Three vie for two seats

Former City Clerk Verna Rollinger became the third and final candidate for city office in the 2008 Laguna Beach Municipal election.

Rollinger will vie with Mayor Jane Egly and Mayor Pro Tem Cheryl Kinsman for one of the two open seats. City Clerk Martha Anderson and City Treasurer Laura Parisi will run unopposed, as they did in 2004.

Rollinger filed nomination papers and her candidate’s statement less than two hours before the 5 p.m., Aug. 8 deadline. The nomination documents were submitted to the county Registrar of Voters for official verification that at least 20 of the 30 signatories are registered voters in Laguna.

Rollinger supporter Doug Reilly issued a news release on Aug. 9 announcing her second run for a council seat. She came within about 140 votes of being elected in 2006.

“I care so much and have worked so hard to help make Laguna Beach the special place it is,” Rollinger said.

Reilly said Rollinger was urged to run by supporters who pointed out that Egly and Councilwoman Elizabeth Pearson both rebounded successfully from first-time defeats.

Rollinger, who was elected to seven terms as City Clerk, came in fourth in the 2006 election, behind incumbents Pearson and Toni Iseman and businessman Kelly Boyd, who had last held office more than two decades earlier. It was the first election Rollinger ever lost.

“It’s not as much fun as winning,” Rollinger said the day after the election.

Rollinger has lived in Laguna for 38 years and raised two children here.

“Knowing Lagunans as I do, I know that we share a respect for our history, a strong sense of community, and a willingness to participate in thoughtful planning for our future,” Rollinger was quoted in the release. “Our shared values will be a source of strength in confronting the challenges we face.

Among the issues she believes are important to all residents:

 “We can deal with our parking, traffic and circulation problems by borrowing successful solutions from other cities, including creating new parking options and building on our successful shuttle service.”

 “We have to gain regional support for the resources that will improve our ocean water quality to prevent health impacts on residents and visitors, particularly those on our children.”

 “We need to keep the hospital in Laguna Beach as the critical community resource that serves us all.”

 “We have all the rules we need to preserve our neighborhoods and downtown.”

 “We need to keep our open space, both the inner space in our neighborhoods and our surrounding greenbelt.”

Other races:

Five extra days were added on Aug. 8 to the candidates’ filing period for the Laguna Beach School Board, the Emerald Bay Service District and the Three Arch Bay Community Services District.

The extension is automatic for offices when any incumbent fails to file a valid declaration of candidacy papers. Aug. 8 was the deadline for incumbents to file. Candidates for all three districts file with the Orange County Registrar of Voters.

Any qualified person, except the undeclared incumbent, had until 5 p.m, Wednesday, Aug. 13 to file the papers in the registrar’s office, at 1300-C South Grand Ave., in Santa Ana. The school district filing period was extended when veteran board member El Hathaway did not file for another term.

Only two candidates had filed declarations for the two open seats on the board, as of the new deadline. Incumbent Jan Vickers is running for her 6th term on the board. She has been elected to at least one term on the board in the last three decades, according to school records.

Former school board member Bill Landsidel also filed by the deadline. Landsidel was appointed to the board to fill the vacancy when K Turner died in early 2006. He kept his promise, made when he was appointed, not to run as an incumbent and sat out the 2006 election.

Incumbents Gary Rubel and Elizabeth Gapp filed for re-election to the Three Arch Bay Community Services District board. Alan Anderson also filed by the original deadline.

The filing period was extended when incumbent Larry Wilson failed to file. No additional candidates filed with the county.

Emerald Bay Services District also had its filing period extended, but no one had pulled nominating papers, according to the registrar’s office.

For more information, call the registrar’s office at 714-567-7600 and ask for the “Candidate & Voter Services Section.”

BARBARA DIAMOND can be reached at (949) 494-4321 or coastlinepilot@latimes.com.