Sue Kempf’s first Council election, 2018: 4,483 votes on 13,650 ballots.
Official 2018 results →Democracy with a small “d”
Jungle General · How Laguna elects its Council
Laguna’s Jungle General
The math of an at-large, three-seat election
Illustration: 100 voters in each group, with 3 selections per voter100 voters · 3 incumbents
300 selections ÷ 3 candidates
100 selections each if evenly divided
100 voters · 6 challengers
300 selections ÷ 6 candidates
50 selections each if evenly divided
Same total: 300 selections in each exampleThe averages differ because selections are divided among 3 versus 6 candidates.
Measure E → and Follow the Money → are separate issue pages.
“Jungle General” is this guide’s informal label for an open-field, citywide general election in which voters may select up to the number of available seats and the highest vote-getters win. A majority is not required, and there is no preliminary Council primary or runoff.
The name draws on “jungle primary,” commonly used for a top-two primary open to candidates regardless of party. That system narrows the field to two for a later general election. Laguna’s multi-seat Council election does not narrow the field that way. Candidates must still meet the applicable eligibility and nomination requirements. California Secretary of State: top-two primary rules ↗
Separate issue: Measure E / Term Limits → concerns how long councilmembers may serve; election structure concerns how they win seats.
Term limits address how long councilmembers can serve. Majority requirements and runoffs address how they are elected. These are separate questions.
Mark Orgill on studying the Seal Beach model
“I am open to studying election reforms, including runoffs, ranked-choice voting and term limits, but I would not assume that Seal Beach's system is automatically right for Laguna Beach.”
Mark Orgill · written follow-up response · election reform
He cites the difference between district and citywide elections and calls for comparing costs, participation and representation.
Read Orgill’s full answer →Should winning a Council seat require majority support?
Supporting democracy is the starting point. The specific question is whether Laguna should change how voters elect their Council.
Laguna elects the top finishers citywide; a winner need not receive votes on more than half of ballots. Should voters study a majority-and-runoff system, ranked-choice voting or other reforms?
Her reelection, 2022: 6,321 votes on 12,800 ballots. Neither election exceeded 50%.
Official 2022 results →Kempf served as mayor in 2022 and 2024. The City credits her with helping introduce the Forest Avenue Promenade. City biography → Compare Promenade positions →
Percentages use ballots cast, not all registered voters. Multi-seat ballots allow several choices; not selecting a candidate is not necessarily a vote against them. Ranked-choice systems differ and do not automatically give every winner a majority.
Compare the answers below: Bayuk supports studying majority/runoff elections. Orgill is open to several reforms. Aronoff favors retaining citywide elections while reviewing improvements. Cintas favors evidence-based changes decided by voters. Berry supports Measure E; Kempf cites incumbent turnover and questions term limits. Neither explicitly answers whether to study Seal Beach’s model.
Laguna Beach, Irvine and Seal Beach · side by side
Current election rules as of October 10, 2026. Proposed changes are labeled separately.
| Feature | Laguna Beach | Irvine | Seal Beach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population · July 1, 2025 estimate | 22,391 | 318,764 | 24,075 |
| Council seats / election geography · current | Five seats; elected citywide | Six district seats plus a citywide mayor | Five seats; one per geographic district |
| Winning threshold · current | Top finishers win the available seats; no majority required | Most votes wins each contest; no majority required | A majority (the charter describes this as 50% plus 1) of votes cast for the district office elects a candidate in the general election |
| Election rounds · current | November general election; no Council primary or runoff | November general election; no majority-triggered runoff | If no candidate has a majority, the top two advance to a separate January runoff; most votes wins the runoff |
| Term limits · current | No current Council term limits; Measure E is proposed on the 2026 ballot | Two full Council terms (four years each); two full mayoral terms (two years each)* | Two consecutive four-year terms |
| Timing · 2026 | Three seats; two seats were elected in 2024 | Districts 1, 5 and 6, plus mayor | Districts 1, 3 and 5 |
| Mayor · current | Selected by Council | Directly elected citywide for two years | Selected by Council |
| Ranked-choice voting · current | Not used for Council elections | Not currently used; Measure D proposes it | Not used; separate majority/runoff elections |
| Proposed change · Irvine Measure D (November 3, 2026) | Not applicable | If approved: ranked-choice voting after January 1, 2028, subject to feasibility* | Not applicable |
| Measure D startup cost condition · proposed | Not applicable | First use deferred if added cost exceeds 0.23% of the City general fund budget* | Not applicable |
* Irvine details: District elections began in 2024; the transition completes in 2026. Partial-term counting rules apply to term limits. Proposed Measure D covers Council and mayoral elections. Its startup cost limit uses the then-current total City general fund budget for the election fiscal year and is reassessed before each subsequent election until transition; the limit applies only to first use. Plurality continues if equipment cannot feasibly accommodate ranked-choice voting.
