Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Live results: Library Measures A and B in Huntington Beach
(
Erin Hauer and Dan Carino
/
LAist
)
ABOUT THE VOTE COUNT
-
About the vote count
- It could take several days for this election to be called. As you watch these results keep in mind:
- There are just over 136,000 registered voters in Huntington Beach.
- Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked by today and received by your county's registrar by June 17.
- The election is scheduled to be certified no later than July 4.
- A measure must win more than 50% of the vote in order to be successful.
- You can click here to track your ballot and make sure it gets counted in Orange County.
- It could take several days for this election to be called. As you watch these results keep in mind:
Support for LAist comes from
We're bringing you live results in the special election that will see Huntington Beach voters decide on two ballot measures governing the city's beloved public libraries.
What's at stake?
With Measure A, voters are being asked whether they want to overturn a committee of City Council appointees charged with reviewing children’s books and determining whether they’re appropriate. (Critics have called the committee censorship, and say that job should be left to the librarians.)
With Measure B, voters are also being asked whether they want to make it harder for the city to try to sell or outsource management of the city’s public libraries.
Why it matters
The libraries have become a flashpoint in the traditionally conservative beach town with a proudly all-MAGA city council. Those who want more control over the libraries argue that kids have access to sexually explicit books while others say the real target is books with diverse viewpoints, including LGBTQ themes and characters.
Controversy over 'PORN' signs
In the run-up to the special election, supporters of the book review board posted campaign signs around Huntington Beach reading “Protect our kids from PORN.” The complaints began immediately, to schools, city leaders, and in online forums. Some were torn down, some were vandalized, some remain.
Support for LAist comes from
One scathing comment on a local Facebook page directed at City Councilmember Chad Williams reads: “Chad Williams got a whole city full of kids googling ‘What is Porn’ on their smart phones, exposing them to more images online than any books in the library ever will.”
Williams defended the signs as a campaign tactic.
“The bottom line is there’s pornography that’s available to minors in our public library,” he told LAist at the time. “I’m not going to dance around the subject, it needs to be addressed.”
Books cited by critics as too sexually explicit for children include stories about queer identity and books about sex education and puberty.
Go deeper on the issue: The LAist guide to Huntington Beach’s special election on public libraries
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake. -
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
Best of LAist