SENT VIA ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION
[email protected]
June 11, 2026
Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH
2000 Main Street
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
Re: General Plan Amendment No. 21-003
2021-2029 Housing Element Update
Honorable Mayor and City Council Members:
Ocean View School District (OVSD) requests the City Council adopt the 2021 -2029 Housing Element at it June 16, 2026, meeting in compliance with state law. It is our hope that the City Council will enact the programs in 2021 -2029 Housing Element that encour age the development of family orientated housing that is affordable to young families in Huntington Beach.
The Huntington Beach Housing Element is one of the tools used by OVSD to determine future enrollment predictions, as well as potential income from development fees paid to the school districts.
If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Julianne Hoefer, Superintendent at (714) 847 - 2551, extension 1309.
Thank you,
Sincerely,
Gina Clayton-Tarvin Dr. Julianne Hoefer
Board of Trustees’ President Superintendent
Ocean View School District Ocean View School District
cc: Ocean View School District Board of Trustees
Travis Hopkins, City Manager
Lisa Lane Barnes, City Clerk
Jennifer Villasenor, Director of Community Development
SUPPLEMENTAL COMMUNICATION - Meeting Date: 6/16/2026 Item No. 10 (26-543) From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Comment regarding Item 10 on City Council Agenda for 6/16/26 Date: Saturday, June 13, 2026 2:01:49 PM
RE: Resolution No. 2026-25 to Approve General Plan Amendment No. 21-003 (2021-2029 Housing Element Update)
I am writing about item #10, The resolution to approve the 2021-2029 Housing Element update.
I strongly urge the city council to approve the updated Housing Element that has been submitted by city staff. The document has been demanded by the State for several years and is now required by order of a Superior Court judge.
Since the original Housing Element was presented in 2021, there has been development that makes the updated Housing Element more palatable. The original Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) for the city was 13,368 units at various income levels. Since then, many units have already been built, so the current RHNA requirement stands at the reduced level of about 9,000 units. And the city has a variety of ways of satisfying that reduced requirement, because we have capacity for about 17,000 buildable units. That means that there should be no difficulty in providing a compliant Housing Element at this time.
Another important point regarding this issue is that having a Housing Element and identifying buildable sites DOES NOT MEAN that that amount of housing will be built! Developers would need to step up to build in the city, and that is by no means guaranteed. The Housing Element simply provides for the site identification and zoning to allow interested developers to build.
However, until HB has an accepted Housing Element, we will be fined $50,000 per month based on the ruling of the judge, in addition to the $160,000 in late fees already assessed. Given the serious budget deficit the city is already facing, HB cannot afford to incur yet more debt! Housing costs in Huntington Beach are so high, due to lack of available housing at all price points, that many individuals who work in our city cannot afford to live here. These are people with children.
If we make it impossible for families to live in HB, our school systems will suffer. And the city will shortly become a place filled with old people who will eventually die and leave a ghost town behind.
For the sake of everyone in HB, I urge you to do the right thing and approve the Housing Element that has been presented to you.
Diane Bentley
25-year resident of Huntington Beach
From: Perry Clitheroe
To: [email protected]
Subject: Regarding Multiple Items for June 16
Date: Monday, June 15, 2026 3:39:42 PM
[You don't often get email from [email protected]. Learn why this is important at https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentification ]
Hello City Council,
Please adopt the general plan amendment in its current form, and please discuss the concerns of the Kennedy Commission that it may not be sufficient to comply with state law. Consider amending it or coming back at a future meeting with amendments to ensure our prompt compliance with California’s Housing Element laws.
In California, 460 cities have erected stifling regulations on homebuilding. These regulations have led to a shortage of housing and an enormous surge in housing prices and rents. This surge has unfairly benefited incumbent landowners, and made it difficult for both families and business to start, grow and thrive in California. The Housing Element exists to counter the reality that local elections are dominated by voters who benefit from and vote to perpetuate this dynamic.
I urge you to recognize that the Housing Element has not only defeated you, but is a wise and earnest solution to the challenging dynamics local leaders face when trying to fairly govern land use. Instead of giving the people of Huntington Beach false hope that the government can prevent anything from ever changing in their neighborhood, tell them the truth. Tell them that we must comply with these laws, that many of the changes that will come are necessary, and that they are what is best for the city of Huntington Beach and for its residents.
On that note. I urge you to reconsider the cuts in the current budget. Consider passing one without the cuts on a 6- month authorization, and analyze the impact that the general plan amendment will have on our finances. Reducing staffing at the police department and community services causes a negative cycle. Reducing the quality of government services reduces property values and tax revenues, contributing to neglect and decay. Our anti-growth lawmaking has caused enough damage, please do not compound these harms.
Fortunately, the general plan amendment that you are being forced to adopt will raise revenues. If Streamline HB is applied to the city’s land use and development, these revenues will be realized within a few years. Please consider these revenues as you consider the cuts to the police and to community services in the current budget proposal.
I think the experience Councilor Kennedy shared at a recent meeting is one you all should take to heart. He was originally opposed to Pacific City, but when it was completed he fell in love with the project. Many of you claim to be free market capitalists. Have you considered that the obsession with maintaining restrictive land use regulations is not defending Huntington Beach, but rather, holding Huntington Beach back from reaching its full potential? Lastly, I urge you to refrain from placing more land use decisions under the authority of the Planning Commission and City Council. In my opinion, legislative bodies should write laws, and hire well qualified, professional, neutral arbiters to enforce them - the current role and authority of the Zoning Administrator is reasonable. If you don’t like their decisions, update the laws. Planning Commissioners are unpaid or paid a small stipend, and even City Councilors are part time officials. We pay people who have many years of education and professional experience to make these decisions for a reason - trust them to do their job.
Thank you for your public service, and for reading this long email (if you did). I’m happy to discuss these issues at any time with any of you.
Happy Pride
-Perry Clitheroe