Schools’ Fiscal Crisis Driving City Council, Board Races

Lacking the fire or floods of past years, the most compelling news in Laguna Beach this year was the stunning revelation of a huge shortfall in the school district’s current budget, an issue that sparked an explosion of parental anger and activism.

Now, in what appears to be a repercussion of that event, politically energized school district activists have become candidates in both school board and City Council races.

Three of the five candidates for the two open seats on the school board--El Hathaway, Steve Rabago and Eileen Walsh--are also board members of SchoolPower, a nonprofit organization whose members became increasingly vocal as the fiscal crisis unfolded.

Also running are Jan Vickers, the current board president, and Ali Abdolsalehi, a student activist at Laguna Beach High School.

Trustee Timothy D. Carlyle is not seeking another term.

In the City Council contest, the two candidates expected to present the greatest challenge to Mayor Wayne L. Peterson and Councilwoman Kathleen Blackburn are Ronald Harris, another SchoolPower board member who is marking his second bid for a seat since losing two years ago, and William S. O’Hare, a school district activist whose wife is a SchoolPower officer.

Also running are Linda Small Athey, who restores antique furniture, and seven-time candidate Rickey Slater, a retired janitor.

All elected city and school officials in Laguna Beach serve four-year terms.

Although SchoolPower board members have in the past run for school board--Trustee Karen Linden is a former SchoolPower president--the group’s former director said the current deluge of parent activists on the political scene is unprecedented.

In fact, Cindy Prewitt said, four years ago, she could not persuade SchoolPower trustees to let City Council candidates speak to their group because they felt it would be inappropriate.

“That was too radical at the time,” Prewitt said. “We have come a long way.”

While some critics believe SchoolPower--which this year raised $580,000 for the district--has become too political, its current president, Jon Jenett, said it is still an apolitical organization that does not endorse candidates in either race.

SchoolPower members running for office are acting independently, not representing the organization, members say.

“SchoolPower tends to attract people who are actively involved in their community,” Jenett said. “And I think it’s natural that some of those people would chose to run for office.”

The city and school district work together on some community projects, and there has been talk in the district about the possibility of sharing some space or services with the city to save money. But the city has no direct control over schools.

With the district still working to resolve a $1.2-million budget deficit, all the school board candidates say they will make restoring financial stability their priority.

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In the City Council race, candidates are struggling to define their differences--squabbling over the redevelopment of a high-profile corner in town and whether the current leadership is doing enough to reduce ocean pollution.

Some voters are seeking to make the adoption of an ordinance that would make Laguna Beach the first city in Orange County to establish a resident’s “right to a view” the driving campaign issue.

Most council candidates agree that some type of ordinance to try to keep trees from blocking views is needed, but they differ on how tough the law should be and how involved the city should be in its enforcement.

Incumbents Blackburn and Peterson say they may back a modified version of a draft ordinance recently released by the city that provides a process whereby residents can resolve view disputes while minimizing the city’s involvement.

O’Hare and Harris favor a tougher ordinance, and say the city should be more involved in setting the standards and enforcing the law. Slater wants a view preservation ordinance but not the one currently proposed, while Athey does not think the city should create such a law.

Council candidates say planning issues are also a priority, including the redevelopment of the corner of Laguna Canyon Road and Forest Avenue, which is known as the Village Entrance because it marks the gateway to the downtown business district. The differences of opinion largely center on whether a parking structure should be built at the site.

The incumbents have backed an ongoing planning process that suggests a parking structure and the addition of landscaping and other amenities to make the area more enticing to pedestrians. Pressed by their opponents at a candidate forum Friday night, neither council member would elaborate on how they would like to see the land redeveloped.

O’Hare and Harris have labeled the plan “ill-advised” and say it should be reconsidered. Although Harris was vice chairman of the Village Entrance Task Force, he said he was never convinced that a parking structure should be located at that site.

Slater said planning should be halted until a study is concluded to see if the city needs more parking spaces. Athey said it is not the city’s job to redevelop the parcel.

Also running for reelection after two decades in office is City Clerk Verna L. Rollinger, who is being challenged for the second time by businesswoman R. Elaine Smith. City Treasurer Susan A. Morse is unopposed in her reelection bid.

With the election about five weeks away, endorsements have begun to trickle in. The Laguna Beach Taxpayers Assn. board and the Laguna Coalition, an umbrella organization with representatives from 29 groups in town, have both endorsed Blackburn and Peterson for council. The group has also endorsed Smith for city clerk.

