Election 2022: Meet the candidates for Huntington Beach City Council
Huntington Beach has 18 candidates running for four open spots on the City Council dais in the Nov. 8 election.
There are no incumbents running, as Mayor Barbara Delgleize, Mayor Pro Tem Mike Posey and Councilman Erik Peterson are all terming out and Councilwoman Kim Carr is running for the state Senate.
The Daily Pilot sent a questionnaire to all City Council candidates on the ballot to get a better idea of who they are, why they’re running and the issues that they feel are most pressing. All candidates replied except for Robert Reider.
Candidates are listed in alphabetical order. Some responses have been edited for formatting, brevity or clarity.
Bobby Britton
Age: 51
Professional occupation: Retired soldier; entrepreneur
Education: Bachelor’s of science in business management of information systems and a master’s in unconventional warfare.
Time lived in Huntington Beach: Since 2019
Neighborhood in which you reside and how long you’ve lived there: Bella Terra, one year.
Public service, activism and volunteerism: 33 years of military service. Volunteer coach for kids’ sports. Chairman of the Dwyer Middle School Site Council.
Name the three issues you believe are the most important facing the city and why.
1. High Density Housing. Putting aside the calls for H.B. to remain a small sleepy town with mostly single-family homes, we have to look at how we’re going to absorb more people coming into the city. And if we build even half of the 13,500 homes we have to zone for, we’re talking about high density housing. What I want to do is ensure that before we even break ground the right infrastructure is in place: police, fire, medical, parking and transit.
2. Homelessness. It’s not just a city problem. It’s a regional problem. We have to work with Seal Beach, Costa Mesa, Westminster, Garden Grove, Newport Beach and Stanton to develop a regional plan that is subsidized by the county.
3. Protecting our environment. Our beaches are the mainstay of our tourism industry. We do a great job of keeping them clean, providing marine safety, and we’re doing improvements. One area H.B. can definitely improve in is planting trees. Nearly all of our neighborhoods are devoid of anything higher than a small tree. Meanwhile, our concrete jungle keeps getting hotter every year.
Brian Burley
Age: 29
Professional occupation: Business owner
Education: Master’s in public policy, bachelor’s in political economy from USC; pursuing a master’s in digital media management.
Time lived in Huntington Beach: Since 2007
Neighborhood in which you reside and how long you’ve lived there: Edge of Huntington Beach/Sunset Beach for six years.
Public service, activism and volunteerism: Current elected member of the Orange County Central Committee. Active in community, with volunteering at park clean ups (RecoverHB through First Christian Church) and at the Senior Center.
Name the three issues you believe are the most important facing the city and why.
1. Homelessness: Our City Council’s inaction has made this a growing public safety issue. Enough talk — I will deliver results.
2. Overdevelopment: Outside special interest developers are side-stepping our local code and inflating the cost of housing in order to benefit their corporate executives. I support a free market, not a developer market that is pay to play.
3. Local Economy: H.B. businesses are struggling just to survive. I will fight for local businesses, bring back the air show and introduce new ideas to bring more jobs to Surf City.
Pat Burns
Age: 60
Professional occupation: Retired police lieutenant
Education: Bachelor’s of science in business administration
Time lived in Huntington Beach: 29 years
Neighborhood in which you reside and how long you’ve lived there: Northwest Huntington Beach (inside Bolsa Chica Wetlands)
Public service, activism and volunteerism: AYSO referee and coach, St. Bonaventure School Board/Finance Committee, Huntington Beach Citizen Participation Advisory Board for eight years, Long Beach City Employees Federal Credit Union Supervisory Board and Board of Directors, City of Huntington Beach Community Services Commission.
Name the three issues you believe are the most important facing the city and why.
1. Council integrity: Council integrity will build confidence in the Council for the residents, something that it seems that this Council has lost.
2. Council transparency: Council transparency will keep the Council committed to working for and with the residents and businesses of Huntington Beach and foster a productive relationship that will address quality of life issues.
3. Fiscal responsibility: Fiscal responsibility will be the strength of our government to do the things necessary for H.B. to be a great city for residents, businesses and guests.
Gina Clayton-Tarvin
Age: 51
Professional occupation: Teacher in ABC Unified School District; Board President of Ocean View School District
Education: Bachelor of Arts, Anthropology; Multiple Subjects Credential (K-12 and Adult School);
Single Subject Credential, Biology; Masters of Governance
Time lived in Huntington Beach: 31 years
Neighborhood in which you reside and how long you’ve lived there: Mesa View tract, since 2009.
