Republican Club
by Brian Harmon
LW contributor
The LW Republican Club recently received a letter from Assembly member Janet Nguyen about designating a portion of State Highway Route 39 in Huntington Beach as the Officer Nicholas Vella Memorial Highway.
The letter reads, “Our community has come together alongside the police departments throughout the region to mourn the loss of HBPD Officer Nicholas Vella, a 14-year veteran of the department, his presence will be greatly missed. My thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and the men and women he served within our community.”
Vella died in the line of duty at the age of 44 on Feb. 19 in a helicopter crash in Newport Beach. Vella and the pilot were responding to a disturbance call in neighboring Newport Beach when surveillance video from a home captured the helicopter as it went down in the frigid water. Vella grew up in Southern California and spent 14 years of his life serving the people of Huntington Beach as a police officer and four years with the Laguna Beach Police Department.
“I’m honored to be able to designate this memorial highway in Officer Vella’s name so that we may never forget his sacrifice or the sacrifices that the men and women in the Huntington Beach Police Department and our law enforcement officers make every day for our community,” Nguyen said.
Vella is survived by his wife, Kristi; his daughter Dylan, his parents John and Marcella Vella, and his brother John Arthur Vella.
Nguyen has previously been a speaker at LW Republican Club meetings and her aide, George Boutros, spoke briefly at the club’s last meeting.
The main topics discussed at club meetings and booth have included what the Constitution means, the state of public education, the school choice initiative, government deficits, inflation and Ukraine.
Club president David Harlow speaks for the whole club when he says that their hearts go out to the people of Ukraine. ••• The GOP club booth is open every Monday from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. outside Clubhouse 6. Volunteers continue to collect signatures for the school choice initiative. This ballot proposition, if passed, will make it possible for parents of all income groups to send their children to the school of their choice, whether it be a secular private school, religious school, charter school or home school by providing up to $14,000 per child.
The LW Republican Club meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. in Clubhouse 3, Room 2. Club membership is free. To join the club, volunteer or receive more information, residents can call (714) 928-1950.
