Public commenters urge Huntington Beach council not to appeal judge’s RCV order

Dozens of residents addressed the Huntington Beach City Council during public comment on July 7, urging elected officials not to appeal a June 24 court order that found the city’s at‑large elections violated the California Voting Rights Act and directed a change to proportional ranked‑choice voting.

Keenan Durham, representing Pride at the Pier, told the council the ruling offers a fair remedy and warned that an appeal would be a “costly mistake” that would drain city funds on litigation. “An appeal would almost certainly fail, spending a significant portion of our city's budget on lawyers just to cause a simple delay,” Durham said, urging the city to accept the judge’s ordered transition to non‑staggered proportional RCV.

Election administrator Josh Daniels, who said he administered ranked‑choice elections in Utah and used similar tabulation software, told the council that implementation is manageable and that voter polling in his experience showed strong acceptance. “Voters found it easy to use,” Daniels said, noting that his county used the same tabulation software as Orange County and had a follow‑up poll where more than 80% of respondents reported they liked the ranked process.

Arash Sayari, an organizer with the California Ranked Choice Voting Institute, urged the city to work with experts on implementation and to avoid an appeal. He described proportional RCV as a remedy that can allow plurality blocks to elect proportional representation and said the institute and partners would provide assistance with the Orange County Registrar of Voters and the city clerk’s office.

City officials did not take a formal vote on an appeal during open session. The city attorney reported that the city has a tentative order and 15 days to file objections; once a final order is received, the council will discuss options, including appeal, in closed session. Multiple speakers urged the council to conserve city resources and proceed with implementation instead of litigation.

What happens next: the city waits for a final court order and will consider legal options in closed session; public commenters urged using implementation resources offered by nonprofits and election experts rather than pursuing appeal.