Mailbag: Happy to vote from afar and to prove his identity

With a permanent residence in Huntington Beach, where I was born and raised, and where my parents still reside, for the past 15 years I have been living and teaching abroad, in both Asia and Africa. This global journey has expanded my worldview, while also redefining my perspective of “home” when I am in Southern California for Summer and Winter Break. From Korea to Ethiopia and from Djibouti to, currently, China, I have been able to keep a perfect voting record overseas, submitting by fax in every national as well as local election since 2009. I am grateful for the opportunity to vote from these dynamic countries, and I welcome those interested in checking my ID for voter fraud to come to Beijing and see for themselves.

Matthew Jellick
Huntington Beach

Posts reveal a lot about candidate

Do Costa Mesa voters really know the guy behind the “Faith, Family, Freedom” signs?

James Peters is running a campaign about crime, homelessness and pot shops. But a glance at the public posts on his personal Facebook page tells a much uglier story about the man who wants to be our mayor — one of racism, homophobia and election denialism.

“Import the Third World, become the Third World” says one post of many warning about the evils of immigration. How does Peters intend to lead a city as diverse and multiethnic as Costa Mesa?

His posts are full of crude homophobia and transphobia, too, including a meme mocking Rachel Maddow for her appearance, and another with a cartoon of a doctored Dr. Seuss book cover that says “If you’re born with a dick, you’re not a chick.” There’s an AI-generated image of Joe Biden kissing a little girl, too, with a caption from Peters reading “Pedophile in chief.”

And then there’s the election denial: References to the Jan. 6 rioters as “political prisoners,” to Donald Trump as the rightful winner of the 2020 election, and to voting machines and early voting as inherently corrupt and untrustworthy. Does Peters even intend to accept the results of our local elections?

It only takes a few minutes of scrolling through his page to establish that this is a man brimming with prejudice, susceptible to ridiculous propaganda and utterly unfit to lead our city. Please, Costa Mesa, reelect John Stephens and leave the wingnuttery to Huntington Beach.

Eliza Rubenstein
Costa Mesa

Weiss choice for Laguna

Laguna Beach is fortunate to have George Weiss on the City Council. Before he was elected, incivility was at an all-time high. He demonstrated real leadership right out of the gate, tackling tough topics and carefully researching issues before making fact-based decisions. Over the last four years, he’s stood up for residents, saved the library, supported parks in South Laguna and done so much for our environment. Transparency and accountability are important to him along with fiscal responsibility. The City Council majority is considering many high-dollar projects over the next four years. We need him there. Councilman Weiss sponsored the agenda item requiring the city to get an appraisal for any property valued over $500,000 after being the only “no” vote over the wasteful purchase of the former TiAmo restaurant property. For all these reasons and many more, our family supports George Weiss.

Trish Sweeney
Laguna Beach

Crane vs. Stemler

At a time when politics has seemingly subsumed the best interest of students in school board elections, I am encouraged by the candidacy of Carol Crane for Newport-Mesa Unified School District Trustee Area 3 and encourage voters to reelect her. Crane is the current president of the school board, and I’ve been very impressed with her commitment to providing a quality educational experience to all students in the district. Of note is her recent advocacy in updating a board policy disallowing cellphone use during school hours for all K through eighth grade students. She has also led major e-bike safety initiatives at all our elementary and middle schools.

In contrast, her opponent appears to be running for political reasons rather than a commitment to quality education and to actively serving his community. He recently acknowledged that he had never attended a school board meeting nor joined the PTA. He commutes daily to the Inland Empire, which will make it harder to be a physical presence on campus, which is really essential to understanding what each school community needs.

Crane has done an excellent job as a school board member, and she will continue to be a strong advocate for our kids. It’s her full-time job! Please consider voting for her on Nov 5.

Susan Skinner
Newport Beach

As both a mother and a Corona del Mar High School graduate myself, I’m enthusiastically supporting Philip Stemler for Newport-Mesa Unified school board in Trustee Area 3. His unique perspective as a prosecutor, alumnus and father of two district students gives him exceptional insight into what our schools truly need.

