Sue Kempf: Laguna Beach City Council Candidate 2026

• 1. About the Arts Alliance30:53Describes attending Alliance meetings and the variety of member groups. Encourages collaboration, awareness and donations to meet demand for arts programming.
• 2. Arts involvement and recent events37:56Recommends a recent art exhibition and describes frequent attendance at festivals, jazz and the Playhouse. The beginning of this answer has a caption gap.
• 3. Parking in the arts district44:23Calls for strategic facilities and mobility planning in a land-constrained city. Says she does not yet know the answer and wants to consider changing travel patterns.
• 4. Why the arts matter51:55Cites an arts economic-impact study estimating about $90 million in direct and indirect spending. Connects arts activity to hotels, restaurants, retail, city revenue and cultural heritage.
• 5. Residents and visitors1:08:07Emphasizes managing day-visitor behavior, resident-first ticket opportunities, visitor data and offsite parking and rideshare arrangements.
• 6. Artist housing and workspaces1:16:21Defends the Land Trust’s terms and financing, including city interest payments and private philanthropy. Says the acquisitions prevented artists from being displaced by redevelopment.
• 7. More use of the Festival grounds1:23:22Supports more Irvine Bowl concerts while addressing neighbors’ sound concerns. Says mitigation strategies will be tested at the Coast Film Festival.
• 8. New arts ideas1:30:40Suggests lecture programs, broader dance opportunities, children’s centennial art and more chances for LCAD students to sell their work.
• 9. Arts on the Promenade1:39:02Supports displays, Art & Nature programming and the centennial commission. Defends including both local and outside artists in the public-art collection.

The beginning of the arts-attendance answer has a caption gap. The summary covers the available text; no missing words are reconstructed.

Absent. At 3:16, moderator Ed Steinfeld said both Sue Kempf and Mark Orgill had contacted him to report illness. No live answers from this candidate are indexed.

• 1. Emergency care and a possible tax10:01Says a new tax is not needed. Supports the hospital subcommittee and regional collaboration, and expresses optimism about another solution without announcing a confirmed operator.
• 2. Hospital land use17:00Would consider housing in the existing building alongside a smaller hospital and ER. Says the site and its parking warrant evaluation after the hospital plan is clearer.
• 3. Catalina lots and park space23:22Describes previous closed-session purchase discussions and the asking price. Is willing to discuss acquisition but declines to disclose negotiating details.
• 4. South Coast Water District voting rights30:38Supports restoration and describes possible resident, City or district petitions through LAFCO, including City payment of the filing fee.
• 5. South Laguna’s share of City spending37:50Prioritizes enforcement and visitor-impact management, along with the fire station and potential property acquisitions.
• 6. Beach infrastructure and funding49:15Would expand Thousand Steps restrooms and continue incremental enforcement and service improvements, using resident reports and strategic planning.
• 7. Commercial parking requirements59:59Supports reconsidering stringent requirements that can contribute to vacancies. Agrees with adaptive reuse and wants a workable parking management approach.
• 8. Public restrooms1:09:27Would expand Thousand Steps facilities and consider seasonal mobile restrooms at the Catalina property, hospital or a Fifth Avenue lot through agreements.
• 9. Community Recreation Center1:17:31Defends the acquisition as valuable community property. Says parking rules constrain use and wants financial and community considerations weighed.
• 10. Community Garden acquisition1:23:57Is open to buying it after further work on ownership, availability and price. Describes earlier purchase efforts that did not result in a transaction.
• 11. Beach patrol and park rangers1:30:00Prefers park rangers and private security to the former nonsworn beach patrol. Says enforcement authority and staff safety make them more effective.
• 12. Gelson’s and neighborhood grocery access1:37:31Describes unsuccessful contacts with Gelson’s and the property manager. Thinks financial pressure elsewhere in the company may eventually change its willingness to release the space.