Mailbag: Sad Huntington Beach won’t be an L.A. Olympic venue

I was sad to see that HB was shutout as an Olympic venue. Still, on the bright side, there is surely some joy in town, especially for folks that admire longtime City Council members “BMV”: Burns, McKeon and Van der Mark.

First, a portion of HB folks will be delighted to not have to deal with the diversity of foreigners from what Donald Trump called “s&itholes” like Africa, or pesky Muslims from places like Dubai or Singapore all of whom look so, well, diverse. Second, HB won’t have to develop the means to handle international equity flow and currency conversions. We will be little burdened with Chinese yuan, wannabe dollars from Canadians or broad-spectrum euros. This is doubly beneficial given that the number of dollars to be dispensed is going to jump up as the looming tariffed dollar teeters further in international markets. Lastly, HB restaurants and hotels won’t have to worry about the inclusion of nearly so many foreign travelers. This might please many BMV followers. HB restaurants, hotels and drinking holes will not be burdened with “blimeys” or “gesundheits” or even “oo lalas” late into the spending nights. Truly a DEI-less paradise.

The Olympic committee cited deficiencies in HB waves and sand, so Burns, Van der Mark and McKeon need not take much credit. Their stage-managing HB’s marginalization of “the other,” demonization of librarians, backroom sweetheart air show deals and their slandering of former council members as “liars” and “pedophiles” during council sessions is strictly part of “running the city like a business.” Losing the Olympics is maybe just a side dividend for them. Still, I’m kinda sad.

Buzz McCord
Huntington Beach

Tariffs and the O.C.

I support Gavin Newsom’s lawsuit against the Trump administration. It’s not because I am a native Californian or a lifelong Democrat; rather, it’s based on my assessment that Donald Trump’s “tariffpalooza” will wreak havoc on the Golden State’s — and by extension, Orange County’s — economy. My hope is local business owners in O.C. will end up agreeing with me.

Denny Freidenrich
Laguna Beach

Locals sound off on school board special election

In January, the NMUSD Board of Trustees filled a vacant seat. The candidate they selected, in a very transparent and legal process, was Kirstin Walsh, who is registered “NPP — no party preference” and one of the most active, concerned and in-touch parents in the district. The process followed all applicable laws.

Then, in March, a handful of disgruntled political operatives ousted Ms. Walsh by forcing a special election.

The price tag on this stunt? $500,000.

Newport-Mesa Unified is on the hook for this bill, and our children pay the price. No one who would pick the pockets of our kids to advance their narrow and extreme political and religious interests ought to be rewarded with a position of public trust. Never has the appointment to a vacant NMUSD seat led to an election.

Meanwhile, those orchestrating this special election are clear that their goal is to install a Republican ideologue, arguing that Ms. Walsh isn’t cut from the same political cloth as her predecessor. They conveniently ignore the fact that voters elected that predecessor as a rejection of MAGA-style extremism. They dishonor the nonpartisan tradition our local school board elections by villainizing Ms. Walsh, who has been nothing but good for our kids, schools and community.

To waste half a million taxpayer dollars on a nakedly partisan power play is both inefficient and wasteful. That money could be used to renovate the Newport Harbor culinary kitchen. It would fund 250 elementary field trips. It’s enough to outfit an entire school with new furniture or cover the classroom supply budget of every teacher in the district for three years. With that kind of money, we could make our children safer by installing state-of-the-art security cameras on two campuses.

This is why partisanship has no place on our local school board.

Our best and most dedicated NMUSD school board members have all run nonpartisan campaigns. Candidates touting their political, religious and extremely intolerant allegiance have been routinely rejected by voters.

Those who have bulldozed their way to this special election know that their only path to victory is low turnout, which is why a special election is part of their scheme. Do not reward this politically motivated end-run around the voters. Vote for Kirstin Walsh.

We must send a strong message to those who are reckless with our tax dollars and restore Ms. Walsh to her rightful seat on the NMUSD Board of Trustees.

NMUSD teachers
Kirby Piazza, Betsy Fisher, Jane Hartley, Matt Armstrong, Gwen Gaylord, Torree Soelberg, Alex Goodman, Ross Sinclair, Jerry Murray, Lissa Slay, Carlos Alcazar, Annabelle King, Kelly Bourgeois, Tony Zeddies, Sarah Pilon, Quinn Corbett, Cori Ciok

Our students here in NMUSD all learn at an early age the importance of facts when completing writing assignments. Some community members may need such schooling as well.

FACT: School board races are non-partisan.

FACT: When Michelle Barto ran for reelection to NMUSD District Area 5 as the incumbent she was not endorsed by the Lincoln Club of Orange County, California Parents United, Greater Costa Mesa Republicans, California Patriots, Assembly members Diane Dixon, Steven Choi and Kevin Kiley or the entire O.C. Board of Education. They endorsed her opponent Reina Shebesta — the Parents Rights candidate.

FACT: Michelle Barto won the election. Shortly after she was sworn in she announced she was running for Newport Beach City Council. She won that election as well, leaving an open seat on the school board.

FACT: The trustees followed NMUSD Board “Bylaws 9223: Filing Vacancies” as they have in the past. They chose to make a provisional appointment per California Educational Code 5091, 5093.

