Apodaca: Be ready for a hot, contentious summer

Summer has officially begun. Of course, in coastal Orange County that can still mean cloudy skies, morning mist and mild temperatures. June gloom endures.

But don’t let the gray days fool you. The heat is rising, with no signs of any respite ahead from the surging temperatures. The most disturbing aspect of this heat wave is that it’s emanating from us — and it’s palpable, unmistakable, incandescent.

We can feel it even in places that were once thought of as the most benign, innocuous corners of society — school boards, public libraries, car washes and home goods stores. It’s apparent in our everyday interactions with family, friends and neighbors; on street corners and bumper stickers, and in our constant worry that a single conversation could spark a new flame.

On the public school front, the growing politicization of boards of trustees — which have historically been held up as nonpartisan entities — was front and center in the special election held earlier this month for a Newport-Mesa Unified School District board seat.

This was contentious contest, to say the least.

It began last fall when Michelle Barto, then an NMUSD trustee, was elected to the Newport Beach City Council. Kirstin Walsh, an occupational therapist and Newport Harbor High’s PTA president, was appointed by a 4-2 vote of the remaining board members to serve out Barto’s term, which ends in December 2026.

But then politicos got involved, and a petition that gathered 361 signatures exceeded the required threshold to force a special election to fill the vacant seat. Walsh was pitted against Andrea McElroy, a business owner backed by local conservative leaders and supporters of what they characterize as “parental rights.”

True to form in today’s overheated environment, tensions flared. McElroy’s qualifications and history of lawsuits were questioned, and the more than $400,000 cost of the special election was criticized as a foolish waste of school funds. Walsh’s detractors stoked fears of a liberal takeover of the board.

McElroy prevailed, and she will serve out the remainder of Barto’s term.

The fires are even hotter up the coast in Huntington Beach, where the public library system has been repeatedly attacked by the far-right city council.

Two measures on the ballot in a special election earlier this month took aim at the council’s highly controversial moves to wrest control of library operations from librarians because of selected books that council members deemed inappropriate.

In 2023, a library review board consisting of members appointed by the city council was authorized to override decisions made by library staff. At one point, the council even toyed with the idea of turning library operations over to a private company.

There was some ugly name-calling leading up to the vote — references to librarians as “groomers” and “perverts” didn’t just cross a line, they obliterated it — but such flame-throwing can backfire. Indeed, the two measures might have gotten an unintentional boost from one of their most vocal adversaries.

Councilman Chad Williams’ political action committee paid for signs that read, “Protect Our Kids from Porn.” The signs, placed around town in the weeks prior to the election, sparked so much outrage they likely motivated support for the ballot measures.

More than 58% of voters approved the measure to eliminate the library review board, and nearly 61% voted yes on the second measure to bar library privatization without voter approval.

That particular fire has waned for the moment, but bigger conflagrations are now burning because of the federal immigration crackdown.

While the nation’s attention has been focused on Los Angeles, Orange County has also been swept up in the reactionary response by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and in the civic unrest that has arisen in opposition to the immigration sweeps.

Masked and armed agents have been conducting raids at Home Depot, a car wash, and other spots around the county. Some immigrants have reportedly been avoiding public places, even fearing that going to the market, taking kids to school, or attending graduation ceremonies could put them at risk of being seized and detained.

Anti-crackdown rallies have been held at various locations, but the days-long protest near the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Santa Ana drew the biggest response.

National Guard troops, sent to California by the Trump administration, were positioned just outside the courthouse, and local police were standing nearby.

Rally organizers repeatedly cautioned the protesters to remain peaceful, while some local officials warned that the military presence is only creating more tension and stoking the embers of anger. At the same time, fears were raised that some of the Marines that were dispatched to Los Angeles could also be sent to Orange County.

That didn’t deter protesters who joined in the “No Kings” demonstrations across the nation last weekend, including one near my home in Newport Beach. From what I observed of that gathering, it was conflict-free, well-organized and infused with good vibes. Law enforcement employed a light touch. Smiles and laughter were abundant.

Yet there was no mistaking the sense of alarm that lay beneath the festive atmosphere. I’d like to think that common sense, compassion and humanity will prevail in the end. But most of the time lately it feels more like we’re atop a volcano that’s ready to blow.

Be prepared for a long, hot summer.