Laguna Beach council candidates debate development, tourism, fire safety at Village Laguna forum
By CLARA BEARD
Photos by Mary Hurlbut
Laguna Beach City Council candidates weighed in on downtown development, historic preservation, tourism, affordable housing, fire safety and other issues during a Village Laguna candidate forum Monday (Aug. 31).
The forum brought together nine candidates: Nick Aronoff, Joy Berry, Karen Martin, Edward Bayuk, Laura Parisi, Ashley Cintas and incumbents Mark Orgill, Sue Kempf and Alex Rounaghi. With nine candidates and roughly two hours, organizers skipped opening statements and generally limited responses to 90 seconds, along with two lightning rounds.
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From left, Nick Aronoff, Mark Orgill, Joy Berry and Sue Kempf
One of the first and most extensive discussions centered on proposed changes to the Downtown Specific Plan and the balance between accommodating housing and preserving Laguna Beach’s historic character.
Aronoff said he opposed allowing taller buildings throughout downtown but saw opportunities to add housing selectively.
“I would be against adding the third and fourth story buildings to all of downtown,” Aronoff said. “I think what we really have to look at is which buildings can support housing on the second and third floors, and which ones can’t.”
Orgill supported updating the plan, emphasizing that the process would include public review and noting that the Downtown Specific Plan extends into the arts district, where some buildings already allow three stories.
“I do believe in preserving a lot of our historic infrastructure,” Orgill said, adding that he serves as the City Council’s liaison to the Heritage Committee.
Berry took a firmer position against the proposed changes.
“I don’t think our downtown’s broken, so I don’t think we should be changing it,” Berry said. “Preserving our historical buildings preserves our unique character.”
Kempf pointed to adaptive reuse as one way to accommodate housing without dramatically changing downtown, citing existing upper-floor office space that could potentially be converted into residential units.
Martin said the city needed to examine realistic alternatives and provide greater clarity about the number of units being studied and how the proposal fits with other city planning documents.
Rounaghi pushed back on the idea that the city planned to build 675 units downtown, saying that figure came from the environmental review rather than an actual development proposal. He said recent council direction focused primarily on allowing conventional residential housing in portions of the arts district where artist live-work housing is already permitted.
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Laura Parisi
Parisi said she favored examining different sections of downtown individually rather than applying a single approach throughout the area.
“I love the downtown the way it is,” Parisi said. “I think you’re going to break down into the areas and look at each of those areas separately.”
Cintas opposed increasing building heights downtown and said the city should have clear costs, timelines and deliverables before pursuing major changes.
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Ashley Cintas
The candidates found more agreement on several questions. All opposed using glyphosate, commonly known as Roundup, for weed abatement in city open spaces. Most also opposed the city taking responsibility for Laguna Canyon Road because of its projected cost and liability.
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A proposal to extend the existing marine no-take zone 1.3 miles south produced more division. Cintas, Martin and Berry supported the extension, while the other candidates opposed it.
Berry said extending the protected area to the city limits would strengthen Laguna Beach’s environmental identity.
“If we’re going to be a marine sanctuary, the entire city should be a marine sanctuary, not just half the city,” she said.
Candidates also addressed whether the city should spend $4.2 million to help create 28 affordable housing units at the Neighborhood Congregational Church property. Aronoff and Orgill supported the city’s participation, while Berry said she would have limited the contribution to matching a $2.5 million state grant. Kempf defended the investment, saying negotiations had helped reduce the scale of the project.
Fire safety drew broad agreement, with candidates discussing evacuation planning, utility undergrounding, fuel modification, staffing and emerging technology.
Kempf highlighted the city’s investments in fire detection, warning systems, evacuation planning and utility undergrounding, while Berry suggested looking at additional technologies, including exterior sprinkler systems and fire-resistant building treatments.
Aronoff credited the current council for its work on wildfire preparedness.
“When council has done a good job, it’s important to point that out,” Aronoff said.
Tourism was another major topic near the end of the forum, with candidates offering different approaches to managing the millions of visitors who come to Laguna Beach each year.
Cintas said the city first needs better data on visitors, including where they come from, how long they stay and where they spend money. She advocated attracting more overnight visitors and encouraging longer stays rather than focusing on sheer visitor volume.
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From left, Edward Bayuk, Alex Rounaghi and Ashley Cintas
Rounaghi emphasized enforcement, including issuing parking citations, cracking down on public drinking and potentially adding more park rangers.
Berry argued that Laguna Beach does not need to spend money marketing itself and said tourism-related funds could instead help pay for public safety, trash collection and other costs associated with visitors. She also suggested dynamic parking-meter pricing during peak periods.
Orgill, who was asked separately about changes to Visit Laguna Beach, said overtourism needs to be actively managed.
“Overtourism benefits nobody, and the hotels know that, and they want it managed,” Orgill said.
The forum concluded with candidates making their cases to voters, touching on city finances, preservation, public safety, Laguna Beach’s hospital and emergency room, development and the relationship between residents and City Hall.
