The Would-Be Cities and Would-Be Leaders : Laguna Hills: The 10 seemingly similar candidates for five seats look for issues that will help them break out of the pack.

At first glance, the 10 candidates running for the City Council in the proposed city of Laguna Hills seem to espouse the same conservative philosophies about how to run a new city government.

Phrases such as “fiscal conservative” and “families and children” roll off their tongues easily as they describe the basic services and bare-bones budgets they would manage if elected.

If voters approve on March 5 the creation of a city, the candidates agree city funds should be used for bare necessities such as contracting with Orange County for increased fire and police protection, improving traffic safety and building new parks for children, but not for social services.

Most of the candidates also have similar economic backgrounds. Six of the 10 candidates reside in the upscale Nellie Gail Ranch community.

But as Laguna Hills residents prepare to vote on cityhood and the election of five first-time council members, the candidates are beginning to stake out positions on issues that they hope will separate them from the pack.

As if the word “conservative” were not enough, they are in a race to show who will be the best watchdog over city dollars and the projected $3.3-million budget surplus in the first year of incorporation.

Candidate William Simmons, for example, created a flurry of controversy when he proposed that the budget surplus be rebated to those who vote in the election.

After being criticized by other candidates because the proposal might be illegal, Simmons suggested that the money be returned to all Laguna Hills taxpayers.

Candidates David Leland, Paul J. Mayjack and Gregory N. Weiler supported the spirit of the idea.

“I think the rebate program definitely needs some more research,” Mayjack said. “I think we need to dig into it a little bit deeper.”

Consultant Harry S. Weinroth, who conducted the financial analysis for the proposed city, said a legal review of the proposal might conclude that the money would have to be returned in proportion to the amount of property taxes paid. Therefore, Weinroth said, the larger property owners, such as Laguna Hills Mall, would receive the larger rebates.

On another issue, Leland said he feels compassion for the “innocent victims” of AIDS and would oppose any anti-discrimination ordinances proposed by gay activists.

“I don’t feel I want to be portrayed as a bigot,” he said. “In reality, what I am trying to point out is this is a public health problem.”

Leland, an activist in the anti-abortion movement, was ordered to serve 10 days in jail and 200 hours of community service after his October, 1989, arrest for trespassing at an abortion clinic during a rally in San Diego.

Candidate David Stabbe has seized as his issue another item on the March 5 ballot--whether in future elections the council should be chosen by districts or at-large. Stabbe is one of the few supporting the districting system.

“We need somebody who is responsive to us rather than one of five guys who can shift the burden around,” Stabbe said.

Although most candidates talk about how cityhood will allow them to improve basic services to their neighborhoods, Weiler makes a point of saying he is not going to promise any improvements except in the area of police protection.

“I am not falling all over myself to spend money like the other candidates,” Weiler said, adding he would look cautiously at proposed expenditures.

But those who have been fighting for cityhood say they have more realistic expectations of how to run the city.

Candidate Randal J. Bressette is telling voters that his extensive background as a financial planner makes him best qualified to oversee the city’s expenditures.

Bressette has also said the new city should help find private funds for social services such as programs for the elderly, day care for children or dealing with the homeless--items that barely make the priority lists of most other candidates.

He also has promised to leave “no room in Laguna Hills for drugs, gangs or graffiti,” highlighting a problem that is in its infancy in the area.

Candidates Melody Carruth, Joel Lautenschleger, Craig Scott and L. Allen Songstad Jr. were on the front lines early in the battle to create a city out of Laguna Hills, and say their experience in negotiating with Orange County officials places them in the best position of overseeing the transition to cityhood.

“There are people out there that don’t know the issues, that are not familiar with the county,” Lautenschleger said. “They do not know how it (the proposed city government) was set up and they are using this (election) as a soapbox to make political statements.”

Songstad said his primary reason for running is to make sure that the incorporation goes through as planned.

“I worked hard getting it here and gained an awful lot of knowledge,” Songstad said.

Added Scott: “In the hundreds of hundreds of hours already dedicated to the cityhood effort, I have demonstrated the pattern of hard work I will follow on the City Council.”

Scott has been elected to the council twice before and Carruth and Songstad have been elected once, but they have not served because their elections were accompanied by voters’ rejections of the proposed cityhood measures.

In addition to working on the cityhood issue, Carruth has been active in regional issues, such as opposing efforts to bring commercial airline traffic to the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.

“I am the only candidate with contacts with some of our statewide officeholders,” Carruth said of her political associations that included in her last council election a letter of support from then-U.S. Sen. Pete Wilson, now governor. “I will be an effective representative of Laguna Hills on regional issues.”

