West
Seaside city resisting state Dems' attempt to force it into 'submission' over voter ID law
A conservative enclave in Southern California is embroiled in a legal dispute with the state’s liberal authorities over its voter ID law that was passed by more than 50% of the city’s voters.
Huntington Beach Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark told Fox News Digital the latest lawsuit from Sacramento authorities is just another targeted attack on the city’s values.
“I’m a person of color, I grew up in a low-income community in Los Angeles, and we all had IDs,” Van Der Mark told Fox News Digital in an interview Thursday. “And one thing that is really frustrating is they’re saying, people like me are too ignorant or incapable of getting an ID, and that’s insulting.”
“This is definitely government overreach,” she said.
California’s Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta and California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber filed a lawsuit last week against the beach city – which is roughly 35 miles south of Los Angeles – challenging its voter ID law, Measure A, which amends the city’s charter to allow voter ID requirements by 2026. It also includes a requirement for additional in-person voting locations.
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Huntington Beach Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark is defending the city’s voter ID law that voters passed in March 2024. (Getty Images)
“They’re telling us ‘it’s okay, we don’t need these measures of security,’ but we’re insisting on them,” Van Der Mark, elected in 2023, said. “So, they can sue us. We’re going to push forward and do what the people want us to do.”
In their lawsuit, Bonta and Weber argued that the city’s voter ID law “unlawfully conflicts and is preempted by state law.”
“The right to freely cast your vote is the foundation of our democracy and Huntington Beach’s voter ID policy flies in the face of this principle,” Bonta said in a statement.
He argued that state elections already contain “robust voter ID requirements with strong protections to prevent voter fraud.” He said the new requirements would disproportionately burden “low-income voters, voters of color, young or elderly voters, and people with disabilities.”
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Waves roll past the Huntington Beach Pier, epicenter of the city’s beach culture, in Huntington Beach, California, on Feb. 22, 2024. (Rick Loomis for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The City Council, led by a politically conservative majority since 2022, stirred considerable debate by making contentious decisions on various issues recently, like the government-only flag protocol on city properties and removal of sexually explicit books in the public library.
“Sacramento is trying to make an example out of Huntington Beach,” Van Der Mark said. “They’re suing us every opportunity they can and every time we do something, they try to write bills to counter what we’re doing or to make what we’re doing illegal. So, I believe they’re trying to sway us into submission, and we’re not going to allow that to happen.”
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California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit last week against Huntington Beach, challenging its voter ID law, Measure A. (Getty Images)
California officials first warned Huntington Beach officials to drop the voter ID proposal in September. The lawsuit argues that Measure A violates state law and is invalid because it conflicts with California’s Constitution, which grants charter cities the authority to govern “municipal affairs” but prohibits local laws from conflicting with statewide laws.
Under current California law, according to the AG’s office, “voter identity is established before registered voters get to the polls; at the polls, registered voters are only required to provide their name and address – no further identification is required.”
This is not the first time the state has threatened a conservative city over local laws passed. Last year, Bonta threatened several school districts over their parental notification policies.
Fox News’ Bradford Bretz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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A California farming tycoon was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of murder in the shooting death of his wife in an Arizona mountain community.
The Navajo County Sheriff’s Office named Michael Abatti, 63, as the suspect in the murder of his wife, 59-year-old Kerri Ann Abatti.
On Nov. 20, at approximately 9:20 p.m., Navajo County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived in Pinetop, Arizona, at the scene of an apparent homicide and found Kerri Ann Abatti dead from a gunshot wound, according to the sheriff’s office. Less than two weeks later, on Dec. 2, detectives executed search warrants on residences, properties, vehicles and camp trailers in El Centro, California, that were “associated with the Abatti family.”
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Michael Abatti was arrested on suspicion of the murder of his wife, Kerri Abatti. (Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
On Tuesday, detectives provided testimony to a Navajo County grand jury and obtained an indictment and arrest warrant from the Navajo County Superior Court. Michael was taken into custody that same day and was booked into the Imperial County Jail. The Navajo County Sheriff’s Office said Michael was booked on charges of violating Arizona Revised Statutes 13-1105 and first-degree murder. He is awaiting extradition to Arizona.
