The Voter Engagement Team leadership is Alex , Zeta, Lorelei and Cathey. 

NEXT MEETING 

Go to Next Meeting page for details and registration


An editorial in the Daily Pilot/LA Times, October 24, 2023 by nine former HB mayors is a significant rebuff to the current city council.  See full text on the NEWS page of this website or go to: www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/opinion/story/2023-10-24/commentary-current-huntington-beach-council-majority-sending-city-in-wrong-direction. 

The mayors held a Press Conference at City Hall on November 1, 2023.  See www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/story/2023-11-01/protect-huntington-beach-group-seeks-to-stop-charter-amendments 

See video of Press Conference here: drive.google.com/file/d/1nOvle0g5QfiOCVY9AFkwf5qT1hSWDtiy/view?fbclid=IwAR34pzLHFe8qHyoKw2zdmoZZEyhFOqLSjvLMfXZ_SF3-b3QPEHGTDEI2saE&pli=1 


Handed out 10,000 postcards (to be mailed in Februrary), handed out over 200 signs, had 30 volunteers for community chats and 28 volunteers to canvass!  See below for more volunteer opportunities. 

Save Surf City is running attacks on us.  Although this may seem like sharing our platform with them, their propaganda is included here so that we are informed.  www.savesurfcity.org/so/11OlFPgp8?languageTag=en&cid=ef5649b2-3925-4eb4-8ded-e25030f89ea4 


HB CITY COUNCIL IS PROPOSING THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION AT ITS OCTOBER 17 MEETING

Regretably the resolution below passed 4-3 despite a majority of public comments against it.  The reality is that no one quite knows how it will be implemented.


LETTER FROM ACLU TO HB CITY COUNCIL

OC HUDDLE PROGRAM ON CENSORSHIP, OCTOBER 14, 2023

ZOOM VIDEO (approximately 1 hour)

SO, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PUSH FOR CHARTER AMENDMENTS?

Thank you to those of you who spoke and wrote against this ill conceived plan.  Your efforts made a difference. Instead of 13 poorly written and crazily bundled charter amendments, we have three discrete amendments. See below for the likely language that will appear on the March ballot.

WHAT NEXT?  WE NEED TO GEAR UP A HUGE CAMPAIGN AGAINST AMENDING THE CHARTER IN THE MARCH PRIMARY.  Be sure to check in to ProtectHB website protecthb.org/  for fundraising and planning.  Ballots will be mailbed February 5.  For the exact language you will see on the ballot this March click here.

Click here to send your emails:  city.council@surfcity-hb.org and supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org  

The hearings will be held on Thursdays September 14, 21, 28 and October 5 at 6pm at the city council chambers.  There will be opportunities for 3 minute public comments before the meetings, and 1 minute comments after the meeting.  These public contact moments do not signify real discussions of the issues.  Nor can the newly appointment committee comprised of the MAGA council members substitute for a duly constituted Charter Amendment Commission which must consist of a number of HB citizens.  


The Huntington Beach City Council has recently held a series of special meetings to "allow'' 90-second public comments on the proposed city charter amendments which were developed by an ad hoc committee of three council members. During those meetings all of the members of the council are able to ask clarifying questions and express their concerns about the proposed amendments. Following the council discussion, the public was one again given 90 seconds for any rebuttal.

 

The final special meeting to seek public input and further council discussion will be on Thursday. October 5 (6pm) in the City Council Chambers. We urge you to either attend in person and make public comments, sit in the audience and be a supporter, or send an email to the city council advocating for these three points: 

 

·  VOTE NO on the charter amendments. The entire process to create these amendments has been flawed.

·  This process of placing amendments on the ballot has unknown costs  The cost of our city to hold these special-purpose city elections is currently unknown. Your tax dollars should be spent on city services that will benefit the MAJORITY of HB residents.

·  Letters have been received from the California Secretary of State and the California Attorney General which question the legality of the proposed monitoring of official ballot drop boxes, as well as the proposed requirement to show an ID to vote in person. Notably, in 2022, 80% of HB voters did so by mail. Why are we catering to such a small minority of voters? The cost of yet another lawsuit against HB by the State of California, which the city will undoubtedly lose, is also unknown. Once again, this is NOT a good use of our tax dollars.

 

Any emails should be sent to city.council@surfcity-hb.org and supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org by 9am on October 5.

 

As always, thank you for helping to hold our elected officials accountable.  

