Laguna Should Be Doing Better Than This.
Four years of trends tell a story we shouldn't ignore. Laguna has enormous advantages: strong property values, valuable public assets, a world-class destination and a community willing to invest in protecting what makes this place special. Yet City costs keep rising while important revenue opportunities are slipping away, storefronts remain empty, residents take spending elsewhere, hotel-tax revenue has fallen, and one of our most important public-safety issues, the future of our emergency room, is now a crisis. These aren't just numbers on a City spreadsheet. They eventually show up in our taxes, our services, our neighborhoods, our businesses, and our safety
We're Spending More. What Got Better
WHY THIS MATTERS TO RESIDENTS
Every additional recurring City expense becomes an obligation residents have to support year after year. That doesn't mean we shouldn't invest in Laguna. It means every new dollar of ongoing spending should have a measurable purpose and a measurable result. Because when ongoing costs outrun ongoing revenues long enough, there are only so many places to turn:Higher taxes. Higher fees. Reduced services. Or reserves. Residents shouldn't be asked for more because City Hall failed to get more from what it already has.
Residents Keep Putting More In. Are We Getting More Back?
WHY THIS MATTERS TO RESIDENTS
Property Tax is Up, Sales Tax is Little Sustained Growth
A healthy local economy helps pay for the things residents care about without putting all the pressure back on residents.Police. Fire. Streets. Infrastructure. Parks. Emergency preparedness. Community services.The stronger our existing revenue base works, the less pressure there is to find the next tax.That's why economic health isn't just a “business issue.”It's a resident issue. These numbers are not adjusted for inflation.In real terms, each dollar buys less today than it did in 2022. So even if sales-tax revenue looks relatively “flat,” the City has less purchasing power than it did four years ago.When sales-tax revenue fails to keep pace with inflation, there is less real money available for services, infrastructure and community priorities, unless the City finds more revenue elsewhere or asks residents to pay more.Put simply: if your income barely changed while everything you buy got more expensive, you wouldn’t say you were doing better. The same principle applies here.
Property Tax is Up, Sales Tax is Little Sustained Growth.
WHY THIS MATTERS TO RESIDENTS
An empty storefront isn't just unattractive. It's a space that doesn't provide residents with what they want, doesn't support local jobs, doesn't generate its potential economic activity, and can weaken the surrounding commercial district. We don't need more development. We need to make better use of what Laguna already has.
Why did Laguna move backward after COVID?
The direction matters. Laguna came out of the pandemic with enormous demand for coastal California, and years later, we're still talking about vacancies. Why? Empty spaces mean fewer useful businesses for residents, less economic activity, less sales-tax potential, weaker commercial districts and fewer reasons for people to spend locally. The City's own earlier downtown research found residents wanted things such as everyday goods, more affordable dining and clothing, and cafes/coffee shops, while respondents also identified an oversupply of some categories. You Attract What You Build For. A city's commercial mix helps shape the experience it creates. If Laguna's storefronts increasingly cater to quick-turn, visitor-only spending while residents leave town for everyday needs, we shouldn't be surprised when downtown feels increasingly oriented toward day trip traffic rather than residents and higher-value overnight visitors. The answer isn't more tourists. It's a better economic mix.
If We Want a Different Kind of Visitor Economy, We Have to Create a Different Kind of Experience.
An Empty Storefront Doesn't Pay for Laguna.
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Laguna Has Money. So Why Are We Moving Money around just to Balance the Budget?
Laguna isn't broke. But the City's own July 2026 fiscal review says the General Fund has an operating deficit. It recommends finding approximately $2.3 million in recurring savings or additional non-tax revenue so the transfer from the Capital Improvement Fund is no longer needed.
$ 2.3M
TRANSFERREDFROM THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUND TO SUPPORT GENERAL FUND OPERATIONS
$ 2.3M
RECURRING SAVINGS OR ADDITIONAL NON-TAX TARGET
MATTERS TO YOU
Think of it like using money your set aside for home improvements to help pay your regular monthly bills. You can do it, but doesn't fix the underlying problem.
Before asking resident for more, fix the $2.3 Million gap
Laguna Residents Are Spending Millions Other Cities Are Benefiting.
WHY THIS MATTERS TO YOU
When residents drive elsewhere for groceries, shopping, restaurants and everyday needs, that spending supports businesses, and tax bases, somewhere else.
