Moore, Tania
From: Fikes, Cathy
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2023 9:07 PM
To: Agenda Alerts
Subiect: FW: Item 27: Invocation list
From: p q <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, February 19, 2023 2:37 PM
To: CITY COUNCIL <[email protected]>
Subject: Item 27: Invocation list
I think that the City should not be in the business of evaluating appropriate parties for giving invocations.
A non governmental party should do that evaluation. The interfaith council provides that service. Item 27 expresses concern over this entity's involvement in politics. Most religions advance concepts of social justice. Most religions become involved in national, state and local politics.
The interfaith council should be conducting its meetings at private facilities, not City Hall. Currently the interfaith council meets at city hall on the last Tuesday of the month. That practice should stop.
Sincerely,
Pat Quintana
SUPPLEMENTAL
COMMUNICATION
Meeting Dat.:....... 2/21/2023.
Agenda lem No: #27/23-184)
1 Moore, Tania
From: Fikes, Cathy
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2023 9:14 PM
To: Agenda Alerts
Subject: FW: NO on councilmember item # 27 at the Feb. 17 city council meeting.
From: Dan Jamieson <[email protected]> SUPPLEMENTAL Sent: Monday, February 20, 2023 7:57 AM COMMUNICATION
To: CITY COUNCIL <[email protected]>
Subject: NO on councilmember item #27 at the Feb. 17 city council meeting eating ...... 2/21/2023 Dear HB city council: Agenda lem No: # 27/23-184)
Please vote NO on councilmember item # 27 at the Feb. 17, 2023 city council meeting.
The item's authors claim that The Greater Huntington Beach Interfaith Council, whose members provide invocations at council meetings, has become "highly political" and that "invocations at times have become political soapboxing opportunities."
The authors provide no evidence of this "political soapboxing" claim.
The item proposes a city policy to limit invocations to "faith-focused speech [and a] limited exercise of particular speech." The item would have the city adopt an "approved policy" for creating a list of "religious associates or leaders" who could give invocations; a policy for "maintaining that list;" for performing an "evaluation of [those] religious associates or leaders;" and for rotating these city-approved religious leaders to give invocations.
That two members of the city council could propose such an Orwellian policy is troubling. Such a policy would clearly be unconstitutional.
The unspoken agenda of the item appears to be a desire to have evangelicals give invocations at council meetings. Because of a tendency for intolerance toward other religious sects and gay and transgender people, evangelicals do not belong to The Greater Huntington Beach Interfaith Council.
The Interfaith Council formed in 1996 after a series of hate crimes occurred in Huntington Beach. It worked with the city council at the time to adopt a human dignity statement, which reads in part: "The Huntington Beach City Council declares that everyone should be treated with courtesy and respect, regardless of their racial background, their nation of origin, the religion they practice, their sexual orientation, gender, or disability status."
Members of the Interfaith Council have remained true to the spirit of promoting an apolitical, non- denominational message of tolerance.
Approving this item and sending a message of intolerance would be tragic for HB. Please vote NO on councilmember item # 27.
1 Moore, Tania
From: Fikes, Cathy
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2023 9:26 PM
To: Agenda Alerts
Subject: FW: City Council Meeting
From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2023 3:06 PM
To: CITY COUNCIL <[email protected]>
Subject: City Council Meeting
Dear Members of City Council,
We are unable to attend the meeting, but we want our voices to be heard and counted.
Item 23. We support the flying of the Pride flag as a symbol of the diversity and support for all. We feel it encourages visitors and businesses.
Item 26. We do not agree with Huntington Beach fighting compliance with the state mandate for Regional Housing Needs Allocation. We need people from all income levels to work in HB. We can't expect them to commute for hours to work for minimum wage. Everyday on social media, people are pleading, asking for referrals for homes or apartments. Many of them have lived here all their lives. Please do not waste your time and our money by fighting this.
