Huntington Beach City Council members are calling for an investigation into the Ocean View School District for the school board’s vote to support two library measures up for a special election next month.

School district officials, meanwhile, denied any wrongdoing, publicly criticizing the city council’s call for an investigation as a political stunt and labeling it an action that itself “may well violate both federal civil rights laws.”

Next month, Surf City voters are set to determine a couple of controversial issues at the library through Measures A and B, which would disband the resident book review committee and largely prevent city officials from trying to outsource library operations.

Huntington Beach City Councilman Chad Williams is accusing Ocean View school board members of misusing public funds earlier this month when they unanimously voted to support the ballot measures and send copies of the resolution of support to district parents.

“Such conduct raises serious legal concerns regarding the potential misuse of public resources for campaign purposes,” Williams said during Tuesday’s city council meeting. “Dissemination of advocacy communication using taxpayer funded platforms may constitute unlawful electioneering.”

Council members voted 6-0 Tuesday night to direct the city attorney to examine the school district and work with the mayor to contact a relevant agency if the city attorney finds something improper happened. Councilman Casey McKeon was absent.

The Ocean View School District board is the second entity in the city this month that Surf City council members have called for investigations on.

Earlier this month, council members called for an investigation into the Friends of the Huntington Beach Public Library – a nonprofit that helps fundraise for the library – for giving contributions to a political action committee that supports the measures.

Ocean View School District board members unanimously voted on a resolution May 13 to support yes votes on Measures A and B.

“I urge you to vote yes and the reason for that is because they’re your children. You get to make the decision on what kind of books your children read; not us, not politicians,” Ocean View School board President Patricia Singer said.

Shortly after the vote, Sanger told Superintendent Julianne Hoefer to ”share this resolution with the Ocean View School District parents by sharing this document with them.”

Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns, Councilman Don Kennedy and Williams successfully got their colleagues to vote for the proposal .

“We will not be investigating. We will defer to the proper authorities,” Burns said at Tuesday’s meeting.

Williams and Burns were the only two council members to publicly speak on the issue during the meeting.

During public comment, Ocean View School District board member Gina Clayton-Tarvin lambasted city council members.

“Your resolution to investigate the Ocean View School District is a monumental misuse of public funds,” Clayton-Tarvin said. “ Item 24 is nothing more than an effort by members of the city council to improperly and illegally use the city’s resources to intimidate political opponents.”

Her public comments drew the ire of Williams later in the meeting.

“Just moments ago we had OVSD Trustee Gina Clayton-Tarvin expressing from the podium this is nothing more than an attempt to intimidate political opponents. Now think about that – nothing more than an attempt to intimidate political opponents. I think that’s what you call a freudian slip, Gina – the quiet part out loud,” Williams said.

“The term political opponents implies OVSD used its support for measures A and B as part of a political contest. Not merely a neutral or informational act,” he said. “This strengthens the argument that the resolution seems to violate electioneering laws by using public resources for advocacy.”

Meanwhile, Ocean View school officials said they didn’t break any laws.

“Resolutions by governing bodies such as the OVSD Board of Directors or the Huntington Beach City Council supporting ballot measures have long been allowed so long as any expenditures do not arise to the type of unpermitted campaign expenditures,” reads a May 20 letter to the city signed by Superintendent Hoefer and school board President Sanger.

“Furthermore, the limited communication of this resolution by the OVSD Board members, its Superintendent, and staff, are all allowed under California law,” reads the letter.

School district officials also said they won’t comply with any potential investigation – writing it in boldface type in the letter.

“To be clear, if the City approves such an investigation, OVSD will not cooperate in any way, shape, or form,” wrote Hoefer and Sanger.

The two cited the call for investigation into the Friends of Huntington Beach Public Library and lambasted the situation between the city council and local groups.

“This appears to be nothing more than an effort by members of the City Council to improperly and illegally use the City’s resources to intimidate its political opponents and seek retribution. These actions may well violate both federal civil rights laws 42 U.S.C., § 1983, and California law protecting persons from threats of intimidation or coercion in the exercise of their civil rights, Civ. Code, § 52.1.”