The extremist takeover of an Orange County city: A cautionary tale from Huntington Beach council members Rhonda Bolton and Natalie Moser
Huntington Beach has become the national poster child for bad behavior and bad governance. The City Council is now controlled by extreme right-wingers. This has led to such actions as a ban on flying the Pride flag over City Hall in June and other actions hostile to the LGBTQ community; book banning in the city's public libraries as well as threatening to privatize the entire system; and the general nose-thumbing at various state legal mandates, at a substantial cost to residents who must pay the litigation fees.
While we thought the Council majority was out of step, when the citizens were allowed to vote on its agenda, they approved the ban on flying the Pride flag as well as a measure requiring IDs to vote in the city, a violation of State law.
What has caused this reversal on what was previously a moderate City Council? Where is this all headed? Newport Beach has already started to mimic Huntington Beach by removing books objected to by a vocal minority from the children’s section of the Newport Beach Public Library, mostly due to content related to sex and gender identity issues. Will this troubling trend spread further across Orange County?
We’ll be looking for answers from Rhonda and Natalie, two of the three remaining reasonable City Council Members, both running this fall for reelection.
This will be a fascinating lunch for those of us who have been following Huntington Beach's move to the far right.
It will also be a reminder of the importance of WIL's mission: Electing good women who are committed to protecting everyone's basic rights.
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