The entrance to the children's section of the Huntington Beach Central Library.
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Jill Replogle
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LAist
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Topline:
Huntington Beach’s city leaders are moving forward with a plan to mark the 50th anniversary of the Huntington Beach Central Library with a plaque that spells out “M-A-G-A.”
Where things stand: Members of the public came out in droves Tuesday night to speak out against the controversial plaque, criticizing it for its ties to the “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan embraced by President Donald Trump and his supporters.
What the plaque says: Despite the backlash, city leaders unanimously approved a new design that lists the words "Magical, Alluring, Galvanizing and Adventurous" — the first letters of which spell "M-A-G-A." The plaque then states, “Through hope and change our nation has built back better to the golden era of Making America Great Again!”
Cost to the city: The black-and-gold plaque is set to cost $7,000, but Councilmember Chad Williams said funds were raised through private donations. Councilmember Gracey Van Der Mark said the council raised an additional $1,000, which they hope will act as a preventive measure against anyone who tries to damage it.
Huntington Beach’s city leaders are moving forward with a plan to mark the 50th anniversary of the Huntington Beach Central Library with a plaque that spells out “M-A-G-A.”
Members of the public came out in droves Tuesday night to speak out against the controversial plaque, criticizing it for its ties to the “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan embraced by President Donald Trump and his supporters.
But city leaders unanimously approved a new design that lists the words "Magical, Alluring, Galvanizing and Adventurous "— with the first letters of each word in large gold letters. Reading top to bottom, the letters spell out "MAGA." The sign then goes on to state, “Through hope and change our nation has built back better to the golden era of Making America Great Again!”
The plaque that has generated all the controversy in this beach city.
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Courtesy Huntington Beach
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Councilmember Chad Williams defended the plaque’s message during Tuesday’s meeting, saying critics were being hypocritical.
“ The issue isn't with the meaning of the words,” he said. “The issue, it seems, with some folks would be, who said it. Because when Ronald Reagan said it, it was no problem. When Bill Clinton said the words, ‘Make America great again,’ it was no problem. It seems to not be an issue with the meaning of the words, it seems to be an issue for some with who said it.”
During public comment, some speakers said MAGA stood for “censorship and book bans” and shouldn’t be used to honor the city’s beloved library system.
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The plaque in the city, they said, would be divisive. Huntington Beach resident and former NFL punter Chris Kluwe was even arrested after speaking out against the plaque and approaching the council in what he said was a "time-honored American tradition of peaceful civil disobedience.”
The black-and-gold plaque is set to cost $7,000, but Williams said during the meeting that the city raised funds through private donors to pay for it.
Councilmember Gracey Van Der Mark said during the meeting that the council raised another $1,000 for a spotlight for the plaque, which they hope will act as a preventive measure against anyone who tries to damage it. Van Der Mark said the city has received online threats of vandalism.
What else happened at the meeting
The library was also the topic of discussion during Tuesday’s meeting on another front: City leaders had asked officials to come back with reports on two citizen-led initiatives regarding the city’s beloved libraries.
The backstory: A petition to repeal a plan that would see a committee of residents appointed by the City Council approve or deny children’s books for Huntington Beach’s public libraries.
It immediately sparked controversy. Some said those decisions should be up to the city’s librarians, while others said such a committee would keep inappropriate books out of the kids’ section.
City leaders had also moved toward privatizing the library system, but residents also mounted opposition to that plan as well, gathering enough signatures to block it.
The O.C. Registrar of Voters informed the council in December that the petitions garnered enough votes to be on the ballot.
City leaders could opt to include both ballot measures in the general election or call for a special election. Officials have 30 days to come to the City Council with a resolution for both measures.
