being acquired by new owners with ties to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) sports brand.
“These are brands who want to be a part of the coastal, surf community,” Cherie Cohen, World Surf League’s (WSL) chief revenue officer and advisor, told the Business Journal.
The World Surf League oversees the sporting portion of the annual event.
Other notable OC backers of the event included Newport beach’s Hoag, which served as a healthcare partner to help with medical assistance on-site.
Gold Goal
Traction for the US Open has grown alongside increasing interest in the sport, with Surf City looking to capitalize.
Visit Huntington Beach, the city’s destination management organization, or DMO, is aiming to make Surf City a more notable event and tourism destination along the California coastline by becoming the beach venue for the surfing competition in the 2028 Olympics taking place in and around Los Angeles.
“If we get the [Olympic] games, it’s game on,” Visit Huntington Beach Chief Executive Kelly Miller said at a summit event in June.
“As the sport grows, and as we enter into the Olympics for surfing, we see this becoming an event that the country and world view as one of the premier sporting events of the year,” Cohen said.
New Thrills
Companies want in on the action.
Thrill One, for example, is using the US Open as an early step to expand its portfolio of “thrill-based” sports events worldwide (see story, this page).
The events and content business is looking to build an all-encompassing platform for motocross, motorsports, skateboarding and other amped-up action sports.
Along with a pair of institutional investors, including one with ties to the UFC’s former owners, well-known sports and media personalities that put their money into the company were UFC President Dana White and skateboarder-turned-entrepreneur Rob Dyrdek.
New Sponsor
World Surf League added Wallex as the event’s title sponsor following Vans’ exit from the role this year, announced in February. The amount that Wallex paid for the title sponsorship wasn’t disclosed.
The deal was only meant for this year, “although they’ve already expressed interest in increasing investment in 2024,” Cohen said.
The new sponsor is intended to bring more global awareness to the event. Wallex also sponsors one of the event’s competitors, professional surfer Leo Fioravanti from Italy.
Cohen expected the event to generate between 50 to 75 million social media views through the US Open’s livestream, celebrity partnerships such as acress Rosario Dawson and other marketing efforts.
The US Open is key in promoting the region to the professional sports community, Cohen said.
“It’s important to the health of our sport that Orange County becomes vital in developing elite athletes,” Cohen said.
Almost 170 athletes participated in the US Open this year, with the top 18 at the end of the championship tour set to qualify for the upcoming Olympic games, which already include Fioravanti and local Griffin Colapinto.
Nitro Circus Heads to the Beach
At the just-completed Wallex US Open of Surfing, Costa Mesa’s Thrill One Sports & Entertainment hosted a Nitro Circus exhibition that featured live demonstrations of BMX, skating, freestyle motocross (FMX) tricks and talent, such as bikers jumping 75 feet from ramps that stood 45 feet tall on a runaway at the southern edge of the festival space.
The Nitro Circus display and a new concert stage replaced Vans’ skate park and Van Doren Village from last year.
The event was added to “invigorate and add new life” to the US Open, according to WSL’s Cohen.
“We want to keep this event young, vital, and growing,” Cohen said.
The Nitro Circus event has been held at Anaheim’s Honda Center for the past two decades, with this year’s event planned for October. The US Open iteration is roughly one-third of the scale of the Anaheim event.
Other organizations in Thrill One’s sports portfolio include Street League Skateboarding (SLS), Nitrocross and Superjacket Productions.
“Being able to collaborate with long standing and powerful brands [like WSL] helps catapult us and aligns us to perform in that same threshold,” Nitro Circus General Manager Ricky Melnik told the Business Journal.
The beach exhibit might lead the firm to continue working with WSL at future events, Melnik said.
Vans US Open of Surfing: A wave of excitement as beach festival nears
The Vans US Open of Surfing hosted on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier is part of Surf City’s identity. The mega, nine-day event kicking off July 30 had been a staple in the sun-drenched beach town – until the pandemic wiped out the 2020 competition. This year, the event makes its big comeback, bringing with it a wave of excitement not just on the sand and in the surf, but throughout the coastal city and beyond. Pop-up kiosks in front of downtown surf shops are already selling merchandise, beachfront hotels are booked and restaurants and bars are bracing for the uptick in business that comes with the influx of visitors who flock to the event. The event, which brings tens of thousands of people to the week-long surfing competition, will begin on Saturday, July 30, and end on Sunday, August 7, 2022. “This is such a legendary event, it’s iconic,” said Jennifer Lau, vice president of IMG Action Sports.
