State fines 5 Huntington Beach officials for hiding airshow tickets

California ethics regulators fined five Huntington Beach elected officials, including Mayor Casey McKeon, for failing to disclose free tickets they received to the 2022 Pacific Airshow, Voice of OC reported Monday.

The fines come as state auditors examine whether the same officials who accepted the tickets also awarded the airshow operator a lucrative 25-year city contract — raising conflict-of-interest questions in Orange County's largest coastal city.

The Fair Political Practices Commission issued fines ranging from $100 to $700. McKeon and Councilmember Pat Burns each received the largest penalty at $700. Former City Attorney Michael Gates and former Councilman Erik Peterson were each fined $600. Councilmember Gracey Van Der Mark received the smallest fine at $100, according to Voice of OC.

McKeon disputed the enforcement in a Monday interview. "It's just fluid. You're there meeting people, walking in and out. You meet sponsors, meet delegations, other elected officials here and there. This is standard procedure … I don't know why we were singled out," McKeon said. Gates, who is running for state attorney general, also contested his citation. "It's a little unfair to say you have to disclose an amount when there is no amount," Gates said.

Four of the five fined officials are currently seeking elected office. McKeon and Burns are running for city council, Van Der Mark is a candidate for state Assembly, and Gates is running for state attorney general, Voice of OC reported. Peterson is not currently a candidate.

The enforcement comes as a state audit examines the city's broader financial relationship with the airshow operator. Voice of OC reported the same five officials campaigned on saving the Pacific Airshow in 2022 — and their campaign materials were produced by Code Four, the airshow's operating company. At an August 2024 council meeting, McKeon assured residents: "We do not have a long term contract with the airshow. A long term contract for the airshow would have to be brought back to council, negotiated, costed, reviewed, presented to the public so the public can review, scrutinize, provide comments before a contract can be approved," McKeon said at the time.

A 25-year deal was nonetheless approved by the council that September. At that meeting, McKeon pressed colleagues to act quickly. "You can't go and like renegotiate on the fly. If we don't pass this tonight, he could enforce the previous settlement contract," McKeon said. A prior settlement had included a maximum payout of $7 million to the airshow operator, connected to an oil spill that forced an earlier event to close.

The FPPC findings add to mounting scrutiny over the Pacific Airshow's financial and political ties to Huntington Beach city leadership. With four of the five sanctioned officials on the ballot this election cycle — running for seats from city council to state attorney general — the ethics citations now enter the campaign conversation.