YouTube transcript
Video ID: DEJvyefr3aU
Language: en
Captions: auto-generated

[0:33] So, that was the last question. So,
[0:35] we're uh we're doing great and uh we're
[0:39] we have still have our closing
[0:41] statements, but I wanted to congratulate
[0:44] the all the candidates for being
[0:46] respectful of the time and uh nobody
[0:50] went wildly over and u so anyway, thanks
[0:53] very much. And uh so now we're going to
[0:57] start with um closing statements and
[1:00] this will be 2 minutes each. And so
[1:04] we'll one one last pick from the cookie
[1:07] jar here.
[1:10] >> All right.
[1:12] Okay. There you go.
[1:15] >> Okay. Ashley will start off.
[1:23] Can we pick again?
[1:24] >> Um, I first want to thank everyone for
[1:26] coming tonight. Um, and also going
[1:29] through the the sound testing that we
[1:31] did for quite a bit and Mel for being a
[1:34] very wonderful Vanna White for helping
[1:36] assist with the speaker. Um, so as
[1:39] someone who runs 100% sustainable
[1:41] business, I understand the daily
[1:42] commitment it takes to protect our
[1:44] environment. Laguna's open spaces,
[1:46] oceans, and wildlife corridor corridors
[1:48] are what make our community unique. But
[1:50] preservation also requires planning. It
[1:52] means making sure every decision has the
[1:54] right experts at the table, the right
[1:56] funding behind it, a long-term plan, and
[1:58] the real transparency with the community
[2:00] before decisions are made. I want us to
[2:02] protect what generations before us
[2:04] fought so hard to preserve while making
[2:05] thoughtful decisions about safety,
[2:07] infrastructure, and our future. Because
[2:09] once we lose those natural assets, we
[2:11] don't get them back. I'd be honored to
[2:13] bring the responsibility, discipline,
[2:15] and perspective to city hall. Thank you.
[2:19] going to ask, please.
[2:22] >> Yeah. Thank you for the great forum and
[2:24] the the thoughtprovoking questions.
[2:26] That's one of the good things about
[2:27] campaigns. It makes you think about
[2:29] things that are long-term and um and
[2:32] that should always be our goal as
[2:33] council members. I also appreciate all
[2:34] the people who are running because um
[2:36] all the ideas that we're hearing up on
[2:38] stage add to the vitality of our town. I
[2:41] feel really lucky to have been born and
[2:43] raised in Laguna Beach. And as I reflect
[2:44] on the past 99 years as we approach our
[2:47] centennial next year, I think it really
[2:49] demands reflection about why is this
[2:51] such a special place? And to me, it's
[2:52] because we have a history of tackling
[2:54] really complicated problems in creative
[2:57] and unconventional ways. You know, you
[2:59] think about what happened in 1953 when
[3:01] an officer was shot and he bled out
[3:04] because he wasn't able to get to a
[3:05] hospital in time. what the community did
[3:07] was not study the problem but instead
[3:09] build raise the money build a hospital
[3:11] and that's why we have a hospital in
[3:13] front um today public safety and the
[3:15] health of our community is always going
[3:16] to be my top priority and that's why
[3:18] keeping that hospital and keeping the
[3:20] emergency room is has been priority one
[3:22] and will continue to be priority one
[3:24] over my next term and then as I said
[3:27] before it gives me chills to think about
[3:29] what what happened in 1989 when the
[3:32] residents of Lagouna Beach rose up and
[3:34] through a grassroots effort were able to
[3:35] save the canyon. That type of grassroots
[3:39] community centered um creative
[3:42] leadership is really what defines Laguna
[3:44] Beach is as when we think about how do
[3:46] we protect our open space or how do we
[3:49] deal with fire mitigation? How do we um
[3:52] you know manage our budget in a
[3:54] sustainable way? I think that is really
[3:56] those are the questions before us. I'd
[3:58] be um I'm proud of the record that I've
[3:59] had over the past four years and I look
[4:01] forward to working with all of you and
[4:03] and um and my colleagues if I'm elected
[4:05] for another four years to continue to
[4:07] work on the really complicated
[4:08] challenges that that are in front of us,
[4:09] but the ones that really are going to um
[4:12] shape our next hundred years. So, thank
[4:14] you for your time and I hope to earn
[4:16] your support.