The mega, nine-day event kicking off July 30 had been a staple in the sun-drenched beach town – until the pandemic wiped out the 2020 competition and severely reduced last year’s festival. This year, the event makes its big comeback, bringing with it a wave of excitement not just on the sand and in the surf, but throughout the coastal city and beyond.
Pop-up kiosks in front of downtown surf shops are already selling merchandise, beachfront hotels are booked and restaurants and bars are bracing for the uptick in business that comes with the influx of visitors who flock to the event.
The past two years, Huntington Beach has felt the pandemic’s impact on the US Open; even though the surfing competition was held last year, none of the other action sports events were hosted and the footprint of what was held was significantly smaller.
“It’s like bringing the band back together,” said Jennifer Lau, vice president of IMG Action Sports, which has owned the US Open of Surfing since 2001. “This is such a legendary event, it’s iconic. It’s the US Open of Surfing… you can feel the buzz around it.”
Major surf contests at the pier have always been a part of the town’s identity, dating back to the late 1950s when the West Coast Surfing Championships brought the era’s best surfers out to compete.
Some of the many shirts on sale at Huntington Surf and Sport for the upcoming US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Thursday, July 21, 2022. The event, which brings tens of thousands of people to the week-long surfing competition, will be held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier, and will begin on Saturday, July 30, and end on Sunday, August 7, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers build the skate park on the beach in preparation for the upcoming US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Thursday, July 21, 2022. The event, which brings tens of thousands of people to the week-long surfing competition, will be held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier, and will begin on Saturday, July 30, and end on Sunday, August 7, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
One of the many shirts on sale at Huntington Surf and Sport for the upcoming US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Thursday, July 21, 2022. The event, which brings tens of thousands of people to the week-long surfing competition, will be held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier, and will begin on Saturday, July 30, and end on Sunday, August 7, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Two cyclists cruise past one of the various structures erected on the beach for the upcoming US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Thursday, July 21, 2022. The event, which brings tens of thousands of people to the week-long surfing competition, will be held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier, and will begin on Saturday, July 30, and end on Sunday, August 7, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Work continues on the various structures erected on the beach for the upcoming US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Thursday, July 21, 2022. The event, which brings tens of thousands of people to the week-long surfing competition, will be held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier, and will begin on Saturday, July 30, and end on Sunday, August 7, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Stan Gray, left, Jose Saavedra, center, and Ken Wong, right, of Fastsigns in Long Beach, apply large logos to the what will be the roof of a structure on the beach in preparation for the upcoming US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Thursday, July 21, 2022. The event, which brings tens of thousands of people to the week-long surfing competition, will be held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier, and will begin on Saturday, July 30, and end on Sunday, August 7, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Work continues on the various structures erected on the beach for the upcoming US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Thursday, July 21, 2022. The event, which brings tens of thousands of people to the week-long surfing competition, will be held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier, and will begin on Saturday, July 30, and end on Sunday, August 7, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
People stop to check out the many shirts on sale at Huntington Surf and Sport for the upcoming US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Thursday, July 21, 2022. The event, which brings tens of thousands of people to the week-long surfing competition, will be held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier, and will begin on Saturday, July 30, and end on Sunday, August 7, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A worker on a lift puts a piece in place on one of the structures on the beach for the upcoming US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Thursday, July 21, 2022. The event, which brings tens of thousands of people to the week-long surfing competition, will be held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier, and will begin on Saturday, July 30, and end on Sunday, August 7, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers places logos on the windows of a beach structure in preparation for the upcoming US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Thursday, July 21, 2022. The event, which brings tens of thousands of people to the week-long surfing competition, will be held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier, and will begin on Saturday, July 30, and end on Sunday, August 7, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A sign on the beach lets beach goers know that work continues on the various beach structures for the upcoming US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Thursday, July 21, 2022. The event, which brings tens of thousands of people to the week-long surfing competition, will be held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier, and will begin on Saturday, July 30, and end on Sunday, August 7, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A