Public service, activism and volunteerism: I am a 25-year public schoolteacher in L.A. County, a decades-long union leader, and three-term elected school board member. I am the president of the Ocean View School District Board of Trustees and have been elected as president of the board five times in 10 years. I’m a proud single parent of two school-aged boys attending Hope View and HBHS. I am an active member of the Surf City Optimist Club, American Legion Post 133 Auxiliary and other service clubs.
Name the three issues you believe are the most important facing the city and why.
1. Homelessness crisis: The reality is, it is challenging for society to solve this issue in the current framework we currently live in California. Being unhoused is not a crime and being homeless is not just about being provided with a “simple dwelling.†Being unhoused is a complex societal issue that needs to be worked on holistically as a community.
2. Public safety: The police, fire, and marine safety departments work together within our communities to provide the highest level of quality service and protection. From HBPD to HBFD via 911 services, our H.B. team of public safety personnel must remain available and on alert for residents 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365. I intend to make sure that law enforcement, fire, ambulance services, park rangers, along with marine safety remain the No. 1 priority of the City Council.
3. Environmental degradation solutions: Cleaning up the toxic environment in H.B. while expanding open space is my top priority. I have already begun the work at OVSD, cleaning up the Rainbow/Republic Trash Dump. In 2017, I led the charge against gross polluting oil tankers off-gassing and creating a horrendous stench that choked out residents from Seal Beach to Newport Beach. Making H.B. greener and more beautiful is a major goal of mine.
David Clifford
Age: 38
Professional occupation: Transportation executive/business owner
Education: Bachelor’s of science in aerospace engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; master’s in operations and supply chain management from Cal State Long Beach
Time lived in Huntington Beach: 20 years
Neighborhood in which you reside and how long you’ve lived there: Northwest H.B.
Public service, activism and volunteerism: Cal State Long Beach Advisory Board;
Port of Long Beach Academy of Global Logistics Advisory Board; Teach and train local law enforcement and public safety personnel about the chemical supply chain, equipment, and hazmat concerns. Serve on numerous transportation industry-related boards and committees. President of the Transload Distribution Assn. of North America. Participate in local beach cleanups.
Name the three issues you believe are the most important facing the city and why.
1. Housing Development: SCAG has mandated H.B. to increase housing by over 15% by 2029. With no available space, the city has few options: develop wetlands and wild spaces, build high-density housing, or re-zone industrial/commercial areas. These options aren’t attractive to the community and will reduce quality of life for most. A realistic compromise satisfying housing demand but also conforming to the desires of the community is imperative.
2. Transparency/City Charter amendments: There are multiple substantive Charter amendments to be voted on Nov. 8, a majority of which will give more power and control to the City Council. If the Charter amendments are passed it will significantly change how decisions are made at City Hall and result in less control for the citizens.
3. Public Safety/Homelessness: Huntington Beach is known as being a safe city to raise a family, however, property and violent crimes are rising. The city needs to maintain public safety funding while watching the budget, and develop creative ways of dealing with homelessness and mental illness that benefit all members of the community.
Vera Fair
Age: 43
Professional occupation: Senior project manager
Education: Master of business administration, University of Southern California; master’s of computer science, Cal State Long Beach; bachelor’s in psychology.
Time lived in Huntington Beach: 17 years
Neighborhood in which you reside and how long you’ve lived there: Glen Mar — South Shores, 17 years
Public service, activism and volunteerism: Ascend Orange County, executive vice president; mentor to college students at UCLA and USC; Boeing Employees Community Fund, grantmaker and board member; Girl Scouts delegate and troop co-leader; the Youth Center, board member; Youth Motivation Task Force, volunteer and mentor; Ocean View High School Business Academy, volunteer and mentor.
Name the three issues you believe are the most important facing the city and why.
1. Homelessness: The homeless in our city are negatively impacting the safety and cleanliness of our public spaces. We have a Homeless Navigation Center, but there are still some homeless who would rather continue living on the streets. We need to understand the root cause of the remaining homeless and take effective action to ensure we get them the help they need and clean up our streets.
2. Theft: Personal property thefts, which include cars getting broken into, bicycles being taken throughout the city, and home deliveries stolen from porches. This year, we had two violent robberies at jewelry stores in our city that happened during the day. We need to deter criminal behavior by enabling our law enforcement’s ability to enforce the law.
3. High Density Development: State level government is mandating a large number of additional housing that results in high density development, which puts strain on our infrastructure, natural resources, traffic and parking. It will threaten to transform our city from a suburban beach community to an overdeveloped and overpopulated urban area, and negatively impacts our quality of life. We need to take legal actions to oppose the state’s housing mandates, and gain local control on housing and zoning issues.
