By Alan Boinus
Last week, it was mistakenly reported that the Laguna Beach Democratic Club “endorsed” Bob Whalen and Hallie Jones over Judie Mancuso after George Weiss withdrew from consideration. The reporting was based on claims by the club that it had “endorsed” both Whalen and Jones at its “endorsement meeting” last week over the other candidates, Weiss and Mancuso.
There was a big problem with this, in my opinion. A misleading statement about endorsements could create the false impression that the club’s preference for candidates reflects the sentiments of the Democratic Party as a whole, and the Democratic Party endorsed neither Whalen nor Jones.
The Democratic Party of Orange County (DPOC) has strict rules about Party endorsements – even for non-partisan offices like the Laguna Beach City Council. Clubs may not “endorse” or issue an “endorsement.” Only the DPOC may endorse candidates. And in this case, the DPOC may end up endorsing Weiss and Mancuso. The Laguna Beach Democratic Club then would have two choices – to endorse the DPOC’s official endorsement or to ignore it – Not to go rogue like they did here.
It appears that none of this was by accident and that the Laguna Beach Democratic Club has been manipulating public opinion to put the thumb on the scale for their preferred candidates. To me, the club is trying to appear bigger and more influential than it is, implying it represents Democrats in Laguna Beach, much less speaks for them. The club’s membership is only about 100 dues-paying members, and the actual vote that both Bob Whalen and Hallie Jones got was just 48 votes a piece out of more than 6,000 registered Democrats in Laguna Beach. Far from representing Laguna Democrats!
I can speak with authority as I have been a member of the Laguna Beach Democratic Club on and off for 35 years and served on its board for 10 years with Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris before she ran for the Assembly. I even helped welcome Kamala Harris when she was a guest speaker.
What is remarkable is that I attempted to attend the club’s closed-door Zoom “endorsement meeting” but was “denied entrance by the host.” The reason given was that I was “not a “member in good standing.” It sounds pretty awful, but it only means I didn’t renew my dues on time according to the club’s new arcane bylaws. This is almost laughable considering my past history and involvement with the club, but it feels more sinister than laughable with the cabal that runs the club now, if you ask me.
Before I stepped down from the board of the Laguna Beach Democratic Club, the club encouraged widespread participation. Any registered Democrat could attend any meeting, including signing up and voting on the days of a “support meeting.”
After I quit the board, a new regime came into power and, along with it, autocratic rules that limited open meetings and dissent with new faces with a new club agenda supporting reckless overdevelopment in Laguna that seemed to align more with Peter Blake and Bob Whalen than pro residents’ candidates like Weiss and Mancuso.
We began to see power-grabbing tactics, such as Mancuso being denied access to the membership roster to lobby club members to support her council bid. Yet, the regime supporting Whalen and Jones had complete access to do all the lobbying they wanted.
Both Weiss and Mancuso cried foul, but the Democratic Party stated that since the club’s bylaws were changed (by the Whalen-Jones faction!), there was nothing to prevent such one-sided activity. Mancuso wasn’t endorsed even though, as the Democrats’ Assembly nominee, she garnered over 7,000 votes in Laguna, beating Diane Dixon by 59% to Dixon’s 41%, and Weiss wasn’t even considered. That didn’t matter to the Whalen-Jones camp that pulled off 48 votes in a sham election and publicity stunt. So much for a club that calls itself “Democratic” being “democratic!”
Alan is a 35-year resident of Laguna and 35-year intermittent member of the Laguna Beach Democratic Club, including 10 years on its Board. He is active in the Laguna Beach community and serves on the Board of Advocates for Laguna Residents. He is an entrepreneur and is currently building a political debate app called “Clashing Heads,” planned to launch in the fall.
This article highlights a critical issue: when just 50 people can skew the representation of over 6,000 registered Democrats in Laguna Beach, it undermines our democratic process and public trust.