Huntington Beach lifeguard scans the water from his tower as work continues on the various beach structures for the upcoming US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Thursday, July 21, 2022. The event, which brings tens of thousands of people to the week-long surfing competition, will be held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier, and will begin on Saturday, July 30, and end on Sunday, August 7, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Work continues on the various structures erected on the beach for the US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Thursday, July 21, 2022. The event, which brings tens of thousands of people to the week-long surfing competition, will be held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier, and will begin on Saturday, July 30, and end on Sunday, August 7, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A worker on a lift puts a piece in place on one of the structures on the beach for the upcoming US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Thursday, July 21, 2022. The event, which brings tens of thousands of people to the week-long surfing competition, will be held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier, and will begin on Saturday, July 30, and end on Sunday, August 7, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The oceanfront structures are in place for the upcoming US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Thursday, July 21, 2022. The event, which brings tens of thousands of people to the week-long surfing competition, will be held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier, and will begin on Saturday, July 30, and end on Sunday, August 7, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
People stop to check out the many shirts on sale at Huntington Surf and Sport for the upcoming US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Thursday, July 21, 2022. The event, which brings tens of thousands of people to the week-long surfing competition, will be held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier, and will begin on Saturday, July 30, and end on Sunday, August 7, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A skateboarder pulled by a dog cruises past one of the various structures erected on the beach for the upcoming US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Thursday, July 21, 2022. The event, which brings tens of thousands of people to the week-long surfing competition, will be held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier, and will begin on Saturday, July 30, and end on Sunday, August 7, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A variety of shirts on sale at Huntington Surf and Sport for the upcoming US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Thursday, July 21, 2022. The event, which brings tens of thousands of people to the week-long surfing competition, will be held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier, and will begin on Saturday, July 30, and end on Sunday, August 7, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG) Show Caption 1 of 18 Some of the many shirts on sale at Huntington Surf and Sport for the upcoming US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Thursday, July 21, 2022. The event, which brings tens of thousands of people to the week-long surfing competition, will be held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier, and will begin on Saturday, July 30, and end on Sunday, August 7, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG) Expand
The OP Pro in the ’80s featured more of a wild festival atmosphere to the beach, but after a riot broke out on the sand during a bikini contest and financial troubles ensued, it eventually rebranded into the US Open of Surfing in 1994.
The US Open has had its wilder years, at one time hosting a freestyle motocross contest on the sand, poker in the festival area and even 100 steer and 25 horses on the sand in 2007 to promote the OC Fair.
Big concerts about a decade ago drew a party crowd and the event again started to hit a tipping point. In 2013, a riot broke out in the downtown area following the surfing finals, causing police and officials to clamp down in following years.
These days, with Vans as title sponsor, the US Open has evolved into a more family friendly event, with everything from art stations to music lessons for kids, carnival games and, this year, surf lessons for youth just down the beach from where the pros are competing. There will also be an emphasis on sustainability and the environment this year, officials said.
Vans is also hosting music concerts nearby in Costa Mesa and other events, such as surf movie premieres, are happening far from the sand.
“Fan engagement and the experiences have evolved over the years,” Lau said. “That’s been really fun to create these programming elements to really enhance that fan experience.”
Getting the event back this year to full scale was a year-round effort, she said.
The actual build on the sand takes weeks, as workers scramble to set up scaffolds, VIP lounges, stadium-style seating on the sand and even a skate park – a staff of about 175 people bring it all together.
“With the pandemic and events, we were at a halt,” Lau said. “We want to be back in business, we’re ready to roll.”
Local businesses are happy about the uptick in workers, athletes and visitors flooding into Surf City.
Jacks Surfboards has already started selling official Vans US Open of Surfing apparel in front of its shop, said co-owner Ron Abdelfattah.
“With the US Open in town, it always brings more crowds and tourists,” he said. “A lot of people will be in town.”
The surf shop has been looking for extra staff to meet the needs of the influx of shoppers expected, but like many other industries the owners said they struggled with finding employees to meet demand.
Wahoo’s Fish Taco co-founder Wing Lam said he is also trying to staff up for the busy days, hoping to recoup losses from the event’s absence in recent years. The Baja-inspired, surfer-style grub also does catering for VIP areas at the event each year.
“There’s a lot of us (downtown) trying to catch up for the past couple of years,” he said.
