WHY I’M RUNNING
Huntington Beach needs leadership focused on the everyday, local issues that matter most. I’m running for City Council because I believe our community deserves leaders who put families, neighborhoods, and local businesses first.
As a parent, lawyer, and non-profit leader with deep roots in Orange County, I’ve spent my career taking action to solve problems. From the Bolsa Chica Conservancy to the Orange County Business Council and now as Executive Director of Orange County Grantmakers, my top priority has always been bringing people together to get results. I have also been proud to serve on the Huntington Beach Community and Library Services Commission, where I worked to ensure residents have access to the programs and services that keep our city strong.
Family is important to me and we deserve leaders committed to making life better for all of Huntington Beach. My father built a small business here repairing military electronics, while my mother served as a juvenile probation officer helping young people facing challenges. Today, my husband and I are proudly raising our two young children in the same community where I grew up, and I want to make sure Huntington Beach remains a place where families can thrive for generations to come.
I want to ensure Huntington Beach remains a safe and thriving place where families succeed, businesses grow, and neighbors look out for each other. Our future is strongest when we focus on what unites us and put Huntington Beach families at the heart of every decision. Let’s build that future — together.
PRIORITIES
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Huntington Beach should be known as Surf City USA — not for political culture wars, costly lawsuits, and national headlines that divide our community. In recent years, our city has become associated with book bans, attacks on voting rights, and culture war fights that have damaged HB’s reputation and distracted from the everyday issues residents care about most.
The damage to HB’s reputation comes with real consequences. It hurts tourism, drives away visitors and businesses, and costs taxpayers money. It also affects community pride and makes many residents feel like City Hall is more focused on politics than solving problems.
As your City Councilmember, I will focus on bringing people together, restoring pride in Huntington Beach, and making sure City Hall is focused on local priorities. I will support community events, neighborhood programs, and local businesses that bring people together and strengthen our city’s reputation. I will take action to restore the Human Relations Commission, encourage greater community engagement from city leaders, and explore partnerships that help make public spaces like Pier Plaza more welcoming, family-friendly, and reflective of the best of Huntington Beach.
Huntington Beach works best when we focus on what unites us, not what divides us.
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This is one of the most complicated issues currently facing our city and state, and the current approach of constant lawsuits and refusing to work with the state is not solving the problem. Taxpayer dollars are being wasted in court while the city risks losing local control over future development decisions. At the same time, rising housing costs are making it harder for young families, seniors, teachers, and healthcare workers to afford living in the community they serve.
Huntington Beach deserves a balanced approach that protects our quality of life while planning responsibly for the future. Residents should have a voice in how our city grows, and new housing should respect the character of our neighborhoods. I do not support high-density housing in single-family neighborhoods or projects that dramatically change the feel of our community.
As your City Councilmember, I will work to resolve the city’s disputes with the state so Huntington Beach can regain control over local planning decisions and avoid wasting millions more in lawsuits and fines. I will support responsible, commonsense housing solutions that fit the needs of each neighborhood, including thoughtfully planned condos, townhomes, and workforce housing along major corridors where development makes the most sense. I will also support protections for residents in mobile home parks and push to restore the Mobile Home Advisory Board so residents have a stronger voice in decisions affecting their communities.
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Huntington Beach is facing a projected budget deficit of over $15 million by 2027. We are seeing the impact firsthand through staffing shortages, delayed infrastructure repairs, and growing financial uncertainty. Years of costly lawsuits, poorly negotiated contracts, and dragged out political fights have wasted millions of taxpayer dollars that should be going toward core city services and improving our community.
Residents deserve a City Council that treats taxpayer dollars responsibly and focuses on solving problems instead of creating them. City Hall should prioritize public safety, infrastructure, parks, libraries, and neighborhood services, not frivolous legal battles that drain taxpayer resources and damage Huntington Beach’s reputation.
As your City Councilmember, I will work to end unnecessary lawsuits, reduce wasteful spending, and bring greater fiscal responsibility to City Hall. I will work to resolve ongoing legal disputes that continue costing taxpayers millions, review contracts that may not be in the city’s best interest, pursue state and federal grants that can help fund local priorities, and support completing the housing element so Huntington Beach can regain local control over planning decisions and avoid additional fines and legal costs. I will also support responsible budgeting that prioritizes essential city services and long-term financial stability over political agendas.
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The City has been rated poorly in different areas of infrastructure, and much of the citizenry is upset about different actions or inactions of the City.
