Huntington Beach, CA-Great news! Our board and district staff are exploring innovative ways to address two major challenges facing our community: declining student enrollment and the increasing difficulty for working families and public employees to afford housing in the outrageously expensive City of Huntington Beach. After receiving 25 proposals from developers through the RFP process, OVSD is evaluating workforce housing opportunities at the former Pleasant View and Sun View school sites. These properties are no longer needed for school operations, and we believe they can be reimagined to serve our community while remaining public assets. The school sites will NOT be sold. Our vision is not simply to build housing. We are committed to preserving significant open green space, protecting opportunities for youth sports, reducing blight and vandalism at vacant properties, and generating revenue that will help support public education. The proposed housing would prioritize school employees, teachers, police officers, firefighters, and other public servants who struggle to live in the communities they serve. Developers, not taxpayers or the school district, would bear the cost of construction. With enrollment declining by nearly 2,000 students over the past decade and only 13 of our 25 properties currently operating as school sites, it is our responsibility to thoughtfully steward public land for the benefit of current and future generations. Our board remains committed to preserving community open space while creating opportunities that strengthen our schools, support our workforce, and help keep Huntington Beach a place where working families can continue to call home. Thank you to board subcommittee members Vice President Patricia Singer and former board clerk Jack Souders for doing all the heavy lifting on this process to bring these ideas to the entire board as a whole. Thank you to Los Times, Daily Pilot, reporter Matt Szabo for summarizing our last Tuesday’s board item so well. The entire article can be read online at the ‪@Thedailypilot‬ or ‪@latimes‬ .

Huntington Beach, CA-Shame on them! Shame on the Huntington Beach City Council for choosing an operator of a semi nude bar over elementary school children. Four of the five members of the Huntington Beach City Council voted to support granting Distractions Lounge a full liquor license just 560 feet from Westmont Elementary School. Only council members Williams and Gruel voted to protect and defend the safety of the school children. Despite testimony from community members, school advocates, and neighbors, public safety concerns were ignored. The council majority of Burns, Kennedy, McKeon, and Twining sided with the poorly run business. As Ocean View School District president, I stated, Westmont Elementary is already uniquely impacted by multiple nearby bars. Yet the council voted to make that situation worse. According to testimony presented during the appeal, Distractions Lounge has been associated with calls for public drunkenness, assaults, DUIs, weapons incidents, drinking spiking, and multiple rapes. Neighbors and community members raised concerns about police activity, and disturbances. Trustees Keri Gorsage and I spoke in support of the appeal and urged the council to put students, families, and public safety first. We asked a simple question, has the applicant demonstrated that expanding this liquor license will improve conditions in the area? The answer presented by opponents was clearly no. Instead of acknowledging the legitimate concerns raised about placing expanded alcohol sales so close to an elementary school, Council Members Kennedy and Twining downplayed the potential dangers to children and the surrounding community. The City’s responsibility is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of residents. Children, families, and neighborhood quality of life should come before the desire to sell more alcohol. Shame on every council member who voted for this expansion and ignored the concerns of parents, residents, and school leaders. Huntington Beach families deserve better. VOTE THEM OUT THIS NOVEMBER!

Huington Beach, CA-Vote Senator Ben Allen for California Insurance Commissioner. He’s not taken a penny from insurance companies corporate special interests. When powerful corporations meddle in elections, citizens lose. Thank goodness Ben is for the people. Vote Ben Allen now and until Tuesday, June 2, 2026!

Huntington Beach, CA-As the Ocean View School District Board of Trustees looks toward the future, we remain committed to two important priorities: valuing the employees who serve our students every day and responsibly preserving public land for our community. In the coming months, the District will review the results of an RFP exploring the potential development of two former school sites: Sun View and Pleasant View into workforce housing, helping support the employees who make our schools strong. Just as important, any future vision must also protect precious open green space for community use and neighborhood quality of life. Strong schools require both strong employees and thoughtful stewardship of public resources. Listen in to hear my trustee comments on the matter and stay tuned for more from OVSD.