The US Open of Surfing yields big profits for the restaurant, with sales usually up to 50% over a typical summer-day earning, he said.
“It’s just like Christmas week, Thanksgiving, Black Friday. It’s the same thing,” he said. “You get all these people from out of town, from all over the world. The hotels are booming, they are sold out.”
Direct visitor spending during the US Open of Surfing jumped from $21.5 million in 2010 to $55.8 million in 2018, more than doubling in less than a decade, according to Visit Huntington Beach’s last report released on the event’s economic impact.
A majority of visitors, 74%, spent at least some time shopping, while about 69% said they shopped and ate at local restaurants, according to the report. It was estimated that the overall economic impact to Huntington Beach of its visitor industry was $96.4 million in 2018.
Visitors spending during the US Open of Surfing also generated about $3.3 million in tax revenues for the city, the visitor’s bureau reported.
“I think the simple answer is: The entire community and region is really stoked that it’s back in its full capacity,” Visit Huntington Beach CEO Kelly Miller said.
Last year’s surf competition and scaled-down festival also were held later last year, in September after summer crowds left. “We certainly took a hit,” Miller said.
He said early figures show this could be one of the biggest US Open events yet, in terms of boosting the local economy, especially given what’s happening in tourism at the moment with a “drive market” looking to stay close to home because of high gas prices and airline troubles.
“It’s warm, it’s a safe place to be, lots of social distancing,” he said. “And it’s free.”
Vans US Open of Surfing
The nine-day event kicks off on July 30 and runs through Aug. 7.
Surf typically is the first event to kick off each day, with competitors in the water as early as 7:30 a.m. for the World Surf League’s Challenger Series, the week’s main attraction.
The Vans Duct Tape Invitational and Festival features longboard surfers from Aug. 2-7.
The BMX Waffle Cup is July 30-31 and the skateboarding Vans Showdown is Aug. 6-7.
Festival activities last throughout the day. Get in line to get free gear, check out the latest surf gear and other vendors in the Vans Community Market, watch shapers make surfboards, get your wetsuits patched up for free or hang out in one of the shaded lounge areas and just soak in the scenes.
Information: For a full schedule, go to: VansUSOpenofSurfing.com.
San Marino parcel tax
The San Marino Unified School District is asking voters to renew an annual $415 parcel tax to raise an estimated $1.6 million a year. At least two-thirds of voters need to approve Measure R for it to pass. The tax, Measure R, will expire June 30 without voter approval. “State funding simply doesn’t provide everything that’s needed for a great education in San Marino,” said Stephen Choi, the district’s chief business official. The district reports revenue from the tax supports 11 teaching and counseling positions. The current law allows elementary school classes and high school classes to maintain around 28 to 30 students and middle school class sizes around 32 to 32 students. The $200 million bond is reserved for renovation and repair projects and cannot be used for employee salaries, unlike parcel taxes, which are paid back with interest — like a loan. The measure assesses annual tax on every “parcel’ — in layman’S terms, property in the district. There are some owners who do not have to pay (more on those exemptions below)
The backstory: Parcel taxes are one of two avenues for school districts to raise public money outside of the state’s funding formula. “State funding simply doesn’t provide everything that’s needed for a great education in San Marino,” said Stephen Choi, the district’s chief business official. San Marino Unified voters first passed the predecessor to Measure R in 1991 and renewed the tax six times.
Why now: The tax, Measure R, will expire June 30 without voter approval. The district reports revenue from the tax supports 11 teaching and counseling positions.
Read the full story
Some San Gabriel Valley voters are back at the polls again this summer.
The San Marino Unified School District is asking voters to renew an annual $415 parcel tax to raise an estimated $1.6 million a year to fund programs for students, educator salaries, current class sizes, libraries and other services.
Measure R election results Polls closed on Tuesday, June 3. Returns from election night show Measure R is poised to pass with more than the two-thirds of votes needed. The results still need to be certified, but San Marino Unified voters have renewed the parcel tax six times since it was first passed in 1991. Read more.
The L.A. County Registrar-Recorder mailed ballots to registered voters earlier this month and prospective voters have until May 19 to register. Election Day is June 3 and at least two-thirds of voters need to approve Measure R for it to pass.
“Ultimately, the goal of this district is to provide and continue to provide that stable, high performing, wonderful experience that our students get the benefit from,” said Stephen Choi, the district’s chief business official. “Measure R provides that fiscal stability for our district.”