Jeffrey Hansler
Age: 65
Professional occupation: Organizational development specialist
Education: Bachelor’s in psychology from UC Irvine
Time lived in Huntington Beach: 42 years
Neighborhood in which you reside and how long you’ve lived there: Downtown H.B.
Public service, activism and volunteerism: Past experience as Republican and Democratic Party volunteer; Fourth of July Committee; RedCloud, ATD-Orange County Board.
Name the three issues you believe are the most important facing the city and why.
1. Unfunded liabilities: Money corrupts our politicians. Many City Council officials view election as a springboard into lucrative political positions: Decisions are self-serving at the expense of residents. I do not seek nor spend funds. If the system is to change, it must be voters who change it with their vote and a candidate taking action. If the unfunded liability of the city is not addressed the result will be catastrophic for H.B. residents and their safety. The No. 1 group impacted are police, which already have difficulty attracting the best new recruits.
2. Preparing for the future: This means improving infrastructure, preparing for new technologies to reduce costs and improve operations, taking action on social issues (homeless, crime, safety) and protecting precious and limited resources of water, energy and low density.
3. Preserving open space: Open space is critical to public safety — once removed from public it is gone forever. Safely connecting open spaces for pedestrian, bike and even equestrian travel is key to insuring domestic tranquility, providing for the common defense, promoting the general welfare and securing the blessings of liberty to us and our posterity.
Amory Hanson
Age: 25
Professional occupation: Historic Resources Boardman
Education: High school diploma, Futures Academy (formerly Halstrom Academy)
Time lived in Huntington Beach: 25 years
Neighborhood in which you reside and how long you’ve lived there: Beach View Villas, four years
Public service, activism and volunteerism: Vice chairman of the Huntington Beach Historic Resources Board; Friends of Edison Park; Orange County Historical Society; attendance at various meetings, town halls and events.
Name the three issues you believe are the most important facing the city and why.
1. Mobile Home affordability
2. Park maintenance
3. Pollution
Jill Hardy
Age: 51
Professional occupation: Teacher
Education: Edison High School; bachelor’s degrees in economics/mathematics from UC Santa Barbara; master’s in economics from Cal State Long Beach
Time lived in Huntington Beach: 51 years
Neighborhood in which you reside and how long you’ve lived there: Perry Elementary tract since 2005
Public service, activism and volunteerism: Huntington Beach City Council member, 2002-2010 and 2012-2020, including mayor stints in 2005 and 2015; planning commissioner, 2000-2002; past or present member of Huntington Beach Tomorrow, Bolsa Chica Land Trust and PTSAs at elementary, middle and high school levels.
Name the three issues you believe are the most important facing the city and why.
1. Preservation of open space: This is an ongoing issue that is becoming more important as the city becomes more developed. As the city grows, it is important to make sure that the character and culture is preserved.
2. Addressing homelessness: Improving the quality of life is a priority for both our housed and unhoused residents. Helping the homeless will ease the burden on many other priorities, such as public safety, infrastructure and the environment.
3. Citizen participation: H.B. residents have always been very active in local government. I want to bring back some of the opportunities lost during COVID and increase citizen participation among all ages.
Kenneth Inouye
Age: 75
Professional occupation: Retired CPA
Education: Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Cal State L.A.
Time lived in Huntington Beach: 49 years
Neighborhood in which you reside and how long you’ve lived there: Huntington Crest tract, 49 years
Public service, activism and volunteerism: Appointed member of the Orange County Human Relations Commission for 23 years, including six years as chair; Founding chair of the Huntington Beach Human Relations Task Force; Former member of the United States military; National President of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), the nation’s oldest and largest Asian American Civil Rights Organization; Co-founder of the Orange County Asian Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA).
Name the three issues you believe are the most important facing the city and why.
1. Public safety: As a 49-year resident of Huntington Beach, I want to ensure that H.B. continues to be a safe place where all people can come together to build a city where we all work together to find solutions to the challenges that face the city. For these reasons, I support funding for the H.B. police and H.B. fire as well as funding for committees such as the H.B. Human Relations Committee.
2. Affordable housing: I would convene a citywide task force, which would include current homeowners, developers, school board officials, members of the HBPD and HBFD, members of the H.B. Chamber of Commerce, trade unions and other stakeholders in order to develop a citywide strategic housing plan. It would consider the impact of new housing units on the current homeowners, traffic, schools, economic development/consumption in the city and the impact on green spaces, etc.
3. Monitor Huntington Beach finances: As a practicing Certified Public Accountant for over 45 years, I want to bring my financial/analytical/budget skills to the City Council in order to help balance the city budget and monitor revenues/expenses/reserves to help ensure that the city is managing its finances in a fiscally responsible manner.
