HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-04-30 Agenda Packet (Emergency Mtg)
AGENDA
CITY COUNCIL EMERGENCY MEETING
Thursday, April 30, 2020 at 5:00 PM
MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
LYN SEMETA, Mayor
JILL HARDY, Mayor Pro Tem
PATRICK BRENDEN, Councilmember
KIM CARR, Councilmember
BARBARA DELGLEIZE, Councilmember
ERIK PETERSON, Councilmember
MIKE POSEY, Councilmember
Recorded live from the
City Council Chambers
2000 Main Street
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
SPECIAL NOTICE REGARDING COVID-19
STAFF
OLIVER CHI, City Manager
MICHAEL E. GATES, City Attorney
ROBIN ESTANISLAU, City Clerk
ALISA BACKSTROM, City Treasurer
On March 4, 2020, Governor Newsom proclaimed a State of Emergency in California as a result of the threat of COVID-19. On March 17,
2020, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-29-20 which allows a local legislative body to hold public meetings via
teleconferencing, and to make public meetings accessible telephonically or otherwise electronically to all members of the public seeking
to observe and to address the local legislative body. Pursuant to Executive Order N-29-20, please be advised that some members of the
Huntington Beach City Council and/or City staff may participate in this meeting telephonically or electronically.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION/AUDIO/VIDEO ACCESS TO BROADCASTED MEETINGS: Pursuant to Executive N-29-20 and given the
current health concerns, members of the public are encouraged to access the meeting live on-line at https://huntingtonbeach.legistar.
com, or can elect to view the meeting via cable television channel HBTV-3.
To ensure the public’s right to participate in this legislative session, please perform the following:
1. In order to ensure adequate social distancing, the City will not make a physical location available for the public to observe the
meeting or offer public comment in person. The City Council Chambers will be closed to the public.
2. PUBLIC COMMENTS: Members of the public wishing to participate in the City Council Meeting by submitting public comments on
agenda or non-agenda items, can submit one communication per person of 300 words or less at
https://huntingtonbeachca.gov/HBPublicComments/. Public Comment communications received in this way will be included as part
of the Meeting and read aloud to the City Council during the Meeting. Public Comments must be received no later than 5:00 PM the day
of the meeting in order to ensure inclusion into, and read during, the meeting.
3. SUPPLEMENTAL COMMUNICATION (information received by the City Clerk's Office following distribution of the Council agenda
packet): Members of the public wishing to submit written (supplemental) communication on agenda items for distribution to the City
Council and placed into the administrative record can email SupplementalComm@Surfcity-hb.org. Supplemental Communications
received by 5:00 PM the day of the meeting will be announced, but not read, and placed into the administrative record during the
Supplemental Communications portion of the Meeting. In addition, any communications sent to city.council@surfcity-hb.org on
Council agenda items will be treated as Supplemental Communications and placed into the administrative record.
MEETING ASSISTANCE NOTICE: In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, services are available to members of our
community who require special assistance to participate in public meetings. If you require special assistance, 48-hour prior notification
will enable the City of make reasonable arrangements for an assisted listening device (ALD) for the hearing impaired, American Sign
Language interpreters, a reader during the meeting and/or large print agendas. Please contact the City Clerk's Office at (714) 536-
5227 for more information.
AGENDA April 30, 2020City Council/Public Financing
Authority
5:00 PM - COUNCIL CHAMBERS
CALL TO ORDER
ROLL CALL
Posey, Delgleize, Hardy, Semeta, Peterson, Carr, Brenden
ANNOUNCEMENT OF SUPPLEMENTAL COMMUNICATIONS (Received After Agenda Distribution)
PUBLIC COMMENTS (all agenda and non-agenda items): Members of the public wishing to submit
comments on agenda or non-agenda items that will be read live during the Public Comments
portion of the meeting can submit one communication per person of 300 words or less at:
https://huntingtonbeachca.gov/HBPublicComments/. Public Comments must be received no later
than 5:00 PM the day of the meeting.
ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS
20-16081.Emergency Meeting regarding the Governor’s announcement to
close Orange County Beaches that severely impacts the Public
Health and Safety of the community and an immediate threat to
disrupt public services facilities.
RECESS TO CLOSED SESSION (Pursuant to Section 54957 of the California Government Code, a
two-thirds vote of the members of the legislative body present, or, if less than two-thirds of the
members are present, by a unanimous vote of the members present).
