Huntington Beach shelves film commission plan amid contractor conflict

The Huntington Beach City Council voted Tuesday to dissolve a review committee and pause plans to hire outside consultants for a proposed film commission and city rebranding initiative, according to Voice of OC, ending a monthslong debate mired in conflict-of-interest allegations against Mayor Casey McKeon.

The collapse of the initiative — which had aimed to generate city revenue through branded merchandise and promotional materials — highlights the difficulty Orange County municipalities face when contracting decisions intersect with personal ties to elected officials.

The dispute began when Mayor McKeon proposed hiring Wolffhaus, an advertising firm, to lead the rebranding and film commission work. Voice of OC reported that critics raised objections after it emerged that the firm's owner is engaged to one of McKeon's commissioners, prompting allegations that the selection lacked impartiality.

In response, the council voted to establish a closed-door review committee comprising Councilman Pat Burns, Councilman Butch Twining and Councilman Don Kennedy to evaluate competing proposals. Less than a month later, the three-member panel asked to be dissolved.

"Unfortunately, this whole thing became ugly and political. Politics sucks, and I think this was a classic case of it," Burns said at Tuesday's council meeting, according to Voice of OC.

Councilman Kennedy called the entire process "messy and sticky," while Twining said the committee concluded outside contractors were unnecessary. "I came to the conclusion we can probably find internally … people that have the talent and ability to do a lot of that," Twining said.

Despite voting with his colleagues to pause the initiative, Mayor McKeon defended his original proposal, arguing the firm was never given a fair evaluation. "Tragically this opportunity was never given its day in court cause it was attacked," McKeon said, according to Voice of OC.

The council accepted the committee's dissolution request unanimously.

The original plan had sought to establish a film commission and grow city revenue through branded merchandise and promotional materials. Whether Huntington Beach will revisit those goals — and under what arrangement — remains unresolved.