The Huntington Beach City Council has approved plans to install a commemorative plaque at its library with an ode to President Donald Trump, approving a slightly modified design and spending an additional $1,000 for security.
On Tuesday night, the City Council voted unanimously to install the plaque at its Central Library on Talbert Avenue in celebration of the library system’s 50th anniversary.
The original plaque features an eagle carrying two American flags, the names of the current City Council and other city leaders, as well as an original slogan meant to reference Trump.
Written in the form of an acrostic, the plaque featured the stacked words: Magical, Alluring, Galvanizing, Adventurous — MAGA. The design was approved last week by a city commission who confirmed that the acronym was deliberately chosen to represent “Make America Great Again,” the slogan used by Trump and adopted by the Republican party.
Utilizing the 50th anniversary celebration as a way to honor Trump has drawn ire from many Huntington Beach residents, including former NFL player Chris Kluwe, who have opposed the plaque throughout the process, first attending the Community and Library Services Commission last week, and again Tuesday night during the Council’s regularly scheduled meeting.
Some attendees likened the plaque to political propaganda, while others simply called it tacky. Dozens of emails were also sent to the Council to urge them to drop the plaque design in favor of something less divisive.
“While celebrating the legacy of this vital institution is worthwhile, the wording contained on this plaque does not honor the library’s contributions; instead, it serves as a poorly disguised political statement,” one opposition email reads. “This is inappropriate and an irresponsible use of public resources at a time when our city faces massive budget cuts and a severe deficit crisis.”
“I find it incredibly disrespectful that the city council is attempting to memorialize a political agenda into our library through incorporating a MAGA acronym in the plaque. As a nonpartisan council, it is unacceptable to politicize this public space, especially considering the hypocrisy of the message,” reads another.
Despite opposition, the Council moved forward with its plans to install the plaque as part of the anniversary celebration, this time with a modified design.
The modified plaque moved the MAGA acronym lower and added an additional slogan: “Through hope and change our nation has built back better to the golden era of Making America Great Again!“
“Hope and Change” and “Build Back Better” were slogans used by former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, respectively.
The modified plaque design, which was presented by Councilmember Gracey Van Der Mark, will be installed outside the Central Library at a later date.
The original $7,000 price tag has also now risen to approximately $8,000 after the Council decided to add a flood light to illuminate the plaque out of fear of vandalism. Officials said the plaque will be paid for by private donations.
The MAGA-inspired plaque is the latest instance of the Huntington Beach City Council having a complicated — arguably adversarial — relationship with its library system.
Last year, the council considered outsourcing library operations to a third-party company.
In 2023, the city mandated that librarians review children’s books and relocate those containing “sexually explicit” material. Reporting from LAist found that most of the flagged books focused on health, the human body and puberty.
Voters will likely decide whether to repeal that review process in a future election, as well as limit the city’s ability to outsource library operations, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The Wall Street Journal has described Huntington Beach as having “America’s Trumpiest” City Council. In December, after new council members were sworn in, bringing the council to a fully conservative, seven-member unanimity, all council members posed for photos wearing MAGA-inspired red hats emblazoned with “Make Huntington Beach Great Again.”
Councilman Butch Twining celebrated the unanimous passing of the revised plaque design, posting on social media, “Last night the Huntington Beach City Council voted 7-0 to approve this 50 Year Anniversary Commemorative Plaque (read bottom part). The Left went insane!”
