Mayor pro tem Verna Rollinger's Earth Day fundraiser!

On Sunday, April 22, 2012, Earth Day, Mayor pro tem Verna Rollinger will hold a fundraiser at the home of School Board President Betsy and Dr. Gary Jenkins to support her reelection to the Laguna Beach City Council. The event is being hosted by fellow School Board members Theresa O’Hare and Jan Vickers, with Nancy Caruso, Lee Winocur Field, Ray Hiemstra, Carol Nilsen, Ginger Osborne, Chris Prelitz, Patricia Twitty and Carolyn Wood. The party is from 4 – 7 p.m., is $85 per person and includes wine and a light supper and dessert, plus a silent auction and Laguna sunset over the Pacific (tickets and information are available at www.vernarollinger.com or by calling Verna at 494-9878). The Earth Day celebration will include tours of the home’s special drought-tolerant gardens, designed by landscape artist Jeff Powers.

“Four years ago, I ran for City Council and won with strong support throughout our community,” Rollinger noted. As a member of the City Council, Rollinger has voted against homes incompatible with their neighborhoods and worked to limit the impacts of late-night businesses on Lagunans’ quality of life, helped stop the concrete destruction of Aliso Creek by the Army Corps of Engineers, and supported increased open space acquisitions, both in the Greenbelt and on hillsides in town. She worked to improve Laguna’s ocean water quality, including the designation of most of the Laguna Beach coastline as a protected marine reserve, find workable solutions to decrease Laguna Canyon and downtown flooding, preserve Laguna’s historic buildings, support artists and arts organizations, and make Laguna Beach more livable and sustainable. She led the effort to create the first business task force to focus on ways to assist local businesses in these difficult economic times.

            Councilmember Toni Iseman commented “Verna cares about the safety of our community. Her hard work and leadership make Laguna a safer place to live. She cares about us and our future!”

Rollinger asked for the support of the many residents who contributed and helped in her 2008 campaign. “I’m inviting you to join me in this campaign to keep moving Laguna in the right direction. There is still work to be done! I want to bring a more user-friendly, customer service attitude to City Hall, complete a greener Village Entrance project, help restore Laguna Beach’s financial strength and security, and keep providing resources to rebuild our sewer and water infrastructure,” committed Rollinger.

“I came to Laguna Beach 41 years ago and raised two children here. Coming to Laguna changed my life. This beautiful town and its people nurtured me and my family and provided opportunities I could never have envisioned. Knowing Lagunans as I do, I know that we share a respect for our history, a strong sense of community, and a willingness to participate in thoughtful planning for our future. Our shared values will be a source of strength in continuing to meet the challenges we face.”

            Rollinger has been supported over the years by many current and former mayors, councilmembers and school board members who, together, represent a broad spectrum of the community.