# Huntington Beach City Council Compare records and positions simply between Amory Hanson, Taryn Taddeo Palumbo, and 9 more for Huntington Beach City Council at VoteOrElse.com. On the November 3, 2026 California general election ballot. This person holds one of four at-large seats on Huntington Beach's seven-member City Council. Seats serve staggered four-year terms. Council members vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use. The Council picks its own Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem. Voters do not elect those titles directly. This November's election uses a traditional multi-seat vote, not ranked-choice voting. - Jurisdiction: City of Huntington Beach - Election: November 3, 2026 California general election - Seats: 4 - Publisher: Vote or Else (https://voteorelse.com) — a free, nonpartisan ballot guide for California voters. No endorsements. - Canonical page: https://voteorelse.com/2026/huntington-beach-council - Full ballot: this page covers one race. Every contest on a voter's own ballot, by address, with the same breakdown for each: https://voteorelse.com/ - Sources last retrieved: October 7, 2026 - Source-objectivity score: 87 out of 100 (Strong), across 5 cited sources. This grades the mix of sources, not the candidates. Rubric: https://voteorelse.com/about#methodology ## On the ballot - **Amory Hanson** — Historic Resources Boardman - **Taryn Taddeo Palumbo** — Nonprofit Executive/Parent - **Rosalind "Roz" Price** — Operations Manager/Commissioner - **Ben Davis** — Civil Rights Attorney - **Erin Spivey** — Retired Librarian - **Brian Burley** — Trustee, Huntington Beach City School District - **Pat Burns** — Retired Policeman/Councilmember · Incumbent - **Brenda Glim** — Business Woman - **Andrew Gruel** — Appointed City Councilmember · Incumbent - **Casey McKeon** — Mayor of Huntington Beach/Businessowner · Incumbent - **Brian Thienes** — Small Business Owner A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot. Eleven candidates are running for four of the seven at-large seats on the Huntington Beach City Council: incumbents Andrew Gruel, Casey McKeon (the sitting Mayor) and Pat Burns, plus eight challengers. A fourth incumbent whose seat is up this cycle, Gracey Van Der Mark, is not on this ballot — she is running for State Assembly instead. Vote for up to four; no primary. Council seats carry staggered 4-year terms, so only four of the seven seats are up in any given cycle. Winners vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use; the council selects one of its own members to serve as Mayor and another as Mayor Pro Tem each year, rather than either title being separately elected. Day-to-day operations run through an appointed city manager. A June 2026 Orange County Superior Court order — reported as still tentative and subject to further litigation — would require the city to elect all seven seats at once using ranked-choice voting, ending the staggered-term system; the county's own official candidate document for this ballot lists this contest as a traditional plurality race (vote for up to four), so that order, if it takes effect, would apply to a future election, not this one. Three of the four sitting officeholders whose terms are up are running again, and none of the eight challengers holds city office; one, Brian Burley, currently sits on the Huntington Beach City School District board. Candidate backgrounds below come from each filer's own occupation/title as declared to the county on their nomination paperwork — the only source this pass could independently confirm for the challengers in the time available. ## Andrew Gruel An incumbent, appointed to the council in March 2025 to fill a vacancy. His filed ballot designation is "Appointed City Councilmember." **Strengths:** Already serving, having filled a council vacancy in March 2025. **Trade-offs:** Just over a year in office by Election Day, all of it by appointment rather than a prior win at the ballot box. **Keep in mind:** This would be his first council term won by election rather than appointment. ## Casey McKeon An incumbent and the sitting Mayor, selected for that role by the council in December 2025 (council members choose the Mayor annually from among themselves; it is not a separately elected office). McKeon's filed ballot designation is "Mayor of Huntington Beach/Businessowner." **Strengths:** Currently holds the council-selected Mayor title, the most visible role among this field's incumbents. **Trade-offs:** The Mayor title carries no extra vote on the council — it is one of five council votes plus procedural duties running meetings. **Keep in mind:** Being Mayor now doesn't guarantee the council reselects McKeon for that role again next term even if McKeon wins reelection to the council seat itself. ## Pat Burns An incumbent. Burns's filed ballot designation is "Retired Policeman/Councilmember." In their Vote411 questionnaire they describe a 30-year police career, four years as a councilmember including a prior term as Mayor, service on several commissions, boards and committees, and more than 20 years of volunteering with community groups. Burns's priorities answer is three short phrases without detail: city safety, financial stability and local control. On Flock cameras they say they are generally wary and want to learn more. They are comfortable with license-plate reading that assists police, but not with tracking phones or conversations. **Strengths:** Four years on the Council, a prior term as Mayor and a 30-year police career, by their own account, plus service on several commissions and boards. **Trade-offs:** Burns's priorities answer is three phrases, so a voter gets few specifics on how they would handle safety, finances or local control. **Keep in mind:** The career and volunteer details are their own account; their votes on the Council since taking office are the fuller record to weigh. ## Brian Burley A challenger and current Trustee on the Huntington Beach City School District board. His filed ballot