Letters to the Editor: Huntington Beach’s mayor as Trump’s VP? Residents say sure, we don’t want her here

To the editor: My first thought after I spied Gustavo Arellano’s March 23 column (“I know who Trump should pick for VP — and she’s right here in O.C.�) was “Brilliant! Let her inflict her MAGA-ness on someone else!� As a lifetime resident of Huntington Beach I am weary of our mayor’s antics.

Arellano is spot on in his assessment of Van Der Mark’s Trumpian qualifications. Thrives on publicity? Check. Isn’t burdened by pesky facts or statistics when making decisions or statements? Check. Has a “My way or the highway� governing style? Check. Is dismissive of people or ideas counter to her own? Check. Is fond of sweeping generalizations? Check. Is more concerned with promoting personal ideology than being a consensus builder? Check. May use power to retaliate against those they deem not sufficiently loyal? Double check. (Just ask the three council members not in the mayor’s posse.)

Mayor Van Der Mark and three other council members ran for election as a team. They dubbed themselves “the Fab Four� but I call them “the Gang of Four.� Much like our former president, colleagues not in agreement with them often find themselves in diminished roles with little chance of having their ideas considered or talents utilized. They are ignored — along with any citizen who opposes the Gang of Four.

I agree with Mr. Arellano that Van Der Mark is a political soulmate for our indictment-ridden former president, but the thought of these two occupying the highest leadership positions in the country makes me shudder.

Mary Franklin, Huntington Beach

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To the editor: While I am (relatively) certain that Gustavo Arellano was being facetious about Trump picking Huntington Beach Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark as his vice president, as a 40-year resident of the city I am on my knees begging: Please take her! Take her far away from Huntington Beach, which she is ruining. Arellano mentions her racism, which seems to be a requirement for being a Trump supporter, but her desire to create an unrealistic, non-diverse, white-washed city where institutions such as the public library are things to be afraid of and managed out of existence I find even scarier. She and her fellow conservative council members do not listen to their constituents, at least not all of them. So, yes, please send her to Washington. Or anywhere else. Protect Huntington Beach!

Patricia Garza, Huntington Beach

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To the editor: Gustavo Arellano’s suggestion that Gracey Van Der Mark is the best person to be Trump’s running mate made me happier than my antidepressants.

Huntington Beach, for those of us who live here, has become a nihilistic, “Twilight Zone� type of community. If only our City Council had been happy just fencing things (the beach, Central Park, medians of streets, etc.), but now they are going after our minds.

It’s useless to explain the value of freedom and democracy to our current City Council members who agree with this mayor. Intellectual freedom and access to information for all people of all ages is a nonstarter with them. It’s all about the money — so Trumpian.

I appreciate the coverage of Huntington Beach issues The Times and county-wide journalists provide, but perhaps a local newspaper would have alerted more residents to the danger these people posed and more would have voted in the last election. Now our library may be privatized and few people seem to understand what’s really happening.

Barbara Snider, Huntington Beach

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To the editor: I have been a follower of Gustavo Arellano’s since his early days at OC Weekly and am now happy to see him writing for The Times. He has always kept his fingers on the pulse of Orange County and the cities within.

That is why I’m so glad to see he picked Huntington Beach as the subject of his March 23 column. I’ve lived most of my life in the neighboring city of Newport Beach. Newport has the same mix of rich and poor, Republicans and Democrats, but everyone seemed to get along pretty well. Controversial council meetings were usually about water quality in the bay or the placement of a new high-rise building. And Huntington has had its bad moments with skinheads and beach riots, but such moments couldn’t be blamed on the city government. When I moved to Huntington Beach about eight years ago, things seemed to operate about the same in both cities.

Things changed in 2023, when Gracey Van Der Mark and the new ultra-right council members were sworn in. Gustavo is right, the very first thing they did was stop the Huntington Beach Interfaith Council from giving the invocation before meetings. Council meetings have become chaotic, with many running past midnight. Citizen-oriented committees from local government have been eliminated. Now they are going to “explore� privatizing the city’s public library system, which means fewer books and a smaller staff. How much lower can they go? The bottom looks very deep.

Bill Bennett, Huntington Beach