The answer isn't filling Laguna with more businesses.
It's filling the right vacancies with things residents actually want.
hat means more convenience for residents, healthier commercial areas and more economic activity without asking residents to spend more than they already do.
Nearly $4 Million in Annual Hotel-Tax Revenue Has Disappeared.
$21.11M → $17.23M. That's Not a Tourism Statistic. That's City Revenue.
WHY THIS MATTERS TO YOU
Hotel-tax revenue helps fund Laguna without being a tax directly imposed on residents. When that revenue falls by millions, the City's costs don't disappear with it. The gap has to be dealt with somewhere.
That's why improving the performance of Laguna's existing hotel economy matters to someone who never sets foot inside a hotel.
We Don't Need More Tourists. We Need More Value From the Tourism We Already Have.
Longer stays. Better occupancy. Stronger off-season demand. More spending at local businesses.
More economic value without more crowds.
Why Raise the Rate Before Fixing the Revenue? 12% NOW → 14% PROPOSED
Before increasing Laguna's hotel-tax rate, I want to see the math: What would stronger occupancy, longer stays and restored room inventory produce at the existing 12%?
RESIDENT IMPACT
Because the larger principle matters beyond hotels: before City Hall asks anyone for more, it should prove it has maximized what we already have.
Would You Run a Business on 2007 Data? Why Are We Running Laguna on It?
6.13 MILLION VISITORS - ESTIMATE FROM 2007
This doesn't prove tourism is down. It proves our information is outdated. City Hall is approving expenses based on this data.
Nearly two decades later, we should know how many people are actually coming, when they're coming, whether they're staying overnight, what they're spending and what impact they're creating.
Because, the goal isn't more visitors. it's more value per visit.
When Minutes Matter, "Eventually" Isn't a Plan.
Laguna Could Lose Its Emergency Room. That Changes Life Here.
WHY THIS MATTERS TO YOU
For a serious fall, traffic collision or other medical emergency, distance isn't an abstract policy
question.
It's time.
It matters to older residents.
It matters to families.
It matters to visitors.
And in a community with wildfire and evacuation risks, it matters to our broader emergency-response system.
Before We Accept Losing Our ER, I Want Proof That Every Credible Alternative Has Been Exhausted.
Not discussed.
Not assumed.
Exhausted.
Independent analysis. Costs. Seismic options. Funding. Partnerships. State and county assistance. Operating alternatives.
Losing an ER is irreversible enough that "we tried" isn't good enough. Show us what was tried.
"But I Wouldn't Go to That Hospital Anyway." Then We Should Be Asking Why.
I've heard residents say the hospital isn't good enough, doesn't have the specialists they want, or that they'd rather go to Hoag or Mission Viejo.
But that's not an argument for losing emergency medical care. It's an argument for asking why Laguna isn't getting better emergency medical care.
Why Are We Debating Whether to Lose Emergency Care Instead of Asking How to Make It Better? The bigger question we should be asking, what level of emergency medical care does Laguna actually need for the next 20 years, and what would it take to provide it?
City Hall doesn't hire doctors. But when the future of Laguna's only hospital and emergency department is at stake, City leadership absolutely can ask what level of emergency care this community needs, bring the right healthcare experts to the table, demand independent analysis, engage county and state officials, evaluate alternatives and advocate for a better outcome.
$56 Million Waiting. Residents Still Waiting.
The City's July 2026 fiscal review reports roughly 70 active and inactive capital projects. About $75.2 million was available in FY2025-26, but only about 25% was projected to be spent, leaving roughly $56 million expected to carry forward. Some projects date back to 2017.
~70
ACTIVE + INACTIVE PROJECTS
~75.2M
AVAILABLE
~ 25%
PROJECTED TO BE SPENT
~ $56M
EXPECTED TO CARRY FORWARD
WHY THIS MATTERS TO YOU
This is money already set aside for improvements. If projects aren't getting finished, your neighborhood doesn't benefit just because the money exists in a City account.
Funding a project isn't the same as finishing it.
Four Years Is a Trend. It's Also Enough Time to Respond.
These numbers aren't from one bad month.
They're not one unusual summer.
They're not one difficult budget.
We're looking at patterns across years.
