Unlocking Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach has 10,000+ businesses, and most of them aren't on Main Street. Max Daffron, the HB Chamber's first CEO in eight years, is building five industry coalitions to fix that — and you don't need a membership to join.

Max grew up here, worked in the City's Economic Development Office, then spent years in Colorado watching recruiters build trips around pulling Surf City businesses out of California. He came home to do something about it.

What you'll learn:
- Why an out-of-state recruitment trip to "Los Angeles aerospace" turned out to be entirely Huntington Beach companies
- The five Sector Partnerships — Health & Wellness, Professional Services, METAL, RED, and Restaurants/Retail/Hospitality — and why none of them require Chamber dues
- How Orlando Precision navigated parking and planning red tape into an 80,000 sq ft second facility near Boeing
- The reason HB's industrial employers are what keep downtown restaurants open in January
- What a longtime member said out loud at the Professional Services meeting that changed his mind about renewing
- Max's five-year goal for where the Chamber sits in Orange County (Irvine gets a nod)

🏪 Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce | Currently officed at Golden West College, Huntington Beach, CA | 714-536-8888 | https://hbchamber.com/
📧 Max Daffron: [email protected]
📱 Instagram: @hbchamber

Upcoming Chamber events:
- Annual Golf Tournament & Sunset Mixer, Huntington Club — July 27, 2026
- State of Orange County (with Newport Beach Chamber) — August 7, 2026
- State of the City — tentatively September 10, 2026
- State of Public Safety — late 2026
- SBDC Business Conference — January 2027

Robert Mayer Leadership Academy: https://hbchamber.com/events/rmla

If you live in Huntington Beach, just moved here, or are thinking about making it home, this podcast keeps you in the loop on what’s happening locally every week.

New episodes drop weekly.

Do Good. HB deserves it.

FOLLOW US
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unlockinghb
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockinghb
Sackin-Stone Team: https://sackinstoneteam.com

LANE STONE
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laneinoc

The Pacific Air Show returns to Huntington Beach's sand October 2–4, 2026, and whether you pay or go free changes your whole day. Lane breaks down exactly where to stand, when to arrive, and how to skip the parking nightmare.

What you'll learn:
- Show Center sits on PCH between Twin Dolphin Street and Beach Boulevard, free beach viewing is legit, but the ticketed zone gets you closer
- The Surf City Bike Valet at the Strand runs all three days so locals can skip the parking chaos entirely
- 2026 single-day tickets start around $30, VIP beachfront runs about $170/day, and RV camping on the beach is roughly $3,800 for the weekend
- Friday is the quietest day to go; Saturday brings the biggest crowds and worst traffic
- The Pacific Air Show newsletter at pacificairshowusa.com is the only way to get the daily flight schedule before showtime

If you live in Huntington Beach, just moved here, or are thinking about making it home, this podcast keeps you in the loop on what’s happening locally every week.

New episodes drop weekly.

Do Good. HB deserves it.

FOLLOW US
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unlockinghb
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockinghb
Sackin-Stone Team: https://sackinstoneteam.com

LANE STONE
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laneinoc

Summer in Huntington Beach means camp drop-offs, bonfire nights, and bike rides down the Strand — here's the full parent playbook for filling the calendar through August.

What you'll learn:
- Camp HB pricing and schedule breakdown: 3-day ($135) vs. 5-day ($221) options at Murdy Community Center, plus the Teen LIT program for ages 13-17
- Where to find Junior Lifeguards and how to reserve a beach bonfire pit before it fills up
- Free outdoor picks: Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, the Strand Bike Path, and Shipley Nature Center in Huntington Central Park
- Indoor backup plans for hot days: Boys & Girls Club of Huntington Valley, HB Sands recreation classes, and the International Surfing Museum
- The full HB summer movie series schedule — dates, parks, and what's playing

If you live in Huntington Beach, just moved here, or are thinking about making it home, this podcast keeps you in the loop on what’s happening locally every week.

New episodes drop weekly.

Do Good. HB deserves it.

FOLLOW US
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unlockinghb
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockinghb
Sackin-Stone Team: https://sackinstoneteam.com

LANE STONE
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laneinoc

The Huntington Beach 4th of July draws half a million people for the largest Independence Day parade west of the Mississippi — and Lane Stone has the 35-year local playbook for doing it right.

From the Surf City 5K to fireworks launched straight off the pier, this is the hour-by-hour guide to Surf City's biggest day.

