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Home My WebLink AboutAmending the Declaration of Policy on Human Dignity - Submit �yiiNGjp 2000 Main Street, Huntington Beach,CA 92648 City of Huntington Beach APPROVED 4-3 (KALMICK, MOSER, N.ed i)in c" BOLTON—NO) File #: 23-672 MEETING DATE: 8/1/2023 Subject: Submitted by Councilmember Burns -Amending the Declaration of Policy on Human Dignity Recommended Action: Recommend that the City Council amend the Declaration of Policy on Human Dignity through an Ad Hoc Committee of three City Council members appointed by the Mayor; and, the amendments to the Declaration of Policy on Human Dignity be presented at a future City Council Meeting, October 3, 2023 to the City Council for approval of the newly amended Declaration of Policy on Human Dignity. Attachment(s): 1. Burns -Amending the Declaration of Policy on Human Dignity City of Huntington Beach Page 1 of 1 Printed on 7/26/2023 powered by LegistarTm F ! ®. ep V �xv:.wc7w urn. CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH CITY COUNCIL MEETING —COUNCIL MEMBER ITEMS REPORT TO: CITY COUNCIL FROM: PAT BURNS, COUNCIL MEMBER DATE: AUGUST 1, 2023 SUBJECT: AMENDING THE DECLARATION OF POLICY ON HUMAN DIGNITY ISSUE STATEMENT On November 16, 2021, the HB City Council adopted the "A Declaration of Policy About Human Dignity" of May 6, 1996 be amended and renamed "Declaration of Policy on Human Dignity". I am requesting that the HB City Council amend this document. The November 16, 2021 amendment included significant revisions to the language of the May 1996 Declaration. I believe that it is time for amendments to be made to the November 16, 2021 Declaration. RECOMMENDED ACTION I am recommending that the City Council amend the Declaration of Policy on Human Dignity through an Ad Hoc committee of three City Council members appointed by the Mayor; and,the amendments to the Declaration of Policy on Human Dignity be presented at a future City Council Meeting, October 3, 2023 to the City Council for approval of the newly amended Declaration of Policy on Human Dignity. STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL Not applicable From: Steohen Einstein To: 5uoDlementalcomm a(�surfcity-hb.orq Subject: Item 27 and Item 29 Date: Friday,July 28,2023 3:34:59 PM Dear Council Members, A prior commitment precludes my attendance at Tuesday evening's meeting. So,I will not be able to address you in person. Let this brief email serve as my formal communication to you. Item 27: I urge you to retain the Mobile Home Advisory Committee and the Human Relations Committee. Residents of mobile homes make up a significant segment of city residents. This committee provides them an excellent mode of expressing their needs and concerns. With the rise of hate in the city,county,state and nation,the work of the Human Relations Committee is more needed than ever. Item 29: I urge you to pull this item from the agenda. The Declaration of Policy on Human Dignity has been a beacon of light during times of darkness since the Council first adopted it. It is wonderfully worded and expresses what should be the ideals for the entire community. It does not need any reworking. Respectfully, SJE Rabbi Stephen J.Einstein,DHL,DD Pronouns: He/Him/His HaRav Shalom Ya'akov ben Shaya Zalman v'Zelda Founding Rabbi Emeritus Congregation B'nai Tzedek Fountain Valley,CA "The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil,but by those who watch them without doing anything." Albert Einstein SUPPLEMENTAL COMMUNICATION Meeting Date: >/,/23 Agenda Item No.: (-)"[°23 7:2) Moore, Tania From: Cindi Lee <CLee@ovsd.org> Sent: Monday, July 31, 2023 2:15 PM To: CITY COUNCIL (INCL. CMO STAFF); supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org Cc: Patricia Singer; Ocean View School District - Michael Conroy, Ed.D; Susan Whittaker; Frakes, Sandie Subject: OVSD Correspondence - Item 23-672, City Council Agenda, August 1, 2023 Attachments: CC Letter 7-31 ad hoc.pdf Good afternoon, Please see the attached written correspondence from Ocean View School District regarding Agenda Item 23- 672, to be considered at the August 1, 2023, City Council Meeting. Thank you. Cindi Lee, Executive .Assistant Office of the Superintendent OCEAN VIEW SCHOOL DISTRICT 17200 Pinehurst Lane Huntington Beach, CA 92647 (714) 847-2551, ext. 1309 clee@ovsd.org _; '1 Ocean View li School District Connections Before Content! SUPPLEMENTAL COMMUNICATION Weill()Date: RI I I 020a3 Agenda Item No.; C23 (07?) (o4 Ocean View School District wiNiniff Board of Trustees 17200 Pinehurst Lane. Superintendent 10041111114,_ _Ai_ Huntington Beach, CA 92647 Michael Gonroy, Ed. D. Patricia Singer. President Tel: 714 847-2551 Gina Clayton-Tarvin; Vice President "Ermity af)d Fax: 714 847-1430 Jack C. Souders, Clerk Exct,Jleracr'• Web:www.ovsd.org Morgan Westmoreland. Member Norm Westwell. Member SENT VIA ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION City.Council[a surfcity-hb.orq SupplementalCommsurfcity-hb.org July 31, 2023 The Honorable Tony Strickland, Mayor, and Members of the City Council CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH 2000 Main Street Huntington Beach, CA 92648 Re: Item 23-672 City Council Agenda August 1, 2023 Amending the Declaration of Policy on Human Dignity Dear Mayor Strickland and City Councilmembers: Ocean View School District requests that the proposed ad hoc committee hold its meetings pursuant to Huntington Beach Municipal Code Section 2.100.110 Open Meetings. The Huntington Beach Municipal Code and Brown Act establish that all committee meetings be public noticed 72 hours prior to the meeting, that topics to be discussed are detailed, and committee documents and materials be available to the public prior to the meeting. Ocean View School District requests to receive notice of any ad hoc meetings formed by the Huntington Beach City Council. Sincerely, �I/ LA-7 Michael Conroy, Ed. D. q Superintendent Ocean View School District cc: Al Zelinka, Huntington Beach City Manager (Sandie.Frakessurfcity-hb.orq) Moore, Tania From: cherivatkinson@aol.com Sent: Sunday, July 30, 2023 5:57 PM To: supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org; citycouncil@surfcity-hb.org Subject: Fw: Item 27 Elimination of the HB Human Relations Committee and Item 29 Modification of the Declaration of Policy of Human Dignity Attention: HB City Council For the following reasons, stated to Nextdoor, I am asking you to Vote No on Item 27 and 29. It appears that you have already made of your mind, and this may be an exercise in futility, but I believe that you are going down a dark path by with Item 27 and 29. Cheri Atkinson LCSW Email to Nextdoor At the HB City Council Meeting on 8/1 at 6m, in the HB City Council Chambers, there will be -Item 27, a vote to eliminate the HB Human Relations Committee of 25 years. This group works with the HB Police to monitor hate incidents and crimes, which are on the increase this year. The HB Human Relations Committee inspires and promotes mutual understanding, respect and the well being of all in our community through education and engagement. Item 29- The Declaration of Policy and Dignity is a declaration of the value of all in our community, and our commitment to stand up against acts of hate.This was written by past mayors Ralph Bauer and Shirley Dettloff. I believe that we will be going down a wrong path if Item 27 and 29 pass. You can submit you opinion against Item 27 and 29 by writing to supplementalcommun@surfcity- hn.org and city.council@surfcity-hb.org (By Monday) or you cant attend the HB City Council and speak, on 8/1 at 6. Thanks for taking your time to read this. I have great faith in our community. SUPPLJ i'NiAL COMMUNICATION Meeting Date: ' d°a _...�. i Agenda Item 2 (?3 Moore, Tania From: Karen Marie Carroll <dockaren44@gmail.com> Sent: Sunday,July 30, 2023 6:05 PM To: supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org Subject: Concerns regarding 8-1-23 agenda From: Karen Carroll To Mayor Strickland and Members of the City Council Following are my concerns regarding the unwarranted and unethical "recommendations" coming from the ad hoc "committee" that would dissolve or neutralize commissions or boards meant to ensure local input for effective intervention or mediation is needed to resolve local problems and complaints. You appear to be asking Sacramento to micromanage HB governing. Ironic! Item 27 Recommendations to streamline and restructure a select number of citizen-led Boards, Commissions, and Committees and Council Committees 1. Dissolution Housing/RHNA Ad Hoc Council Committee(for recommendations prior to public hearings)—reason given- "tasks complete"— • Hopefully, a committee for this purpose is simply paused until a responsible HB plan for housing is eventually advanced—at which time the council should consult with professionally qualified persons to outline a workable timeline for implementation of the plan. Huntington Beach Human Relations Committee (HBHRC). The City Council suggests that the County of Orange (e.g. Orange County Human Relations Commission who publishes annual hate crime reports) and/or community-based nonprofit organizations would suffice to address any citizen concerns about their civil rights. • The reality is,the County Commission must address human rights violation complaints that come up in all cities in the County as well as schools in the County. Further,the County Commission has a "cooling off'period for each case. This means that serious problems faced by HB residents could not be resolved immediately with the help of fellow citizens who are familiar with local circumstances and are sincerely committed to assisting their neighbors. The immediacy of residents' concerns greatly outweighs any redundancy of mission statements on paper. This totally contradicts the city's stand on local control. Mobile Home Advisory Board (MHAB) The ad hoc committee suggests that conflict resolution issues between mobile home owners and park owners could be directed to the California Department of Housing and Community Development, which i regulates mobile home parks. Also stated,there are resources in the city to which City staff could direct mobile home resident complaints. • These resources are not specified. Does the staff currently work with individual residents and established agencies or organizations? Which ones? We commend the City's MHTBRA program for providing monthly rental assistance to eligible very low-income Huntington Beach senior mobile home owners,but there are other legal and civil rights that are better addressed by fellow citizens who are familiar with local conditions and who strongly committed to their neighbors. This totally contradicts the city's stand on local control. 