Huntington Beach City Council declines to support a group determined to unseat president.
By ANNIE BURRIS | The Orange County Register

HUNTINGTON BEACH – For the past two months, a team of anti-Bush activists has targeted City Hall.

Members of Huntington Beach Impeach can be seen every other Monday, rallying on Main Street and Yorktown Avenue and then getting in line to speak at that night’s City Council meeting.

Their cause: to add Surf City to a list of 87 cities nationwide that endorse the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. No cities in Orange County have signed an impeachment resolution despite similar efforts by other activists throughout the county, in Anaheim, Irvine, Laguna Beach and Santa Ana.

“Huntington Beach is the symbol of the heartland of conservatism, and so to have a message come from Huntington Beach, in the heart of Orange County, would be very symbolic and a strong message to the rest of the county,” said resident and activist Karen Riggs.

Council members finally talked back at the Sept. 17 meeting after 24 speakers had their say.

Councilman Don Hansen asked if any council members were interested in putting the item on a future agenda. No one responded.

Councilman Keith Bohr said the council should be nonpartisan, and to put the item on the agenda would be counterproductive.

But he added, “I salute you all for exercising your First Amendment rights.”

Leaders of the Huntington Beach group say they will continue to rally at council meetings – including Monday’s – as long as it takes for the council to support the impeachment or until Bush leaves office.

On Sept. 4, 2003, the Santa Cruz City Council became the first local government in the country to ask Congress to impeach President Bush. Since then, 86 other cities, including Arcata, Berkeley and San Francisco in Northern California, have also passed resolutions for impeachment.

The next council meeting is at 6 p.m. Monday at City Hall, 2000 Main Street. For more information on local impeachment efforts, go to www.ocimpeachmentsite.org.