What you'll learn:
- Where to claim a parade spot along PCH (and why locals set up the night before)
- The three ways to watch the 9 PM pier fireworks — free beach, paid pier tickets, or oceanfront hotels
- Bonfire-pit strategy across Huntington City Beach, Huntington State Beach, and Bolsa Chica
- Parking moves that beat the post-fireworks gridlock, including the free downtown bike valet
- A full hour-by-hour plan, from the 5 AM bonfire alarm to the last firework

If you live in Huntington Beach, just moved here, or are thinking about making it home, this podcast keeps you in the loop on what’s happening locally every week.

New episodes drop weekly.

Do Good. HB deserves it.

FOLLOW US
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unlockinghb
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockinghb
Sackin-Stone Team: https://sackinstoneteam.com

LANE STONE
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laneinoc

Huntington Beach's cost of living runs 80% above the national average — but that headline number alone won't help you budget. Lane Stone has spent 14 years in this market, and in this episode he breaks down every real expense: rent by neighborhood, what buying actually pencils out to right now, groceries, utilities, the California income tax hit, and the lifestyle costs no calculator includes.

What you'll learn:
- Rent ranges by HB neighborhood — from Bolsa Chica ($2,000/mo 1BR) to downtown near the pier ($2,500–$3,000+)
- What a $1.3M median-priced home actually costs monthly with today's rates (~$7,500–$8,500 before taxes/insurance)
- The "hidden" costs that gut transplants' budgets: HOA fees, move-in deposits, California state income tax, and the "I deserve it" effect
- The income target a single person needs to live comfortably — and what a family with kids is really looking at
- Why HB's 2.6% rental vacancy rate means the right timing strategy matters as much as the right price

If you live in Huntington Beach, just moved here, or are thinking about making it home, this podcast keeps you in the loop on what’s happening locally every week.

New episodes drop weekly.

Do Good. HB deserves it.

FOLLOW US
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unlockinghb
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockinghb
Sackin-Stone Team: https://sackinstoneteam.com

LANE STONE
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laneinoc

A million people are expected to flood Southern California for the 2026 FIFA World Cup — and Lane Stone thinks Huntington Beach is the smartest place to set up camp. The games are at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, but 35 miles of Pacific Coast beats the LA hotel surge any day.

What you'll learn:
- Why OC is a better base than LA for World Cup visitors — and how to make the 405N/105W run to SoFi without losing your mind
- Where to watch the matches locally: Bruno's Bar & Grill has 14 TVs, a giant drop-down screen, and daily parties June 11–July 19
- The beer garden at Old World German Village — jumbo screens, German beer, and fans from all over the world
- Best hotels in HB for the tournament: from Pasea Hotel & Spa and the Hyatt Regency to budget options like Ocean Surf Inn and Best Western Surf City
- Short-term rental rules in Huntington Beach and how to navigate the 30-day minimum
- What to do between matches: surf, bike the beach path, beach bonfires, and Lane's full local guide in the show notes

📖 Lane's Huntington Beach Guide (restaurants, coffee, brunch & more): https://sackinstoneteam.kit.com/hbocguide

If you live in Huntington Beach, just moved here, or are thinking about making it home, this podcast keeps you in the loop on what’s happening locally every week.

New episodes drop weekly.

Do Good. HB deserves it.

FOLLOW US
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unlockinghb
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockinghb
Sackin-Stone Team: https://sackinstoneteam.com

LANE STONE
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laneinoc

HB's summer forecast just got complicated: shark detections are earlier than usual, Mendocino Farms is finally landing at Pacific City, and dozens of local homeowners are losing backyards — and in some cases, parts of their homes — to a sewer easement they didn't see coming.

Lane covers five Surf City stories in this one, from a 100-year milestone at Huntington Beach High School to pump tracks returning to Edison Park.

What you'll learn:
- Why researchers are calling 2025 a "sharky summer" along the HB coast — and what the science actually says about risk level
- The decades-old OC Sanitation District easement now claiming 30 feet into homeowners' backyards, destroying pools and portions of homes
- Why every HB homeowner should pull their title report and read every easement — today
- Mendocino Farms is taking over the Lemonade space at Pacific City (opened May 7th) — what to expect
- Pump tracks are back at Edison Park for spring/summer — and they're rotating through multiple parks

🏪 Mendocino Farms Pacific City | 21010 Pacific Coast Hwy, Huntington Beach, CA 92648 | mendocinofarms.com

If you live in Huntington Beach, just moved here, or are thinking about making it home, this podcast keeps you in the loop on what’s happening locally every week.

