Huntington Beach was largely defiant of statewide mask mandates throughout the pandemic The City of Huntington Beach, California, voted Wednesday to ban universal mask and vaccine mandates for COVID-19. The matter was submitted by Mayor Pro Tem Gracey Van Der Mark, and included on the city’s agenda for Tuesday. Van Der Mark said mask mandates imposed in the city "unnecessarily limited the freedoms of the citizens of Huntington Beach — even those who were not around anyone who tested positive for COVID-19 or at risk of any exposure."