Barnes, Blankenhorn tout backgrounds in Huntington Beach’s city clerk race

The two women seeking the office of Huntington Beach city clerk touted their experience and endorsements at the Chamber of Commerce’s candidates forum last week.

The city clerk is tasked with maintaining a record of all proceedings of the City Council and is responsible for conducting elections. Lisa Barnes, a businesswoman and member of the Huntington Beach Community and Library Services Commission is one of the two candidates seeking the position. The other is Regina Blankenhorn, a former teacher who currently serves as executive coordinator for Tustin’s city manager.

Blankenhorn painted herself as a more seasoned public servant, noting her three decades of experience that include four years in the San Juan Capistrano city clerk’s office and a combined 19 years as a teacher in Costa Mesa, Lakewood and Norwalk. She has lived in Huntington Beach for 25 years, and had previously listed no party preference before recently registering as a Democrat.

During the forum, she said that in her current role as an executive coordinator she has supported the Tustin City Council by helping to ensure they follow policies and procedures and do not enter into any conflicts of interests. The former educator has won the support of members of the Coast Community College District and the Huntington Beach Unified High School District. She also has the endorsement of outgoing Huntington Beach City Clerk Robin Estanislau and former City Clerk Joan Flynn.

“Being endorsed by the two esteemed city clerks of Huntington Beach should say a lot about my character,” Blankenhorn said Thursday. “They trust that I will be neutral, transparent, fair and competent as the city clerk of Huntington Beach.”

Regina Blankenhorn speaks about her experience as a longtime civil servant in her bid to become Huntington Beach’s next city clerk during the Chamber of Commerce’s candidate forum Thursday.

(Eric Licas)

Barnes has been backed by Orange County Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen. She also has the support of the Republican Party of Orange County, Huntington Beach City Atty. Michael Gates and the four conservative members of the City Council.

She said she used to work for a global chemical manufacturing company before becoming a real estate agent in Huntington Beach and was appointed to the Community and Library Services Commission by Councilman Tony Strickland in 2022. During the forum, Barnes also described herself as a “community organizer” and said she has been active with the Bolsa Chica Conservancy as well as local chapters of Kiwanis and the Boys & Girls Club.

Barnes said she has been “Well involved with the heartbeat of Huntington Beach. I know Huntington Beach I’m involved in the city. I live work and play here, and want to serve the city on a higher level.”

The businesswoman said her experience handling multimillion-dollar contracts in the private sector prepared her to fulfill the meticulous duties of the city clerk. She also said she would search for new ways to generate funds if elected to the office. During the forum, she suggested trying to increase revenue from processing passport applications.

“With possible [budget] shortfalls looming, it seems that it would be a good idea if we took a look at generating additional income to support itself,” Barnes said in reference to projections of a multibillion-dollar deficit at the state level.

Blankenhorn pointed out that federal law sets the $35 acceptance fee that cities charge on top of the application fee residents pay to the federal government for passports. She also cited statistics from several Orange County cities indicating that the annual demand for new passports is typically low, suggesting they were unlikely to become a significant source of cash for the city.

During the course of the campaign, Blankenhorn has called Barnes unqualified for the city clerk position due to her limited experience in city government. The Republican-backed candidate has responded by noting that the commission she currently serves on advises the City Council on decisions regarding Huntington Beach’s 78 parks, five libraries and one golf course. And although Blankenhorn is a longtime resident who has raised a family in Huntington Beach alongside her husband, Barnes has characterized her as an outsider because she works for a different city.

Regardless of who wins the position, the duties of the Huntington Beach city clerk, particularly as chief election officer, may become more complicated moving forward. In March, voters narrowly approved Measure A, which would require voters to present ID before casting their ballots in local elections while calling for additional monitoring at drop boxes and more in-person voting sites. However, California Atty. General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber claim state law supersedes the city’s new voting laws and have challenged them in a lawsuit filed in Orange County Superior Court.