From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]; CITY COUNCIL (INCL. CMO STAFF); Cheri Atkinson Subject: Writing in favor of no cuts in funding for the Be Well Mobile Date: Sunday, June 1, 2025 8:48:42 PM
Dear City Council,
I am writing in favor of no cuts in funding for the Be Well Mobile. As a mental health clinician, I can say that the Be Well Mobile provides valuable interventions, for the homeless, those with mental health and substance abuse issues, family conflicts, wellness checks and much more. I know many HB residents, who have used their services, and have felt, that they provided much needed help. Last year they served 4,255 individuals, provided 3,499 service hours, and provided 7,219 services. Their intereventions free up the HBPB officers, up to their job, and they provide services, that are out of the area of expertise of the police.
I know that you are needing to make budget cuts, but the safety and well being of Huntington Beach, would be impacted by cutting funding for the Be Well Mobile Unit.
Respectfully Submitted,
Cheri Atkinson, LCSW
SUPPLEMENTAL
COMMUNICATION
Meeting Date:_____________
Agenda Item No. ___________
22 (25-451)
6-3-2025
1 From: Pat Goodman <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, June 2, 2025 3:49 PM
To: [email protected]; CITY COUNCIL (INCL. CMO STAFF) Subject: Agenda #22 Adopt the 2025 – 26 Budget Questions/Comments Dear Mayor Burns and City Council,
I have reviewed the PowerPoint file attached to this item and the 2025-26 budget.
Comments about Slides #13 – 17
Operating Reductions – Personnel - $1.98m
Operating Reductions – Non-Personnel - $2.9m
o Mind OC Be Well eliminating $1.5 m. The need for these services does not go away. How will these services be met for our residents (housed, unhoused, visitors)?
o Are these reductions be reflected in future budgets/forecasting? o SB 2 funding is not reflected in the current year. Why is that and how will these funds be replicated (they are an important source of funding for homeless and behavioral health services)? Interfund Transfers - $8.4m
o Some of these transfers affect reserves – what are considered adequate reserves for these funds? Generally, transfers from reserves s/b for one time expenditures and not used for continuing operations. This is very risky management of the city because it will drain reserves and indicates that structural (ongoing) deficits are not being addresses.
o Sec. 115 Trust (established under Internal Revenue Code Section 115, allow public agencies to set aside funds for future healthcare costs, potentially reducing the volatility of future contributions and stabilizing budgets) transfer to UAL Expense - $1.5m. How is this transfer justified since UAL relates to pensions 2 and SEC 115 expenditures relate to non-pension employee benefits.
Proposed Budget - Proposed Budget the Expenditure Summary by Fund, page 4.
o Please explain the cause(s) of the Self-Insurance General Liability jump to $14.6m in 2024-25 from $6.8m in 2023-24. This represents an $8m increase.
o BID Hotel/Motel 2025-26 increases to $10.2m from 2024-25 in the amount of $$6.8m
o Clarification on how contingencies are reflected in the budget— for example, how the potential enactment of SB1037 has been accounted for.
o Please provide a clear explanation and analysis of the changes in reserve balances for all funds, including the underlying causes of those changes. Which funds are restricted and which funds may be available to provide support to the General Fund.
o An assessment of how the drawdown of reserves and other accounting adjustments may affect the city’s bond rating.
This is not an exhaustive list but it would be helpful to have a better understanding of reserves and why they are set up, how they can be used, and the meaning of structural deficit and how to best correct it.
I have appreciated the budget Town Halls and department presentations during the past few months. They are very informative and provide residents with better understanding of how our city works and the vast array of services provided. I think many would agree that a well run city with good roads, water, libraries, parks, and safety units helps all the residents and homeowners to keep other costs down and improve property values.
Thank you for providing this information to the council and public.
Pat Goodman
From: Tamara Colby
To: [email protected]
Subject: Budget and library items
Date: Monday, June 2, 2025 4:59:39 PM
You don't often get email from [email protected]. Learn why this is important This CC exhibits characteristics of authoritarianism. This city council has move towards a strong central power and limited political freedoms. Only people that think like you matter.
Your MAGA elite and its affiliations with the Calvary Church on the harbor is unilaterally making policy and operational decisions, and have ushered in restrictions on civil liberties and political rights. For example, Tony Strickland broke with local norms and practices, when he took action to be mayor, suppressing the opposition by bumping Kalmick. Next this council rewrote the Human Dignity statute, did the corrupt airshow deal, charter amendments for voter ID and restrictions on flags, created a new cultural calendar, making up lies about the library’s and then passing the book review committee, the library privatization RFP, approved the light show in the park deal. And more. All these decisions were done in a vacuum and without much citizen input. This CC suppresses dissent with lawsuits, harassment, and limiting the time for public input.
Public input went first to 3 minutes, and now one minute. That is why the citizens put Measure A and B on the ballot to stop this corruption, censorship and attack on our freedoms.
The CC began to suppress dissent or criticism from residents by eliminating the mobile home park committee, the human relations committee, and the environmental committee, and it reduced the time allotted to speak at meetings. Both these actions reduced citizen participation, squashed dissent and criticism. That’s authoritarian! This started when the MAGA 4 got elected and the council led by Tony Strickland operated with limited accountability or transparency. Tony’s MO was to relaunch his political career, so it seems to me he looked for ways to get political campaign donors -- the airshow/Code 4, library privatization/ LSS, and the light show in central park/Cavalia.
Strickland needed money for his campaign for state senate, and likewise, Gracy VDM is looking for donors for her campaign for state office. The CC prioritizes its self-serving need to give deals to their friends in return for political donations, over the needs of the wider community. This self-serving CC is bankrupting our city and taking away our freedoms!
That is why I am proud to support Measure A & B to restore our freedoms and stop this rampant corruption. The passage of Measure A repeals the unnecessary book review committee ordinance and Measure B prohibits a private corporation from running the library.
The city would be better off if the MAGA CC would restore the norms, citizen participation and stop selling our city. Then the city could recover financially.
Thank you,
Tammy Colby