“Our Town, Our Paper”
lagunabeachindy.com
APRIL 12, 2024 | Volume XXI, Issue 14
Laguna Beach City Council Selects Dave Kiff as City Manager By Clara Beard | LB Indy Laguna Beach City Council tapped former Newport Beach City Manager Dave Kiff as its new city manager during its Tuesday, April 9 meeting. After an extensive final round interview process with eight city manager candidates, council unanimously Kiff ’s employment agreement this week, with his official start date slated for May 6. His contract duration is three years with two, 1-year extensions. “I’m really honored to be here tonight and to receive the support for the contract. I’m really looking forward to it,” Kiff said at the council meeting. “Laguna is a very special place, and a place I’ve always felt embraced and comfortable and part of the community. I think it’s so terrific, at this point in my life, to be able to work here for the first time. I’m really looking forward to it, and I’ll see you on May 6.” Kiff has worked with California legislature, as well as several cities and counties. He spent 20 years working for the City of Newport Beach, with service for nine of those years as the city manager. At that time, Kiff managed a $300 million budget, staff of
From left to right: Laguna Beach Councilmembers Bob Whalen, Alex Rounaghi, new city manager Dave Kiff, mayor Sue Kempf, and councilmembers Mark Orgill and George Weiss at Tuesday’s city council meeting. Photo courtesy of City of Laguna Beach
more than 700, and a range of city services for Newport Beach. After an early retirement from Newport Beach and following a relocation to be near family, Kiff spent several years in Sonoma County, where he has served as the Director of the County’s Homelessness Services Division. Kiff earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the California State University, Sacramento and a master’s degree
in government administration from the Fels Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. Along with receiving standard city employee benefits, Kiff ’s annual salary will be $315,000 per year, with a monthly housing assistance stipend of $1,000, a vehicle allowance of $500 per month and a wellness stipend not to exceed $1,000 per year. “Over the past six months, we’ve learned KIFF, PAGE 15
The Festival of Arts Foundation Laguna Beach: Nurturing Local Talent, Realizing Dreams By Rachelle Cano, Special to the Independent Native Laguna Beach artist, writer, curator and graphic designer Vanessa Françoise Rothe and her European family moved to Laguna shortly after she was born. The vibrant Southern California artist retreat provided the ideal backdrop for her to cultivate her artistic sensibilities and creativity, a natural path for someone born into a creative family. Everything she needed to grow and bloom surrounded her.
In her cozy cottage gallery on Ocean Avenue in the heart of the village, Rothe opens up to me in early April about her artistic journey, reminiscing about her childhood, flooded by vivid memories of her family’s traditional Craftsman home with lush gardens, avocado trees and the city’s inspiring landscapes and ocean views. In a Proustian fashion of evoking memory through nature, she reveals how these early impressions of life in Laguna deeply influenced her throughout her life, guiding her to the main genre she
paints today, landscapes, having been an observer in Laguna’s paradise of endless natural beauty. The proverb, “The apple does not fall far from the tree,” describes Rothe’s life as the daughter of legendary fashion designer Detlev Peter Rothe. Rothe praises her father’s brilliance in making one-of-a-kind, handmade leather bags and custom-painted silk clothing pieces that attracted rock star musicians, Hollywood costume designers, FESTIVAL OF ARTS, PAGE 3
Local Radio Station Ushers in New Leadership By Clara Beard | LB Indy KXFM announced today that Billy Fried, Cindy Obrand and Jonathan Tufano, well-known Laguna residents and long-time program hosts, have been appointed to the radio station’s board of directors. The trio will replace station founder Tyler Russell McCusker and Chapman University Dean Jerry Price, also an original member. Fried, Obrand and Tufano will begin their leadership roles at the not-for-profit radio station, which Billy Fried will now chair, effective May 1. KXFM was founded in 2012 by then 22-year-old Tyler Russell (McCusker), a 2011 Chapman multimedia graduate and Palm Springs-based radio personality. Tyler and the McCusker family took over a dormant radio signal in Laguna Niguel, moved the FM to Laguna Beach, and introduced an eclectic format known as generational alt rock that is still broadcasting today. Originally staffed by professionals during the day and community volunteers at night and on weekends, the station has become a Laguna Beach icon, with more than 60 volunteers now representing all styles of music and talk, with a charter to serve the city of Laguna Beach with local news, sports, weather, culture, RADIO, PAGE 15
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REAL ESTATE GUIDE THE ULTIMATE REAL ESTATE GUIDE FOR HOMEBUYERS & OWNERS IN NEWPORT BEACH AND LAGUNA BEACH
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Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. License Number 01991628. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources deemed reliable but has not been verified. Changes in price, condition, sale or withdrawal may be made without notice. No statement is made as to accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footages are approximate.