Mailbag: Newport Beach City Council was right in approving Snug Harbor

The recent letter titled “‘Surf’s up’ replaced with ‘Turn on the machine,’” mischaracterizes both my comments and the real situation at the Newport Beach Golf Course. To have an honest conversation, we must start with the facts — not nostalgia or selective interpretations of the municipal code.

The landowner made it clear that the existing golf course could not continue in its current form. The municipal code requires the site to be used for high-quality recreation, and independent experts as well as city staff confirmed that the Snug Harbor Surf Park meets that requirement. Nothing in the code mandates that the property remains an outdated three-hole practice range forever.

What critics overlook are the significant community benefits residents voiced at public hearings. The project provides a safe, controlled environment for our fire department, lifeguards and junior lifeguards to train year-round, strengthening public safety for everyone.

It also creates predictable, year-round surf access for young athletes, including the surf teams at Newport Harbor and CdM high schools. Surfing is now an Olympic sport, and Newport Beach, a city rooted in surf culture, should invest in the next generation of athletes.

The Snug Harbor Surf Park will become a safe, family-friendly recreational destination unmatched in California, while retaining a portion of golf activity on the site. This project is not a loss, it is a meaningful transition from a declining facility to a world-class amenity that better serves residents.

The letter-writer’s request for the city to apologize to Mr. Hallock is misplaced. He was given full opportunity to speak, including additional time, and his views were respectfully heard like those of dozens of others. A disagreement is not mistreatment; it is democracy. The council weighed the arguments and voted unanimously.

The claim that the council “bombed the village to save the village” is dramatic and inaccurate. Doing nothing would have resulted in a deteriorating property, providing no benefit to the community.

Newport Beach has always evolved thoughtfully while staying true to its character. Snug Harbor continues that legacy by expanding recreation, improving public safety and supporting youth development.

We did what is right for Newport.

Erik Weigand
Newport Beach
Councilmember, District 3

Garcia is an achiever

Re: “Prop. 50’s passage means Huntington Beach’s MAGA council could clash with Rep. Robert Garcia.” There is a very strong possibility that Garcia will represent my district of Newport Beach as well as Huntington Beach. The Daily Pilot article mentioned the irony of Garcia possibly representing Huntington Beach, which is known for its all-MAGA panel of representatives.

The mayor of that city has already made some unprofessional public remarks about the “radical left.” I am hoping that the Newport Beach City Council, which is usually more thoughtfully conservative, will not follow in the same footsteps. When they learn of Garcia’s credentials they will be impressed.

I met Garcia through political emails and started following his work because I was impressed with the way that he stood up for his constituents. I was worried for him because of the new tenor of our government, as speaking out is not particularly rewarded. But he so impressed many of his colleagues in Congress that he was selected as ranking member of the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee.

I watched one of his district town halls, during which he kept pace with guest Katie Porter, and I learned that he had also held a town hall meeting in Republican Rep. Young Kim‘s district because “it’s important that she knows people are suffering and people are scared,” according to Garcia’s website.
But what is so amazing about this modest and friendly young man is how much he achieved before being elected to his current seat. Garcia was president of the Associated Students at Cal State Long Beach, graduating with a degree in communication studies. He earned a master’s degree from USC and later a doctor of education degree from Cal State Long Beach.

He has taught courses in communication and public policy at USC, Cal State Long Beach and Long Beach City College. He served in the state Assembly, was appointed to the California Coastal Commission and was mayor of Long Beach for eight years before being elected to Congress. And here I thought that he had just begun his public and political career!

Lynn Lorenz
Newport Beach

H.B deserves better than Gates

Whose bright idea was it to welcome Michael Gates back to the Huntington Beach city attorney’s office? This serial self-promoter has cost Surf City’s taxpayers millions in legal fees, fines and penalties, settlements and lost cases, not to mention his own previous salary and benefits as third-highest-paid elected city attorney in all of California.

He’s not even that good of an attorney; some of his arguments were laughed out of court by a panel of judges. Also, consider the number of cases he’s lost (yet keeps appealing “all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, if necessary”), or when he settled with Code Four, operator of the Pacific Airshow, for $5 million without any proof of actual loss.

And then Gates boasted about a $5.25-million settlement from Amplify Energy over the October 2021 oil spill, when other claimants for damages had already been awarded much higher amounts. He barely broke even with what he gave away to Code Four.

Plus, he refused to release the terms of the Code Four settlement, lost in court when the city was sued, was forced to release the terms anyway (which were atrocious), and Huntington Beach had to pay attorney fees to the winning attorney. Oh, let’s not forget the $2.5 million paid in the lawsuit against the city and Gates for age discrimination in the city attorney’s office, plus a reported $1.5 million in attorney’s fees for that loss.