CLOSED SESSION
20-16062.Pursuant to Government Code §54957(a), City Council shall recess
to Closed Session to discuss with City Management, Fire
Department, Police Department, and City Attorney regarding the
threat to the security of public services and the right of the public to
access public services and facilities related to COVID-19 and the
Governor’s press conference on April 30, 2020. In addition a
discussion regarding potential litigation against the State regarding
the same (Government Code §54956.9(d)(2)).
RECONVENE CITY COUNCIL MEETING
CLOSED SESSION REPORT BY CITY ATTORNEY
Page 1 of 2
AGENDA April 30, 2020City Council/Public Financing
Authority
ADJOURNMENT
INTERNET ACCESS TO CITY COUNCIL/PUBLIC FINANCING AUTHORITY AGENDA AND
STAFF REPORT MATERIAL IS AVAILABLE PRIOR TO CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS AT
http://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov
Page 2 of 2
City of Huntington Beach
File #:20-1608 MEETING DATE:4/30/2020
Emergency Meeting regarding the Governor’s announcement to close Orange County
Beaches that severely impacts the Public Health and Safety of the community and an
immediate threat to disrupt public services facilities.
City of Huntington Beach Printed on 4/30/2020Page 1 of 1
powered by Legistar™
From:Connie Garcia
To:supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org
Subject:Beach Closure
Date:Thursday, April 30, 2020 4:58:16 PM
Dear Council Members,
Please follow Governor Newsome’s mandate to close Orange County Beaches. I am a resident of Huntington Beach
and want our beaches closed. Last Saturday I attempted to walk the path to the pier and it was very crowded. I don’t
agree with letting folks sunbathe on the sand either. I love enjoying what our beaches have to offer, however, not at
the expense of someone’s health. I am an owner resident living on 17th. Street. Thank you in advance for your
consideration.
Sincerely,
Connie Garcia
From:Rocky Tindage
To:supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org
Subject:Concerned Resident
Date:Thursday, April 30, 2020 4:50:03 PM
As a resident of Huntington Beach, I urge each of you to make the Governor aware of all the efforts that our brave
HB police officers, firefighters and lifeguards were doing to ensure that our citizens were safe by educating and
enforcing practicing social distancing over the past weekends at our beaches. I believe the Governor is basing his
unilateral decision to close the our beaches on erroneous information that he learned through the media and not from
you, our city officials. The Governors actions targeting only Orange County beaches causes me great concern as a
Huntington Beach resident. It would seem that notwithstanding the Governor’s anthem that science and not politics
would govern that these words are simply rhetoric in light. Please send the Governor a strong message that the
citizens of Huntington Beach will not simply stand idly by as our liberties are trampled from afar. - Rocky Tindage
From:Fikes, Cathy
To:Agenda Alerts
Cc:Brenden, Patrick; Carr, Kim; Delgleize, Barbara; Fikes, Cathy; Hardy, Jill; Peterson, Erik; Posey, Mike; Semeta,
Lyn
Subject:FW: Beach Closure in Huntington Beach
Date:Thursday, April 30, 2020 4:05:58 PM
-----Original Message-----
From: Justin Bruursema <justinb@macbox.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2020 12:41 PM
To: Semeta, Lyn <Lyn.Semeta@surfcity-hb.org>
Cc: Fikes, Cathy <CFikes@surfcity-hb.org>
Subject: Beach Closure in Huntington Beach
Hello Mayor Semeta,
As a resident of Huntington Beach I was extremely disappointed (and angry) to see Governor Newsom's call to
close all beaches. I cannot understand the rational of this decision as the number of Covid 19 cases in our area do
not support this action. If beaches were truly a threat, Huntington Beach should be the epicenter of Covid-19 as the
beach has been open since the beginning. This is obviously not the case, and the beach is one of the few constructive
outlets for many of the residents here. Please act against this decision in whatever way you possibly can as it does
not seem to be reasonable and could easily lead to a very negative outcome.
Thanks,
Justin Bruursema
413 10th Street Apt. D
Huntington Beach, CA
92648
From:Fikes, Cathy
To:Agenda Alerts
Subject:FW: Beach closure
Date:Thursday, April 30, 2020 4:03:27 PM
From: Dan Ciscel <danciscel@outlook.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2020 1:18 PM
To: Semeta, Lyn <Lyn.Semeta@surfcity-hb.org>
Cc: Fikes, Cathy <CFikes@surfcity-hb.org>
Subject: Beach closure
Mayor Semeta,
My name is Dan Ciscel and I am a business owner in and a resident of Huntington Beach. I am
reaching out to respectfully urge you and the city council to resist enforcement of Governor
Newsom’s just announced beach closure. The math does not justify this extreme measure
mandated by the state. I visit the beach every day to surf, ride my bike, and enjoy our beautiful
coastline. While there are instances from time to time of people congregating in what has been
deemed an “unsafe” manner, the majority of visitors are families or individuals that are more than
adequately distanced.
