Councilman Robert F. Gentry has been elected by his colleagues to serve as mayor, the second time he has held that post since he joined the council in 1982.
Gentry, 50, replaces Dan Kenney, who has 2 years left of his 4-year council term.
Preserving the "small village charm" of Laguna Beach's downtown area and "working on a thoughtful and humane response" to the AIDS crisis will be among his top political priorities, Gentry said.
He also will continue working to have portions of Orange County's beaches declared a national ocean park to preserve the coastline from offshore oil drilling, he said.
"I predict it will happen because the people of Orange County and the nation use that area for recreation extensively," he said. "People are very supportive of the plan."
Gentry, associate dean of students at UC Irvine, is Orange County's only openly gay elected official.
