Riot costs city $30,000 in damage

Huntington Beach has spent $30,800 to repair the damage caused during rioting July 28 following the U.S. Open of Surfing, a city spokeswoman said Thursday.

An unruly group swept through downtown Huntington Beach after the surfing competition, vandalizing a city vehicle, toppling portable toilets, starting fights and setting fires. A window at bicycle shop Easyrider was broken and a $500 bike was stolen.

The city spent about $17,000 on Huntington Beach police overtime, while $6,100 went toward repairing the city vehicle, spokeswoman Laurie Frymire said.

Police Chief Ken Small previously said the city didn’t need to pay for the assistance of the 148 units from 21 outside police agencies because of their mutual aid agreement.

The city spent $3,800 for special equipment used to clean up the waste from the portable toilets, Frymire said. About $3,300 covered additional labor costs related to the waste.

“You can’t just spray it away,” she said. “It needs to be contained.”

Additionally, $600 was spent to replace multiple stop signs that were removed, including the one used to break Easyrider’s window.

Frymire said the $30,800 came out of the city’s general fund.

She said no discussions have been held with IMG, the event’s promoter, over the possibility of reimbursement, adding that IMG’s contract does not call for it to cover such expenses.
—Anthony Clark Carpio

Twitter: @acocarpio