Obviously, due diligence should be exercised and his employment offer rescinded if it is proved he lied about resigning because he misses H.B. and his family so much (as opposed to being given a choice between being handed his walking papers or involuntarily resigning). Otherwise, why is there an official form showing he was terminated for cause by the DOJ and eligible to apply for unemployment benefits?

If Michael Gates wants to work for H.B. again, he should run for city attorney in 2026 and see if enough voters actually want him back. Members of our MAGA City Council think he’s a great guy they would like to have a beer with, and they like that he keeps tilting at ideological windmills. But it’s not enough to justify costing H.B. taxpayers millions of dollars that could be better spent elsewhere. We deserve better — SO much better.

Michele Burgess
Huntington Beach

It appears that Hurricane Michael will be hitting Surf City quite soon. Former City Atty. Michael Gates will be returning to H.B. after a stormy departure from Washington, D.C. amid allegations that he was fired from his DOJ job “for cause.” Of course Gates disputes this, and, in his favor, the well-known reputation of the Trump administration for mendacity and vindictiveness could support his claim of retribution against him.

Gates seeks to again work for the city where he helped create the “hostile work environment” between the MAGA City Council and much of the community that now exists.

Gates was largely responsible for helping cost the city millions with the Pacific Airshow settlement fiasco (and trying to cover it up) and for tilting against the Sacramento windmill with expensive and fruitless lawsuits. His belligerent behavior is likely to continue. As the city attorney, Gates helped prop up our truculent and inept City Council. The citizenry has much to fear with his return.

Only a change in City Council composition will be able to rein in the excesses of our local government which Gates would perpetuate. The urgency increases for community-backed council candidates like Taryn Palumbo and Ben Davis to be elected as a counterweight.

We must brace ourselves for the reemergence of Michael Gates. It’s an ill wind that blows no good.

Tim Geddes
Huntington Beach

Voter ID conspiracy theories

I was not surprised on Tuesday night when an organized mob that included non-resident, far-right speakers showed up at the Huntington Beach City Council meeting to promote conspiracy theories about voting security in Orange County. Their unproven claims about widespread voter fraud are dog whistles intended to justify new voting restrictions for Huntington Beach voters.

Sadly, our MAGA City Council supports their theories, which are not grounded in fact. They repeatedly cited a Costa Mesa woman who faces felony charges for registering her dog to vote “yes” in the recall election of Gavin Newsom in 2021. Examples like this are meaningless because they are statistically rare, and when they do occur, they are isolated and often accidental. Plus, the perpetrator faces large fines and possible jail time.

Fortunately, Bob Page, Orange County’s registrar of voters, was the featured speaker to set the record straight about voting security in Orange County. He provided a detailed and factual explanation about the safeguards used in the election system. But this didn’t stop Councilmember Chad Williams and others on the dais from grilling him about the potential of a cabal of bad actors who would risk jail sentences to cast thousands of invalid votes.

Interestingly, when Councilmember Gracey Van Der Mark said a woman had told her she had broken the voting law, and Page asked for details about the individual for further investigation, Van Der Mark backpedaled somewhat and could offer no further details.

In the Nov. 4 election, about 85% to 90% of Orange County voters cast their ballots by mail or had used drop boxes. By pushing voter ID and in-person voting, Huntington Beach officials are turning the clock back on voter access. Voters do not want to stand in long lines at vote centers. They trust the system and use ballot tracking to ensure that their ballot gets delivered and counted. Huntington Beach residents cannot afford an expensive citywide system that requires two separate methods and locations for voting. This would be confusing and would restrict access, resulting in multiple lawsuits because voter ID is unlawful in California.

Our City Council needs to stop pushing MAGA conspiracy theories that not only divide the community but also result in costly, losing propositions for taxpayers.

Carol Daus
Huntington Beach

Standards for NMUSD board members

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District Board of Education owes it to the families, who trust it with the education, safety and well-being of our kids, to know who we have on our board.

What are the standards for those who sit on the board? Do we have standards?

During a school board meeting this week, a board member was addressed regarding a [2004] DUI and a hit and run she was involved in. The response from this person was that this was a non-issue. A non-issue to whom? And why did it take digging from the public to find out about this situation in the first place? Why did the board choose to keep this serious issue quiet?

This board member tried to turn her illegal activity around and talk about “injuries” she sustained!

Are we living in an alternate universe? Who thinks this behavior is OK from anyone, especially a school board member?

How do we expect our kids to make good decisions when the adults in the room have trouble making good decisions?

So disappointing and beyond disturbing.

Juli Hayden
Newport Beach