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City of Laguna Beach · Statewide General Election

Laguna Beach City Council

Draft candidate list — early preview until the state’s official list publishes on August 27, 2026.

This is one contest. Enter your address to see every race on your November ballot, and keep track of your picks.

On the ballot

This person holds one of three at-large seats up this cycle on Laguna Beach's 5-member City Council, a general-law city government, elected to staggered 4-year terms: city ordinances, the budget, and land use, alongside an appointed city manager who runs day-to-day operations. The council selects one of its own members to serve as Mayor each year -- there is no separately elected Mayor's race on this ballot -- and the city's elected City Clerk and City Treasurer are chosen separately, not part of this contest.

Nine candidates are running for three at-large seats on Laguna Beach's City Council: incumbents Alex Rounaghi, Mark Orgill (the sitting Mayor), and Sue Kempf against six challengers -- Laura Parisi, Karen Martin, Joy Berry, Edward Bayuk, Nick Aronoff, and Ashley Cintas. Vote for up to three -- no runoff.

Council seats carry staggered 4-year terms on Laguna Beach's five-member council, which handles city ordinances, the budget, and land use alongside an appointed city manager who runs day-to-day operations. Laguna Beach is a general-law city with a council-manager government dating to 1944. The council doesn't elect its Mayor directly -- each year, members choose one of their own to serve as Mayor. The city's separately elected City Clerk and City Treasurer aren't part of this contest.

All three incumbents whose terms are up filed for re-election, facing six challengers for the same three seats: Alex Rounaghi and Mark Orgill are each completing their first terms (Orgill currently serving as Mayor), while Sue Kempf has already served two terms and two stints as Mayor. The six challengers include Laura Parisi, the city's elected Treasurer since 1999 making her first run at a council seat, and two candidates -- Karen Martin and Joy Berry -- with professional land-use and urban-planning backgrounds who frame their campaigns around development oversight and fiscal scrutiny. With three incumbents and six challengers competing for three seats in an at-large, vote-for-up-to-three contest, the practical choice is less which incumbent to keep and more whether any of the six challengers should displace one of them.

Alex Rounaghi

Alex Rounaghi is completing his first term on the council, having entered local politics four years ago; per Stu News Laguna's profile, he has collaborated with a local columnist on a community podcast during his tenure. His stated priorities for a second term center on wildfire preparedness, long-term water reliability, and streamlining the city's community-development review processes. The same profile notes he is seen locally as having broader political ambitions beyond the council.

Strengths

One term of hands-on council experience; a stated focus on wildfire preparedness and water reliability, concrete priorities for a fire-prone hillside city.

Trade-offs

Only one term to evaluate against six challengers; the profile notes an outside expectation he may use the seat as a stepping stone to other office.

Keep in mind

No independent news coverage beyond the one Stu News Laguna profile was found in this pass, and no campaign-finance figures are available for any candidate in this race -- see Financial info.

Mark Orgill

Mark Orgill is Laguna Beach's sitting Mayor, chosen by his council colleagues during his first term. Per Stu News Laguna's profile, he describes the mayorship as "one of his greatest honors" and is characterized as a collaborative decision-maker who seeks input before major votes. His stated platform for a second term covers fire preparedness and community safety, support for local artists and cultural institutions, and managing the impact of visitors on a small coastal city.

Strengths

Currently serving as Mayor in his first term, giving direct recent experience leading council decisions; a platform spanning public safety, arts/culture support, and visitor management.

Trade-offs

Like Rounaghi, only one term to evaluate; his profile emphasizes collaborative style and stated priorities more than a specific record of accomplishments.

Keep in mind

No independent news coverage beyond the one Stu News Laguna profile was found in this pass, and no campaign-finance figures are available for any candidate in this race -- see Financial info.

Sue Kempf

Sue Kempf is the most senior incumbent in the field, having already served two terms on the council and two separate stints as Mayor. Per Stu News Laguna's profile, her record includes the Neighborhood & Environmental Protection Plan (aimed at mitigating visitor impacts and strengthening environmental protections), the city's Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety Plan, the 2023 Parking Management Plan, and economic-recovery partnerships with local businesses.

Strengths

The longest tenure and most concrete record in the field: environmental protection, wildfire mitigation, parking policy, and business-recovery work across two terms and two mayoral stints.

Trade-offs

The profile documents completed initiatives rather than a stated platform for a new term, so her priorities going forward are less clear than some challengers'.

Keep in mind

No independent news coverage beyond the one Stu News Laguna profile was found in this pass, and no campaign-finance figures are available for any candidate in this race -- see Financial info.

Laura Parisi

Laura Parisi has served as Laguna Beach's elected City Treasurer since 1999 and has appeared on the ballot in multiple prior elections. Per Stu News Laguna's profile, her run for council reflects an interest in decisions with more direct impact on residents than the Treasurer's office affords. Her filed ballot designation is "City Treasurer/CPA."

Strengths

More than two decades of elected city financial stewardship as Treasurer and a CPA background -- a fiscal-oversight resume distinct from the rest of the field.

Trade-offs

Her council candidacy is new; the available profile describes her motivation for running more than a specific council platform beyond her financial-oversight focus.

Keep in mind

No independent news coverage beyond the one Stu News Laguna profile was found in this pass, and no campaign-finance figures are available for any candidate in this race -- see Financial info.

Karen Martin

Karen Martin brings more than 30 years of experience in urban planning, land entitlement consulting, public notice services, development, and property management, per Stu News Laguna's profile. In her own words there: "I want City Hall to make better-informed decisions, spend more carefully and put residents first." Her filed ballot designation is "Urban Planning Entrepreneur."

