Opinion

This is a community opinion piece. The views are the author’s, not Voice of OC’s. We’re interested in hearing different perspectives and voices. Want to weigh in on this or another issue? Email opinions@voiceofoc.org.

Press release

This story is part of the Voice of OC Collegiate News Service, a partnership with Chapman University that trains student journalists to cover public policy across Orange County. Have a student project or a response to this work? Email admin@voiceofoc.org.

Spending is heating up in the race for Huntington Beach City Council after the local police officer’s association dropped nearly $100,000 in independent advertising targeting sitting council members who voted against their raises and supporting their opponents. 

The Huntington Beach Police Officers Association has spent over $100,000 on city council races as of Oct. 13 according to campaign disclosures. 

Most of that spending came through the police union’s political action committee, where they disclosed spending $16,000 apiece opposing Mayor Casey McKeon and Councilman Pat Burns just weeks after they voted against a nearly 18% raise for officers over the next three years. 

They also spent over $17,000 on ads supporting Councilman Andrew Gruel’s candidacy after he voted in favor of the raises, and donated an additional $5,900 directly to Gruel’s campaign accounts. 

The police union also spent another $17,000 on advertising candidate Brian Burley and endorsed him, as well as an additional $31,000 in advertising on Taryn Palumbo and Erin Spivey’s candidacy combined. 

They’re the largest independent group spending on the race, with the Manufactured Housing Educational Trust Political Action Committee, largely funded by mobile home park owners, spending $15,000 combined advertising McKeon, Gruel, Burns and candidate Brian Thienes. 

While the police union’s political action committee is spending big heading into the Nov. 3 election, one city council candidate is throwing over a quarter of a million dollars of his own money into his campaign accounts and several challengers out-fundraising the sitting mayor this year. 

All the money is flowing into a city council race with 11 candidates vying for four seats to shape Surf City’s future after spending the last four years becoming one of the loudest voices opposing state legislators and endorsing local control.  

Most candidates in Huntington Beach this year belong to one of two slates running for office. 

The Surf City Four slate includes candidates Brenda Glim, Ben Davis, Palumbo and Spivey, all of whom have been endorsed by the county Democratic Party. 

They’re running against Team HB, made up of Huntington Beach Mayor McKeon, Councilman Burns, and local businessman Thienes, all of whom are endorsed by the county Republican Party. 

Councilman Andrew Gruel, also endorsed by the county Republican Party, is running a largely parallel campaign to Team HB, saying he doesn’t think voters are still looking for slate candidates but that he still endorses their campaigns. 

They’re also facing a challenge from Burley, who’s been endorsed by the California Republican Party in the race for the 42nd Congressional District, but has not been endorsed by local or state Republicans to run for city council simultaneously.

Candidates Rosalind Price and Amory Hanson are also running for council, but have each disclosed less than $5,000 worth of donations. 

Two of the Surf City Four candidates were leading the pack in fundraising as of their last general disclosures on Sept. 19. 

Spivey had raised the most, with over $92,000 this year and another $10,000 of her own money invested in the race, with most of it coming from local residents, Democratic Party groups and construction union groups. 

Palumbo fundraised around $74,000, largely from similar groups as Spivey, with Davis raising nearly $67,000 this year and Glim fundraising around $57,000 according to disclosures. 

Councilman Gruel disclosed just under $70,000 in fundraising, and this marks his first campaign for office after he was appointed to the dais in 2025. 

McKeon fundraised slightly under $60,000 this year according to disclosures, with Burns disclosing over $46,000 in fundraising along with investing $10,000 of his own money into the race. 

Thienes is almost entirely self funded, having invested $250,000 of his own money into his candidacy along with around $45,000 in donations from mostly local residents. 

McKeon, Burns and Thienes also appear to have partnered up for many of their advertising costs, buying materials from Code Four, the company behind the Pacific Airshow, and Wolffhaus Studios, a company McKeon tried to set up a contract with that was ultimately voted down. 

Burley hasn’t disclosed any fundraising from his city council committee, but has invested $186,000 of his own money into his congressional campaign according to federal disclosures. 

Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org.