Pat Burns talks business at annual Huntington Beach mayor’s breakfast event
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Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns has said several times publicly since taking office in 2022 that he doesn’t consider himself a politician.
A longtime police officer and one of five boys in a large family are attributes that he feels better describe him.
In fact, his speech at Wednesday morning’s annual mayor’s breakfast at the Senior Center at Central Park was partially anti-government, or at least big government.
“We’ve got to curb the regulations,” Burns told the audience of more than 100 city government and business leaders. “I’m all about small government. I don’t like government. We’re going to screw up anything we touch, and it’s been proven time in and time out.”
Burns, about three months into his year-long term as mayor, made headlines when he displayed a bust of President Donald Trump on the dais during the Jan. 21 City Council meeting. A month later, the Council then approved a “MAGA” plaque at the Central Library to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
The mayor’s breakfast was hosted by the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce. It also featured remarks by Golden West College President Meridith Randall. Shawn Wood, chairman of the chamber’s board, moderated a panel featuring local business owners.
Burns told the crowd Wednesday that being a police officer was easy for him, especially because he grew up in a big family and was used to fighting and bickering. He said being a business owner would have given him more stress, with the day-to-day uncertainties.
He advised the business leaders to involve the local government with their companies — but also keep it at a distance.
“No business is clean, no industry is clean of not having their idiots,” Burns said. “In police work, we had our share of knuckleheads that were kind of knuckle-draggers that did stupid crap on the job. But yet it was more our position, our job as fellow police officers, to keep them idiots in line. And no business industry is immune to that. So really, if you guys know business, you know it better than we do.
“If you guys know a rogue business [whose operators] aren’t fulfilling their promises or their contracts or something like that — and most of that kind of stuff is really fueled by greed — please help us get those out of here, get them out of town or out of business, because we want the best in Huntington Beach. We want everybody to be served with integrity and fulfillment of the promises that are made within a contract or within the business decisions.”
In order to make it easier to do business in Huntington Beach, the city recently started its Streamline Surf City program. Established in January 2024, it allows people to seek help when pulling a permit, starting a new business or asking for coordinated help between departments.
The program was expanded last year to involve residential customers who may be seeking resources for installing solar panels, for example.
Mayor Pro Tem Casey McKeon told the crowd the city is working on installing high-speed fiber internet in downtown and surrounding areas.
“I think we’re heading in the right direction, and that means a lot to me,” Burns said. “And as the mayor, feel free to contact me if you do run into a bump, and there’s something that I can do to waltz you through this quagmire of crap of [sic] government. Yeah, I want to not only encourage businesses to come to town, I want to protect businesses that are here. So yeah, if you guys are having trouble, you shouldn’t be having it, not from the city’s end.”
The panel featured local business leaders Alecia Reinberger of Moonwood Coffee Co., Gary Frahm of Expertec Automotive and Deanne Mendoza of Teacher Created Materials.
Reinberger, who co-owns Moonwood, opened the company’s storefront in 2022 but also helps oversee a growing catering business. She commended Huntington Beach on being a safe city, which offers peace of mind as her company sometimes brews coffee in the middle of the night while getting ready for morning events.
She said she’s concerned about rising costs of packaging, supplies and ingredients, but has been working to get the brand out into the community.
“I think that everyone has some type of talent they can give back to the community, whether it’s serving students or figuring out what your niche is and helping out,” Reinberger said. “It’s about our young people, getting them involved, getting them connected and getting them to dream again.”
Mendoza is also the co-owner of her business, a publishing company that has been in Huntington Beach for nearly 50 years. She said she recently worked with the city on upgrading equipment.
“I think it’s one of our big responsibilities as a city to build up each other’s businesses,” she said. “I try really hard to get to know as many as I can. I think we are great cheerleaders for each other, and amplifying other businesses that doesn’t come from the business itself is the best marketing we can get.”
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