 

-VET Leaders

 


On September 14th, the Huntington Beach City Council held the first of four planned special meetings to “discuss“ several proposed charter amendments. What a farce! Public speakers were given just 90 seconds to express their concerns. There was a staff-created powerpoint to outline the public comment process. Mayor Strickland decreed that there would be no discussion from the council members.  

Then, after Councilman Kalmick insisted, the public once again had 90 seconds to speak. There were 39 speakers, and only five of them supported the ad hoc committee's proposed city charter amendments.The vast majority of email communications were also opposed to the proposed amendments.

Coming up this week, there will be two city council meetings that we need people to attend. 

Tuesday (9/19) will be the regular meeting, with 17 items on the agenda. There will be a report on the success of the Navigation Center for the homeless. Item #10 contains an annual report on the Community Block Grant, which provides funding for community development and housing. It should be very interesting to hear how the majority responds to this report. 

Thursday (9/21) at 6:00 p.m., please plan to come to the council chambers for the second Proposed City Charter Amendment meeting. This is where we really need you to take action. Send another email, attend the meeting, prepare public comments, and be bold enough to go to the podium. 



WHAT ARE THE MOST PRESSING ISSUES?

Any changes to the City Charter are PERMANENT and nearly impossible to reverse because any changes would require new amendments thve to be voted on by HB citizens.  This would be a costly endeavour and huge workload for HB City staff. 


One of the proposed amendments is a change from elections being run by the OC Registrar of Voters (one of the top ten registrar offices in the nation) to city run elections. This would create myriad problems.  See questions below.  Has a cost analysis been done?  Was there fraud in the last election (which brought the F4+G)?  Is this a solution in search of a problem? Or is this another part of the power grab?  

Below is a letter from Rob Bonta, CA Attorney General informing the HB City Council of the implications of changing elections protocols.   

Our state senator Dave Min's comments on HB City Council issues. 

Another amendment would limit the flags that could be flown in city venues to the US, California and MIA flags.  Currently the MAGA F4+G instituted a city ordinance on this issue.  This is interpreted as a repudation of flying the Pride flag that has always demonstrated our city's inclusiveness.  BUT it also means that should we be fortunate to be designated as a 2028 Olympic venue for surfing, WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO FLY THE OLYMPIC FLAG!

What can you do about this?  

Attend the meetings and voice your opinions.  If you can't attend in person, call, write or email the city council members repeatedly if need be.  You will find their emails at  www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/government/elected_officials/city_council/ 

Also, keep up with what the press coverage is by going to our internal page:  sites.google.com/view/orange-coast-huddle/voter-engagement/from-the-press 


TRUMP INDICTED FOR JANUARY 6 CRIMES

Go to Joyce Van's substack detailed analysis of what the indictment and the law entails: joycevance.substack.com/p/how-to-read-the-indictment 

Just when HATE CRIME is on the rise HB eliminated the Human Relations Committee which was established 25 years ago. See: voiceofoc.org/2023/09/new-report-shows-hate-crimes-and-incidents-continue-increasing-in-orange-county/ 

Thanks as always for your activism. Hundreds of emails were sent to the city council, and the chambers were full of folks ready to speak (and support other public speakers)!


And we made a difference:Thanks as always for your activism. Hundreds of emails were sent to the city council, and the chambers were full of folks ready to speak (and support other public speakers)!


-The libraries will not be closing, and hours will not be reduced.

-Beach and park maintenance will not be compromised. 

-The popular Circuit downtown shuttle service will continue through 12/31, and possibly beyond if they receive grant funding.

-The police will get a 3 year contract that includes a 5% salary increase each year. Competitive salaries will hopefully help fill the current 30 vacancies in our HB Police force.

-The City Attorney will add 4 employees to his office.

-The City Treasurer will get $100,000 to remodel the office.

-The city will be increasing fees and fines. Other revenue sources will be considered as well.


The next meeting will be July 18, which means we have a few weeks to rest. We will keep you updated on any further developments.