The measure assesses annual tax on every “parcel” — in layman’s terms, property in the district. There are some owners who do not have to pay (more on those exemptions below).
Official title on the ballot: San Marino School District Special Parcel Tax Election- Measure R.
You are being asked: Can the San Marino Unified School District collect $415 annually from property-owners in the district by way of a parcel tax to fund programs for students, educator salaries, current class sizes, libraries and other services?
What your vote means A “yes” vote means: The district can collect an annual $415 parcel tax to fund education programs, educator salaries, libraries and other services.
A “no” vote means: The district cannot collect an annual $415 parcel tax to fund education programs, educator salaries, libraries and other services.
Understanding Measure R
The San Marino Unified School District serves more than 2,900 students at four schools — K.L. Carver Elementary School, W.L. Valentine Elementary School, H.E. Huntington Middle School and San Marino High School.
California distributes funding to schools based on students’ average daily attendance and provides additional funding to support low-income students, foster youth and English language learners.
Nearly 19% of San Marino Unified students identify with at least one of those three categories .
“State funding simply doesn’t provide everything that’s needed for a great education in San Marino,” Choi said.
Parcel taxes are one of two avenues for school districts to raise public money outside of the state’s funding formula. Most parcel taxes consist of a flat fee for each eligible property ; another option sets a rate based on property size. Historically, parcel taxes are more likely than not to pass once placed on the ballot — this was true in November — and have been concentrated in wealthier school districts .
San Marino Unified voters first passed the predecessor to Measure R in 1991 and renewed the tax six times. The current iteration will expire June 30 without voter approval.
The district reports that Measure R supports 11 teaching and counseling positions. Choi said the money from the measure helps the district maintain elementary school classes of 20 to 25 students and middle and high school classes around 28 to 30 students.
California law allows elementary school class sizes of up to 32 students .
Listen • 0:41 San Marino voters asked to renew property tax to fund schools
Didn’t San Marino just pass a school funding measure?
Yes, but Measure M is different.
The $200 million bond is reserved for renovation and repair projects and unlike parcel taxes, cannot be used for employee salaries.
A bond is basically a loan that is paid back — with interest — through local property taxes.
The district estimated the bond would cost property owners that live within the school district’s boundaries an average of $60 per $100,000 of assessed value each year.
Wasn’t the lottery supposed to fund education? The lottery does contribute money to public education — L.A. County alone has gotten $11 billion since 1985 — but as revenues ballooned in recent years, school funding stagnated.
When California voters approved the creation of the lottery, the law required 34 cents of every dollar to fund education. In 2010 lawmakers changed the rules giving the lottery the mandate to “maximize” funding for education.
Now there are bigger jackpots, but fewer dollars for schools. A 2018 LAist investigation found the lottery’s contributions had dropped to 23 cents per dollar.
And in 2020, the California State Auditor found the lottery “has not provided required funding to education” and shorted schools tens of millions of dollars.
How it would work
If at least two-thirds of voters approve Measure R, San Marino Unified will gain $415 from every property owner in the district.
There are several groups of property owners that can apply to an exemption including those:
Aged 65 years or older
Receiving Supplemental Security Income for a disability
Receiving Social Security Disability Insurance benefits whose yearly income does not exceed 250% of the 2012 federal poverty guidelines . For example, that’s $57,625 for a family of four.
The exemption is not automatic; property owners must submit an application in person, via email or mail to the district.
Property owners who are already exempt from paying the parcel tax will also be exempted from the renewal.
The district estimates Measure R will raise about $1.6 million a year and plans to spend the money on:
Existing educational programs, including science and math
Teacher and counselor retention and recruitment
Maintaining class sizes
Libraries
Technology
Who is in charge of all this money?
L.A. County collects the money and deposits it into a specific account that the district can use on “specified purposes” listed in the ballot measure:
To support the maintenance of existing educational programs at current levels
To retain and attract the best qualified teachers and counselors
To maintain reduced class size
To support academic programs in science and math
To maintain district-wide school library services
To prevent the elimination of teachers specializing in the area of math and science
To maintain adequate technology systems for all students by retaining technology service technicians.
State law requires districts to prepare an annual report on how parcel tax dollars are spent. You can view San Marino Unified’s reports online .