[4:22] My first trip to Laguna Beach was 1990
[4:25] and driving down the canyon. I I fell in
[4:30] love with Laguna Beach. As I got to the
[4:32] ocean, I fell more in love. I called my
[4:36] parents about 3 months later and I said,
[4:38] you know, I don't think I'm moving back
[4:42] even if the opportunity arises because
[4:45] the people in Laguna Beach are so smart,
[4:49] so inspiring and passionate. the fact
[4:52] that they would march down Laguna Canyon
[4:55] and try to save the canyon and that's
[4:58] what brings inspiration to all of us
[5:01] here and brings us all together because
[5:05] for me
[5:07] you know businesses I've been in and I
[5:10] told you earlier I've been very blessed.
[5:11] I have no idea. I am guided by angels
[5:15] and angels give me answers and um I
[5:19] believe that Lagouna Beach is probably
[5:21] one of the best cities in the world and
[5:24] we are all very very blessed. So I'm
[5:27] running for city council because I care
[5:29] about Lagouna Beach. I've seen the
[5:31] changes in the last 10 years. Some
[5:34] things I visiting city council meetings
[5:36] I don't agree with. The one thing is we
[5:38] all respect one another and we're all
[5:41] kind to one another. And you know what?
[5:43] The rest of the United States doesn't
[5:45] have that right now. So please remember,
[5:49] respect people, correct people. I
[5:52] actually thanked Mark Orle tonight for
[5:55] something he did in 2023,
[5:58] which I'm not here October 6th because
[6:03] of that. So anyway, thank you very much.
[6:10] >> Well, thank you for this forum. It's
[6:12] been really enlightening and and was a
[6:15] lot of fun for me to research. Uh I'm
[6:18] Laura Paresi, a CPA and certified
[6:20] California municipal treasurer, a former
[6:24] member of the state treasurers uh
[6:26] investment board, former chair of the
[6:29] revenue and taxation committee for
[6:30] League of California cities and a
[6:33] 10-year uh legislative chair for the
[6:36] California Treasurers. I've been your
[6:38] elected treasurer since 1999.
[6:41] been a team player, but try as I might,
[6:43] I've watched the office of treasurer be
[6:46] more and more degraded, ignored, and
[6:48] minimized. I think that at least some of
[6:50] the financial problems that we face
[6:53] today could have been avoided with good
[6:56] financial guidance. Unlike the other
[6:59] candidates here, I want to tell you I
[7:01] like serving as your treasurer, but feel
[7:04] forced to run as a council person.
[7:07] I hope that my candidacy puts the need
[7:10] for good financial practices at the
[7:13] forefront of voters and future council's
[7:17] priorities, including restoring the
[7:20] check and balance that an elected
[7:22] treasurer brings to Laguna Beach. A
[7:26] reminder of my promises. If if elected,
[7:28] I will listen to residents, bring your
[7:30] voices and my vast organizational
[7:33] background to the council decisionmaking
[7:35] process. be laser focused on city
[7:39] finances. You know, just in July of
[7:41] 2026,
[7:43] we are $19 million lower in cash than we
[7:46] were in 25.
[7:48] I would insist on following the city
[7:51] rules.
[7:52] Um, and I encourage forming coalitions
[7:56] of like-minded cities to address common
[7:58] concerns like tourism, environment,
[8:01] affordable housing, and seismic
[8:02] retrofitting.
[8:04] I'm Laura Paresi and would love your
[8:07] vote for city council. Thank you.
[8:12] >> Just wanted to thank everybody for being
[8:13] here tonight. Um you know I I've been
[8:16] very lucky to grow up here. You know
[8:18] start going through our school starting
[8:19] with analysis in the canyon in uh
[8:21] believe it was 1988 or ' 89. And uh you
[8:24] know when we talk about protecting
[8:25] Lagona, you know, a few things are
[8:27] important uh that there are a few things
[8:29] are more important to our town uh and
[8:31] the identity than the canyon and the
[8:32] open space around it. Like I said
[8:34] earlier, I think of our canyon road as
[8:36] our road to Hana. And protecting it
[8:38] requires more than good intentions. It
[8:40] requires sound judgment and long-term
[8:43] planning and a willingness to ask
[8:44] difficult questions before we commit.
[8:47] This is why our current council's record
[8:49] matters. We took over the South Lagoona
[8:52] beaches with a $22 million payment that
[8:54] was they said was going to last 20
[8:56] years. It'll be gone in roughly seven.
[9:00] Why does that why is that important?