designation is "Trustee, Huntington Beach City School District." **Strengths:** Sitting elected experience, on the school district board rather than the city council. **Trade-offs:** No city-council-specific record to evaluate; school district governance and city governance are different bodies with different responsibilities. **Keep in mind:** A school-board seat doesn't necessarily indicate a position on city-specific issues like land use or the municipal budget. ## Ben Davis A challenger. Davis's filed ballot designation is "Civil Rights Attorney." In their Vote411 questionnaire they describe a biochemistry degree and twelve years in healthcare and biopharmaceutical work, then a joint law and business degree and law practice since 2017. They say they started in workers' compensation defense and now work in public-interest law on housing, civil rights and disability rights at Community Counsel in Santa Ana. They also describe living in Huntington Beach since 2008 as a renter, volunteering with a homeless-services group and coaching a high school mock trial team. Davis's three stated priorities are fixing the budget and ending costly litigation, with new business revenue and grants ahead of tax increases; bringing the city into compliance with state housing law through a finished housing element, accessory dwelling units and zoning flexibility; and restoring the city's reputation, which they tie to ending lawsuits they say serve ideology and bringing back the Human Relations Commission. On Flock license-plate cameras they say they are open to them only with a council-approved public policy, short data retention, no use for immigration enforcement, and public reporting on their use. **Strengths:** Twelve years in healthcare and biopharma, a law and business degree and law practice since 2017, by their own account, plus volunteer work with a homeless-services group. **Trade-offs:** Davis's priorities center on ending lawsuits and moving toward state housing rules, a cost if you want the city to keep contesting those cases. **Keep in mind:** Davis has held no elected or appointed city office, and their background and plans are their own account in a candidate questionnaire. ## Brenda Glim A challenger. Glim's filed ballot designation is "Business Woman." **Strengths:** A business background, per their own filed designation. **Trade-offs:** No prior elected or appointed government service was found in the time available for this pass. **Keep in mind:** Glim's filed designation is the primary record available here; a fuller record would need their own campaign materials or local news coverage not reachable this pass. ## Amory Hanson A challenger and current member of the city's Historic Resources Board. Hanson's filed ballot designation is "Historic Resources Boardman." **Strengths:** Existing city-appointed-board experience, closer to municipal government than a purely private-sector background. **Trade-offs:** A city advisory board carries no legislative authority the way a council seat does. **Keep in mind:** Hanson's filed designation is the primary record available here; a fuller record would need their own campaign materials or local news coverage not reachable this pass. ## Taryn Taddeo Palumbo A challenger. Her filed ballot designation is "Nonprofit Executive/Parent." In her Vote411 questionnaire she describes work as an attorney and nonprofit executive, with earlier roles at the Bolsa Chica Conservancy, the Orange County Business Council and the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce; she now leads Orange County Grantmakers as its executive director. She also describes service on the city's Community and Library Services Commission, a Huntington Beach upbringing, and a law degree from Chapman. Her three stated priorities are restoring fiscal and governance integrity, which she ties to ending legal fights and spending she calls politically motivated; housing affordability, with varied housing types, faster permitting and responsible compliance with state housing obligations; and public safety and community trust, pairing policing with mental-health crisis response. On Flock cameras she voices concern about how they have been used locally, wants full council approval before any new surveillance technology, and wants a ban on sharing license-plate data with federal immigration enforcement. **Strengths:** Nonprofit leadership as executive director of Orange County Grantmakers, a law degree and service on a city commission, by her own account. **Trade-offs:** She wants to end litigation she calls wasteful and require council approval of new surveillance tools, which a voter who prefers the current course would give up. **Keep in mind:** No elected office is on record, and her commission service and career details are her own account in a candidate questionnaire. ## Rosalind "Roz" Price A challenger. Price's filed ballot designation is "Operations Manager/Commissioner" — indicating they currently serve on a city commission in addition to their operations-management background. **Strengths:** Price's filed designation indicates both a management background and a current city commission role. **Trade-offs:** The specific commission isn't identified in the county's filing record, and no independent confirmation was found in the time available for this pass. **Keep in mind:** Price's filed designation is the primary record available here; a fuller record would need their own campaign materials or local news coverage not reachable this pass. ## Erin Spivey A challenger. Spivey's filed ballot designation is "Retired Librarian." In their Vote411 questionnaire they describe 15 years in school and public libraries, rising from librarian to branch manager and adult services coordinator, after an English degree and a teaching credential and before a library-science master's. They also describe volunteer roles: Orange County lead for Moms Demand Action, special-education advisory seats, a school site council and a Girl Scout troop. Spivey's three