Meeting colors

OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Huntington Beach City Council Meeting – December 2, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, December 2, 2025

BodyHuntington Beach, California

SessionCity Council

DateTuesday, December 2, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:57:45

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

0:00

Let's talk about what you consider to be the most important.

2:10

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

2:15

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

2:19

Councilman Twine?

2:21

Here.

2:21

Councilman Kennedy.

2:23

Here.

2:23

Mayor Pro Tem McKeon.

2:25

Here.

2:25

Mayor Burns.

2:26

Here.

2:26

Councilwoman Vandermark.

2:28

Here.

2:28

Councilman Gruel?

2:29

Here.

2:30

Councilwoman Councilman Williams.

2:32

Here.

2:33

All present.

2:35

All right.

2:36

Tonight's invocation will be Bria Badajos from the Scouts of America Troop Eleven Thirty Four of Huntington Beach.

2:50

Please join us in the manner you are accustomed to in your faith.

2:54

Dear God, we come before you this evening with gratitude as we begin our council meeting.

3:00

We ask for your wisdom, clarity, and discernment.

3:03

Guide our city council members as they consider the matters before them, and help them work collaboratively for the good of our entire community.

3:12

Lord, we thank you for the wonderful city of Huntington Beach, its neighborhoods, its natural beauty, and the people who make it a special place to live.

3:21

We lift up our first responders and public servants who dedicate themselves to protecting and supporting others.

3:29

Watch over them and bless their families for the sacrifices they make.

3:34

We pray for each person gathered here tonight.

3:37

Council members, staff, and visitors.

3:41

As we move through this holiday season, surround them and their families with safety, peace, and joy.

3:48

Help us remain mindful of those in need, and inspire us to approach challenges with humility, unity, and compassion.

3:57

We ask for your continued protection over our city and its future.

4:02

Fill us with hope as we look ahead to all that awaits us in twenty twenty-six.

4:07

May your presence guide our decisions and strengthen our resolve with integrity and grace.

4:15

Amen.

4:19

Please put your right hand over your heart.

4:21

Oh, I guess pledge allegiance.

4:23

I gotta announce you, brother.

4:38

Please put your right hand over your heart.

4:41

Ready?

4:42

Begin.

4:43

I don't allegiance to the heart.

4:50

For which is that my nation, under God, indivisible, the liberty and justice for all.

5:19

We're gonna we're gonna go out of order a little bit.

5:24

Senator Strickland is going to present, make a presentation a little out of order.

5:48

Good evening.

5:50

Good evening.

5:50

It's uh unique to be on this side uh of the the lector and but um it's a privilege and honor to serve Huntington Beach in the state senate, and one of the biggest honors I've ever had was being mayor of Huntington Beach.

6:04

In fact, we brought my Huntington Beach jacket here for today.

6:07

Um let me open with this.

6:13

Um I love all of you.

6:15

Uh the magnificent seven, and a lot of people work very hard for all of us to be together and and whatever we need to stay together as a family, whatever we could do uh to stay together as a family uh to fight for the people of Huntington Beach.

6:26

And I will say um I'm really honored to be here today to honor uh Pat Burns, who did a remarkable job as mayor.

6:36

Um we did.

6:45

Pat, I don't know if you remember, you're the one that nominated me to become mayor of Huntington Beach, and uh we did a hundred and ten events together as the Fab Four.

6:52

Uh I consider you family.

6:53

I feel like you're my brother, and um, I'm just very proud of what you've done as mayor of Huntington Beach.

7:01

Uh your leadership uh and you're just steadfast.

7:04

You're you're Pat Burns.

7:06

Uh you say what's on your mind, and sometimes it gets you in trouble.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████48%

Public Engagement███████████████████████████████████37%

Personnel Matters████████9%

Economic Development████4%

Homelessness██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Huntington Beach City Council Meeting – December 2, 2025

The Huntington Beach City Council convened on December 2, 2025, at approximately 6:00 PM (the agenda indicated a 1:30 PM start, but the transcript reflects an evening meeting) for a regular meeting that included election of mayor and mayor pro tem, public comment, and recognition of outgoing Mayor Pat Burns. The meeting drew 60 public speakers, the majority of whom urged the council to follow policy and appoint Councilman Chad Williams as mayor pro tem based on his historic vote count. The council unanimously elected Councilman Casey McKeon as mayor, and after a contentious debate and procedural votes, elected Councilman Butch Twine as mayor pro tem by a 6‑1 vote.

Consent Calendar

No consent calendar items were discussed; the meeting moved directly to public comments and agenda items.

