Last Tuesday, KXFM and Neighborhood Congregational Church brought Laguna Beach residents and local candidates together for our 2026 City Council & School Board Candidate Good Luck Potluck Forum.

Neighborhood Congregational Church graciously hosted the evening, and in true potluck fashion, the community showed up with plenty of food to share. The forum was broadcast live on 104.7 FM and streamed online for those who couldn’t be there in person.

A Different Kind of Forum

We tried something a little different with the City Council candidates this year. Instead of starting with the usual back-and-forth on policy, each candidate had five minutes to tell us about themselves: where they came from, the experiences that shaped them and what led them to run for City Council. It gave voters a chance to hear a little more about the people behind the campaigns.

After hearing from each of the City Council candidates, the forum moved into a rapid-fire round of 10 questions. Candidates were asked to simply raise their hands in support or leave them down if they did not.

  1. Would you support a 3% tax on restaurants?
    All eight candidates in attendance opposed it.
  2. Would you support a parking garage in the downtown area, either at the Village Entrance or Act V?
    Three of the eight candidates raised their hands in support.
  3. Would you support a large-scale sculptural piece at the Village Entrance?
    One candidate supported the idea.
  4. Would you support converting St. Catherine’s into affordable housing?
    None of the candidates raised their hands in support.
  5. Would you support a network of eBike rental kiosks around town?
    None of the candidates supported the proposal.
  6. Would you support roundabouts at strategic locations around Laguna Beach?
    Four candidates raised their hands in support.
  7. Should the City continue to support the Community Land Trust, separate from providing funding?
    Five candidates supported the idea.
  8. Would you support safely undergrounding the power lines?
  9. Would you support taking over Laguna Canyon Road in order to underground the power lines?
    This question prompted some discussion over whether the City would actually need to take over Laguna Canyon Road in order to underground the lines, which resulted in no’s across the board.
  10. Would you support legal cannabis dispensaries in Laguna Beach?
    None of the candidates raised their hands in support.
  11. Should the City provide some level of financial support for its nonprofit community radio station, particularly given its role in local communication and emergency broadcasting?
    All eight candidates in attendance raised their hands in support.

The format wasn’t meant to capture every detail of a candidate’s position. A raised hand can only tell you so much. But it offered a quick look at where the candidates agreed, where they differed, and which issues might deserve a longer conversation.

With three City Council seats and three school board seats on the November 3 ballot, there is a lot for Laguna Beach voters to consider this year. KXFM’s role isn’t to tell you who to vote for. It’s to give local candidates a place to speak and our community a chance to hear from them directly. Learn more about the candidates HERE.

Hear It for Yourself

If you missed the forum, or want to go back and hear a particular candidate or question again, you can listen here at this LINK TO CANDIDATE FORUM RECORDING

Thank you to Neighborhood Congregational Church for opening its doors to us, everyone who brought something for the potluck, the candidates who participated and everyone who joined us in person or listened from home.