Huntington Beach City Council Meeting: Election of Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem, December 5, 2023
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Huntington Beach City Council Meeting: Election of Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem, December 5, 2023
The Huntington Beach City Council met on December 5, 2023, at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting included presentations, public comments, and the election of the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem. Due to the lack of substantive business, public comment time was reduced to one minute per speaker. 45 residents signed up to speak, and the council voted 4-3 to set aside the long-standing Resolution No. 6320 for the election process, leading to the election of Gracie Vandermark as Mayor and Pat Burns as Mayor Pro Tem.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Support for Gracie Vandermark as Mayor: Numerous speakers, including Don Kennedy, Patty Pappas, Kathy Carrick, Heidi Barlow, Lisa Musel, and others, praised Vandermark's leadership, courage, and historic role as the first Latina mayor. They highlighted her stands on protecting children, supporting Israel, and opposing vaccine mandates.
- Opposition to Gracie Vandermark as Mayor: Several speakers, such as Pat Goodman, Terry Rose, Bethany Webb, and Dr. Stanley Wolfe, argued that Vandermark is unfit due to alleged affiliations with extremist groups, lack of a high school diploma, and violation of council resolution 6320, which they claimed should have made Dan Kalmick mayor.
- Criticism of Council Majority: Multiple speakers (e.g., Delane Bailey, David Reinerson, Meg Robinson, and others) accused the council majority of breaking norms, ignoring the 1991 resolution, and engaging in partisan politics. They also criticized the reduction of public comment time and the elimination of citizen boards.
- Praise for Outgoing Mayor Strickland: Several residents and officials (including Senator Janet Nguyen and Assemblyman Tri Ta's representative) thanked Tony Strickland for his accessibility, town halls, and accomplishments such as reducing homelessness, increasing police staffing, and fighting high-density mandates.
- Other Topics: Speakers addressed the Bolsa Chica Senior Living Project (urged a 'no' vote), the withdrawal from Orange County Power Authority, the three charter amendments (ballot measures on voter ID, flag policy, and ballot drop boxes), and the city's book policy. One speaker requested municipal voting with voter ID.
Discussion Items
- Procedure for Election of Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem: Councilmember Tony Strickland moved to set aside Resolution No. 6320 (which traditionally awarded the mayor position to the council member with the longest tenure). Councilmember Dan Kalmick offered a substitute motion to appoint Dan Kalmick as mayor, which failed 3-4. Another substitute motion to appoint Natalie Moser as mayor also failed 3-4. The original motion to set aside the resolution passed 4-3 (Strickland, McKeon, Burns, Van Der Mark in favor; Bolton, Kalmick, Moser opposed).
- Election of Mayor: Strickland moved to elect Gracie Vandermark as mayor. The motion passed 4-3 (Strickland, McKeon, Burns, Van Der Mark in favor; Kalmick, Moser, Bolton opposed). Gracie Vandermark was sworn in as the first Latina mayor of Huntington Beach.
- Election of Mayor Pro Tem: Vandermark moved to elect Pat Burns as mayor pro tem. A substitute motion to elect Natalie Moser failed 3-4. The original motion passed 4-3 (Strickland, McKeon, Burns, Van Der Mark in favor; Kalmick, Moser, Bolton opposed). Pat Burns was sworn in as mayor pro tem.
- Presentations: Mayor Strickland presented the Mayor’s HB Excellence Award to Cathy Fikes, Senior Administrative Assistant. He also gave a retrospect of his year as mayor, listing accomplishments including town halls, homeless reduction, police hiring, and fighting state mandates. Senator Janet Nguyen and Assemblyman Tri Ta's representative presented resolutions honoring Strickland.
Key Outcomes
- Set Aside Resolution 6320: The council voted 4-3 to set aside the traditional procedure for electing the mayor and mayor pro tem, allowing the majority to choose leadership without following seniority precedence.
- Election of Gracie Vandermark as Mayor: Passed 4-3. Gracie Vandermark became the 67th mayor and the first Latina mayor of Huntington Beach.
- Election of Pat Burns as Mayor Pro Tem: Passed 4-3. Pat Burns assumed the role of mayor pro tem.
- Next Regular Meeting: The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 19, 2023, at 6:00 PM (note: the transcript says December 21, but agenda states December 19; the summary follows the agenda date).
Meeting Transcript
I like to call the regular meeting of the city council public finance authority to order. Clerk, please call the role. Councilmember Kalmick. Here. Councilmember Mosher. Here. Mayor Pro Tim Vandermark. Here. Mayor Strickland. Here. Councilmember McKean. Here. Councilmember Bolton. Here. Councilmember Burns. Here. All present. So today we're honored to lead us to the Pledge of Allegiance. It's going to be led by Preston Vandermark. What's going on? All right. For those of you who can stand, please rise. Let's begin. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Today our invocation will be led by Pastor Joe Pettdock of the Calvary Chapel of the Harbor. That's an excited crowd there. They're excited about what you guys are doing here in this city. So let's give a hand for these people here. Thank you. Let's pray. Lord God, we, Lord. We thank you, Lord, that your word tells us that when there's just two or three gather together in your name, and here we are, Lord, we're gathered together in your name. Lord, you promise that you will be here in our midst. So we welcome you in this chamber. And Lord, we welcome your presence, God, and we thank you, Lord, that in your presence there's fullness of joy. Lord, I pray that there be great joy during this time right now. And Lord, according to your word, you tell us, Lord, and 1 Timothy, you said that we're to pray for all those that are in authority. So Lord, we pray for all of those that are standing right here in this chamber. Lord, we pray that you would continue to bless. We pray that you would continue to give them wisdom for our city, this great city of Huntington Beach. And Lord God, we thank you, Lord. But you said not only that we're to pray for them, but you said we're to give you thanks for them. We thank you for every council member that's here right now. Thank you, Lord. Thank you for their time. Thank you for their dedication. Thank you for their sacrifice, Lord, that they've given to this city. And Lord, we pray, Lord, that you would be with each one of them.
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