HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.—After a lengthy public discussion on an agenda item that sought to go around Huntington Beach’s elected city attorney and hire outside legal help, the city council voted Dec. 21 to continue the discussion in a closed session in January. The motion, brought forward by Mayor Barbara Delgleize, Mayor Pro Tem Mike Posey, and Councilman Dan Kalmick, cited legal disagreements with elected city attorney Michael Gates. However, Gates claimed in an open Dec. 16 letter to have a stellar record of winning every legal battle in the five-year-long Kennedy Commission v. City of Huntington Beach case, saving taxpayers over $150 million, and over 90 percent case win rate over his term. Gates also told The Epoch Times last week that the move to hire outside legal help without his explicit authorization as chief legal officer of the city is illegal per the city’s charter, which is essentially its …