By Clara Beard | LB Indy
Visitors Flock to Laguna’s Coastline for July 4 City Streamlines Laguna Beach Artists’ Live-Work Occupancy Process
With beach chairs, coolers and umbrellas in tow, visitors braved heavy traffic and congested beaches to enjoy Laguna Beach’s coastline during the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
According to the National Weather Service, temperatures soared into the triple digits last week, causing a heatwave in Southern California’s interior areas and valleys, reaching as high as 115 degrees Fahrenheit in Palmdale, Calif. on Monday. Along the coast, temperatures maxed out in the mid 80s, almost 30 degrees cooler and prompting an influx of visitors to Laguna Beach.
A handful of residents voiced their concerns at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, saying the sheer number of visitors migrating to the coast negatively impacts the quality of life of residents, as well as other visitors.
“We know influencers have been exposing once secluded spots in Laguna for years, with photos taken off-season or carefully photographed,” said Mary Hurlbut, a fourthgeneration Laguna Beach resident. “And then people arrive. I watched people arrive at Woods Cove, my beach, for decades, come
City Council Candidate Judie Mancuso Runs on Environmentally Conscious Platform
By Clara Beard | LB Indy
A self-named “true environmentalist,” 30-year Laguna Beach resident Judie Mancuso has entered the city council candidacy ring for the third time. Already a several months into her campaign, Mancuso’s platform focuses on public health and safety, environmental stewardship, climate resiliency and sustainability, community-led government, small business advocacy and animal rights.
Mancuso, who spent five years as vice chair and is the current acting chair of the Laguna
By Jackie Connor, Special to the Independent
In a unanimous vote, Laguna Beach City Council approved expediting the application process for artists seeking live-work spaces, amending section 25.16 of the city’s municipal code and local coastal program during Tuesday’s regular meeting held July 11.
The code requires the three-person artist review panel to meet in person to determine permits for artists to acquire a live-work space. The decision aims to eliminate the need for an artist review panel and shift the review process to a singular administrative level.
“It slows things down for the artists,” said Mayor Sue Kempf, a liaison between the City of Laguna Beach Arts Commission and the Laguna Beach City Council. “They’ve (the artists) submitted their applications and they’re ready to go. (The process) is a little clunky. It doesn’t change the criteria…it doesn’t matter if it’s three people reviewing [applications] or one.”
Under the current system, artists must submit their body of work, prove they’ve received formal training in the arts, show evidence they have featured their work within public programming such as an exhibition, performance or reading, and provide three letters of recommendation from other art professionals.
ARTISTS, PAGE 18
Top: Visitors at Main Beach on July 4. Bottom left: Drone specialists prepare machines at the Laguna Beach Lawn Bowling green. Bottom right: Drones create Laguna’s Main Beach lifeguard tower in the night sky. Photos/Mitch Ridder
Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters Opens Doors for Summer Season
The Festival of Arts opened its summer juried fine art show on July 3, featuring the
photography and more,
Seeking Beauty in Laguna’s Marine Protected Areas
By LB Indy Staff
As the California Fish & Game Commission evaluates the State’s network of 124 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), which represent only 16% of coastal waters, talented photographers recently presented evidence of Laguna Beach’s success in restoring and enjoying sea life within an urbanized community. Ten years ago, state officials were skeptical that a city like Laguna Beach with over six million annual visitors could navigate the rules protecting sea life. Yet, the Laguna Bluebelt Photo Contest, now in it’s 13th year, has demonstrated through hundreds of photos, that success is possible if we all work together.
This year’s collection dazzled with a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors and enchanting views of marine life and their dreamy habitats. Images capture people engaging with nature and mingling with the marine locals within the treasured boundaries of the Laguna Beach Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
Contest coordinator Anne Girtz sends “a tidal wave of thanks to all the incredible participants, both humans and their ocean-life subjects. Each stunning snapshot submitted to this year’s contest celebrating Laguna’s Marine Protected Areas radiated a love and respect for our
PAGE 20
“Shredding
you know… With traffic congestion at all-time highs, the city is spending millions to increase tourism? Ref: Page 228 of 290 of the City of Laguna Beach 2024-2025 Budget
work of more than 100 award-winning Orange County artists. From paintings, glass, ceramics,
the Festival showcases a variety of mediums and artwork styles for collectors and festivalgoers to browse and purchase directly from the artists. The Festival also features daily live music, which is free with admission. The Pageant of the Masters opening night on July 6 also enjoyed packed crowds. Photos/Jim Collins.
the Guitar” by Noah Gilbert won first place in the professional category of the Laguna Bluebelt Photo Contest. Photo/Noah Gilbert
Top of the World
Neighborhood
Association to Hold General Meeting
The Top of the World Neighborhood Association (TOWNA) General Meeting will be held on Sunday, July 14, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the TOW Elementary School Multi-Purpose Room at 21601 Treetop Lane. The new Laguna Beach City Manager Dave Kiff will speak at the meeting and answer questions of concern to the TOWNA Board.
