Column: Laguna’s upcoming hot political summer

It will be a rare, hot summer.

The summers in Laguna Beach are always rich and interesting, filled with an odd mixture of frenzy and tranquility.

The buzz of tourists is only tempered by Zen and the art of … well, art. For those in the know, there are secret handshakes for invitation-only festivities. It’s a private coastal Idaho.

But what will make this summer stand out is the backdrop of simmering politics. This December three of five seats on the Laguna Beach City Council will be open.

A chance for change. Think of it. But don’t think too long and get your hopes up. Laguna has a way of dashing hope like an errant Frisbee hitting you on the side of the head.

But certainly three of five is something. It’s 60%, it’s a majority, it’s a chance for a full house.

A full beach house with cool people and clever ideas. It’s a chance for something new, like a bathing suit that sings without fear or pretense.

The challenge this fall will not be with the number of seats. The challenge will be the height, width and depth of Laguna. The real question is how deep is Laguna’s reinvention?

Will it stay on the surface, content with glad-handing consultants and minor facelifts, or will it dive deep and discover new wonders?

The terms of Kelly Boyd, Toni Iseman and Rob Zur Schmiede will expire. Boyd has already said he’s not seeking reelection and rightly so. He’s done a great job but he’s been on the council since before the city was incorporated. In fact, I believe he speaks Tongva from when the Native Americans were here 3,500 years ago.

If the new candidates could all be like Boyd, then perhaps we wouldn’t have anything to worry about. You may not agree with all of his positions, but at least you know where he stands. There’s an inherent level of trust that he won’t speak from two sides of his mouth. It must be his Tongva heritage.

The reality is Laguna needs more than opinions with this new batch of politicians. We need doers with vision. We need creative thinkers who refuse to accept the status quo.

We need to reduce the policy cycles from years to weeks. No more 18-month committee projects. No more all-night meetings.

The average age in Laguna is the oldest among our peer cities, but that doesn’t mean we should accept senility as the new normal.

Think new generation. Think common sense. Think about the time when Laguna was actually progressive.

How is year-round gridlock fun? How is loud traffic exhaust fun? How is untenable rent fun?

My hope is that this election will not result in winners who are already proven losers. That may sound harsh, but there is a contingent of people in Laguna who don’t believe there’s anything wrong with the city. Nothing.

These same people admit that they never go downtown because it’s too crowded.

Let me give you this analogy.

A few years ago, nearly all of the sea stars along the West Coast died. It was a mystery. It still is, for the most part. But they are finally starting to return. The cute orange, red and purple stars are slowly showing up as babies near Victoria Beach, Pearl and elsewhere.

Not many but some. Despite our ignorance, they are coming back — a new generation.

It doesn’t really matter what politicians do — or don’t do — to Laguna. People will come, drawn to the coves and blue water.

I think fundamentally that’s what defines Laguna Beach politics. Just don’t screw anything up and you’ll be fine.

It’s a no-growth, preservationist mentality that firmly believes sea stars never die.

That the traffic is only bad for tourists.

And there is no cost-of-living problem because Lagunans live in another age.

This election is not about undergrounding or a village entrance or a hundred other issues.

It’s about truth.

DAVID HANSEN is a writer and Laguna Beach resident. He can be reached at hansen.dave@gmail.com.