Council candidate will offer guests her eco-expertise and conversation about local issues
LAGUNA BEACH, Calif., July 22, 2024 –– City council candidate Hallie Jones, an experienced environmental leader and a third-generation Laguna native, will guide a monthly series of hikes on Sunday mornings. The hikes are scheduled for 9 a.m. on Aug. 11, Sept. 15, and Oct. 20. The trailhead will be announced to those who sign up at hallieforlaguna.com under “events.” Groups are limited to 10.
The candidate will lead hikers on local trails to identify the flora and discuss biodiversity, environmental stewardship, the importance of fire protection, and city issues. It is an opportunity for voters to get outside for some exercise while learning about the candidate and pose questions about issues important to them.
As a council member, Jones, 46, will work to preserve Laguna’s open space, protect its beaches and coastal waters, build climate resiliency, and encourage innovative development that protects viewsheds and our town’s charm while imagining attractive new spaces and welcoming the next generation of neighbors.
Specifically, her campaign centers on these issues:
• Public safety and fire protection: Maintain vigilance about fuel modification by managing the urban/wildland interface through the best available science and strategic vegetation thinning.
• Climate change and natural resources: Protect our city’s unique ecosystem, including Laguna Canyon’s rare coastal sage scrub habitat.
• Infrastructure and development: Promote smart new projects in our community, i.e., those that align with our community’s assets—the environment, the arts, and small businesses—and support residents’ quality of life.
• Affordable housing and small businesses: Promote smart development since both can contribute to Laguna’s character by energizing the downtown core, building diversity, and encouraging a more pedestrian—and bike-friendly community.
• Streamlining permit processes for businesses and property owners – support small businesses and residents by simplifying processes at City Hall.
• Artist housing: Identify and support creative live-work solutions to protect our city’s century-old artistic legacy as an artist enclave.
• Preserving open space and building climate resiliency: Safeguard the remaining acres of open space and implement the city’s climate action plan to help develop climate resiliency on beaches and hills. Dedicate resources to Laguna’s world-famous trail system and endangered habitats.
About Hallie Jones
Jones has more than 25 years of experience in marine and land conservation. She served on the Laguna Canyon Road Task Force and helped lead negotiations on both the Hidden Valley development and the widening of the 133 at the El Toro Road intersection. A product of Laguna Beach public schools, Jones graduated from UCLA and has spent her career in land and ocean conservation nonprofit management. She began her career at Santa Monica’s Heal the Bay, which works to protect California’s coastline and waterways and support clean water legislation. Jones then spent a decade as Executive Director of the Laguna Canyon Foundation, garnering community and financial support for the rich biodiversity hub that is Laguna Canyon. She led a staff of biologists, ecologists, and support personnel who educate hikers and work to maintain 26 miles of trails in Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park and Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. In September 2023, Jones joined Crystal Cove Conservancy as Executive Vice President and Chief Program Officer.
Campaign events and activities
Voters are invited to get to know the candidate at a variety of planned events. Besides “hike with Hallie” outdoor adventures, Jones will participate in public candidate forums presented by various organizations, including a forum presented by the Laguna Beach Arts Alliance on September 14 and a Chamber of Commerce forum set for October 15. Campaign house parties are friendly, low-key opportunities for friends and neighbors to get to know Jones over coffee, cocktails, brunch, or a barbecue. To attend or host a house party, email info@hallieforlaguna.com. More information: Hallieforlaguna.com.
Her campaign emblem is an orange California poppy, the state flower that grows abundantly in Laguna Canyon in the spring. Jones commented, “We can make meaningful progress in crucial areas with a City Council committed to rational, solutions-oriented, and collaborative problem-solving.”
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