2. Consolidation Environmental and Sustainability Board • The BCC Ad Hoc Committee recommends transfer of duties that may be appropriate to the Citizen Infrastructure Advisory Board/Public Works Commission(CIAB/PWC)with remaining duties going directly to City Council. * So staff and citizens who monitor and maintain our streets, roads, and public works in general are to take on the environmental concerns of the city? In denying approval of the Housing Element that was ready for submission to the State, Mayor Tony Stricldand said that having to sign the statement of overriding considerations violated his 1st Amendment rights in that the statement forced agreement that mandated housing projects are more important than the impacts to the environment. "I can't in good conscience have my speech forced to sign a statement of overriding considerations because it goes against everything I stand for ... This is an easy vote for me". If the environment is that important to the Council,why would we not prioritize a Board specifically committed to environmental quality? Is the City Council serious about doing our part to care for our planet? 3. Reformation Fourth of July Executive Board • The BCC Ad Hoc Committee recommends renaming the Independence Day Board(and providing clarification of roles). Existing contracts with Soundskilz, Inc. and Stacey Newton are expiring, so the Committee recommends City staff to initiate a new RFP process for professional event services per the City's procurement policies. *City residents are interested in possible relationships between the potential providers of professional event services and members of the City Council. Questions about the out-of-court settlement with Code 4 leads to questions about campaign assistance to recently elected council members by its CEO,Kevin Elliott. Specific Events Committee as a Specific Events Executive Committee • Possibly related to the Fourth of July Board recommendation, The Specific Events Committee as a Specific Events Executive Committee as a standing Council Committee to 2 review Council's priorities for large-scale major specific events as a standing Council Committee to review Council's priorities for large-scale major specific events. Item 28 Charter Committee Ad Hoc Proposals • Why is this Council wanting to change dates and requirements for City Clerk? The duties of a City Clerk are very specialized and the experience of our current Clerk, especially over time in the city, is unquestioningly as good as it gets. HB citizens fear that this is laying the groundwork for further cronyism, and possible nepotism. How far will the Council majority go in remaking the City's administrative infrastructure to serve their long-term agenda and special interests? • Assuring security and integrity of voting in the City seems a worthy goal. Need citizens worry about the possibility of intimidation, discrimination or overlooking qualifications of personnel? 3 Moore, Tania From: Debbi Parrott <debparrott@gmail.com> Sent: Sunday, July 30, 2023 3:58 PM To: CITY COUNCIL (INCL. CMO STAFF); supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org Subject: Items 27-29 Esteemed Council Members, I greatly oppose the dissolution of the Huntington Beach Human Relations Committee, as well as the proposed election changes in item 28 as well as item 29. The HBHRC customizes its programs based on the community's needs, uses a relatively low amount of city staff resources and shows our city's commitment to the ongoing safety and freedom from intimidation for our citizens. They have no interaction with the county level Human Relations Commission and while Groundswell occasionally partners with HBHRC, they do not duplicate these efforts nor do they have the relationships with the police and city leadership that the committee does. The election portion of item 28 seems to be great overreach as there is no evidence of systemic problems with the county registrar and may be seen as election tampering and open up the city to lawsuits. In regards to Item 29, The Declaration of the Policy on Human Dignity shouldn't be altered without an understanding of intent, context and purpose. Thank you for your time, With gratitude, Debbi Parrott i Moore, Tania From: Fikes, Cathy Sent: Monday,July 31, 2023 9:06 AM To: Agenda Alerts Subject: FW: comment,#27,#28,#29, 8-1-23 council meeting From: Dan Jamieson<danjamieson4@gmail.com> Sent:Sunday,July 30,2023 1:31 PM To: CITY COUNCIL(INCL. CMO STAFF)<city.council@surfcity-hb.org> Subject:comment,#27,#28,#29,8-1-23 council meeting Dear HB City Council: As a Huntington Beach resident, I appreciate the chance to comment in several items under consideration at the August 1, 2023 council meeting: --Item 27: Boards and Commissions I support retaining the mobile home and human relations committees. Both these committees serve vulnerable residents. The county's human relations committee is an important group, but it is not able to focus on the specific issues facing HB. Our city suffers from an unfortunate strand of hatred and bigotry, and we need the "local control" and oversight of our own human relation committee. The mobile home advisory board also serves some of our most economically vulnerable citizens,many of them seniors on limited incomes who face rising rents from aggressive mobile-home park owners. These wealthy owners, including private equity firms, have been squeezing mobile-home residents for their limited resources. (It is not lost on HB residents that mobile-home park owners have supported the current council majority.) While the current majority rails against the Calif. Dept. of Housing and Community Development regarding housing policy overall, in this instance, when vulnerable mobile-home residents are involved,the majority is content to punt the issue to HCD. But HCD is far removed from issues impacting local mobile-home residents, and our own advisory board can inform city leaders and HCD about HB-related park issues and violations. The council should do the right thing and retain the mobile home advisory board. --Item 28: Charter Amendments Please table this item for further review. It is unclear why the council majority wants to amend the city charter. We just had a detailed and costly charter review process that went on the ballot last year. Why this new effort? What is the cost? The prior charter commission developed proposals in an open,transparent process, but this proposal was developed by a handpicked group of like-minded council members meeting behind closed doors. The mayor's retort last June was that the recommendations would be debated at a council meeting. But that will be too late. Residents have no idea why the item proposes changes to a hodgepodge of charter sections relating to bathroom footprints, budgets,meetings, elections and city offices. How are residents supposed to comment? Some recommendations may be good, others bad. Some probably don't belong in the charter. Several appear to i give the mayor more power and open up local elections to political influence. But we don't have enough information. What we will get will come from a limited, late-night council debate AFTER residents have spoken. Please delay this item, and if pursued, do it correctly through an open and rigorous process with public notice and comment, and put any changes to the voters in a November general election,not the lower-turnout primary election. --Item 29: Amending the Declaration of Policy on Human Dignity Please vote NO on this item. The item does not state why we need to amend the Declaration, which is similar to the earlier 1996 version(both adopted unanimously by prior HB city councils). Perhaps it is the addition of "gender identity" to the newer text. The proposal looks like part of a continued culture war by the council majority against vulnerable people--especially trans people who are the subject of extremely vicious hate incidents and crimes. Perhaps I am wrong about the majority's motive;perhaps the council majority wishes to strengthen the Declaration. But the majority's actions to date do not inspire confidence. Please, do not pursue this item. Sincerely, Dan Jamieson Huntington Beach 2 Moore, Tania From: Fikes, Cathy Sent: Monday,July 31, 2023 12:21 PM To: Agenda Alerts Subject: FW: HB City Council Agenda 8.1.2023 Please Withdraw Items 27, 28, and 29 From: Pat Goodman<patgoodman@yahoo.com> Sent: Monday,July 31, 2023 11:55 AM To: CITY COUNCIL(INCL.CMO STAFF)<city.council@surfcity-hb.org>; Fikes, Cathy<CFikes@surfcity-hb.org> Subject: HB City Council Agenda 8.1.2023 Please Withdraw Items 27, 28,and 29 Dear Mayor Strickland, Mayor Pro Tern Van Der Mark, and City Council Members, Please withdraw Items 27, 28, and 29 from the City Council August 1, 2023, agenda. I find them to be very troubling