Laguna Beach City Council names Sue Kempf mayor, her second time in the role

In its latest reassignment of leadership, the Laguna Beach City Council Tuesday selected Sue Kempf to succeed Bob Whalen as mayor. It is the second time Kempf has assumed the role.

The council voted Kempf into the top seat on a 4-0 vote, with Councilman George Weiss abstaining. Councilman Alex Rounaghi received a unanimous vote to become mayor pro tem.

Weiss had brought an agenda item to the prior council meeting on Nov. 21 that sought consideration of a rotation for the positions of mayor and mayor pro tem, but the item lacked support.

Kempf previously served as mayor in 2022, an eventful year that saw the Laguna Beach community respond to two notable wildfires — the Emerald fire in February and the Coastal fire in May.

Speaking to her goals for the upcoming year, Kempf said public safety issues remain a top priority, including undergrounding utility lines along Laguna Canyon Road, one of three routes in and out of the city.

“That’s probably No. 1 on my list of things that I’m interested in, seeing where we can get to on that, because it’s not for lack of trying on our part, try to get the money to get that project going,” Kempf said.

On a related note, Kempf spoke about the city working toward putting in a new fire station in South Laguna.

Bob Whalen, second from left, is presented with a resolution in recognition of his fifth term as mayor of Laguna Beach.

(Andrew Turner)

She also said she was looking forward to reviewing the design plans for the Promenade on Forest. Housing also remains a concern, with the city on the hook for adding plans for 394 units in response to its regional housing needs assessment.

Kempf, who was first elected to the council in 2018, said she came to realize community engagement is a key aspect of the role of mayor during her first term.

The Laguna Beach City Council appointed Sue Kempf as mayor and Alex Rounaghi as mayor pro tem on Tuesday.

(Andrew Turner)

“The job of mayor, some people think it’s ceremonial, but there’s actually a lot of work involved,” she said. “I think the biggest learning for me was that when we have significant issues in the community, you have to get out front and communicate right away, because then that kind of puts people at a comfort level if they understand the facts. Rather than not responding right away and letting things spiral out on their own, it’s best to get out in front of prominent issues.”

Whalen, the outgoing mayor, was recognized by resolution. First appointed to the top job in 2015, he has served five terms as mayor, including three consecutive terms from 2019 to 2021 as the council leaned on his experience to navigate the city through the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s always an honor to serve as mayor, no matter whether you’ve done it once or more than once,” Whalen said. “It’s a great responsibility, something I take very seriously, and I’ve worked hard at to represent the community well.

“A lot of these things in [this resolution], I contributed to, but it takes all of us. It takes a team, and I’m really pleased to be working with this group of colleagues. I think we’re doing some good things and making some really good progress for the community.”