The HB City Council majority has directed staff to develop options to "safeguard" against obscenity in the acquisition of books.  The matter will discussed in October.  Read Gustavo Arrelano's column in the LA Times here enewspaper.latimes.com/infinity/article_share.aspx?guid=49cc708f-6f9d-4017-9048-5ce300ab4d98 

HOLDING ELECTED LEADERS ACCOUNTABLE

In February we sponsored a program on this extremely timely topic.  HB is a hot spot right now, but other governmental entities are also vulnerable.  In any case, the right thing to do being concerned citizens is to keep informed and act on issues we care about on behalf of ourselves and our community.  The program slides are available by clicking here.  Learn how to

HB CITY COUNCIL AGENDA

Agenda for meetings are available at huntingtonbeach.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx  City Council meetings are broadcast live on YouTube. Search for the live session or the archives. The city website is www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/ 

The new "conservative" majority block running the HB City Council's actions must be observed closely.  They need to be held accountable for the platform they ran on.  For instance, California State General Attorney Bonta sent a letter to Michael Gates, HB City Attorney warning him to comply with California laws re affordable housing.  Mr. Gates is planning to sue the state to avoid this type of housing. The LA Times has covered the issue. Even the Orange County Register ran an editorial against our city's action. One of the most comprehensive articles comes from the Voice of OC.  On another matter, 11 former mayors wrote in the Daily Pilot against the council's plan to craft an ordinance that limits the flags flown at city hall.   For more information look at the HBCC subpage under this page.  


HB City Council thinks the Interfaith Council is too political.  The current policy is for the mayor to select who gives the invocation at council meetings.  Read the article here. 

HB COMMUNITY CAFE is hosted by Council Member Natalie Moser at the HB Public Library on the last Wednesday of the month. Early registration is suggested.  Seats fill up fast.  Sign up here: hbpl.libcal.com/event/9298157 


Join the Voter Engagement Team by emailing: voters@orangecoasthuddle.com 

PLEASE COMPLETE THE VOLUNTEER FORM HERE

GET TO KNOW YOUR DEMOCRAT NEIGHBORS

The California Democratic Party has a great tool that will help up build the ground effort to inform Democrats and get out the vote.  They have created an app called Neighbor to Neighbor.  Once you dowloaded and enter your information it gives you names and addresses of registered Democrats in your neighborhood.  We need to get to know them, let them know about the issues and get them out to vote.  

Watch a tutorial on the app here:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiAMGKTFPBk 

BIGGER THAN ROE march on January 22, 2023 in Long Beach

New 47th Congressional District

HOW CAN DEMOCRATS/PROGRESSIVES WIN ELECTIONS?

Watch this seminar to learn how an activist group is seeking to reach the greater population that is not focused on political issues and unaware of how politics affects their community.  It is a model geared to busy people who have access to social media and targeted to communities in battleground states.  The premise is to create news communitieas via local journalists reporting on community news that will include political issues.  The group is the Courier Newsroom.  Take a look; it's inspiring work.

OUR CURRENT REPRESENTATIVES

US Representative Katie Porter 47th District, Democrat

Now running for Senate

Join her campaign early! 

Dave Min

CA State Senate 37

OTHER US/CA REPRESENTATIVES

Michelle Steel  US Representative 45 – Republican

Janet Nguyen  CA Senate 36 – Republican

Dave Min         CA Senate 37 – Democrat

Diane Dixon     CA Assembly 72 – Republican 

Tri Ta                CA Assembly 70 – Republican 

LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES

Progressive candidates are highlighted in blue

ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS


Doug Chaffee, Chairman, 4th District:  Brea, Buena Park, Fullerton, La Habra, Placentia, Stanton, portions of Anaheim, and unincorporated communities.  

Donald P. Wagner, Vice-Chairman, 3rd District: Anaheim (portions of), Irvine (portions of), Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Orange (portions of), Rancho Santa Margarita, Tustin (portions of), Villa Park, Yorba Linda, and the Unincorporated Communities of Modjeska, North Tustin, Silverado, Trabuco Canyon and Williams Canyon

Andrew Do, 1st District, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove (portions of), Huntington Beach, Los Alamitos, La Palma, Seal Beach, Westminster, and the Unincorporated Communities of Midway City and Rossmoor

Vicente Sarmiento 2nd District. Anaheim (portions of), Garden Grove (portions of), Orange (portions of), Santa Ana, Tustin (portions of), and the Unincorporated Communities of North Tustin

Katrina Foley, 5th District, The Cities of Aliso Viejo, Costa Mesa, Dana Point, Irvine (portions of), Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Newport Beach, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, as well as the unincorporated areas of Coto de Caza, Ladera Ranch, Las Flores, and Rancho Mission Viejo


