Landon Fichtner

Name: Landon Fichtner

Age: 32

Birth place: Long Beach

How long have you lived in Huntington Beach? five years

Occupation: meteorologist/weather producer for Ktla 5, and a science teacher with Los Angeles Unified School District

Education: I have a bachelor’s degree in atmospheric, oceanic and environmental sciences from UCLA and an associate’s degree in liberal arts from Mt. San Antonio College.

Previously elected or appointed positions: None

Community organizations you belong to: None

What do you think are the biggest issues facing Huntington Beach right now? In my opinion, the budget, use of open space, annexation of Sunset Beach, the senior center, responsible development and the retention of public services are the biggest issues Huntington Beach is facing right now.

What is one decision in the last year the City Council got right and why would you have supported it? I feel that the Huntington Beach City Council was correct in making steps towards the annexation of Sunset Beach. Even though I understand that some members of that community would like to incorporate and become their own city, I felt that the decision for annexation was the right move. Because multiple agencies have reported that the creation of a Sunset Beach city would be un-sustainable and that their community can no longer remain an unincorporated zone, we as a community needed to step up and welcome our neighbors into our community. Financially for H.B., it is a budget benefit to annex this community, and for the Sunset Beach residents, they would get the stability of a city with more than 100 years of experience. There is of course a lot more involved in this topic for both sides, but overall it is a good decision for Huntington Beach.

What is one decision in the last year the City Council got wrong, or partially wrong, and why would you have voted differently? Recently the council decided to start charging non-residents for emergency services provided within our city limits. While I agree with parts of this decision, I feel that charging visitors to our great city for police and fire responses will cause tourism to gradually be effected. Initially the added funds will help the budget, but once the word starts getting out that “heaven forbid” you get into a traffic accident in H.B., you will get a $2,000 bill; people will slowly start choosing other coastal communities to visit.