Nine candidates are vying in the November election for three seats on the Laguna Beach City Council.
Three are incumbents, all of whom served as mayors during the last four years. The city’s longtime treasurer is also in the race, along with three small business owners, a former oil and gas consultant and an urban planner.
The candidates are: Nick Aronoff, Edward Bayuk, Joy Berry, Ashley Cintas, Sue Kempf, Karen Martin, Mark Orgill, Laura Parisi and Alex Rounaghi.
Last week, the South Laguna Civic Association held its candidates’ forum and the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce will host the next City Council candidates’ forum at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16.
Also, the Orange County Register has published its voter guide, which asked candidates questions ranging from how the city should handle state-required housing needs to transparency in government and balancing its budget.
Here is a snapshot of some of the candidates’ answers.
Aronoff, a small business owner, said he believes the city has a spending problem.
“The city should live within its means by prioritizing core services, paying down long-term liabilities, maintaining healthy reserves, and making sure contracts and programs deliver measurable results,” he said, adding that the solution is not to ask residents to be taxed more, but to give them confidence that “unnecessary spending, improved efficiency, and justified priorities” have been accomplished.
“The goal should be strong services, disciplined spending, lower long-term risk, and a sustainable budget,” he said.
On what makes him a good leader, Aronoff said growing up in Laguna Beach gave him a unique perspective, but he’s also gained global business exposure by living in other places around the world.
In the end, he said, “Good leadership is not about having all the answers but about listening, being prepared, treating people fairly, and making decisions based on what is best for the community as a whole.”
Bayuk, who has worked as an independent business consultant in the electrical distribution, oil/gas, and HF emergency communications industries, said a solid budget must “fund its essential responsibilities: public safety, sewer, electrical grid, and stormwater systems, streets, fire protection, and emergency preparedness.”
He said the city should evaluate each department, vacant position, management layer, consultant contract, and capital project to determine whether it provides measurable value to residents.
“New revenue should be considered only after the city demonstrates that existing money is being spent efficiently,” he said. “Economic development should focus on supporting local businesses, reducing unnecessary delays, and addressing long-term commercial vacancies.”
“Our local business owners feel the present City Council has not been listening to them for the past four years,” he added.
Berry is a small business owner and said she believes Laguna Beach shouldn’t try to fix what isn’t broken; instead, it should focus on why people choose to live in the city, including its history and small-village atmosphere.
“Priorities should be refocused upon preserving the brand Laguna Beach has had for 99 years as an authentic artist colony of modest beach cottages, not an ultra-luxury enclave of mega-mansions,” she said in her response to what the city should do with its budget.
“City government needs to focus on the basics like fixing our aged sewer system rather than projects like the multi-million dollar promenade,” she said. “City leaders should embrace the town’s brand identity and stop seeking to change it for change’s sake.”
“Tax revenue should be redirected; instead of using tourism revenue to bring more tourism, use it to offset the costs of managing the additional impact,” she added.
Another voter guide question asked candidates what they think Laguna Beach’s biggest need is.
Cintas, who operates a sushi restaurant in town, said Laguna Beach needs “forward-thinking” leadership that turns problems into “actionable plans.”
“Identifying a problem is not the same as solving it,” she said, adding that it means creating plans with funding, timelines, ownership, and measurable outcomes.
“Approving an initiative is not the same as delivering an outcome,” she said. “I want us to measure success by what actually changed for residents.”
For example, she points to one of the city’s biggest issues for residents: what happens to Laguna Beach’s only emergency room once Providence Mission moves forward with changing the focus of its South Laguna facility.
“Providence is responsible for Providence’s decision,” she said. “City Council is responsible for Laguna’s response. We knew how serious this issue was, yet months passed before the city began organizing a serious response. Something affecting emergency healthcare requires urgency, independent expertise, alternatives, funding options, deadlines and accountability.”
Cintas said protecting Laguna requires more than protecting its past.
“It means thinking 10, 15 and 20 years ahead, understanding how today’s decisions connect, and having the operational experience to turn plans into measurable results,” she said.
Kempf is seeking her third term on the City Council; she was first elected in 2018. She identified wildfires as the town’s greatest threat and said much of what’s been done by the council during her tenure has helped make Laguna Beach safer.
