Huntington Beach’s approval of a three-year police labor agreement has brought two separate records into focus: campaign filings showing maximum contributions from the police union to two council members, and city warnings that the agreement will add millions of dollars in compensation costs while reserves are already being used to balance the budget.
The Huntington Beach Police Officer Assn. gave $5,900 each to Council Members Andrew Gruel and Gracey Van Der Mark, according to election records reported by the Los Angeles Times. Gruel received his contribution July 21 and reported it Aug. 19; Van Der Mark’s campaign reported its contribution Aug. 31. Both council members later voted for the contract, which passed 4-3 on Sept. 1.
What the council approved
The memorandum of understanding covers about 259 rank-and-file officers and provides an 8% increase retroactive to July 1, 2026, followed by 4% in 2027 and 5% in 2028—17% in total, according to the Orange County Tribune. The city estimates the additional compensation will cost roughly $9.8 million to $10 million through June 2029.
The vote divided the council along fiscal lines. Don Kennedy, Casey McKeon and Pat Burns opposed the agreement, while Gruel, Van Der Mark, Butch Twining and Chad Williams supported it. The Tribune reported that the city was facing a projected $15.6 million structural deficit, had already drawn $15 million from reserves to balance its broader 2026 budget and would need another $2.7 million from reserves for the police agreement…