to the wellbeing of the city and its residents and voters. My first comment applies to items #27, 28, 29 and the use of Ad Hoc committees by the mayor. I appreciate the effort by the mayor to use Ad Hoc committees to study issues, formulate policy for the city, and try to move items forward in a timely manner. However, Ad hoc committees were misused for agenda items 27 and 28 on Tuesday, August 1 city council agenda. It is not too late to correct this issue for agenda item # 29. And, therefore, should be withdrawn from the agenda. In my mind, Ad Hoc committees ought to include citizens that try to reflect the impacted demographics of the issue under review, and/or folks with the experience and knowledge to add value to the discussion, and formulation of any policy recommendations. A city staff, and city attorney's office liaison(s) could be included for background as needed. The committee needs to engage the public, issue its report including, purpose, dates, times met, public comments, expert opinions, conclusions, and recommendations. A study session by the full council needs to take place for public input and discussion among the council in order to know how to move forward on the item. Couldn't three councilmembers meet periodically to brainstorm ideas without violating the Brown Act, and then bring an item forward this item on a subsequent city council agenda? Why do you need an ad hoc committee that meets behind closed doors? Is this what transparency looks like? Agenda Item # 27 The Human Relations Commission and the Mobile Home Advisory Board. They provide residents, businesses, police, and other first responders with an array of benefits and support when the situation calls for it. Here are some that I can think of: sounding boards for issues of economic and social policy, actions of discrimination, support to our police and victims of crime in the areas of human rights, community violence prevention, and i trust in our first responders. This commission and board promote problem solving through dialog, and, at their best, local control by the community to address issues in a timely manner. It is the job of city staff to connect residents to resources regardless of the role of a board or commission. So why have any board, commission, or committee in the first place? It is to engage the community in problem solving, and government oversight. Again, it's about local control, who are people most likely to turn to when they have questions or need services? I think we turn to local government. Certainly, we can find the funds to maintain this board and commission. As far as merging and streamlining these activities I'm all for it and if some other agency can field this work for the people of Huntington Beach, great! Have you met with the affected members of the boards, commissions, and committees identified for elimination, consolidation, renaming? I think they would have something to say to address redundancies, and ways to consolidate responsibilities. One of these mergers and consolidations I question is that of the Environmental and Sustainability Board with the Public Works Commission. Will the PWC membership increase to include members to address environmental reviews that come before the city council and promote environmental & sustainability programs? I do not understand Recommendation # 8 and 9. It is more of a transparency issue for you to identify why it is important to change the name of the Fourth of July Executive Board? Why would the city council have an events Ad Hoc subcommittee with only three members of the council on it? I'm concerned about public engagement and transparency and that this may be a tool to direct funding and resources to campaign contributors. Agenda Item # 28 This item recommends eight changes to the city's charter with the caveat for more. I understand that this is only a proposal. The estimated ROV's cost for each item is $300,000 plus whatever costs the city might incur. I am very concerned about all of these recommendations save maybe # 1 and # 3. I am not in favor of 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. And have a few words to say about # 7. Our government needs to look at ways for more voter participation and not tinker with voter access to cast a ballot in California. Voter participation is a major issue in our Democracy. The City/County of San Francisco expanded voter participation for people who have children in the school district. These are people that pay taxes including property taxes. This expands participation in school board elections. Your proposal dilutes participation and is wrong for the voters in Huntington Beach. I do not know how you will segregate the city ballot items from the county, state, and federal elections to implement this item's proposals. 1. Are there any allegations, and actual documentation of fraud and abuse of the elections in Huntington Beach? 2. What is the purpose of this measure? 3. What are the steps we need to take to have greater participation in our elections? 4. Are you proposing separate ballots and drop off sites for city races and ballot measures? 2 5. Does this proposal add twelve new in-person polling sites in addition to the 13 ROV sites? Agenda Item # 29 I was here when that hate crime/murder occurred in our city at the McDonald's on Beach Blvd. in 1996. Subsequent city councils have adopted this Declaration on Human Dignity unanimously (except for 2021, one member did not sign it). The perpetrator was not charged only with murder but also a hate crime under federal law. It was a horrendous time in our city's history. We cannot forget it because, sadly, these types of crimes that target "people who do not look like me" are still taking place. As residents, we need constant education on these crimes so that when we "see something we can say something." Again, my comments regarding Ad Hoc committees apply to this agenda item as well. This statement is one step in our education. It is directional, aspirational, and sets a welcoming no nonsense tone for our city to tourists, businesses, city employees and residents. Please withdraw agenda items 27, 28, and 29. Rethink how to address these serious issues by engaging the public to come up with the best policies for our city as possible. Thank you. Patricia Goodman Huntington Beach, CA 3 Moore, Tania From: Fikes, Cathy Sent: Monday,July 31, 2023 1:50 PM To: Agenda Alerts Subject: FW:Agenda Item 29 From: Russell Neal<russneal@ieee.org> Sent: Monday,July 31, 2023 12:55 PM To:CITY COUNCIL(INCL. CMO STAFF)<city.council@surfcity-hb.org> Subject:Agenda Item 29 Item 29 Amending the Declaration of Policy on Human Dignity This declaration of policy should be cancelled rather than being amended. The document is insufferably preachy and void of substance. Where do we get off wagging the city's finger at "the Community,the Schools,the Parents and the Youth?" It conflates actual crimes with protected speech with which someone disagrees, issuing vague and unconstitutional threats about the latter. Its calls everyone except the Council itself"haters"without any evidence. It is a complete embarrassment and needs to go. Russell Neal Huntington Beach i Moore, Tania From: Cecily Gates <cecilygates@gmail.com> Sent: Monday,July 31, 2023 3:40 PM To: CITY COUNCIL(INCL. CMO STAFF);supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org Subject: Agenda items Dear Mayor Strickland, Mayor Pro Tem Van Der Mark , and City Council, My first comment applies to items #27, 28, 29 and the use of Ad Hoc committees by the mayor. I appreciate the effort by the mayor to use Ad Hoc committees to study issues, formulate policy for the city, and try to move items forward in a timely manner. However, Ad hoc committees were misused for agenda items 27 and 28 on Tuesday, August 1 city council agenda. It is not too late to correct this issue for agenda item # 29. And, therefore, should be withdrawn from the agenda. In my mind, Ad Hoc committees ought to include citizens that try to reflect the impacted demographics of the issue under review, and/or folks with the experience and knowledge to add value to the discussion, and formulation of any policy recommendations. A city staff, and city attorney's office liaison(s) could be included for background as needed. The committee needs to engage the public, issue its report including, purpose, dates, times met, public comments, expert opinions, conclusions, and recommendations. A study session by the full council needs to take place for public input and discussion among the council in order to know how to move forward on the item. Couldn't three councilmembers meet periodically to brainstorm ideas without violating the Brown Act, and then bring an item forward this item on a subsequent city council agenda? Why do you need an ad hoc committee that meets behind closed doors? Is this what transparency looks like? Agenda Item # 27 The Human Relations Commission and the Mobile Home Advisory Board. They provide residents, businesses, police, and other first responders with an array of benefits and support when the situation calls for it. Here are some that I can think of: sounding boards for issues of economic and social policy, actions of discrimination, support to our police and victims of crime in the areas of human rights, community violence prevention, and trust in our first responders. This commission and board promote problem solving through dialog, and, at their best, local control by the community to address issues in a timely manner. It is the job of city staff to connect residents to resources regardless of the role of a board or commission. So why have any board, commission, or committee in the first place? It is to engage the community in problem solving, and government