All Top of the World neighbors are invited. At the meeting, the members will vote on approving the TOWNA bylaw amendments proposed by the TOWNA board. Only paid TOWNA members can vote ($10 per household per year). However, dues can be paid at the general meeting.
For information, see the TOWNA website at towna.mailchimpsites.com.
Concerns and issues to be addressed include the unpermitted open space grading by Southern California Edison, prosecution and penalties for deliberately setting fires, emergency evacuation via the gate to the fire road to Arch Beach Heights, fire detecting cameras, e-Bikes in the open space, cameras to limit, identify and punish criminal activity, Park Avenue undergrounding
Town Crier
IN AND AROUND LAGUNA BEACH
Laguna Beach’s new City Manager, Dave Kiff, will speak at the Top of the World Neighborhood Association meeting and answer questions of concern to the TOWNA Board on July 14. Photo courtesy of
between Wendt Terrace and St. Ann’s Drive, School District construction staging plan with all equipment and materials on-site, Parking Fund use for additional Police and Fire Department positions, city police park rangers patrol of Carolyn Wood Knoll, canceled homeowners insurance, city building a community swimming pool, expanded Laguna Local service hours Monday through Thursday and Park Avenue bike lane project. The meeting is free and open to the public.
South Laguna Community Garden Park Hosts: Mariachi Musicale & Potluck Celebration
South Laguna Community Garden Park has announced “Mariachi Musicale & Potluck Celebration,” an evening of cultural and community revelry on July 21 from 5 to 7 p.m. Attendees can look forward to the vibrant rhythms of world-class Mariachi band “Mariachi Nuevo Jalisciense” and a community Mexican-themed potluck.
Known for their engaging performances and exceptional talent, “Mariachi Nuevo Jalisciense” is a highly sought-after group adept at performing old classics and new favorites.
In addition to offering a night of music, attendees are invited to bring Mexican-inspired dishes that serve approximately 10 people.
Thanks to Barbara Granger, this free event continues to foster the community spirit of Garden founder Morrie Granger, who would have been 87 this year. Reservations are requested at southlagunagarden.org. Donations are welcome.
For more information, contact GardenPark@SouthLaguna.org.
Greater Laguna Beach GOP Members’ Meeting to Host Diane Dixon
The GLBGOP’s Members’ Meeting is on Wednesday, July 17, at Mozambique in Laguna Beach. Our keynote speaker is Assemblywoman Diane Dixon. Dixon currently represents us and is running for reelection as the District 72 Assembly Member. Dixon has proven to be an effective representative and has earned the GLBGOP’s support in this election. The founders of Sensible Laguna will also be joining the meeting. They will present an update on the Laguna Beach School District’s Facilities Master Plan, including the approval of the Olympic-size pool and the related excessive costs. We will also discuss our “Get Out the Vote” initiative. The event will start with a 5 p.m. social hour upstairs in the newly remodeled Ivan’z House. The meeting will start at 6 p.m. downstairs in the Parrot’s Room. Seating is limited. RSVPs are required at glbgop.com.
Laguna Community Concert Band to Celebrate FOA Grant with Special Concert
The Laguna Community Concert Band has received a $3,000 grant from the FOA Foundation. The
California Design General Contractors
CRIER, PAGE 11
Dave Kiff
LETTERS CAN BE MAILED TO: EDITOR@LBINDY.COM
NCC’s Housing Application Draft Process Requires Community’s Patience
For decades, Neighborhood Congregational Church (NCC) thrived, serving the needs of Laguna Beach families. But today, we live in different times. Churches all over the country are closing as they struggle to remain relevant to millions of Americans who identify as spiritual but not religious.
