Home Care In Huntington Beach, CA

An "unusually strong storm system" raised concerns about flooding in much of Southern California on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

Several inches of rain have accumulated throughout the region since Friday, with the heaviest totals arriving between the morning and afternoon hours on Saturday. The weekend's portion of the storm is its second phase, the NWS said, and is expected to bring more throughout.

Saturday's rain covered most of the region, ranging from the Central Coast to San Diego County. The NWS issued flood advisories for Los Angeles and Ventura counties, but all had expired by 2 p.m.

Still, weather officials said that an advisory remained in place for coastal and valley areas from LAX to Point Conception through 8 p.m. on Saturday.

Rain intensity had decreased by the afternoon, although the NWS said thunderstorm chances still existed throughout the region, which could bring unpredictable, heightened rain totals in brief periods.

A flash flood warning was issued by the NWS at 8:37 a.m. for parts of Los Angeles County, with as much as an inch of rain expected to fall in the span of an hour. Flash flooding can be expected in "Burbank, Griffith Park, North Hollywood, Universal City, Pasadena, Hollywood, Van Nuys, Downtown Los Angeles, Mount Wilson, Alhambra, Beverly Hills, Encino, Northridge, Santa Clarita, Chatsworth, Woodland Hills, West Covina, Glendora, Altadena and Sunland."

The warning expired at noon, but was extended to 2 p.m. for burn scar areas, parts of the San Fernando Valley and southeastern LA County. They expired without another extension, except for in Kern County.

24-hour rain totals from 1 p.m. Friday night to Saturday, are as follows, according to the NWS:

Evacuations

Dozens of specific homes were hit with evacuation orders in those areas, all of which were lifted by 6 p.m. on Saturday. Those affected were alerted by authorities ahead of the storm, according to Los Angeles County. Evacuation warnings were previously issued at the following burn scars, and were slated to remain in effect until 8 p.m. Sunday:

For those who did evacuate their homes, three shelters were open in LA County. They could be found at:

Hazards

The weather event caused damage and hazards in some areas.

An updating list of damage from the NWS can be found here.

Former Huntington Beach city attorney Michael Gates on Friday disputed claims he was fired from his U.S. Department of Justice job amid allegations that he created a hostile work environment.

Gates announced last weekend on social media he was resigning from his job as a deputy assistant U.S. attorney general in the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, where he had spent about 10 months. He said in an interview with the Daily Pilot Monday he missed his family, had decided to stay at home amid the government shutdown and would return to Huntington Beach City Hall as an chief assistant city attorney effective Nov. 24.

But an SF-52 employment document obtained by the Orange County Register indicates Gates was terminated from the federal job “for cause.” The form states the termination was authorized by Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general who oversees the Civil Rights Division.

A Register article published Friday additionally cites an unnamed source at the agency who stated Gates created a hostile work environment in Washington, D.C., and was derogatory toward women.

Gates categorically denied those claims during an interview Friday, insisting that he resigned, rather than being terminated. He said he had not seen the SR-52 form before Friday. When he did, he noted it was unsigned and undated.

“I think that should draw the scrutiny of any casual reader,” the former city attorney said. “I believe the form was leaked by somebody high up in the DOJ who was really upset that I resigned ... and they are now retaliating against me.”

Gates said he would be securing the services of a defamation lawyer.

“Not a single complaint was ever brought to my attention by anybody while I was there, whether informal or formal,” he said. “While I was there, I was a consummate professional, so I was pretty shocked by this [news report].”

Gates said he is the fourth deputy assistant attorney general to resign since April. He produced a text message exchange, which he said came from a conversation with Dhillon in September, in which the assistant attorney general said she was glad he was there and appreciated his sacrifices.

The U.S. Justice Department could not be reached for comment on Friday. However, the city of Huntington Beach released a statement Friday afternoon regarding the allegations of Gates’ firing.

