Bisecting a wide sandy beach‚ the Huntington Beach pier beckons tourists and surfers alike‚ creating a break in the waves that helps gives the city its nickname: Surf City‚ USA. It is a scene as laidback as the name would suggest - and a stark contrast to the political hostility spilling out of City Hall just a short drive inland. Since a conservative majority took over the Huntington Beach City Council a little more than a year ago‚ it has vigorously pursued an agenda aligned with the...