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Laguna Beach City Council Candidates

Six candidates, including two incumbents, are seeking two City Council seats in Laguna Beach. A quick look at all six:

Linda Small Athey

Age: 49

Occupation: Restores antique furniture and works part time in family business, Athey Auto Body

Background: Business experience

Major issues: Favors less government. Also believes the city should not redevelop the Village Entrance or adopt a view preservation ordinance

Kathleen Blackburn

Age: 53

Occupation: Incumbent. Former controller for Hobie Sunglasses Inc., which Blackburn and her husband previously owned

Background: Has served on City Council since 1992, including one term as mayor

Major issue: Sound land-use planning, especially the redevelopment of Treasure Island Mobilehome Park and the Village Entrance. Wants to make sure the General Plan is followed and that no special privileges are given to property owners

Ronald Harris

Age: 49

Occupation: Attorney

Background: On the boards of South Laguna Civic Assn., Laguna Greenbelt, Laguna Canyon Foundation and SchoolPower, the school district’s fund-raising arm; former vice-chair of the Village Entrance Task Force

Major issue: Redevelopment of the Village Entrance but not necessarily with a parking structure. Thinks current plan is “grossly ill-conceived”

William S. O’Hare

Age: 43

Occupation: Attorney

Background: Managing partner of Snell & Wilmer law offices; former co-chair of the Design Review Task Force, which helped reform the city’s review process, and a member of a committee that helped craft legal strategies for the city

Major issue: Reducing beach contamination. Believes the city should take more aggressive steps to solve this problem, including getting back-up generators for every sewage pump station in town and more actively addressing the issue of inland pollution

Wayne L. Peterson

Age: 57

Occupation: Incumbent; educator

Background: On City Council since December 1992 and is serving a term as mayor

Major issue: Enhance public safety, including expanding the police force and continuing programs that are intended to prevent fires and reduce creek and ocean pollution

Rickey Slater

Age: 62

Occupation: Retired janitor

Background: Community activist; has attended more than 2,000 city meetings over the past 14 years. Member of city’s Housing and Human Affairs Committee; former member of Chamber of Commerce Beautification Council

Major issue: Wants to put Village Entrance redevelopment project on hold until a survey can determine how many additional parking spaces are needed

Laguna Beach Unified School District Candidates

Boundaries: Serves Laguna Beach and a small portion of Aliso Viejo.

Enrollment: 2,510

Facilities: One high school, one middle school, two elementary schools.

Issues: The district has been mired in a fiscal crisis resulting from shrinking property tax revenue, losses suffered in the 1993 firestorm and the county’s bankruptcy, and past bookkeeping errors.

Available board seats: Two

THE CANDIDATES:

Ali Abdolsalehi

Age: 18

Occupation: Senior at Laguna Beach High School

Background: Has attended school board meetings since ninth grade; school journalist who wrote stories regarding the budget and other issues; founder of a Student Union this year at the high school; Model United Nations delegate; volunteer with the Greater Orange County Youth Leadership Council and the Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America

Major issue: Alleviating the fiscal pressure in the current budget by eliminating the superintendent’s salary and having school principals rotate to fill that post, rather than cutting teachers’ salaries, as is currently proposed

El Hathaway

Age: 62

Occupation: Senior vice president of TBG Financial, a financial consulting company

Background: Experience in management, including previous positions as corporate vice-president of human resources and as vice-president for Orange County operations for Southern California Edison. Board member of SchoolPower, a school district fund-raising group

Major issue: Taking a more proactive approach to running the district by using his management experience

Steve Rabago

Age: 41

Occupation: Strategic planner and management consultant for National Corporate Finance

Background: Experience with strategic planning and management consulting; board member of both SchoolPower and the Endowment and Capital Fund, a subsidiary of SchoolPower

Major issue: Reestablishing district’s fiscal stability by better management of expenditures, including renegotiating contracts with vendors and cutting costs in general

Jan Vickers

Age: 49

Occupation: Parent/homemaker; former substitute teacher

Background: Incumbent. Served on school board from 1981-1987 and from 1992-present

Major issue: Resolving the district’s financial problems by not spending more than the district brings in, instituting new budget oversight procedures and reorganizing the business office and administrative staff

Eileen Walsh

Age: 46

Occupation: Brea-Olinda landfill manager

Background: As a former finance director for the county’s special tax districts, arranged financing to build new public schools in South County. SchoolPower board member. Chairwoman of FACT, a fiscal committee that assisted the school district during its recent budget crisis

Major issue: Restoring the district’s “financial foundation” so education can be the primary focus by building and monitoring a budget with accurate revenue and cost projections