Casey McKeon
Age: 44
Professional occupation: Business owner, specializing in renovating shopping centers
Education: Bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business
Time lived in Huntington Beach: 44 years
Neighborhood in which you reside and how long you’ve lived there: Southeast Huntington Beach since 2018
Public service, activism and volunteerism: Served on the H.B. Finance Commission twice and the Charter Commission; member of the Huntington Harbour Philharmonic Society and the Elks Lodge.
Name the three issues you believe are the most important facing the city and why.
1. Public safety is the No. 1 role of government. We need to work with and alongside our police officers to prioritize addressing the homelessness crisis and cracking down on crime so that we can preserve the resident’s quality of life and create a strong, safe economic environment for our local businesses.
2. We need to protect our local control by defending our City Charter against Sacramento’s overreach, especially the High Density Housing mandates. Huntington Beach residents need to decide what’s best for Huntington Beach, not Sacramento.
3. We need to cut the red tape and roll out the red carpet for our businesses. We need to eliminate the anti-business environment at City Hall and create a City Hall that is efficient, fair and responsive to business owners and residents in order to create a robust economy that will allow us to maintain our first-class police and fire departments. We must also save the air show!
William “Billy†O’Connell
Age: 56
Professional occupation: CEO/founder of Colette’s Children’s Home
Education: Bachelor’s in accounting from St. Francis College of Brooklyn, N.Y.
Time lived in Huntington Beach: 30 years
Neighborhood in which you reside and how long you’ve lived there: 10 years plus in current location
Public service, activism and volunteerism: Former Huntington Beach City Councilman; Orange County Housing Community board member; Orange County Community Action Partnership board member, Roosters Foundation, Gaelic Athletic Assn., Kiwanis Club.
Name the three issues you believe are the most important facing the city and why.
1. Public safety and protecting our senior citizens. We need to address crime and homelessness. Inflation is on the rise and our seniors are on fixed income. I will work to address and fix.
2. Local control for our citizens. Outside interests are putting thousands of dollars into our city election so they can control City Council candidates and the future of our city. No one owns Billy.
3. Balanced budget, economic challenges and inflation. I have balanced budgets and will work to make this a better city for all.
Oscar Rodriguez
Age: 28
Professional occupation: Asset manager/planning commissioner
Education: Studied health care administration at Cal State Long Beach
Time lived in Huntington Beach: 25 years
Neighborhood in which you reside and how long you’ve lived there: Oak View community, 25 years
Public service, activism and volunteerism: Co-founder of Oak View ComUNIDAD, a local grassroots group that successfully fought against the city’s unenclosed transfer station; Volunteer at Oak View Youth Soccer League; Huntington Beach planning commissioner; South Coast Air Quality Management District Environmental Justice Advisory Committee.
Name the three issues you believe are the most important facing the city and why.
1. Homelessness: Homelessness is complex because there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The current City Council has done an amazing job at investing resources to aid chronic and transitional homelessness through a variety of programs which must continue. One particular area in the topic of homelessness that needs to be addressed is preventing it from happening in the first place.
2. Housing: Every day I get calls from families and seniors going through the eviction process or getting notice of rent increases. I believe that having a diverse portfolio of housing aimed at different income levels will provide relief. As planning commissioner, I am happy to have voted in favor of an affordable housing inclusionary ordinance which allows for diverse housing options in new developments.
3. Public Safety: Lastly, I believe that supporting our public safety personnel is a crucial element as we move forward. The industry has become very competitive and retention of officers has become difficult.
Tony Strickland
Age: 52
Professional occupation: Huntington Beach business owner
Education: Bachelor’s degree from Whittier College
Time lived in Huntington Beach: Five years
Neighborhood in which you reside and how long you’ve lived there: Near Five Points Plaza, five years
Public service, activism and volunteerism: Huntington Beach Finance Commission; HB Elks Lodge; board member of Crime Survivors; regional fundraiser for Tunnel to Towers.
Name the three issues you believe are the most important facing the city and why.
1. Homelessness: Even more needs to be done to get the homeless off the streets, getting our parks and beaches back to normal.
2. Safety: Public safety is at the core of local government’s responsibilities, and I will always fully support our first responders. That’s why I’m endorsed by both Huntington Beach’s police officers and firefighters.
3. Fighting Sacramento Housing Mandates: Both the idea and implementation of the current Sacramento housing mandates would result in far away bureaucrats forcing massive overdevelopment in our beach city. I’ll fight against overdevelopment and to maintain our local control.