In 2020, our congregation decided to come to terms with reality. On any given Sunday, we had fewer than 50 people in a church built for over 200. Faced with the choice of spending down our dwindling endowment to survive, or selling the property, our congregation was advised to close the church and sell the property to the highest bidder.
Instead, we began researching the feasibility of a vision that could serve the greater good of Laguna Beach and do justice to the land gifted to us by our founders. Our research and hearts tell us it’s time to create space to address two synergistic opportunities we believe are in our destiny to pursue.
The city’s General Plan Housing Element (2021-2029) identified NCC’s property as one with the potential to yield affordable housing units. As we understand it, the city
CITY HALL MEETINGS:
of Laguna Beach is required to encourage its “fair share” of housing with the addition of 394 housing units—affordable to all economic segments—over the next five years.
The NCC vision is to build a different kind of spiritual center for a different generation and provide affordable housing for those earning between $33,150 to $102,300 a year, depending on family size – seniors, city and school employees, artists, retail workers and other lower-wage employees. These are the people who help our community thrive. NCC and Related California have not yet
submitted an application for the proposed development to the city. The preliminary site plan included in Related’s application for the city’s notice of funding. Availability is not the development design. Unfortunately, misinformation and images are being circulated that are an unfair misrepresentation of our project.
The team is hard at work designing a spiritual center and affordable rentals that will benefit the community for decades to come.
LETTERS, PAGE 13
theIndyPoll
LAST WEEK’S QUESTION
Is pedestrian safety a concern in Laguna Beach?
- Yes 80.49% (66 votes)
- No 19.51% (16 votes)
TOTAL VOTES: 86
THIS WEEK’S QUESTION
Should Laguna Beach go back to fireworks or stick with the drone show for next year’s Fourth of July?
- Fireworks - Drone show
TO VOTE, VISIT THE POLL TAB AT LAGUNABEACHINDY.COM. SUBMIT POLL QUESTIONS TO CLARA@FIREBRANDMEDIAINC.COM.
The LagunaBeachIndy.com poll is conducted using Crowd Signal polling software. To minimize fraudulent entries and
the
is set to block duplicate votes by cookie and IP address.
While we cannot control users who change locations and use
deter participants from voting multiple times. No
around most blocking methods. For this reason, we can’t fully verify the accuracy of this poll. Language from Crowd Signal’s software settings: Voting in a poll is rate limited by IP, even when
number of votes coming from a single Internet address will trigger a cooldown block to help prevent
people at one location (for example in schools and offices) voting in a short period of time.
July 15 - Environmental Sustainability Committee at 6 p.m. July 17 - Administrative Design Review Meeting at 3 p.m.
HOW TO CONTACT THE CITY COUNCIL
Sue Kempf Mayor skempf@lagunabeachcity.net
Alex Rounaghi Mayor Pro Tem arounaghi@ lagunabeachcity.net
DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
SECOND AND FOURTH THURSDAYS, 5 PM
LOUIS WEIL: lweil@lagunabeachcity.net
KRISTINE THALMAN: kthalman@lagunabeachcity.net
DON SHERIDAN: dsheridan@lagunabeachcity.net
JESSICA GANNON: jgannon@lagunabeachcity.net
TOM GIBBS: tgibbs@lagunabeachcity.net
George Weiss Council member gweiss@lagunabeachcity.net
Bob Whalen Council member bwhalen@lagunabeachcity.net
PLANNING COMMISSION
1ST AND 3RD WEDNESDAYS, 6 PM
Mark Orgill Council member morgill@lagunabeachcity.net
STEVEN KELLENBERG, steve@kellenbergstudio.com
KEN SADLER: 616-0517, ken.sadler@cox.net
JORG DUBIN: 497-2618, jdubinart@cox.net
STEVE GOLDMAN: 203-554-2290, steveg415@ymail.com
SUSAN McLINTOCK WHITIN: 838-6317, whitinsusan@gmail.com
OUR LETTER POLICY
by
Ann Marie McKay City Clerk amckay@lagunabeachcity.net
Laura Parisi City Treasurer lparisi@ lagunabeachcity.net
OTHER ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES: REP. KATIE PORTER,, 1113 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515. 202-225-2415
ASSEMBLYWOMAN DIANE DIXON, 19712 MacArthur Blvd. Ste. 150, Irvine, CA 92612. 949-251-0074
FIFTH DISTRICT SUPERVISOR KATRINA FOLEY, 333 W. Santa Ana Blvd., Santa Ana, CA 92701 714-8343550, Lisa.Bartlett@ocgov.com
E-mail letters to: Clara@firebrandmediainc.com
Letters strengthen community ties and provide a community forum open to all. Due to space constraints we ask letter writers to limit their topics to local concerns, make their submissions exclusive to the Indy alone and be of 400 words or less. Letters should be submitted by Tuesday, 5 p.m. They may be edited for clarity, length or appropriateness as needed. We decline to publish letters that we perceive as personal attacks, even of public figures. We strive for civil discourse over ideas and issues, not personalities.
