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Record of Proceedings

Huntington Beach City Council Meeting – December 3, 2024: Swearing-In and Election of Mayor/Mayor Pro Tem

City Council — Tuesday, December 3, 2024
BodyHuntington Beach, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, December 3, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:46

I'd like to call the meeting of the city council public financing authority to order.

0:51

City Clerk, may I have the roll call, please?

0:54

Yes, Mayor.

0:55

Councilmember Mosher.

0:57

Present.

0:58

Councilmember Bolton.

1:00

Here.

1:00

Mayor Pro Timburns.

1:01

Here.

1:02

Mayor Vandermark.

1:03

Here.

1:03

Councilmember Strickland.

1:04

Here.

1:05

Councilmember McKeon.

1:06

Here.

1:06

Councilmember Kalmick.

1:08

Here.

1:08

All present.

1:09

Thank you.

1:10

Tonight, the Pledge of Allegiance will be led by Brian Brand, our IT technician.

1:15

Please stand if you're able to.

1:18

Ready?

1:19

Begin.

1:19

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

1:24

And to the Republic.

1:28

One nation under God.

1:30

Indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

1:34

May be seated.

1:36

Tonight's invocation will be given by Pastor Joe Pedick from Calvary Chapel of the Harbor.

1:55

Shannon.

2:00

Test one, two, we good.

2:02

Awesome.

2:02

Let's pray.

2:03

Lord God, we just Lord, we thank you for this meeting.

2:06

And Lord, we thank you that we can come before your very throne of grace.

2:11

And so Lord, we thank you for tonight.

2:13

We thank you for the seven that are here, Lord God.

2:15

We thank you for the new ones that are coming in.

2:17

And Lord, we pray according to your word, Lord.

2:20

You said in your word, you said, when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.

2:25

And Lord, we thank you that there is a lot of rejoicing going on in this room.

2:29

A lot of rejoicing going on in the overflow.

2:31

And Lord, we pray that we would rejoice always.

2:34

So we lift up these seven, Lord God.

2:36

We lift up the new mayor coming in.

2:38

And we pray, Lord, for your choice, your perfect choice for the new mayor coming in.

2:43

And Lord, you said wisdom comes from above.

2:45

So Lord, we pray that Lord, there would be that wonderful wisdom from above.

2:50

And we pray, Lord God, that those that govern over the city, according to your word, you said that those that govern govern for things that are good and not evil.

2:58

Oh Lord, we pray that Lord, these next few years would be things that are good and not evil.

3:04

We pray, Lord God, that you would put it on the hearts of those, Lord, the new ones that are coming in, the plan and the purpose that you have for Huntington Beach.

3:12

And Lord, we thank you for this wonderful city.

3:14

We thank you for our police department.

3:16

We thank you for our fire department.

3:18

We thank you, Lord, for those here in this room, Lord God, and we pray a special blessing over each and every one of them.

3:25

Lord, we pray according to your word, Lord, and we as the people here, we want to pray over our city council.

3:31

And Lord, we pray according to Numbers chapter six that the Lord that you would bless them, that you would keep them, that you would cause your face to shine upon them, and Lord, that you would be gracious to them and that you would continually give them your peace.

3:46

Lord God, thank you for every good and perfect gift comes from you from above.

3:51

So we lift up this council to you.

3:53

We lift up this meeting to you.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████████████████████35%
Public Comments█████████████████████████25%
Elections Administration██████████████14%
Community Engagement██████6%
Public Safety█████5%
Economic Development████4%
Affordable Housing████4%
Homelessness██2%
Pending Litigation██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Huntington Beach City Council Meeting – December 3, 2024: Swearing-In and Election of Mayor/Mayor Pro Tem

The Huntington Beach City Council held a ceremonial meeting on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, beginning at 6:00 PM in the Council Chambers. The meeting certified the November 5, 2024 general municipal election results, administered oaths of office to newly elected officials, and elected the new Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem. Outgoing council members delivered farewell remarks, and 23 members of the public provided comments under a reduced time limit of one minute each.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Thelma England, Pat Goodman, Rick Brown, and others congratulated newly elected officials and thanked outgoing council members. Steve Barnes specifically congratulated his wife, Lisa Lane Barnes, on her election as City Clerk.
  • Multiple speakers (e.g., Kenny Noah, Renee Dotti, David Reinerson) urged the new council to address financial deficits, represent all residents, and avoid imposing personal agendas.
  • A speaker speaking on behalf of Pride of the Peer acknowledged the swearing-in of Chad Williams, Butch Twining, and Don Kennedy, but expressed concern over what they described as the officials’ history of anti-LGBTQ+ statements, and pledged to hold them accountable.
  • Tori Johnson, leader of Black Lives Matter at Huntington Beach, thanked outgoing council members for their service and urged the new council to foster equality and avoid creating an atmosphere of hate.
  • Melvin Sterling shared his long residency and gratitude for the city.
  • Ellen Riley asked the council to issue a message of kindness regarding library staff, noting that distorted accusations about “pedophile books” had led to staff resignations.