The impact of the stay at home order has done irreparable damage to our local economy. The
saving grace has been the wise decision to keep our beaches open. Please do not allow a politician
in Sacramento that is only looking at a few select images take this away from us. We are not Surf
City if we cannot surf.
I trust that you will use wisdom and common sense when addressing the mandates handed down
from Sacramento. We cannot economically or emotionally sustain a beach closure. I ask you
respectfully to not enforce this order.
Sincerely,
Dan Ciscel
Business owner and resident, Huntington Beach
From:Fikes, Cathy
To:Agenda Alerts
Cc:Brenden, Patrick; Carr, Kim; Delgleize, Barbara; Fikes, Cathy; Hardy, Jill; Peterson, Erik; Posey, Mike; Semeta,
Lyn
Subject:FW: Beach Closure
Date:Thursday, April 30, 2020 4:04:47 PM
From: outlook_71956CA6D2076AED@outlook.com <kauaisrfr@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2020 1:11 PM
To: Semeta, Lyn <Lyn.Semeta@surfcity-hb.org>
Cc: Fikes, Cathy <CFikes@surfcity-hb.org>
Subject: Beach Closure
Please do NOT support the enforcement of this. We are Surf City and fought hard for this title.
Please, Do NOT make surfing illegal in HB.
30 year home owner in HB and avid voter.
Thank you
Darrin Hainer
Sent from Mail for Windows 10
From:Fikes, Cathy
To:Agenda Alerts
Cc:Brenden, Patrick; Carr, Kim; Delgleize, Barbara; Fikes, Cathy; Hardy, Jill; Peterson, Erik; Posey, Mike; Semeta,
Lyn
Subject:FW: Beach Closures
Date:Thursday, April 30, 2020 4:08:30 PM
From: Brian Ross <bross375@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2020 11:00 AM
To: Lyn.Semata@surfcity-hb.org
Cc: Fikes, Cathy <CFikes@surfcity-hb.org>
Subject: Beach Closures
Hello Mayor Lyn Semeta,
I am one of your constituents in the city of Huntington Beach. I live on main street above the
Dirty Dog Wash.
The news this morning is that Governor Newsom is closing all beaches, targeting ours as some
scapegoat to blame and punish. This makes me upset. I surf at the beach regularly, it has
become the one thing that keeps me healthy in both body and mind this last month. I don't
know what the right thing to do about this is, but I wanted to reach out because I'm sure I'm
not alone and our community's frustration should be expressed.
Our community loves our police department, and I believe that enforcing this order will lead
to a lot of pent up frustration and increased confrontations. Perhaps we could seek some
compromise with the state government that we will ticket those resting on the beach but not
those exercising on it? It seems fair to me, since those exercising have an easier time social
distancing.
Thank you for your leadership and the hard work you do.
Best Regards,
Brian Ross
From:Fikes, Cathy
To:Agenda Alerts
Cc:Brenden, Patrick; Carr, Kim; Delgleize, Barbara; Fikes, Cathy; Hardy, Jill; Peterson, Erik; Posey, Mike; Semeta,
Lyn
Subject:FW: Beach closures
Date:Thursday, April 30, 2020 4:44:36 PM
-----Original Message-----
From: Jeannie Bird <seabird214@icloud.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2020 4:44 PM
To: Delgleize, Barbara <Barbara.Delgleize@surfcity-hb.org>
Cc: Fikes, Cathy <CFikes@surfcity-hb.org>
Subject: Beach closures
Please, please, please vote to keep HB beaches open with sensible social distancing protocols!
Jeannie Bird
From:Fikes, Cathy
To:Agenda Alerts
Subject:FW: Beach Parking
Date:Thursday, April 30, 2020 3:56:57 PM
From: Marty C. <marty200359@yahoo.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2020 2:42 PM
To: CITY COUNCIL <city.council@surfcity-hb.org>
Subject: Re: Beach Parking
Dear Mayor,
As I am sure you are aware, today our state Governor directed Huntington Beach and Newport
Beach to shut down. As I mentioned in my previous email to you, the decision to keep our
beaches open disregarded not only the safety of our residents, but also disregarded the data,
science, healthcare, and recommendations of our state government. My opinion is not out of
fear nor panic. I have been embarrassed by our city, as our leadership has repeatedly
continued to ignore our Governor's original directive. The focus of the HB city leadership
right now should be on how to safely begin opening our businesses, not how to keep our
beaches open. It is much easier to safely control customers in a business environment than it
is to control massive crowds on the beach. Our city and state citizens have many other options
for their health and well being within the scope of the state's guidelines, besides going to the
beach. We will never know how many lives have been or will be affected by the lack of
leadership and poor decisions recently coming from our city.
