By Daniel Langhorne, Special to the Independent
Eight candidates for the Laguna Beach City Council made their cases Monday for why they should be elected in November during the latest forum hosted by the nonprofit advocacy group Village Laguna.
The candidates who participated in the forum were Ann Christoph, a landscape architect and former council member; Lorene Laguna, a community activist; Cheryl Kinsman, a certified public accountant; Judie Mancuso, nonprofit CEO and animal rights advocate; Allison Mathews, a visual artist and member of the city’s Affordable Housing Task Force; Paul Merritt, a trust administrator; Peter Blake, owner of Peter Blake Gallery; and Council member Toni Iseman.
Planning Commissioner Sue Kempf, and Sue Marie Connolly, a former spa owner, were absent from the forum.
One of the hot topics of the evening was whether the candidates endorse Measure P, a proposed one-percent sales tax increase that would pay to underground utility lines on Laguna Canyon Road. City staffers say the undergrounding is needed to prevent fires caused by downed electric lines and obstacles to emergency evacuations.
“I believe we can do this without raising taxes and borrowing more,” Kinsman said.
Kinsman also argued that Laguna Beach should prioritize modernizing its fire stations over undergrounding if it really wants to improve public safety.
Mathews also said she’s opposed to raising the sales tax, adding that she would rather upgrade fire stations as well.
“Spending $12 million on a [Village] Entrance when we’re not taking care of our first responders is outrageous,” Mathews said.
There was also discussion over the future of the Laguna Canyon Specific Plan. Attempts to add more housing for students and artists have been stymied by the prevailing belief that the canyon should maintain its rural feel.
As a local business owner, Blake said it’s time for the outdated view of what Laguna Canyon should like to give way to a new vision where housing for the artist community is welcomed.
“We have plenty of space in the canyon and we need to stop treating it with kid gloves,” Blake said.
Merritt was concerned that Laguna Canyon is becoming a “dumping ground” for uses that aren’t allowed in other parts of the city. While he supports the missions of the Pacific Marine Mammal Center and Laguna Beach Animal Shelter, he wants to see other kinds of commercial uses welcomed.
Despite the talk about changing the canyon’s look, Iseman said it’s important for Laguna Beach to maintain the strip of diverse businesses, including light manufacturing, art galleries, auto repair, a brewery and a winery.
“If we don’t protect the businesses out there, we’re going to turn into a suburb,” she said.
The candidates were also asked for their opinions on how City Manager John Pietig is performing in his position. Christoph was among the candidates who gave Pietig a poor rating, partly based on the attrition of city employees.
“I would evaluate the city manager by how things are going at city hall and I don’t think things are going well,” she said.
Kinsman and Blake both said they would withhold their judgment of the city manager until they are elected and have more information.
While she said Pietig doesn’t listen to her advice as often as she’d like, Iseman said she thinks he is incredibly smart and one of the best city managers in Orange County.
“He has the ability to do a lot of things and keep track of a lot of things,” she said.
Rather than criticize the city manager, Mancuso took aim at the city’s decades-long relationship with the law firm Rutan & Tucker for city attorney services. She argued that it’s taking far too long for the courts to hear cases involving Laguna Beach.
Two Candidates Drop from the Race
Although they’ll both be on the ballot, Councilman Rob Zur Schmiede and Realtor Liz Bates are no longer running for City Council.
Zur Schmiede announced his withdrawal from the race with a press release on Sept. 16, saying he needs to focus on caring for his younger brother, Tom, who was involved in a near-fatal vehicle collision in Louisville, Kentucky on June 16.
“He was rear-ended at high speed, is still hospitalized, and struggling with the medical, legal and financial after-effects of that life-changing incident,” Zur Schmiede said. “As his legal representative and the only immediate family member with the skills needed to assist him with many of his needs, I have had to wrestle with the demands of ensuring that Tom has the care and resources he’ll need for the remainder of his life and have come to recognize that it is impossible for me to commit to another four years of service on the City Council at this time.”
