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Law enforcement veteran appointed to Laguna Niguel City Council to fill vacancy

June 17, 2023

Gene Johns, a 31-year law enforcement veteran, is the latest appointment to fill a vacant seat on the Laguna Niguel City Council.

Johns, 63, who said he is focused on preserving public safety, fiscal health and a pro-local business climate, replaces former Councilmember Sandy Rains, who resigned on May 10.

The City Council received applications from 20 interested residents for serving out the remainder of Rains’ term, choosing Johns during a special meeting on June 14. He will be sworn in on June 20.

Mayor Kelly Jennings said Johns’ “extensive law enforcement background and dedication to protecting communities is both admirable andinvaluable, aligning perfectly with our city’s core value of prioritizing public safety.

“As we move forward, the entire City Council is committed to working together in a positive, respectful, and constructive manner that focuses on the well-being and high quality of life that our residents expect and deserve,” Jennings said in a statement.

In her resignation letter, Rains said she could not longer serve in the current environment and it had “become clear that I am the right person at the wrong time in our community.” She had resigned earlier in the year as mayor, a role chosen among the council members.

In May, Councilmember Stephanie Winstead was appointed by the council to fill another vacancy left open when former Councilman Rischi Paul Sharma resigned in April.

Winstead previously served on several city committees and is a real estate attorney. She also spoke about the importance of preserving the community’s quality of life.

Winstead had come in third behind councilmembers Stephanie Oddo and Ray Gennawey in November’s election.

Winstead and Johns will serve the remainder of the terms that end with the November 2024 election.

Johns served as a deputy sheriff with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for 31 years – 24 of those years as a task force officer assigned to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. He commanded a task force nationally recognized for disrupting and dismantling drug cartel operations, according to the city’s announcement.

Johns moved to Laguna Niguel when he retired seven years ago. He and his wife, also a law enforcement veteran, discovered the area after attending conferences in Dana Point. Johns, who then lived in Redondo Beach after growing up in Torrance, said he liked the spaciousness of the area and its proximity to wilderness parks.

The minute he moved to town, he said, he wanted to be involved with the city. After looking around, he decided the Traffic and Transportation Commission would be best.

“Everything in the city revolves around traffic and transportation,” Johns said. “Residents, businesses and people coming into town are all affected.”

Johns said he was “totally” shocked when the council majority – Councilmember Stephanie Oddo opposed – chose him from a field of “amazing people who applied.”

He decided to put his name in, he said, because he has plans for running for council in 2024.

He said he’s very interested in what happens with the Chet Holifield Federal Building, more commonly referred to as the Ziggurat. The building near Alicia Parkway has been a landmark in south Orange County for half a century, but is being sold by the government.

Like the new development proposed for Town Center at City Hall, Johns said he’d like to be involved with what happens when a developer buys the Ziggurat property and moves forward with it.

When he takes the dais, Johns said, he will “listen and learn.”

“I want to make sure I’ve done my homework,” he said, “and am ready to go.”

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