Mailbag: Why has the H.B. library’s anniversary been politicized?

Regarding the idea of a 50-year celebration plaque to be installed at the library: It makes good sense to honor the fact that we have had our award-winning library for over 50 years in Huntington Beach. The plaque to be installed should celebrate the history of the library. It would be appropriate to, if any names are to be attached, honor those who actually presided over the creation of the library. The council members from that era might be named.

The alternative is to present a plaque simply celebrating the award-winning Neutra design and the mid-century modern building, which has meant so much to so many. Plaques are a touchstone to history. They should not be used to celebrate a passing moment in our political history.

Kathryn Goddard
Huntington Beach

A PSA dated Feb. 10 notified H.B. residents of a Feb. 11 Community and Library Services meeting to discuss a proposed plaque commemorating the 50th anniversary of HBPL. Over 300 emails and 30 speakers spoke against the plaque, which was unanimously approved with minor cosmetic improvements suggested.

Public libraries should be apolitical. Names of City Council members and politically appointed Library Services Commission members do not belong on this plaque. The MAGA acronym and “In God We Trust” are not appropriate to include on a plaque that purports to commemorate 50 years of public library services, by any stretch of the imagination.

The current City Council has not been supportive of the library. They have been openly critical of educated, highly experienced librarians’ choices regarding the children’s book collection by alleging that it included pornographic material, but they have yet to identify any such material. One council member has gone so far as to publicly insinuate that a former council member was a pedophile because he stated he would not hesitate to read a book the current council member referred to as a “pedophile’s dream” to his own child. Council’s recent emails to residents requesting feedback about their “petition signing experience” appear to be an attempt to block a legal, democratic grass-roots effort to simply keep the treasured HBPL as it currently exists.

Why not request community input in advance, or have a contest for residents to submit their ideas to showcase the library rather than creating a promotional tool for the current council and Library Commission members? This was a missed opportunity for the council to attempt to unite rather than continuing to divide the community.

There is no doubt the library is, and has always been, a wonderful place for children. Apparently the folks whose names are listed on the plaque aren’t aware that adults are also welcome to utilize and enjoy the library. The approved plaque is an abomination rather than a commemoration.

Judy Morris
Huntington Beach

There is a reason local election ballots for city council candidates do not list their political party affiliations. Council members are supposed to make decisions that concern the city based on merit, not their own political beliefs. The Huntington Beach City Council once again has again demonstrated they plan to disregard this precedent by repeatedly flaunting their allegiance to our current president and his administration. Speaking for myself, judging on the foolhardy decisions of the past few weeks it appears that keeping our democracy is not high on their list.

Our current council was elected by the strategy of running on a slate or roster. Instead of each candidate running on their own capabilities, strengths and ideas, a slate is often backed by a major political party. Much more money is available to the slate than to an individual candidate. This is unfair and certainly doesn’t give us the most competent leaders. It gives us leaders who are photographed in MAGA-type hats emblazoned with “Make Huntington Beach Great Again” with 7-0 in reference to the less moneyed candidates. It gives us leaders such as Councilman Tony Strickland who likes to call his group “The Magnificent 7” publicly. It gives us leaders who pander to the president and his MAGA supporters pathetically trying to get his attention. (A word of advice on that, be careful what you wish for. The man is known to turn on those he formerly praised.)

Now this group has put forth yet another inappropriate and frankly insulting idea. Including the MAGA acronym on a plaque commemorating the 50th anniversary of our Huntington Beach Library. Considering four of the current council members last year caused a public uproar with their plans to mold it into a MAGA version of the perfect library with their unwanted and unneeded “improvements”, they should be ashamed.

Huntington Beach needs leaders who put the city’s welfare ahead of their own aspirations and political beliefs. I look forward to the 2026 local elections when we have an opportunity to add new council members who will work for the good of our diverse, beautiful, and yes, already great city.

Mary Franklin
Huntington Beach

The chaos, incompetence, authoritarian leanings, and downright vindictiveness of Huntington Beach’s City Council was on full display Feb. 11.

Members displayed that they consider the Library and Community Services commission, composed of entirely their appointees, as a useful fig leaf but not an actual advisory board. The plaque presented for both the LCS meeting and shown on the council agenda to celebrate Central Library’s 50th anniversary was a decoy. It was designed to draw criticism so they could reveal a different plaque to approve at the council meeting, as if they actually listened to public input.

Next, take the decisions on the two library petitions. The California election code gives a city council three options to respond to a successfully validated petition:

1. accept and act on what the petition requests;
2. call an election (either general or special);
3. do a financial impact study, then pick either 1 or 2.

H.B.’s vouncil chose option 3 when they first considered the matter back in January. That left them with either option 1 or option 2, now that the financial impact study has been returned. What they actually chose was “none of the above” — a decision that shows contempt for the thousands of citizens who signed those petitions and contempt for the law itself.

Finally, take the Flowers of the Sky proposal. First, they tried to slide it under the radar on last month’s consent calendar. That did not work due to massive public opposition. So, did they hold public hearings? No. Was it on the Library and Community Services Commission agenda? No. Did they listen to the majority of speakers at the council meeting? No. And then they had the audacity and mean-spiritedness to directly and publicly attack private citizen Steve Engle, a member of the H.B. Tree Society, who they recognized just six months ago for his selfless service. Because, with this City Council, if you don’t agree with them, you’re the enemy.

David Rynerson
Huntington Beach

Letter made false comparison

Do not cheapen Holocaust victims.

Regarding a recent letter in the Daily Pilot & TimesOC Mailbag, Sunday, Feb. 16, Anne Frank faced death because she was Jewish. Jews transported to concentration camps were used as forced labor until they were sent to death camps and killed. Those Jews who were called to transports but hid were shot on capture. If a Jewish person had a an Aryan spouse, who did not divorce them, those spouses were eventually also sent to concentration camps. On their return, if they survived, they found that all their possessions were gone, everything went through to Aryanization, a process where all Jewish properties were given or sold on penny for dollars to non-Jewish persons, and nothing was returned to survivors.

Catholic priests and nuns, who converted to Catholicism but were born Jewish, shared the fate of Jewish Holocaust victims. The Jews were citizens of the countries where they were captured and/or killed.

My mother’s aunt was an ethnic German Catholic married to a Jewish man. Ella never divorced her husband Emil. Both of their sons were gassed in Auschwitz. Herbert left behind a story in a magazine that kids published for themselves in Theresienstad, before dying at the age of 15. Emil was send to death camp and Ella hid. In 1948 the Czechoslovakian government denied Ella the right to return to her villa. In 1954 the government forced a “sale” of the formerly Nazi-seized villa threatening to deport Ella to Germany but not allowing Emil to leave. Ella was born in Czechoslovakia and was a Czechoslovakian citizen. The current Czech government keeps the villa based on that sale.

Comparing such fates to the return of immigrants in the country illegally to their countries of birth, where the hardship they will face is paying for the costs of their own lives, is absurd.

Linda Winsh-Bolard
Brea