City of Laguna BeachCandidate for City Council

Waving back to Happy Dan, exploring tide-pools, picking out a glass at the Pottery Shack, eating lunch at the Jolly Roger, feeling the essence of knowledge as I entered Dilley’s bookstore, viewing the ”Last Supper” at the Pageant of the Master’s, I experienced the aura of the village of Laguna Beach. I promised myself that one day I would open a business and raise my family in Laguna Beach. 

Graduating from Scripps College in Claremont, marrying Michael who was finishing his Ph.D. at Stanford, working for a large accounting firm in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and passing my CPA exam came first.

The dream became reality with the opening of Kinsman and Kinsman Certified Public Accountants on Mermaid Street, followed by the births of our sons Joshua and Nicholas.

Describing herself as a “fiscal conservative,” Kinsman served on the City Council for eight years, including one year as mayor and four years as mayor pro tem. Along with councilwoman Jane Egly, Kinsman was largely responsible for keeping South Coast Hospital in Laguna Beach. She regards this as the most important civic accomplishment in which she was involved.

I am a Certified Public Accountant and former Mayor of Laguna Beach. I understand how to make government work for you. As a longtime resident and local business owner, my hands-on expertise managing and balancing budgets is crucial for sound government. That’s what I do professionally.

Laguna Beach faces many challenges. We have $60,000,000 of unfunded pension liabilities with interest of over $4,500,000 annually. A 41-year-old sewer pipeline under Coast Highway threatens a major sewage spill. Our downtown is threatened with flooding in a major storm. I will prioritize these problems rather than borrowing $130,000,000 for undergrounding utilities. We do not need to borrow money or raise sales taxes. We just need to manage our budget.

The many challenges we faced during my prior tenure on the City Council included permanently stopping the proposed El Toro International Airport and preserving our hospital in Laguna Beach. I was successful in these endeavors that others said were impossible.

I support the image of Laguna Beach as an artist colony, demonstrated by my service as treasurer of Laguna Plein Air Painters. I advocate increased support for our first responders and continued improvement of our environment.