Who’s Running for Huntington Beach City Council? 

Surf City voters are astir to determine the aboriginal absorption of their city, which is expected to look a $7 cardinal fund shortfall adjacent twelvemonth portion grappling with a bid of ineligible battles with the authorities of California. 

It’s the archetypal wide predetermination since a caller assembly bulk came onto the dais successful 2022 and made sweeping changes astatine metropolis hall, including changing however books are purchased astatine the library, suing the authorities implicit mandated zoning laws, changing who prays astatine nationalist meetings and different issues. 

No substance however the ballot plays out, that blimpish bulk volition enactment successful bureau aft Election Day due to the fact that nary of them are up for reelection this year. 

But the Nov. 5 predetermination volition find if the number members enactment oregon spell – on with differing opinions connected immoderate of the city’s astir captious issues. 

The Republican bulk members are endorsing a slate of 3 candidates to articulation them connected the dais – concern proprietor Butch Twining, businessman Don Kennedy and pastor and retired Navy Seal Chad Williams. 

The council’s Democratic minority, made up of Councilmembers Dan Kalmick, Natalie Moser and Rhonda Bolton, are endorsed by the section Democratic Party and are moving to support their seats aft questioning the absorption the metropolis is moving implicit the past 2 years. 

Marissa Jackson, a section mother, and Amory Hanson – who’s tally each assembly predetermination since 2016 – are besides moving for office, but person each received little than $5,000 from donors. 

The predetermination could extremity up influencing however a imaginable vacancy connected the assembly gets filled – Councilman Tony Strickland has announced his volition to tally for authorities legislature if existent Senator Janet Nguyen wins predetermination to the OC Board of Supervisors. 

[Read: Santana: The Political Ghost of Andrew Do Haunts 1st District Race]

If Nguyen gets elected and Strickland wins her legislature spot portion the metropolis assembly can’t travel to a statement connected who to regenerate him, a peculiar predetermination would determine who gets the seat.  

The Incumbents 

Kalmick, Bolton and Moser person spent astir of the past 2 years opposing the assembly majority’s biggest proposals, repeatedly calling to enactment with the authorities connected lodging alternatively than combat it retired successful tribunal and questioning the multi-million dollar payout to the Pacific Airshow. 

[Read: How Did a Huntington Beach Air Show Become Embroiled successful Controversy and Politics?]

All 3 candidates are backed by the region Democratic Party, and person pledged to combat the changes to the room and debar “unnecessary litigation,” on with pledges to enactment the city’s constabulary and occurrence departments. 

Kalmick received the astir nonstop donations with implicit $189,000, followed by Moser with $177,000 and Bolton with $120,000, with each 3 receiving $5,500 from the constabulary officers’ union. 

The Orange County Employees Association, which represents astir of metropolis hall’s employees, is besides backing them, spending astir $19,000 connected advertizing for each of them. 

The Challengers 

Twining, Williams and Kennedy person repeatedly shown up astatine metropolis assembly meetings implicit the past 2 years endorsing votes made by the “Fab 4” majority’s absorption to precocious density lodging projects and praising the shifts astatine the city’s library. 

All 3 person pledged to combat precocious density lodging improvement successful the metropolis and proceed the city’s lawsuits against the authorities implicit mandated housing, on with calls to betterment the library. 

Williams, a erstwhile Navy Seal and young big pastor astatine Calvary Chapel of the Harbour, has led the battalion connected fundraising, bringing successful implicit $360,000 successful direct, tiny dollar contributions from Huntington Beach residents alongside donors crossed the authorities and country.  

Twining, who owns his ain geotechnical engineering business, fundraised astir $77,000 and has loaned his run $85,000 of his ain money, portion Kennedy has straight raised astir $84,000 and loaned his run nary money. 

The Huntington Beach Firefighters Association spent implicit $10,000 advertizing each of them, on with implicit $8,700 from the Huntington Beach People’s Action Committee, which is chiefly funded by section businessmen Ed Laird and Brian Thienes. 

[Read: Huntington Beach City Council Looks to Rename Street After Major Campaign Donor]

Twining and Williams each received $5,500 from the constabulary officer’s union, but Kennedy did not. 

Jackson’s run is mostly focused connected her Christian religion according to her website, and is mostly aforesaid funded. 

Hanson does not person a website and has not gathered much than 5% of the ballot successful each predetermination since 2016.

Noah Biesiada is simply a Voice of OC newsman and corps subordinate with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him astatine [email protected] oregon connected Twitter @NBiesiada.

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