The home of Michael Abatti on Dec. 12, 2025, in El Centro, California. (Gregory Bull/AP Photo)
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“We extend our sincere condolences to Kerri’s family and to all those affected by this tragedy,” Navajo County Sheriff David Clouse said in a statement. He thanked those who worked on the case, as well as those who served on the Grand Jury, crediting them for “helping bring justice to the Abatti family.”
Michael and Kerri Abatti lived in El Centro before Kerri left in 2023 for Pinetop-Lakeside, her hometown, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Divorce filings seen by the LA Times reportedly showed that Kerri accused her husband of blocking her attempts to get the full picture of their income and real estate holdings while he made changes to their finances without consulting her or her attorney. She also claimed that she was struggling on the monthly spousal support that the court temporarily awarded her, according to the LA Times.
Agricultural fields in Imperial Valley.
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Michael Abatti comes from a long line of farmers and owns one of the largest agricultural operations in the Imperial Valley, according to reports. Additionally, he reportedly served as a member of the Imperial Irrigation District from 2006 to 2010. He grew several crops, including onions, broccoli and cantaloupes, CBS News reported. The outlet added that Michael and Kerri Abatti were married in 1992 and had three children.
The Imperial County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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DENVER –The Nuggets have played on Christmas Day 11 times in their storied history. The Broncos have done so only four times. This year is only the second time that both teams are playing on the same Christmas day, and sports bars are getting ready.
“It almost makes you feel like you’re at the game,” said Adis Mizic, Kitchen Manager at Tom’s Watch Bar in Denver, where they’ll be having giveaways and a live DJ to get the crowd feeling festive. “The energy in this, it’s just amazing… that’s kind of the whole point. We want you to feel like you’re at the game.”
Denver7’s Anaya Salcedo
At Chopper’s Sports Grill in Denver, Christmas came early. Owner Frankie Schultz and his team just installed a 350-inch LED screen to handle the demand of such successful sports teams.
“Literally, we just got it up this morning,” Schultz said. “It’s pieces that go together, but it’s seamless, and we’re really excited about it.”
Management at both of the sports bars are appreciative of those who volunteered to work on Christmas. Tom’s Watch Bar is supplying their employees with a special meal, and Chopper’s will have their kitchen closed, but with premade snacks available.
Denver7’s Anaya Salcedo
With low staffing, and unsure of how many patrons are going to show up on Christmas, Schultz hopes people will be willing to cut businesses some slack this holiday season.
“We’re going try to do what we can,” Schultz said, laughing. “We don’t know if it’s going to be five people or 200 but… it’s a holiday, so hopefully we get some forgiveness.”
The day of Denver7 Christmas sports starts off tomorrow with three NBA games, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Pregame coverage of the Broncos-Chiefs game starts at 5:30, with kickoff at 6:00 p.m.
The Nuggets-Timberwolvse game gets underway at 8:30 p.m. It will start on The Spot Denver3 until the football game is over. Then, it will move to Denver7 for the remainder of the game and news after.
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Wednesday’s Injury Report
Having kicked off their week of practice a day early, the Seahawks held what would usually be their Thursday work on Wednesday, a schedule shift that will allow the team to take Christmas day off before returning to practice on Friday.
The Seahawks had two players held out of Wednesday’s work due to injury, safety Coby Bryant, who left Thursday’s win over the Rams with a knee injury, and left tackle Charles Cross, who missed that game due to a hamstring injury suffered the previous week.
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said he did not have a timetable on either player, but did say that they are not expected to land on injured reserve, meaning they should be back at some point.
Cornerback Riq Woolen, who came out of last week’s game with a knee injury, was not on the injury report, a sign that he is OK.
For the Panthers, only two players did not practice due to injury, linebacker Trevin Wallace (shoulder) and defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton (hamstring), while guard Robert Hunt was limited by a biceps injury.
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