Laguna Beach Voter Guide: Local Races, Early Voting

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — Election day may not be until Nov. 8, but Californians are allowed to begin voting almost a month before the general election.

In Laguna Beach, voters will choose three city council members to sit on the dais for the next four years. Here's what you need to know:

Laguna Beach City Council Election 2022

Incumbents Sue Kempf and Peter Blake will seek a second-year term on the council, while longtime local leader Toni Iseman announced that she would not seek reelection after 24 years of public service in Laguna Beach.

Here's a rundown on the candidates running for the Laguna Beach City Council, listed in the order that they will be on the ballot:

• Incumbent Peter Blake said in a statement that he will focus his campaign on three priorities: public safety, visionary planning and property rights. In his candidate statement, he promised to uphold and strengthen the quality of life for Laguna Beach residents. To read his full candidate statement, click here.
• Candidate Alex Rounaghi has been a Laguna Beach resident for three generations, starting when his grandparents moved to town decades ago. He has served as Policy Advisor to Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, and bases his campaign on prioritizing undergrounding utility lines, strengthening funding for firefighters and police, addressing housing needs, protecting the city's open spaces and streamlining city hall. To read his full candidate statement, click here.
• Candidate Mark Orgill is the real estate investor behind seven-degrees event venue, Laguna College of Art + Design Residence Hall, and Sunset Cove Villas. He has been a Laguna Beach resident for almost 40 years and prioritizes communication and transparency with residents, collaboration with the community and maximizing Laguna Beach's environmental sustainability. To read his full candidate statement, click here.
• Candidate Jerome Pudwill is a 36-year resident of Laguna Beach and advocate for limited tourism development in Laguna Beach. He has previous experience as a land developer, as well as experience as a marketing director. Pudwill's campaign prioritizes three issues: restoring city government transparency, creating a city hall that serves residents first and seeking cost-effective solutions to over-tourism, traffic and parking. To read his full statement, click here.
• Candidate Ruben Flores is a 26-year resident of Laguna Beach and has several decades of small business experience under his belt. The goals for his campaign include: ensuring complete city communication with the surrounding community, addressing parking issues in the city, promoting water-wise usage and more. To read his full statement, click here.
• Candidate Louis Weil is a longtime Laguna Beach resident, and works as a Realtor and design review board member. His campaign prioritizes "planning ahead" for the next few decades and taking a fresh look at housing affordability, public safety and green solutions to parking, traffic and more. He also pledged to return civility to the Laguna Beach City Council. To read his full statement, click here.
• Incumbent Sue Kempf will run for a second term on the dais, and said in a statement that her work in the city "isn't done." According to her statement, Kempf will continue to run her campaign on the importance of public safety and protecting Laguna Beach's "small village charm" from developers unwanted by the community. To read her full statement, click here.

Across Orange County, residents will decide who will represent them on the Orange County Board of Supervisors. This year, three of the five seats on the OC Board of Supervisors are up for election, including District 2, District 4 and District 5.

As a part of District 5, Laguna Beach residents will choose between current District 2 Supervisor Katrina Foley and State Senator Patricia Bates come Election Day.

Whoever claims the most votes will represent District 5, which includes coastal Orange County cities such as Laguna Niguel, Dana Point, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente, Laguna Hills, Costa Mesa, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Woods and Laguna Beach.

In the Golden State, Oct. 10 was the deadline for counties to send out vote-by-mail ballots, which every registered voter will automatically receive, according to the California Secretary of State’s office.

Through Nov. 8, residents can vote at over 300 sites in Orange County. Find a complete list of sites and other election information here.

"We're urging all Californians to vote early this year,” said California Secretary Of State Shirley Weber. “ You don't have to wait until Election Day because voting-by-mail makes it easy as soon as you get your ballots. Every person who votes early will help keep lines shorter and reduce wait times at in-person voting locations on Election Day."

Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked by Nov. 8, and ballots returned at a designated ballot drop box must be deposited by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

In most instances, Californians are not required to show identification to cast a ballot. However, those who did not provide a driver’s license number or a social security number while registering to vote may be asked to do so while voting for the first time in person.

Drop box locations in Laguna Beach are:

• Lang Park, 21540 Wesley Dr.
  • Open Nov. 5 to Nov. 7, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Election Day open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • (This location offers: early voting, same-day voter registration and can be used as a ballot drop-off point).

• Laguna Beach Branch Library, 363 Glenneyre St.
  • Open 24 hours from Oct. 10 to Nov. 8 until 8 p.m.
  • (This location serves as a 24-hour drop box site, officials said).
• Laguna Beach Community & Susi Q Center, 380 3rd St.
  • Open Oct. 29 to Nov. 4, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Nov. 5 to Nov. 7, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Election Day open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • (This location offers: early voting, same-day voter registration and can be used as a ballot drop-off point).

Statewide Races

Millions of Californians will be called back to the ballot boxes this year to decide who will occupy the governor’s seat as well as a slew of other important statewide positions.

Golden Staters will be asked to vote on candidates for:

Governor

Gov. Gavin Newsom is up for re-election in 2022, and he’s likely to sail to another victory with ease after surviving a recall election last year and managing and dominating in the primary election.

Nonetheless, he will face opponent state Sen. Brian Dahle (R-Bieber), whom he beat by nearly 40 points in the June primary.

Dahle’s campaign has raised just $2 million, while Newsom’s campaign has raised more than $23 million, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Newsom leads Dahle by a 27-point margin — 58 to 31 percent — among likely voters, according to a September Public Policy Institute of California survey.

