Huntington Beach likely to appoint new City Council member Tuesday

The Huntington Beach City Council is expected to appoint a new member to fill Tony Strickland’s now-vacant position during Tuesday night’s meeting.

Strickland resigned his council seat, which runs through 2026, after winning the special election to represent state Senate District 36.

The council has the power to appoint a replacement, per the city charter. If it does not do so within 60 days, a special election must be held to find someone to fill the rest of the term. According to the meeting’s agenda, the person appointed Tuesday night will be sworn in immediately.

The current all-conservative council has met with city manager Travis Hopkins to give suggestions on Strickland’s replacement, according to the agenda item submitted by Hopkins. Three have been suggested — Valentina Bankhead, Ken Babineau and Andrew Gruel — though others may also be recommended.

Bankhead is a regular at city council meetings. Babineau was recently appointed to the Huntington Beach Planning Commission by council member Butch Twining, while Gruel is a celebrity chef who owns a local restaurant and sometimes appears on Fox News.

The last time Huntington Beach had a vacancy was when former Mayor Pro Tem Tito Ortiz resigned in 2021. At the time, conservatives called for that council to either hold a special election or give the seat to Gracey Van Der Mark, the first runner-up in the 2020 election.

Instead, after interviewing dozens of interested residents, the council appointed Rhonda Bolton to fill the seat.

The Huntington Beach City Council meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 16 in Council Chambers at City Hall, 2000 Main St.