oversight. Again, it's about local control, who are people most likely to turn to when they have questions or need services? I think we turn to local government. Certainly, we can find the funds to maintain this board and commission. As far as merging and streamlining these activities I'm all for it and if some other agency can field this work for the people of Huntington Beach, great! Have you met with the affected members of the boards, commissions, and committees identified for elimination, consolidation, renaming? I think they would have something to say to address redundancies, and ways to consolidate responsibilities. i One of these mergers and consolidations I question is that of the Environmental and Sustainability Board with the Public Works Commission. Will the PWC membership increase to include members to address environmental reviews that come before the city council and promote environmental & sustainability programs? I do not understand Recommendation # 8 and 9. It is more of a transparency issue for you to identify why it is important to change the name of the Fourth of July Executive Board? Why would the city council have an events Ad Hoc subcommittee with only three members of the council on it? I'm concerned about public engagement and transparency and that this may be a tool to direct funding and resources to campaign contributors. Agenda Item # 28 This item recommends eight changes to the city's charter with the caveat for more. I understand that this is only a proposal. The estimated ROV's cost for each item is $300,000 plus whatever costs the city might incur. Our government needs to look at ways for more voter participation and not tinker with voter access to cast a ballot in California. Voter participation is a major issue in our Democracy. The City/County of San Francisco expanded voter participation for people who have children in the school district. These are people that pay taxes including property taxes. This expands participation in school board elections. Your proposal dilutes participation and is wrong for the voters in Huntington Beach. I do not know how you will segregate the city ballot items from the county, state, and federal elections to implement this item's proposals. 1. Are there any allegations, and actual documentation of fraud and abuse of the elections in Huntington Beach? 2. What is the purpose of this measure? 3. What are the steps we need to take to have greater participation in our elections? 4. Are you proposing separate ballots and drop off sites for city races and ballot measures? 5. Does this proposal add twelve new in-person polling sites in addition to the 13 ROV sites? Agenda Item # 29 I was here when that hate crime/murder occurred in our city at the McDonald's on Beach Blvd. in 1996. Subsequent city councils have adopted this Declaration on Human Dignity unanimously (except for 2021, one member did not sign it). The perpetrator was not charged only with murder but also a hate crime under federal law. It was a horrendous time in our city's history. We cannot forget it because, sadly, these types of crimes that target "people who do not look like me" are still taking place. As residents, we need constant education on these crimes so that when we "see something we can say something." Again, my comments regarding Ad Hoc committees apply to this agenda item as well. Please withdraw agenda items 27, 28, and 29. Rethink how to address these serious issues by engaging the public to come up with the best policies for our city as possible. Thank you. 2 Moore, Tania From: Cecily Gates <cecilygates@gmail.com> Sent: Monday,July 31, 2023 3:41 PM To: CITY COUNCIL(INCL. CMO STAFF); supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org Subject: Agenda items. Dear Mayor Strickland, Mayor Pro Tern Van Der Mark , and City Council, My first comment applies to items #27, 28, 29 and the use of Ad Hoc committees by the mayor. I appreciate the effort by the mayor to use Ad Hoc committees to study issues, formulate policy for the city, and try to move items forward in a timely manner. However, Ad hoc committees were misused for agenda items 27 and 28 on Tuesday, August 1 city council agenda. It is not too late to correct this issue for agenda item # 29. And, therefore, should be withdrawn from the agenda. In my mind, Ad Hoc committees ought to include citizens that try to reflect the impacted demographics of the issue under review, and/or folks with the experience and knowledge to add value to the discussion, and formulation of any policy recommendations. A city staff, and city attorney's office liaison(s) could be included for background as needed. The committee needs to engage the public, issue its report including, purpose, dates, times met, public comments, expert opinions, conclusions, and recommendations. A study session by the full council needs to take place for public input and discussion among the council in order to know how to move forward on the item. Couldn't three councilmembers meet periodically to brainstorm ideas without violating the Brown Act, and then bring an item forward this item on a subsequent city council agenda? Why do you need an ad hoc committee that meets behind closed doors? Is this what transparency looks like? Agenda Item # 27 The Human Relations Commission and the Mobile Home Advisory Board. They provide residents, businesses, police, and other first responders with an array of benefits and support when the situation calls for it. Here are some that I can think of: sounding boards for issues of economic and social policy, actions of discrimination, support to our police and victims of crime in the areas of human rights, community violence prevention, and trust in our first responders. This commission and board promote problem solving through dialog, and, at their best, local control by the community to address issues in a timely manner. It is the job of city staff to connect residents to resources regardless of the role of a board or commission. So why have any board, commission, or committee in the first place? It is to engage the community in problem solving, and government oversight. Again, it's about local control, who are people most likely to turn to when they have questions or need services? I think we turn to local government. Certainly, we can find the funds to maintain this board and commission. As far as merging and streamlining these activities I'm all for it and if some other agency can field this work for the people of Huntington Beach, great! Have you met with the affected members of the boards, commissions, and committees identified for elimination, consolidation, renaming? I think they would have something to say to address redundancies, and ways to consolidate responsibilities. One of these mergers and consolidations I question is that of the Environmental and Sustainability Board with the Public Works Commission. Will the PWC membership increase to include members to i address environmental reviews that come before the city council and promote environmental & sustainability programs? I do not understand Recommendation # 8 and 9. It is more of a transparency issue for you to identify why it is important to change the name of the Fourth of July Executive Board? Why would the city council have an events Ad Hoc subcommittee with only three members of the council on it? I'm concerned about public engagement and transparency and that this may be a tool to direct funding and resources to campaign contributors. Agenda Item # 28 This item recommends eight changes to the city's charter with the caveat for more. I understand that this is only a proposal. The estimated ROV's cost for each item is $300,000 plus whatever costs the city might incur. Our government needs to look at ways for more voter participation and not tinker with voter access to cast a ballot in California. Voter participation is a major issue in our Democracy. The City/County of San Francisco expanded voter participation for people who have children in the school district. These are people that pay taxes including property taxes. This expands participation in school board elections. Your proposal dilutes participation and is wrong for the voters in Huntington Beach. I do not know how you will segregate the city ballot items from the county, state, and federal elections to implement this item's proposals. 1. Are there any allegations, and actual documentation of fraud and abuse of the elections in Huntington Beach? 2. What is the purpose of this measure? 3. What are the steps we need to take to have greater participation in our elections? 4. Are you proposing separate ballots and drop off sites for city races and ballot measures? 