Photo by © Angela Vinci / SacredSWELL.com – ZUMA Press
By Cassandra Reinhart, Special to the Independent
If Toni Iseman is the most recognizable person in Laguna Beach, it’s for more than just her fiery mane.
“She’s the only person in the city history since 1927 that has served five terms, 20 years,” former Laguna Beach City Manager Ken Frank told a crowd last week at the Laguna Beach Woman’s Club honoring Iseman and her legacy as a public servant.
Tributes to Iseman filled the packed two-hour luncheon, and included comments from current and former city staff and representatives from LGBT groups. Friend and activist Rita Conn applauded Iseman for her work during the 1980s AIDS epidemic in establishing Shanti OC, which provides support services, education and psychological care to those living with HIV and AIDS.
“She had the courage to step up to the plate,” Conn said. “She joined the HIV Advisory Board and worked with them to make sure they had the funding to build Shanti, because she believed that every AIDS victim deserved a safe place to die.”
Chris Tebbutt, founder of the Laguna Beach LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) Heritage & Culture Committee, deviated from the podium and stood directly in front of Iseman, praising her help in establishing the LGBT committee, and her influence in declaring the month of June as LGBT Heritage and Culture Month.
“We want to thank you for who you are. Who you are is possibility for this community, humanity, and you are love,” a teary Tebbutt told Iseman. “You are the very definition of love. And we love you back deeply.”
During a special song tribute at the luncheon, Iseman was serenaded by Bree Rosen, the founding director of No Square Theater. “The town you’re serving, you have served so well. The thought is unnerving, will she serve again?” Rosen sang to Iseman and the crowd.
That seemed to be the underlying question of the luncheon, with many urging Iseman to seek another term when her fifth expires.
Iseman was first elected in 1998. She has served five consecutive, four-year terms include four year-long stints as mayor, the latest in 2017. Today at age 72, she describes running for office and its $50,000 tab as the most difficult task she’s ever pursued, “especially asking for money.”
She appears undecided about seeking re-election. “Protecting the environment, honoring the charm and community with the historic houses, respecting trees, and putting residents first; I want to find a person to hand the baton to,” she said in an interview last month.
As she took the microphone to thank her guests, Iseman took advantage of the moment to talk politics and her priorities with a captive audience of the town’s movers and shakers.
“We are at a turning point,” Iseman said. “The town is cranky and tired and impatient. Hundreds of thousands of people nearby — Irvine, Lake Forest, Laguna Hills, Mission Viejo — and tens of thousands of homes have yet to be built. We are their beach, and we are being loved to death.”
She listed unfinished projects: parking meters in South Laguna, criminal consequences for tree vandals, and support for local businesses. She also touched on a still pending hot-button issue, the $25 million proposed renovations of the historic Coast Inn and adjacent liquor store at 1401 S. Coast Highway. Iseman called for an environmental impact report to examine the project’s neighborhood impact before it is reviewed by the City Council.
“I am hoping we step up our game and recognize we need to have EIRs to protect the community,” Iseman said. “They are in place and they are important.”
After several standing ovations, Conn perhaps summed up why Iseman has secured those five terms on the council.
“Toni always votes for what she thinks is best for the residents of Laguna Beach,” Conn said. “And I call that integrity.”
