Opinion: My City Council Dream Team

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Okay, here are my picks for the ’22 Council elections. I know you didn’t ask for them, so here you are anyway.

We have real business to do to make Laguna safer, cleaner, easier to navigate, more enjoyable, and yes, much kinder, inclusive and tolerant. What Laguna has always stood for until it became “me” versus “we.”

Let’s talk about candidates with the temperament, brains and fortitude to get things done, or what I’d like to call the class (acts) of 2022:

Sue Kempf. Duh! I haven’t seen a more effective civil servant in my 23 years here. Every time I stroll down the pleasant, tranquil, people-filled Forest Avenue Promenade, I think to myself, “How did this happen?” I’d been advocating for it since I arrived, a Sisyphean task that left me battered and bruised by an intransigent minority adept at putting up roadblocks.  

But then a force multiplier named Sue blazed into action when the pandemic quarantine threatened our beloved local businesses. And our ability to gather. She spoke to health experts about how best to navigate this scourge, and they told her outdoor dining. This was the opening Sue needed, and in a matter of weeks, along with City Manager Shohreh Dupuis, found a décor company that was idled by the cancellation of Coachella. They quickly constructed those outdoor decks that were shimmed to meet the sidewalks, fenced to meet ABC’s requirement to serve alcohol, tarted it up with planters, art and whimsy, and voila, the promenade was birthed, along with wonderful outdoor dining all over town. We finally looked like those Mediterranean towns we always claimed to be. Sue did it, the sky didn’t fall, our town has never looked better, and the promenade is poised to become our permanent town square, a welcomed respite for weary drivers that showcases our most perfect downtown boulevard.

I applaud Sue precisely for finding an emergency loophole to get it done. That’s chutzpah. That’s leadership. That’s politics. Elect Sue, and let’s get that permanent plaza to the finish line.  

Alex Rounaghi: I’ve been stunned to meet such a poised, mature, thoughtful, informed and intelligent young man. He’s given me hope for the future. Alex doesn’t suffer fools. He’s here for a reason: to make a difference and help move Laguna forward with 21st-century improvements. Spend a moment with him, and you will know exactly what he stands for and what he wants to do. He knows fire safety is our number one priority, and along with Sue, he will work to get the powerlines undergrounded on Laguna Canyon Rd. But he knows our work won’t be finished there. He also wants to design a master transportation plan that would include taking control of Coast Highway and Laguna Canyon Rd, possible express transit and bicycle lanes, wide sidewalks, and a real, walkable community in the Canyon with more affordable housing for all.

Alex is the only candidate with a plan for our true existential crisis, climate change. Unlike other candidates, he was born and grew up here and brings a unique perspective to our education system, our public resources, and the challenges facing our youth. He will activate the next generation to help us plan for our future, which is critical to our vitality so that we don’t become a “Leisure World by the Sea.”

Don’t let this crap of him being too young sway you. Martin Luther King became a minister at 18. John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress at 29. Stevie Wonder had produced seven award-winning albums by the time he reached Alex’s age. Some people are just preternaturally gifted to pursue their destiny at a young age.

Louis Weil: The inevitable cudgel from cynics is that Louis is just a proxy for his in-laws, Barbara and Greg MacGillivray. That’s insulting to all of them. Louis didn’t choose his in-laws, and he’s certainly not doing it to curry favor (he’s already delivered two adorable grandchildren). Anyone who knows the MacGillivrays knows that they fly in the stratosphere above the fray, with never a whiff of impropriety. They do unbelievable things for our city on their own and need help from no one.

As for Louis, he’s a serious young man raising a young family. He works hard to be his own man, serving with excellence on the Design Review Board. Everyone agrees he has done a fine job. In my neighborhood, he helped reduce the scale of a spec home from 8,500 square feet to 5,500. Louis advocates for neighborhood compatibility, finding a middle ground that makes both parties happy. It’s the perfect training ground for City Council.

Louis is the only candidate raising young children here and is acutely aware of the challenges facing them post-pandemic. Together, Louis and Alex represent a long overdue youth campaign for our town, representing young families and individuals wanting to make a future here.