5. Does this proposal add twelve new in-person polling sites in addition to the 13 ROV sites? Agenda Item # 29 I was here when that hate crime/murder occurred in our city at the McDonald's on Beach Blvd. in 1996. Subsequent city councils have adopted this Declaration on Human Dignity unanimously (except for 2021, one member did not sign it). The perpetrator was not charged only with murder but also a hate crime under federal law. It was a horrendous time in our city's history. We cannot forget it because, sadly, these types of crimes that target "people who do not look like me" are still taking place. As residents, we need constant education on these crimes so that when we "see something we can say something." Again, my comments regarding Ad Hoc committees apply to this agenda item as well. Please withdraw agenda items 27, 28, and 29. Rethink how to address these serious issues by engaging the public to come up with the best policies for our city as possible. Thank you. Sent from my iPhone 2 Moore, Tania From: Fikes, Cathy Sent: Monday,July 31, 2023 4:37 PM To: Agenda Alerts Subject: FW: 8-1-23 Agenda Items 27 and 28 From: Linda Moon <Isapiro048@gmail.com> Sent: Monday,July 31,2023 2:58 PM To:CITY COUNCIL(INCL. CMO STAFF)<city.council@surfcity-hb.org> Subject:8-1-23 Agenda Items 27 and 28 Dear Mayor and City Council Members: I am writing to express my deep concern and opposition to Agenda Items Nos. 27 and 28 on the August 1,2023 City Council Agenda. Of greatest concern is Item 28,the Proposed Charter Amendments. The council majority all ran for election on a platform of increased transparency and listening to the voices of the community. Instead, it appears that you are attempting to take every action possible to stifle the voices of the community, reduce transparency and assume absolute authoritarian control. The proposed charter amendments are hidden in a backup document behind a misleading benign title. Charter revisions in Huntington Beach have for decades been followed by a procedure allowing broad public participation. Charter Review committees of knowledgeable residents have been formed, staff background assistance has been provided and the public has been given multiple opportunities to provide feedback before recommendations are submitted to the council and advertised for public hearing. Instead of following this well honed and honored process,you have formed an "ad hoc" committee of 3 recent inexperienced council members to propose amendments intended only to further their own political positions. No public input was sought by the ad hoc committee and appears that none is desired. Of greatest concern is Proposal#7 which would, if enacted, allow the City Council to take control of all aspects of city elections,removing any authority of the.State Elections Code. While I don't believe this is even legally permissible, it obviously is an attempt at voter suppression and intimidation. The State Elections Code was enacted to safeguard elections and allow voters unimpeded opportunity to participate in the voting process. It protects the keystone of our democracy. Placing the elections into the exclusive control of the city opens the process to fraud and corruption. Proposal#6, reducing the education,training and certification requirements of the City Clerk is outrageous and obviously intended to smooth the path for the candidacy of a specific unqualified resident chosen by the newly elected majority. It is even more absurd a proposal, given the above proposal to take over control of elections. The last thing we need is an inexperienced, untrained City Clerk managing elections. Proposal#5,to move the City Clerk and City Treasurer elections to coincide with the Gubernatorial election is obviously intended to reduce participation in that election. No other justification is shown. i Proposal#4,to change the annual budgeting proposal to biannual, as opposed to annual, is irresponsible and contrary to state law. Proposal#2, allowing the cancellation of city council meetings by majority vote of the council or when there is not a quorum is another attempt to assert absolute power and stifle the voice of the public. The public has a right to expect the council forum to be available, whether or not it suits the whims of the majority members or whether a voting quorum is present. Proposal#8 allowing for the consideration and action on proposals not even disclosed to the public is reprehensible. Agenda Item 27,which would dismantle previously active and important boards and commissions, is also intended to stifle the voices of the public not in agreement with the council majority. You have already attempted to render the boards and commissions ineffective by packing them with your political cronies,rather than residents concerned and knowledgeable of the purpose of the forum. Your attempt to eliminate them entirely reduces the citizen participation that you promised to expand. Please reconsider these proposals. Any charter amendments need to go through the open public Charter Review Committee process, where citizens have the opportunity for input as well as to propose charter amendments, before proposals are submitted for vote on whether they will go onto the election ballot. Linda Sapiro Moon 5861 Liege Dr. Huntington Beach, CA 92649 2 Moore, Tania From: Fikes, Cathy Sent: Monday,July 31, 2023 5:22 PM To: Agenda Alerts Subject: FW: items 27,28,29 From: Flossie Horgan<horganf@gmail.com> Sent: Monday,July 31,2023 4:53 PM To:CITY COUNCIL(INCL. CMO STAFF)<city.council@surfcity-hb.org> Subject: items 27,28,29 Dear Council members The above mentioned items which appear on tonight's agenda should be withdrawn. The various constituencies that exist in our city offer expertise and interest on City issues. The City Council has opportunities to engage with the public to move forward on various complex issues facing our City. Increased citizen involvement can lead to a more vibrant Huntington Beach. Flossie Horgan i Moore, Tania From: berreprincess@aol.com Sent: Monday,July 31, 2023 7:27 PM To: supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org; CITY COUNCIL (INCL. CMO STAFF) Subject: NO to EVERYTHING Strickland, Burns,Van Der Mark and McKeon are trying to do!!! Funny that 4 (Strickland, Burns, Van Der Mark and McKeon) of you ran on NO changes to the charter but here we are with you 4 wanting to make changes that sound like you want to control the residents. These changes are not to better our city in any way, shape or form. Same goes for dropping any committees. As well as councilmember Burns wanting to change anything with Declaration of Policy on Human Dignity, just shows that you and your 3 fellow councilmembers (Strickland, Van Der Mark and McKeon) do not really care about such things and have shown you can not even understand what human dignity means by things you 4 have said and decided to do already. Its, also, beyond obvious on why you 4 are trying to change the qualifications for city clerk. Sadly we know that you 4 (Strickland, Burns, Van Der Mark and McKeon) have made up your minds before this even is for vote and do not really care what the residents have to say. Shame on you 4! Anna Plewa i Moore, Tania From: Stephen Quinn <quinnindogtown@aol.com> Sent: Monday,July 31, 2023 7:39 PM To: supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org Subject: Agenda Item#29 I would like to express my full support for Pat Burns in his attempt to amend the city's "Declaration of Policy on Human Dignity". I'm studying that document as I write and I'm struck by the stirring rhetoric, the lofty appeals to our common human dignity, no doubt all cobbled together by a team of legal wizards at the ACLU, then downloaded in whole cloth by progressive city councils all over the country. This clearly was not written by our former council majority. As one examines this sacred document, you can't help but notice that one council member abstained from signing. Hats off to Erik Peterson for resisting the sort of coercion that drives movements like this. One line in it in particular jumped out at me. "The Huntington Beach City Council states in the strongest terms that it condemns all hate incidents and hate crimes and will vigorously fight criminal activity related to hate with all the resources at its disposal." Call me old fashioned but should it not be the Council's goal to fight all criminal activity with "all the resources at its disposal", not just those crimes committed against select victim groups? I consider it a monstrous miscarriage of justice to ever have concocted the idea of "hate crimes". Is it unreasonable to say that all violent crime is motivated by hate? All violent crimes and assaults are despicable acts, worthy of severe punishment. It matters not a whit to me what particular prejudices the perpetrator may have been acting upon as he beats, rapes, robs, or murders his victim. To prioritize the vileness of a crime based on the identity of the victim, only serves to create a world where one victim's suffering counts more than another's, where a monstrous act becomes somehow more monstrous if the victim is a member of a certain group. The bible teaches us to hate evil. Not to hate hate. We would do well as a society to remember that. We will only achieve a more unjust society if we declare one victim's suffering to count more than another's. Stephen Quinn 714 401 3736 1 Moore, Tania From: cherivatkinson@aol.com Sent: Monday,July 31, 2023 10:06 PM To: CITY COUNCIL (INCL. CMO STAFF);supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org Subject: Fw: Item 27 Elimination of the HB Human Relations Committee and Item 29 Modification of the Declaration of Policy of Human Dignity Attention: HB City Council Please respond that you received this. Cheri Atkinson LCSW Attention: HB City Council For the following reasons, stated to Nextdoor, I am asking you to Vote No on Item 27 and 29. It appears that you have already made of your mind, and this may be an exercise in futility, but I believe that you are going down a dark path by with Item 27 and 29. Cheri Atkinson LCSW Email to Nextdoor At the HB City Council Meeting on 8/1 at 6m, in the HB City Council Chambers, there will be -Item 27, a vote to eliminate the HB Human Relations Committee of 25 years. This group works with the HB Police to monitor hate incidents and crimes, which are on the increase this year. The HB Human Relations Committee inspires and promotes mutual understanding, respect and the well being of all in our community through education and engagement. Item 29- The Declaration of Policy and Dignity is a declaration of the value of all in our community, and our commitment to stand up against acts of hate.This was written by past mayors Ralph Bauer and Shirley Dettloff. I believe that we will be going down a wrong path if Item 27 and 29 pass. You can submit you opinion against Item 27 and 29 by writing to supplementalcommun@surfcity- hn.org and city.council@surfcity-hb.org (By Monday) or you cant attend the HB City Council and speak, on 8/1 at 6. Thanks for taking your time to read this. I have great faith in our community. 