With that said, when the beaches do eventually open, please consider the impact on the HB
downtown residential area if the beach parking remains closed. This situation forces the
crowds to the downtown residential streets for parking, thus creating a number of issues for
the residents, including no parking, trash, and gathering of large crowds to name of few.
I understand that this virus will continue to be a threat until a vaccine is available, but until
then, we need to limit our risks as much as possible. Safely opening the economy will go
much further to promote health and well being until a vaccine is available.
I am blessed to live one block from the beach, but the beach can wait.
Regards,
Marty Caproni
206 22nd Street HB
214 770-2851
On Tuesday, April 28, 2020, 12:51:44 PM PDT, Marty C. <marty200359@yahoo.com> wrote:
Please see my email below to Mr. Rouda. I have also attached a clip from my front porch security video
from this morning. I have hours of time stamped security video that I have held from sending to the local
media to avoid further community embarrassment, however if the parking situation is not addressed this
will be one of my next steps. Please address this issue.
Dear Mr. Rouda,
I am requesting your assistance with getting change to the COVID19 policy in Huntington Beach. My city
has left the beaches open while most cities (at times all cities) are adhering to our Governors guidelines
and closing their city and state beaches. Although I believe it is unsafe to leave the beaches open, based
on the data, science, healthcare, and state government recommendations; I am willing to stay at home to
avoid the crowds in Huntington Beach. However, the city of Huntington Beach has closed the beach
parking which has forced the crowds into the downtown residential area where I reside in an effort for
them to find parking. I have security camera footage that will reveal how bad this issue is in front of my
house 7 days a week. I have submitted several emails and made numerous calls to the city leadership to
no avail. Any assistance you can provide will be greatly appreciated. Best regards, Marty Caproni 214
770-2851
Marty Caproni
214 770-2851
From:Fikes, Cathy
To:Agenda Alerts
Cc:Brenden, Patrick; Carr, Kim; Delgleize, Barbara; Fikes, Cathy; Hardy, Jill; Peterson, Erik; Posey, Mike; Semeta,
Lyn
Subject:FW: Close our beaches!!!
Date:Thursday, April 30, 2020 4:07:47 PM
From: Kathy Johnson <travelingkath@hotmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2020 11:36 AM
To: Semeta, Lyn <Lyn.Semeta@surfcity-hb.org>
Cc: Fikes, Cathy <CFikes@surfcity-hb.org>
Subject: Re: Close our beaches!!!
Dear Mayor,
I have heard that Governor Newsom has issued an executive order to close ALL beaches in
California starting this Friday, May 1st. I wholeheartedly applaud and agree with his decision
based on what I saw last weekend in HB (see email below). I believe he has made the tough
but correct decision to protect the people of California and Huntington Beach when you and
the city council failed to do so. I truly hope that you and the city will honor and enforce this
order and keep people away from our beaches and downtown streets.
As a resident who is extremely concerned about the spread of the virus in our community due
to the ridiculous and nationally embarrassing debacle last weekend, I will be driving by the
beaches and downtown this weekend to make sure the city and police are enforcing the
closure of the beaches. It is unfortunate that I as a resident do not trust you and the police to
enforce this order and feel like I need to take it upon myself to document whether you are
doing your job to keep me and our community safe.
Please do what is right for our safety!! Do not listen to outsiders who just want to use our
beaches, violate the rules, spread the virus and then leave! We do not owe those people a
good time at the expense of our lives!! You owe your residents a duty to protect our safety -
remember that! I certainly will at election time!
Sincerely,
Kathleen Johnson
resident of Huntington Beach
From: Kathy Johnson <travelingkath@hotmail.com>
Sent: Monday, April 27, 2020 3:18 PM
To: Lyn.Semeta@surfcity-hb.org <Lyn.Semeta@surfcity-hb.org>
Cc: CFikes@surfcity-hb.org <CFikes@surfcity-hb.org>
Subject: Close our beaches!!!
Dear Mayor Semeta,
I was shocked and appalled at what I saw this weekend in HB. Not only were the beaches crowded
with way too many people who were NOT social distancing and NOT wearing masks but all of the
streets within many blocks of Main Street were crammed with people. I drove past the beaches all
the way down PCH and through the downtown streets to drop off a dinner to sick friends near
downtown and it was unbelievable how many people were not 6 feet apart at all and not wearing any
masks.
