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O.C.’s most controversial library just got another chapter of drama
The story of the library-centered culture battle in Huntington Beach is still being written.
The latest chapter involves a pair of citizen initiatives that would give city residents the power to repeal a parent/guardian children’s book review board and deny any future attempts to privatize the public library, which marks its 50th anniversary this year. There’s also a controversial plaque and a defiant former NFL player in handcuffs.
It’s the latest clash between the beach city’s full-throated MAGA counciland a coalition of parents, library supporters and LGTBQ+ advocates who accuse the government body of trying to ban books and politicize what they say should be an inclusive, apolitical institution.
Eric Silkenson, left, applauds for over 100 people who march in protest of proposed plans to privatize the Huntington Beach librariy and create a children’s book review board. (Eric Licas / Daily Pilot)
Here’s a recap of what’s happening and what’s next.
Last April, the majority conservative City Council voted to establish a parent/guardian children’s book review board. Members of the panel would have “sole discretion” to flag and review children’s books proposed for purchase by library staff or already in the library’s collection to decide if they meet “community standards.”
The majority of the 21-member panel — made up of three appointees for each City Council member — determines what those “community standards” would be, according to the ordinance. Unapproved books would not be purchased or, for those already in the library, sold or donated.
That same month, the council majority also considered a proposal to privatize the library. That effort was dropped soon after amid vocal public opposition.
The review board was championed by then-Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark, who has accused library staff of “infecting our children with obscenity or pornography.”
In an interview last month, she told me her goal is to ensure that children aren’t exposed to sexually inappropriate books.
“If there’s one issue that should bring us all together it’s protecting our children,” she said, accusing her critics of being divisive.
Those critics have argued the effort is disingenuous and aimed at limiting access to books written to highlight marginalized groups as part of MAGA’s broader culture war.
The saga became another lightning rod in a city that’s grown accustomed to political thunderstorms. Librarians said they felt vilified by some residents who called them pedophiles and groomers in public and online. One senior librarian resigned, citing a lack of support from city leaders.
The review board has not actually been formed yet. If the council does decide to move forward with the panel — even with its fate likely up to voters — the city could face more legal challenges.
In November, the First Amendment Coalition and ACLU sent a letter to the city council, writing that the review board “will impose an unconstitutional censorship regime on the public’s right to access library books and materials protected by the First Amendment.” Also last year, Gov. Newsom signed the Freedom to Read Act, which effectively bans book bans. Huntington Beach’s city attorney vowed to fight the state in court.
Van Der Mark, now a councilwoman (the mayoral role rotates among the council), and fellow councilmembers argue it’s unfair to equate the review board with book banning. But a vocal group of library advocates contend that’s exactly what would happen.
“This review board would have absolute authority on what books are even acquired… when these 21 people read it, if they don’t like it, it’s given away to charity or other libraries,” said Carol Daus, a board member of Friends of the Huntington Beach Public Library. “That essentially is book banning when you’re not making a book accessible to readers who might want it.”
Daus joined the petition effort led by Protect Huntington Beach, which started gathering signatures last year to put both library-related issues on the ballot. The Orange County Registrar of Voters determined both proposed measures had collected the 13,247 valid signatures required to qualify.
That leaves the City Council with a few options, as my colleague Matt Szabo, who’s been reporting on the saga for the Daily Pilot, explained:
“The council can either adopt the initiatives as written, set a date for a special election or put the issues on the ballot for the general election in 2026.”
During last week’s boisterous council meeting, the council unanimously approved a motion that calls on city staff to draft a resolution in the next 30 days to put the issue to voters, though the council did not clarify if it would be for an earlier special election or held until November 2026.
Now there’s the plaque.
Van Der Mark said she suggested commemorating the library’s 50th anniversary with a plaque to be placed outside the Central Branch. “The design was developed through a collaboration of suggestions from both council members and residents,” she later told me.
The design, unanimously approved by the council last week includes a line with the words “Magical Alluring Galvanizing Adventurous” to describe the library. Below that it states: “Through hope and change, our nation has built back better to the golden age of Making America Great Again.”
Critics view it as a blatant political stunt that tarnishes the library’s ideal as an apolitical institution. Residents railed against the plaque during the public comment period, including Chris Kluwe, a former NFL punter for the Minnesota Vikings. Kluwe criticized MAGA as “explicitly a nazi movement” before approaching the dais and being arrested for what he called “peaceful civil disobedience.”
Chris Kluwe was arrested at a Huntington Beach City Council meeting. (Courtesy of Protect Huntington Beach video )
For Daus, the plaque is “noise in the background” while she and other advocates are focused on getting their initiatives on the ballot — this year or next. All the while, she said support for the library and its staff has grown.
“That wouldn’t have happened if this hadn’t taken place,” Daus said. “People are willing to fight to protect this library.”
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