LOCAL ELECTIONS / LAGUNA BEACH COUNCIL : 8 Seek 2 Seats; Canyon, Design Review Debated

LAGUNA BEACH — A lively race for two City Council seats is underway as candidates debate a range of subjects, from the fate of Laguna Canyon and the Design Review Board to the effect new budget woes will have on the city’s future.

Some of the eight candidates have worked their way up the political ladder in the city, serving in offices such as the Design Review Board and the Planning Commission. Two challengers are taking a sixth try at winning a council seat.

The race is also peppered with political newcomers calling for an end to “insider politics” in Laguna Beach and who say the City Council should rethink its positions on a variety of issues, from its rigid stance against the San Joaquin Hills tollway to its willingness to risk expensive legal battles to slow development.

The debate often centers on how the city spends its money, an increasingly sensitive subject in light of the long-term harm the state’s budget crisis is expected to have on Laguna Beach.

“It’s absolutely a crucial election,” candidate Peter J. French said. “There is a 10% contingency fund in the city budget that takes a 4-1 vote to spend, and it’s been spent every single year. And with the financial crisis facing Laguna Beach, we need to protect that contingency fund from misuse.”

In fact, the results of this year’s election are not likely to shift the direction of politics in Laguna Beach. Martha Collison and Neil G. Fitzpatrick, the two City Council members whose terms are expiring, have opted not to run for reelection. And they were the two most likely to vote against the majority.

That reality does not dissuade newcomers to the Laguna Beach political scene who insist that it is time for change in the city.

“I believe the current extremist majority that’s been in power in Laguna Beach for the past 10 years has chipped away at private property rights and has an anti-resident, anti-business, anti-tourist flavor to it,” French said.

Candidate Mel Owens, a former Los Angeles Rams linebacker, insists that “the insider politics that’s been going on in Laguna Beach” must end. Owens also took a swipe at the “cheap endorsement process . . . aided and abetted by special interests.”

Village Laguna, the city’s most powerful political group, has endorsed Planning Commissioners Norm Grossman and Kathleen Blackburn for the City Council and incumbent Verna L. Rollinger for city clerk. Both Grossman and Rollinger are longtime Village Laguna members.

The Laguna Coalition, a new group that maintains that Village Laguna has lost touch with “moderate to conservative” voters, has endorsed Blackburn and former Planning Commissioner Wayne Peterson.

Over the past decade, 75% of those endorsed by Village Laguna have gone on to snag a City Council seat. Four of the five current City Council members are also members of that political action committee.

The “insider politics” theme has reached inside the city clerk race, with candidate Dorothy J. (Sunny) Rhodes criticizing Rollinger, who has had that job for 16 years as “a puppet of a political action committee.”

Rollinger, however, said she was puzzled by the debate about insider politics.

“Both the City Council and myself are elected by a majority of the voters in Laguna Beach,” she said. “I believe that’s because the council represents the views of a majority of the citizens of Laguna Beach and (because) the way I administer the city clerk’s office addresses the desires of most of the voters of Laguna Beach.”

Some familiar issues are still perking beneath the surface this fall, including whether the city should help buy land to preserve neighborhoods, such as the Treasure Island mobile home park and the rural Diamond-Crestview community, and how the council should respond to the proposed San Joaquin Hills toll road.

“I think we need to focus our open-space money and energy on the canyon purchase and let lots be built on in other areas,” candidate Roberta Freeman (Bobbi) Cox said.

Six-time candidate Elizabeth (Beth) Leeds, however, has written an initiative calling for a two-year moratorium on “all grading and mass development” in Laguna Beach.

While most candidates still object to the idea of having the San Joaquin Hills tollway constructed across Laguna Canyon, some say that it will happen anyway and that the city erred in refusing to take part in its planning.

“Whether or not it goes in is a moot point; it’s going in,” French said. “The traffic problem in Laguna Beach needs some relief, and there’s an entire school of thought that believes the toll road will help that problem.”

Other candidates remain adamant that the road must not be built.

“My position is, the people in Laguna Beach wanted to save the canyon, and if it gets paved, it isn’t saved,” said Leeds, who has launched a legal challenge to block the tollway.

Another controversy being broached by City Council candidates is whether the city’s design review process should be modified, overhauled or even dismantled. While the Design Review Board is supported by some candidates, others say the panel should have no say over the development or remodeling of single-family homes built within city guidelines.

“What we’re doing now is gross overkill,” said Peterson, a former Design Review Board member. “The problem with design review right now is we’re forgetting the integrity of the neighborhood by focusing on the shade of white paint, and that has to be turned around.”

Peterson was referring to a 1991 case in which a couple were barred from moving into their new home because it was painted a whiter shade than a “sandstone” color approved by the board.

Laguna Beach City Council and City Clerk

Eight candidates are vying for two open seats on the Laguna Beach City Council. In addition, three candidates are seeking the city clerk’s office. Monday is the deadline to register to vote. To register, pick up a form at any post office, library or city hall. For more information, call the county registrar of voters at (714) 567-7600.

CITY COUNCIL

Kathleen Blackburn

Age: 49.

Occupation: Controller of small sunglass business.