Just imagine Sue and Bob, with decades of experience, mentoring Louis and Alex, and we will have a force to be reckoned with of visionary, effective leadership dedicated to improving our lives every day.  

Billy hosts Laguna Talks on Thursday nights on KXFM radio. He’s also the CEO of La Vida Laguna, an E-bike and ocean sports tour company. Email: [email protected].

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6 COMMENTS

  1. All your choices are better than Mark, Ruben, and Jerome. Being kind is very important, but a candidate has other essential qualities. Let me give you an example; your teenager attacks another kid for no reason for the second time in a month. You spoke kind the first time, but now you must discipline, is being kind the most important thing, or is teaching them the difference between right and wrong? What about someone that gets into a DUI accident and hurts one of the kids in this town? I would rather be around people that get me to push what I thought were my limits and be a better me, and expand my horizons rather than give me fluff that I want to hear. We don’t need the nicest people in the city council. We need the people that will get the most done for the city’s welfare.

    We need to have balance and common sense restored to Laguna Beach. If Peter doesn’t get elected based on the merits of his platform and record of accomplishments for this city, it will say something about the nature of politics in Laguna Beach. It will say that many of our citizens are so polarized that they are willing to elect people that are not fully capable of the job to positions of high power simply because they are not the other guy. I encourage people not to leave that impression on the country and not to vote off ideological issues, and focus on how the candidate is willing to fight for what they believe in. Re-electing Peter Blake will give us that counterweight that balances us back to the center.

    We agree about the Forest Avenue Promenade; it is a beautiful addition to the town. While I believe Sue didn’t oppose the Promenade and was on the team for it, I also don’t think she was the champion or captain on the front lines either. As you mentioned in your article a few weeks ago, she didn’t even attend the town forum in person to show her support for the Promenade; Peter was the only participant advocate from City Council. The majority of all the businesses (and residents) consider Peter, our primary advocate.

    I like Alex, too, but I read some excellent comments on him that just rang true. Young people are easy to manipulate, and if you see how he follows Sue and Bob at events, he almost seems like a lap dog. We don’t want to trade one gang for another.

    Again, too much influence over Louis. I have friends involved in different charities in Laguna, and you’re right. Greg is docile compared to his wife, but from what I hear, Barbra MacGillivray is where that example of a woman scorn you don’t want to mess with comes from. She is NOT going to let Louis be his own man. He is not just a simple movie maker; he has tried to be a player in town, just like their buddy Sleepy Joe Hanauer.

  2. You missed the point, if my kid thinks bullying is OK, then it’s because he’s likely modeling it after the man in the highest office, Peter. Let’s eradicate the cancer before it metastasizes.

    And that’s quite an assertion about Barbara, especially considering how a member of your family is so close with them. You are really outing yourself here. Not a good look.

  3. Thanks ! All three support property owners
    rights, that Village Laguna has slowly eroded over the years!
    Thanks again for your info!!

  4. Why does the Independent continue to let Billy Fried have a free rant reign with an almost regular column in the paper? The man always has an axe to grind and most residents don’t give a rats behind about his opinions on things. Enough already. He can write LTEs like everyone else and be limited to 400 words. If he wants to promote candidates for city council, make him take out an add and put his money where is mouth is – don’t give him a soapbox for free.

  5. What is love?
    Oh baby, don’t hurt me
    Don’t hurt me
    No more
    Baby, don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me
    No more
    What is love?
    Yeah
    No, I don’t know why you’re not fair
    I give you my love, but you don’t care
    So what is right and what is wrong?
    Gimme a sign
    What is love?
    Oh baby, don’t hurt me
    Don’t hurt me
    No more

  6. Fried is addicted to losers because the mentality he built up over decades is to buy in to the underdog theory that the people are getting screwed. He’s ignorant to economics. And, the City’s business is so trival that the well educated people in this town seeing being on the Council as a waste of time. So the best won’t do it. Then we get the non profit and under employed policy people running like it’s some noble cause. As far as Ms. Zeitner’s comment, it’s true that Fried has turned the Indy in to ‘The Wall’ – – if you throw enough at it something will stick. It’s time to elevate editorial.

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