Letter writers must supply their name and contact information. Published letters will only use the writer’s name and city of residence. E-mail letters are preferred.
PUBLISHER
Steve Strickbine
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Nadine Johnson
EDITORIAL
MANAGING EDITOR
Clara Beard clara@ rebrandmediainc.com
DESIGN
DESIGN DIRECTOR
Tracy Powell SALES
ADVERTISING SALES TEAM
Carol Josepher
Chris Mattingley
Adrienne Kruse
Mara Hertel
PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION MANAGER
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ADVERTISING & CIRCULATION: Tel: 949 715-4100; Fax: 949 715-4106
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Ti any ompson
MAILING ADDRESS:
900 Glenneyre St., Suite B Laguna Beach, CA 92651 Tel: 949-715-4100; Fax: 949 715-4106 www.lbindy.com
PUBLISHER
Steve Strickbine
CREATIVE & MARKETING DIRECTOR
Tracy Powell
CALIFORNIA ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Nick Oliveri
FIREBRAND MEDIA LLC FOUNDER
Steve Zepezauer
SPECIALTY SHOPS
Abode by Garage Collective 1200 S. Coast Hwy shopgaragecollectivelaguna.com
Artist Eye Gallery 1294 S. Coast Hwy artisteyegallerylaguna.com
The Bead Shop 899 S. Coast Hwy beadshoplaguna.com
Cactus Jane Emporium 1550 S. Coast Hwy cactusjaneemporium.com
EARTH STONES INTERNATIONAL 1276 S. Coast Hwy earthstonesinternational.com
European Optical 1294 S. Coast Hwy europeanopticalinc.com
Laguna Beach Books 1200 S. Coast Hwy lagunabeachbooks.com
Laguna Eyes Optometry 1100 S. Coast Hwy lagunaeyes.com
Laguna Surf & Sport 1088 S. Coast Hwy surfandsport.com
Lance Heck Jewelry 1153 S. Coast Hwy lanceheck.com
Romantic Boutique 1857 S. Coast Hwy romanticboutiquebydi.wordpress.com
Sound Spectrum 1264 S. Coast Hwy soundspectrumlaguna.com
Tea & Turmeric 1175 S. Coast Hwy teaandturmeric.com
Teressa Foglia 1492 S. Coast Hwy teressafoglia.com
Thalia Surf Shop 915 S. Coast Hwy thaliasurf.com
The Salt Horse 1200 S. Coast Hwy thesalthorse.com
The Shoe Box 1200 S. Coast Hwy instagram.com/theshoeboxlaguna
The Shop 1020 S. Coast Hwy theshoplaguna.com
Twig 1045 S. Coast Hwy twigoflaguna.com
SERVICES
Art of Fitness 1080 S. Coast Hwy artoffitnesslaguna.com
Dollface Beauty 1200 S. Coast Hwy dollfacelaguna.com
OnlyNailz 1050 S. Coast Hwy onlynailz.com
Nice Touch Chiropractic 1757 S. Coast Hwy nicetouchchiropractic.com
Realatrends 1178 Glenneyre St realatrends.com
Sea Level Yoga 1833 S. Coast Hwy sealevelyogalaguna.com
Spa Josephine 1833 S. Coast Hwy spajosephine.com
Vogue Salon 1200 S. Coast Hwy voguesalon.com
DESTINATIONS
The Art Center 1492 S. Coast Hwy instagram.com/artcenter_laguna
Capri Laguna on the Beach 1441 S. Coast Hwy caprilaguna.com
Surf & Sand Resort 1555 S. Coast Hwy surfandsandresort.com
The Old Pottery Place 1200 S. Coast Hwy theoldpotteryplace.com
Village Fair Shoppes & Offices 1100 S. Coast Hwy
SAVOR
Avila’s El Ranchito 1305 S. Coast Hwy avilaselranchito.com
Chocolate Soldier 1200 S. Coast Hwy thechocolatesoldier.com
Heidelberg Café 1100 S. Coast Hwy heidelbergcafe.com
Jersey Mike’s Subs 1350 S. Coast Hwy jerseymikes.com
Laguna Coffee 1050 S. Coast Hwy lagunacoffee.com
Mozambique 1740 S. Coast Hwy mozambiqueoc.com
Oak Laguna Beach 1100 S. Coast Hwy oak-lagunabeach.com
Penguin Café 981 S. Coast Hwy penguincafelb.com
Rumari 1826 S. Coast Hwy rumarioc.com
Sandpiper Lounge 1183 S. Coast Hwy facebook.com/thesandpiperlounge
Sapphire, Cellar. Craft. Cook. 1200 S. Coast Hwy sapphirelagunabeach.com
Wine Gallery 1833 S. Coast Hwy winegallerylaguna.com
Street Beat
EXCERPTS FROM POLICE LOGS
THURSDAY, JULY 4
DUI. A 28-year-old Los Angeles man was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. He was held on $2,500 bail.
