Water conservation top topic at Laguna candidates forum

In the midst of one of California’s worst droughts in recorded history, water conservation was at the top of the agenda as the seven Laguna Beach City Council candidates gathered Tuesday night for a forum to discuss city issues ranging from sustainability to the budget.

Laguna Beach is one of the few Orange County cities that have met the state’s water conservation goals, reducing usage by about 20 percent, two-term Councilman Kelly Boyd said.

“Our citizens are quite aware of what the situation is,” Boyd said.

An ocean-desalination plant would go a long way toward continuing the conservation trend, he added.

Local restaurateur Jon Madison suggested the city take smaller steps, including removing grass medians in Laguna Canyon, installing rain-capturing barrels on gutters and planting more trees.

“Not blocking anyone’s view,” Madison assured residents about the tree idea. “But trees help shade. My property is 10 degrees cooler using no electric.”

Madison has been dogged this week by reports that he might have falsified his age and educational and work histories on his campaign website.

“I am who I am,” Madison said in an interview after the forum. “I don’t think my educational history or my age or voter registration has anything to do with what I’m trying to do in this city.”

Candidate Michele Hall, who holds a degree in conservation studies and is running on a water conservation platform, suggested similar grass-roots solutions.

“If it’s brown, flush it down; if it’s yellow, let it mellow,” she said, suggesting that conservation starts with educating children.

Sixteen-year incumbent Toni Iseman, who serves on the South Laguna Water and Sewer Advisory Committee, suggested recycling wastewater.

“We can’t continue to send wastewater out … we need to take it and polish it and use it. There are times when we have so much recycled water and there’s no place to put it,” Iseman said.

Candidate Eli Grossman responded to nearly every question, whether it dealt with water conservation or the city budget, by outlining what he called the “flawed character” of current council members and what he says is a corrupt police force.

Candidates also discussed closing Forest Avenue to make way for a pedestrian walkway.

While some liked the idea, others expressed concerns over whether the loss of about 50 parking spaces would harm businesses.

“Radical change is hard to do. If you lose the parking, you lose the business,” Hall said.

“To close that street down doesn’t make sense,” Boyd said. He suggested the city close it only occasionally for special events.

Madison took an opposite approach. “We’ve got to do it [close the street] for a year and see what happens. I’d like to see the streets filled in. Let’s bring in some grape trees, tables and chairs, cappuccino carts and little kiosks,” he said. “But not … like Fashion Island.”

Candidates also expressed a desire to increase pedestrian mobility and public transportation to decrease traffic.

Madison suggested increasing the city’s free trolley service, which regularly runs for nine weeks during the summer, into a year-round system.

But Boyd said: “If we run the trams year-round, we have to charge.… It will drain our budget big time.”

Paul Merritt and Robert Zur Schmiede also are in the race for three available seats on the five-member council. The election is Nov. 4.