[9:02] Because this council almost took over
[9:04] ownership of Laguna Canyon Road from
[9:06] Calrans with a payment of roughly $14
[9:08] million where we while undergrounding
[9:11] the power lines is important, the
[9:13] financials are also extremely important.
[9:16] It was going to be hundreds of millions
[9:17] of dollars and residents had to keep
[9:19] showing up at town halls and pushing for
[9:21] clear answers, pushing the council or
[9:24] staff to go back to CALR about cost and
[9:26] liability and not wanting to um pardon
[9:31] me. Um and you know, we've watched even
[9:34] the prominade with uh the project
[9:36] ballooning to $7.2 million, four months
[9:38] of delays and unexpected tree movables.
[9:41] You know, that's a lack of planning.
[9:44] So these are not isolated examples and
[9:46] uh it points to a larger problem. This
[9:48] council has been reactive instead of
[9:49] proactive. You know, listening to their
[9:51] bubble instead of getting outside and
[9:53] talking to people with different
[9:54] opinions.
[9:56] Every time we fix something after the
[9:58] fact, we spend more money, more time,
[10:00] and we destroy public trust. It could
[10:03] have been used protecting things that we
[10:05] care about most. So if elected, I would
[10:08] take a different approach. I would test
[10:10] the assumptions first. Understand the
[10:12] full cost and the long-term
[10:14] consequences.
[10:16] Bring residents early, part of the
[10:18] conversation, not after the fact after
[10:21] everything's already in motion. And we
[10:23] need to to continue to look for outside
[10:25] funding.
[10:27] Um, you know, we need to establish clear
[10:29] benchmarks and KPIs. We need to know
[10:31] whether we are delivering what was
[10:33] promised. You know, the council uses the
[10:36] word stewardship. If stewardship is the
[10:38] standard, then it should be measured
[10:39] through planning, accountability, and
[10:42] results.
[10:48] >> Thank you to LCC for hosting us tonight
[10:51] and to everyone keeping watch over our
[10:53] canyon and hillsides. A special shout
[10:55] out to my friend and former mayor and
[10:58] council woman Tony Eisman, who was
[11:01] arrested for chaining herself to a
[11:03] bulldozer in the canyon to stop
[11:05] development. your activism, your
[11:07] endorsement, it means the world to me.
[11:11] Lagouna Beach. Yeah. Thank you. Lagouna
[11:14] Beach didn't end up um surrounded by
[11:17] 22,000 acres of wilderness by accident.
[11:21] It happened because of residents
[11:23] marched, organized, stood up to
[11:25] developers, and stood up to city
[11:27] leaders. I don't just talk about
[11:29] environmental protection during election
[11:32] season. I fight for it all the time.
[11:34] That's why I formed the Laguna Beach
[11:36] Coalition for Environmental Protection
[11:38] to take the city to court when it
[11:40] circumvented our general plan and the
[11:42] only restriction stopping development on
[11:45] privately owned hillsides. Every one of
[11:48] these incumbents here tonight voted to
[11:50] sidestep those protections, marching us
[11:53] toward the loss of our canyon and
[11:55] hillsides. The environmental rules
[11:57] preventing development on steep
[11:58] hillsides have been in place for 40
[12:00] years. Never before have city leaders
[12:03] questioned the science on how steepness
[12:05] is measured. It's a matter of math and
[12:07] engineering. A judge agreed on that
[12:10] point. Yet, the council voted 5 to
[12:12] appeal the ruling using your tax dollars
[12:15] so they can greenlight more building on
[12:17] steep hillsides. You hear the incumbents
[12:19] that unanimous votes are a sign of
[12:21] civility. I say it's a sign of group
[12:23] think. Civility means open debate,
[12:25] public dissent with council members
[12:27] agreeing to disagree and feeling free to
[12:29] vote their conscience rather than fall
[12:31] in line. As a council member, I'll be an
[12:33] independent thinker who's not afraid to
[12:35] disscent. My vote will take into account
[12:38] input from residents, experts, as well
[12:40] as my own experience as a small business
[12:42] owner, environmental activist, and proud
[12:44] Laguna Beach resident. I will stand
[12:47] shoulder-to-shoulder with the
[12:48] conservancy green belt foundation to
[12:50] protect this wildlife corridor and force
[12:52] objective standards. You deserve a
[12:55] leader who has proven to fight for the
[12:56] Laguna's legacy. I ask for your vote and
[12:59] I'd be deeply honored, deeply honored to
[13:01] serve this community to save our
[13:03] hillsides and canyons.