Bench warrant. Charles Brasher Jr, 36, of Los Angeles was arrested
on suspicion of an outstanding bench warrant and urinating or defecating in public. He was held on $5,500 bail.
Possession of a controlled substance. Jason Michael Adams of Laguna Beach was arrested on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance. He was held on $500 bail. Disorderly conduct. John Gere Movaghar of Laguna Beach was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct due to alcohol. He was held on a $500 bail.
FRIDAY, JULY 5
DUI. A 39-year-old Bloomington woman was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. She was held on a $2,500 bail.
Disorderly conduct. Christopher Evan Murphy, 42, of Corona Del Mar was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct due to alcohol. He was held on $500 bail.
Bench warrant. Roberto Balderas Sanchez, 43, of Tustin was arrested on suspicion of an outstanding bench warrant. He was held without bail.
DUI. A 41-year-old Reseda man was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and blowing on or over 0.08 blood alcohol level. He was held on $5,000 bail.
SATURDAY, JULY 6
DUI. Fred Gerald Cantarero, 58, of Fontana was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. He was held on a $10,000 bail.
False ID. Michael Gerard Frankos, 40, of Mission Viejo was arrested on suspicion of drinking alcohol on the beach, possession of alcohol in a public place and giving false identification to specific peace officers. He was held on $1,000 bail.
SUNDAY, JULY 7
Possessing a controlled substance and fireworks without a permit, contempt of court, driving while addicted. Luis Samaniego Jr, 33, of Riverside was arrested on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance, possessing fireworks without a permit, contempt of court and driving while addicted. He was held on $13,000 bail. DUI, bench warrant. Gage Ryan Lametterey, 30 of Dana Point was arrested on suspicion of driving while on probation with a blood alcohol level of 0.01 or higher, having an outstanding bench warrant, driving while on a suspended license, giving false identification to a specific peace officer and disobeying a court order. He was held without bail.
MONDAY, JULY 8
DUI. A 40-year-old San Diego man was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. He was held on a $5,000 bail. Possession of a controlled substance, bench warrant, obstruction. Matthew Carl Addeo, 44, of Dana Point was arrested on suspicion of resisting a police officer, possessing a controlled substance and an outstanding bench warrant. He was held without bail.
TUESDAY, JULY 9
Possessing a substance similar to toluene. Alexis Yahir Avilahuerta, 21, of Highland was arrested on suspicion of possessing a substance similar to toluene. He was held without bail.
Possessing a substance similar to toluene. Enrique Gonzalez, 23, of Huntington Beach was arrested on suspicion of possessing a substance similar to toluene. He was held without bail.
Possessing nitrous oxide, bench warrant. Destiny Rocha, 21 was arrested on suspicion of possessing nitrous oxide and an outstanding bench warrant. He was held without bail.
RECENT ACTIVITY
Sports/ Schools
SUBMISSIONS WELCOME BY 5 PM TUESDAY
LAGUNA SPORTS UPDATE
By Frank Aronoff | LB Indy
90 YEARS OF LAGUNA FOOTBALL
Seven weeks until the start of the 2024 season
THE RURAL YEARS 1935-55
Last week, we looked at the first football team representing Laguna, the 1934 JV squad. The first varsity team was a member of the Orange League, which in 1935 was a 10-school league unofficially split into two groups based on school size. In 1936, the league formally split into major and minor divisions, with the major division becoming the separate Sunset League in 1937.