Our beach is one of the only ones open and everyone knows it and many people are coming from
ALL OVER LA County, inland Orange County, etc to descend on our city and violate all social
distancing rules and spread the virus in our city! This is outrageous! You and the city council are
supposed to work for US, the residents and protect us and not to provide recreation for people all
over the state to come here and violate the rules and put our lives in jeopardy! There are not even
many of our businesses open so we don’t even get a local benefit to all this danger. You do not owe
a duty to these outsiders at such a dangerous time, you owe a duty to YOUR residents and instead
you re endangering them and my family!
Most of the local residents I know and have spoken to did not even try to go to our own beaches this
weekend because they were overrun with outsiders not social distancing. I want you and the council
to CLOSE OUR BEACHES down like Newport Beach is proposing to do as well for the next several
weeks. How much worse will this be if they close down and we don’t? Then everyone will descend
just on our beaches and we will have a spike in the virus. We are being called the Florida of
California now, who left their beaches open during spring break and then saw a spike in their virus
numbers. We are a laughing stock now, as we should be for such poor decision making.
Please close our beaches now! I am a very active citizen and voter and will remember and remind
others what you all decide to do on this issue once election day comes again for you and the City
Council, so PLEASE do what is right for YOUR residents not for the yahoos who come here and
break our rules and spread death in our city!
Sincerely,
Kathleen Johnson
Resident of the Estates of Seacliff, Huntington Beach
From:Fikes, Cathy
To:Agenda Alerts
Cc:Brenden, Patrick; Carr, Kim; Delgleize, Barbara; Fikes, Cathy; Hardy, Jill; Peterson, Erik; Posey, Mike; Semeta,
Lyn
Subject:FW: Governors lock down on beaches
Date:Thursday, April 30, 2020 4:30:06 PM
-----Original Message-----
From: John Carter <john.carter0007@yahoo.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2020 4:26 PM
To: Semeta, Lyn <Lyn.Semeta@surfcity-hb.org>
Cc: Fikes, Cathy <CFikes@surfcity-hb.org>
Subject: Governors lock down on beaches
I’m embarrassed after living here over 20 years that we can’t follow simple guidelines . We should have closed
beaches earlier. Hopefully the city council can follow rules so we can open soon and not spend lo summer like this.
John carter
From:Fikes, Cathy
To:Agenda Alerts
Cc:Brenden, Patrick; Carr, Kim; Delgleize, Barbara; Fikes, Cathy; Hardy, Jill; Peterson, Erik; Posey, Mike; Semeta,
Lyn
Subject:FW: Idiots On Our Beach and On Our Council.
Date:Thursday, April 30, 2020 4:00:49 PM
From: Michael Canas <coachcanas@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2020 1:27 PM
To: Semeta, Lyn <Lyn.Semeta@surfcity-hb.org>
Cc: Fikes, Cathy <CFikes@surfcity-hb.org>
Subject: Idiots On Our Beach and On Our Council.
I'm a heart patient and a cancer patient. My family has been SIP for 6 weeks. What good is
that going to do if you let a bunch of morons pack our beach. HB was just called out by the
governor for what you and the rest of the council allowed. Its easy, No one on the beach! What
are you a trump voter! This is life and death.
My family has lived in HB for over 75 years and this is one of the stupidest things I've ever
seen. Close the damn beach!
From:Fikes, Cathy
To:Agenda Alerts
Subject:FW: Letter Regarding the Current Beach Closure
Date:Thursday, April 30, 2020 4:29:00 PM
From: Andrew Richmond <richmond1508@me.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2020 4:27 PM
To: Semeta, Lyn <Lyn.Semeta@surfcity-hb.org>; Fikes, Cathy <CFikes@surfcity-hb.org>; Hardy, Jill
<Jill.Hardy@surfcity-hb.org>; Brenden, Patrick <Patrick.Brenden@surfcity-hb.org>; Carr, Kim
<Kim.Carr@surfcity-hb.org>; Delgleize, Barbara <Barbara.Delgleize@surfcity-hb.org>; Peterson, Erik
<Erik.Peterson@surfcity-hb.org>; Posey, Mike <Mike.Posey@surfcity-hb.org>
Subject: Letter Regarding the Current Beach Closure
Members of the Huntington Beach City Council:
I am a 20 year resident of Downtown Huntington Beach. I learned last night that our
Governor has decided to close Orange County beaches as a result of the crowds at our beaches
last weekend. While I am disappointed that he has made this decision, I am not surprised. I
have watched the crowds grow over the past several weeks to an overwhelming size.