City Council can't dictate the national economy. But it absolutely influences how Laguna responds through budgets, staffing, economic policy, permitting, public assets, parking, investment and taxation.
Leadership Isn't Just Responding to a Crisis. It's Seeing One Coming.
For years, City Council has had the budgets, the data and the authority to set priorities. Yet the trends we're looking at today didn't suddenly appear in 2026.
Costs increased. Revenue opportunities were missed. Vacancies persisted. Hotel-tax revenue declined. And major issues were allowed to become more urgent.
If This Is Where Four Years of Leadership Got Us, Why Would We Expect the Next Four to Be Different?
Laguna doesn't need another four years of reacting to the same problems. We need leadership that sees them earlier, asks better questions, measures results and changes course when something isn't working.
THE PAST FOUR YEARS ARE THE RECORD. THE NEXT FOUR YEARS ARE THE CHOICE.
None of This Happened Overnight.
The City's own fiscal review is now calling for better budgeting, better measurement, faster project delivery and ongoing savings. Those are good steps. The review also notes that concerns about meaningful performance measurement were raised years ago.
WHY THIS MATTERS TO YOU
The facts above come from the City's review. My accountability question is whether leadership recognized these trends early enough and acted with enough urgency.
Good steps now. The question is: why did it take this long?
Some of Our Biggest Bills Are Still Ahead.
The City's fiscal review identifies major costs ahead. These bills aren't disappearing.
~$80M
UNFUNDED PENSION OBLIGATIONS
~$2.8M/YR
SOUTH LAGUNA COSTS EXPECTED TO SHIFT TO THE GENERAL FUND AROUND FY2029-30
~$300M
PUBLIC-SAFETY + CIVIC-FACILITY NEEDS OVER 20 YEARS
WHY THIS MATTERS TO YOU
The earlier we plan for these costs, the less likely residents are asked to solve them with another tax later.
The time to manage tomorrow's bills is before they arrive.
The Tax Didn't Die. It Got a New Date.
After community polling, the 2026 proposal wasn't pursued. But the underlying discussion remains.
WHY THIS MATTERS TO YOU
If the underlying financial problem isn't addressed between now and 2028, residents could find themselves having exactly the same conversation two years from now. Moving the date doesn't solve problem
This Is Why the Numbers Matter.
Because Eventually, They Reach Your Front Door.
YOUR WALLET
When existing revenue underperforms while costs rise, pressure builds for taxes and fees.
An ER closure, wildfire preparation and emergency response become very personal the moment you need them.
YOUR SAFETY
Vacant storefronts and weak commercial areas change what you can walk to, where you shop and the vitality of the community around you.
YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
City finances affect infrastructure, public safety, services and the long-term ability to protect the place where you've invested your life.
YOUR HOME
Economic planning isn't about making Laguna bigger.
It's about having the resources to keep Laguna Laguna.
YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE
Protecting Laguna Takes More Than Protecting the Past. We Have to Protect Its Future Too.
Laguna doesn't need to become bigger, busier or less like itself.
That's not what I'm proposing.
I'm proposing that we manage what we already have better.
That we catch problems earlier.
That we stop leaving revenue opportunities on the table while discussing higher taxes.
That we measure whether City programs actually work.
That we treat economic health as part of protecting residents' quality of life. And that when something as important as emergency medical access is threatened, we fight for every viable option before accepting its loss.
PLAN EARLIER.
Don't wait for problems to become crises.
MANAGE BETTER.
Get more from the resources Laguna already has.
SHOW THE RESULTS.
Residents deserve to know whether it's working.
Laguna Can Do Better.
Not by becoming something different. By managing what makes it extraordinary better.
A Better Way to Manage Laguna.
PLAN EARLIER - Stop waiting until problems become emergencies.
MEASURE RESULTS - Don't just tell us what City Hall did. Show us whether it worked.
FINISH WHAT WE FUND - Prioritize projects and publish clear deadlines.
GROW THE REVENUE WE ALREADY HAVE - Keep more resident spending local, improve hotel performance, fill the right vacancies and collect what's already owed.
CONTROL ONGOING COSTS - Make annual expenses fit annual revenue before asking residents for more.
PROTECT THE ESSENTIALS - Fire safety, infrastructure, public safety and saving our ER come first.
Laguna Has the Resources. We Need Better Results.