My family has been part of this community for over 100 years, starting as artists and later as businesspeople. Now, with my grandkids in Laguna Beach schools, I believe we owe it to the next generation to model integrity and ethical governance. We must avoid manipulating democracy to benefit special interest groups, as this starts us on a slippery slope toward authoritarian-leaning leadership.
When leadership takes on an authoritarian tone, it creates a disconnect between the community and those in power. People begin to feel unheard, marginalized, and disenfranchised. Decisions are made behind closed doors, and the voices of the majority are overshadowed by the interests of a select few. This kind of leadership erodes trust and fosters a sense of alienation, making residents feel like they are no longer a part of the decision-making process that affects their lives. As evident in this article, when a group like the Democratic Club fails to truly represent the broader community, it’s a clear sign that our leadership culture needs to change.
What makes this situation even more dangerous is the self-reinforcing nature of authoritarianism. Once a leadership group begins to manipulate democratic processes to maintain control, they often feel the need to become increasingly authoritarian to keep that control. As public dissent grows, these leaders may resort to more opaque and exclusionary practices to silence opposition and maintain their grip on power. This cycle only deepens the divide between those in power and the people they are supposed to serve, making it harder and harder to return to a truly democratic and inclusive governance.
This slippery slope must be stopped—not just for the sake of our current residents, but for future generations who will inherit the consequences of today’s actions. If we allow such manipulations to go unchecked, we risk handing down a legacy of distrust, disengagement, and authoritarianism to our children and grandchildren.
Fortunately, we have an opportunity in the upcoming election to select leaders who are not afraid to challenge this unhealthy culture. We need individuals with the political savvy to navigate complex issues while ushering in a more ethical and transparent governance structure. These leaders should be committed to ensuring that decisions are made in the open, with input from all corners of the community, not just those with the loudest voices or deepest pockets.
By choosing leaders who prioritize transparency and ethical governance, we can restore trust in our local government and ensure that it serves the interests of all residents, not just a select few. Let’s use this election as a chance to bring about meaningful change, fostering a governance culture that truly reflects the diverse needs of our community and sets a positive example for future generations. It’s time for Laguna Beach to move forward with leadership that embraces accountability, listens to its citizens, and makes decisions that are in the best interest of everyone.
To everyone who cares about the future of Laguna Beach, please consider sharing this article and its insights with fellow voters. It’s important to remember that the majority of registered voters in our community are Democrats. This improperly conducted endorsement should not be allowed to misrepresent the voice of the majority, whether they are Democrats or any other voters. We must ensure that our choices aren’t influenced by misleading political campaigning. It’s crucial that we elect leaders who genuinely represent the will of the people and are committed to ethical governance. Your help in spreading the word can make a difference in this election.
Bravo for calling out this cabal!
They’ve been doing this for years: see former mayor Ann Christoph’s call out in 2022:
https://www.lagunabeachindy.com/opinion-village-matters-58/
Time for action!
How do we 1. Secure the Democratic Party of OC endorsement for George Weiss and Judie Mancuso and
2. Get Foley, Min and Norris to retract their backing of Whalen or at minimum to endorse all three?
This makes the County Party look really bad.
Thank you Alan Boinus for exposing such politically manipulative actions by the Laguna Beach Democrat Club Board Members hosting the endorsement meeting.
LBDC members and all residents should denounce such candidate biased activity by this Board and the Whalen/Jones political campaign members/supporters involved. The local LBDC has changed over the years and it seems to be under the control of Mayor Kempf and CC Whalen.
I saw similar behaviors when four women (including me) were publicly disparaged by former City Manager Shohreh Dupuis for challenging her management performance as she was being protected by officials Kempf and Whalen. Several LB DEM CLUB members including Chair Peggy Wolff spoke at Council on the controversial issue further degrading us four acknowledging their LB DEM CLUB affiliation. Their action of turning on fellow residents over a City employee issue showed me that these members and the club they infiltrated have no respect for residents of Laguna Beach. Their opinions and endorsements on our local candidates mean absolutely nothing to intelligent and informed stakeholders.
