# Laguna Beach City Council Compare records and positions simply between Sue Kempf, Ashley Cintas, Laura Parisi, and 6 more for Laguna Beach City Council at VoteOrElse.com. On the November 3, 2026 California general election ballot. This person would hold one of three at-large seats on Laguna Beach's City Council. The council has five members, serving staggered four-year terms. Laguna Beach is a general-law city. Members vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use. An appointed city manager runs day-to-day operations. Each year, the Council picks one of its own members as Mayor. There is no separate Mayor race on this ballot. The City Clerk and Treasurer are chosen in separate elections. - Jurisdiction: City of Laguna Beach - Election: November 3, 2026 California general election - Seats: 3 - Publisher: Vote or Else (https://voteorelse.com) — a free, nonpartisan ballot guide for California voters. No endorsements. - Canonical page: https://voteorelse.com/2026/laguna-beach-council - Full ballot: this page covers one race. Every contest on a voter's own ballot, by address, with the same breakdown for each: https://voteorelse.com/ - Sources last retrieved: August 31, 2026 - Source-objectivity score: 86 out of 100 (Strong), across 3 cited sources. This grades the mix of sources, not the candidates. Rubric: https://voteorelse.com/about#methodology ## On the ballot - **Sue Kempf** — Laguna Beach City Councilmember · Incumbent - **Ashley Cintas** — Local Business Owner - **Laura Parisi** — City Treasurer/CPA - **Mark Orgill** — City Council Member, Laguna Beach · Incumbent - **Nick Aronoff** — Small Business Owner - **Edward Bayuk** — Retired Business Entrepreneur - **Joy Berry** — Small Business Owner - **Alex Rounaghi** — Laguna Beach City Councilmember · Incumbent - **Karen Martin** — Urban Planning Entrepreneur A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot. 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 their 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. He states a focus on wildfire readiness and water reliability, which are concrete priorities for a fire-prone hillside city. **Trade-offs:** Only one term to weigh against six challengers. The profile notes an outside expectation that he may use the seat as a stepping stone to other office. **Keep in mind:** Only one Stu News Laguna profile was found. No other news coverage turned up. No money 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:** He is serving as Mayor in his first term, so he has recent experience leading council decisions. His platform spans public safety, arts and culture support, and visitor management. **Trade-offs:** Like Rounaghi, he has only one term to weigh. His profile stresses a collaborative style and stated priorities more than a record of results. **Keep in mind:** Only one Stu News Laguna profile was found. No other news coverage turned up. No money 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 the most concrete record in the field. It spans environmental protection, wildfire work, parking policy, and business recovery. That covers two terms and two stints as Mayor. **Trade-offs:** The profile lists finished projects rather than a platform for a new term. Her priorities going forward are less clear than those of some challengers. **Keep in mind:** Only one Stu News Laguna profile was found. No other news coverage turned up. No money 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, their run for council reflects an interest in decisions with more direct impact on residents than the Treasurer's office affords. Their filed ballot designation is "City Treasurer/CPA." **Strengths:** More than two decades as the city's elected Treasurer, plus a CPA background. That is a money-oversight resume no one else in the field has. **Trade-offs:** Parisi's run for council is new. The profile describes why they are running more than a specific council platform beyond their focus on finances. **Keep in mind:** Only one Stu News Laguna profile was found. No other news coverage turned up. No money 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 their own words there: "I want City Hall to make better-informed decisions, spend more carefully and put residents first." Their filed ballot designation is "Urban Planning Entrepreneur." **Strengths:** Three decades of land-use and development work, directly relevant to a council that decides land use. Martin states a focus on careful spending and on residents first. **Trade-offs:** They have held no city office, so there is no voting record to weigh. Their land-use career could also read as a possible conflict on development votes. **Keep in mind:** Only one Stu News Laguna profile was found. No other news coverage turned up. No money 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:** She combines a land-use background with local business ownership. She also leads Village Laguna, a long-established resident group. She names hillside and canyon protection as a specific focus. **Trade-offs:** She has held no city office. Her Village Laguna role signals a likely slow-growth voting pattern that residents and developers may weigh differently. **Keep in mind:** Only one Stu News Laguna profile was found. No other news coverage turned up. No money 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, plus state board work on transportation and housing finance. That could bear on city money and infrastructure choices. **Trade-offs:** He has held no Laguna Beach city office. The state board roles are not local council or commission experience, and no further detail on his priorities was found. **Keep in mind:** Only one Stu News Laguna profile was found. No other news coverage turned up. No money figures are available for any candidate in this race. See Financial info. ## Nick Aronoff Nick Aronoff is connected to the local sports community through their father, Frank, per Stu News Laguna's profile. In their 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." Their filed ballot designation is "Small Business Owner." **Strengths:** A small-business-owner background. Their stated platform centers on listening to residents, rebuilding trust, and bringing common sense back to City Hall. **Trade-offs:** Aronoff has held no city office. The profile describes broad themes such as proactive government, common sense, and trust, rather than specific land-use or budget stands. **Keep in mind:** Only one Stu News Laguna profile was found. No other news coverage turned up. No money 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 readiness, emergency medical access, aging infrastructure, tourism, and long-term finances. It is more specific than several challengers' platforms. **Trade-offs:** She has held no city office. No outside check of her business-community role was found beyond her own campaign framing. **Keep in mind:** Only one Stu News Laguna profile was found. No other news coverage turned up. No money figures are available for any candidate in this race. See Financial info. ## Sources 1. [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.](https://ocvote.gov/fileadmin/user_upload/data/candlog/GEN2026/candlog.pdf) 2. [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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laguna_Beach,_California) 3. [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)](https://stunewslaguna.com/fair-game-082826/) ## The rest of the ballot Laguna Beach City Council is one contest among the many a California voter decides on November 3, 2026 — Congress, the Legislature, county, city, and school board races differ by address. Vote or Else builds the full list for any California address and breaks down each contest the way this page does, with no account and without storing the address: https://voteorelse.com/ ## How to cite this page Vote or Else, "Laguna Beach City Council — November 3, 2026 California general election," https://voteorelse.com/2026/laguna-beach-council (sources last retrieved August 31, 2026). Link the canonical page above rather than this Markdown file. Coverage is updated as the race develops, so quote it with its retrieval date.