Mailbag: Readers weigh in on U.S. Senate, Huntington Beach City Council races

While the community in Huntington Beach has been stymied by the MAGA machinations of the City Council majority in preventing them from exercising good government on a range of policies and issues, it has been able to turn to outside help from our representative in Sacramento, state Sen. Dave Min.

It was Min who rode to the rescue of those combating the ill-advised and illegal charter amendment Measure “A” (Voter ID) foisted upon the citizenry, and helped get his bill, SB 1174, passed in the Legislature. Min has also been helping out on other issues affecting our libraries and civic institutions.

While he has been representing our city and state senate district well, Min is facing an equally important task of taking on Scott Baugh in the Congressional Race for District 47 (becoming the successor to outgoing Katie Porter). Baugh, who started out climbing his partisan ladder a quarter of a century ago in running for state Assembly, has spent his post-Sacramento years as a lobbyist for big business and partisan special interests and has been a big wheel with the Republican Party of Orange County.

Voters in Huntington Beach and other parts of our district have a clear choice in November. The promise of Dave Min serving his constituents well in Washington, D.C. or the threat of Scott Baugh callously misrepresenting us in Congress.

Tim Geddes
Huntington Beach

Earlier this year the Huntington Beach City Council majority voted in favor of a city ordinance titled Community Parent-Guardian Review Board for Procurement of Children’s Library Materials and proceeded with efforts to look into privatization of the library, in spite of numerous objections from concerned citizens. City Council members Rhonda Bolton, Natalie Moser and Dan Kalmick voted against the new law and also argued against the idea of privatizing the library.

During the past several months many individuals have devoted a great deal of time and effort circulating petitions requesting that two measures be placed on the ballot; one allowing voters to decide whether to retain or repeal the library ordinance, and the other allowing voters to decide whether the library should be privatized in the event this possibility presents itself in the future. Many of the hand-made signs designed to promote this effort say “Save Our Libraries.” This effort has garnered a great deal of support from the community. There are also signs located throughout the community describing Rhonda Bolton, Natalie Moser and Dan Kalmick as “library champions.”

The three council candidates who refer to themselves as the “HB-3,” Chad Williams, Butch Twining and Don Kennedy, are closely aligned with the current conservative council majority and did not participate in or support the community effort described above. The “HB-3” has made it apparent that their view of “saving the libraries” does not align with the community’s effort to “Save Our Libraries” described above. There are now “HB-3” campaign signs located throughout the community which say “Save the Libraries.” It appears to me that the use of this language on their signs is somewhat deceptive, therefore could confuse some voters.

Voters in Huntington Beach need to be aware of that the true supporters of the Huntington Beach Public Library are Rhonda Bolton, Natalie Moser and Dan Kalmick.

Judy Morris
Huntington Beach