# Alex Rounaghi — Forum Follow Up Responses Revision 2

Answers supplied by the organizer October 3, 2026; after the final extended deadline. Answer wording preserved; document headers and repeated questions omitted from this answer-only presentation.

## 1. Election reform and Measure E

I'm voting no on Measure E. Term limits don't fix the problem this question identifies. A councilmember elected with 35 percent is elected with 35 percent whether it's their first term or their third. As noted at the question debate, I'm proud to have gotten majority support in 2022. But a 50-percent threshold doesn't translate cleanly to an at-large race where every voter casts three votes. Seal Beach can require it because they elect one councilmember per district. Getting there here would mean districting, which I don't support.

District elections work where neighborhoods are distinct and separated. Laguna is seven square miles, and what decides elections here — the hospital, wildfire mitigation, environmental protection — affects every household. Districts would make representation narrower, not broader.

## 2. Hospital and emergency care

My minimum is a 24-hour emergency department in Laguna Beach that can receive ambulance transports. Six in ten of our ambulance transports go to that campus. Under state law an emergency department cannot stand alone, so keeping the ER means keeping a licensed hospital of some size attached to it. Ensuring access to emergency care has been my highest priority and will continue to be if I'm re-elected.

In August, Providence agreed to study a smaller hospital that preserves an emergency room. A study is not a commitment, and I've said that publicly.

As I said during the debate, all options are on the table. We have looked closely at our leverage, including land use. We also are talking to other operators, and most importantly, having close coordination with the Attorney General's office.

## 3. Forest Avenue Promenade

I am all about transparency, so I have no specific objection to this request. These are all public records.

## 4. Visitor-generated costs

I'm not supportive of a special tax aimed at restaurants. I rejected this approach in 2024 and 2026. My conclusion is that it would ultimately hurt residents by deterring restaurants from opening.

95% of our visitors do not stay at our hotels and pay transient occupancy tax. We should always be looking to capture funds from visitors, which is why I'm supportive of our work to get Coastal Commission approval for an increase in our parking rates and a pilot to add approximately 500 paid parking meters in South Laguna.

I will continue working to maximize the revenue from visitors via parking revenue.

I would also keep pursuing county, state and federal money for the services visitors use.

## 5. Emergency preparedness

I am open to this and would want to consult with our Fire and Police Chiefs on the best way to implement these exercises. I'm open to all options to prepare for future wildfire/evacuation.

## 6. Fiscal priorities

I support doing this and have already done it. As part of our comprehensive efficiency initiative, we identified $1.5 million in cuts (including eliminating 7 positions). We need to continue to make more cuts to ensure long-term fiscal sustainability, allowing us to continue investing in needed public safety and infrastructure investments.

## 7. Laguna in 10 years

Laguna's next 10 years:
• Retaining access to emergency services
• Continuing to invest in state-of-the-art wildfire mitigation
• Fully funding law enforcement to mitigate visitor impacts and remain the safest coastal city in Orange County
• Water independence (through the Fountain Valley/Newport groundwater well project and potentially Doheny Desalination, which we are still evaluating)
• Successful implementation of the Wastewater Master Plan to mitigate sewer spills; implementation of plan to modernize the Coastal Treatment Plant, allowing us to reduce the amount of treated wastewater going into the ocean. Ocean water quality is critical.
• Structurally balanced budget that allows for long-term fiscal stewardship
• Streamlined review of permits for residents and small businesses
• Maintaining local control (via the Housing Element) to preserve the small-scale character and built environment that defines Laguna
• Protecting our open space and add to it

What I would fear most is losing the emergency room. Once an ER closes it does not come back, and the next several decades of this town would be shaped by that one fact. That’s my main goal to continue working on if re-elected.

## Optional response — public question P38

*Do you work for a developer, and do you think that could be a conflict of interest while serving on the City Council?*

Avoiding conflicts, and the appearance of them, is fundamental to public service. When you hold office your judgment has to belong to the public and to nothing else. As someone born and raised here, I take that seriously.

Yes, I work for a homebuilder for my day job. They do not build in Laguna Beach and have no business before the City. If they did, I would quit the company; this is demonstrated by my past record. It would not be appropriate to work on projects in Laguna Beach as an elected councilmember.

When I worked for Related California (I worked on the LA team on LA projects) and the company finalized plans to move forward with a project in Laguna Beach, I left the company. The law then required me to recuse for one year. I voluntarily recused myself on any decisions for the project well past that window out of concern for perception. I stand by that.

It's not disqualifying to work in development outside of Laguna, and understanding those complex state laws improves my ability to protect local control in Laguna.

Conflicts are governed by the Political Reform Act, and I work closely with the City Attorney to make sure I adhere to it. I disclose my income each year on a public Form 700 and recuse where the law requires (and voluntarily as noted above).