HUNTINGTON BEACH Central Library (Flickr/cclark395).

By Jim Tortolano/Orange County Tribune

The political struggle over the future of the Huntington Beach Library System continued on Tuesday when the city council took aim at the Ocean View School District Board of Trustees.

On a 6-0-1 vote – with Mayor Pro Tem Casey McKeon absent – the council directed the city attorney’s office to “review the actions” of the OVSD board, and “if warranted, work with the mayor to file a complaint with the appropriate agency.”

At issue is a recent vote by the OVSD endorsing a “yes” vote on Huntington Beach Measures A and B, which would abolish a review board for certain materials in the library system and state that the libraries’ operation could not be privatized without a vote of the public.

The council is alleging that the school board’s action may violate state law.

In a reply signed by OVSD Superintendent Julianne Hoefer and board president Patricia Singer, the board argued that “the city has no jurisdiction or authority to undertake any type of ‘investigation’ into the actions of the OVSD,” and “if the city approves such an investigation, OVSD will not cooperate in any way shape or form.”

The OVSD is a K-8 public school system principally serving northern Huntington Beach.

Voting on Measures A and B are underway and will conclude on June 10.