Moore, Tania
From: Galassi, Cecelia < [email protected]>
Sent: Monday, September 4, 2023 12:58 PM
To: [email protected]; CITY COUNCIL (INCL. CMO STAFF) Subject: Response to Sept. 5 City Council Agenda
SUPPLEMENTAL
COMMUNICATION
Meeting Date: 9/5/2023.
September 4, 2023
Agendallen No: 27(23-704).
To the Huntington Beach City Council:
I am writing to tell you that your latest planned actions are an outrage and that I will join other citizens of HB and Orange County in fighting your efforts now and as long as you try tooccupy your current positions.'m a 12-year homeowner in this city, I work full time in the city, and I'm raising a child here.
As far as I can tell, this is part of what you want to do, starting on Sept. 5:
—Item 15—spendtaxpayer money to hire two sets of lobbyists for the city because you want different rules than any other town in the state.
•...Item 16 - spendup to 2.8 million dollars to hire a medical management firm to fight and, it looks like, manipulate workers' compensation arrangements that are already in existence. •Item 19 -refuseto respond to the OC Grand Jury's report on drought. •...|tem 22 - spend$3,831,000 to continue to fight the state of California in your ongoing, tax-guzzling lawsuit (again, as if HB goes by different rules than the rest of the state-uh, no). •Item 24-simplysteal funds from the Traffic Congestion relief Prop 42 fund to hire a grant writer. •...Items 27, 28-In totally bad faith cancel a number of existing contracts and open up re-bidding (is that because you want to hire a friend's firm?).
•...Item 29 - Ina total attack on the democratic vote that denied you the opportunity to change City Charter Amendments, you want to fund and arrange a new March 5, 2024 election, so you can try to force your wishes on all of us again.
•..Item 30 -Appropriate1.2 million dollars from taxpayer funds for.... "Business Unit." That's all the explanation you give: Business Unit.
1 • Item 16-- I will join other citizens to fight your attack on freedom (Item 16) to censor the HB Library and its trained librarians so that citizens have less access to books that you-without training, without any definition of what youmean by "obscene" (there's an existing Supreme Court ruling on that, by the way) want to pick and choose. You also want to "part ways with the American Library Association." What the hell? You don't get to determine anybody's reading options. That's not your job, you aren't qualified to do it, and it is a complete attack on citizen freedoms. You want to deny the supportof experts and the recognized national organization joining libraries across the country.
We know you are attempting to copy what you have seen other power-greedy leaders do in Southern states. It appears you want HB to become like them, and that is a disaster. •Finally, the cowardly vote to rebuke Councilwoman Moser because she called out Mayor Pro Tem Van Der Mark'sdocumentedHolocaust denial record and racism. Van Der Mark's racism been publicly known since before 2018, and though she tries to cover it up and claim that her Latino background means she's not an anti- Semite, she has expressedracist views, and she has posted social media to that effect. In view of the fact that Moser has to watch her and most of you attack our civil liberties and use our money to do it, her frustration is understandable. Van der Mark has shown who she is, and slappingthe wrists of someone who calls it out is dishonest and petty.
We see you. We will continue to fight your actions and power grabs.
HB Resident Cecelia Galassi
Switzer, Donna
From: Karen Marie Carroll <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 5, 2023 8:06 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Agenda Items
Mayor Strickland and Members of the City Council
I am writing in opposition to or with serious concern regarding the following items on the 9/5/23 City Council Meeting Agenda: Item 30. 23-700, 31. 23-693, 26. 23-707, Item 27. 23-704, Item 28. 23-733, 15 23-700, and 16. 23-741
Item 30. 23-700- This item marks acceleration of a trajectory putting control of our city into the hands of extremists who are already providing their friends and associates opportunities to profit through secret settlements and now a re-do of bidding for contracts.
What is being proposed appears to build on actions already taken that clearly benefit the new majority - along with their friends and family. Financial gain and political ambition are equally apparent. I point to the following:
1) At the outset of your terms, you upped the limits on campaign contributions that give you quite an advantage in campaigns to come. I contributed to several candidates in the last election, and it was difficult for me financially. But I gave the limit and thought it was fair because there were limitations in place for all candidates. The current majority, however, was strategically supported by investors and groups many of which are outside of our city. 2) You propose re-arranging election cycles that would permit City Attorney Michael Gates and his wife Kelly Gates to run together, without reasonable limits on what they could spend together in a very well financed campaign. Included is a reduction of the requirements for City Clerk, which would permit Ms. Gates to run. Moving election oversight from the County to the City Attorney and City Clerk is ridiculous, unnecessary, and expensive. The optics are terrible! Further, it plays to the myth that there is election fraud here, for which there is no evidence.
Items 31. 23-693, particularly points I), J), and K)
This agenda item would change the application requirements for local contracts that open the door for persons, agencies, or firms that organize our local events. Will Code Four and Kevin Elliot be selected to run the 4th of July Parade and other city events too? We have heard that the Blue Angels 1 and other armed forces units arrange airshows without a middleman like Mr. Elliott. That is the way it is done in other locations, such as Seattle.
Item 15. 23-673
I question the change to accept the staff recommendations for federal lobbying consultants. Why accept the lowest ranked vendor to provide legislative analysis for our city? I understand that Mayor Strickland has received political contributions from that contractor. Really, this is the best that Huntington Beach deserves? Could there be any more evidence of political payback? Item 16. 23-741
Cultural issues outside of the those that actually matter to all residents were presented with a strategy of shock. Are you saying the extreme examples you found were in books in our library and schools in our city? I think not. I assure you, most of us do not want you to take on our parenting, just do the normal business of governing our city.
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