The reality of our district’s academic performance demands attention: Newport-Mesa should be a leader in meeting state English and math standards but various numbers provided by the district say otherwise. Our children face unique social issues that often interfere with what they are there to do — learn. As a father watching his own children navigate these challenges, Stemler refuses to accept these statistics as “good enough.” His vision is clear: return to classical education fundamentals, keep politics out of our classrooms and focus on academic excellence that will genuinely prepare our students for their futures.

Our school board needs more than someone who can attend fundraisers and flag decks. It requires a leader with real expertise in oversight and accountability. Stemler brings both the perspective of a concerned father and the professional experience of a public corruption prosecutor — exactly the skills needed to manage our district’s $400-million budget and policies. He understands that parents must be fully informed partners in their children’s education, and his career has been built on ensuring transparency in public institutions.

What sets Stemler apart is this rare combination of personal investment and professional expertise. As we face important decisions about our children’s education, we need a school board member who brings real-world experience in fiscal responsibility, policy oversight and unwavering commitment to high-quality education and parental involvement.

Please join me in voting for Philip Stemler for Newport-Mesa School Board in Trustee Area 3.

Jennifer Simpson
Newport Beach

H.B.’s reputation on the line

Huntington Beach’s current MAGA-dominated City Council has drawn negative attention from conservative-leaning media and organizations from near and far — in California, throughout the United States, and even in Europe. They have justifiably criticized the majority council’s anti-democratic policies such as censoring library books, abolishing the human relations commission, rewriting the longstanding human dignity statement (by removing the term “hate crimes” and inserting anti-LGBTQ+ language), and using government overreach to pry into the private lives of young people related to sexuality and gender identity. All of these culture-war policies were voted in despite widespread backlash from the community at City Council meetings and in emails.

Now, three additional MAGA candidates, backed by outside money, are vying for seats on the City Council. These candidates, along with our city attorney, have pledged allegiance to former president Donald Trump, who last weekend, in what he called a “lovefest” at his Madison Square Garden rally, made crude and racist comments to whip up his base. Most U.S. citizens don’t want Trump back in their lives. Let’s stop MAGA from taking over Huntington Beach by voting for the rational candidates: Rhonda Bolton, Dan Kalmick and Natalie Moser. And for city clerk, Regina Blankenhorn is the only candidate with the experience needed to put the community’s interests first.

Carol Daus
Huntington Beach

It’s time for Huntington Beach voters to grow up and vote for proven leaders who do their homework before each city council meeting, ask questions and guide the discussion in order to make the best decision for all residents of Huntington Beach. These incumbents who have earned our votes are Rhonda Bolton, Dan Kalmick and Natalie Moser. They have voted against the air show settlement (giveaway) of millions of dollars, against privatizing library operations and against censoring books with a banana republic book review committee. Yes, they voted for a senior care facility that residents desperately need and for affordable housing development. They follow the law and approve projects based upon, input from residents, city zoning and design standards.

We H.B. voters are at a crossroads in the administration of council meetings and elections. Will that seat be filled by someone handpicked by the city attorney, Lisa Barnes, or someone who is independent and will follow the law, Regina Blakenhorn?

The results of the election will be very telling: Will Huntington Beach be a city that respects the rule of law or will it continue its path of reckless governance and filing whimsical lawsuits at the expense of taxpayers?

Patricia Goodman
Huntington Beach

When four EMTs shifted me onto a gurney dazed and half paralyzed from an accidental fall last month, I had no doubt that I was in the care of trained professionals. As nurses wheeled me into the operating room at UCI, even before the anesthesia kicked in, I was completely confident that behind the masks there were neurosurgeons who ranked among the best educated and trained that anyone could hope for. Convalescing this week, I watched the Dodgers and Yankees go at it, knowing from their baseball pedigrees that I was witnessing top professionals at work. In each case, those professional’s successes spoke for themselves.

That’s why it’s so frustrating to see the now infamous Huntington Beach City Council majority striving to add inexperienced and underqualified candidates to their bungling midst. Singularly outrageous, first-time candidate Lisa Lane Barnes’ government experience consists of only one short stint as a perfunctory commissioner. Barnes demonstrated in monthly public meetings that she was not an advisor but a rubber stamp kept usefully in the dark by her council majority bosses.

I hope that H.B. citizens realize that her underfunded opponent, Regina Blankenhorn, with years of employment in city government, will bring stability and professionalism to the city clerk position. For me, experience matters when results matter.