Laguna went 0-5 in league play in 1935 and 1-10 for the season. The lone victory was a 6-0 win against Santa Ana’s JV. 1936 was a different story. After a 12-0 loss to Garden Grove, Laguna ran off six straight wins, including an 8-0 upset of Tustin, where many of the older Laguna players attended before the high school opened in 1934.
Breakers had to play the winner of the league’s major division for a CIF berth but lost to Orange 18-7 under the lights at the
Santa Ana Bowl.
John Chamberlin was MVP of the 1936 squad, Bill Murray, Herman Walker, Dale Mickelwaite, and Rollo Beck earned all-league honors for Laguna’s first league title.
Maurice “Red” Guyer was Laguna’s first coach (1934-41, 1946-56) and remained as the athletic director until 1968. Guyer was from Chillicothe, Ill., near Peoria. After high school, he moved to Santa Ana and lived with his grandmother while attending junior college. He transferred to USC and ran track and was a member of the 1932 440
Relay Team, which set the world record in 1932. He was on the elementary school faculty in 1933 and became the coach and athletic director when the high school opened in 1934.
The Breakers were successful in the first 21 years, capturing six league crowns and one CIF title, all as members of the Orange League. High school enrollment changed in Orange County after Disneyland opened in 1955, and the county quickly urbanized, leaving fewer and fewer small schools to compete with. Laguna’s enrollment passed 500 in
1959 and reached 1,000 for the first time in 1969.
LAGUNA FOOTBALL UPDATES
Breakers Squad Visits Japan Breaker players and coaches took a break in their summer training schedule to make an unofficial visit to Japan, following a visit made last August by Ritsumeikan Uji High School in Kyoto. Laguna returns on July 14, and summer practices end Aug. 1.
Members of the 2024 Football Breakers in Japan this past week in an unofficial trip. Photo/Laguna Beach Athletics
THE ART in ARCHITECTURE
DRAMATIC LAGUNA BEACH CLASSIC CONTEMPORARY DESIGN
616 Bolsana Drive | $5,100,000
Laguna Beach classic contemporary design with distinctive lines, angles, and shapes that characterizes the unique architecture from the time you first enter the property. High on the hills above Victoria Beach the neighborhood of Portafina terraced into the hills between miles of natural Open Space and Victoria Highlands. The design creates an open feeling with natural light that includes a formal living room, piano room, spacious and open family room and kitchen, expansive primary bedroom suite, plus a private den/ office level with deck and ocean views. Nestled into the natural setting further accents the imagination of the architectural design and private connection to the site. An elevator is conveniently located near the garage and laundry room. Just a short distance from Moulton Meadows Park and access to miles of trails for hiking and biking.
CRAFTSMAN STYLE | OPEN HOUSE SATURDAY 7/13 AND SUNDAY 7/14 FROM 1:00-4:00 PM 369 Aster Street | $4,250,000
North Laguna Craftsman style with modern touches. Entering into the living room with it’s vaulted wood ceilings, wood floors, and brick fireplace takes you back in time to the era of the cottages in Laguna Beach. This home was remodeled and expanded with new construction in 2003. Spacious and open kitchen exemplifies the classic design while enhanced with modern appliances. Situated just a few blocks from Main Beach, the gazebo at Heisler Park, the Laguna Art Museum, and Downtown Laguna Beach. The home’s expansion includes the family room with brick fireplace and vaulted wood ceilings, the classic wrap around covered porch for outdoor living and dining, patio area, and garage building. A street to alley lot of over 6,000 square feet with parking to include the front driveway on Aster, a garage with carport on the alley, plus space to park in front of the garage.
NORTH LAGUNA
GUEST OPINION:
Health, Longevity and Mind’s Potential
By Russ GeRBeR
The concept of mind we’re all familiar with is gradually becoming the mind of the past. The decisionmaker, the seat of knowledge, the repository of hunches, innovation, emotions, judgment, memory, opinions, will and so on is actually a rather narrow concept we’re finding out. Human mind 1.0. Evidence continues to mount that the mind is also the main factor regarding the body’s health and longevity. “What if Age Is Nothing But A Mind-Set?” asked the New York Times Magazine some years ago, in which Harvard professor of psychology Ellen
Langer commented on how a slew of experiments and research in this field have convinced her of the dominating influence of the human mind on the body.
