From: Carol Daus
To: [email protected]; CITY COUNCIL (INCL. CMO STAFF) Subject: Invocation-Pastor Joe Pedock
Date: Sunday, December 3, 2023 8:22:18 PM
Dear City Council Members:
On March 14, 2023, the City Council voted 4-2-1 to end the Greater Huntington Beach Interfaith Council's 17-year role in providing invocations at its Council meetings. The majority members claimed that the invocations were too politicized, yet there were no specific cases cited as explanation.
At that meeting, Mayor Srickland said: "I believe a prayer should be nondenominational--include all faiths--but also not be a political statement and they
(sic) have been political statements." Strickland went on to state: "It's very important that we have non-political prayers and statements that include all faiths." It is highly hypocritical and offensive of outgoing mayor Strickland and his majority to invite (for a second time in a year) controversial Joe Pedick of Calvary Chapel of the Harbour to give an invocation at the December 5th meeting. I have watched his sermons in which he encourages parishioners to take political actions, and they are extremely disturbing. Here he is at a "Stop the Steal" rally, arguing that President Biden did not win the election.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1374488055369768965.
In October, during a sermon, Pedick urged his parishioners to come to the City Hall meeting to speak out against "porn" being available in our school libraries (Pedick actually had his facts wrong since it is our public library which is falsely accused of having porn, not the school libraries). And a few weeks ago, during his service, Pedick featured a national pro-life speaker who advocates making abortion illegal.
Ironically, this took place two days before national election results demonstrated that Americans are vastly pro-choice and are against book banning--which is true for residents of Huntington Beach as well!
Anyone with an ounce of intelligence and perception (let alone character) understands that Pedick is no "average Joe" pastor. He is a divisive political operative and any appearance by him in a City-sponsored capacity, even if his remarks are not inflammatory in an invocation, will be considered polarizing and offensive by association. Already, parishioners of his have spread his poisonous propaganda at City Council meetings. Allowing Pedick to present at the Invocation 12/5/2023
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will be an affront to the community you allegedly represent. This is on top of allowing only Christian Public Safety chaplains, with one recent and notable exception, to present invocations all this year that do
not directly include and embrace all faiths and
self-servingly promote City interests and not necessarily the spiritual interests of the community.
Those of you who voted to replace community religious leaders from the Greater Huntington Beach Interfaith Council with this dangerous demagogue are hypocrites.
Those of you who see nothing wrong with kowtowing to a representative of your own ideology despite its obvious and serious political ramifications are blind as well.
Sincerely,
Carol Daus
Huntington Beach resident for 28 years
Reply Forward
From: Fikes, Cathy
To: Agenda Alerts
Subject: FW: Comment, re Feb. 5 "23 invocation
Date: Monday, December 4, 2023 3:07:46 PM
From: Dan Jamieson <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, December 4, 2023 2:40 PM
To: CITY COUNCIL (INCL. CMO STAFF) <[email protected]> Subject: Comment, re Feb. 5 '23 invocation
The HB council majority does a disservice to the HB community by having Joe Pedick give the invocation at the Feb. 5, 2023 council meeting.
Pedick preaches a message of intolerance from his church pulpit, openly mocking trans people and suggesting the Pope is a false prophet.
He spreads dangerous misinformation by repeating election-denial and Covid conspiracies.
Pedick openly supports political candidates from the pulpit, including all four members of the council majority.
Yet this same council majority banished the HB Interfaith Council from invocations, claiming the Interfaith Council was too political.
The residents of HB deserve better than another year of intolerance, misinformation and political extremism frespoused by Pedick and the council majority.
Sincerely,
Dan Jamieson
Huntington Beach
From: Harry McLachlan
To: [email protected]; CITY COUNCIL (INCL. CMO STAFF) Subject: File#23-983 Dec. 5, 2023 Invocation
Date: Monday, December 4, 2023 11:42:15 PM
Attachments: HB City Council Dec. 5, 2023.docx
See attached.
Huntington Beach Special City Council Meeting December 5, 2023 Invocation by 2020 Election Denier “Pastor” Joe Peddick File # 23 - 983
My name Harry McLachlan. I am a resident of Huntington Beach.
Shortly after taking office, a resolution was drafted by Mayor Strickland and councilwoman Van der Mark stripping the Greater Huntington Beach Interfaith Council of the ability to give any further invocations at the city council meetings. Mayor Strickland based this decision on “hundreds of complaints” that the invocations were being “politicized”. A review by outside parties of our city council meetings found absolutely no evidence of this.
Mayor Strickland has often cited “hundreds of constituents” contacting him regarding various issues with absolutely no documented proof, as with this case.
At a council meeting former disgraced mayor and council member Dave Garafalo spoke in support of this decision. The same Dave Garafalo convicted of one felony and 15 misdemeanors for failing to report income sources and gifts while serving the good people of Huntington Beach (along with himself!).
As a result, he was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, perform 200 hours of community service, and serve 3 years’ probation. He was also ordered to pay $47,000 by the Fair Political Practices Committee. As a convicted felon, he can no longer hold public office.
Birds of a feather, Mayor Strickland also has some familiarity with the Fair Political Practices Committee, having been required to pay a $40,000 fine after admitting that he arranged for his supporters to bypass voter-approved contribution limits and using these illegal contributions during his unsuccessful race to unseat John Chiang as State Controller in 2010. Is it no wonder that one of his first acts after assuming office was to raise campaign contribution limits by a person or business from $620 to $4,900? What monkey business possibly lies ahead?
Which brings me to the selection of “Pastor” Joe Peddick to give the December 5th invocation. The same “Apolitical Joe” who spoke at a “Stop the Steal” rally in Huntington Beach in December of 2022 along side other election deniers like Dana Rorabacher and Alan Hostetter. To quote “Apolitical Joe’, “I believe that Donald J. Trump won this election. I believe that with all my heart. I believe that there are those that want to steal this election from him, but WE THE PEOPLE will not let that happen. AMEN.
Hopefully, his invocation will be less Christo-Fascist, much more reality- based, and sane.