The Democratic governor will debate the lesser-known Dahle on Oct. 23.

READ MORE: Rumors Of Presidential Run Swirl As Newsom Seeks Re-election

Attorney General

Attorney General Rob Bonta was appointed after Xavier Becerra became the first Latino to hold the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services seat.

Bonta, a Democrat and former state lawmaker, will face off against Republican Nathan Hochman, a former assistant U.S. attorney general and a criminal attorney. Hochman says the state needs a new attorney general who will combat rising crime.

Hochman got 18 percent of the vote in the June 7 primary, while Bonta won 54.8 percent.

Insurance Commissioner

Incumbent Democrat Ricardo Lara will run for a second term as insurance commissioner, a seat that is tasked with regulating the state insurance industry. Republican cybersecurity equipment manufacturer Robert Howell will challenge Lara in the general election.

He has described himself as a “Reagan Republican,” who says he’s committed to helping wildfire victims and insurance premiums that are “abusively inflated,” CalMatters reported.

Secretary of State

Incumbent Secretary of State Shirley Weber, a Democrat, was appointed by Newsom after Alex Padilla ascended to his seat as a senator. She will face Republican Rob Bernosky, who describes himself as a “practical conservative.”

Bernosky, the chief financial officer of a tech company, is a longtime activist and former Hollister school board member. He previously ran for state Assembly in 2010 and in 2012 but was unsuccessful.

If reelected, Weber said she plans to change the state’s recall system after the attempted recall of Newsom last year. Democrats argue that the recall process was abused.

“Very little conversation occurred about: Does this man need to be recalled? Has he done something so egregious that we want to remove him from office?” Weber told CalMatters.

READ MORE: What Would Shirley Weber Do Next As California Secretary Of State?

Controller

The race for controller in a California general election doesn't typically generate much interest, but June’s primary was among the most interesting races statewide. That’s because a Republican, Lanhee Chen, was able to advance. Chen opened the door for a Republican to have a shot at their first statewide office since 2006.

The state’s fiscal officer typically facilitates audits and serves on some 70 state boards and commissions.

In November, Chen will face Malia Cohen, a Democrat and member of the state Board of Equalization. Chen is a Stanford instructor and former top Republican adviser.

READ MORE: Chen Advances To Runoff For CA Controller

State Treasurer

Democratic incumbent Fiona Ma will face Republican Jack Guerrero in November. Guerrero is a certified public accountant serving on the Cudahy City Council in Los Angeles County.

If re-elected, Ma said her priority would be to meet Newsom’s goal of building 3.5 million homes by 2025, she told CalMatters.

Lieutenant Governor

Incumbent Eleni Kounalakis, a Democrat, is being challenged by Republican Angela Underwood Jacobs, a bank manager who has experience serving as a member of the Lancaster City Council.

Kounalakis is the first woman to be elected lieutenant governor of California and said she wants to ensure a woman succeeds to the governor’s seat in 2026, hinting at a run herself.

Superintendent of Public Instruction

Unlike the other statewide races, this competition is a nonpartisan one. In November, Lance Ray Christensen, an education policy executive, will try to unseat incumbent Tony Thurmond.

Propositions

Proposition 1
This measure would codify the rights to abortions and birth control within the California’s constitution. Read more about it here.

Proposition 26
California does not currently allow sports betting, but since the U.S. Supreme Court opened the door to legalized sports wagering three years ago, California has become the jackpot for the gambling industry since it has the most professional and college teams in the nation in addition to the largest population and concentration of wealth.

Prop. 26 is a constitutional amendment that would allow it in tribal casinos and racetracks. Read more about it here.

Proposition 27
Prop. 26 seeks to allow it in tribal casinos only and racetracks while Prop. 27 is a constitutional amendment that would allow some tribes and gambling companies such as FanDuel and DraftKings to operate online or mobile sports betting outside of tribal lands. The dueling propositions present a political cage match between gambling entities battling for control over the future of the billion-dollar sports betting industry in California. Because both propositions are diametrically opposed, the passage of both would likely trigger legal battles. Read more about it here.

Proposition 28
Prop. 28 seeks to set aside funding every year for arts and music education in California’s K-12 public schools. Read more about it here.

Proposition 29
Prop. 29 would require clinics to have at least one physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant on site when patients are being treated and to report infections related to dialysis treatment. Read more about it here.

Proposition 30
Prop. 30 would increase the tax on personal income above $2 million by 1.75% and dedicate the revenue to zero-emission vehicle subsidies, building charging stations and zero-emission vehicle infrastructure, reducing greenhouse gasses and hiring and training firefighters to help combat wildfires. Read more about it here.

Proposition 31
A California law banning the sale of flavored tobacco products in stores and vending machines passed in 2020 but was placed on hold when a referendum initiated by the tobacco industry qualified for the 2022 ballot. Now, the issue is being put to the voters. Proposition 31 essentially asks voters: should the ban go into effect? A yes vote would uphold the ban. A no-vote would kill it. Read more about it here.

Prop 1: California's Abortion Rights Amendment Explained
Prop 26: CA’s Tribal Legalized Sports Betting Measure Explained
Prop 27: CA’s Legalized Online Sports Betting Measure Explained
Prop 28: CA’s K-12 Art and Music Education Initiative Explained
Prop 29: CA’s Dialysis Clinic Requirements Initiative Explained
Prop 30: CA’s Clean Cars And Clean Air Act Explained
Prop 31: CA’s Flavored Tobacco Ban Referendum Explained