From unsightly weeds on sidewalks and medians, to disruption of communities and safety concerns over cleaning up the Tank Farm, to flooding caused by aging stormwater infrastructure and deteriorating public restrooms at the beach, infrastructure is one issue that many Huntington Beach residents can all agree needs more attention from City Hall.
Safe streets, reliable stormwater infrastructure, clean public spaces, well-maintained parks, and quality beach facilities are essential to protecting our quality of life and keeping Huntington Beach a place families are proud to call home.
As your City Councilmember, I will work to prioritize infrastructure improvements and responsible long-term planning. I will support redirecting taxpayer dollars away from unnecessary lawsuits and wasteful spending so the city can focus on repairing roads, improving flood control and stormwater systems, maintaining parks and public spaces, addressing neighborhood concerns, and investing in the everyday services residents rely on.
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For decades, our libraries have been a source of pride for residents, providing educational opportunities, community programs, and resources for kids and families of all backgrounds. Instead, the status quo in Huntington Beach has spent years putting their political agendas over our libraries, while wasting taxpayer dollars and creating national controversy instead.
Residents deserve leadership that respects parents, values public education, and upholds our freedoms. Parents – not the government – should decide what is best for their own children, while libraries should continue providing access to information, learning opportunities, and programs that serve the entire community. In the summer of 2025, Huntington Beach residents overwhelmingly united to defeat Measures A and B, rejecting City Hall’s efforts to politicize and privatize our libraries.
The city should drop its appeal of the library lawsuit, return all restricted books to their proper sections, and fully support library staff and operations. As your City Councilmember, I will also work to finalize the Friends of the Library agreement so donated funds can be put to work supporting library programs, facilities, and services for Huntington Beach residents.
Get the facts and timeline on the fight over HB’s libraries:
Spring 2023: Gracey Van Der Mark introduces censorship ordinances. Supported by Strickland, Burns, and McKeon.
Creates a censorship board made up of 21 people to review every book in children’s and teen collections for appropriateness
Qualifications: Must be 18 years or older and a resident
Politically appointed by majority
Decisions permanent and unreviewable
Prevents all minors from accessing any material with “sexual content” in the library
Spring 2023: Budget introduced to drastically cut library hours, close two library branches, and reduce staff; pulled by Strickland after community backlash
May and June 2023: Marathon city council meetings with community speaking out against the censorship ordinances.
October 2023: City Council passes library censorship 4-3, with Van Der Mark, McKeon, Burns, Strickland supporting.
January 2024: City Manager Travis Hopkins and Community and Library Services Director Ashley Wysocki order books moved based on “bathing suit” rule for pictures/drawings and on Wikipedia definition of “sexual content,” creating a media firestorm and more negative headlines.
Spring-Summer 2024: Mike Posey meets with the City Council to propose privatizing the library. Huge public outcry. Privatization eventually pulled from the council agenda.
Fall 2024: Freedom to Read Act passes CA Legislature, crafted in direct response to HB’s policies on the library.
Summer 2024: Community members begin collecting signatures for two ballot initiatives: 1) stop the censorship board, and 2) prevent future privatization of the library without citizen approval through a direct vote.
October 2024: The community submits more than 15,000 signatures from voters to the city clerk. The county registrar then validated that enough signatures qualified for a special election on the ballot measures.
January 2025: Freedom to Read Act becomes law in CA.
February 2025: Erin Spivey, two minors, and Alianza Latinix (with ACLU, the American Civil Liberties Union) file a lawsuit against the City of Huntington Beach.
Winter/Spring 2025: The City Council unanimously votes to hold a special election in June 2025 solely on library issues, which came at a significant cost to the city. They could’ve put it on the next regular election ballot for a fraction of the cost.
May/June 2025: Sign wars begin; the City Council supports the formation of “Protect Our Children with Chad Williams” and posts large signs with “porn” in explicit wording.
June 2025: Library measures win at a 60% to 40% margin.
August 2025: City council unanimously supports the statement that their censorship ordinances are now “moot” and unenforceable.
September 2025: Erin Spivey, et al win lawsuit in Orange County Superior Court.
October 2025: City Council unanimously votes to appeal ruling.
December 2025: ACLU et al request $1.5 million in legal fees from the city.
March 2026: Erin Spivey confirms that censorship is still ongoing at the Central Library.
April 2026: Legal briefs due for the appeals case.
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