Mailbag: Coverage on H.B. council praised, maligned

Opponents of the Huntington Beach City Council majority are melting down (again) about the annual selection of mayor. In the past we had a formality that the mayor’s seat rotated to the longest serving member and/or recipient of the largest number of votes. That was before the actions of the previous council. Kim Carr and Co. proved time and again that they were too ideological and immature to wield authority in H.B. When the new majority took power I suspect that the leftover council and their appointees were essentially given a “timeout” from positions of authority.

This has enraged the small number of supporters that only care about wielding power to shape our town to their will. Their childish anger proves that the decision to change the “norms” was a solid one. Based on their current rhetoric they appear to have learned nothing from their time away.

Until these folks can moderate their radical views, beliefs that only a small sliver of Huntington Beach hold, then it’s imperative they be kept as far away from the levers of power as possible.

And one of the main complaints about the modern GOP is its reluctance to use the power voters gave its elected officials to tip the scales back to the center after years of leftist abuse of power. I’m thankful to have a council majority that understands the proper use, and allocation to responsible parties, of political power ... to the ultimate benefit of H.B. citizens.

Michael Hoskinson

Huntington Beach

As we close out the year 2023, I would like to commend the Daily Pilot and it’s excellent reporters for the straight forward, factual reporting on the machinations of the Huntington Beach City Council. Whether we agree or disagree with their actions, knowing their political maneuvering helps the general public comprehend their intentions and keeps us aware of what is taking place. The Daily Pilot is truly the beacon of light that is needed by our community.

Richard C. Armendariz

Huntington Beach

“You’re totally over-complicating it,” City Councilman Casey McKeon said during the Dec. 19 Huntington Beach City Council meeting. Perhaps during “We Love our Libraries” Month, McKeon would care to check out a copy of a little-known work by George Orwell published in 1948. The overwhelming need for authoritarian and totalitarian powers to control our understanding of history is accomplished by “simplifying” it. I am assuming that this slim volume will still be available in the library by then.

The “over-complications” of history are exactly what a vibrant and free democracy needs to understand the present.

All McKeon has accomplished is to add one more blemish to the complex history of his three-generation hometown. This blemish will be remembered and recorded in archives untouchable by the “right think” council majority.

For the moment, at any rate.

We need not wait for history to make its inevitable judgment: Double-Plus Un-Good. Double-Plus Un-Good, Mr. McKeon.

Galen T. Pickett
Huntington Beach