Planner Wins Seal Beach Seat
County planner Charles Antos was elected to the Seal Beach City Council on Tuesday in a runoff to replace Shawn Boyd in the Old Town district.
Antos, who will be sworn in at a council meeting May 21, received 580 votes, or 62.2%. He defeated businesswoman Beverly Pearce, who got 352, or 37.7%.
The Orange County district attorney is investigating Boyd’s business connections. Boyd, 33, was defeated in the March election, coming in third in a field of four candidates.
He has not been charged with a crime and has said the investigation of his alleged voting on the purchase of a trailer park while having business connections with the owner is why he lost his reelection bid.
Antos faces such issues as a utility-users tax, the lack of low-income housing and the future of 10 acres owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
The DWP property, vacant for more than 30 years, has been zoned for a hotel on three acres and open space on the rest. There are no plans to build the hotel, and there is concern the site may be contaminated with asbestos.
The city has an 11% utility-users tax. There has been discussion about lowering the tax, eliminating it or letting voters decide its fate.
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