Huntington Beach voter ID effort hits final wall as state high court snubs appeal
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The controversial voter identification law Huntington Beach leaders sought for municipal elections — and was supported by a majority of voters in a special 2024 election where it was listed as Measure A on the ballot — appears to be kaput.
I use the word “appears” only because Huntington Beach has recently developed a reputation, particularly under the watch of former City Atty. Michael Gates, to battle the state in court at every opportunity. So there’s at least a possibility Surf City isn’t done with this effort.
But maybe it is. At least state Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta believes so. He was among those taking a victory lap last week when the California Supreme Court announced it would not hear the city’s appeal of a state lawsuit filed against the city over its voter ID charter ammendment, which had been outlawed in California by the passage of then- state Sen. Dave Min’s Senate Bill 1174.
After the state Supreme Court’s announcement was made, Huntington Beach Mayor Casey McKeon did not offer a comment to Daily Pilot reporter Matt Szabo beyond saying the matter would be discussed at a closed session before last night’s regular meeting of the City Council.
It had been an interesting legal saga, after all, as Szabo laid out in the following paragraph of his report on this turn of events.
“Orange County Superior Court Judge Nico Dourbetas ruled in April 2025 that voter ID would not compromise the integrity of a municipal election. A three-judge panel of the state Fourth District Court of Appeal disagreed, however, in a November ruling, stating that the requirement was preempted by elections code that was recently updated [with the passage of SB 1174],” Szabo recounted. It was the latter ruling that was appealed by the city.
It wasn‘t just the state that pounced on the city’s voter ID law. Huntington Beach resident Mark Bixby, a former planning commissioner and publisher of the Surf City Sentinel, also filed a lawsuit arguing that a voter ID requirement was illegal and infringed on rights.
Secretary of State Shirley Weber seems to have been as pleased as Bonta, and presumably Bixby, about last week’s news.
“I am grateful the California Supreme Court did not disturb the Fourth District Court of Appeal ruling,” she said. “This is another victory for California, for voters and for democracy.”
MORE NEWS
• Four people were pulled from a yacht that was sinking off Laguna Beach after hitting a reef on Sunday afternoon.
• The proposed, controversial Snug Harbor surf park approved by the Newport Beach City Council last fall has been caught in an undertow. A successful petition drive that would have put the matter to voters prompted the council to reconsider, largely in order to avoid the costs associated with holding an election.
• A new, 45-meter pool will be constructed on the Laguna Beach High School campus, following recent contract approvals totaling $18.8 million given by the Laguna Beach City Council. Officials say the facility, which will include bleachers, locker rooms and restrooms, could cost up to $25 million, depending on contingencies.
• A member of the Cypress City Council, David Burke, successfully championed strict campaign finance reforms last week that will drop the city’s limit on individual contributions to council candidates from its current $5,900 to a decidedly more modest $500. Also, the top five donors’ names will be required to appear on any campaign literature that’s paid for by an independent expenditure committee.
• Orange County health officials have announced two cases of measles had been identified here. One infected person was an international traveler who last Wednesday visited Goofy’s Kitchen at Downtown Disney and then Disney California Adventure Park. Before that, an infected young adult who’d recently traveled internationally visited a gym in Ladera Ranch on Jan. 23 and an urgent care facility on Jan. 23 and 26.
• Students attending the private Sage Hill School in Newport Coast demonstrated Friday in solidarity with the “National Shutdown” movement. It was one of several anti-ICE protests held throughout the Southland.
• A 31-year-old Huntington Beach resident was fatally struck Saturday night by a BMW that was northbound on Beach Boulevard near its intersection with Heil Avenue.
• Media outlets in Hawaii this week reported that a Huntington Beach man, 69-year-old Frank Archuleta Jr., drowned while snorkeling off Maui on Saturday.
BUSINESS
• Fountain Valley-headquartered Hyundai Motor America announced Tuesday it had a record-breaking month in January, with 55,624 vehicles sold, a 2% increase over January 2025.
COURTS & CRIME
• Saeid Maralan, who operated Sirous & Sons Rug Gallery in Laguna Beach and was found guilty more than two years ago of sexually assaulting women at the store, was sentenced Monday to 34 years to life in prison.
• A pre-trial hearing was scheduled for today for a 19-year-old from Costa Mesa being held on $1-million bail for allegedly raping his girlfriend, sexually assaulting an underage girl and possessing child pornography.
• A 32-year-old man was arrested last week for allegedly injuring multiple people in a Jan. 22 knife attack at a business on the Balboa Peninsula.
• Three men believed to be connected to a transnational organized residential theft ring that was operating in the Newport Beach area were arrested last Wednesday following a joint operation of the Newport Beach and Irvine police departments.
SPORTS
• Last night the Ducks hosted Orange County’s influential punk rock band the Offspring at the Honda Center for the third annual “Come Out and Play” night. Recalling the inaugural event in 2024, band member Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman told the L.A. Times, “This was the first time we’d ever teamed up with an organized sports team, and the fact that it’s an Orange County team, where we grew up, made it feel right.”
• Nick Goldstein of Newbury Park won the men’s Surf City Marathon with a time of 2:30:01 in Huntington Beach on Sunday morning. It was the 22-year-old’s first marathon. Chula Vista resident Monica Ruiz 35, was the women’s marathon champion, crossing the finish line in 2:59.07.
• The Daily Pilot’s annual high school Football Dream Team was announced Friday. To learn who were given the accolades for their feats on the gridiron this past season, visit the article here.
LIFE & LEISURE
• Valentine’s Day is next week and TimesOC’s Sarah Mosqueda has rounded up this look at some of the special offerings at area restaurants for the occasion. There’s no time like the present to make reservations for the holiday.
• Here’s an L.A. Times headline that caught my eyes the other day: “Is this $130 ‘head orgasm’ in Orange County worth it? We tried it.” Features writer Deborah Vankin ventured into Costa Mesa and documented her hour-long session at Kas Wellness.
• New Directions residential recovery center for women in Costa Mesa has been operating for decades under the motto “Love, kindness and compassion in all things.” My colleague Sara Cardine recently interviewed a young mother who has been through harrowing times but is enjoying renewed hope since New Directions took her in last November.
• In another heartwarming story, this one by contributing writer Eric Licas, a family that had long been struggling after a daughter was diagnosed with leukemia was gifted with a Tesla SUV last week by Miracles for Kids and Merge Opportunities.
CALENDAR
• Pacific Symphony and Cal State Fullerton University Singers are teaming up for a concert at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa titled “Danny Elfman’s Music from the Films of Tim Burton.” There will be two performances, at 8 p.m. on Feb. 13 and Feb. 14. Tickets can be purchased online at pacificsymphony.org.
• The Balboa Island Museum and the Newport Beach Historical Society will join forces Feb. 26 in presenting the film “Sin City Newport Beach” by local director Ed Olen at the Lido Theater. For tickets and more information, call either the Balboa Island Museum at (949) 675-3952, or the Newport Beach Historical Society at (949) 232-7373.
• Trot into the Year of the Horse with a visit to Fountain Valley’s annual Lunar New Year Festival this Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Fountain Valley Recreation Center, 16400 Brookhurst St. Games, crafts and performances, including a traditional lion dance at 11:15 a.m.
KEEP IN TOUCH
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