[13:08] >> Thank you. Thank you for being here and
[13:10] thank you for hosting this forum. I
[13:12] really appreciate it. I know we have a
[13:14] focus on environmental issues tonight,
[13:17] but I'd like to just touch on a couple
[13:19] of things. Of course, safety is always
[13:21] number one. Saving the hospital is
[13:23] paramount. You know, we've gone through
[13:25] a a serious uh uh financial situation
[13:28] where unprecedented inflation and we've
[13:31] uh been able to balance the budget
[13:33] through that. Have we had to move money
[13:34] around and put it in different buckets?
[13:36] Certainly, we have. That's just a part
[13:37] of doing business and and I'm proud of
[13:40] our ability to do that. If you look at
[13:42] our surrounding cities in Orange County,
[13:44] a lot of these cities are in real
[13:46] trouble. And I think that we've done an
[13:47] outstanding job doing that.
[13:50] A lot of the decisions I make, if not
[13:52] all, you can find them, my rationale
[13:55] behind them in vision 2030. It's a
[13:57] document that we created. We finished it
[13:59] about 20201. I would encourage us all to
[14:02] to kind of review that and look at it.
[14:03] Over 2,000 of us participated in that.
[14:07] You hear me talk about stewardship a
[14:08] lot. It's something that I've worked on
[14:10] uh over the years. It's a culture,
[14:14] heritage, and environment. You know,
[14:16] this city, we're very participatory. We
[14:18] have competing goals, friction between
[14:21] each one of those elements, right? It
[14:22] takes patience, and to to get through
[14:26] that. The way I look at it, we're all in
[14:28] this together, businesses, residences,
[14:31] environmental groups. I have a history
[14:33] of bringing those organizations
[14:35] together. You can talk to some of my
[14:37] fierce critics. Kathy Jüka, I saw Penny
[14:40] Milan out there. I've had a great deal
[14:41] of success with her negotiating some of
[14:44] the terms uh having to do with some
[14:46] environmental issues. So, I think what
[14:49] we need is leadership and I have
[14:51] provided that to work through these
[14:53] complex question issues that this city
[14:56] has because we have them and we can get
[14:58] through them. But it's going to take us
[15:01] to your ability to roll up the sleeve.
[15:03] I'm not going to make false promises,
[15:04] but one thing I can make a promise on is
[15:07] I can bring people together to get
[15:10] through these issues.
[15:13] >> Yeah, I want to thank everybody for
[15:15] being here today and being so
[15:16] entertaining with the microphone and
[15:18] coming up the stairs and handing and I
[15:20] also want to thank Merryill for keeping
[15:22] us hydrated up here. And I asked him if
[15:24] I could have a glass of wine. He said
[15:25] that wasn't a good look. So, I didn't do
[15:27] that. Yeah. Um, I also want to
[15:30] recognize, we haven't talked about can
[15:32] do at all, but Penny Mil is here and
[15:34] Penny Mil is a stalwart for the canyon.
[15:36] She's very smart. She understands how
[15:38] things work and shouldn't work. Not shy
[15:40] to let us know. And I want to tell you,
[15:42] Penny, that I personally really
[15:43] appreciate you in all your efforts. It's
[15:45] quite phenomenal. Um, you know, the
[15:48] challenges that we've had. I also want
[15:50] to say one other thing. My brother is
[15:51] here. My brother I don't see very often
[15:54] and he's uh my favorite person in the
[15:56] world. He's also a psychologist. So,
[15:58] I'll be interested in the debrief after
[16:00] this one. He he says, "Can you raise
[16:03] your hand?" Yeah. Yeah. That's my
[16:05] brother. So, his name's Dr. Kemp.
