These are such chaotic times that I went to Huntington Beach in a desperate attempt to report some positive news among deportations and Trump’s overreach!
MAGA-by-the-Sea? MMA legend Tito Ortiz was formerly voted to the Orange County city’s governing body, which now has Chad and Butch on it? where a tiny white bust of Donald Trump stands in front of Mayor Pat Burns while he preside over council meetings?
The seaside neighborhood where neo-Nazi activity has been prevalent for decades? Which factory setting is the source of the Gringo rage? Whose former city lawyer, Michael Gates, is now the deputy U.S. assistant attorney general for civil rights? It’s like assigning a butcher to lead a vegan picnic. Gates fought California to preserve his community free of everything from affordable housing requirements to sanctuary state regulations.
Is it possible for Huntington Beach to educate the rest of us not only how to resist authoritarianism but also how to defeat it?
Yes!
Huntington Beach has traditionally been conservative, but the new coronavirus curfew, mask laws, and the governor have all stoked widespread indignation.
Two ballot measures pertaining to Surf City’s libraries were decisively approved by voters earlier this month. Measure A rejected the City Council’s proposed aparent review board, which would have deprive librarians of the authority to choose children’s books. Following consideration by the council, Measure B prohibited the privatization of the city’s library system.
H.B.’s conservatives, who had dominated municipal politics for the previous two and a half years and transformed a 4-3 Democratic council majority three years prior into a 7-0 MAGA supermajority, were soundly rebuked.
The library, which council members claimed was little more than a smut shop because the young adult section included literature about puberty and LGBTQ+ issues, was one of the new guard’s pet initiatives. The council approved a plaque earlier this year that would say, “Magical. Alluring. Galvanizing. Adventurous,” in honor of the library’s 50th anniversary.
MAGA.
H.B. native Oscar Rodriguez stated, “They went too far, too fast, and it’s not what people signed up for.”
A victory party for the library legislation was being held in a private home close to downtown H.B. The waiting line extended onto the pavement. “Not All of Us in H.B.” was written on a sign by the door. The two-story house had a banner on the balcony that read, “Protect Our Kids From Chad.” This was a reference to City Councilmember Chad Williams, who funded the widely derided Protect Children from Porn billboards that opposed Measures A and B.
“Look,” Rodriguez added, “Huntington Beach is very conservative and always will be MAGA.” People were piling their plates high with pizza and salad as we stood in the kitchen. Many people carried canvas bags bearing the coalition’s logo, which was emblazoned with the words “Protect HB” and the Huntington Beach Pier. However, people of all political persuasions were at last repulsed and united to take action.
“I was jumping up and down on election night because it was happening here,” said former Councilmember Natalie Moser, who volunteered for Protect HB after losing her attempt for reelection the previous year. It brings happiness and excitement, and I hope that others will be inspired by our actions.
The ICE raids that were scaring large areas of Southern California were not discussed. AC/DC, Hey, Soul Sister by Train, and Don’t Fear the Reaper were playing on a Spotify mix. The majority of the 90 volunteers were white and in their twenties. Many of them had dark tans that made them appear browner than I was.
After all, we were at Huntington Beach.
Nevertheless, it was these people who drove Protect HB’s successful campaign. They relied on door knocking, rallies, social media outreach, and a nonpartisan message emphasizing the public library’s value as a community resource.
In the days before Election Day, Cindy Forsthoff and Christine Padesky worked tables all throughout the city.
People have repeatedly approached me and said, “We voted for this council, we’re Republican, and we’re Christian, but they’ve gone too far,” Padesky said.
Forsthoff, who has lived in Huntington Beach for 36 years, concurred. Prior to Measures A and B, she had never taken part in a political campaign. “People will come when they [politicians] take such extreme steps,” she remarked.
The show started as the bro-rock music faded out.
Oh my, we succeeded! Pat Goodman, co-chair of Protect HB, who had been checking people in at the door moments before, exclaimed.
Those neighbors probably have no idea who we are. revealed Protect HB co-chair Cathey Ryder, implying that they had a difficult fight ahead of them in a place where there are more registered Republicans than Democrats. Prove to them that you believe in effective governance.
Throughout the campaign, she led everyone in the corny, liberty-minded chant that had motivated volunteers.
What are our goals?
Read!
In what way do we wish to read?
Free!
After all, we were at Huntington Beach.
News
Voters in Huntington Beach are most in favor of measures A and B, which deal with eliminating a children’s book advisory board and limiting potential future outsourcing initiatives.
The overall duration of the speeches was barely more than seven minutes. The volunteers wanted to take advantage of the cool evening by getting together around an outdoor fireplace to share a beer or two and cook S mores. Besides, they deserved to revel in their accomplishment and discuss what was next not just in Huntington Beach, but how to translate what happened there into a replicable lesson for others outside the city.
The key, according to Dave Rynerson, is to accept political differences and remind everyone that what s happening in this country whether on the Huntington Beach City Council or in the White House isn t normal.
“You cannot give up, no matter how bad things seem,” the retired systems engineer advised. People need to be reminded that this is our nation and our life, and that we must all work together to protect it.
It won’t be long before Huntington Beach becomes Berkeley. One of the few localities in California to declare itself a nonsanctuary city and to completely embrace Trump’s immigration policy is this one. Earlier this year, Tony Strickland, the mastermind behind MAGA’s takeover of Huntington Beach, was elected to the state senate. His acolyte, Councilmember Gracey Van Der Mark,plans to run for assembly next year.
But feeling the happiness at the Protect HB dinner, even if just for an evening, was a much-needed balm at a time when it seemsnothing can stop Trump. And meeting regular people like Greg and Carryl Hytopoulos should inspire anyone to get involved.
Married for 50 years and Surf City residents for 44, they own a water pipeline protection service and had never bothered with city politics. But the council s censorious plans for the library made them outraged, and this was enough, said Carryl. We needed to make an impact, and we couldn t just sit idly by.
They outfitted one of their work trucks with large poster boards in favor of Measures A and B and parked it around the city. More crucially, the couple, both Democrats, talked about the issue with their neighbors in Huntington Harbour, an exclusive neighborhood that Trump easily won in 2024.
When we explained what were the stakes, they listened, Greg said.
Carryl smiled.
There s a quiet majority that, when provoked, can rise up and save the day.
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