The field is set: nine council candidates for three spots, presently held by three incumbents
August 7th has come and gone. That was the final day for someone wanting to run for City Council and/or a school board seat to file the requisite paperwork to qualify for the November ballot.
When the dust settled, here’s the final City Council lineup for Laguna Beach:
Nick Aronoff
Edward Bayuk
Joy Berry
Ashley Cintas
Sue Kempf*
Karen Martin
Mark Orgill*
Laura Parisi
Alex Rounaghi*
(* denotes incumbent)
The following Voter Initiative will also be on the ballot for residents to decide – Implement Term Limits for City Councilmembers.
It asks:
Shall an ordinance to amend the Laguna Beach Municipal Code by enacting a limit on consecutive years of service by members of the City Council to a combined total of two four-year consecutive terms, with the ability to again serve as a Councilmember after a lapse of service of at least two years, be adopted?
Simply: Yes or No?
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Obviously, one great way to decide who to cast your vote for is to attend an upcoming candidate forum. Here’s what’s scheduled so far:
August 31 – Village Laguna Council Candidate Forum, 6-8 p.m. at the City Council Chambers.
September 26 – LBAA Candidate Forum, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. in the Forum Theater on the Festival of Arts grounds.
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Equally as important, perhaps even more so to parents, is the race for the Laguna Beach Unified School District Board of Education. Here’s how that shook out at closing time: Five candidates, vote for three.
The incumbents are Joan Malczewski and Dee Perry; others challenging include Elizabeth Bates, Shaheen Sheik-Sadhal and Kimberly Smith.
This will be a race where you either support the present direction of the board/district, or you don’t. And it has been controversial. It will take one candidate aligned with the current direction to keep the majority with current board members Sheri Morgan and Howard Hills; it will take three candidates to create a new majority and potentially take the board in a different direction.
In the meantime, board member James Kelly, Ph.D., who has served on the board since 2018, has decided to hang it up, completely opening up his seat.
We join with many to thank him for his service and commitment.
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And we can hardly mention local races and not discuss the Diane Dixon versus Katrina Foley battle for Orange County Supervisor Fifth District. Foley is the incumbent, while Dixon will leave her Assembly seat in hopes of returning from Sacramento to the OC.
This one will be close. The reason it heads to November is because a third candidate entered the primary, leaving both Dixon and Foley short of the required 50% to win in the June Primary.
Although multiple groups have hoped for a debate showdown at some point between the two, so far that hope has been a no-go.
Here is their tale of the tape:
Even though the contest is considered non-partisan, Dixon is a staunch Republican; Foley is a Democrat.
Dixon previously served two terms as a City Councilperson in Newport Beach, including twice as mayor, prior to heading north to the Assembly.
Foley’s background includes being both a City Councilperson in Costa Mesa and a school board trustee for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. She was also the first elected mayor ever for Costa Mesa.
As one might expect, being a conservative in Sacramento means having a minority voice, which can make accomplishments more difficult to come by. Still, in my view, Dixon has represented her district well, perhaps even far better than any of her recent predecessors.
Foley is referred to by people on both sides of the aisle as “the hardest working politician around.” She seems to be everywhere…all the time. She has done a very nice job of getting positive accomplishments for ALL cities in her Fabulous Fifth.
In June, Foley edged Dixon by only 299 votes, with 181,427 cast for the office. A third candidate, educator Lucy Vellema, also acknowledged as a fellow Republican with Dixon, accounted for 11,264 of her own votes, enough to potentially play a spoiler role.
This one should be extremely close come November.
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For those of you wondering when you might receive your ballots, county election officials will begin mailing them by October 5, with ballot drop-off locations opening the next day on October 6.
November 3 is officially Election Day.
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We mentioned the LBUSD Board above; here’s their latest. They will hold their next Regular Meeting this Thursday, Aug. 13 at Thurston Middle School Library. It will begin with a Closed Session at 5 p.m., followed by a Superintendent Meet & Greet at 5:30 p.m., with the Open Session then beginning at 6 p.m.
Here are some of the items to note:
–Legislative Update: The board will receive an update from Kevin Gordon, president and founding partner of Capitol Advisors Group, on legislative developments affecting public education.
–Board Visioning and Draft District Goals: The board will review and discuss the latest draft of district goals developed through the board visioning process.
–Governance Committee: The board will consider redesignating its Governance Committee from an ad hoc committee to a standing committee.
The meeting will be livestreamed at www.lbusd.org/board/board-meetings/live-board-meeting.
The complete agenda and supporting materials are available here.
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Have you made it to the OC Fair yet? This Sunday (Aug. 16) is the last day. There’s lots to see and do. This week it’s open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m.-11 p.m., with an extra hour added on for both Friday and Saturday until midnight.
BTW, even when the lights go out on the midway, there will still be a number of things continuing on at the fairgrounds:
–Saturday, Aug. 22 is the Knobby Night Invitational at the OC Speedway.
–Also that evening in the PacAmp is Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin evening.
–Thursday, Aug. 27 is Fight Night OC, with a full card of boxing and MMA presented by Roy Englebrecht Promotions.
–Then, taking the PacAmp stage on Friday, Aug. 28, is the incomparable Diana Ross.
–August closes out with Alison Krauss & Union Station at the PacAmp on the 29th; with the Shoreline Dog Fanciers Association, an all-breed dog show and obedience trial set for August 28-30, along with a Gem Faire at an opposite part of the grounds.
As always, lots going on at the OC Fair & Event Center.
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And if you do decide to go to the Fair, why not do it later this week when Laguna Beach will take the wheel for CHOC in the Motorhome Madness and Demolition Derby.
On Wednesday, Aug. 12, watch as LBFD Battalion Chief Chip Gilmore battles Police Chief Jeff Calvert and others in Motorhome Madness, and then Captain Matt Rolfe and Captain Danny Kalscheuer, both of LBFD, put it on the line Saturday, Aug. 15 in the Figure 8 Demolition Derby. They’re representing Laguna Beach with one goal in mind: “supporting the incredible kids and families served by the CHOC Foundation.”
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. both nights in the OC Fairgrounds Action Sports Arena.
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Don’t forget this Sunday evening, it’s the free Music in the Park at Bluebird Park, featuring Rose’s Pawn Shop. Concert begins at 5 p.m.
