Laguna Beach council appoints residents to water, emergency, housing, arts and planning panels

Laguna Beach City Council voted to appoint or reappoint residents to five advisory bodies — the South Laguna Water and Sewer Advisory Committee, the Emergency and Disaster Preparedness Committee (EDPC), the Housing and Human Services Committee, the Arts Commission and the Planning Commission — filling 17 openings across those panels.

The appointments, made during the council's interview and appointment session, put experienced volunteers back on committees that advise the city on large infrastructure projects and near-term policy work, including ongoing water projects, emergency lifelines planning, workforce and affordable housing prospects, a forthcoming public art ordinance, and a comprehensive code and permitting update.

Council members heard short remarks from multiple applicants before selecting candidates. Eric (last name not provided) and Steve Samuelson, both applicants for the South Laguna Water and Sewer Advisory Committee, emphasized recent and upcoming district projects. Eric said, "It's been an honor to be engaged in such critical infrastructure projects such as a $105,000,000 sewer tunnel and, $8,000,000 Reservoir 2 B and the $40,000,000 Lift Station Number 2," and cited ongoing public-information efforts. Michael Kovitch said he was motivated by sewage spills and tunnel stabilization impacts and cited his international project-management experience.

For the South Laguna Water and Sewer Advisory Committee the council selected three regular members and one alternate. The council's tally, read into the record, showed Eric (incumbent) and Steve Samuelson received unanimous support; Michael Kovitch and Mel Harwell each received four council votes. Harwell had stated in his letter a preference for an alternate role and the council designated him as the alternate.

On EDPC, the council kept three incumbents — Sunny (Sonny) Myers, Edward (Ed) Musali, and David Horn — and filled the remaining seat after a 3-2 split between Tony (surname not provided) and Michael McKenzie. Council members who voted for Tony did so 3-2 in the paper-ballot tie-break described on the record, making Tony the fourth member. Several EDPC applicants stressed FEMA lifelines alignment, shelter and evacuation planning and volunteer emergency-response capabilities; Sunny Myers noted he chaired a shelter during the Aliso fire and that he chairs the FEMA lifeline for food, hydration and shelter.

The Housing and Human Services Committee seats went to Slade Carlton, Julie Hall and an applicant identified as Steve (surname provided earlier as an applicant for other committees). Appointees emphasized affordable and workforce housing concerns; Julie Hall described her family's experience moving into subsidized housing at Vista Aliso and urged conserving and expanding housing stock.

The Arts Commission appointments included reappointments and new members. Nicole Straffman and Donna (chair of the Arts Commission) received unanimous votes; Joan Gladstone and Cindy Schwartz were also appointed, with Cindy named the alternate. Multiple arts applicants urged completion of a public art ordinance and continued work on the city's temporary-art program; Donna said a public-art ordinance 'will really help promote art in our community and transparency in how we make our decisions.'

For the Planning Commission the council reappointed incumbents Ken Sadler and Steve Goldman to two-year terms. During their remarks commissioners and applicants discussed the council's effort to update the municipal code and to balance streamlining permits with preserving Laguna Beach's character. Ken Sadler said the commission has moved away from micromanaging applications and endorsed expanding administratively handled approvals. Steve Goldman urged early engagement on projects and keeping the process efficient to avoid bottlenecks.

Votes at a glance - South Laguna Water and Sewer Advisory Committee — Appointed: Eric (incumbent), Steve Samuelson, Michael Kovitch; Alternate: Mel Harwell (incumbent alternate). Reported tallies: Eric and Steve received unanimous council support; Michael Kovitch and Mel Harwell each received four council votes. Harwell indicated a preference for alternate. - Emergency and Disaster Preparedness Committee (EDPC) — Appointed: Sunny (Sonny) Myers (incumbent), Edward Musali (incumbent), David Horn (incumbent), Tony (tie-break winner). Council recorded a 3-2 tie-break making Tony the fourth member. - Housing and Human Services Committee — Appointed: Slade Carlton, Julie Hall, Steve (applicant). Council votes recorded on the record supported those three candidates. - Arts Commission — Appointed: Nicole Straffman, Donna (chair), Joan Gladstone; Alternate: Cindy Schwartz. Nicole and Donna were unanimous; remaining seats were resolved after tie votes. - Planning Commission — Appointed: Ken Sadler (incumbent), Steve Goldman (incumbent). Ken received four council votes; Goldman received three.

The council did not take other formal legislative actions during the interview session; the meeting ended with the council adjourning to its 5 p.m. regular business session. Council and applicants repeatedly referenced ongoing projects and policy work the appointed volunteers will advise on, including the Delaney desalination project and major sewer and reservoir projects for the water district, the city's evacuation and shelter planning, and a code-update process intended to make some permits more objective and administratively handled.

The appointments are advisory: the committees provide recommendations and project-level review to city staff and the council rather than making binding municipal decisions.