Three incumbents appear poised to retake their seats on the Laguna Beach City Council dais after six challengers failed to unseat them. Ballots counted so far also resoundingly supported Measure E, which limits council members to two terms on the dais.
Alex Rounaghi, Sue Kempf and Mark Orgill topped the nine-candidate field from the close of polls on Tuesday and, as of Friday’s update on ballot counting in the county remain in the lead. Only one challenger, Nick Aronoff, was in double digits with 12.5% of the votes. The remaining challengers: Ashley Cintas, Joy Berry, Laura Parisi, Karen Martin, and Edward Bayuk ranged in vote percentages from 9.5% to 1.7%.
Measure E, to set term limits for council members, also appears to be winning, with 62% of voters in support. If the measure passes, council members will be limited to two consecutive four-year terms, with the ability to serve again after at least two years on the sidelines. The city has a five-member council with members elected to four-year terms.
Election results: Get updates on this race and others.
If a person is appointed or elected to fill a vacant seat for less than two years of a four-year term, the measure says they can serve two consecutive four-year terms after that.
In Laguna Beach, former councilmember Toni Iseman had the longest service with six terms in the last two decades. Councilmember Bob Whalen, who is on the council now and whose term is up in 2028, will have served four terms by then.
Rounaghi, who was the top vote-getter in 2022 and at the time the youngest councilmember elected in Laguna Beach, said this week he is “grateful for the support of so many residents of my hometown. It’s an honor to serve.”
He topped the list of candidates in Friday’s update with more than 22% of the vote. Kempf was at 18.2% on Friday and Orgill is at 14.7%.
“I’ve focused on what I consider the core responsibilities of local government: public safety, infrastructure and efficient government services,” Rounaghi said. “I’m proud of what we’ve done, from investing in wildfire mitigation to securing local water reliability to streamlining government. And there’s important work ahead, starting with keeping our emergency room open.”
Kempf also said her track record is what she thinks resonated most with voters.
“Particularly, my wildfire planning,” she said, adding that she’s also recently started doing video updates on Instagram after flooding issues at Main Beach. “The questions submitted to me during the campaign were well-received.”
Kempf said she plans to keep her video posts going.
Orgill said he thought the incumbents maintained voter support by focusing on protecting what makes Laguna Beach special.
“Our culture, our heritage and environment,” he said. “We’ve made real progress on wildfire preparedness, emergency services and preserving artist spaces. I also think being accessible, listening, and bringing a civil, collaborative approach to the work mattered.”
The OC Registrar of Voters will update results most days at 5 p.m. until the counting is complete.