From: Pat Goodman
To: McKeon, Casey; [email protected]; CITY COUNCIL (INCL. CMO STAFF) Cc: Vigliotta, Mike; Hopkins, Travis
Subject: Please Pull Item # 18 Approve and Adopt Minutes, Correct Item # 27, Approve # 28 - 26-379 Date: Sunday, April 19, 2026 10:22:54 AM
Dear Mayor McKeon and City Council Members,
I am writing to ask you to address three specific items at Tuesday's meeting.
Item #18 – Approve and Adopt Minutes (April 7, 2026)
Please pull Item #18 from the consent calendar and correct the record before approving the April 7, 2026 minutes. The minutes attribute a statement to Mayor McKeon that the Wolffhaus contract was not subject to a Request for Proposals. That statement is incorrect, and the minutes should reflect the following corrections:
1. "City Charter Section 13" does not exist. This citation must be deleted or corrected. I could not find such section that governs professional services procurement.
2. Budget status does not eliminate the RFP requirement. Under HBMC §3.03.060, competitive proposals from at least three qualified firms are required regardless of whether funds are available.
3. No specific FY 2025–26 budget line item was identified in any supporting document or discussion to fund this contract. The public is entitled to know precisely where this money is budgeted.
Council members are free to speak their minds, but when statements entered into the public record are factually incorrect, the minutes must reflect the accurate legal and factual record. I ask that these corrections be annotated in the April 7 minutes.
Item #27 – Ad Hoc Committee for Branding and Marketing RFP If the Council moves forward with a branding and marketing contract, I urge you to revise the proposed structure and make up of the review committee. A self-appointed ad hoc committee should not be reviewing and selecting proposals. Instead, please direct the City Manager to:
Convene a staff-led RFP review committee
Evaluate all proposals against objective, published criteria Present the top three recommendations to the City Council and the public prior to any contract award
All proposals and staff analysis should be made publicly available before the award meeting. No council member should serve on the review committee.
Any council member who has a personal or business relationship with a firm among the top three recommended finalists — or who has publicly expressed support for a specific vendor — should recuse themselves from the contract award vote. These steps will go a long way toward restoring public trust.
Item #28 – 26-379
Please vote yes on Item #28. Councilmember Williams' proposal goes to the heart of the problem exposed by the Wolffhaus contract. Clearly establishing and communicating the City's procurement procedures will be educational for the Council, staff, and public alike — and will help prevent this situation from recurring.
A Final Word on Governance
We often hear that the City should be run like a business. The Wolffhaus contract is an example of what goes wrong when that analogy is taken too far.
A private business exists to create value for its owners and can move quickly, informally, and without public process. A city government exists to serve all residents equally, and is accountable to the public (voters and taxpayers) through law, transparency, and democratic elections. The rules governing how a city spends money and awards contracts are fundamentally different from those in the private sector — and shortcuts that may be acceptable in business are often illegal in government.
The Council majority has now had more than three years in office. The public expects — and the law requires — that its elected officials understand and follow proper procurement procedures. These rules exist not only to protect taxpayers, but to protect elected officials themselves from appearances of favoritism, conflicts of interest, and misuse of public funds.
I would also encourage the Council to adopt cost-benefit analysis by independent financial professionals as a standard tool when evaluating revenue-generating projects. Objective data leads to better decisions.
Huntington Beach is a remarkable city — with world-class beaches, excellent parks and libraries, strong public safety, and neighborhoods people actively seek out. Residents, visitors, homeowners, and businesses all benefit from what makes this city exceptional. Governing it with the transparency, accountability, and rigor it deserves is how we protect that value for everyone.
Pat Goodman
From: Jan Madnick
To: CITY COUNCIL (INCL. CMO STAFF); [email protected] Subject: Item 18 approval of minutes from 4/7/26
Date: Monday, April 20, 2026 3:25:46 PM
I am writing to urge you NOT to approve of the minutes from the last City Council meeting until you pull Item 22, 26-324 as you have the following corrections to make:
•Delete the statement regarding Section 13 in the City Charter as it does not exist. •You must identify the specific budget line item in the 2025-56 budget that would fund this project as this is a requirement for RFPs.
•Under HBMC§3.03.060, you MUST entertain at least 3 competitive proposals whether you have the funds or not.
It's clear from all the comments during the last CC meeting, that you are NOT in good standing with the HB residents on this issue in the manner that you are conducting it. It certainly would be nice to see you act responsibly regarding spending our taxes.
Thank you,
Jan Madnick
44 year resident