Federal ADA complaint filed over graduation relocation

On June 2, 2026, William Breit and Kathleen Christoff filed a civil-rights complaint against the Laguna Beach Unified School District in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (Southern Division) as Case No. 8:26-cv-01418.

The complaint pleads three claims arising from the February 26, 2026 board vote that relocated the 2026 Laguna Beach High School graduation from Guyer Field to the Irvine Bowl: violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. §12132), violation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. §794), and violation of California Government Code §11135.

The plaintiffs are described as mobility-disabled invitees of graduating students. The complaint alleges the Irvine Bowl (maximum capacity ~2,600) provides only 11 wheelchair-accessible spaces and 12 companion seats, clustered in three non-dispersed areas, with steep approach and interior circulation, and that the district relocated the ceremony without a pre-vote ADA accessibility evaluation.

It seeks declaratory relief and a temporary restraining order plus preliminary and permanent injunction barring graduation at the Irvine Bowl, and attorneys’ fees, and states a separate U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights complaint had already been filed. Counsel is Dykema Gossett LLP (James S. Azadian, Christine Mardikian, David Ter-Petrosyan).

Arbitrator awards $1.34B in O.C. real estate fraud case

Laguna Beach businessman Mohammad “Mo” Honarkar won a landmark $1.34 billion arbitration award against financier Mahender Makhijani, Continuum Analytics, and affiliated entities. The award includes $652 million in punitive damages and $326 million in compensatory damages following a fraudulent takeover of his Southern California commercial real estate portfolio. 

The dispute centered on the MOM CA Investco joint venture, which took control of Honarkar’s assets, including the historic Hotel Laguna. The arbitrator found the opposing parties liable for fraudulent inducement, breach of contract, and unlawful business practices. Makhijani’s group allegedly forced Honarkar out of his properties, which later led to Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings and receivership.

Following the arbitration victory, Honarkar’s entities successfully moved to dismiss the bankruptcy cases, clearing the path to return to state court and enforce the massive financial settlement.
The legal developments can be tracked through coverage from the Los Angeles Times or the Daily Journal.

City Council Candidates 2026 Elections

City Council Candidates:

1) Alex Rounaghi – EMAIL XXX – Campaign Website XXX. Turned in nomination papers: XXX (Candidate Statement & Signatures verified by the ROV)
Check out Candidate Community Related Articles and Opinions: Alex Rounaghi

5) Bob Whalen – bwhalen@lagunabeachcity.net – http://www.bobwhalenforlbcouncil.com. Turned in nomination papers: AUGUST 6, 2020 (Candidate Statement & Signatures verified by the ROV)
Check out Candidate Community Related Articles and Opinions: Bob Whalen

City Clerk Candidates:

1) Ann Marie McKay – http://mckay4cityclerk.com. Turned in nomination papers: July 30, 2020 (Candidate Statement & Signatures verified by the ROV)
Check out Candidate Community Related Articles and Opinions: Ann Marie McKay

2) Mariann Tracy – https://marianntracy.com. Turned in nomination papers: AUGUST 5, 2020 (Candidate Statement & Signatures verified by the ROV)
Check out Candidate Community Related Articles and Opinions: Mariann Tracy

Media and General Public Candidate Related Articles and Opinions for the November 3, 2020 Election Below: As Available…

Letter to the Editor – LTE-Dicterow 

Letter to the Editor – LTE-Weiss-Flores

2026 PAC and 501(c)4 Group Campaign Disclosure Forms

Citywide PAC Campaign Contributions Spending 2020 Election:

Laguna Residents First (PAC):

Laguna Residents First – 460 Jan 1 – June 30 2020 – redacted – Click here

 

Laguna Matters (PAC):

 

Liberate Laguna (PAC):

Liberate Laguna – 460 Jan 1 – June 30, 2020 – Click here

Village Laguna (PAC):

Village Laguna – 460 Jan 1 – June 30, 2020 redacted – Click here

Village Laguna PAC Form 496 Oct. 2 2020 (Flores) – Click here

Village Laguna PAC 496 Oct. 2 2020 (Weiss) – Click here

Laguna Beach Police Employee Association  (PAC):

Laguna Beach Police Employee – 460 Jan 1 – June 30, 2020 – Click here

LB Police Assoc. From 496 Oct.5, 2020 (Dicterrow) – Click here

LB Police Assoc. Form 496 Oct 6 (Whalen) – Click here

Laguna Beach Fire Fighters Association (PAC):

Laguna Beach Firefighters Association – 460 Jan 1 – June 30 2020 – Click here

Laguna Public Recreational Facilities Conservancy (LPRFC) (PAC):

LPRFC City Candidate Endorsement – Click here

Laguna Beach City Elections 2026

Candidates’ information and statements Here
PACs and Local Organizations Campaign Support Here
Candidate Financial Support Recap-Here

GET TO KNOW LB CANDIDATES BEFORE YOU VOTE THEM INTO PUBLIC OFFICE TO REPRESENT YOU!

Thank you for being an informed voter. Our city’s health and future depends on it!

Laguna Beach Residents – our local leaders affect our daily lives.

Our elected officials represent US.They represent our values, our lifestyle, our space and place within our city, county, state and country. They become our face and our voice.