The most recent report is from the 2023-24 school year and lists nine elementary, science and math teachers, and a library worker, counselor and systems analyst.
What people who support the parcel tax say
San Marino Unified voters have voted to renew Measure R six times since it was first passed in 1991.
“The lion’s share [of residents] have really felt that they’re getting tremendous value for their dollar, whether they’re property owners or renting here within the district,” said Christen Gair, chair of the committee campaigning to pass the measure.
Gair’s son is an eighth-grader at Huntington Middle School. She said he’s thrived, in part, because of the district’s rigorous math and science classes and the opportunity to participate in extracurricular programs like music, where he learned to play the tuba.
“With all the uncertainty at the state level, this source of funding just provides great continuity in terms of maintaining the academics that our community has really come to expect,” Gair said.
The governor’s most recent budget proposal includes a $12 billion deficit and delays some money for schools .
Several individuals and groups submitted an argument in favor of Measure R to the L.A. County Registrar-Recorder, including school volunteers, retired educators and the president of the San Marino Council of PTAs.
Read more:
What critics of parcel taxes say
No individual or group submitted an argument opposing Measure R to the L.A. County Registrar-Recorder.
The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is a frequent opponent of measures that increase property taxes. The nonprofit is dedicated to upholding Proposition 13, the 1978 constitutional amendment that limited changes to California property taxes.
The association has not taken a position on Measure R, but vice president of communications Susan Shelley said voters may want to consider the total cost of the district’s parcel taxes when making their decision.
“The district is not legally permitted to use public funds to campaign for a tax increase,” Shelley said in an email. “Residents should be watchful to make sure any mailings or other advertising are informational in nature and not selectively highlighting or omitting facts in a way that amounts to campaigning.”
The association takes reports of publicly funded campaigning by email or at (916) 444-9950.
Potential financial impact
Measure R will cost property owners $415 per parcel annually starting in July 2025 for six years.
Measure R renews an existing tax, so most property owners will not see a significant change in their property tax bill. However, there is a provision in the measure that allows increases of up to 3% annually to account for inflation.
The district estimates Measure R will raise about $1.6 million a year, though the amount will vary based on the number of property owners paying the tax and the adjustments for inflation.
Property owners will also see two other existing funding measures on their bill.
Measure E: A second parcel tax first approved by voters in 2009.
Cost: $968 a year, with exemptions for people over 65, some low-income and disabled property owners.
Money raised: $4 million a year.
Purpose: Fund about 30 positions, various academic and extracurricular programs.
Expiration: June 2027.
Measure M: A bond approved by voters in 2024.
Cost: An average of $60 per $100,000 of assessed property value.
Money raised: Up to $200 million over the life of the bond.
Purpose: Fund facility repairs, modernization and restoration.
Expiration: The district estimates the tax could be collected through 2058.
How to vote
Residents who live within the boundaries of the San Marino Unified School District have until May 19 to register to vote. This includes San Marino and parts of East Pasadena and East San Gabriel — check your status online .
have until May 19 to register to vote. This includes San Marino and parts of East Pasadena and East San Gabriel — . The L.A. County Registrar of Voters started mailing out ballots to existing registered voters on May 5 .
. Voters can mail back their ballots or drop them off at the vote center at the Huntington Middle School gymnasium starting May 24 through election day.
1700 Huntington Dr., San Marino, 91108
Election day is June 3. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. The recorder must receive mail-in ballots no later than June 6, three days after election day.
Get more information:
Call (800) 815-2666 to learn how to register to vote, request a replacement ballot and learn more about vote centers.
Fill out a sample ballot online to speed up your trip to the polls.
Vans US Open: Athletes, Crowds, Brands Return to HB
The Vans US Open of Surfing returned to Huntington Beach, California, for the first time since 1959. The nine-day event attracted close to 400,000 visitors. The event’s total economic impact is estimated to be $96 million, supporting about 1,000 jobs. In September, the city will be hosting the 2022 ISA World Surfing Games, which serves as the first event for surfing qualification for the forthcoming 2024 Olympics in Paris. The city is also vying to play host to surf competitions during the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, which will take place in the city in 2028 and 2028. The US Open counted over 200 surfers in a variety of competitions, but much of the action took place outside the water. The action sports festival also included the first VansX Waffle Cup and the second Vans Showdown, which featured over 50 skaters and over 50 surfboarders. The Vans pop-up store was 11,250 square feet and held around 50 employees.