Strengths

Three decades of land-use and development experience directly relevant to a council that handles land use; a stated focus on fiscal discipline and resident-first decisions.

Trade-offs

No prior elected or appointed city office, so no voting record to evaluate; her land-use career could also read as a potential conflict of interest on development votes.

Keep in mind

No independent news coverage beyond the one Stu News Laguna profile was found in this pass, and no campaign-finance figures are available for any candidate in this race -- see Financial info.

Joy Berry

Joy Berry is a longtime Laguna Beach resident, land-use professional, and local hospitality business owner who serves as vice president of Village Laguna, a longstanding local civic and slow-growth advocacy group, per Stu News Laguna's profile. Her stated focus areas are land-use policy, hillside and canyon protection, and city financial stewardship. Her filed ballot designation is "Small Business Owner."

Strengths

Combines a land-use background with local business ownership and a leadership role in Village Laguna, a well-established resident advocacy group; a specific focus on hillside and canyon protection.

Trade-offs

No prior elected or appointed city office; her Village Laguna leadership signals a likely slow-growth, preservation-oriented voting pattern some residents and developers may weigh differently.

Keep in mind

No independent news coverage beyond the one Stu News Laguna profile was found in this pass, and no campaign-finance figures are available for any candidate in this race -- see Financial info.

Edward Bayuk

Edward Bayuk has been a Laguna Beach resident for more than 30 years and describes himself, per Stu News Laguna's profile, as a business leader who has served on statewide boards covering the motor vehicle industry, housing finance, and the Nevada-California High Speed Rail project. He frames his candidacy as wanting to give back to the community and keep Laguna Beach "safe, beautiful, fiscally strong and prepared for the future." His filed ballot designation is "Retired Business Entrepreneur."

Strengths

Decades of Laguna Beach residency and statewide board experience spanning transportation and housing-finance policy, potentially relevant to municipal fiscal and infrastructure decisions.

Trade-offs

No prior Laguna Beach city office; the statewide board roles described are not local council or commission experience, and no further detail on his specific priorities was found.

Keep in mind

No independent news coverage beyond the one Stu News Laguna profile was found in this pass, and no campaign-finance figures are available for any candidate in this race -- see Financial info.

Nick Aronoff

Nick Aronoff is connected to the local sports community through his father, Frank, per Stu News Laguna's profile. In his own words there: "Concerned about changes affecting residents' quality of life. I believe we need to be proactive vs. reactive, listen to residents, rebuild trust, bring common sense back to City Hall and protect what makes Laguna special." His filed ballot designation is "Small Business Owner."

Strengths

A small-business-owner background and a stated platform centered on listening to residents, rebuilding trust, and bringing common sense back to City Hall decision-making.

Trade-offs

No prior elected or appointed city office; the profile describes general themes (proactive governance, common sense, trust) rather than specific land-use or budget positions.

Keep in mind

No independent news coverage beyond the one Stu News Laguna profile was found in this pass, and no campaign-finance figures are available for any candidate in this race -- see Financial info.

Ashley Cintas

Ashley Cintas is a local business owner whose campaign, per her own words in Stu News Laguna's profile, argues "Laguna needs leadership that looks beyond the next meeting, the next budget cycle, or the next election." Her platform addresses wildfire preparedness, emergency medical access, aging infrastructure, tourism, neighborhood quality of life, the local economy, and long-term financial health. Her filed ballot designation is "Local Business Owner."

Strengths

A broad, itemized platform on wildfire preparedness, emergency medical access, aging infrastructure, tourism, and long-term finances -- more specific than several challengers' positions.

Trade-offs

No prior elected or appointed city office, and no independent verification of her business-community involvement beyond her own campaign framing was found.

Keep in mind

No independent news coverage beyond the one Stu News Laguna profile was found in this pass, and no campaign-finance figures are available for any candidate in this race -- see Financial info.

Source review: Strong (86/100) · 3 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with several source types checked for context.

  • ocvote.gov (opens in a new tab)OC Registrar of Voters -- Contest/Candidate Proof List, General Election 11/3/2026 -- City of Laguna Beach section (pages 111-115 of 188, re-parsed with pypdf from a full local copy of candlog.pdf already cached by a sibling fork's earlier pass rather than re-fetched): confirms "CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH Member, City Council" (District ID 5112, no district number) as the city's sole November 2026 race, Vote for 3, 9 qualified candidates, incumbent flags for Alex Rounaghi, Sue Kempf, and Mark Orgill, and every candidate's filing date and filed ballot designation -- verifying the local-authoring queue's "9 candidates" flag as accurate.
  • en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia -- Laguna Beach, California article (government section): council-manager government adopted 1944; five-member City Council serving staggered 4-year terms; Mayor "not directly elected by voters" but "chosen annually among the members of the city council"; City Clerk and City Treasurer separately elected -- cited only for this civic-structure context, never for a candidate-specific claim
  • stunewslaguna.com (opens in a new tab)Stu News Laguna -- "Fair Game" column (published 2026-08-25): independent local-press profiles of all nine qualified City Council candidates -- incumbents Alex Rounaghi, Mark Orgill (sitting Mayor), and Sue Kempf (two-time former Mayor), plus challengers Laura Parisi (elected City Treasurer since 1999), Karen Martin, Joy Berry (Village Laguna VP), Edward Bayuk, Nick Aronoff, and Ashley Cintas -- covering each candidate's background, stated motivation, and platform issues (wildfire preparedness, water reliability, community development, visitor management, financial stewardship)

Last updated August 31, 2026.