New episodes drop weekly.

Do Good. HB deserves it.

FOLLOW US
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unlockinghb
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockinghb
Sackin-Stone Team: https://sackinstoneteam.com

LANE STONE
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laneinoc

A Huntington Beach local who played pro beach volleyball — and completed 233 escape rooms — just opened Surf City Escapes inside Pacific City. Ben Vaught built rooms around the HB vibe on purpose: the surf theme fits here in a way it wouldn't in an Irvine industrial park. Lane's team tried them out, and spoiler: they escaped with 27 seconds to spare.

What you'll learn:
- Why Ben chose Pacific City over Irvine, and the zoning hurdle he had to navigate to make it happen
- The four rooms at Surf City Escapes — including a surf escape, a California winery heist, a ghost-hunting room with a family and a spooky version, and a Sherlock mystery coming soon
- Why Ben designed everything for first-timers: no red herrings, clear puzzles, and zero shame in asking for hints (he asks 70% of the time)
- What it actually takes to build and test an escape room — six weeks of installation, 40 test runs before opening
- How the escape room industry works more like a community than a competition (and why bad experiences are the only real enemy)

🏪 Surf City Escapes Escape Rooms | 21058 Pacific Coast Highway #M210, Huntington Beach, CA 92648 | (714) 334-6373 | surfcityescapes.com
📱 Instagram / TikTok / Facebook: @surfcityescapes

If you live in Huntington Beach, just moved here, or are thinking about making it home, this podcast keeps you in the loop on what’s happening locally every week.

New episodes drop weekly.

Do Good. HB deserves it.

FOLLOW US
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unlockinghb
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockinghb
Sackin-Stone Team: https://sackinstoneteam.com

LANE STONE
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laneinoc

Episode 20 is a full Huntington Beach food and drink audit — where we've been, where we're headed, and what we should never have lost.

Lane Stone covers four top-five lists: the HB spots he misses most (Ruby's on the Pier, Ruby Palace, Bravo Burger on Beach Blvd, the downtown movie theater), five places coming soon to Surf City — including Champagne's Kitchen taking over the old IHOP on Main and Olive, The Lighthouse jazz venue headed to Pacific City, and Huntington's On The Pier arriving fall 2026 — plus five newly opened spots and the five coffee shops locals actually rely on.

What you'll learn:
- Which Newport breakfast staple is expanding to HB and what to expect from their menu
- How a legendary Hermosa Beach jazz venue is bringing live music back to Pacific City
- Why Rise Poke Shack and Atelier Sushi are already generating lines and social buzz in HB
- What Focaccia House on Main Street has to do with Zero Zero Pizza
- The five OC coffee roasters Lane would send any visitor to first — including the one supplying Champagne's Kitchen

If you live in Huntington Beach, just moved here, or are thinking about making it home, this podcast keeps you in the loop on what’s happening locally every week.

New episodes drop weekly.

Do Good. HB deserves it.

FOLLOW US
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unlockinghb
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockinghb
Sackin-Stone Team: https://sackinstoneteam.com

LANE STONE
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laneinoc

The Surf City USA Foodie Awards just dropped — and Lane's got receipts on where the list got it right, where it missed, and which local spots deserved a spot they didn't get. Plus: rattlesnakes are showing up in force at the Bolsa Chica Wetlands, the Great Pacific Air Show is back for its 10th anniversary, and HB's new MyMeter utility tool could save homeowners real money.

What you'll learn:
- Which Surf City Foodie Award winners Lane agrees with — and which ones he'd swap out (his picks for best burger, sushi, tacos, and views)
- Why rattlesnake activity is spiking at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve right now, and how to stay safe on the trails
- Great Pacific Air Show 2026 dates, the new $10 kids' ticket, and the best free viewing spots around the city
- How the new MyMeter utility platform can help HB homeowners catch leaks, track usage, and avoid surprise bills
- How to grab an HBPD autism awareness patch for $10 and why it matters this April

If you live in Huntington Beach, just moved here, or are thinking about making it home, this podcast keeps you in the loop on what’s happening locally every week.

New episodes drop weekly.

Do Good. HB deserves it.

FOLLOW US
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unlockinghb
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockinghb
Sackin-Stone Team: https://sackinstoneteam.com

LANE STONE
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laneinoc