I live on Pacific Coast Highway and have a clear view of the beach area from 13th to 17th
street. This area has not historically been crowded as there is limited parking and it is far
away from the amenities found closer to Main Street. We have two single use bathrooms in
the area that were never intended to serve large groups of people congregating on this section
of the beach. Incidentally, the bathrooms do not have any soap for people to sanitize their
hands. Over the past several weekends there were thousands of people gathering on this
section of the beach. This is clearly the result of the public parking being taken away from
tourists, forcing them to park in my neighborhood on the numbered streets.
The residential streets from 6th Street to 22nd Street have been flooded with tourists who took
up all of our local neighborhood parking as a result of the public parking being closed down.
This has made it difficult for residents to find parking spots near our home. On April 16th the
City issued a press release, published on www.HBready.com, where it stated "Please do not
park in any nearby residential neighborhoods, as parking throughout the City has been limited
due to residents staying at home during the Order. The Huntington Beach Police Department
will also add additional patrols in the neighborhoods near the beaches to assist with parking
and overcrowding issues.”
While this was a noble idea there was no real plan behind it to enforce this. I emailed the city
on April 20th asking for clarification on how the City intended to enforce these parking
restrictions. I received a response back from Sandie Frakes, City Manager, stating that "We
can certainly understand your frustrations with visitor parking in your neighborhood. In
response, we have strategically placed electronic sign boards on major streets leading to the
beach which indicate "no beach parking”.
To date none of these signs have materialized. I followed up asking for a response on when I
could expect these signs and Ms. Frakes did not respond.
With the beaches now closed, we can expect the boardwalk to be even more crowded than it
was before. The boardwalk in front of my house is barely ten feet wide. I routinely see
people walking in tandem in both directions with bicycles passing through in between them.
There is no possible way for four people to be crossing through a ten foot boardwalk while
being six feet apart from each other. People regularly congregate by the stairs and cross walks
in large groups as well.
Teenagers show up to my neighborhood in groups of four or more in their cars to head to the
beach. We can reasonably assume that these teenagers are not all families living under the
same household. They clearly were not observing social distancing by sitting in the same car
together on their drive to the beach. And on Tuesday night there were five separate groups of
volleyball players playing on the beach by 15th Street with portable nets they brought with
them to the beach. Volleyball is not conducive to social distancing.
Without dwelling any further on the issues that leaving our beach open has caused, I will
address my main concern for addressing all of you today. I have no reason to believe the
crowds will diminish with the beach being closed. Our boardwalk is a popular place to get
exercise. We have posted speed limits of 5mph for bicyclists when pedestrians are present. In
the 20 years I have lived here I have rarely seen a bicyclist follow this rule. Now we have
battery and gasoline powered bicycles riding on the path along with large groups of
pedestrians. There has been little to no enforcement of any speed limits or social distancing
on the boardwalks that I have observed in my daily walks around the neighborhood. I was
personally run over by a teenager several years ago who was not watching out for pedestrians
while chasing a football across the boardwalk. I ended up with a fractured pelvis that left me
on crutches for three months from that accident.
We need to control the crowds on the boardwalk. We need to eliminate battery and gasoline
powered vehicles from the boardwalk and we need police presence to enforce the speed limits
of bicyclists while the crowds are large. We also need to enforce the rights of residents to
have reasonable access to parking spaces near their homes.
And regarding the beaches, I would have been thrilled to see the Council restrict beach access
for the purpose of exercise only, as many other locations have successfully done. We simply
do not have enough space on our beaches to accommodate everyone from San Diego to Los
Angeles who wants to hang out at the beach all day long with their friends and family because
their local beaches were closed. They could come here for exercise but be restricted from
bringing chairs, coolers, tents, etc.
In conclusion, I hope the Council will reflect on the actions that led to this beach closure, as
well as the impact the crowds have had on the residents of Downtown Huntington Beach, and
come up with a proactive plan to address our concerns while finding a reasonable way to
accomodate those who want to visit Huntington Beach during this pandemic.
Thank you for your consideration.
Regards,
Andrew Richmond
1508 Pacific Coast Highway
From:Fikes, Cathy
To:Agenda Alerts
Cc:Brenden, Patrick; Carr, Kim; Delgleize, Barbara; Fikes, Cathy; Hardy, Jill; Peterson, Erik; Posey, Mike; Semeta,
Lyn
Subject:FW: Lockdown situation !