“The city of Huntington Beach has become aware of an O.C. Register article published this morning regarding Michael Gates,” the statement reads. “We take such matters seriously and are actively investigating.”

Gates was Huntington Beach’s city attorney from 2014-24 and stated this week that he plans to run for the elected office again next year. Mike Vigliotta, a longtime assistant under Gates, is currently the city attorney.

In 2021, Huntington Beach paid $2.5 million to settle a lawsuit after a pair of senior deputy city attorneys in Gates’ office alleged age discrimination. One of the attorneys involved in that case, Scott Field, subsequently ran against Gates for city attorney the following year but lost.

The former Huntington Beach city attorney is disputing allegations that he was fired for cause by the Trump administration after less than a year.Michael Gates, a popular but controversial figure in Huntington Beach politics, told LAist on Friday he had made it known that he planned to resign prior to a supervisor telling him he no longer had a job.

Gates says he is going back to a job with the beach city, where he once earned more than Gov. Gavin Newsom, with a pay-and-benefits package of more than $384,000.

The Orange County Register Friday, including a federal employment document, showing Gates was officially fired for cause. The document is undated and does not specify a reason.

The Department of Justice has not responded to LAist's records request for the documents.

The Register reported that a Department of Justice source said Gates repeatedly referred to women colleagues by derogatory and demeaning names and had complained about the department employing a pregnant woman.

Gates said the allegations are a "100% fabrication" and that he is considering legal action for defamation.

In a statement emailed to LAist, a spokesperson for Huntington Beach wrote that the city “has become aware of an OC Register article published this morning regarding Michael Gates. We take such matters seriously and are actively investigating.”

Gates told LAist the firing was an effort to reverse the narrative about a “dysfunctional” department.

“It was a very unprofessional environment,” Gates told LAist, adding that morale was low in the Civil Rights Division where he worked. “In terms of leadership, it was very dysfunctional.”

The Register posted a government personnel form stating Gates was fired for cause, but the form is undated. Natalie Baldassarre, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice, responded, “No comment,” in response to emailed questions from LAist about Gates’ departure.

LAist also reached out by phone and email to Matthew Zandi, chief of staff for Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who was Gates’ boss at the department’s Civil Rights Division. We will update this story if we get a response.

Interviews with Gates and documents he shared with LAist paint a murky picture of the timeline of Gates’ departure.

Here’s what we know based on documents, social media and Gates’ interview with us:

Gates told LAist that he’d made his pending resignation known to colleagues in the Justice Department in recent weeks.

He said Zandi, the chief of staff, emailed Gates last Saturday to tell him that his last day would be Nov. 30.

On Nov. 7, Gates and Huntington Beach city manager Travis Hopkins signed an agreement for Gates to take a job as Huntington Beach’s chief assistant city attorney upon leaving the Department of Justice, according to details of the agreement Gates shared with LAist. A city spokesperson declined to answer LAist’s questions about the employment agreement.

Gates contacted LAist on Nov. 9, saying he was leaving the Department of Justice to return to Huntington Beach. He said he missed his family and missed being “in the most beautiful city in the world.”

Gates told LAist that while spending time at home during the lengthy government shutdown, community members and city leaders had urged him to come back to work for the city.

Later that day, Gates posted his resignation letter, dated Nov. 8, on social media. The letter was addressed to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and said it had “been an honor of a lifetime to work with you and the Trump administration.” Gates had been on the job for 10 months.

On Nov. 10, he said he was told that would be his last day. Gates told LAist he had no indication that he was being fired for cause and had never received any warning about his behavior or job performance.

“There’s zero basis for cause,” he said.

Gates is a popular, if controversial, figure in conservative Huntington Beach. He was first elected city attorney in 2014 and has won re-election twice since then. Huntington Beach is among a minority of cities in California that elects rather than appoints a city attorney.

Gates has been an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump and his policies and has battled with the state of California in court over housing mandates, the state’s sanctuary law and Huntington Beach’s plan to ask residents to show ID in order to cast a ballot.

