City Council
Huntington Beach’s mayor is selected annually from among the City Council Members and is charged with running the City Council meetings and representing the city throughout the community and region.
Gracey Van Der Mark, Mayor
Mayor Van Der Mark is the daughter of immigrant parents from Ecuador and Mexico who came to America in search of a better life. Raised with 10 brothers and sisters, she is a self-described fighter to give voice to the under-served. She grew up in Los Angeles where she met her husband Pieter. Gracey and Pieter are small business owners. They moved to Huntington Beach 23 years ago from Los Angeles to seek safety, quality of life and a family-friendly environment to raise their blended family of 7 children. Gracey is a proud grandmother to her first grandson, Ethan.
As Gracey's children grew older she became committed to serving her community. She was selected to serve on the Measure R Bond Oversight Committee for the Ocean View School District and was asked to serve on the Measure Q Bond Oversight Committee for the Huntington Beach City School District. Mrs. Van Der Mark also served on the City of Huntington Beach Finance Commission for three years.
While serving on the Bond Oversight Committees, Mrs. Van Der Mark became more involved in local elementary school matters. As a result of her relentless research and ability to expose concerning curriculum, Gracey co-founded Concerned Parents of California, a parent-driven advocacy group. She planned, organized and executed numerous advocacy trips to Sacramento to meet with legislators on behalf of parents and children. She has been a guest speaker to parent and civic groups across Southern California helping parents understand and advocate for their children's safe and appropriate education.
Mayor Van Der Mark is extremely grateful for the quality of life afforded her and her family in Huntington Beach. She is 100% community-focused and passionately committed to preserving our previous suburban beach community for future generations to enjoy these same opportunities.
Pat Burns, Mayor Pro Tem
Rhonda Bolton, Council Member
Councilmember Rhonda M. Bolton was appointed to the Huntington Beach City Council in July 2021, filling the vacancy left by a resigning Councilmember.
Councilmember Bolton began her public service career as a legislative aide to a Member of the United States House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. She attended law school after her Congressional service and joined an AmLaw 100 firm where she spent fifteen years in private practice. Her work for the firm primarily focused on federal public policy, government relations, and regulatory matters.
Over the course of her career, Ms. Bolton had the privilege of working to shape many landmark laws such as the Affordable Care Act and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. In addition, litigated dozens of cases at the federal district and appellate court levels regarding the interpretation of federal statutes and the scope of federal regulatory authority.
While at the law firm, Ms. Bolton also became involved in work to support junior attorneys, helping to place them on the path toward success in challenging, large law firm environments. This work led to her involvement in heading up the firm’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and her expertise in this area led to her being tapped by a firm client, Kia Motors America, Inc., to develop and lead the company’s inaugural DEI initiative.
After four years of helming an award-winning DEI and corporate philanthropy program for Kia, Ms. Bolton established the nationwide DEI consultancy IncludeMe LLC. The consultancy presently serves corporations across sectors, professional service firms, government agencies and non-profit organizations, guiding senior leaders in developing and executing strategies to build teams that maximize innovation, efficiency and employee engagement.
Councilmember Bolton devotes her “free” time to work with several non-profits supporting higher education and economic opportunity for under-represented students, reflecting her passion for equity and liberty for all people. Prior to her City Council appointment, she was appointed in January 2020 to the city’s Human Relations Task Force.
Councilmember Bolton holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Houston, and a Juris Doctor degree from the College of William and Mary School of Law. She lives in southeast Huntington Beach where she does her most important work of all – caring for her family.
Dan Kalmick, Council Member
Councilmember Dan Kalmick was overwhelmingly elected to the Huntington Beach City Council in November 2020. His passion for public service and community involvement dates back to his childhood when he opened his first business at the age of 11 to help neighbors in his community fix their computers. After completing his degree at UC Berkeley in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, he returned to Orange County and continued his passion for technology by starting a small business to provide IT consulting to small businesses and non-profits in the Southern California region.
As a native of Orange County, Dan grew up in Seal Beach and attended Los Alamitos High School. Prior to being elected to the City Council, Dan served for 8 years on the Planning Commission where he voted to protect open space, worked on housing policy, developed pro-business zoning and initiated a Smart Cities/Broadband Committee. Councilmember Kalmick has also served as a Reserve Firefighter/EMT with the Orange County Fire Authority, Vice-Chair of the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) Citizens Advisory Committee, and a Board Member of Algalita Marine Research and Education. He is currently the President of the Bolsa Chica Land Trust.
As a member of the City Council, he is focused on protecting and rebuilding our economy through the impacts of COVID-19, expanding housing options, promoting the equal rights of minority groups and addressing the growing homelessness challenges in the city through a compassionate and results-driven approach.
Councilmember Kalmick has served on various boards and commissions including the Orange County Power Authority, Orange County Sanitation District, the Orange County Emergency Medical Services Committee and as a member of the Energy and Environmental as well as the Emerging Technology Policy Committees of the Southern California Associations of Governments (SCAG) representing the Orange County Council of Governments (OCCOG).
Councilmember Kalmick lives in Northeast of Huntington Beach with his wife, their daughter and new son.
Casey McKeon, Council Member
Natalie Moser, Council Member
Council Member Natalie Moser has called Huntington Beach home for more than 40 years. Natalie is a proud mom, successful business owner, community leader, and committed change-maker. She ran for public office in 2020 because she cares deeply for her community and has the experience, curiosity, moral imagination and leadership to make a real difference in the city she loves.
Natalie graduated from Marina High School and later California State University, Long Beach with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History. She completed her Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at Chapman University where she was the recipient of a Chapman fellowship and a member of the Gamma Beta Phi Honors Society. Natalie initially pursued a career in the financial services industry, culminating in her position as Director of Organizational Performance and Member Advocacy at one of the nation’s largest credit unions. As her focus shifted to raising a family, she built a successful photography business.
Natalie is a breast cancer survivor and a founding board member of the McKenna Claire Foundation for Pediatric Brain Cancer Research and has served on various PTOs and School Site Councils, including the Ocean View School District where she was honored as one of the Volunteers of the Year for 2020. Natalie was the Chairperson of the HB Human Relations Task Force and was honored by OC Human Relations with the 2020 Diverse Community Leader Award.
Since her swearing-in in December 2020, Council Member Moser has remained committed to improving the lives of the community by facilitating conversations that activate change, focusing on improved accessibility and mobility, working on policy to protect the environment, and on innovative and collaborative approaches to end homelessness and improve community wellness. She lives in Northwest Huntington Beach with her husband, son, daughter, and their two dogs.
Tony Strickland, Council Member
Past HB Mayor and Council Member Tony Strickland is a former State Assemblyman and State Senator.
During his three terms in the State Assembly, Tony served as Chairman of the Health Committee and Governmental Organization Committee, serving also on the Insurance, Banking, and Finance Committees. While in the State Senate, Mayor Strickland served as Vice Chair of the Senate Committees on Health and Environmental Quality, and a Leader on the Senate Energy & Utilities and Communications Committee.
Strickland received a lifetime A-rating from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and was named Legislator of the Year by the Humane Society California.
After leaving the Legislature, Strickland served as a visiting scholar at the USC Jesse M. Unruh School of Public Policy as the Director of the Legislator-in-Residence program at the University of Southern California.
Council Member Strickland operates his own political and business consulting firm, Tony Strickland Consulting, in Huntington Beach. Most recently, he served as the Vice-Chair of the Huntington Beach Finance Commission.
Council Member Strickland is married to Carla Strickland, a 30-year resident of Huntington Beach. He has two children, Ruby and “Tiny” Tony, and also two step-children Graeme and Jameson.
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