Date:Thursday, April 30, 2020 4:06:44 PM
-----Original Message-----
From: Lenny Mawad <lenny.mawad@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2020 12:44 PM
To: Semeta, Lyn <Lyn.Semeta@surfcity-hb.org>
Cc: Fikes, Cathy <CFikes@surfcity-hb.org>
Subject: Lockdown situation !
As we look towards May , what is the mayors position on the lockdown on beaches ? There has been zero
communication from the mayor office .
Please let us know what your position is vis a vis the order by Newsome.
We are very opposed to the shutdown .
Thanks
Lenny Mawad
5691 Ocean terrace dr
Hb 92648
Cell 714-717-9499
Thanks
Sent from my iPhone
From:Fikes, Cathy
To:Agenda Alerts
Cc:Brenden, Patrick; Carr, Kim; Delgleize, Barbara; Fikes, Cathy; Hardy, Jill; Peterson, Erik; Posey, Mike; Semeta,
Lyn
Subject:FW: New Beach Closures
Date:Thursday, April 30, 2020 3:59:42 PM
-----Original Message-----
From: Thomas Niedringhaus <gotigertom@yahoo.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2020 1:36 PM
To: Semeta, Lyn <Lyn.Semeta@surfcity-hb.org>
Cc: Fikes, Cathy <CFikes@surfcity-hb.org>
Subject: New Beach Closures
Hi Mayor!
Thank you for keeping our beaches open through the “pandemic”. As a downtown HB homeowner, taxpayer and
regular voter, I implore you to resist at all costs Governor Newsome’s latest dictate to close all OC beaches in
retaliation for his subjects not obeying his commands to stay home and heading to the beaches last weekend (and to
teach us all who’s really the boss here, and show us little people what happens when you don’t follow the Dear
Leaders proclamations).
Not sure if you are running for re-election in 2020. How you handle this latest twist will determine whether or not
you get my vote, and probably a lot of others. You are either part of the problem or part of the solution. Choose
wisely.
Thank you,
Tom Niedringhaus
111 20th Street
From:Fikes, Cathy
To:Agenda Alerts
Cc:Brenden, Patrick; Carr, Kim; Delgleize, Barbara; Fikes, Cathy; Hardy, Jill; Peterson, Erik; Posey, Mike; Semeta,
Lyn
Subject:FW: Potential HB beach closure
Date:Thursday, April 30, 2020 4:36:38 PM
-----Original Message-----
From: Joe Scholz <joseph.scholz@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2020 4:31 PM
To: Semeta, Lyn <Lyn.Semeta@surfcity-hb.org>
Cc: Fikes, Cathy <CFikes@surfcity-hb.org>; Joe Scholz <joseph.scholz@gmail.com>
Subject: Potential HB beach closure
Mayor Lyn
Please keep our Huntington Beaches and bike paths open !!!
Best regards
Joe and Lori Scholz
35 year HB residents and homeowner
From:Fikes, Cathy
To:Agenda Alerts
Cc:Brenden, Patrick; Carr, Kim; Delgleize, Barbara; Fikes, Cathy; Hardy, Jill; Peterson, Erik; Posey, Mike; Semeta,
Lyn
Subject:FW: Public comment regarding emergency meeting
Date:Thursday, April 30, 2020 4:34:06 PM
-----Original Message-----
From: David Quesada <captaindavidquesada@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2020 4:32 PM
To: Hardy, Jill <Jill.Hardy@surfcity-hb.org>
Cc: Fikes, Cathy <CFikes@surfcity-hb.org>
Subject: Public comment regarding emergency meeting
I understand you have an emergency meeting at 5pm regarding Governor a-hole. Please consider your citizens. Not
all of us are in the same boats. While some have smooth sailing with a large income and can safely sit at home as
long as they want, others are weathering a dark and deadly storm. They are uncertain as to their future, jobless,
hopeless, unable to pay rent or mortgages. As Huntington Beach citizens, we need to be able to de-stress and go to
our beaches and the ocean. This is not something we caused. This situation was thrust upon us by our government.
Please take pity on us by allowing us to use our beaches. Please have mercy on us and start opening the city. Please
consider this my public input and you are welcome to read it to the council. In these trying times I’m not aware how
the public is supposed to comment on these matters.
