Andrea Adelson

A lifelong Southern California resident, I moved to Laguna Beach in 1994 with my husband Scott and two young children. We found the clean air and good schools we intentionally sought for our two kids. And we lucked out in landing in one of the town’s most distinctive neighborhoods, where I know nearly all the residents by name and old-school beach shacks mix with remodeled beach chateaus. 

I spent my career in print journalism, starting with a regional monthly magazine in 1977 and then a succession of daily newspapers in Fontana, Ontario, Costa Mesa and Los Angeles. These included stints as a stringer for The New York Times’ business section and as editor of a short-lived monthly, the Jewish Journal of Orange County. For nearly 14 years, I worked as a reporter and editor of the weekly Laguna Beach Independent.

The job provided a close-up vantage point to observe the myriad issues that influence and reshape the town. To ensure the paper’s integrity and my own reputation, I avoided participating in the many commendable initiatives that enrich and strengthen the town’s sense of community. Since retiring in 2018, I now have the freedom for greater involvement in my own neighborhood.

Besides joining the board of the South Laguna Civic Association, I volunteer weekly at the Laguna Food Pantry and usher frequently at Soka University’s performing arts center. I’d like to see the town live up to its progressive reputation, ideally with stronger policies focused on energy sustainability, social justice and environmental protection. For me, those lofty labels are in part put into practice by supporting SLCA advocacy on issues ranging from sidewalk improvements to view and open space protections.