Gabrielle Samiy
Age: 22
Professional occupation: Student
Education: Orange Coast College
Time lived in Huntington Beach: 22 years
Neighborhood in which you reside and how long you’ve lived there: Newland Elementary school tract
Public service, activism and volunteerism: I volunteered a lot through high school with clubs. During COVID, there weren’t many opportunities to do so, but I’ve always been hands on and involved in my community when able.
Name the three issues you believe are the most important facing the city and why.
1. Homelessness and crime: We are facing a homelessness crisis like never before. The city focuses on those that are capable of rehabilitation, but have left the drug-addicted, crime-committing homeless on the streets.
2. Budget responsibility: In a post-COVID economy, and teetering on a recession, our fiscal responsibility is of the utmost importance. This city does a great job, naturally, of generating a lot of income. Although, that income seems to be thrown around and spent poorly instead of being allocated for things the city really needs, like supporting our police who are going to help solve our crime and homelessness issue, or the maintenance of parks or other contractual obligations.
3. Lack of transparency and support from our current City Council: There is an extreme lack of transparency with our current City Council. The citizens should be supported by their council, feel heard by them. I plan on doing exactly that. I will strive to be a bridge of communication between the citizens and the city. I will do my absolute best to make sure I am a representation of the city and its problems, not myself or special interests.
Gracey Van Der Mark
Age: 48
Professional occupation: Business owner
Education: Did not answer
Time lived in Huntington Beach: 22 years
Neighborhood in which you reside and how long you’ve lived there: North Huntington Beach, 22 years
Public service, activism and volunteerism: I am an advocate for parental rights. I have traveled to Sacramento to advocate for parents trying to protect their children from the disgusting sexually explicit content brought into our public schools by Sacramento. I have also served on several committees and commissions, including as a Huntington Beach finance commissioner, planning commissioner and on the Design Review Board.
Name the three issues you believe are the most important facing the city and why.
1. Homelessness: Homelessness is dominating our city. Our residents and businesses are being affected drastically by the homeless crisis. Moms are finding needles and drug paraphernalia on the playground equipment. Business owners struggle with the homeless sleeping by the doors to their businesses who refuse to leave when asked. Some of these incidents turn into physical altercations. Children are witnessing homeless people exposing themselves as they defecate and urinate out in public. Other children are exposed to nudity as the homeless take showers under the outdoor open showers at the beach while nude.
2. Public safety: There has been an increase in crime. These crimes include armed robberies, bicycle thefts, catalytic converters robberies, 30 home burglaries in the Harbour alone, and many other crimes in just a few months. Many of our residents and business owners do not feel safe in their own homes or businesses.
3. Local control: Sacramento has been imposing ridiculous mandates on Huntington Beach. As a charter city, we should be able to govern based on the needs of our H.B. residents, not the whims of Sacramento. We need to protect our charter city status and let Huntington Beach residents decide what is best for Huntington Beach.
Mike Vogler
Age: 57
Professional occupation: Attorney
Education: Bachelor’s in economics from UCLA; master of fine arts in screenwriting from the American Film Institute; juris doctorate from Concord Law School.
Time lived in Huntington Beach: 2 1/2 years
Neighborhood in which you reside and how long you’ve lived there: Seacliff, 2 1/2 years
Public service, activism and volunteerism: Pro-bono attorney representation of low income or indigent clients (mostly immigrant woman) in family law matters, especially in domestic violence matters. Pro-bono representation of activity duty service members in court matters under the Service Members Civil Relief Act and California Military and Veterans Code. Executive director of nonprofit group opposed to overdevelopment and high density development in historic neighborhoods. AYSO soccer coach. Los Angeles County Bar Assn. Armed Forces Committee. Orange County Bar Assn. Military and Veterans Committee.
Name the three issues you believe are the most important facing the city and why.
1. Homeless and Public Safety: These matters are interconnected. There is no dispute that homelessness is increasing in Huntington Beach, and the associated rise in crime. This detrimentally impacts public safety, business, and residents’ sense of security. There are also environmental impacts linked with homelessness, such as contamination of ground water and animal habitats through trash build up and urination and defecation that is not treated and seeps into sensitive areas.
2. Overdevelopment: This is a huge problem. High density development, particularly parking spaces are reduced to unreasonably low levels (this greatly benefits developers). When there is no reasonable public transportation system available in Huntington Beach, it causes massive unmitigable traffic impacts, congestion, exhaust, oil leaks and spills from increased cars, strains on city resources and significant environmental impacts caused by the highly dense populations of people.
3. City budget matters: I am deeply concerned about the city’s unfunded pension liabilities. With the economy faltering and skyrocketing inflation, automatic cost of living adjustments could outpace city revenue, which could result in greater unfunded liabilities in the future or even city bankruptcy.
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