The South Orange County Chamber of Commerce has endorsed Bressette, Carruth, Lautenschleger, Scott and Songstad. The Saddleback Valley Board of Realtors endorsed the same five candidates plus Weiler, stating it could not choose the best five of the six contenders.

While most candidates said they expect to spend less than $5,000 in their campaigns, Scott and Weiler said they will go above that figure.

Campaign finance statements filed last week with the Orange County registrar of voters showed Weiler raising $7,129, including $6,200 in loans to himself, and spending $8,840. Scott had the second highest expenditures, totaling $3,624. Songstad reported $5,321 in contributions, but $3,621 was from himself to write off a debt left over from the last election.

The campaign statements, the last to be filed before the election, reported activity through Feb. 16.

LAGUNA HILLS CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES Here are the candidates running for five seats on the Laguna Hills City Council. The five top vote-getters will take office if voters approve cityhood in the March 5 election. Randal J. Bressette Age: 37 Occupation: Certified financial planner Background: Degrees from the University of Redlands and Southern States University; served as president of the Orange County chapter of the International Assn. for Financial Planning; treasurer of Citizens to Save Laguna Hills; is a board member of the Laguna Hills Community Assn. Issues: Promises to have a firm hand on the city budget and cash flow; advocates a sheriff’s substation in Laguna Hills Mall and more parks and recreation facilities. Melody Carruth Age: 38 Occupation: Community volunteer and former junior high school teacher. Background: Elected to the City Council during last cityhood election that failed; founder and former co-chairwoman of Citizens to Save Laguna Hills; member of Saddleback College Board of Governors and South Orange County Leadership Conference. Issues: Supports development of athletic fields, monitoring airport site selection studies, increased police protection and scrutinizing the proposed expansion of Laguna Hills Mall. David T. Leland Age: 38 Occupation: Accountant Background: Graduated from UCLA with a degree in economics, and is active in his church. Issues: Is against homosexual lifestyle and would oppose anti-discrimination ordinances proposed by gay activists; promises to be a fiscal watchdog; would like for the proposed city to have its own police force instead of contracting with the county. Joel Lautenschleger Age: 46 Occupation: Executive vice president and principal owner of Mesa Verde Convalescent Hospital Background: Past co-chairman of Citizens to Save Laguna Hills; board member of Laguna Hills Community Assn. Issues: Supports more parks and athletic fields and annexing north Laguna Hills; wants to control “infringement by adjacent cities and county government agencies” on remaining open space in Laguna Hills. Paul J. Mayjack Age: 22 Occupation: Financial consultant Background: A former Eagle Scout; graduated from Laguna Hills High School and studied real estate and business at Saddleback College. Issues: Would oppose efforts to allow commercial airline use at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station; promises to be a fiscal conservative and to be accessible to citizens. Craig Scott Age: 37 Occupation: Attorney Background: Degrees from the University of Utah; was elected twice to city councils in failed cityhood elections in the Saddleback Valley; board member of Laguna Hills Community Assn. Issues: Favors development of parks and recreational facilities, increased police protection and annexation of north Laguna Hills. William Simmons Age: 46 Occupation: Businessman Background: Member of Athletic Advisory Committee of Cal State Long Beach; ad hoc member of Nellie Gail School Site Committee. Issues: Proposes the $3.3-million projected budget surplus be rebated to citizens; promises not to squander city funds on “beautiful city halls”; proposes that citizens limit the use of police “to more serious crimes” to improve police efficiency. L. Allan Songstad Jr. Age: 44 Occupation: Attorney Background: Elected to the City Council during last cityhood election that failed; former co-chairman of Citizens to Save Laguna Hills. Issues: Because of longtime involvement with cityhood issue, is concerned about how the new government will be established; supports development of recreational facilities and improved traffic and police services. David R. Stabbe Age: 51 Occupation: Certified public accountant Background: Has a degree in engineering; member of the Lions Club and the Saddleback Valley Exchange Club. Issues: Wants City Council members to be elected by districts instead of at-large; would use his engineering background to study development plans and call on his accounting skills to examine the proposed city’s expenditures on a monthly basis. Gregory N. Weiler Age: 34 Occupation: Attorney Background: Executive committee member of the Orange County Republican Central Committee; served on the board of the Orange County Anti-Poverty Agency and the citizens advisory committee of the Orange County Transportation Commission. Issues: Says his expertise in municipal law will help guide Laguna Hills as it begins its cityhood; offers conservative approach without promising too many improvements in basic services.