Q&A with City Council candidates

The Coastline Pilot asked all four candidates for Laguna Beach City Council — Elizabeth Pearson-Schneider, Kelly Boyd, Toni Iseman and Verna Rollinger — three questions. The questions and the candidates' responses appear below. Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 7.

Elizabeth Pearson-Schneider

Why do you think you should be elected to the City Council?

It has been my honor to serve my community for the last 22 years — on the board of the North Laguna Community Assn. for 12 years (three terms as president); on the Planning Commission for more than six years; and as your City Council member the last four years.

I am seeking reelection to the City Council so that I can continue, using Vision 2030 as a basis, to help our city plan for our future. I also want to move forward projects in which I have been involved, including:

*  identifying funding and breaking ground on the Village Entrance Project, which will boast a 580-car garage that will help reduce parking constraints in the downtown;

* breaking ground and opening the new community/senior center;

* creating more peripheral parking and increasing tram service to reduce neighborhood and downtown congestion;

* obtaining the funding and beginning implementation of the $45 million Super Project to address ocean water pollution from Aliso Creek — something that could be fully funded within three to four years.

I am asking for your vote to ensure a continued focus on strategic planning and to bring many important projects to fruition.

What will be your primary goal if elected, and how will you achieve it?

My primary goal is to see that we plan strategically and map a course to ensure the quality of the lives of our residents as well as ensuring the economic viability of our city.

No longer are we a sleepy little beach town. The entire world knows about us, and they will continue to come. We need to plan how to balance the need for a high quality of life for ourselves with the need to fuel our economy with tax revenues to support our ever-growing public safety and infrastructure demands.

What many don't realize is that we have to staff our police, fire and marine safety departments to meet both the demands of ourselves AND our visitors.

We have to create parking and increase tram service for ourselves AND our visitors, to manage congestion.

We must re-pave our streets due to wear and tear from both residents AND the hundreds of thousands who visit our city each year.