Buzz McCord
Huntington Beach

As we approach the upcoming election, it’s worth taking stock of the situation in Huntington Beach. Since the last election brought four right-wing ideologues onto the City Council, our city has become a hotbed for divisive politics and a laughingstock across the country and around the world for ridiculous and wrong-headed efforts to disrupt reasonable city services such as our wonderful library system. The four City Council members and the city attorney are responsible for causing the city to face financial deficits after they lost multiple costly lawsuits and made backroom deals to give many millions of our taxpayer funds to their political supporters, such as the owner of the Pacific Airshow.

Meanwhile, the three remaining experienced and rational City Council members have been hounded and disrespected for two years! Those of us who want a return to normal city government are incredibly grateful that Rhonda Bolton, Dan Kalmick and Natalie Moser have remained steadfast in maintaining their commitment to Huntington Beach. We ask that the voters return these three selfless public servants to the City Council so that they can continue their efforts to protect the city.

Diane Bentley
Huntington Beach

It’s unfortunate that the spookiness of this Halloween will carry over to Election Day the following week. As a current and former poll worker, a customer service representative on duty in a downtown Huntington Beach Vote Center, I am not worried about ghosts, goblins and ghouls, but members of the macabre MAGA machine trying to scare local voters here with all manner of mendacious mischief. The amount of misrepresentation, misinformation and mudslinging poured into smearing our council incumbents and their allies has been both disturbing and horrifying.

First, I can assure those who intend to cast their ballots on Tuesday that voter fraud will not be a problem. Period. All reputable media outlets would agree.

Second, state Sen. Dave Min’s legislation, SB 1174, recently passed and signed into law, disallows the demand of voter ID for already registered citizens in localities like Huntington Beach. Proclamations by MAGA minions, especially city clerk candidate Lisa Lane Barnes, that they would implement voter ID are dangerously misguided. Barnes has no municipal government experience, but her opponent, Regina Blankenhorn, has decades of working with cities and local governments and would be a stable and honest official here. We need to follow the law. Period.

Third, only the reelection of Natalie Moser, Rhonda Bolton, and Dan Kalmick to the City Council will prevent Surf City’s reputation from suffering further degradation and will preserve civic integrity and trust. It is scary to contemplate a dangerously defiant and inept seven-member conservative City Council with no guardrails and no constraints. Period.

This year, we need to prevent ideological idiocy from haunting our hometown further.

Tim Geddes
Huntington Beach

Fact: SB 1174, recently signed into law, disallows the demand of voter ID for already registered citizens. Fact: Huntington Beach city clerk candidate Lisa Lane Barnes, with no municipal government experience, promises to implement voter ID anyway. Fact: Our city will again be sued by the state. We will lose, again. City Atty. Michael Gates is a consistent loser in his legal actions against the state at enormous cost to Huntington Beach taxpayers. With an already broken city budget, citizens must vote for Regina Blankenhorn to become city clerk. She has decades of experience working with cities and local governments and would give H.B. a stable, experienced and honest professional clerk.

Nora Pedersen
Huntington Beach

As we wind down the final days before the election, it should not be lost on anyone that the Huntington Beach is awash with huge political banners for the challengers on almost every street corner. One might think that this is a representation of the energy of the people for their candidates, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Despite the attempt to hide the source of funds that paid for these signs by making the required disclosure so small it’s not legible from any significant distance, a little research shows that the same powers that were behind the egregious airshow settlement are also the ones funding the challenging candidates.

The conclusion to draw from this is clear: They think they can “buy” the election. And they are doing it with our taxpayer dollars.

Don’t let them get away with it — your vote is your voice. Use it wisely.

David Rynerson
Huntington Beach

I agree with Patricia Apodaca that compassion will be very much in need depending on the outcome of the election (Apodaca: A call for compassion as O.C. elections near, Daily Pilot, Oct. 27). In Huntington Beach the conservative majority were not satisfied with controlling the agenda with such frivolous items as privatization of the public library and the book-banning agenda and have encouraged a slate of like-minded conservatives to challenge the three minority members whose opposition has kept the majority honest.

The city attorney has been steadfast in his endorsement of their actions and has spent thousands in taxpayer funds filing lawsuits against the state arguing that its status as a charter city allows it to enact special legislation including voter ID, which is outside the city’s jurisdiction.

