Category: City Council

Laguna Beach City Council to Debate Censure of Councilmember

Discord among Laguna Beach’s elected officials has led council to consider censuring a councilmember for allegedly making disparaging remarks. Councilmember Peter Blake will be the target of a March 9 vote, where his political colleagues will decide whether the city’s Rules of Decorum and Civility policy were violated. Council’s newest member, George Weiss, filed the…


Non-Citizens Could Soon Serve on Santa Ana’s Public Committees 

Santa Ana will likely become the first city in Orange County to allow non-U.S. citizens without legal immigration status to serve on its commissions, boards, or committees. During a March 2 city council meeting, council voted unanimously to remove a restriction that required a person appointed to one of the city’s boards, commissions, or committees to be an eligible voter. The…


Huntington Beach is Clamping Down on Defiant E-Bike Riders

Huntington Beach will enforce its existing law banning electric bicycles (e-bikes) from the beach and bicycle paths, following a March 1 city council meeting. The move was attributed to the increasing popularity of e-bikes along the eight-mile Huntington Beach coastal trail. Concerns over the power-assisted bikes have been voiced in letters of complaint to Huntington Beach staff and council,…


Orange Councilman Loses Seat in Challenge to Term Limits Law

SANTA ANA—An Orange County Superior Court judge Feb. 24 ruled that City of Orange Councilman Mike Alvarez must vacate the seat he was re-elected to in November because serving a third term violates term-limit laws. Alvarez was elected to the city council in 2012 and re-elected four years later. The city imposed term limits in…


Garden Grove Approves $70,000 Cat Trapping Program Renewal

Garden Grove city council approved a $70,000 contract Feb. 24 that will allow residents to trap feral cats, have them spay or neutered, and return them to the place of capture. Its agreement with the Stray Cat Alliance’s Return to Field (RTF) program, began in 2018 to address the city’s stray cat problem. It seeks to limit the creatures’ reproductive cycles….


Lake Forest Withdraws from Community Choice Energy Program

The City of Lake Forest is withdrawing from the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA). Its city council voted 4-1 to withdraw from the OCBA board during a Feb. 16 meeting, ending plans for it to participate in a community choice aggregation (CCA) program. “Sorry citizens and residents, we will never have a CCA,” Lake Forest…


Aliso Viejo Joins Push to Ban Child Marriage

Aliso Viejo could become the latest Orange County city to ban child marriage. A resolution during its Feb. 17 meeting calls on council to end the marriage of anyone younger than 18, without exception. It’s legal for minors to get married with parental consent and judicial approval in California. Sexual relations between minor and adults are…


Tito Ortiz Will Remain Huntington Beach’s Mayor Pro Tem  

Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem Tito Ortiz won the first fight of his political career Feb. 1 when a no confidence vote aimed at the rookie politician failed. During a heated debate, Huntington Beach councilmembers discussed whether to strip Ortiz—a mixed martial arts champion—of his mayoral title. Those who spearheaded an agenda item accused proposing…


Supporters Protest as Huntington Beach Council Mulls Removing Tito Ortiz’ Title

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.—Supporters of Mayor Pro Tem Tito Ortiz gathered at the city’s civic center Feb. 1 as council prepared to discuss stripping him of his title. Councilmembers were set to respond to a vote of no confidence motion—authored by Mayor Kim Carr and councilmembers Dan Kalmick and Michael Posey—which, if passed, would result in Ortiz’ removal from the…


Supporters Protest as Huntington Beach Council Mulls Removing Tito Ortiz’s Title

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.—Supporters of Mayor Pro Tem Tito Ortiz gathered at the city’s civic center Feb. 1 as council prepared to discuss stripping him of his title. Councilmembers were set to respond to a motion of no confidence—authored by Mayor Kim Carr and councilmembers Dan Kalmick and Michael Posey—which, if passed, would result in Ortiz’s removal from the mayor…