Public Comments & Testimony

Sixty members of the public signed up to speak; each was given 30 seconds due to the high number.
The overwhelming majority of speakers expressed strong support for Councilman Chad Williams to be appointed mayor pro tem, citing: his receiving 52,335 votes (the highest in city history), policy resolution 6320 that states the member with longest consecutive service or highest votes "shall" become mayor pro tem, his integrity as a Navy SEAL veteran and pastor, and the need to follow tradition and the will of the voters.
Several speakers also thanked outgoing Mayor Pat Burns for his service, congratulated incoming Mayor Casey McKeon, and urged the council to remain unified.
A few speakers raised other matters: Justine Makoff announced Free Rain Foundation’s accreditation at the equestrian center; Isaiah Contois requested an update on a burglary case; Elaine Keeley (Friends of the Library) asked for a response to a $250,000 grant proposal and offered an $825,000 donation to the library with conditions; and a speaker mentioned homeless memorial events.
One speaker criticized Mayor Burns’ handling of public comments; another speaker offered a land acknowledgement of the Tongva and Acjachemen peoples.

Discussion Items

Mayor’s Excellence Award: Mayor Burns presented the award to Michelle Hoffman, senior legal analyst, for her eight years of service and leadership in the city attorney’s office. Council members and the city attorney praised her dedication.
Election of Mayor: Councilman Casey McKeon was nominated and unanimously elected (7‑0) as the 88th mayor of Huntington Beach. He was sworn in and gave brief remarks thanking his family and highlighting past achievements (record homeless reduction, crime down 27%, permits up 23%) and his focus on business support and the 250th anniversary of the U.S.
Election of Mayor Pro Tem: A motion to set aside Resolution 6320 (the policy governing selection of mayor pro tem, which calls for the longest‑serving or highest‑vote‑getter to serve) was passed 6‑1, with Councilman Williams voting no. The council then considered nominations for mayor pro tem. A substitute motion to nominate Chad Williams failed 2‑5 (Gruel and Williams voted yes). The original motion to nominate Butch Twine passed 6‑1 (Williams opposed). Councilman Twine was sworn in as mayor pro tem. During debate, Councilman Kennedy stated he could not support Williams due to concerns about behavior and collaboration; Mayor McKeon cited Butch Twine’s leadership experience and availability; Councilman Williams argued the process violated the Brown Act (city attorney ruled it did not) and accused colleagues of a pre‑arranged decision.

Key Outcomes

Casey McKeon was elected mayor (vote 7‑0).
Butch Twine was elected mayor pro tem (vote 6‑1, with Chad Williams dissenting).
The council voted 6‑1 to temporarily set aside Resolution 6320 for the purpose of electing the mayor pro tem.
The next regular meeting was scheduled for December 16, 2025.
No action was taken on the Friends of the Library’s donation offer; the item was not on the agenda.

Meeting Transcript

Let's talk about what you consider to be the most important. 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. Councilwoman Councilman Williams. Here. All present. All right. Tonight's invocation will be Bria Badajos from the Scouts of America Troop Eleven Thirty Four of Huntington Beach. Please join us in the manner you are accustomed to in your faith. Dear God, we come before you this evening with gratitude as we begin our council meeting. We ask for your wisdom, clarity, and discernment. Guide our city council members as they consider the matters before them, and help them work collaboratively for the good of our entire community. Lord, we thank you for the wonderful city of Huntington Beach, its neighborhoods, its natural beauty, and the people who make it a special place to live. We lift up our first responders and public servants who dedicate themselves to protecting and supporting others. Watch over them and bless their families for the sacrifices they make. We pray for each person gathered here tonight. Council members, staff, and visitors. As we move through this holiday season, surround them and their families with safety, peace, and joy. Help us remain mindful of those in need, and inspire us to approach challenges with humility, unity, and compassion. We ask for your continued protection over our city and its future. Fill us with hope as we look ahead to all that awaits us in twenty twenty-six. May your presence guide our decisions and strengthen our resolve with integrity and grace. Amen. Please put your right hand over your heart. Oh, I guess pledge allegiance. I gotta announce you, brother. Please put your right hand over your heart. Ready? Begin. I don't allegiance to the heart. For which is that my nation, under God, indivisible, the liberty and justice for all. We're gonna we're gonna go out of order a little bit. Senator Strickland is going to present, make a presentation a little out of order. Good evening. Good evening. It's uh unique to be on this side uh of the the lector and but um it's a privilege and honor to serve Huntington Beach in the state senate, and one of the biggest honors I've ever had was being mayor of Huntington Beach. In fact, we brought my Huntington Beach jacket here for today. Um let me open with this.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI

TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com