Laguna Beach can be more than just another coastal Southern California community with inspiring views. We can be a community that prioritizes a commitment to improving the lives of our city employees. By providing meaningful work in a caring and compassionate environment, we can send them home feeling accomplished and fulfilled rather than fatigued and empty. As a community, we understand that individuals want to add value and be valued simultaneously. As a relatively small Orange County community, we have a unique opportunity to show and make our city employees feel positive, relevant, and, most of all, valued. In turn, our community as a whole will be better for it.
By implementing personal growth initiatives and striving for a people-centric culture, employees will be given the tools to be their best. When we actively work to bring out their best, they, in turn, will give their best to Laguna Beach, including colleagues, residents, visitors, friends, and family. This commitment to creating an improved employee experience will undoubtedly make a more inspiring, beautiful, and meaningful Laguna Beach. A community where everyone is safe, cared for, and thriving.
I urge you to keep this commitment in mind when choosing our new leaders and select Mark Orgill, Alex Rounaghi, and Jerome Pudwill for Laguna Beach City Council.
It’s time to return to Laguna Beach values: be kind, be thoughtful and do the right thing.
Brian Griep, Laguna Beach Police Employees’ Association President
Could you please tell me what either of the candidates, Mark Orgill, Alex Rounaghi or Jerome Pudwill have done for public safety? Why are is the Police Union endorsing them? What it really sounds like is pay negations are coming up between the city and you (the union) and these people who aren’t in office yet have promised to be favorable, based on your loaded questionnaire you send to everyone running. Where it would be illegal for someone in office to answer most of those questions. These “woke” candidates are not going to help the police image with the public. I would like you to show me candidates over the past 3 years who had the climate as their top agenda item that had the police second or even near the top. Please remember many of those climate activists were the defund the police crowd too.
Ms. Alvarez, your premise as to why the police did not endorse the the incumbents, Blake and Kempf is illogical. If they were concerned about about salary negotiations they would have endorsed the incumbents. But instead they chose candidates that have no vested interest in keeping intact the cabal of the Blake, Kempf, and CM Dupuis and probably the police leadership. This is a cry for help in restoring an atmosphere of trust instead of cronyism in the police department. Having fresh and unbiased council members will allow the process of restoring trust and honesty to begin. This will be the biggest factor in improving the safety of the residents and the tourists in our city. The problem that exists with the police force is not monetary in nature but is about leadership and work place environment. That can only be changed by electing council members that will not be bound to the status quo but are willing to find the reasons why we have such a high turnover in a city where police should love to serve. Instead many police have privately said that if an opportunity arises they would leave as some are already doing. Wanting to develop an a work environment that promotes trust and honesty is in the best interests of everyone. Your use of words like “woke” and phrases such as “defund the police” are red meat to the supporters of the current cabal. Being fair minded and objective is not something to be derided. It should be admired and would be a breath of fresh air. We need a fully staffed police force. The biggest safety problem we have are the DUI’s in LB. Out of 102 cities in comparable size to LB we rank as the worst in per capita DUI arrests. LB also has the highest per capita liquor licenses in the county. That is a
They should return by to its values but it’s pretty hard when management sweeps everything under the rug. They know of really toxic work environment and just look the other way look if you guys look at the turn over rate its not normal for a city to go through so many employees . They ain’t leaving for better paying jobs it’s the way they are treated and nothing gets done very toxic place and it’s sad to see that it will never changed its the culture there.
Mr. Catsimanes, what part of what I said is illogical. Did or did not local police union send out a questionnaire to all incumbents and candidates? Yes they did. In that questionnaire, did or did it not include questions that would presume and infer how someone might vote during negations, on “what police deserve”? Again, yes it did. It is wrong for any city council person to prejudge how they will be vote during or before a negotiation. You think anybody running for council is, un-bias. They have to tell us what there agenda is when running, this mean they have an agenda!! HELLO!?
As far has workplace moral, who made you the official spoke person? Have you ever considered that what drives city employees nuts are the polarized activist in town? Police are resigning at alarming rates in almost every liberal ran town in the country.
What I think demotivate police is dealing with the non-sense you caused back in August when you cause a public disturbance. If anyone would like to know about Mr. Chris Catsimanes. Please read the article in the link below.
https://stunewslaguna.com/index.php/archives/front-page-archive/21214-fair-game-083022