Huntington Beach official questions need for city’s human dignity policy
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Good morning. It’s Wednesday, Aug. 9. I’m Carol Cormaci, bringing you this week’s TimesOC newsletter with a look at the latest local news and events.
Pat Burns, a recently elected member of the Huntington Beach City Council, has proposed the city amend or cancel its longstanding Declaration of Policy on Human Dignity, first introduced in 1996, according to an account of a recent meeting by Daily Pilot reporter Matt Szabo.
The text of the existing policy can be found on the city’s website, at least until Burns and his council majority either abolish it altogether or make substantive changes to it. It’s an earnest document that came about in response to the 1994 murder of a Black man and the 1996 attempted murder of a Native American, both crimes committed in the city by white supremacists.
“Huntington Beach is a city whose residents represent every walk of life, come from many nations, share varied lifestyles, and hold different religious beliefs. This diversity brings to our city a rich and varied cultural heritage. Our citizens honor and respect the diversity that exists in Huntington Beach. When acts of hate are committed against any citizen, it is considered an act against the entire community,” the policy’s opening paragraph states.
It goes on to call for a civil climate where everyone is treated with respect and dignity, and states the City Council “will vigorously fight criminal activity known as ‘hate crime’ with all of the resources at its disposal.”
There are several more graphs, the following of which are italicized, presumably for emphasis:
To the community we say, “Believe in the interdependence of all people. Participate at your places of worship and community meetings and lend your voice in opposing hate.”
To the schools we say, “Continue your programs and curricula which promote respect towards those who are different. Call on resources of the city, the county, the state, and the nation as you engage in the educational process to battle hate.”
To the parents we say, “Act as positive role models for your children by demonstrating tolerance towards those whose race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or disability status may be different from yours. You are the most powerful influence on your children’s behavior.”
To the young people we say, “Educate yourself to the ways of the world and the lessons of history. Develop sensitivity toward the feelings of others. Thus, as you grow into adulthood and become society’s leaders, you will be more effective in the fight to preserve man’s humanity toward man.”
It’s unclear from the story which of the statements above, or anywhere else in the document, rankle Burns to the point that he thinks the city should change or abandon the policy altogether. Szabo quotes the councilman as saying this: “We have equal laws right across the books through our Constitution and every level of government that protects people in the same matter. That’s all I’m doing, equal application of law for everybody.”
In Huntington Beach, the political divide on the theoretically nonpartisan City Council is obvious: “Nearly every vote is carried by the conservative majority, 4-3, including Tuesday night’s votes to introduce 11 possible charter amendments and eliminate certain boards and committees, including the Human Relations Committee,” Szabo reports.
The panel also voted 4-3 along the same lines to support Burns’ agenda item seeking to form an ad hoc committee to review the Declaration of Policy on Human Dignity. Mayor Tony Strickland selected his fellow conservatives Van Der Mark, Burns and McKeon to serve on the committee.
And so, the policy might one day be no more than a memory among old-timers in Huntington Beach civic circles.
“Shirley Dettloff, who constructed the original declaration with the help of the late Ralph Bauer, then-Huntington Beach Police Chief Ron Lowenberg and city staff, hopes it survives,” Szabo reports.
“I met with Pat Burns and let him know why this certainly was not the time to dismantle the Human Relations Committee and certainly the Declaration of Human Dignity,” Dettloff told the reporter. “I think it’s a very strong position, and it’s a position that our City Councils and our citizens have accepted since 1996. If the council would read it word by word, they would know that this is the kind of city all of us would like to live in — one that protects everyone that lives in that city.”
MORE NEWS
• Costa Mesa residents got a glimpse during a City Council meeting last week of Hive Live, a 1,050-unit residential development planned for a 14.25-acre parcel currently being used as creative office space and a training field for the Los Angeles Chargers. The phased project — which proposes three five-story buildings and 5.05 acres of open space at 3333 Susan St. — would not have been possible without voters’ approval last November of Measure K, according to this story by my Daily Pilot colleague Sara Cardine. During the same meeting, the City Council directed staff to do some research that could result in an ordinance that would enhance protections for renters against unfair or unlawful evictions by landlords.
