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State officials repeat call for court to quash HB voter ID law
NO. 223
VOL. 16,
Real ID era begins; travelers urged to arrive early for airport security By City News Service
By Joe Taglieri joet@beaconmedianews.com
C
alifornia Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber on Wednesday appealed an Orange County Superior Court ruling that upheld Huntington Beach’s voter-approved voter ID law. In March 2024, 53% of Huntington Beach voters approved Measure A. The ballot initiative amended the city’s charter to allow city officials to verify voters’ identities before granting access to polling places. According to Bonta and Weber’s appeal to the state’s 4th District Court of Appeals in Santa Ana, “With scant analysis, the lower court — the Orange County Superior Court — denied on April 7 the state’s petition for writ of mandate, which asserted that state law prohibits and overrides Measure A.” The lower court held that the voter ID verification could be imposed because conflicting state law does not indicate “matters of statewide concern.” In a statement following the appeal’s filing Wednesday, Bonta said, “Our elections are already secure, and applicants who register to vote in California are already required to verify their identity during the registration process and at the polls. We remain confident that Measure A will ultimately be struck down, especially
| Image courtesy of Assemblyman Mike Fong’s office
T Orange County election workers prepare ballots Thursday for special elections in Huntington Beach and the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. | Photo courtesy of the Orange County Registrar of Voters/Facebook
because the appellate court previously expressed reservations about Huntington Beach’s argument that it can regulate its elections without any state interference.” This is the latest appeal in an ongoing legal battle between the city and state. Bonta and Weber first appealed to the 4th District Court on Feb. 13. A week later, a three-judge panel of the appellate court issued a unanimous order stating the lower court’s “conclusion that this matter is not ripe for decision is problematic” and the city’s argument that “it had a constitutional right to regulate its own munici-
pal elections free from state interference ... is also problematic.” The appellate court also directed the lower court to rule on whether it would modify earlier orders granting the city’s motion to dismiss the case. On Feb. 27, the Orange County Superior Court vacated the earlier orders and concluded that “there is a ripe justiciable controversy” and set an April 3 hearing on the State’s request that the court invalidate the voter ID law. The Huntington Beach City Council, which voted See HB voter ID Page 27
to place Measure A on the ballot, was also divided on the voter ID issue. Mayor Tony Strickland and Mayor Pro Tem Gracie Van Der Mark were in favor of the measure, while council members Rhonda Bolton, Dan Kalmick and Natalie Moser were against it, according to the Orange County Registrar of Voters. “The city’s unapologetic efforts to impose voter identification requirements in its local elections clearly violate state law,” Weber said in a statement. “It is an unfortunate continuation of a long line of voter suppres-
he long-awaited Real ID requirement took effect at airports across the country Wednesday, but while authorities urged passengers to anticipate some security-screening delays and arrive early for their flights, there were no reports of any excessively long lines or impacts at Los Angeles International Airport. Jason Pantages, the Transportation Security Administration federal security director at LAX, told reporters Wednesday morning there had been “no operational impacts” at the airport caused by the requirement being implemented. “No excessive wait times,” Pantages said. “We’re continuing to educate the public that moving forward if you’re going to travel on an aircraft throughout the United States, you have to have Real ID-compliant identification. And if you do not have Real ID-compliant identification, you may be
subject to additional screening measures. We’ll ask that you get to the airport a little bit early so that you’re not delayed to much on your travel out. “This isn’t something new. Today is the drop-dead date that we’re starting to enforce that.” As of Wednesday morning, passengers were required to present a Real ID or other acceptable form of identification to board a flight. The requirement was initially approved in 2005 as part of the response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, but its implementation was repeatedly delayed from the original 2008 deadline. To determine if a California driver’s license is Real ID-compliant, travelers are advised to look for a golden bear with a star in the top right corner. Those who aren’t sure can check with the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
See Real ID Page 27
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