Mayor's Podcast - City of Laguna Beach

Episode 9 - Preparing for Summer with Marine Safety Chief Kai Bond

As Laguna Beach prepares for another busy summer, Mayor Mark Orgill sits down with Marine Safety Chief Kai Bond to discuss the people, planning, and preparation that keep Laguna's beaches safe. From lifeguard training and emergency response to ocean rescue operations, and beach safety education, Chief Bond provides an inside look at the vital services the Marine Safety Department delivers every day. Tune in to learn how Laguna Beach's lifeguards prepare for the summer crowds and what residents and visitors can do to help ensure a safe and enjoyable beach experience for everyone.

Episode 8 - Clean Laguna: Preparing Laguna Beach for Summer with Councilmember Sue Kempf

Mayor Mark Orgill sits down with Sue Kempf for a quick conversation about the City’s Clean Laguna campaign and the community wide effort to keep Laguna Beach clean, safe, and welcoming heading into the busy summer season. In this episode, Councilmember Kempf discusses the goals of the campaign, including reducing litter, improving beach and downtown cleanliness, encouraging responsible visitor behavior, and strengthening community pride through education and outreach. The discussion also highlights how residents, businesses, and visitors can all play a role in protecting Laguna Beach’s coastline, neighborhoods, parks, and public spaces during the peak summer months.

Episode 7 - An Inside Look at the Land Trust's Artist Work Live Units

In this episode, Mayor Orgill tours the newly acquired artist live/work studios in Laguna Canyon alongside Assistant City Manager Jeremy Frimond. The conversation explores how the City and the Laguna Beach Community Land Trust worked to preserve these unique creative spaces through a unique community acquisition effort. Listeners will hear behind the scenes details about the acquisition process, the long term vision for protecting artist spaces in Laguna Beach, and why preserving working studios remains important to the City’s cultural identity. The episode also features interviews with several local artists who share what the preservation of these properties means to them personally and how it supports the future of Laguna Beach’s creative community.

Episode 06 - Planning Laguna Beach: Smarter Permits, Stronger Code Enforcement, and the Future of AI in Community Development

Mayor Mark Orgill sits down with Community Development Director Matt Schneider for a focused discussion on the City’s planning, building, and code enforcement services. The conversation outlines current priorities, including permit streamlining, code compliance, and managing development pressures in a constrained coastal environment. Director Schneider explains the department’s long range objectives, with an emphasis on improving predictability, reducing processing times, and aligning development outcomes with the City’s policy framework. The episode also examines how emerging tools, including artificial intelligence, will be deployed to improve service delivery, enhance consistency in plan review, and provide residents and applicants with faster, more accessible information.

Special Update - Message from Mayor and CM About Promenade Tree Removal

This episode addresses the recent removal of trees along the Promenade and the community response that followed. The discussion explains the safety concerns that led to the decision, the timing under which the action occurred, and the information the City relied upon. It also outlines the updated tree replacement plan, including new eucalyptus and oak plantings, and the steps being taken to restore and improve the space. For additional information, visit www.lagunabeachcity.net/promenade-project [http://www.lagunabeachcity.net/promenade-project]