Residents reject overlay districts and hotel workers minimum wage ordinance.
Seven candidates were on the ballot for Laguna Beach City Council which had just three open seats up for election on Tuesday.
Edging out incumbent Sue Kempf by just 85 votes, Alex Rounaghi emerged with the most votes to claim a seat on the board. This is the first election win for Rounaghi who was appointed to the Laguna Beach Housing & Human Services Committee by the city council last year.
Undergrounding power lines on Laguna Canyon Road, funding public safety workers and affordable housing were priorities articulated by Rounaghi’s campaign. He currently works for Supervisor Katrina Foley, and was the youngest candidate in the city council race at 24 years old.
In spot number two, was Sue Kempf, who served as Mayor in 2022. She prioritized public health and safety and championed the Laguna Beach Fire Mitigation Plan. She will return to serve on the city council.
The third council seat was filled by Mark Orgill. A boutique real estate developer, Orgill campaigned for environmental stability, management of tourist impacts, citizen involvement, and transparency.
Residents of Laguna Beach voted down Measures Q, R and S also up for consideration on the ballot.
Measure Q was voted against by residents, which opponents described as anti-development. It would have required a majority vote from all Laguna Beach registered voters to approve development projects.
Measure R, which was written by a Los Angeles labor group, targeted hotels and required an overlay zone establishing special requirements for any hotel development. This will not be necessary with the measure failing at the ballot box.
Measure S, which also failed to pass, would require a minimum wage of $18 per hour for hotel employees.
The “Hotel Worker Protection Ordinance” would have established the rate and authorized the city to write and enforce the ordinance. Opponents said it would have restricted voluntary overtime for hotel workers and cost local taxpayers thousands of dollars in oversight enforcement.
