HUNTINGTON BEACH Central Library (Flickr/cclark395).

By Jim Tortolano
Orange County Tribune

In rapid fashion, the Huntington Beach City Council on Tuesday night hired a permanent city manager, set dates for elections on the management of city libraries and began the process of filling the vacancy on the council due to the election on Councilmember Tony Strickland to the state Senate.

On 7-0 votes, the council:
• approved an employment contract to elevate acting city manager Travis Hopkins to city manager with a four-year contract at an annual salary of $311,750;

• set June 10, 2025 as the date for elections on citizen initiatives to eliminate the “community-parent review board for the procurement of children’s library materials” and require that the operation of the city’s library systems be by the city and not by a private entity;

• indicated the council itself would fill the vacancy by appointment rather than by election and asked members to submit names for potential candidates.

The regular session was preceded by several hours of public comments, most of them from angry residents criticizing the council for its actions on city libraries, flag display policies, and an electrical light display in the Central Park.

Some in the audience accused the council of being “liars” and even “Nazis.” Others were less emotional. One of the speakers was Chris Kluwe, who was arrested at a meeting last month at which he approached the council dais.

There were also speakers who expressed their support for the city council.

There was an increased police presence at the public comments; one officer stood next to the public’s speaking lectern. Several other officers were available.

The next meeting of the city council will be Tuesday, March 18.