Garofalo supporters speak out

Theresa Moreau

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Supporters of the city’s mayor made themselves

known last week at a City Council meeting, standing behind a man who has

recently been under fire from residents, anonymous posters and the press

for alleged conflicts of interest.

Five people spoke in support of Mayor Dave Garofalo during public

comments -- some friends, others merely interested residents -- saying

the mayor, who is facing allegations that he violated state political

reform laws by voting on advertisers in his various publications, is a

decent person.

Planning Commissioner Fred Speaker, a Garofalo appointee, pledged his

support to his friend of 30 years.

“He is being unjustly accused of many things,” Speaker said. “All he’s

trying to do is serve his community to the best of his ability. Does he

make mistakes? Of course he does, but who among you does not? He serves

because he truly wants to help, not for personal gain.”

Virginia Sims, who has publicly supported the mayor in the past,

pleaded for the public to love one another.

“This is still a free country, isn’t it?” Sims asked. “I’m afraid for

Huntington Beach. I really am. If you’re in favor of the mayor, something

mean will be said about you. Something unfavorable.

“It’s still like World War II and the Nazis. People couldn’t talk.

They were afraid. I am not.”

Bob Hoxsie said he supports the mayor and described his experience as

he marched in the Fourth of July parade.

“We started noticing posters of Mayor Garofalo behind bars, and I was

really upset when I noticed the HBPD logo was on it -- that it was

printed by the Huntington Beach Police Department,” Hoxsie said.

Huntington Beach Police Sgt. Janet Perez said the department had

nothing to do with the printing or posting of the flier.

“There’s certainly no authorized use there. I haven’t seen that

poster, but whatever they put on that poster was not something sanctioned

by the Police Department,” Perez said.

The unfavorable and unflattering posters of Garofalo appeared on the

doors of portable restrooms along Main Street during the 96th annual

Huntington Beach Fourth of July Parade.

The fliers, which contained at intervals incomprehensible ramblings,

depicted the mayor as a criminal wanted by police in connection with

conflict of interest violations.

Lt. Chuck Thomas, a spokesman for the Huntington Beach Police

Department, said the department doesn’t know who posted the signs. The

posters did not violate any laws, he added.

Other signs also popped up over the holiday. White boards about 2 feet

by 2 feet had large black letters that read: “GROG: Get Rid of Garofalo.”

They were posted around the blocks of Talbert Avenue and Newland Street.

Garofalo, at the council meeting, responded to multiple public

requests that he step down from his seat by saying that he will not

resign.

“What my reaction would be to resigning or stepping down -- that’s

absurd and ludicrous,” he said.

The mayor, who was advised against voting on certain issues until he

is cleared by the Fair Political Practices Commission, said he will vote

on every issue that he can, based on the advice of City Atty. Gail

Hutton.

Hutton is forwarding a packet to the Fair Political Practices

Commission, asking them to look into conflict of interest allegations

stemming from the mayor’s involvement with the Huntington Beach

Conference and Visitor’s Bureau visitors guide and the Local News.

Until the findings come back, she has told Garofalo to refrain from

voting on any items that might involve past advertisers in both products.

Garofalo is the publisher of the Local News and the city-sponsored

Huntington Beach Conference & Visitor’s Bureau visitors guide. Garofalo

has held the contract to publish the visitors guide since 1993, two years

before he took a seat on the City Council. During his tenure on the

council, Garofalo has voted more than 87 times on matters involving

advertisers in the visitors guide. Those advertisers include such

heavyweights as:

* the Waterfront Hilton Beach Resort hotel;

* Hearthside Homes, formerly Koll Real Estate Group;

* Huntington Seacliff;

* Seacliff Village;

* Commercial Investment Management Group, which has proposed a hotel,

retail and restaurant project Downtown.

Garofalo has said he sold the Local News in 1997 to Huntington

Beach-based Coatings Resource Co., owned by former Planning Commissioner

Ed Laird. But county records show conflicting information.

Paperwork filed with the county doesn’t reflect a change of ownership

until January 1999, at which time the owner is named as Air Quality

Consultants, a company headed by Laird’s son, Jeff Laird. And papers

filed with the county in April name Garofalo as the owner since 1993.

Sitting behind his desk at Coatings Resource, Ed Laird backed up

Garofalo’s story about the ownership of the Local News.

“I did initially [own it] a few years back through one of my

companies, but then I transferred it to my son’s company [Air Quality

Consultants], my engineering company that my son now runs and owns,”

Laird said.

When asked for proof of the sale, Laird refused to present or show any

documentation.

“I’ll show it to the FPPC,” Laird said. “This is a private business,

and it’s a private business deal, and it doesn’t have to come under

scrutiny of your newspaper or anybody in Huntington Beach.”