Incumbent Bob Whalen, challenger Hallie Jones lead Laguna City Council race

Laguna Beach voters have appeared to opt for both the old and the new in the race for two open seats on the City Council, as incumbent Bob Whalen and challenger Hallie Jones continued to see favorable results as of Wednesday evening.

Whalen, a public finance attorney seeking a fourth term on the five-person governing body, said he was “pleased with the outcome” and vowed to continue to place public safety as his top priority.

“I think looking to always improve on wildfire safety, look to either rebuild or renovate our fire stations — all of which are more than 50 years old — is going to be very important,” Whalen said of tasks he would like to continue to work on. “We’re making some progress on affordable housing. I think we’ve got, sort of, the city set up. We’ve increased some funding. Now, we need to look for some projects that kind of fit Laguna.”

Residents head up and down the stairs as they vote in national and local elections in Laguna Beach.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

The council appoints the mayor and mayor pro tem annually. Whalen has served five mayoral terms in his 12 years on the council, including three consecutive years while helping the city to navigate the coronavirus pandemic.

Updated poll numbers from the Orange County Registrar of Voters released on Wednesday evening had Whalen leading the pack with 5,834 votes (30.66%). Jones, the executive vice president of Crystal Cove Conservancy, was holding strong in second with 5,609 votes (29.48%).

The percentage of votes cast for the four candidates largely remained consistent a day after the polls closed. Incumbent George Weiss, a former telecom executive, had 4,301 votes (22.60%) as of 5 p.m. Judie Mancuso, the founder and president of Social Compassion in Legislation, had received 3,283 votes (17.25%).

A resident casts her vote in the national and local elections at the Laguna Beach library ballot box on Tuesday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Whalen was also the top vote-getter when he last ran in 2020. On that occasion, he was the only candidate of five to secure at least 6,000 votes, finishing with 6,442 in appearing on nearly 25% of ballots cast.

Jones, an Orange County Parks commissioner, has never held elected office. She is well known for her work in environmental endeavors. The Laguna Beach native also previously served as the executive director of Laguna Canyon Foundation.

“I think that my experience at Laguna Canyon Foundation and as a leader of the environmental community here in Laguna, that resonated with a lot of voters,” said Jones, who expressed excitement at the potential chance to serve the community as a member of the council. “While I haven’t held elected office before, I have a lot of experience working within government and working with the city, and I think that voters recognized my skill set and the expertise that I bring, particularly with environmental issues, and my deep commitment to and understanding of this community.”