Jets are blazing across the sky in and around Huntington Beach on the first day of the Pacific Airshow that starts Friday and continues over this weekend.
In recent years, more than half a million visitors have come out to watch eye-and-ear popping aerial demonstrations from the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and other renowned daredevils.
The event has also become a political lightning rod in the increasingly fractious beach city.
Why opinions are divided
Some say the airshow promoter got a suspiciously sweet deal in a recent legal settlement with the city. Others say Huntington Beach should support the airshow, and its hometown promoter, in any way it can.
At issue are questions of political quid pro quo, transparency and how cities determine whether and how much to support special events put on by private companies.
The backstory
Here’s a guide to what happened, why this matters for residents and what’s to come.
First the shorthand timeline:
- In October 2021, the city canceled the final day of the three-day airshow after oil began gushing from an underwater pipeline and moving toward the Huntington Beach shoreline.Â
- A year later, in October 2022, airshow organizer Kevin Elliott sued the city, saying the previous year’s cancellation amounted…
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