“Because we are surrounded by 22,000 acres of open space, we are particularly vulnerable and have experienced wildfires in both 2022 and 2024, all of which were successfully addressed,” she said. “Thanks to much of the work I have championed since 2019, we likely have one of the most robust fire mitigation and fire safety executed programs in the state.”
Two helopods have been installed and another of the water sources is on its way to help with “quick helicopter drops,” she noted, also counting off AI heat sensors along the wildland interface, heat-seeking drones, 26 outdoor warning systems, evacuation drills and traffic control management devices as things already up and running to protect Laguna Beach against wildfires.
“I am very proud of this work,” she said.
Martin, an urban planner, said Laguna Beach leaders need to become more proactive and less reactive by focusing more on comprehensive planning.
“We have spent too many years solving problems one project, one ordinance and one crisis at a time,” she said, adding that the city’s general plan, zoning code, local coastal program and city policies should work together as one coherent planning framework. “Instead, too many provisions are outdated, conflicting, or confusing, making it harder for residents, applicants, and staff to know which rules apply and how decisions will be made.”
Martin said these policies affect real things such as how building is done, what the city’s infrastructure can support, how to evacuate in an emergency, how visitors are managed and how the natural environment is protected.
“What I have not been able to find is one public scope, schedule or staff report that brings those pieces together into a comprehensive citywide capacity study,” Martin said.
“I want that work to be visible and complete. What can our roads carry? How many people can we safely evacuate? What can our beaches, public safety systems, parking, sewer and water systems reasonably support? And at what point does additional demand begin to diminish the experience for both residents and visitors?”
Orgill, now retired from jobs in construction, real estate, hospitality and the arts and presently serving as the city’s mayor, was first elected to council in 2022. He is seeking a second term.
On transparency in government, Orgill said one way to improve it is to make information on issues more available before the council makes final decisions.
“Staff reports, contracts, fiscal impacts and supporting documents should be posted early, written clearly and accessible to residents without specialized knowledge,” he said. The city should provide plain-language summaries of major proposals, searchable financial information and public dashboards showing the status, cost, schedule and results of significant projects.”
One way he suggests achieving that is by creating opportunities for earlier public engagement.
“Town halls, workshops, online participation and direct neighborhood outreach should supplement formal council meetings, which can be difficult for many residents to attend,” he said. “During the past 18 months, the city has held approximately 20 town halls and workshops, and I provide regular public updates through podcasts and a weekly radio program.”
Parisi has served as treasurer for the city of Laguna Beach since she was first elected to that post in 1999.
On transparency in governance and spending, Parisi said it is especially important in city accounting.
“At a minimum, cities should follow generally accepted accounting principles, but also move toward a standard practice of monthly financial reporting,” she said.
She also said she would “insist on a more complete analysis of potential projects and the evaluation of both the advantages and disadvantages of projects and options to complete projects.”
As for the biggest needs facing the city, she said, “Laguna Beach needs to improve the trust that the citizens have in the governing process. I would address this through increased public involvement, more balanced financial analysis and increased financial reporting.”
Rounaghi, who was elected to the City Council in 2022, said that as a public servant, he takes transparency in governing and in the city’s budget seriously.
“Residents deserve to understand why their leaders make decisions and how the city prioritizes their tax dollars,” he said. To ensure residents can be informed about the details, Rounaghi said he has shadowed city staff to understand their roles and uses that information to make his decisions.
“While I cannot promise to agree with everyone, the public deserves a clear explanation for why I am making a specific decision,” he said. ” I find that when you explain your methodology, even those who might not be happy with the outcome are able to understand.”
Together with Kempf, Rounaghi put out a 15-page efficiency initiative listing the city’s long-term finances and presented it to the council and the public.
“Until now the city has reported workload instead of outcomes,” he said. “Overhauling our budget, based on recommendations from our efficiency initiative, will enhance transparency and government efficiency.”
Read more of the voter guide, including what the candidates said would make them good leaders and how they would represent the city’s diverse community at ocregister.com/voter-guide.
Ballots may be returned by mail (must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and received within a week of Election Day) or to the OC Registrar of Voters’ drop boxes around town now, and the first vote centers will open for casting ballots in person on Oct. 24.