Election Results and Certification

  • City Clerk Robin Estanislau presented the certified results from the November 5, 2024 election:
    • City Council: Chad Williams (52,335 votes), Butch Twining (43,924 votes), Don Kennedy (43,319 votes).
    • City Clerk: Lisa Lane Barnes elected (52,956 votes).
    • City Treasurer: Alisa Backstrom re-elected (74,634 votes).
    • Charter Amendment Measure U (Environmental Protection Measure) passed: 56,306 yes, 41,295 no.
  • Resolution No. 2024-59, declaring the election results, was adopted unanimously (7-0).
  • The city attorney noted that voter turnout was 80% of registered voters, despite the city’s new voter ID law.

Oaths of Office

  • Oaths of office were administered to newly elected council members Chad Williams, Butch Twining, and Don Kennedy, to City Clerk Lisa Lane Barnes, and to re-elected City Treasurer Alisa Backstrom. Senator Janet Wynn administered the oaths for the council members; Pastor Joe Pedick administered the oath for Ms. Barnes; outgoing City Clerk Estanislau administered the oath for Ms. Backstrom.

Election of Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem

  • Mayor Pro Tem Pat Burns was unanimously elected Mayor (7-0) and administered the oath by outgoing Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark.
  • Councilmember Casey McKeon was unanimously elected Mayor Pro Tem (7-0) and administered the oath by Mayor Burns.

Comments by City Attorney and Council Members

  • City Attorney Michael Gates delivered extended remarks congratulating the new council and criticizing the previous council majority (Dan Kalmick, Natalie Moser, Rhonda Bolton, Kim Carr) for actions including a politically motivated investigation, secret meetings on bond deals, and uncivil conduct. He stated that the voters had repudiated that leadership and that the new council would prioritize Huntington Beach over Sacramento mandates.
  • Outgoing council members Dan Kalmick, Rhonda Bolton, Natalie Moser, and Gracey Van Der Mark gave farewell speeches, expressing gratitude and urging the new council to focus on housing affordability, civility, and unity. Councilmember Kalmick was cut off by the mayor when he attempted to exceed the five-minute limit.
  • Incoming council members Chad Williams, Butch Twining, and Don Kennedy each spoke, emphasizing their faith, gratitude to volunteers and families, and commitment to conservative principles, local autonomy, and fighting state mandates. They pledged to balance the budget, reduce homelessness, and uphold charter city rights.
  • Mayor Pat Burns and Mayor Pro Tem Casey McKeon thanked the community and outlined priorities including financial stability, economic growth, and planning for America’s 250th birthday (2026).

Key Outcomes

  • Resolution No. 2024-59 (election certification) adopted unanimously (7-0).
  • Pat Burns elected Mayor (7-0); Casey McKeon elected Mayor Pro Tem (7-0).
  • All newly elected officials were sworn in.
  • The next regularly scheduled City Council meeting is Tuesday, December 17, 2024, at 6:00 PM.
  • The meeting was adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

I'd like to call the meeting of the city council public financing authority to order. City Clerk, may I have the roll call, please? Yes, Mayor. Councilmember Mosher. Present. Councilmember Bolton. Here. Mayor Pro Timburns. Here. Mayor Vandermark. Here. Councilmember Strickland. Here. Councilmember McKeon. Here. Councilmember Kalmick. Here. All present. Thank you. Tonight, the Pledge of Allegiance will be led by Brian Brand, our IT technician. Please stand if you're able to. Ready? Begin. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic. One nation under God. Indivisible with liberty and justice for all. May be seated. Tonight's invocation will be given by Pastor Joe Pedick from Calvary Chapel of the Harbor. Shannon. Test one, two, we good. Awesome. Let's pray. Lord God, we just Lord, we thank you for this meeting. And Lord, we thank you that we can come before your very throne of grace. And so Lord, we thank you for tonight. We thank you for the seven that are here, Lord God. We thank you for the new ones that are coming in. And Lord, we pray according to your word, Lord. You said in your word, you said, when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice. And Lord, we thank you that there is a lot of rejoicing going on in this room. A lot of rejoicing going on in the overflow. And Lord, we pray that we would rejoice always. So we lift up these seven, Lord God. We lift up the new mayor coming in. And we pray, Lord, for your choice, your perfect choice for the new mayor coming in. And Lord, you said wisdom comes from above. So Lord, we pray that Lord, there would be that wonderful wisdom from above. And we pray, Lord God, that those that govern over the city, according to your word, you said that those that govern govern for things that are good and not evil. Oh Lord, we pray that Lord, these next few years would be things that are good and not evil.

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