FACT: The NMUSD posted the opening and solicited candidates to apply. On Jan. 27, 2025 the school board held a special meeting where they publicly interviewed the candidates and selected the provisional appointee, Kirstin Walsh.

FACT: The school board chose a candidate that has very similar qualifications to Michelle Barto. Kirstin Walsh has students in our schools and has spent 13 years in service to the Area 5 schools. Kirstin was on the executive boards of the PTA and foundation at Newport Elementary School. She was PTA president of Ensign Middle School and Newport Harbor High School and on their respective foundation boards. She is also serving on the executive board of Harbor Council PTA, as well as the Water Polo Boosters, and the Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Committee.

FACT: The trustees of the NMUSD represent all our students and are elected by area.

FACT: The next scheduled election for this seat is in November 2026.

FACT: Petitioners collected signatures of 1.75% of the registered voters of District Area 5 to force a special election on June 10, 2025.

FACT: The special election for District Area 5 will cost NMUSD between $400,000 and $500,000!

Given all the facts, it appears that this special election is an illogical waste of valuable district funds. Our trustees appointed the best candidate in Kirstin Walsh.

But it’s too late to do anything now because a person who was not appointed pulled the trigger on this expensive special election, thereby depriving our students of much needed funds.

I encourage all voters in District Area 5 to vote for Kirstin Walsh!

Suzanne Gauntlett
Newport Beach

Andrea McElroy is the clear choice for our school board. As a conservative, she champions values that strengthen our community: public safety and parental transparency. Andrea believes parents should have a direct say in their children’s education, with open access to curriculum and school policies. Her commitment to safety ensures our schools remain secure environments where students can thrive.

With years of community involvement, Andrea understands the challenges our schools face. She’s dedicated to fostering accountability, prioritizing student success, and protecting parental rights. Her practical approach avoids divisive politics, focusing instead on solutions that benefit all families.

This election, we need a school board member who listens to parents and prioritizes safety. Andrea McElroy will deliver both. I urge voters to support her to ensure our schools reflect our community’s values and provide a safe, transparent education system for our children.

Teri Leigh, NHRW President
Newport Beach

Responses to HB City Council

Ever since the MAGA majority members of the Huntington Beach City Council were elected, they have worked hard to deny representation to the sizable segment of the citizenry who oppose their ultra-partisan policies and pronouncements. They have tried mightily to gut the 1st Amendment rights of community members in every way possible. Mayor Pat Burns had sunk to a new low in the April Fools’ Day City Council meeting by restricting time in public comments when there were only 11 announced speakers. This made a municipal mockery of the normal three minutes allotted for citizens to express themselves without a high volume of speakers.

This practice of restricting speaker times was continued at the council’s April 15 meeting. The tactic employed by the council’s majority of stuffing the volume of speakers with their own supporters guaranteed two things: First, it would give cover to restricting the speaking time of those who have especially questioned the propriety of opposing the petitions on the June ballot (Measures A and B) with inaccurate arguments; second, it would give these rabid supporters an excuse to fulminate with their hyperbolic and jaw-droppingly erroneous rhetoric.

Unfortunately, any attempt to rein in the indiscretions of the now 7-0 MAGA City Council is bound to be unsuccessful since not only the City Council but the offices of city attorney, city clerk, and city manager are under their sway. There is no counterbalance to the poor judgment and errant decision-making from the dais. This is beginning to cost the Surf City community in many expensive ways. Already Sacramento is breathing down our necks with threats of fines, punishments and restrictions for going against state law on issues like housing and the environment. Our negative local government image might have contributed to Huntington Beach losing any sought-for venues for the upcoming 2028 Olympics. The MAGA crusade against our public library system has earned us national enmity. The only way to make a dent in the disastrous dilemma many of our residents face is at the ballot box this November.

Tim Geddes
Huntington Beach

The right-wing Huntington Beach City Council has been on a mission to target valued institutions and facilities in our city, such as our beloved library and our beautiful Central Park. But non-profit organizations such as Friends of the Library fought back to maintain the integrity of the publicly managed library and its book collection with successful petitions and now ballot measures A and B in an election scheduled for June 10. And other non-profit organizations and individuals are speaking out against the efforts of the City Council to take over our Central Park by placing a noisy, light-polluting, environmentally damaging nightly light show right in the middle.

Many, many HB residents have spoken out against these divisive and unnecessary changes to beloved city institutions and facilities. But, instead of listening to city residents, the right-wing City Council is taking a page from its MAGA leader in Washington and targeting the nonprofit organizations that are trying so hard to save our library and Central Park.

As reported in a recent article in Voice of OC, the City Council is trying to assert control over volunteer-driven non-profit organizations by forcing them into contracts with the city. Council member Casey McKeon was quoted as saying, “We’re just trying to formalize everything… so they know what the rules and regulations are on what they can and cannot do.” To those of us who have observed the hostility of the right-wing City Council toward these institutions and the volunteers who support them, this is a chilling statement.

The City Council has admitted that the city of Huntington Beach is facing serious budget deficits over the next 10 years, a deficit entirely of their own making. And yet, they want to target volunteer organizations, such as Friends of the Library, who pour thousands of volunteer hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars into keeping the HB library system the jewel of our city. Their time would be better spent looking inward to identify the devastation they are wreaking on our city!

Diane Bentley
Huntington Beach