CLEANUP crews working the sand in Huntington Beach after the oil spill from a ruptured pipeline in October 2021. (Orange County Tribune photo by Zia Zografos).

The various legal issues and settlements surrounding the early cancellation of the 2021 Pacific Air Show in (and over) Huntington Beach remains controversial.

At a press conference on Monday at the Civic Center Plaza, councilmembers and City Attorney Michael Gates said that Amplify Energy – whose petroleum leak flowed into waters and onto the city’s beaches – has agreed to pay $5.2 million to Surf City for damages.

All that money will go to the city’s coffers, Gates said.

But last year’s city leaders agreed to pay the air show operators $4.9 million for forgoing one days worth of revenue “lost” because the event was closed down one day early.

The agreement with Pacific Airshow was supported by the council majority. But arguing about the benefit to the city were members of the council minority – Dan Kalmick, Rhonda Bolton, and Natalie Moser.

Kalmick offered the opinion  that when the city finishes paying its legal fees, the two deals will be a wash or a loss.

“So the city taxpayers get nothing from this deal,” he said.