Thank you,
David Quesada
From:Fikes, Cathy
To:Agenda Alerts
Cc:Brenden, Patrick; Carr, Kim; Delgleize, Barbara; Fikes, Cathy; Hardy, Jill; Peterson, Erik; Posey, Mike; Semeta,
Lyn
Subject:FW: Sunset Beach
Date:Thursday, April 30, 2020 3:53:38 PM
From: Linda Fitch <fitchsunset@hotmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2020 3:02 PM
To: Semeta, Lyn <Lyn.Semeta@surfcity-hb.org>
Cc: Fikes, Cathy <CFikes@surfcity-hb.org>
Subject: Sunset Beach
Please know that you are putting Sunset Beach residents in a dangerous situation by leaving
Sunset Beach open. Last weekend had so many non residents coming to our neighborhood
that it was similar to the crowds of a holiday such as the 4th of July. THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT
SOCIAL DISTANCING.
The people on the beach in Sunset are not residents. They are circling in their cars trying to
find a parking place, many even ended up across the street at Peter's Landing.
PLEASE FOLLOW THE GOVERNOR'S ORDER BY CLOSING THE BEACH until the parking and state
beaches are open. It is not safe to have only a few beaches open. It should be all or nothing
so no specific neighborhoods are put in danger.
With deep concern,
Linda Fitch
A Sunset Beach Resident
From:Fikes, Cathy
To:Agenda Alerts
Cc:Brenden, Patrick; Carr, Kim; Delgleize, Barbara; Fikes, Cathy; Hardy, Jill; Peterson, Erik; Posey, Mike; Semeta,
Lyn
Subject:FW: Surf closure.
Date:Thursday, April 30, 2020 3:58:44 PM
-----Original Message-----
From: Kevin Tubbs <jettubbs@earthlink.net>
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2020 1:46 PM
To: Semeta, Lyn <Lyn.Semeta@surfcity-hb.org>
Cc: Fikes, Cathy <CFikes@surfcity-hb.org>
Subject: Surf closure.
Dear Mayor Semeta
Please contact Gavin Newsom and refuse to follow his absurd abuse of power and keep Huntington Beach open for
surfing.
I am a front line emergency physician with 30 years experience. Surfing is NOT a risk for COVID-19.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kevin D. Tubbs
Sent from my iPhone
From:Fikes, Cathy
To:Agenda Alerts
Subject:FW: The Beach
Date:Thursday, April 30, 2020 4:11:32 PM
From: Susan Lipscomb <susan.lipscomb@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2020 9:13 AM
To: CITY COUNCIL <city.council@surfcity-hb.org>
Subject: Fwd: The Beach
Hello –
I have been a resident of Huntington Beach for over 40 years. I have always been proud of
our City but this past weekend I was ashamed to see that in the midst of a global pandemic
Huntington Beach is choosing NOT to close the beach. Closing the parking lots does not stop
people from going to the beach as you have seen by now. It is appalling to see videos and
pictures of the huge crowds gathered at the beach like any other time. The city posted that the
police were warning people to maintain "social distancing" but it was very apparent that the
warnings were largely ignored. It is impossible to maintain much separation with the amount
of beachgoers gathered there this past weekend and in the future. LA County has closed all
the beaches and is strictly enforcing the closures with police patrols and heavy fines.
Why wouldn't you wait until at least the quarantine has been lifted, currently scheduled for
mid-May at the earliest, to open up the beach? I love to be at the beach like many others but
at this time it is totally
NON ESSENTIAL!!
This is why we are all sheltering in place, avoiding crowds, and social distancing right
now. Many are sacrificing much more than a day at the beach for the safety of everyone. All
the health care and essential business workers are putting themselves at great risk to serve
others. We all need to do our part by avoiding the spread of this virus and hopefully give the
experts time to make it safe for everyone to gradually get back to normal.
It is just ludicrous for the beaches to be open at this time!
Our City should not be providing a gathering place for people which enables the spreading of
the virus. Be the example in Orange County and CLOSE THE BEACH!
Why has it not been a priority as City Council for Huntington Beach to protect not only your
citizens but all the visitors who are coming here because the beach is open?
I look forward to your reply and can only hope to see the City rectify this poor decision by
doing the right thing!
Thank you.
Susan Lipscomb
susan.lipscomb@gmail.com
714-655-0384
City of Huntington Beach
File #:20-1606 MEETING DATE:4/30/2020
Pursuant to Government Code §54957(a), City Council shall recess to Closed Session to
discuss with City Management, Fire Department, Police Department, and City Attorney
regarding the threat to the security of public services and the right of the public to access
public services and facilities related to COVID-19 and the Governor’s press conference on
April 30, 2020. In addition a discussion regarding potential litigation against the State
regarding the same (Government Code §54956.9(d)(2)).
City of Huntington Beach Printed on 4/30/2020Page 1 of 1
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