Laguna Beach City Councilmember Censured For Violating Decorum

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — City councilmember Peter Blake has become well known for his less than civil behavior in city council meetings over the past year. After over a year of contentious behavior, Councilmember George Weiss brought the agenda item to censure Blake pursuant to rules of decorum. Blake was censured by three of his colleagues for violating city council decorum policies, with Blake abstaining from the vote.

To this, Blake said during the March 9 meeting that the act of censure would "stain him for the rest of his life."

"Public officials need to be held to a higher standard," Weiss said during the meeting while reviewing his motion for censure. Weiss described Blake as sharing his ire with both Village Laguna and residents as an "equal opportunity insult artist

This was one of many examples of Blake's Zoom meeting tirades and his calling out speakers he says are "activists" have spanned the topics of trees downtown to trails at Top of the World park and all points in between. The comments showed that Blake has engaged in a "pattern of behavior."

Blake's behavior from the dais has been seen as antagonistic at best, according to those who spoke out against him. Youtube videos have captured Blake as crossing the line with residents, using profanity and antagonizing people of differing points of view.

"I'm afraid of saying anything of significance at these public meetings," one resident said in a previous youtube video. "Ever since a July 9 meeting at which Mr. Blake shouted out to residents that we are liars. We all saw that councilmembers refused to reign him in. Such behavior thwarts free speech at meetings. You have the authority to stop this behavior by municipal code. I say, shame on you."

New city councilmember George Weiss said he did so in hopes (the censure) would inspire Blake to be more courteous and professional. During public comments, numerous residents spoke up in favor of censure, while a handful spoke in favor of Blake.

Mayor Pro Tem Sue Kempf said it might not a good idea to censure Blake at this time, as the city will soon be hiring a new city manager, and the optics would be bad for the seaside town.

"Yelling and getting mad is so foreign to me," Kempf said. "I've fired a lot of people, but yelling isn't my nature." She has directed him to not engage in an antagonistic way.

"I made it clear if attacked, I would attack back," Blake said while comments were being read. "This censure means nothing to me. It won't encourage me to stop. George Weiss has been attacking me calling me 'the little water boy' of the group."

Village Laguna President Anne Caen said that Blake had acted a bully and "may cause residents to be intimidated not to provide public input. Speaking of Blake's outbursts, Caen called them "offputting."

A handful of supporters spoke out on his proposed censure.

"Councilmember Blake contributes to the beauty and success of Laguna Beach," one speaker said. "The people who voted for Councilmember Blake are also represented by you. Voters want him to be their voice."

"There are a lot of people who are standing with you," one speaker told Blake.

Blake told the council that he was elected by people in Laguna Beach who "didn't have a voice. Village Laguna has controlled this town for a long time," he said during the meeting. "When I defended myself, I became this person."

During public comments, one resident read a letter from Laura Ferguson, one of the first city council member to be censured in south Orange County in many years. Censure, according to Ferguson, is a "humiliating and embarrassing" act "that wastes taxpayers' time.

Councilmember Toni Iseman stated that though she had been attacked by Blake, "I have always stood up to bullies."

"I don't understand what a censure is going to mean. The ballot box is coming up," Blake said. "About a year from now people are going to have to run. I've made it very clear. There is zero chance that censure will stop me. It's not like I was Mr. Statesman and became Mr. Monster. I was Mr. Monster from the day this started, and the people saw me a someone who would fight on their behalf."