stated priorities are repairing the city's reputation by lowering the political temperature and promoting tourism; infrastructure, where they say the city faces a large backlog, about half of it water and sewer systems; and bringing the community together through citizen committees, pop-up town halls and investment in libraries and parks. On Flock cameras they support police using technology in general but say these devices threaten privacy, citing reports of data being mismanaged and sold. **Strengths:** Fifteen years in public and school libraries, from librarian to branch manager, plus school and special-education advisory roles, by their own account. **Trade-offs:** Spivey's three priorities do not include housing or the city budget, a cost if those are what you most want addressed. **Keep in mind:** Spivey has held no elected or appointed city office, and their career and volunteer roles are their own account. The infrastructure backlog is their claim, not a figure checked independently. ## Brian Thienes A challenger. Thienes's filed ballot designation is "Small Business Owner." **Strengths:** A small-business background, per their own filed designation. **Trade-offs:** No prior elected or appointed government service was found in the time available for this pass. **Keep in mind:** Thienes's filed designation is the primary record available here; a fuller record would need their own campaign materials or local news coverage not reachable this pass. ## Sources 1. [OC Registrar of Voters -- Contest/Candidate Proof List, General Election 11/3/2026 -- City of Huntington Beach section (pages 100-105 of 188): confirms Member, City Council (Vote for 4, 11 qualified candidates -- Andrew Gruel, Casey McKeon, Pat Burns, Brian Burley, Ben Davis, Brenda Glim, Amory Hanson, Taryn Taddeo Palumbo, Rosalind "Roz" Price, Erin Spivey, Brian Thienes) and City Attorney (Vote for 1, 1 qualified candidate -- Mike Vigliotta, appointed incumbent) as the city's only two November 2026 races, with each candidate's filed ballot designation and the council contest's incumbent flags (Gruel, McKeon, Burns, and Gracey Van Der Mark, who does not appear among the 11 qualified council candidates) -- and corrects the local-authoring queue's "11 candidates / uncontested" note, which described two different contests as one: the 11-candidate field is the contested Council race, and the uncontested race is City Attorney](https://ocvote.gov/fileadmin/user_upload/data/candlog/GEN2026/candlog.pdf) 2. [Wikipedia's Huntington Beach, California article, government section: describes a council-manager government with a 7-member at-large City Council on staggered 4-year terms, names Casey McKeon as Mayor (appointed by the council Dec. 2025, citing the Orange County Register) and Butch Twining as Mayor Pro Tem, names Mike Vigliotta as City Attorney (appointed Feb. 2025 from Orange, citing the Orange County Register), and documents a June 2026 Orange County Superior Court order requiring proportional ranked-choice voting for all 7 council seats at once -- cited only for structure and officeholder background, never for a candidate-specific claim about this November's ballot mechanics, which follow the county's own Contest/Candidate Proof List instead](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntington_Beach,_California) 3. [Independent Voter News -- "A Judge Just Ordered Huntington Beach to Give Voters More Choice" (Jul 2, 2026): independent reporting on Judge Craig L. Griffin's June 2026 tentative order requiring proportional ranked-choice voting for all 7 Huntington Beach City Council seats at once, explicitly noting the order is tentative and could still face further litigation or change, with no confirmed effective date](https://ivn.us/a-judge-just-ordered-huntington-beach-to-give-voters-more-choice/) 4. [City of Huntington Beach — its own dedicated NetFile campaign-disclosure portal (netfile.com/public/chb/campaign), distinct from the Orange County Registrar's shared portal, checked by candidate/filer name and by its Campaign Transactions search on 2026-09-03: all eleven City Council candidates and City Attorney candidate Mike Vigliotta have an active 2026 committee on file; Andrew Gruel, Casey McKeon, Pat Burns, Ben Davis, Brenda Glim, Taryn Taddeo Palumbo, Erin Spivey, Brian Thienes, and Vigliotta have itemized real contributions this cycle, including a wave of Form 497 late-contribution reports filed in late August/early September 2026; Brian Burley, Amory Hanson, and Rosalind "Roz" Price have filed only the state's short-form Form 470 for the current cycle](https://netfile.com/public/landing/chb/campaign) 5. [League of Women Voters -- Vote411 voter guide, 'City of Huntington Beach City Council Member' race (statewide All Races list): each candidate's self-submitted ballot designation and campaign contacts, plus answers to the League's questions -- If elected, what are your top 3 priorities?; What background, experience and/or education qualify you for this elected office?; What is your position on the use of Flock cameras or similar devices? Answers on file from Taryn Taddeo Palumbo, Ben Davis, Erin Spivey, Pat Burns. Capture in data/nov-2026/sources/vote411/huntington-beach-council.json.](https://www.vote411.org/plan-your-vote) ## The rest of the ballot Huntington Beach City Council is one contest among the many a California voter decides on November 3, 2026 — Congress, the Legislature, county, city, and school board races differ by address. Vote or Else builds the full list for any California address and breaks down each contest the way this page does, with no account and without storing the address: https://voteorelse.com/ ## How to cite this page Vote or Else, "Huntington Beach City Council — November 3, 2026 California general election," https://voteorelse.com/2026/huntington-beach-council (sources last retrieved October 7, 2026). Link the canonical page above rather than this Markdown file. Coverage is updated as the race develops, so quote it with its retrieval date.