Mailbag: More taxes would not solve long-term issues in Laguna

Thank you to Mayor Sue Kempf and Councilman Alex Rounaghi for not supporting the proposition to place a tax increase on the next ballot (Laguna won’t send hotel tax increase, business license tax to ballot, Daily Pilot, July 26). Increasing the tax burden on our citizens to support the cost of city programs and services is short-sighted and will not solve our problems. Instead, we need sustainable, long-term solutions that address the underlying issues causing costs to exceed revenue, which is projected to gradually increase by 2 to5% annually, as city staff shared in their presentation on the proposed tax increase. Relying on tax increases merely postpones the inevitable need for comprehensive fiscal management and innovative approaches to economic growth and efficiency.

The city has recently purchased several properties throughout Laguna Beach which involve substantial additional costs beyond the initial purchase price. These are ongoing costs that significantly impact our city’s budget and resources. Rather than acquiring additional properties like the St. Catherine of Siena school site for expanded office space or assuming responsibility for the South Laguna beaches, we should explore opportunities to lease underutilized city-owned properties to generate revenues to alleviate the increased cost pressures that the new taxes seek to solve. Given that the projected revenue shortfall is relatively modest at $1.14 million, leasing existing city properties could potentially generate a similar or even higher income without impacting current residents. This approach would also alleviate the need for additional staffing, equipment (like boats), and services associated with property acquisition and management. At the very least, I suggest exploring all options to maximize current assets to generate revenue first before looking to our taxpayers to support ongoing costs that will likely need expansion and have increased costs in the future as they go towards personnel costs.

Jim Kelly
Laguna Beach

Concern soars over Surf City

The annual Pacific Airshow in Huntington Beach is popular and attracts many spectators over three days. Fans pay for tickets ranging from $30 for general beach access to $80 for pier seating on public land. Premium options, including reserved tables under a tented pavilion, can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. While it’s an enjoyable experience for attendees, it’s a highly lucrative payoff for the event management company called Code Four.

Last year, Code Four installed a fence around the entire event area to exclude non-paying visitors and barred them from the pier and the water. This situation is totally unacceptable. California law mandates public access to its beaches, and it is the Coastal Commission’s duty to ensure this through the permitting process for events like the air show. Did Code Four obtain the necessary coastal permits for the structures and equipment used, or for blocking public parking for nearly a month? Code Four must secure these permits, and the city of Huntington Beach should enforce this requirement! The giveaway financial settlement reached last year recently revealed a 40-year financial bonanza for Code Four, negotiated by four council members that may have received campaign benefits from Code Four as well. This needs to be investigated. The settlement resolves Code Four’s lawsuit over a 2021 coastal oil spill that led to the cancellation of the show’s final day. I would like to see the losses that caused Code Four to receive millions in taxpayer damages and exclusive rights to the event for up to 40 years. Why didn’t the city go after the oil company that caused the damages in the first place? This entire settlement needs to be investigated and the four council members need to be held accountable for this spending spree of taxpayer funds.

Andrew Einhorn
Huntington Beach

The settlement contract with the Pacific Air Show will likely be overturned once the state audit is completed, and there might also be some indictments once all the secret details are unearthed.

There is still time for one of the conservative four to become a whistle blower and escape potential legal consequences. Not all of them are equally responsible for what took place and now is the time to contact the office of the attorney general and make arrangements to turn states evidence against those responsible before it’s too late.

Richard C. Armendariz
Huntington Beach

As someone of a certain age, I personally remember the breakup of the Beatles amid mistrust, recriminations, management squabbles and creative differences among the members. Such disunity among members was on display at the recent Huntington Beach City Council meeting on Aug. 6, where a key theme was the lack of transparency exhibited by the council majority of Gracey Van Der Mark, Tony Strickland, Pat Burns and Casey McKeon and City Atty. Michael Gates. Whether it was the gross incompetence of the council majority, the chicanery of the city attorney or the arrogance of them all, the council minority of Dan Kalmick, Natalie Moser, and Rhonda Bolton as well as the bulk of the Surf City community were left bewildered by the Pacific Airshow settlement agreement process. There appeared to be no accountability in representing the city, which allowed for a sweeping and prohibitively expensive resolution to placate Code Four, which produced the airshow. This prompted local activist Diane Bentley to call for a new city ordinance declaring Huntington Beach to be a “Citizens’ Right to Know” city which would state that the city not restrict release of any settlement terms on lawsuits without unanimous consent of the City Council. It is clear that Huntington Beach deserves better and more transparent governance than we have been receiving.

Tim Geddes
Huntington Beach

It’s unfortunate that Huntington Beach is saddled with a mayor who thinks it’s OK to use the city’s official Facebook page to spew lies and veiled hatred for the LGBTQ community.

Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark’s most recent agenda item (Huntington Beach City Council majority calls for creation of a ‘Parents’ Right to Know’ ordinance, Daily Pilot, Aug. 8) begins with, “... Assembly Bill 1955 ... prevents educators from informing parents of their child’s gender identity or gender expression.”

AB 1955 does not prevent educators from informing parents of their child’s gender expression and identity. It only prohibits school boards from forcing teachers to out students against their will.

It does not say anything about schools keeping secrets from parents. If a teacher thinks it’s in their student’s best interest to talk to a parent about something going on with that student, the teacher is free to do so. If a student is afraid to talk with a parent about such issues, the teacher can help develop a plan or refer the student to other help.

Mayor Van Der Mark should stop wasting staff time and taxpayer money with her never-ending culture war and political theater — and mind her own business. She constantly whines about government overreach, completely oblivious to the fact that she is the government and is definitely overreaching. The City Council does not have jurisdiction over education policy, nor would it have standing in a legal case, so any ridiculous ordinance they come up with is unenforceable. However, the agenda item passed, as usual, on a 4-3 conservative majority vote. Our new tourism slogan: Welcome to Homophobia City!

Michele Burgess
Huntington Beach

As it turns out, anything really is possible. The City Council majority “Fab-Code-Four” have finally stumbled onto a culture-war idea that I can get behind. I refer, of course, to the desire of the mayor to use teachers as the “Eyes on Gilead: Huntington Beach.” Sadly, the proposal does not go far enough to protect the city or children. As a parent, I would have liked to be informed when my kids were near various misanthropic, racist Nazi-sympathizers, assorted skinheads, and MAGA-hatted wierdos.

But this is really a huge distraction from the real purpose of the Code Four function of civic government: to gather tax dollars and funnel them to political backers and act as if it is the most natural thing in the world to have a hand in the cookie jar.

Galen Pickett
Huntington Beach