Mailbag: Library petitions head to H.B. council

Dedicated Huntington Beach residents worked for months to obtain much more than the minimum signatures required on two ballot initiatives for the protection of our beloved library. The Orange County Registrar of Voters has confirmed the petitions have enough signatures at the request of the previous city clerk. One petition seeks to overturn the formation of an appointed book review committee, the second aims to stop the privatization of the library system.

The next step is for the City Clerk to confirm the validity of the petitions. Should the initiatives come before the City Council, members could adopt the initiatives outright, order a report to be presented to them within 30 days or place the initiatives in a special election or the next general election in November 2026. But time is running out! Hopefully, the council members will show they represent not just a faction of MAGA supporters but all H.B. residents. Can we trust these council members to respect the rights of H.B. citizens, or will they once again try to stall and delay the voters? Time and again, this council has used the term “charter city” as a blanket excuse to sidestep transparency and common sense.

Consider the H.B. Airshow settlement — a 40-year financial disaster that saddles taxpayers with $1 million in costs each year. Citizens had to resort to litigation just to obtain a copy of this baffling agreement. This lack of transparency and accountability is a slap in the face to H.B. taxpayers. It’s time for the council to stop stonewalling and start respecting the voices and rights of the community.

Kathleen Bunge
Huntington Beach

Supporters of Huntington Beach Public Library reached a major milestone last month when the O.C. Registrar of Voters provided signature verification services on a citizen-led ballot initiative seeking to overturn the controversial children’s library book review board. Over 17,000 Huntington Beach residents signed the petition to prevent political appointees from being the primary decision-makers in determining what books are available for youths 17 and under.

Despite the strong community support for this measure, City Atty. Michael Gates publicly declared last year that he will sue the state over the new law, “California Freedom to Read Act,” to ensure that the book-banning review board can go forward in Huntington Beach. Last fall, in an interview with radio host John Kobylt, Gates stated that books in the children’s section of our library are “obscene … some call them pornographic, lewd, sexually explicit … A lot of uh, you know, homosexual … sex content.”

I wish our city attorney would provide a list of the books he described in the interview. As a longtime library volunteer and supporter, I have never seen these books in the children’s section. In fact, the only books that have been relocated from the children’s section to the adult section, based on a directive from the city attorney, are potty training and puberty books. Where is the pornography? If our city attorney and City Council members are so concerned, why don’t they show us?

Carol Daus
Huntington Beach

Thoughts on the Mailbag

One of my good friends from another city in Orange County was teasing me recently about my many letters in the Daily Pilot. We had worked together almost two decades ago on a political issue in another area of Orange County where I worked. This friend had worked harder on a local political issue than anyone I have known even though she personally received little direct profit from all of her work. The changes that were brought about by her actions however, improved the lives of many people, not to mention the reputation of her community.

That type of strong leadership can bring change to local government, but it is not easy and it takes much time and effort. The Daily Pilot, by providing an outlet to several communities in Orange County, can play an important role in bringing about positive change. Local issues often can be just as important to the health of a democracy as national ones, and they can affect residents’ lives almost as profoundly.

For that reason, I can appreciate all the letters from Huntington Beach residents each week. Having the opportunity to vent their feelings in the Daily Pilot provides them with an outlet for expression and may inspire others to try to bring about change.

Freedom of speech is the first component of democracy. Yet it usually has to be followed by some type of action to be effective. In the case of Huntington Beach, it would mean actively backing candidates for City Council. Unfortunately that is not always as easy as it sounds, as we have discovered in Newport Beach. There must also be control over campaign rules including candidates’ resources and campaign materials.

Lynn Lorenz
Newport Beach

Hope for a more graceful politics

Surgeon Gen. Dr. Vivek Murthy’s “Parting Prescription for America” begins with a clear-eyed diagnosis of our disease of “pain, disconnection and division.” Drawing on his experiences during his stint as our country’s top doctor, he challenges Americans to recognize the danger and inadequacy of our preoccupation with success defined by wealth, fame and power. In its place he prescribes specific action-steps proven to build a healthy community: meaningful relationships, acts of service and discovering one’s individual purpose, all united by love and kindness towards one another.

That seems relevant to parts of Orange County, where politics have become bruising and divisive.

Though it would have a better chance of being widely read if it were a bit briefer, at 27 pages the outgoing surgeon general’s prescription is educational and inspiring. His light sprinkling of scientific references is matched by references to well-known humanitarians like Martin Luther King, Jr. and kernels of wisdom from the major religious traditions of the world.

I only wish his discussion pointed out the urgent need to restore respect in how we and our local elected officials talk about those with whom we disagree. Healing our fractured society and reducing the polarization that exists cannot occur so long as we fail to follow the “Golden Rule” in how we address one another.

Paul B. Whittemore
Newport Beach