1 Moore, Tania From: Ann Palmer <714anniep@gmail.com> Sent: Monday,July 31, 2023 11:09 PM To: supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org Cc: CITY COUNCIL(INCL. CMO STAFF) Subject: Support Agenda Item#29 All: This is to support Agenda Item#29, a review and amendment of the Declaration of Policy on Human Dignity. The amended declaration from November 21, 2021 while well-intended was IMO truly a cringe-worthy, bloviating testament to words and positions without support or honest merit. On its face it appeared to paraphrase something from a motivational speaker summarily thrust upon every corporate and institutional HR group to prove how assertively inclusive and enlightened they were. To not have such a statement was blasphemous and to take it a step further,the declaration included a tome in what constituted a hate crime. Then the city broke out the"We say to...,"waggling fingers at schools and parents about the matter. As I said, cringeworthy and overbearing. So I wondered how much it differed from the May 1996 Declaration and found that the original had, indeed, set the tone. The amended version just added more words, especially"hate." And"different."But it was even more verbose and still had no use case. This is a wonderful city and in every group of people there will be hateful individuals. Local and regional media jump on any story for which they can find a discrimination angle. But the instances that helped prompt both of these declarations turned out to be false, ironically. I lived here through both circumstances and followed until the truth was revealed. Let's face it. There certainly seems to be less discrimination toward race, sexual preference and disability than there is from locals to non-locals. There is more animosity toward shop owners by suburban eBike gangs than there is toward POC residents by Caucasian residents or toward LGBTQ by heterosexuals. Should we be so inclined to have such a(toothless) declaration or proclamation then please revisit and craft something that is professional, clear and appropriate. And brief. If it is important and serves a purpose then it should be written as a city document, not a middle school assignment. Thank you. Ann Palmer 30+year resident Huntington Beach 92648 i Moore, Tania From: Van Der Mark, Gracey Sent: Tuesday,August 1, 2023 1:17 AM To: cherivatkinson@aol.com; CITY COUNCIL(INCL. CMO STAFF); supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org Subject: Re: Item 27 Elimination of the HB Human Relations Committee and Item 29 Modification of the Declaration of Policy of Human Dignity Thank you for your opinion. We will have to agree to disagree. Have a good night. Gracey Van Der Mark Mayor Pro Tern- City of Huntington Beach From: cherivatkinson@aol.com<cherivatkinson@aol.com> Sent: Monday,July 31,2023 10:05:47 PM To: CITY COUNCIL(INCL. CMO STAFF)<city.council@surfcity-hb.org>; supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org <supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org> Subject: Fw: Item 27 Elimination of the HB Human Relations Committee and Item 29 Modification of the Declaration of Policy of Human Dignity Attention: HB City Council Please respond that you received this. Cheri Atkinson LCSW Attention: HB City Council For the following reasons, stated to Nextdoor, I am asking you to Vote No on Item 27 and 29. It appears that you have already made of your mind, and this may be an exercise in futility, but I believe that you are going down a dark path by with Item 27 and 29. Cheri Atkinson LCSW Email to Nextdoor At the HB City Council Meeting on 8/1 at 6m, in the HB City Council Chambers, there will be -Item 27, a vote to eliminate the HB Human Relations Committee of 25 years. This group works with the HB Police to monitor hate incidents and crimes, which are on the increase this year. The HB Human Relations Committee inspires and promotes mutual understanding, respect and the well being of all in our community through education and engagement. Item 29- The Declaration of Policy and Dignity is a declaration of the value of all in our community, and our commitment to stand up against acts of hate.This was written by past mayors Ralph Bauer and Shirley Dettloff. I believe that we will be going down a wrong path if Item 27 and 29 pass. You can submit you opinion against Item 27 and 29 by writing to supplementalcommun@surfcity- hn.org and city.council@surfcity-hb.org (By Monday) or you cant attend the HB City Council and speak, on 8/1 at 6. Thanks for taking your time to read this. I have great faith in our community. i Moore, Tania From: Douglas Von Dollen <dougvondollen@icloud.com> Sent: Tuesday,August 1, 2023 7:06 AM To: supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org Subject: Opposition To Items#27, 28, and 29 I strongly urge the City Council to give up on its three-pronged fight to make Huntington Beach a white Christian nationalist city, most recently displayed through items#27, 28, and 29 on Tuesday's meeting agenda and the Mayor's selection of a Christian Chaplin to provide the opening invocation for the 14th straight meeting. The three prongs being used are: 1. Blockage of any affordable housing that may benefit non-white families from joining the community. 2. Erasing of"tolerance"gestures such as flying of the Pride flag, breaking ties with the Interfaith Council,watering down a statement denouncing anti-LGBTQ+and anti-Semitic hate,tonight's item#27 which includes a recommendation to disband the city's Human Relations Committee,and tonight's item#29 amending the city's Declaration of Policy on Human Dignity. 3. Changes to boards and election rules such as the voter ID rules proposed in tonight's item#28,which have been shown to disenfranchise people of color in past situations. This is an extremely dangerous path for the largest majority White/Non-Hispanic city in California to take and it should be abandoned immediately. Sent from my iPad 1 • Moore, Tania From: Dianne <diannespeaksup@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday,August 1, 2023 7:17 AM To: supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org Subject: Oppose Agenda Item#29 Councilmember Burns states that he believes the latest revision to the HB Declaration of Policy on Human Dignity should be revised again. It was most recently revised less than 2 years ago. Councilmember Burns doesn't state any specifics about what he thinks needs to be revised. The only significant change between the original 1996 document and the 2021 revision is adding verbiage about hate incidences. Does Councilmember Burns have a problem with that addition? Does he want to discard the entire document? Even with the current surge in hate crimes/hate incidences, does he think this document is unnecessary? Maybe, he thinks the document doesn't go far enough considering the recent surge in hate. It's impossible to know the councilmember's motivations from his very simplistic agenda item. Until such time as specific changes to the Declaration are proposed, I strongly urge the council to oppose this item. Sincerely, Dianne Smith i Moore, Tania From: Jeanne Paris <jeannemarieparis@yahoo.com> Sent: Tuesday,August 1, 2023 8:16 AM To: supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org Subject: Support Agenda item#27 and #29 To the City Council, My name is Jeanne Paris. My husband and I have been long time residents of Huntington Beach. I am writing today in strong support of agenda item #27 — to streamline and restructure a number of BCC's as I think less is always better to truly focus on our needs and help bring them to the attention of council. I also strongly support agenda item #29 — amending the Declaration of Policy on Human Dignity. If we dissolve the HB Human Relations Committee — which is full of virtue signaling and double speak this topic is moot. The activities can go on without sanctification from the council. The job of CC is to run the city not to gaslight our local citizens. However — as I read this declaration, I am struck by the appearance of who gets to decide what 'hate speech" is. Do we not already have a Declaration of Independence and a system of rule of law? If I express my concern as a citizen about certain groups that wanted to burn down my city 3 years ago — is that freedom of speech or hate speech? If a certain citizen of this community continually harasses a member of council by calling her a Nazi — is that of freedom of speech or hate speech? It states in this Declaration of Policy on Human Dignity — that "every member of our community has the right to be treated with dignity and it is our collective responsibility to ensure this is normalized behavior. Participate at your places of worship, community meetings, wherever you are; lend your voice to opposing hate". I don't see anybody opposing "hate" towards certain council members. Regardless, I think the US Constitution makes the declaration of dignity irrelevant. Thank you. Jeanne Paris Moore, Tania From: Fikes, Cathy Sent: Tuesday,August 1, 2023 8:43 AM To: Agenda Alerts Subject: FW: Remove Agenda Items 27, 28, and 29 from Council Meeting Agenda From: Mikel Hogan<mhogan072@gmail.com> Sent:Tuesday,August 1, 2023 8:30 AM To:CITY COUNCIL(INCL. CMO STAFF)<city.council@surfcity-hb.org> Subject: Remove Agenda Items 27,28,and 29 from Council Meeting Agenda Mayor Strickland, Mayor Pro Tern Van Der Mark, and City Council, I am writing to request removal of Items 27, 28, and 29 from the August 1, 2023 Council meeting agenda. These items are extremely harmful to the city of Huntington Beach in that they do not serve the needs of our community and are grossly undemocratic. In addition, The use of secret ad hoc committee meetings that formulate city policy must stop as it is also harmful to democratic decision making process that our city needs in order to combat the increase in hate crimes, and current and looming social and environmental issues. I urge you to rethink ways to address the serious issues facing our city based on transparency and public participation. Mikel Hogan, Ph.D.,resident of Huntington Beach for fifty years. 