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Record of Proceedings

Huntington Beach City Council Meeting on October 21, 2025: Nitrous Oxide Ordinance and TEFRA Hearing

City Council — Tuesday, October 21, 2025
BodyHuntington Beach, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, October 21, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:41:49

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:27

Thirty five seconds.

1:05

Getting down to business here.

1:08

All right.

1:09

I'd like to call the meeting of the City Council Public Financing Authority to order.

1:15

City Clerk.

1:16

May I have the roll call, please?

1:18

Councilman Twine?

1:20

Here.

1:20

Councilman Kennedy?

1:21

Here.

1:22

Mayor Pro Tem McKeon?

1:23

Here.

1:24

Mayor Burns.

1:24

Here.

1:25

Councilwoman Vandermark?

1:26

Here.

1:26

Councilman Gruel?

1:27

Here.

1:28

Councilman Williams?

1:28

Here.

1:29

All present.

1:30

All right.

1:31

Do we have any supplemental communications for this session?

1:35

Yes, Mayor.

1:36

We have two supplemental communications for the closed session for item number two five-seven nine eight one email for item number two five-eight two four one email.

1:49

All right.

1:50

Do we have anybody signed up to speak?

1:52

There are no speakers signed up for this portion of the meeting.

1:55

Okay.

1:56

I'll make the motion to go back in close session.

1:59

Do I have a second?

2:00

Second.

2:00

We have a second.

2:01

We're going to recess into closed session.

3:39

Councilman Twine.

3:40

Here.

3:41

Councilman Kennedy?

3:42

Here.

3:43

Mayor Pro Tem McKeon?

3:44

Here.

3:45

Mayor Burns.

3:45

Here.

3:46

Councilwoman Vandermark?

3:47

Here.

3:48

Councilman Gruel?

3:49

Here.

3:50

Councilman Williams.

3:51

Here.

3:51

All present.

3:52

All right.

3:53

Tonight's invocation will be given by Huntington Fire and Police Chaplain Roger Wing.

3:59

Please stand.

4:02

Would you please join me in prayer as we ask the Lord's blessing on this evening's meeting?

4:09

In James Five, you tell us that if any of you lack wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault.

4:19

Now that's great counsel for all of us.

4:21

And we especially ask you, Lord, to give wisdom and direct the paths of our city council this evening as they deal with the issues on the agenda.

4:30

May you impart your wisdom and discernment to each member as they discuss the issues and make decisions.

4:36

We pray that you would give them guidance to be able to make the best decisions possible for our city.

4:42

Lord, we pray for all those who will be providing their input and sharing their views at the podium this evening.

4:48

Help them and guide them to share with clarity, dignity, and respect.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Affordable Housing█████████████████████████████████████████41%
Procedural███████████11%
Community Engagement███████████11%
Public Engagement████████8%
Public Safety██████6%
Fiscal Sustainability██████6%
Elections Administration█████5%
Arts And Culture████4%
Engineering And Infrastructure████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Huntington Beach City Council Meeting - October 21, 2025

The Huntington Beach City Council convened on October 21, 2025, addressing a nitrous oxide sales prohibition, a TEFRA hearing for Pelican Harbor Apartments, infrastructure updates, a U.S. Navy presentation, and public comments on various issues.

Consent Calendar

  • Items 8 and 9 were approved unanimously via the consent calendar.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Multiple speakers expressed full support for the nitrous oxide ordinance (Item 11), emphasizing protection for youth and reduced substance misuse.
  • Speakers criticized Mayor Burns for reducing public comment time and alleged bullying behavior, with one reading an op-ed titled 'Huntington Beach Leaders Are Abusing Their Power and Silencing the Public.'
  • Support was voiced for inviting Orange County Registrar of Voters Bob Page to present on election security (Item 12), with some speakers expressing confidence in current election procedures.
  • Other comments included promotion of local events like the Miss Huntington Beach scholarship pageant, support for Proposition 50, and concerns about immigration enforcement and civil disorder.

Discussion Items

  • Pelican Harbor Apartments TEFRA Hearing: Staff and Jamboree Housing Corporation representatives presented on maintaining tax-exempt bond status for the affordable senior housing project. Council members debated financial terms, including a $5,000 annual payment and extended affordability covenants, leading to a decision to continue the hearing for further negotiation.
  • Nitrous Oxide Ordinance: The council discussed Ordinance number 4342 to prohibit the sale and distribution of nitrous oxide, with exceptions for commercial, medical, and vehicular uses. The Huntington Beach Police Department reported a significant increase in related arrests.
  • Infrastructure Updates: The Public Works Director presented completed projects, including Zone 2 overlay and 17th Street Arterial Rehabilitation, highlighting on-time and under-budget delivery.
  • U.S. Navy Presentation: Commander Gilligan and colleagues celebrated the Navy's 250th birthday, discussed recruitment challenges in Orange County, and requested support for access to schools.

Key Outcomes

  • The council unanimously voted to appeal the Aloncia vs. City of Huntington Beach case and provided direction to initiate litigation in two potential cases, with outside counsel working pro bono.
  • The TEFRA hearing for Pelican Harbor Apartments was continued to a special meeting on October 28, 2025.
  • Ordinance number 4342, prohibiting the sale and distribution of nitrous oxide, was approved for introduction with a second reading scheduled for November 4, 2025.
  • The council unanimously approved inviting Orange County Registrar of Voters Bob Page to present on election security at a future meeting.
  • Consent calendar items passed 7-0.

Meeting Transcript

Thirty five seconds. Getting down to business here. All right. 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? Councilman Twine? Here. Councilman Kennedy? Here. Mayor Pro Tem McKeon? Here. Mayor Burns. Here. Councilwoman Vandermark? Here. Councilman Gruel? Here. Councilman Williams? Here. All present. All right. Do we have any supplemental communications for this session? Yes, Mayor. We have two supplemental communications for the closed session for item number two five-seven nine eight one email for item number two five-eight two four one email. All right. Do we have anybody signed up to speak? There are no speakers signed up for this portion of the meeting. Okay. I'll make the motion to go back in close session. Do I have a second? Second. We have a second. We're going to recess into closed session. Councilman Twine. Here. Councilman Kennedy? Here. Mayor Pro Tem McKeon? Here. Mayor Burns. Here. Councilwoman Vandermark? Here. Councilman Gruel? Here. Councilman Williams. Here. All present. All right.

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