Begin forwarded message:
From: steve kawaratani <[email protected]>
Subject: Appeal A - Eagle Rock
Date: May 26, 2026 at 6:46:22 AM PDT
To: Mark Orgill <[email protected]>, Hallie Jones
<[email protected]>, Sue Kempf <[email protected]>, Alex Rounaghi <[email protected]>, Robert Whalen
<[email protected]>
Cc: Anthony Viera <[email protected]>, Heather CD Steven <[email protected]>, "Abzug, Jane AO"
<[email protected]>, "McKay, Ann Marie CC"
<[email protected]>
Good morning, Mayor Orgill and Council members,
I hope you enjoyed the holiday weekend.
I’ll see you on June 9th for the Appeal.
Best,
Steve
1 of 1
Public Records Exemptions
Enclosed please find a copy of the response documents for your public records request. The following information is provided to explain the process employed to review and produce the response documents.
Reason Description Pages
NOKES & QUINN, LLP
410 Broadway Street, Suite 200, Laguna Beach, CA 92651 • Phone: (949) 376-3500 August 6, 2026
VIA PUBLIC RECORDS PORTAL/ELECTRONIC MAIL
Ann Marie McKay [email protected]
City Clerk
CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH
Re: Public Records Request - 31552 Eagle Rock Way
Councilmember Review and Continuance
Dear Ms. McKay:
This firm represents Adam McNicol in connection with the City Council review of the Design Review Board’s June 25, 2026 approval for 31552 Eagle Rock Way. I am writing to request a focused set of public records so that we may better understand the background of the Councilmember call-up and the recent continuance of the hearing from August 4, 2026 to September 22, 2026.
I appreciate that the City Clerk’s Office, the City Attorney’s Office, and City staff must process these requests while handling many other responsibilities. This request is intended to be practical and targeted. I am principally trying to determine what communications, if any, occurred between project opponents and City officials concerning the call-up, the issues sought to be reviewed, and the scheduling of the continued hearing.
Subject Matter and Time Period
This request concerns:
(i) 31552 Eagle Rock Way; Design Review 2026-0922; Variance 2026-0923; (ii) the Design Review Board’s June 25, 2026 approval;
(iii) Mayor Mark Orgill’s request for City Council review; (iv) the hearing originally scheduled for August 4, 2026; and (v) the continuance to September 22, 2026.
Ann Marie McKay, City Clerk | CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH
Re: 31552 Eagle Rock Way; Public Records Request
August 6, 2026
Please search for responsive records from June 1, 2026 through August 6, 2026.
Requested Records
1. Communications between Mayor Mark Orgill and Ann Christoph concerning the project, the DRB approval, the request for Council review, the issues or concerns to be considered by the Council, the August 4th hearing, or the continuance to September 22nd.
2. Communications between Mayor Orgill and representatives of the South Laguna Civic Association, Village Laguna, or another neighborhood or civic organization concerning the same subjects.
3. Communications between Ann Christoph and any City Councilmember or City staff member concerning the project, the DRB approval, the call-up, the scope or grounds of the Council review, or the scheduling or continuance of the hearing.
4. Communications among Councilmembers and City staff that reflect: (a) the reason for the call-up; (b) any particular finding, condition, design feature, variance, or other aspect of the project that was expected to be considered by the Council; or (c) the reason for continuing the hearing from August 4th to September 22nd.
5. Communications reflecting whether Ann Christoph, the South Laguna Civic Association, Village Laguna, or another project opponent requested, suggested, encouraged, or supported either the call-up or the continuance.
6. Communications concerning the availability of Ann Christoph or another project opponent to attend the August 4th or September 22nd hearing, but only to the extent that the person’s availability affected or was considered in scheduling the matter. I am not seeking private medical information or other personal details unrelated to scheduling.
7. Any existing calendar entry, meeting invitation, telephone message, note, or similar record reflecting a discussion between Mayor Orgill and Ann Christoph, or between Mayor Orgill and representatives of the South Laguna Civic Association or Village Laguna, concerning the project, the call-up, or the continuance.
8. Any materials supplied to Mayor Orgill by Ann Christoph, the South Laguna Civic Association, Village Laguna, or another project opponent concerning the project or the request for Council review.
///
Ann Marie McKay, City Clerk | CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH
Re: 31552 Eagle Rock Way; Public Records Request
August 6, 2026
Form of Production
Electronic production by email or through the City’s public records portal is preferred.
Please include attachments with the related emails where reasonably available.
This request includes responsive communications concerning City business sent or received through personal accounts or devices, but it does not seek purely personal communications unrelated to City business.
To assist with the search, useful terms may include: McNicol, McNichol, 31552, Eagle Rock, Wildwood, 2026-0922, 2026-0923, call-up, call up, review, August 4, September 22, continuance, Christoph, Christoff, South Laguna Civic Association, SLCA, and Village Laguna.
If any part of the request appears unnecessarily broad or burdensome, please call or email me. I would be glad to confer and narrow it so that the City can identify the relevant communications without undertaking work that is not useful to either side.
Thank you for your kind assistance.
Very truly yours,
Laurence P. Nokes
LPN/dkc
cc: Client
Patrick Donegan, Esq., City Attorney