Item 27. It is appropriate for the council to say the Pledge of Allegiance. It is not necessary to have an invocation which can be exclusionary.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Vanessa and Jell Webster
19421 Hansen Ln.
Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS
SUPPLEMENTAL
COMMUNICATION
Meeting Date:_ 2/21/2023
Agenda Item No.:. #27(23- 184)
1 Moore, Tania
From: Stephen Einstein <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2023 9:59 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Invocations at City Council Meetings
Dear Council Members,
I am currently co-leading an Interfaith Tour to Egypt, Jordan and Israel. If I were in town, I would have addressed you in person.
In the 1990s, in reaction to several hate crimes, the City Council called upon faith leaders to form an Interfaith Council to promote understanding and harmony. I was one of the leaders who responded to that call. We founded the Greater Huntington Beach Interfaith Council(GHBIC).
The GHBIC is open to ALL faiths, indeed to all individuals who believe in Interfaith cooperation and respect.
For many years now, the invocations at City Council meetings have been offered by members of the GHBIC. We have developed a set of Guidelines, which state that the prayers are to be respectful to all, non-proselytizing, and non- partisan. A copy of these guidelines has been presented to the City Manager by our GHBIC President.
Taking the honor of the invocations away from the GHBIC will be seen as both insulting and politically motivated. I urge you to defeat the proposal that is being put forward at this week's meeting.
Respectfully yours,
SJE
Rabbi Stephen J. Einstein, DHL, DD
he/him/his
HaRav Shalom Ya'akov ben Shaya Zalman v'Zelda Founding Rabbi Emeritus Congregation B'nai Tzedek Fountain Valley, CA
"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything." Albert Einstein
SUPPLEMENTAL
COMMUNICATION
Meeting Date: 2/21/2023
1 Agendallem No. # 27 (23-184)
Moore, Tania
From: pacj < [email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2023 10:04 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Fw: Item 27: Invocation list
I want to make sure the council has my objection to item#27 and considers my further objection for the continued use of city hall for meetings by any religious group.
Pat Quintana
--- Forwarded message -----
From: p q <[email protected]>
Date: Sun, Feb 19, 2023 at 2:36 PM
Subject: Item 27: Invocation list
To: <[email protected]>
I think that the City should not be in the business of evaluating appropriate parties for giving invocations.
A non governmental party should do that evaluation. The interfaith council provides that service. Item 27 expresses concern over this entity's involvement in politics. Most religions advance concepts of social justice. Most religions become involved in national, state and local politics.
The interfaith council should be conducting its meetings at private facilities, not City Hall. Currently the interfaith council meets at city hall on the last Tuesday of the month. That practice should stop.
Sincerely,
Pat Quintana
SUPPLEMENTAL
COMMUNICATION
Meeting Date: 2/212003
Agenda tam No. # 27(23- 184).
1 Switzer, Donna
From: Fikes, Cathy
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2023 12:51 PM
To: Agenda Alerts SUPPLEMENTAL
Subject: FW: February 21 2023 meeting COMMUNICATION
Meeting Date: 2/21/23
From: Annilise Flanagan-Frankl <[email protected]> Agandallam Na: 27(231/84) Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2023 11:17 AM
To: CITY COUNCIL <[email protected]>
Subject: February 21 2023 meeting
I am unable to attend the meeting in person and wish to make a public comment on the following agenda items. #23. I OPPOSE this item. HB needs to demonstrate it is an inclusive comment. # 24. This needs more information
#25. This needs more information.
#26. I OPPOSE this item. State law applies to ALL communities. #27. I OPPOSE this item. To be an inclusive community the separation of church and state should not intersect.
This opens the door to unnecessary litigation.
Annilise Flanagan-Frankl
Annilise M. Flanagan-Frankl, M.A.
CounselingPsychologist
Nationally Certified School
Psychologist
Remember - the past is over, the future is a mystery, and today is a gift. That is why it is called the PRESENT.
Make today count.
Call: 847-226-3119
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