• The Newport Beach City Council recently approved a $6.7-million budget for marketing the upscale community as a tourist destination. The money, according to this report by Daily Pilot staff writer Lilly Nguyen, is put into the hands of the nonprofit Newport Beach & Co., which operates Visit Newport Beach. Before joining in the unanimous vote to approve the budget, one councilman raised his concern about the generous salary of the nonprofit’s CEO, Gary Sherwin, whose compensation was $329,134 in the 2021-22 fiscal year. Sherwin also received $28,841 in retirement and other deferred compensation and $40,565 in nontaxable benefits, for a combined total of $398,540 in overall compensation for the year.
• Tropical Storm Eugene started moving up the Baja Coast and was expected to bring isolated showers and a spike in humidity to the region. The cloud system is forecast to bring “typical tropical conditions” to the region that will linger at least until tomorrow, according to this L.A. Times report. The highest chance for rain, which includes the potential for heavy downpours, will be Wednesday evening through Thursday morning.
• The Orange County Health Care Agency reported Thursday an increase in positive COVID-19 PCR tests over the previous month. Officials said the recent rise in cases matches that of previous years, where upticks were noted during both the summer and winter holiday season. For more information, visit ochealthinfo.com/covid.
• Laguna Beach marked the beginning of its partnership with Be Well Orange County last week with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the cobblestones of Main Beach Park. The event signaled the start of a two-year agreement for mobile mental health and wellness services in the community.
PUBLIC SAFETY AND COURTS
• Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson was released from jail on a $1-million bond after being arrested on suspicion of murdering his wife in their Anaheim Hills home last Thursday. Anaheim Police Department officers arrested Ferguson, 72, after they were called to his home just after 8 p.m. Thursday in the 8500 block of East Canyon Vista Drive on reports of a shooting. Inside the home, officers found 65-year-old Sheryl Ferguson, the judge’s wife, suffering from at least one gunshot wound, said Anaheim police Sgt. Jonathan McClintock. Sheryl Ferguson died at the scene. Law enforcement sources told the L.A. Times that a son of the judge and his wife was at the home. The Fergusons had two sons, Kevin and Phillip, both adults.
• Three suspects were charged Tuesday in the fatal car-to-car shooting of a 19-year-old man in Irvine, City News Service reported. Jayden Browndorf, 21, of Irvine, Noah Farmer, 22, of Tustin, and Hailey Angelique Rangel, 20, of Lake Elsinore, are accused in the shooting of Nicholas Alistair Neaimi-Pour just before 12:40 p.m. Thursday at Athel Avenue and Sego Street. The three were charged with conspiracy with special circumstance allegations of murdering a victim by means of lying in wait. Farmer faces additional sentencing enhancements for discharge of a gun causing great bodily injury or death and the personal use of a gun, according to court records. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Detective Mudassar Mahmood at (949) 724-7244 or email mmahmood@cityofirvine.org.
• Anaheim police on Tuesday were investigating the cause of a motorcycle crash that killed off-duty Cpl. Han Cho, a 28-year veteran of the Garden Grove Police Department. Cho, assigned to the Neighborhood Traffic Unit, was fatally injured shortly after 3 p.m. Monday at Glenoaks Avenue and Euclid Street when he was on his way home from work, police said. The other driver involved in the crash was taken to a hospital to be treated for minor injuries. Cho is survived by a teenage son, a daughter, his parents, two sisters, a brother and a niece. A GoFundMe drive to help with expenses related to Cho’s death was set up. As of Tuesday afternoon it had collected $3,960 out of a $40,000 goal.
• A 42-year-old Fountain Valley man was sentenced Monday to life in federal prison for killing a friend on a lobster fishing boat off the shores of Dana Point Harbor. Hoang “Wayne” Xuan Le was convicted Dec. 10, 2021, of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and using a firearm to commit a crime of violence. He pleaded guilty in February 2022 to eight drug charges, including dealing cocaine and methamphetamine. Co-defendant Sheila Marie Ritze, 43, of San Juan Capistrano, was convicted in April of last year for her part in the killing of 44-year-old Tri “James” Dao on Oct. 14, 2019. She was sentenced in April of this year to 21 years and 10 months in federal prison.