Some of his legal decisions and actions on the job have cost taxpayers millions. In 2021, the city total in a settlement with one former and one current employee who alleged age discrimination while working at the city under Gates. The city did not concede to any wrongdoing under the settlement.

Last year, Gates helped broker a over the pandemic-era , which will cost Huntington Beach taxpayers millions over the coming years.

Before he took the Trump administration job, Gates was one of the highest-paid public officials in California, with pay and benefits totaling $384,000 in 2024, according to the website . By comparison, Newsom was paid $306,000 last year, according to the website.

Gates said he plans to run again for city attorney in next year’s election.

Michael Gates, the former Huntington Beach city attorney who left to join the Trump administration in February, was fired from the U.S. Department of Justice “for cause,” personnel records obtained through a records request show.

Gates, who spent the last 10 months as a deputy assistant U.S. attorney general in the Civil Rights Division, announced on social media on Sunday, Nov. 9 that he had resigned his position in the Trump administration and was returning home to work for the city once more. He said he was “very conflicted” about leaving because the job was “the honor of a lifetime,” but the months felt like years as he missed his family and their events.

Gates, in a call Friday morning, maintained he resigned.

Gates, in his initial announcement and subsequent interview Monday with a Register journalist, did not disclose that he was fired from his job. However, Gates was “terminated for cause” from the position, according to his SF-52 form, an employment document utilized by the federal government. The form said the action was authorized by Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general who oversees the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

Gates was accused of creating a hostile work environment for multiple women in the office with whom he worked, according to a Justice Department source who was not among those who complained about Gates. He allegedly had a “consistent pattern” of referring to female colleagues by derogatory and demeaning names, the source said, and complained about the employment of a woman who was pregnant.

On Friday morning, Gates said he would pursue legal action against the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and certain members of that office.

“They were angry I resigned, and I know this because it was well known throughout the office for months that anybody resigning would make them look bad,” Gates said. “When other people resigned, they were so mad. I’ve seen it with my own eyes because they thought it would make them look bad.”

A spokesperson for the department declined to comment, as is policy, because it is a personnel matter.

Gates’ resignation announcement caught many people in Huntington Beach by surprise, especially considering the enthusiasm he showed when he took the role in February. On social media, fans welcomed Gates home, while detractors moaned “Noooooooooo! Not him again!”

Gates was elected as Huntington Beach’s city attorney in 2014 and won reelection twice more. He had said he would run for his old post again next year. But in the meantime, Gates said he has accepted the city’s offer to be “chief assistant city attorney” starting Nov. 24.

The city already has a city attorney, Mike Vigliotta, who was appointed to serve the remainder of Gates’ term after he joined the Justice Department.

A spokesperson for the city of Huntington Beach said on Friday it is “investigating.”

“The City of Huntington Beach has become aware of an OC Register article published this morning regarding Michael Gates. We take such matters seriously and are actively investigating,” a statement from the city said.

City Councilmembers Butch Twining and Pat Burns had not heard that Gates’ departure from the DOJ was a termination, and wanted to know more about the circumstances. That did not, however, shake their faith in the man.

“I don’t think it’s going to affect my decision,” Twining said. “Huntington Beach is better off with Michael Gates. I still support him and will always support him. He’s a good man, a great attorney and great for Huntington Beach.”

Burns feels the same way. “Politics are ugly, man,” he said.

Messages left for other councilmembers were not immediately returned.

Huntington Beach has emerged as Orange County’s bastion of MAGA Trumpism, doing battle with California on voter identification and affordable housing mandates. Gates has been a crusader and said he was looking forward to re-entering the fight.

“The particular, and frankly, unique, battles Huntington Beach has been engaged in against the state, and how meaningful those can be, how high-impact those can be, I really did miss those,” he said in an interview on Monday.

Gates announced in February that he was leaving his post as Huntington Beach’s city attorney to join the Justice Department.

