Council Member Ray Gennawey

Council Member Ray Gennawey was elected to City Council on November 8, 2022 for a four-year term. Currently, Ray is Council Liaison to the Traffic & Transportation Commission, Youth Committee, California Joint Powers Insurance Authority, and the Orange County Public Library Advisory Board.  

Council Member Ray Gennawey is an Orange County Deputy District Attorney, where he is specially assigned to the Gang Unit. Through his career, Ray has prosecuted a wide range of cases involving domestic violence, human trafficking, and sexual assault. Ray currently leads a team of law enforcement professionals with the OC GRIP (Gang Reduction and Intervention Partnership), working extensively with young students in at-risk neighborhoods to set them on a path to a brighter future.  

Ray is dedicated to serving our community, and is a passionate advocate of:

• Keeping our residents safe.
• Promoting strong fiscal policies, a balanced budget, and no tax hikes.
• Preserving the character of our city.
• Protecting Our Parks and Open Spaces.
• Executing the vision for the new Laguna Niguel City Center.

Laguna Niguel has been Ray’s home since day one. He was born in Mission Hospital, played Little League at Chapparosa Park, was an altar server at St. Timothy’s Catholic Church, and is a proud Eagle Scout from Troop 772 at Mission Lutheran Church. Ray’s Eagle Project still stands in the Niguel Botanical Preserve. 

He attended Crown Valley Elementary, Aliso Viejo Middle School, and graduated from Aliso Niguel High School. At ANHS, Ray was honored with the coveted “Wolverine of the Year” award.  In his senior year, he successfully changed the school’s street name from Terrace View Drive to Wolverine Way. Ray is the first graduate of Aliso Niguel High School to serve on the Laguna Niguel City Council. 

He served on the Capistrano Unified School Board as the Student Trustee, where he was the voice of 50,000 students in the school district. During all four years of high school, Ray served on the Laguna Niguel Youth Committee, and was part of the team that successfully built the “Blue Gates” Skate Park at Alicia and Aliso Creek.  

Ray earned his Juris Doctor at Chapman University Law School where he met his wife, Rachel. He was elected student body president of the law school, and was recruited to join the District Attorney’s Office immediately after graduation.

Ray and his wife Rachel were married at St. Timothy’s Catholic Church where they still attend today. Ray is a proud member of the Knights of Columbus. For his BBQ skills in the Knights, he’s been dubbed a “Holy Smoker.”

Ray is a member of the Laguna Niguel Chamber of Commerce, the Niguel Botanical Preserve, the Laguna Niguel Historical Society, the Orange County Gang Investigators Association, and the Orange County Bar Association.  He was previously elected to leadership positions in the American Bar Association, and the Association of Orange County Deputy District Attorneys.