The event, touted as the largest surfing competition and action sports festival in the world, started July 30 and wrapped up on Aug. 7. Close to 400,000 people were estimated to have attended the nine-day event.
The event marked a notable chapter in the history of the US Open, which has been hosted in Huntington Beach since 1959. The event was canceled in 2020, and only open to competitors in 2021.
“When the US Open looks like this, that’s when we know surfing is back,” Will Hayden-Smith, manager of World Surf League—which oversees the sporting portion of the annual event—told the Business Journal.
Foot traffic was also back. Pre-pandemic attendance at the annual event had been estimated around 375,000.
Economic Impact
In a study conducted by market research firm Destination Analysts Inc., the US Open in 2018 brought in $55 million in total direct spending to Huntington Beach from visitors, the event organizer, athletes, and sponsors overall.
The US Open’s total economic impact is estimated to be $96 million, supporting about 1,000 jobs.
Along with the three-day Pacific Airshow, which counts an estimated economic impact in the $100 million range, the surf festival is the biggest annual tourism draw in Huntington Beach, according to destination marketing organization Visit Huntington Beach.
The latest event played a larger-than-usual role for Orange County’s tourism industry, as Huntington Beach is vying to play host to surf competitions during the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Huntington Beach has another upcoming event to show off its Olympic mettle.
In September, the city will be hosting the 2022 ISA World Surfing Games, which serves as the first event for surfing qualification for the forthcoming 2024 Olympics; the surfing portion of the Paris-hosted games are taking place in Tahiti.
“We create a pathway for athletes, to the world title and now a gold medal,” Hayden-Smith said. “We’re putting a platform in place to show off our athletes.”
13-Acre Stage
The US Open counted over 200 surfers in a variety of competitions, but much of the action took place outside the water.
Set up on the south side of the pier, the accompanying festival took up some 13 acres of beach, with numerous local and national brands vying for attention.
Starting from the welcome center, booths and a large Vans pop-up store led visitors toward the skate park for the BMX and skate competitions that took place alongside surfing.
Across the event’s three hosting organizations—Vans, WSL and sports and entertainment management company IMG—there were over 300 workers involved with the project with at least another 100 staff on-site all week, according to officials with IMG, owner and operator of the festival portion of the event.
“OC is the backyard of the action sports industry,” IMG Vice President Jennifer Lau noted.
Based in New York, 60-year-old event marketing firm IMG purchased the US Open in 2001.
The company’s goal is “connecting sports and entertainment together while also connecting athletes to fans.” said Lau, whose company operates hundreds of live sports and entertainment events annually.
The “festival has evolved into much more than just a spectator event.”
Vans’ Branding
Costa Mesa-based Vans has been the title sponsor of the event and partner to IMG since 2013.
The shoe and apparel maker added its name to the event in 2013 when former president Doug Palladini decided to place a bid after Nike and Hurley exited.
It has since become an extension and representation of the brand, according to Justin Villano, Vans senior manager of action sports brand marketing.
The action sports festival also included BMX and skate events put on by the title sponsor, such as the first Vans BMX Waffle Cup and the second Vans Showdown hosting over 50 skaters.
“We’re introducing culture to competition,” Villano said of the moments he hoped the event would create. The company hosted sold-out surf camps for local youth and a surfboard swap between the main events.
The event’s main pop-up store was a temporary Vans spot set up on the sand. The retail center was 11,250 square feet. It held around 50 Vans employees.
Local retail spots on the Pacific Coast Highway, Jack’s Surfboards and Huntington Surf and Sport, were also notable participants at the event, with pop-up tents outside its respective store doors.
Booths
Once consumers exited the Vans retail center, they would find themselves at the Van Doren Village, named after Vans co-founder Paul Van Doren. The area included a community market featuring local vendors such as Stitchbox Wetsuit Repairs, OC Coast Keepers, Huntington Beach’s Jokers Skate Shop, Costa Mesa Ceramics and more from the region.
Ventura-based Stitchbox once fixed 47 suits in one day while another vendor, Golden State Glassing, worked on 45 surfboards total.
Other booths were manned by the event’s official partners, including 805, Pacifica and Shiseido.