What is ranked-choice voting? In a single-winner election, voters rank candidates first, second, third, and so on. If no one has a majority, the last-place candidate is eliminated and those ballots move to each voter’s next remaining choice. This repeats until someone has a majority of ballots still counting.
District boundaries govern who votes for each seat; plurality, majority/runoff and ranked-choice rules govern how a winner is selected. Irvine’s March 2024 Measure D approved districting; November 2026 Measure D is a separate ranked-choice proposal. A majority of continuing ranked-choice ballots is not necessarily a majority of all original ballots. These rules do not guarantee turnout or policy outcomes.
Official sources: Laguna 2026 candidate handbook ↗ · Laguna Council ↗ · Irvine elections and charter excerpts ↗ · Irvine proposed ordinance §§1-2-602, 604, 607, 611 ↗ · Seal Beach charter §§502, 508–509, 515 ↗ · Seal Beach elections ↗ · Census estimates: Laguna ↗, Irvine ↗, Seal Beach ↗
The last five elections · 12 winning Council seats
| Year | Winner | Candidate votes | City ballots cast | Share of ballots | Official results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Bob Whalen | 7,039 | 14,419 | 48.8% | Certified results ↗ |
| 2016 | Steve Dicterow | 5,452 | 14,419 | 37.8% | Certified results ↗ |
| 2018 | Peter Blake | 4,881 | 13,650 | 35.8% | Certified results ↗ |
| 2018 | Toni Iseman | 4,792 | 13,650 | 35.1% | Certified results ↗ |
| 2018 | Sue Kempf | 4,483 | 13,650 | 32.8% | Certified results ↗ |
| 2020 | Bob Whalen | 6,442 | 16,667 | 38.7% | Certified results ↗ |
| 2020 | George Weiss | 5,665 | 16,667 | 34.0% | Certified results ↗ |
| 2022 | Alex Rounaghi | 6,591 | 12,800 | 51.5% | Certified results ↗ |
| 2022 | Sue Kempf | 6,321 | 12,800 | 49.4% | Certified results ↗ |
| 2022 | Mark Orgill | 4,359 | 12,800 | 34.1% | Certified results ↗ |
| 2024 | Bob Whalen | 7,029 | 15,231 | 46.1% | Certified results ↗ |
| 2024 | Hallie Jones | 6,851 | 15,231 | 45.0% | Certified results ↗ |
Alex Rounaghi is the only one of these 12 winners whose votes exceeded half of city ballots cast. These are 12 winning seats across five elections, not 12 separate elections.
Sue Kempf’s first win · 2018
Kempf finished third with 4,483 votes on 13,650 ballots (32.8%), winning the third available seat. Ann Christoph finished fourth with 4,235 votes, a margin of 248. Kempf’s total was sufficient under the citywide plurality rule even though it represented about one-third of participating ballots.
Calculated shares use total city ballots cast, not the sum of candidate selections or all registered voters. Ballots can contain multiple Council choices or no Council choice. Not selecting a candidate does not prove opposition. Population size, election geography, turnout, term limits and mayor selection are distinct comparisons.
Laguna and Seal Beach: compare the rules →