However, an organization running this unprofessionally and resorting to game playing shenanigans does our City an injustice. I believe it warrants contacting the Orange County Democrat Club denouncing such behavior and filing a formal compliant.
Also, the misreporting apology you received from Tom Johnson/StuNews regarding the misleading LBDM meeting and voting article he wrote was a start. IMO this journalist has a long way to go to be considered unbiased on CLB politics. Media manipulation shenanigans aren’t acceptable either. Thanks.
It’s not the first time LBDC board leaders have
Here we go again, election seasons espouse HOPE and CHANGE so the electorate bristles with anticipation, it’s election season so get your hopes up and rally around the new candidates.
This time it’s a tag-team of candidates that must be the answer to address Laguna’s systemic problems of wildfire risk, financials, visitors, traffic, parking, the Promenade……..
This time the Marquis reads Whalen/Jones vs Weiss/Mancuso, so residents call your chosen Malitia recruiter to sign-up for a fight. So what are we fighting about? What promises does each tag-team make to earn our endorsement? This time it’s a tag-team endorsed by a local PAC (political action committee), or maybe not? So what.
Instead of choosing your favorite tag-team based on a party affiliation, choose a candidate based on skills and credentials best suited to execute the responsibilities during a term of office, an office with term limits so on-the-job training does not consume the term.
Politics doesn’t deliver consensus to Laguna’s issues, it delivers consternation. Then why do we rely political process to deliver solutions from “best practices” yet we tolerate mediocre results? Why do we expect a different outcome than the last election’s? Like a tag-team Subcommittee proposal to relinquish Laguna Canon Road from Caltans for $141 Million when the California Legislature will vote for a mandate solution SB-960 on Monday (26 August)?
What if a requisite to Council membership was a pledge to honor our Vision 2030 values and follow our General Plan guidelines. What if the Council began every meeting session with a pledge of allegiance to Laguna’s Vision 2030 Stragetic Plan and the Laguna GP? That way an agenda item must meet this criteria or they don’t earn a space on the Agenda Bill, that way we get 5:0 decisions not 3:2 coercion.
Partisanship does not determine a candidate’s qualifications, the major Parties do not offer knowledgebase solutions for Laguna’s problems, Party affiliations are tribalism and boring. There is a better way to select representative democracy in Laguna Beach.
Everyone makes excellent points. This is an enlightening article. Les, you also make a great point too; having agenda items meet LVSP and LBGP criteria would be ideal. This could give the whole council/city a centric, positive, goal-oriented focus. Our issues are challenges that we all share, and have nothing to do party affiliation or political alignment. Choosing one group over another especially in a town this small, only serves to create division. I know it’s done to get votes, but the outcome is more alienating than positive. I’d like to see us simply as people solving problems and moving forward together.
Thank you Alan Boinus for this detailed history of the LBDC. Very instructive.
Good work, Alan. This crooked whatever-it-takes-to-win attitude has been promulgated ever since the ascension of Sue Kempf and Peter Blake and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop.
Kempf and Whalen’s influence over this organization is well known, so the rigged results were a given.
Remember the dirty PAC campaign against Steve Dicterow and the scandalously distasteful smear campaign against Ruben Flores? I fully expect we’ll see similar developer/business/commercial landlord campaigns against George Weiss and Judie Mancuso this election cycle. Once again, big money backing the City Council candidates who will profit vested interests most – and doing anything and everything to keep them in power.
Unfortunately, there is a division in town. And residents didn’t cause it. They have been pushed around and neglected far too long. Those in power have no real interest in working together with residents to solve problems. It’s much more about them retaining power and pushing through their own agendas which favor the moneyed donors who feed their war chests.
Bob Whalen and Sue Kempf have run their pro-business, pro-tourism City Council cabal for the past six years and see where it’s gotten us.
The only way to affect change is to vote for Mancuso and Weiss. They’re the only candidates listening to residents.
Sour grapes.