Laguna Beach has a homegrown mayor, and Alex Rounaghi wasted no time after being appointed to the position in expressing his gratitude for the opportunity to represent the city of his roots.
Rounaghi, 27, was elected to the City Council two years ago. He graduated from Laguna Beach High in 2016, before earning bachelor’s degrees in government and history from Dartmouth College.
“Laguna’s history has been shaped by visionary leaders, entrepreneurs, artists,” said Rounaghi, a development associate and project manager at City Ventures. “All of us here are standing, I feel, on the shoulders of giants who came before us and who provided the leadership that really is essential to what makes Laguna such a unique and special place. Living up to that legacy is adopting responsibility, and it’s something that I think all of us up here really care a lot about and spend a lot of time thinking about.”
Laguna Beach Mayor Alex Rounaghi and Mayor Pro Tem Mark Orgill, from left, shake hands after being named to their new roles on Monday.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
Laguna Beach, which was incorporated in 1927, is closing in on its centennial. Rounaghi called it a time for reflection with the milestone approaching.
“One hundred years, that’s a long time,” Rounaghi said. “This really is a pivotal moment to achieve results on longstanding issues, from reducing wildfire risk to ensuring local water and sewer reliability — not always an interesting issue, but nothing’s more important — protecting our environment, revitalizing our downtown, creating housing for artists and seniors, and mitigating visitor impacts. We have important work ahead, and while complex challenges rarely have easy solutions, I’m really confident in this council [and] this city manager [Dave Kiff’s] ability to deliver meaningful progress for our community.”
Mark Orgill was selected to serve as mayor pro tem. Both Rounaghi and Orgill received unanimous support from the council for their appointments.
Council members Bob Whalen and Hallie Jones, and city treasurer Laura Parisi, from left, share a laugh after being sworn in to office.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
Laguna Beach also swore in Bob Whalen for a fourth term on the council and Hallie Jones for her first, as well as Ann Marie McKay as city clerk and Laura Parisi as city treasurer. The latter pair ran unopposed during the Nov. 5 election to return to their respective offices.
The evening included significant turnout from supporters of an outgoing member of the City Council, George Weiss, and the city provided him with a proclamation that recognized, among other things, his contributions on environmental issues and a campaign to restore the 1931 Seagrave fire engine, the city’s first fire apparatus.
“I’m very grateful for the support I received from so many residents,” said Weiss, who added he would keep his campaign committee alive while considering whether to run again in 2026. “I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish what I did without you. My intention for running was to be an advocate for Laguna residents. I’ve never intended to be a politician, and despite the election results, my commitment to the city and to its residents will not change. I will be here.”
Outgoing Councilman George Weiss reacts to audience applause for his service during the Laguna Beach City Council meeting on Monday.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
The Orange County Registrar of Voters certified the election on Dec. 3. Laguna Beach had 15,231 ballots cast. Whalen led the four candidates vying for two seats on the city council with 7,029 votes. Jones secured 6,851 votes, Weiss had 5,141 votes, and Judie Mancuso finished with 4,013 votes. There are 18,296 registered voters citywide.
“We have an active and engaged community, which I think is why so many of us love living here and being involved,” said Whalen, remarking on a turnout that exceeded 80% of the registered voters in Laguna Beach. “Thank you again to the entire community, and we look forward to continuing to communicate with all of you on issues and move the city forward, as we always try to do.”