Stay up to date with LAist.
If you liked this article, you’ll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Start your morning in under 3 minutes with the 5 most pressing news stories every weekday.
A local political mogul has a street named after him in Huntington Beach. These are the same people whose political careers have been enriched by his tens of thousands of dollars in donations. Winner Ed Laird was celebrated at a ceremony in front of his business, Laird Coatings, last Friday, with campaign signs for the many beneficiaries on either side of the podium.
Commerce Lane, a block-long street in the beach town’s industrial area, is now also Honorary Laird Lane.
The ceremony was staffed by the city and featured a who’s who of conservative Orange County politics, including U.S. Rep. Michelle Steele and state Rep. Diane Dixon, both of whom are seeking re-election. Mr. Laird has donated at least $5,500 to Mr. Dixon’s campaign and at least $3,300 to Mr. Steele’s current campaign during this election cycle, according to state and federal campaign finance data.
The Huntington Beach City Council’s conservative bloc (4 of 7 members) all took to the stage, including Councilman Tony Strickland, a former state senator who is running again for the state Senate in 2026. Members of Congress were also included. Mr. Laird donated $5,500 to Mr. Strickland’s campaign in June. So are the campaigns for all four City Council members in 2022, records show.
Former Huntington Beach Congresswoman Dana Rohrabacher arrived from her home in Maine armed with a guitar and a song she had written. Rohrabacher represented the Coastal North OC for 30 years before being re-elected as a Democrat in 2018.
“May God bless people like Ed Laird who built this great country,” he strummed, “and may God bless our right to speak and pray.” “To.”
Former Huntington Beach Rep. Dana Rohrabacher returned to the city last week to sing at a street naming ceremony for Republican donor Ed Laird. pic.twitter.com/jGPmtn9wBq
— Jill Ripplegle (@jillrep) October 17, 2024
Huntington Beach City Councilman Dan Kalmick (D) called the event “an unfortunate use of taxpayer resources.”
award winner
Laird’s nearly 50-year-old family business, Laird Coatings, manufactures specialty paints and coatings for the aviation and plastics industries. He recently handed over the reins of the company to one of his sons. Laird said in a video last year that the company does about $30 million a year in business and has 50 employees.
Laird has been involved in civic activities and local nonprofit organizations for decades, including as director of the local Boy Scouts of America chapter (a scout camp in Irvine is named after him) and on the board of the Bolsa Chica Conservancy. I have been active in Environmental organization. The list of awards he has amassed over the years is long, including recognition from the American Cancer Society, Kiwanis, and the Lincoln Club, California’s powerful conservative endowment group.
At the ceremony, City Councilman Strickland said Mr. Laird was “the Bob Hope of Huntington Beach. He never says no to philanthropy.” City Councilor Casey McKeon described him as “very kind, very generous, very caring about his time, his resources, his investment in the community through his business.”
In addition to his philanthropy, Mr. Laird has been involved in conservative politics for decades, donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to local, state and federal candidates and causes. Mr McKeon said when he started getting involved in local politics he was told Mr Laird was a “kingmaker”.
Asked later if she thought the term “kingmaker” was accurate, Laird told LAist: “I think it’s overkill. I just like to support good people, I like to support conservative people. “I’m just doing it,” he said.
Nevertheless, many of the speakers at the street naming ceremony expressed their gratitude to Laird for launching their political careers. Mayor Gracie van der Mark appeared on the verge of tears as she talked about how Laird had promised to be there for her during a tough time on the campaign trail.
“His words of support were all I needed to keep this fight going, and now I stand here as the mayor of Huntington Beach,” Van der Mark said.
Mr. Laird contributed at least $5,500 to Mr. van der Mark’s 2022 city council campaign and 2018 school board campaign, according to campaign finance records.
Mr. Laird also appears to be deeply involved in city politics. Speaking at the street naming event, Laird said he was “in the middle of” negotiations with City Attorney Michael Gates and Kevin Elliott, the organizer of the city’s annual air show, which were controversial. The agreement ended with a peace of mind. The city agreed to pay Elliott’s company up to $7 million.
“I was sitting in my driveway and my wife thought I was coming home for dinner,” Laird told the crowd of nearly 100 people. “And for four hours I talked between Michael and Kevin and a fair deal was made,” the city said. ”
Ed Laird receives a hug from MP Michelle Steele at a prestigious street naming event.
