PAT BURNS as he was sworn in as new mayor.

Has the Huntington Beach City Council – more specifically Mayor Pat Burns – violated a state open meeting law?

At Tuesday’s meeting of the council, the final agenda item is a response to a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union alleging violation of the Ralph M. Brown Act.

The recommended action is for the council to “Without admitting any violation of the Ralph M. Brown Act, the City of Huntington Beach hereby unconditionally commits that it will cease, desist from, and not repeat the challenged past action as described in the letter from the ACLU dated May 22, 2025, and analysis section of this staff report.”

The cease and desist letter argues that Burns violated the law – as well as the state and U.S. Constitutions – during the public comments period of the May 6 council meeting by announcing that ”making crude gestures or use of foul language would be considered disruptive conduct that would place audience members at risk of removal or even arrest, by prohibiting speakers from addressing individual councilmembers by name during the public comment period, and by cutting off Wendy Rincon and others when they did attempt to address individual councilmembers by name.”

“Additionally, the City Council’s published ‘Meeting Decorum’ rules are overbroad, and any attempt to enforce them as written would violate the public’s statutory and constitutional rights,” stated the letter.

The meeting will be held in the lower level theater of the Central Library, 7111 Talbert Ave. There will be a closed session at 4:30 p.m. with the regular meeting scheduled for 6 p.m.