A council position is the most important, influential and powerful position in our City. It is critical that we understand the broad range of experience and expertise needed for this position and that we select the right individuals to work together to lead.

As we consider the candidate choices in this 2020 election, it is important that we take the time to learn all we can about each candidate before considering them as a top-level public office representative for our City.

Elected Officials Roles and Responsibilities

The responsibilities of our local elected officials include dictating local laws, policies and budgets. This person(s) will make decisions about our money, ocean, properties, roads, trees, traffic, businesses, safety, and quality of life in everything that we see, live and breathe every day.

As important as this responsibility is, local individuals are often elected by voters who know very little about their personal lives, professional occupation experience, successes or failures, interpersonal skills, visionary and leadership skills, and most important their ability to oversee a complicated city government’s operations, assets, multimillion dollar annual budget and other financial and legal activities.

The folks we elect are game-changers. It is up to us to determine if they are the right fit by evaluating their ability to meet our needs. We must explore their qualifications and history with every bit of scrutiny we would give to anyone holding our destiny in their hands because the consequences are great. Their education, experience and success will move us forward, or quite possible risk us becoming stagnant or going backwards.

We must keep in mind that this isn’t a volunteer position or a social membership. It is a paid position with benefits and the person hired to fill it will be in a decision making capacity that will impact our futures. 

Click here for CC compensation/benefits.

Like many of us, individuals who run for CC will be our friends and/or acquaintances. For some, this poses a loyalty issue. We encourage you dig deep this election and ask yourself objective questions such as;

  • Do I continue the status quo in every election? 
  • Do I take the time to find representatives that have proven their value to the community? 
  • Do I elect individuals that have proven they can make sound and logical decisions on my behalf? 
  • Am I pleased with the position and direction my City is going in?
  • Have I reviewed the incumbents voting records?  Do I agree with them a reasonable percentage of time?
  • Have the incumbents listened to the majority of constituents?
  • Do the incumbents lean towards special interest groups?   
  • Do I elect an individual based upon professional eligibility and proven performance ad success or do I elect only friends I know? 

Sounds so simple, right? It’s not. It’s time consuming and often confusing.

Sadly, local voter numbers are in decline. This is hard to understand since local elections give voters the greatest voice and opportunity to be heard. Our local officials are elected to represent the majority, and when a large fraction chooses not to vote, small groups rule and thus bias is prevalent. This hurts us all.

Get Involved. Local elections take place every year and they have long lasting implications.

By choosing the most experienced, trustworthy and transparent representatives, voters can help create and pass laws reflective of how we feel. Local politicians play a major role in all of the decisions that have a direct influence on our day-to-day lives. Our laws, streets, safety, education, thriving and healthy communities are influenced by their ability to leverage our tax dollars and make good financial decisions for us.

Our local elected officials decide how our public safety is managed. They have input as to how our police officers are trained and ensure that self-policing is in place and monitored. Sometimes local citizens take action to make their voices heard as well as keeping the check and balances needed so the majority of interests do not take over.

Our local politics can shape federal policy. When you elect officials who support the causes you believe in, you become part of making a change at a state level. As states address issues and revise their laws some eventually are adopted at the federal level. The Federal government often waits to see how the new law evolves at the state level to determine its value. They may also nullify state laws if they choose. Our elected officials become our voice at all levels of government.

This election year, we have 5 City Council candidates – 2 are incumbents.  LBCHAT has included individual candidate information and any/all public information documents the may provide you with more insight into each candidate.

Candidate Public Forums:

City Council Candidates:
Alex Rounaghi / Incumbent* SOQ and Disclosure Forms

City Clerk Candidates:
Ann Marie McKay SOQ and Disclosure Forms
Mariann Tracy SOQ and Disclosure Forms

Political Action Committees (PAC): Disclosure Forms
Laguna Residents First (LRF) PAC
Liberate Laguna (LL) PAC
Village Laguna (VL) PAC
LB FIrefighter’s Association PAC
LB Police Employee Association PAC
Laguna Public Recreational Facilities Conservancy (LPRFC)(PAC)

OTHER: Individual Reported 2026 Campaign Contributions
2026 campaign contribution 24 hour report Disclosure Forms

CC Candidate Public Background Records – ELECTION 2026
LBChat provides candidate personal and professional information to assist voters in
vetting individuals seeking public office in Laguna Beach.

LBCHAT will publish all public documents related to public office campaigning including:
candidate qualification statements, campaign finance disclosure forms and related
financial information, websites/podcasts, candidate forums, news articles and personal
and professional public information obtained from candidates and through public
information sources. In addition, a Laguna Beach Police contact report listing: arrests,
restraining orders, repossessions and other violations will be obtained in accordance
with the California Public Record Act. Code# 6253 (CPRA)

_______________

2025 Campaign Disclosures:

LAGUNABEACHCHAT.COM
CHAT stands for City Hall Accountability and Transparency. Our Mission: Laguna Beach
CHAT desires to advance accountability and transparency. We serve residents by
providing them with an open and honest platform to gain knowledge about City officials,
functions and decisions that impact our quality of life and our local community.
We welcome resident/voters opinions and feedback. Please share them with us.
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