A candidate with no prior experience to run for the city clerk’s office is running to implement voter ID. This candidate previously worked for a nonprofit, and now the nonprofit has endorsed her opponent, as a result of fiduciary issues. Also running for city clerk is Regina Blankenhorn, who has worked for other municipal city clerk offices and has the experience necessary to be an excellent city clerk from day one.

Richard C. Armendariz
Huntington Beach

Fliers are misleading

I received two fliers today for the Newport Beach City Council race, which has lately become almost as contentious as that of Huntington Beach. One flier is very unfair and misleading about Nancy Scarbrough’s position on the state-mandated housing issue. It is a complicated issue, which the supporters of the flier have put forth because the council has reversed its position, not Scarbrough.

The council started by bemoaning the fact that the state was making the city build affordable housing. That was a few years ago. Then recently council members completely reversed their stance and decided to build far more units than the state was requiring. This was a decision that should have been voted on by city residents according to the Greenlight Initiative passed by the residents almost two decades ago. Residents are now suing over this scandalous omission. The flier calls Scarbrough an agent of hypocrisy while in reality, it is the council who are hypocrites for pulling a 360 on its original decision.

Scarbrough, who has been endorsed by council members Brad Avery and Robyn Grant as well as several former mayors, many community leaders, as well as the Newport Beach Police Assn. wants the council to submit its decision to increase the number of houses to the vote of the people. That is why so many in the city support Nancy Scarbrough for City Council. And that is why the people are suing the council.

The second flier pretends to make Noah Blum, whose council seat is being challenged by Jeff Herdman, a hero for taking on homelessness in the city. Although Blum’s name is not mentioned in any of the sample advertisements depicted on the fliers, we are to believe that by strengthening the anti-camping law, which is mentioned twice, that progress is made toward homelessness simply by not allowing the homeless to congregate in camps. No doubt this is a huge problem in California, but the way to solve homelessness is to find homes for those who have none.

The other was a brag sheet for Blum, one of the most divisive figures in council history. As per usual the fliers misrepresent the truth. But the truth is never the goal of these misleading and often fraudulent fliers.

Lynn Lorenz
Newport Beach

Petition shows will of people

One library petition down. One more to go. The residents have spoken (Protect Huntington Beach delivers signatures against children’s book review board to City Hall, Daily Pilot, Oct. 28). There is so much wrong with Ordinance No 4318. The claim the review committee is needed because of all the “pornographic” books the librarians were allowing in the children’s library. There is no pornography in the children’s section. That would be illegal.

Our local Barnes & Noble sells the same books, but the mayor is not demanding it be closed or those under 18 years old without parents with them be banned from entering. Yet this is something our council majority wants to do with our library with its parent/guardian review board, when one does not need to be a parent, or guardian or have any knowledge or experience with children to apply.

The committee would be able to refuse to order books the librarians requested. There would be no appeal. Our mayor says this is not a ban. She is completely missing the point. Librarians are supposed to be neutral. A librarian does not refuse to order a positively reviewed book which meets the needs/interests of the community just because the librarian personally does not like or agree with it.

It is also worrisome that the council majority’s approval of children/teen restricted library cards and restricted access to the adult book shelves has yet to be enforced. Is it because the council is waiting until after the election so not to hurt the chances of the candidates they endorse, or could they be waiting to see if we can get enough signatures on our outsourcing petition? Outsourcing library management to a private company would give the company control over the library book collection, staffing and programming. We cannot allow this to happen.

A public library is supposed to reflect the interests and viewpoints of all members of the community; a city library run and managed by the city. Let’s keep it that way.

Barbara Richardson
Huntington Beach

On Monday, Oct. 28, volunteers from the grassroots group, Protect HB, submitted boxes with enough signatures for a Ballot Initiative Petition to Repeal a Huntington Beach City Ordinance. This ordinance would create a politically appointed book review committee that could make decisions that would be final and unappealable. Our efforts were made possible because hundreds of volunteers believed in democracy. This was truly democracy in action. We are not finished. We are circulating another ballot initiative petition to prevent private management of the Huntington Beach public libraries. Decisions about our treasured libraries should not be made by four city council members. Time for the voters to have an opportunity to vote on library issues. Our petitions will do that.

Cathey Ryder

Huntington Beach