Former Yorba Linda Councilmember Peggy Huang is back on the dais after the City Council appointed her to a vacancy that opened up last month.
The City Council at a special meeting this week voted unanimously for Huang to serve until December. Huang had been a councilmember for eight years previously.
Voters in November will determine who gets the seat for future years.
The seat has been vacant since early January when longtime Councilmember Gene Hernandez resigned and took a spot on the water board. Huang will join the council at its next meeting on Feb. 20 to fill the remaining months of his four-year term.
Councilmember Beth Haney said Huang will be able to help guide the city through its housing issues.
Huang, who is a city attorney in Huntington Beach, told the council before being appointed that her understanding of housing law will be important for the city as it tries to pass a compliant housing element, which dictates where new housing can be built. Housing elements are required by the state and must be submitted to the California Department of Housing and Community Development.
Voters could be deciding whether to approve the city’s latest housing element in November, should the City Council decide to place the measure on ballots, according to a city news release.
“I just worry a lot about the remedies in the event it doesn’t pass,” Huang said. “Given that you’re looking at $100,000 a month until you have a certified element. That’s my biggest concern right now and trying to get the message out.”
Huang said she wasn’t planning to run in this November’s election for the seat, but her remarks left the possibility open.
“As I stand right here right now, I don’t have an intent to run,’ Huang said. “So, something has to happen to make me change my mind, and I don’t know what that would be.”
Read the full article here