“I am profoundly humbled and honored for this opportunity to serve the American people at a time like this — to advance President Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda, fight to restore law and order throughout the country and fight to restore faith in the nation’s justice system,” he said at the time.

He had been one of the more outspoken elected officials in Huntington Beach and the county, leading his office to fight the state on multiple local control issues, including challenging the state’s sanctuary law, fighting for the city’s voter ID law, and preventing California from mandating the coastal city to build more housing.

Huntington Beach, in 2021, paid $2.5 million to an employee and a former employee who alleged age and disability discrimination in a case that named Gates and the city as defendants. The two men who had sued alleged that Gates made a “concerted effort” to force them and other older employees out of the city attorney’s office. Gates said at the time that the lawsuit was “without merit.”

Meanwhile, thousands of experienced attorneys have left the Justice Department since the start of the Trump administration, the Washington Post reported this week, and only a “fraction” of the jobs have been filled. According to the Washington Post, the department has struggled to find qualified attorneys for the open positions.

It was work on election-related issues that Gates said he was especially proud of during his short tenure at the Justice Department.

Gates was involved in the Trump administration’s lawsuit against Orange County Registrar of Voters Bob Page, alleging that Page did not turn over full records related to the removal of non-citizens from voter registration lists. Page, through attorneys, has maintained he followed state and federal law and could not give sensitive personal information of registrants without a subpoena or court order.

The lawsuit was among numerous challenges the Trump administration launched against multiple states as part of an effort to ensure they comply with federal requirements for maintaining voter rolls.

In what Gates said on social media was his resignation letter, addressed to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Gates said, “My decision to resign was not made easily — but, in light of many circumstances, and after my experiences working at the Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C., this year, I believe this is the best decision for me and my family.”

Since posting that letter on Sunday, Gates has shared on social media multiple news reports, including a television appearance, about his “resignation” from the Justice Department.

Staff writer Claire Wang contributed to this report.

"That is ludicrous and dumb."

California is on edge, as morning drifts to afternoon, residents from Chula Vista to Crescent City simmering and stewing. Neighboring towns, generally vaguely friendly toward one another, all of a sudden decidedly not. Rage percolating.

The root of animosity shockingly nothing to do with the country’s increasingly bitter political divide nor Jeffery Epstein’s grammatically dubious text messages and emails but rather something deeper and more profound.

Fish tacos.

In an extraordinary overnight move, the acclaimed vacation/relaxation website Travel + Leisure posted a feature boldly declaring, “This Town Is Known As Surf City USA—and It Has Dog Surfing, Oceanfront Hotels, and Some of California’s Best Fish Tacos.”

Surf City USA, of course, Huntington Beach.

If the headline had read “This Town Is Known As Surf City USA—and It Has Dog Surfing, Oceanfront Hotels, and Some of California’s Best Riots” or This “Town Is Known As Surf City USA—and It Has Dog Surfing, Oceanfront Hotels, and Some of California’s Best Kanoa Igarashi” there would have been zero problem.

The “best fish tacos” bit both ludicrous and inflammatory.

Everyone, even those who call Surf City USA home, know that Huntington Beach ranks extremely low on the informal “best fish tacos in California” list. The claim, though, forced residents from Eureka to Eucalyptus Hills to declare their own fish tacos number one.

Now, in order to provide some sort of peace, it must be said the only fish taco that needs considering is the Baja fish taco which consists of two/three pieces of fried white fish on a corn tortilla topped with coleslaw, pico de gallo and a dollop of crema. The entire northern half of the Golden State, far removed from Low California, is entirely out of the conversation and should be ashamed of its fish tacos and stop making them. All inland bits, too, crap which leaves Los Angeles and North County San Diego.

Los Angeles fish tacos are ruled dumb for too many reasons to count which leaves the Valero gas station in Cardiff-by-the-Sea.

It has the best fish tacos in the state.

Peace, once again, in our time.