Joel Lautenschleger

Lake Forest and Laguna Hills, two Orange County bedroom communities that straddle Interstate 5 just south of the El Toro Y, look so similar that locals say you cannot tell when you've passed from one into the other. With a population of 80,000, Lake Forest is twice the size of Laguna Hills. But when it comes to City Council perks, Laguna Hills leads its neighbor by a wide margin. Council members in Laguna Hills receive medical benefits worth an average of $24,300 a year— among the most generous in the state.

Lake Forest and Laguna Hills, two Orange County bedroom communities that straddle Interstate 5 just south of the El Toro Y, look so similar that locals say you cannot tell when you've passed from one into the other. With a population of 80,000, Lake Forest is twice the size of Laguna Hills. But when it comes to City Council perks, Laguna Hills leads its neighbor by a wide margin. Council members in Laguna Hills receive medical benefits worth an average of $24,300 a year— among the most generous in the state.

At first glance, the 10 candidates running for the City Council in the proposed city of Laguna Hills seem to espouse the same conservative philosophies about how to run a new city government. Phrases such as "fiscal conservative" and "families and children" roll off their tongues easily as they describe the basic services and bare-bones budgets they would manage if elected.

At first glance, the 10 candidates running for the City Council in the proposed city of Laguna Hills seem to espouse the same conservative philosophies about how to run a new city government. Phrases such as "fiscal conservative" and "families and children" roll off their tongues easily as they describe the basic services and bare-bones budgets they would manage if elected.

Laguna Hills High School students will have a new leader on campus Tuesday. Principal Frank Manzo will step aside to allow Laguna Hills Mayor Joel Lautenschleger to head the school for the day. At Tuesday's council meeting, when student liaison Patricia Jorge was asked what changes the mayor should make during his term, she replied, "More student parking!"

The Laguna Hills City Council has extended the city's strict smoking ban to include all parks. The ban was opposed by Councilman L. Allan Songstad Jr. and Mayor Joel Lautenschleger, who said a public hearing should have been held before the new policy was adopted. "I think we are overstepping our bounds a little," said Lautenschleger, a nonsmoker. The council proposed the city park ban while clarifying an ordinance that already prohibited smoking outside restaurants and bars.

Randal J. Bressette took over as mayor of the city this week, promising to keep several high-profile projects moving forward in 1996 and push for a city library. In the annual shifting of mayoral duties on Tuesday, the council appointed Bressette to replace former Mayor Joel T. Lautenschleger, who will continue on the council. Melody Carruth was named mayor pro tem.

It's hard to say who's more excited about the planned groundbreaking for the new community center--residents or city officials. Both seemed equally enthused at a presentation before a recent City Council meeting where three-dimensional computer drawings and schematic plans were shown to the public. "It looks wonderful," said Councilman Joel T. Lautenschleger. The $22-million project will include athletic fields, a gymnasium, meeting rooms and a library at Paseo de Valencia and Alicia Parkway.