Laird and the local PAC
The amount of money Mr. Laird has poured into political action committees (PACs) over the years has far exceeded his individual donations. Unlike direct contributions to candidates, which have restrictions, PACs can independently spend as much as they want to support or oppose voting systems or candidates.
Laird is a major donor to the Huntington Beach People’s Action Committee, and its address is the same as Laird’s current business location on Commerce Lane, also known as “Honorary Laird Lane.” Laird contributed $23,500 to the committee in the first half of 2024, according to the most recently available campaign finance disclosure forms.
The commission spent more than $20,000 to advance three policies related to March’s Huntington Beach voting, including requiring voter ID at polling places and another on city property. There were restrictions on the types of flags that could be displayed.
In the run-up to the upcoming November election, the committee has spent more than $17,000 on postcards opposing Gina Clayton-Turbin, an outspoken liberal school board trustee running for re-election. At least another $9,000 was spent supporting the two adversaries.
The committee is also funding a mailer opposing the re-election of Huntington Beach City Councilman Kalmik, who frequently competes with conservative members of the council majority. Mr. Laird also helped raise funds for an effort to remove Mr. Kalmik and six City Council members in 2021 for not sufficiently pushing back against state mandates to build more housing. (Among the council members he tried to recall was former City Councilman Mike Posey, who had financially supported Laird’s previous campaigns.)
“They really wanted to turn Huntington Beach into a San Francisco with skyscrapers,” Laird told LAist. “We’re a small beach town and we welcome new people, and there are some things you can do, but bringing home and living in four apartments is not our lifestyle here in Huntington Beach.”
The recall was unsuccessful.
Kalmick, Clayton-Turbin, and some of Laird’s other political opponents have filed multiple complaints against Laird with the state Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) and the Huntington Beach People’s Action Committee. They allege, among other things, that the commission repeatedly missed state deadlines for disclosing donors and campaign funds. The FPPC launched an investigation into the commission in 2022, and at least 12 of these complaints are now under investigation. The investigation is ongoing, according to the FPPC website.
Laird told LAist he was unaware of the FPPC investigation and said the commission’s treasurer may not be up to date with the latest campaign disclosure rules. He called the complaints by Kalmik and others “frivolous” and “harassment.”
“Shadow Gray Area”
Kalmik, who briefly attended the Laird Street naming ceremony, called it “a purely political event.”
“I think this is an unfortunate use of taxpayer funds to support campaign donors to these people,” he said.
Tracy Westen, a government ethics expert at the nonprofit group Common Cause, said she doesn’t think the street naming or ceremony violates state election or ethics laws, but it could “raise some eyebrows.” Ta.
“It’s a murky gray area,” he said. “Some people might think this is favoritism in exchange for donations, and that gives it a little bit of that impression.”
Mayor Van der Mark called Laird “a pillar of our community” in an interview with LAist after the ceremony. She said Laird, through his work with local Boys & Girls Clubs and the Boy Scouts of America, provides activities like camp to “thousands of children who wouldn’t otherwise have access to them.” “I gave them an opportunity that could have been possible,” he said.
Asked whether the street name could be seen as a payback for his political contributions, Van der Mark said “no.”
“Just because he supports and supports people of faith doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve recognition just like any other person who contributes to the community,” she said. .
Initial street naming backlash
City Council initially discussed officially renaming Commerce Lane to “Ed Laird Lane” in May. But other businesses on the street protested. One business owner told LAist he estimates that changing the address will cost between $200,000 and $300,000, including printing new ads and changing the address on the business license.
In the end, Laird himself asked the city not to disturb nearby residents by changing the name. A majority of City Council voted in favor of installing a ceremonial marker instead.
Laird later told LAist he was grateful the majority of the City Council had insisted on this assessment. “But I don’t like being in the spotlight,” he said.
Between elections, the economy, climate and more, LAist covers Southern California like never before. We’re here every day to bring you stories that inform, inspire and engage.
But we can’t do this important work without your help. We rely on donations from readers like you to maintain our independence, so we can keep our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
At a time when the need for local journalism has never been greater, many news organizations, including LAist, are facing layoffs. Member support – your support – helps maintain a free press in Southern California.
LAist’s mission is to be here for you. Donate here today to power trustworthy local reporting. Step up now and choose to give. Because that’s really a choice. But it is not a choice without consequences. The future of fact-based news in Southern California wouldn’t be as strong if our readers didn’t have the courage to choose to donate.
No matter what happens in the world, LAist will continue to be the voice you know and trust.
We would like to thank everyone for their warm support.
Sincerely,
Join today to fund local journalism
Continue