BUSINESS BUZZ
• Pacific Catch, based in San Francisco, recently opened its latest restaurant at the Market Place in Tustin, its second location in SoCal. The new restaurant includes a diverse menu, with dishes influenced by the West Coast, Baja, traditional Japanese sushi, Korean barbecue and the Hawaiian islands. The company aims to add two more locations in Orange County in 2024.
• The president of Vanguard University, Michael Beals, has been named a board member of the Orange County Business Council, it was announced Friday. “I am honored to have this community leader join our board of directors. His insights and talents will be invaluable for the business council as we continue to advance our infrastructure, workforce, housing and economic development initiatives,” said Jeffrey Ball, president and chief executive officer of OCBC in a statement.
LIFE & LEISURE
• Ronald McDonald House Orange County has been undergoing some renovations that will include 24 new guest rooms. Officials recently held a hard-hat tour to show the progress, and our TimesOC colleague Sarah Mosqueda got the full story. The work is expected to be completed next year and, once done, the facility will include a sensory room, salon, renovated and expanded kitchen and other amenities, like a shopping experience inspired by a sister Ronald McDonald house in Chicago. “We are going to do the same thing here,” said operations director Katie Russell. “So when our little ones check in, they’re going to get Ronald bucks,” that they’ll be allowed to use to “buy” toys at the store.
SPORTS
• Eli Hannaman of Hawaii and San Clemente’s Sawyer Lindblad, 17, captured the men’s and women’s titles, respectively, in this year’s U.S. Open of Surfing, which concluded in Huntington Beach on Sunday. Each winner went home with $20,000 in prize money.
• There are three new inductees to the Surfers’ Hall of Fame: International Surfing Assn. President Fernando Aguerre, Brazilian professional surfer Italo Ferreira and local surf journalist Laylan Connelly were feted during the 26th annual ceremony in Huntington Beach on Friday. The local Hall of Fame was started and run by Huntington Surf & Sport owner Aaron Pai and his family.
• Skipper Jeffrey Petersen of the Balboa Yacht Club became the 13th two-time winner of the Governor’s Cup international youth match racing championship on Saturday. Petersen, who sailed with Max Brennan (main and spinnaker trimmer) and Enzo Menditto (bowman and jib trimmer), swept Australia’s Cole Tapper in the best-of-five finals. The 56th Governor’s Cup saw eight nations sail in it, according to the championship coveage by Daily Pilot reporter Andrew Turner.
CALENDAR THIS
• The 31st annual Seal Beach Fishing Derby for kids 15 years old or younger is set for Saturday, Aug. 19, at the Seal Beach Municipal Pier. Registration will take place at the pier from 7 to 9 a.m., with the derby beginning at 7:30 a.m. and ending at noon. A pancake breakfast will be provided to all Derby registrants. This free event is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Los Alamitos/Cypress/Seal Beach. Kids are asked to bring their favorite rod and reel, if they have the equipment. If not, loaners and free bait will also be available.
• Brea Fest will take place Friday night, Aug. 11, from 6:30 to 10 p.m. This is a family event that allows guests to sample delicious food and beverages donated from local restaurants while listening to live music. See demonstrations by artists and live theater performances, shop in market row or take in “Kidsville,” which includes face painting, balloon animals, make-and-take crafts, a bounce house and kid-friendly foods. Admission and parking are free. Brea Civic and Cultural Center, 1 Civic Center Circle.
• Laguna Beach Pride Festival 2023 will be celebrated this Saturday, Aug. 12, from 3 to 10 p.m. The event will be held at Lang Park, 21540 Wesley Drive. Organizers promise craft vendors, food trucks, a family and kids fun zone, a deejay and live performances. Tickets can be purchased here.
KEEP IN TOUCH
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I appreciate your help in making this the best newsletter it can be. Please send news tips, your memory of life in O.C. (photos welcome!) or comments to carol.cormaci@latimes.com.
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