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Movement to impeach Bush reaches City Hall

By Annie Burris / Orange County Register

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA -- City Council responded to efforts by a team of anti-Bush grassroots activists for the first time in two months – but only to say they are not interested.

The members of Huntington Beach Impeach can be seen every other Monday, first rallying on Main Street and Yorktown Avenue and then speaking to City Council during its meeting.

Their cause: to add Huntington to a list of 87 cities nationwide that endorses impeaching President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

During a Sept. 17 meeting, Councilman Don Hansen was the first council member to respond to the 24 speakers who spoke that night to request impeachment.

He asked if any council members were interested in putting the item on a future agenda and no members responded.

"You (the council) are listening to us, but what I haven't heard from anybody is why won't you put this on the agenda," said public speaker Tom Lash.

Councilman Keith Bohr said that the council should be non-partisan and to put the item on the agenda would be counter-productive.

But he added, "I salute you all for exercising your First Amendment rights."

The answer was not sufficient because as local politics changes, so will national politics, Lash said.

"Huntington Beach is the symbol of the heartland of conservatism, and so to have a message come from Huntington Beach, in the heart of Orange County, would be very symbolic and a strong message to the rest of the county," said resident and activist Karen Riggs.

No cities in Orange County have signed an impeachment resolution despite similar efforts by activists throughout the county including Anaheim, Irvine, Laguna Beach and Santa Ana.

Leaders of the Huntington Beach activists said they will continue to rally at council meetings as long as it takes for the council to support impeaching President Bush or until Bush leaves office.

On Sept. 4, 2003, Santa Cruz City Council became the first local government in the country to ask Congress to impeach President Bush. Since then, 87 other cities, including Arcata, Berkeley and San Francisco in Northern California, have also passed resolutions for impeachment.

The next council meeting is at 6 p.m. Oct. 1 at City Hall, 2000 Main St.