1 Moore, Tania From: Fikes, Cathy Sent: Tuesday, August 1, 2023 8:43 AM To: Agenda Alerts Subject: FW:Attachment to my letter, 7.31.2023 withdraw items 27, 28, 29 From: patgoodman<patgoodman@yahoo.com> Sent:Tuesday,August 1, 2023 8:42 AM To: CITY COUNCIL(INCL. CMO STAFF)<city.council@surfcity-hb.org> Subject:Attachment to my letter,7.31.2023 withdraw items 27, 28, 29 Please include this important testimony by V.C.Rhone to my 7.31.2023 letter to city council. https://voiceofoc.org/2023/07/rhone-the-case-for-human-dignity/ Thank you, Patricia Goodman Sent from my Galaxy 1 8/1/23,9:20 AM Rhone:The Case for Human Dignity VOICEofQC COMMUNITY OPINION Rhone: The Case for Human Dignity Ev''''S BY V.C. 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He was shot and killed. Just 19 months later, on February 3, 1996, George Mondragon, a 20 year old Native American man was stabbed 27 times by two White supremacists near a Huntington Beach lifeguard tower after being asked if he believed in"white power." He survived. But this near fatal stabbing tipped the scales. Shortly thereafter, then mayor Shirley Dettloff and the late Dr. Ralph Bauer, along with former Huntington Beach Police Department Chief Ron Lowenburg, started the Human Relations Task Force (HRTF). 4s `. `. _ ,',..''''W. t , E , R to • r :, r '- 4 , P ;ie r af9 1 ' ,r J. .fit i .^F' •' ,r! .. r,"•• Vie 9/{�:' �� 5 �'Y�� `�,.Y '4 c s �,,a� av l rP, ap • i i.to 4. k .f & r .4 ......„. -ow- % . • 't -.. - _. • , .t .1.111.111.1111........40.•• 1,,'IA . .t._as r,• . :l M g� at �f - s F Co-founders and former Mayors Shirley Dettloff and the late Dr. Ralph Bauer speaking at the CommUNITY Picnic in Central Park https://voiceofoc.org/2023/07/rhone-the-case-for-human-dignity/ 3/9 8/1/23,9:20 AM Rhone:The Case for Human Dignity This was a call to arms, a promise by residents and elected leaders who were determined to right the reputation of Huntington Beach. They were collectively saying, "Not our city. Never again!" Now, over 25 years later and known as the Huntington Beach Human Relations Committee (HBHRC), the mandate continues. But for how much longer? The HBHRC is in danger of being eliminated by the Huntington Beach City Council on Tuesday,August 1st. The mission of the Huntington Beach Human Relations Committee is to inspire and promote mutual understanding, respect, safety and the well-being of all in the community through education and engagement. For over 25 years the HBHRC has maintained a partnership with the Huntington Beach Police Department tracking and monitoring hate crimes and hate incidents in the community. https://voiceofoc.org/2023/07/rhone-the-case-for-human-dignity/ 4/9 8/1/23,9:20 AM Rhone:The Case for Human Dignity _ r �G u '9'f yb - L•r A..--,-. , sift•. .-- , w. 4— --- ___....k.6:- z . e• _ . . • , . ,.,6: •••.... •.• ••••. r— A•lt :,-,; "-Fs--,," 1 a \ a:, 'f:s -yam .1' ~ 'a..s a ` al.. max ,^ l ' A a'.o-i r.--~ • a T • \ . , ; .„ „ '---,___, c." t'"",",--..:...,...., ‘. t.„..L,..„„ • 6 ,,,- ._._..•-.-.__._____„„.,„._.t. ''`;`'.W„„. ••,-•-•„.,.,, a,kA 4 ' ,- 1. r __... —4 1. _ - Mara Debgle .ii r < r 3.4 tea( _-�' -,. ' •.(: 5.14.L- -• ;,� : i .:. = re-* �i—r_r� 4e y- --• ., 4. .,_ .-i- fir:-mac, i.- • .� .:r, .». a•ar - lc- '��'.'1•' ' 's ,`.. S"�aR•'T�"-"v-M_ �{.vrie•_-, l - ' .-`_S.v https://voiceofoc.org/2023/07/rhone-the-case-for-human-dignity/ 5/9 8/1/23,9:20 AM Rhone:The Case for Human Dignity - •., ,�..,, � - 7 i y, ,,,,, mil. c Mayor Barbara Delgleize presenting a commendation to HBHRC Chairperson V.C. Rhone on behalf of the committee But the committee does much more than that. Seeing a need to engage more with the community, within the last four years the HBHRC has created numerous programs to address the diverse and varied needs of Huntington Beach residents. From the string of home robberies in the Harbor to the variety of issues confronting Oakview residents, the HBHRC has made itself available to everyone. Reasons provided by the City Council to dissolve the program include redundancy and need to decrease staff resources. This is especially disappointing because the HBHRC council liaisons, Mayor Pro Tern Van Der Mark and Councilmember Pat Burns, seem to support this action. I can personally attest that HBHRC executive officers met with the council liaisons on more than one occasion to discuss plans and ways to support their community goals because I am the Chairperson of the Huntington Beach Human Relations Committee. In the past the HBHRC has successfully partnered with the Vans Corporation to host community dialogues during the 2022 US Open of Surfing.Additionally, when Visit HB staff began receiving calls from prospective businesses who were concerned about doing business in Huntington Beach, they contacted the HBHRC. Prospective businesses and corporate sponsors referenced"Huntington Beach's low MEI score" (the Human Rights Campaign measure of how welcoming and inclusive a city is), as the reason they were hesitant to do business here. Published in 2021, Huntington Beach's 2020 MEI score was 59 out of 100. The HBHRC, along with the previous City Council understood the negative impact a low MEI score can have on tourism. With the many recent changes in city policies over the last six months, I expect this number will drop significantly. I believe in getting to know people for myself Over the course of many conversations with Van Der Mark and Burns, I came to understand the depth of their own convictions and beliefs. During initial meetings with them, they revealed that their top issue for the community was safety. I felt encouraged by this because this is the HBHRC's number one goal, as well. https://voiceofoc.org/2023/07/rhone-the-case-for-human-dignity/ 6/9 8/1/23,9:20 AM Rhone:The Case for Human Dignity Although we have some fundamental differences, with this common ground now being well established, I was optimistic. How then, do we find ourselves here? How then, after less than 90 days of conversation, do Van Der Mark and Bums, along with the Boards Commissions and Committee Review ad hoc arrive at the decision that Huntington Beach would be better off without a committee whose primary focus is on the safety and wellbeing of the community? The reasons provided do not mirror the actual work that the HBHRC does. Even Bums himself stated in a meeting on July 6th with HBHRC executive officers that the committee does "much more than just hate crimes and reports." Eliminating the BB Human Relations Committee would be a misstep and a missed opportunity to work to further unite the community. As many policies have been reversed and changed by the new City Council, divisions and schisms within the community have deepened. This has become evident with the recent uptick in hate crimes and hate incidents within the last few months. Currently, as of June 30, 2023, the number of hate crimes and incidents are double the amount they were in all of 2022 and we still have five more months left in the year. This is especially alarming. HBPD has asked the HBHRC to help create programs for youth to address this major concern in hopes of educating families on hate crime prevention. This should be a priority for us all as in the case of the murder of Vernon Flournoy and stabbing of George Mondragon, teens were involved in those horrific crimes. If we can help educate and inform families and teens citywide, we have a chance to see a shift in these numbers and stop it before it becomes a nightmarish trend. https://voiceofoc.org/2023/07/rone-the-case-for-human-dignity/ 7/9 8/1/23,9:20 AM Rhone:The Case for Human Dignity i „44„,„....„.._._ "--.-.. ...:„...A.:, , „ ,,,.,,,,„,„ , . , , . , ,.. . - ./.'---A--1,: . -1".,..,„ ..._„ . , . .,-41,,i, : ,,..„*" ,,,„.,:. 11. '"4"." :17:: On .-',' *-4:1 '' _pj- '- '..r'=i '' V .4il i 457174:::—:" ,.:.•:.::11 J1;-ie,,„AL' „a ,1-:/-, ''.._.,—:-....741-4: i : -z:--'--;;737 \-1',_.41--." — i ,- -.t-.r5... 5--. ..:::--,,k-- r � 'I�. � '43" 1 l t '4t• frl 1� µ j �. 1'� •fi•e 74 key �+ • '. ' At 1 ' r ram-:?+4 ,�I� M q W' ?`y . ' tl. .- ':irI,'.'fn-":"'"e 4744:;'› 0'4'. 1 i . /V Vir 11 _ :, t'''..•-.,t;i!,:.;-:.,:,c5.4 ,,, -,--, .. r , ; ...": '. . ,,, '',,Att. 'Ai' / ki � tiff\\ ' q-' ' _ � Y`t:' ' -.e» • ` ' st HBHRC Member Dr. Elaine Bauer Keeley, the late Dr. Ralph Bauer Co-founder,with HBHRC Chairperson V.C. Rhone at the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Huntington Beach Human Relations Committee I hope the HBHRC will be allowed to continue its mission and continue to offer their many programs to the community such as the HB Listens Dialogue Circles, the Student Day of Dialogue, the Community Summit, the Ralph Bauer Youth Voices Essay and Art Contest and The Cultural Cinema Showcase (recently renamed the HB Cultural Film Festival) which features short films from underrepresented filmmakers. To date, the festival has received nearly 3,000 films during its run and also provides content to HBTV throughout the year. We must all learn to leave one another with our human dignity intact. No matter how you feel about a different race or the LGBTQ+ community, or even someone who belongs to a different political party than your own, I think we can all agree that everyone deserves to live in Huntington Beach free from fear and discrimination. It is imperative that local government prioritizes human dignity, safety, and the wellbeing of its residents. Allowing the HBHRC to continue operating as an official committee of the City is a step in the right direction. V.C. Rhone is a Huntington Beach Resident and Chairperson of the Huntington Beach Human Relations Committee (HBHRC). Her thoughts shared here are her own and do not represent the HBHRC as a whole. https://voiceofoc.org/2023/07/rhone-the-case-for-human-dignity/ 8/9 8/1/23,9:20 AM Rhone:The Case for Human Dignity Opinions expressed in community opinion pieces belong to the authors and not Voice of OC. Voice of OC is interested in hearing different perspectives and voices. If you want to weigh in on this issue or others please email opinions@voiceofoc.org. 2023 Voice of OC. Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic https://voiceofoc.org/2023/07/rhone-the-case-for-human-dignity/ 9/9 Moore, Tania From: Fikes, Cathy Sent: Tuesday,August 1, 2023 9:18 AM To: Agenda Alerts Subject: FW: agenda items 27, 28, and 29, Council Agenda From: Lou Ann Hobbs<Ihobbsflorence@yahoo.com> Sent:Tuesday,August 1,2023 9:17 AM To:CITY COUNCIL(INCL. CMO STAFF)<city.council@surfcity-hb.org> Subject:agenda items 27, 28, and 29, Council Agenda Dear Mayor Strickland, Mayor Pro Tem Van Der Mark, and City Council, Please withdraw agenda items 27, 28, and 29. These are very serious issues and deserve other ways to address them. I appreciate your willingness and work to keep Huntington Beach the wonderful city that it is. Sincerely yours, Lou Ann Hobbs 21042 Greenboro Lane, Huntington Beach, CA 92646 i Moore, Tania From: BETHANY WEBB <bethwebb711@msn.com> Sent: Tuesday,August 1, 2023 11:58 AM To: supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org Cc: CITY COUNCIL(INCL. CMO STAFF) Subject: The attempted destruction of HB by the Fascist Four. Strickland,Van Der Mark, Burns & McKeon As a 45 year resident, and home owner of Huntington Beach, I thought I had seen it all, clearly I was wrong. HB has had city council members of mostly conservative values. I have disagreed on some of their decisions,and agreed on others. It is with great distress that I find myself believing my beloved Huntington Beach is under attack by unqualified, hateful, far-right lunatics! Here are my concerns on tonight debacle of an agenda. 1. The proposed dissolution of Human Relations Committee,the Mobile Home Advisory and Environmental& Sustainability boards. I disagree with any dissolution of these vital voices to our community! 2. The suggested "City Charter Amendments" are clearly designed to stifle voting in HB! I am against these violations of voting rights. 3. Finally the proposal to amend our city's Declaration of Policy on human Dignity will only further the destruction of Huntington Beach's reputation and cost our city vital tourism. I am also against this blatant attempt to turn our city into the bigoted Florida on the west coast. UGH! Sincerely. Bethany Webb 1 Moore, Tania From: Buffie Channel <hbbuffie@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday,August 1, 2023 12:23 PM To: CITY COUNCIL(INCL. CMO STAFF); supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org Subject: Aug 1, 2023 City Council Meeting -Agenda Items 27, 28 &29 To Huntington Beach City Council: I am writing today to express complete astonishment and disapproval of your agenda items 27, 28 and 29. Regarding Agenda Item 27: OPPOSE It is clear by looking at the maximum donations given this year to Gracey Van Der Mark by the exploitive owners of the Mobile Home Parks of Villa Huntington Beach, Ranco Huntington, and Skandia why she is leading the change to ELIMINATE the Mobile Home Advisory Board. Why is this Board threatening to these 4 new members of City Council? Is it because they are organizing and gaining influence?Are they pandering to their donors? It is important for Mobile Home residents to have a voice in this city. They pay taxes and these new owners are trying to push space rents so high that veterans and retirees are in jeopardy of becoming homeless. This is unacceptable. Why would the 4 new Council members want to eliminate the Human Relations Committee? This group works with the police department and local groups to help bring awareness and lessen the amount of hate crimes in our city. Why would you want to send a message that HATE is acceptable here? This seems like a wink wink to bigots and white supremacists that Huntington Beach government does not recognize hate crimes. This is wrong. This is sad. This seems like a recurring theme from these 4 new Council members. I mean, you 4 hobnob with known Proud Boys. With hate crimes UP,this seems a bit out of touch and ignorant and sends a bad message to residents and visitors alike. Regarding Agenda Item 28: OPPOSE I thought the new members of Council were vehemently opposed to changes to the City Charter?Now you want to change it? Seems odd. The most alarming item to me is the change to elections. The OC Registrar is known state-wide with a stellar reputation. I have personally participated in the voting oversight and counting process as an observer. I can tell you that they run a tight ship over there and they have a well oiled and strict machine. TO LOCALIZE THE ELECTION PROCESS IS A VERY DANGEROUS MANEUVER. We should NOT remove Huntington Beach from the oversight and continued participation in the COUNTY election process. How will localizing elections work? How much will it cost?Who will monitor this? It seems to me we are opening ourselves up to questionable election outcomes and just more litigation. Why are you saying on one side of your mouths that we need to eliminate staff positions and in the other side of your mouth propose an enormous undertaking and cost and staffing of localizing elections? Regarding Agenda Item 29: OPPOSE Once again, Mr. Burns shows his true colors. Why would anyone be opposed to the verbiage on our city's Declaration of Policy on Human Dignity? The message coming from our city's government should be one of inclusion, acceptance, safety, and dignity. This should not be a flippant change buried in an agenda. This should have debate and wide public input. It is important that any messages from our city about human rights and human dignity have very clear messaging that brings people together and projects the welcoming and inclusive stance of our populace, our law enforcement and our government. i Do the right thing and maintain the boards and commissions, stop political agendized changes to the Charter, and keep the Human Dignity declaration as it is. Keep Huntington Beach as a welcoming, democratic, dignified city. Sincerely, Buffe Channel 34 year HB Resident and Business Owner 2 Moore, Tania From: Isabella Ford <issyford@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, August 1, 2023 1:01 PM To: CITY COUNCIL (INCL. CMO STAFF); supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org Subject: Rhone:The Case for Human Dignity "Currently, as of June 30, 2023, the number of hate crimes and incidents are double the amount they were in all of 2022 and we still have five more months left in the year. This is especially alarming. HBPD has asked the HBHRC to help create programs for youth to address this major concern in hopes of educating families on hate crime prevention." https://voiceofoc.org/2023/07/rhone-the-case-for-human-dignity/ i Switzer, Donna From: Russell Neal <russneal@ieee.org> Sent: Tuesday, September 19, 2023 4:04 PM To: supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org; CITY COUNCIL (INCL. CMO STAFF) Subject: Comment for City Council Members Attachments: City Council 2023.09.19.docx I have attached a copy of the comments I intend to make tonight, September 19, 2023, which relate to an item on the previous agenda for September 5. 2 ,L _� ` 1 S ,()�I� ��-,,,� / /23 Russell Neal • itA ��1'�+ `1' Tern �-. 8 i Huntington Beach 1 City Council September 19, 2023 Good evening, Mayor Strickland and members of the City Council. My name is Russell Neal and I live in Huntington Beach. I would like to speak tonight on the subject of Human Dignity. Human dignity derives from the fact that man is created in "the image of God." {Gen 1:26} When we do violence to any man, we do not only offend that man but God who made him. In fact, the reason capital punishment for murder is required is because the murder victim carries God's image. {Gen 9:6} Furthermore, since we bear the image of God, we also do violence to that image when we ourselves sin. We honor that image when we act in conformity with God's moral law. Knowing we each carry the image of God is not an occasion for pride, but for fear, for fear of desecrating that sacred image. We must also remember that the image of God is not just in the individual human person but in the union of male and female in holy matrimony. The desecration of that holy union by various forms of sexual sin and transgression is an assault on the image of God no less than is murder. {Gen 1:27-28, 2:24, Malachi 2:14} To assert that those who conform to God's moral law and those who habitually violate it are deserving of equal dignity and honor is a capital error. We are told in scripture {1Peter 2:14} that government is sent by God for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of them that do well. And we are further told {1Corinthians 3:17} that If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. If we want to uphold human dignity therefore, we should not limit ourselves to issuing mere statements, but by conforming all of our personal conduct and all of our collective legislation to the moral law of God. Thank you.