[16:09] Anyway, I get a lot of uh hints from him
[16:13] about things, too. So, anyway, the
[16:15] challenges, you know, this is a serious
[16:16] job for serious people and the
[16:18] challenges we have are much more
[16:20] complicated than when I first came on
[16:21] the council. We have, you know, of
[16:22] course, we have rising costs due to the
[16:24] way the government's being run and other
[16:26] things. And we have we're going to have
[16:27] climate change. Clearly, we're going to
[16:28] have significant impacts. Our housing
[16:31] laws and the way the state's coming down
[16:33] and telling us what to do is another
[16:35] layer of complexity causes complexity
[16:37] for the council, for the city attorney's
[16:40] office and the staff. And it's it's
[16:42] quite challenging to navigate this. Um,
[16:44] my favorite thing to do as a council
[16:46] member is to walk in the community. I
[16:48] spend a lot of time out in the community
[16:49] and I find that's the best way just to
[16:51] understand what what people are
[16:52] thinking. They're not shy about talking
[16:54] to me and I like talking to them. Um,
[16:57] and you know, council members, it's
[16:59] important to present facts. We work in
[17:00] the world of facts here. We don't really
[17:02] work in the world of social media. So, I
[17:04] just want to say that we just do our
[17:05] very best to put the facts out and keep
[17:07] you in uh keep you apprised of what's
[17:09] happening. And, you know, just always
[17:10] try to come to the council meetings if
[17:12] you can. We don't get a lot of
[17:13] participation at the council meetings,
[17:15] but I'd like to see more of you there. I
[17:16] think I know most of you in the room
[17:17] here, but if you want to spend some time
[17:18] at the council meeting, you're certainly
[17:20] welcome.
[17:22] Thank you.
[17:25] >> Thank you all for being here tonight. It
[17:28] shows how much you care. And I also want
[17:31] to say thank you to Ann Kristoff that's
[17:33] sitting in the audience because she also
[17:36] contributed a lot to this community for
[17:39] protection of our village character and
[17:42] our open spaces. And I believe Mike Bean
[17:45] and Ginger Wallace were here and they
[17:48] also helped us create that blue belt
[17:50] that I really believe we need to extend.
[17:53] Um, Laguna Beach's greatest need is to
[17:56] become more proactive and less reactive.
[18:00] You've heard that a lot, but I really
[18:02] want you to understand what that means
[18:05] is that we need the regulations in place
[18:07] because we cannot hold any of the
[18:11] council members feet to the fire without
[18:14] having a comprehensive general plan. And
[18:17] I would encourage you to look at um
[18:20] unmasked Marcela Dornan's reel on um on
[18:25] with me which was a a podcast and I talk
[18:29] about the general plan in depth but that
[18:31] is where you can hold the feet to the
[18:33] fire when we update the open space
[18:36] element when we update the land use
[18:39] element. That's where you guys can
[18:41] participate. Too often small decisions
[18:43] are made about consistency with the
[18:45] general plan, but they only look at the
[18:48] land use element. In this context, I'd
[18:50] say let's hold council and staff's feet
[18:54] to the fire by asking them to also look
[18:56] at the open space element. Um,
[19:00] we sorry, I have to take off my glasses
[19:02] to read, too. Um, we have spent too many
[19:05] years solving problems, one project, one
[19:07] ordinance, one crisis at a time. Our
[19:10] general plan, zoning code, and local
[19:12] coastal program and other policies are
[19:14] supposed together as one coherent
[19:16] framework. Instead, too many provisions
[19:18] are outdated, conflicting, or confusing.
[19:21] We're just looking at that now. It's
[19:24] never been updated. You can hold the
[19:26] council's feet to the fire, whomever you
[19:29] elect, if those policies and regulations
[19:32] are in place. Thank you.
[19:39] It's
[19:39] >> yours, Gail
[19:44] to the lady.
[19:46] >> Thank you, Merrill.
[19:48] >> Thank you.
[19:54] >> Very sorry about the sound, but you know
[19:56] what? It worked out. Thank you, Mary,
[20:00] Bob, Jean, everybody who's helped in the
[20:02] room. Thank you all. So, you know, it's
[20:05] a testament. You know, people come and
[20:07] live in Lagona. You know, the lucky ones
[20:09] who grew up here are lucky. Most of us
[20:12] are transplants because this city is so
[20:14] special and our first introduction is
[20:16] always Laguna Canyon. So, say 8,000
[20:19] people would march to save it. In 1989,
[20:22] it was a smaller population. I think
[20:25] those people are still out there are
[20:27] just busy, quiet, and you know, some of
[20:30] the, you know, original people are here
[20:32] in the room today and take care of and
[20:34] keep watch on. We need more people to
[20:37] carry on that message and to be
[20:40] involved. But for you, nine people to
[20:44] want to serve and give of your personal
[20:46] life to do this job. We thank you. It's
[20:50] wonderful. Please everybody, maybe stay
[20:52] after, talk to them, hear what they have
[20:55] to say, open your mind, spread the word.
[20:58] These are great people. They love
[21:00] Lagona. And let's love them back. Thank
[21:03] you.
[21:14] survive.
[21:20] >> Yeah. Yeah.