Candidates quizzed in televised forum

About 50 people attended a televised candidates forum, held Monday in the City Council Chambers.

The forum was hosted by Top of the World, Temple Hills and South Laguna neighborhood and community associations.

The three candidates left another event, to which they had previously committed, to attend the forum.

Rollinger left first.

“She answered a lot of important questions before the others arrived,” said Temple Hills representative Ron Chilcote.

South Laguna spokesman Bill Rihn credited Michael Beanen with drafting the list of questions for the group. Beanen said he compiled questions from the community. Piero Wymyss represented TOWNA.

Association representatives sat on the dais with the candidates to ask one question from prepared lists.

The audience then asked questions.

Mohammad Ala wanted to know why the design for the Thurston Middle School gymnasium he described as ugly was approved.

The quick answer: The city has no jurisdiction over the school district.

Kinsman was the only candidate to give unqualified support to the lifeguards’ concept for their new headquarters on Main Beach, but pointed out that no design has yet been submitted and when it is will be subject to public hearings.

David Connell asked what each candidate would do to make a better view ordinance in his view.

Egly, an attorney, said she would be reluctant to pass an ordinance that gave property owners a right to a view because it would lead to legal action to gain access to private property.

“The Design Review Board works on landscaping [plans] to head off problems,” Egly said.

Kinsman was on the Planning Commission that crafted an ordinance that included a right to a view, which was rejected by the council. Council rejection of commission recommendations was the impetus for her decision to run for council.

Scott Woodard asked whether the appointment of a council member to liaise with the Design Review Board would lessen the number of appeals.

Rollinger said it was important for the board to be in sync with the council.

Egly said fewer appeals are being filed, and when they are the council upholds the board more often than not.

Kinsman agreed with Egly and in any case favored board members who were independent of the council.

Asked what they would do about smoking in open space, specifically Top of the World acreage leased to the county, Rollinger said it was a policing problem.

“I don’t know who can issue tickets, but if it’s a question of safety, we need to ticket,” Rollinger said.

Questions were also asked about restricting house sizes, construction permits issued without time limits (see article on one proposed solution on Page A1), a police action wrongly attributed to Laguna’s department, outlawing wood-burning fireplaces to reduce pollution, smoking in open space, erosion on Bonn Drive, the future of South Laguna and actions that would reduce ocean pollution.

BARBARA DIAMOND can be reached at (949) 494-4321 or [email protected].