HUNTINGTON BEACH CIVIC CENTER (Orange County Tribune photo).

By Jim Tortolano/Orange County Tribune

The lineup of the city’s Celebration Calendar program advanced at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Huntington Beach City Council with scant change from the original action in December.

On a vote of 4 to 3, the council acted to “receive and file” the city manager’s report on the calendar, which prompted controversy because it omitted previously celebrated observance of Pride Month for LGBTQ citizens, Black History Month and Women’s Heritage Month.

While they are omitted from the main focus, some of those left out appeared as “acknowledgements.”

The proposed calendar included:
January: Founders’ Legacy: Celebrating Huntington Beach’s Origins.
February: We Love Our Libraries: Huntington Beach’s Commitment to Books, Reading and Learning.
March: California’s History: Before Statehood to Now and What it Means to be a Charter City.
April: Rails & Waves: Tracing the history of Huntington Beach’s Railroad.
May: The Bill of Rights: Learning and Highlighting the First 10 Amendments to the Constitution.
June: History of Independence Day & What it Means.
July: Surf City Showcase: Celebrating Surf Heritage
August: How America Won Its Freedom & How the Civil War led to the Freedom of Slaves.
September: Celebrating Aviation: A Focus on the City’s Aviation.
October: History of our Military Services.
November: Black Gold Jubilee: Honoring the Discovery of Oil.
December: Appreciating Huntington Beach’s Ecological Legacy.

Forty-eight members of the public spoke at the meeting, most of them expressing opposition to three proposed charter amendments going before voters in March.