Meet Judie Mancuso: Candidate For Laguna Beach City Council

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — Judie Mancuso is a long-time Laguna Beach resident and homeowner running for City Councilmember in the coastal enclave.

Mancuso has lived in Laguna Beach for almost 30 years and has been appointed and reappointed by the Laguna Beach City Council to the Environmental Sustainability Committee starting in 2019. She is running against current City Councilmembers George Weiss and Bob Whalen, as well as candidate Hallie Jones.

Learn more about Mancuso and her goals for Laguna Beach:

1) What’s your name?

Judie Mancuso

2) Does your campaign have a website? If yes, please include URL.

www.judiemancuso.com

3) What city or town do you live in and for how long have you lived there?

I have been a homeowner and resident of Laguna Beach since 1995.

4) What office are you seeking?

Laguna Beach City Council

5) If you are running in a district, please specify here.

n/a

6) Please give us your party affiliation.

Nonpartisan seat, but a lifelong Democrat.

7) What is your educational background?

Associate of Applied Science Degree

8) What is your professional background? Occupation?

20 years in Information Technology where I managed large teams of software engineers to build enterprise-wide business systems, and 17 years as founder/CEO/president of political nonprofit, Social Compassion in Legislation, where we have sponsored 70 pieces of legislation, with 25 of them signed into law.

9)Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

I was appointed by Speaker John Perez to the California Veterinary Medical Board in 2010, where I served two 4-year terms as a public member. Also, I was appointed and reappointed by the Laguna Beach City Council to the Environmental Sustainability Committee starting in 2019, where I have served as vice chair and chair and am still a member.

10)Why are you seeking this office?

I am running for Laguna Beach City Council because the current council members have refused to listen to simple requests from residents such as adding trash bins and enforcing current laws. Additionally, there is a lack of transparency that continues to frustrate residents. For instance, the city staff recently fired our audit firm midway through their contract without any public input, and substantial property acquisitions and development move forward with little to no public support. My years of experience in both the corporate world and political arena have prepared me to help solve the issues facing my community and to help restore trust between residents and their city council.

11)In your opinion, what are the top three issues for voters this election season?

Government accountability and good governance is at the top of the list, right along with fiscal responsibility and stewardship. Without it, we cannot provide all the services and livability Lagunans deserve.

12)What other issues do you intend to address if elected?

If elected I intend to focus on: providing public health and safety services, mitigating the impacts of over-tourism, traffic, parking, and over-development with smart growth and low impact development, infrastructure modernization, mitigating fire risk, ensuring the highest quality water supply, and achieving zero liquid discharge into our ocean. Also, it is extremely important to protect our open spaces and wildlife, and build climate resiliency and sustainability into our local government operations and community.