Background: Laguna Beach planning commissioner, 1988 to present; South Laguna Specific Plan Board of Review, 1984-88; Laguna Beach Unified School District Parent Teacher Assn.; soccer coach; involved in Laguna Beach Volleyball Assn., Ebel Club of Laguna Beach and National Charity League.

Issues: Favors buying land in areas such as Treasure Island and Diamond Crestview if enough money is in general fund, seller is willing and there is public support is strong. She has “mixed feelings” about San Joaquin Hills tollway, is concerned about effects on environment but hopes that mitigation measures will help. Favors continued Design Review for single-family homes but advocates streamlining.

Roberta Freeman

(Bobbi) Cox

Age: 48.

Occupation: real estate broker, four years; previously, 23 years in international telecommunications.

Background: Laguna Beach Arts Commission chairwoman, member four years; Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce board of directors, four years; Meals on Wheels volunteer; Altrusa and Feminist Forum member.

Issues: Opposes neighborhood preservation by buying land in areas such as Diamond Crestview or Treasure Island; opposes San Joaquin Hills tollway but says it will be built and city should participate in mitigating the impact on Laguna Canyon; contends that single-family homes should have design review only if variance is required and that “taste, personal preference” should not be within its purview.

Peter J. French

Age: 35.

Occupation: Property manager.

Background: Third-generation Laguna Beach resident; Laguna Beach Rotary Club member, eight years; pilot; worked with Calvary Chapel homeless outreach program.

Issues: “Vehemently opposes” concept of preserving neighborhoods by buying land in areas such as Diamond Crestview and Treasure Island; says San Joaquin Hills tollway is inevitable, so city should seek control over how it will affect Laguna Canyon; contends that the Design Review Board should be abolished.

Norm Grossman

Age: 49.

Occupation: Engineering manager.

Background: Planning commissioner 1988 to present; serves on both Laguna Greenbelt and Laguna Canyon Conservancy board of directors; co-authored countywide slow-growth initiative Measure A, 1988; member Laguna Laurel Advisory Group that created plan to purchase canyon land; Laguna Canyon Road Consensus Committee member; Design Review Board member, 1984-86.

Issues: Favors preserving neighborhoods by buying land in areas such as Diamond Crestview and Treasure Island if purchase is “economically feasible”; “strongly against” San Joaquin Hills tollway; favors design review for single-family homes.

Elizabeth (Beth) Leeds

Age: 51.

Occupation: Artist/ environmentalist.

Background: Sixth bid for City Council seat. Worked to save Main Beach from being turned into a parking lot in the early 1970s; founded Save the World Club for children, 1988, and was Save Our Shores president, 1987-90; has written initiative calling for two-year moratorium on all grading and “mass development” in Laguna Beach.

Issues: Favors neighborhood preservation by buying land in areas such as Diamond Crestview and Treasure Island; against San Joaquin Hills tollway; favors more financial support to direct AIDS service groups and backs continued design review for single-family homes.

Mel Owens

Age: 33.

Occupation: Financial consultant.

Background: Former linebacker, Los Angeles Rams, 1981-90.

Issues: Does not believe the city can afford to preserve neighborhoods by buying land in Diamond Crestview or Treasure Island; opposes San Joaquin Hills tollway; believes design review should continue for single-family homes but has developed a plan to revamp the board by appointing more members experienced in architecture, design, engineering and residents with “expertise in neighborhood preservation.”

Wayne Peterson

Age: 53.

Occupation: Teacher/businessman.

Background: Planning commissioner, 1985-91; Design Review Board, 1983-85; secretary, Log Cabin Club of Orange County.

Issues: Opposes buying Treasure Island but would support “periodic acquisition” by city of some Diamond Crestview lots if property owners want to sell and city has enough money in its general fund; opposes San Joaquin Hills tollway; favors design review for single-family homes “only in special cases” such as in environmentally sensitive areas.

Rickey Slater

Age: 58.

Occupation: Newspaper delivery.

Background: Sixth bid for City Council seat; member Laguna Beach Beautification Committee, eight years; member Forest Avenue Alley Improvement Committee.

Issues: Opposes neighborhood preservation by buying land in areas such as Diamond Crestview or Treasure Island without voter approval; backs San Joaquin Hills tollway; favors continued or increased city funding for direct AIDS services; opposes design review for single-family homes.

CITY CLERK

Dorothy J. (Sunny) Rhodes

Occupation: Controller of local masonry supply company.

Priorities: Running for city clerk because “I believe all the citizens in Laguna Beach need fair representation, not just the select few.”

Verna Rollinger

Occupation: Incumbent city clerk, 16 years.

Priorities: Sees herself as “a liaison between the community and City Hall” who has “made the city clerk’s office a functioning resource center for the city staff and the community.” Running for reelection because “to be addble to perform a public service in the city of Laguna Beach is a very special privilege.”

Elaine Smith

Occupation: Businesswoman/art consultant.

Priorities: Running for office because “I think it’s time for a change and a change for the better.” Would bring to the job someone with “business experience, an entrepreneurial attitude and, above all, fairness and equality in the treatment of all citizens of Laguna Beach.”