HUNTINGTON BEACH CITY COUNCIL



Tony Strickland,             Mayor Term ends in 2026 

Gracey Van Der Mark,   Mayor Pro Tem, Term ends in 2026 

Pat Burns,                     Term ends in 2026 

Casey McKeon,             Term ends in 2026 

Dan Kalmick,                Term ends in 2024 

Natalie Moser               Term ends in 2024 

Rhonda Bolton             Term ends in 2024

FOUNTAIN  VALLEY CITY COUNCIL


Kim Constantine, Mayor, Term expires 2026 

Glen Grandis,     Mayor Pro Tem, Term expires 2024 

Ted Bui,               Term expires 2024 

Jim Cunneen       Term expires 2026 

Patrick Harper     Term expires 2026



COSTA MESA CITY COUNCIL


John Stephens,   Mayor, Term expires 2024 

Jeffrey Harlan,     Mayor Pro Tem, Term expires 2024 

Andrea Marr,       Term expires 2026 

Manuel Chavez,  Term expires 2026 

Loren Gameros   Term expires 2024 

Don Harper         Term expires 2024 

Arlis Reynolds     Term expires 2026

NEWPORT BEACH CITY COUNCIL


Noah Blom, District 5,         Mayor, Term expires 2024

Will O’Neill, District 7,          Mayor Pro Tem, Term expires 2024

Joe Stapleton, District 1,     Term expires 2026 

Brad Avery, District 2,          Term expires 2024

Eric Weigan, District 3,        Term expires 2026 

Robyn Grant, District 4,       Term expires 2026 

Lauren Kleiman, District 6,  Term expires 2026


SEAL BEACH CITY COUNCIL

Thomas Moore,  District Two (Leisure World, College Park West & Rossmoor Center), Mayor, Term expires in 2024

Schelly Sustarsic - 2023 Mayor Pro Tem, 2020 Mayor, District Four (College Park East & Town Center), Term expires in 2024

Joe Kalmick - Council Member, 2021, 2022 Mayor, District One (Old Town & Surfside Colony), Term expires in 2026

 Lisa Landau - Council Member, District Three (Hill, Coves, Bridgeport & Heron Pointe), Term expires in 2026

Nathan Steele - Council Member, District Five (Leisure World), Term expires in 2026 



Sign here to ask your city council members to make it easier for households to switch to solar. 

LOCAL CANDIDATES SPEAKING AT OUR RALLY ON AUGUST 27th

Thanks to all candidates and volunteers who attended!

D588AD8C-5C05-4861-9981-23534178328C.MOV

DEMS WIN IF WE VOTE! 

See March Primary voting data below

RPReplay_Final1659496978.mov.3GP

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Sweet & Savory Photos -- We had fun and yummy, yummy food!

REDISTRICTING

Every 10 years the maps that determine how our communities will be represented at the county, state and federal level are redrawn.  The maps are now final.   Go to www.wedrawthelinesca.org/map_viewer to see the new district maps.  Check the categories you are interested in at the box at the right side of the page.   We will need to vet the candidates to prepare for the next election cycle in 2022.  

We already have a new map for the Orange County Board of Supervisors (see below). Some of us will have a new Supervisor representing us until the next election. 

Stay tuned for updates.  Join the Voter Engagement Team since registering new voters and engaging current voters will be crucial to the 2022 elections.

Find your new districts by going  to  ocvote.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/lookup/index.html? appid=96072186974849878121d52f4c0a50f0  and put in your address. 

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Congressional Districts

Katie Porter , D  represents CD 47

Michelle Steel, R represents CD 45

CA Assembly Districts

Diane Dixon, R represents AD 72

Tri Ta,  R represents AD 70

CA Senate Districts

Janet Nguyen, R represents SD 36

BE WELL HUNTINGTON BEACH

HB City Council approved a pilot program: Be Well Huntington Beach modeled after a successful plan from Oregon that divers mental health and other non-violent 911 calls to a team of professionals trained to managed such emergencies.  Go to the web page https://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/residents/bewellhb/ for updates on the program. 

Keep up with local city news by going to the Huntington Beach City Manager’s newsletter at: https://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/announcements/announcement.cfm?id=1579 and clicking on the PDF file. 

OC District 2 Supervisor Katrina Foley has a newsletter which you can find at http://bos.ocgov.com/legacy2kf/newsletters/vol1issue2.html    (This district is in flux.  Updates will follow.)


OUR MISSION


ELECTIONS MATTER!  ALL elections from school board, water district, city council, county officials , state offices and federal offices are important. Our leadership team gathers information on candidates and organizes meet-and -greets to give voters an opportunity to make informed decisions on their ballots.  We plan canvass events, postcard projects and phone /text banking opportunities to support candidates that align with our shared values. We host community service events to reinforce our commitment to our community. 

 Join us! Go to voters@organgecoasthuddle.com