The concept that the human mind influences the body and that our nature is a grab bag of good and bad emotions and beliefs, some of which are detrimental to health, is actually an ancient one. What’s gaining wider acceptance today is the degree to which the body is the servant of the mind, the mental regulator of the human system.
This concept of the broader realm of mind raises additional questions that need answers. Which mental qualities produce and sustain health, or can have the reverse effect? Can we eliminate harmful ones, and if so, how? If healthproducing mental qualities aren’t the product of brain chemistry, where do they come from? Is there a source for them that we have yet to understand?
Like everyone, I’d love to have all the answers. But you don’t need to fully understand everything about any concept in order to start exploring and taking advantage of its potential.
The most promising concept of
mind would be one that’s less rooted in a vulnerable human nature and instead embraces a diviner nature, one that’s purely good and loving, and that positively affects life. It’s a mentality that comforts, brings greater confidence, underpins sounder relationships, is peaceful, less fearful, fosters better health, and contributes to the larger good of society.
A marvelous aspect of having such a conception of life and the positive experiences that come with it is that it’s not a miraculous or unnatural feat, and it isn’t something we have to wait to do. It’s a matter of consistently assimilating more of the goodness and, patience and compassion that we intuitively feel belong in our lives, and that would naturally emanate from a Mind that is solely good and loving and available wherever we are.
To do this takes humility, and every effort to stay on track with it. Expecting much to change by merely putting on a cheery veneer now and then, or by counting on effortless short-cuts, would end up falling short.
This is about consistently taking advantage of a relationship that’s always existed and where there’s
always an open door - a constant, close, and natural relationship with the Divine. While that may be a new concept for some, it isn’t a new relationship.
Those who have taken advantage of this relationship throughout history have found that the more one embraces a diviner idea of life and puts it into daily practice, negative thoughts and experiences such as loneliness, anger, fear, or despair begin to lose their grip. Lives are made better. As Paul noted in his letter to the Romans, we’re transformed by the renewing of our mind.
The New York Times Magazine piece and others like it remind us of the researchers and pioneers who are carrying on an exploration of the infinite range of the mental realm and its potential to better human lives. It’s an important field of study and practice for them, even life-changing. It can be for all of us.
Russ and his wife moved back home to Southern California after working in Boston as the media manager for the Christian Science church. With a background in publishing, most of his time is spent writing, reading, volunteering and grandparenting.
As part of our outreach process, we are simultaneously meeting with neighbors. Residents can stay informed about our progress via the website at nccproject.org.
Over the next few months, I respectfully ask for the community’s patience as we prepare our application, which will have all the details. Then, we will invite input. I welcome the conversation.
Rodrick Echols, Neighborhood Congregational Church Pastor and Sue Cross, NCC board chair
No Bang for the Buck
Why would the city council take away the celebration of being American and watching fireworks?
The environment? Cost? Sad dogs?
If the environment is concerning the city council, they could put solar panels on city buildings like other cities. All city cars could be electric. If Laguna Beach really aspires to advocate for the environment this would be more effective.
The drone show was poor. More importantly, the spirit of it was misguided. Fireworks are a visual and auditory reminder of the war that
won our independence. The drone show instead advertised the city, the Olympic team and even the Main Beach lifeguard tower.
The holiday is about our independence. Fireworks are a oncea-year glory: light silhouetting the palm trees, a colorful glow cast over the water, and retaining the spirit of what our forefathers fought for.
Francis Scott Key is rolling over in his grave on this sad day.
Interestingly the drone show is more expensive than the traditional show. So, is it about sad dogs? Perhaps their owners could explain to them the benefits of being a dog in America. The dogs will forgive us.
Gee whiz.
Roderick Reed, Laguna Beach
Response to Ketta Brown’s Guest Opinion
Having read Ketta Brown’s guest opinion in the Laguna Beach Independent last week regarding the proposed low-income housing project at the Neighborhood Congregational Church, I would like to highlight a few points she made.
Ketta claims that this project will
go through “the ‘normal’ design review process.” I believe this to be false. She forgot to acknowledge that this project is being pushed through under the guise of CA Senate Bill 4, which bypasses local control on design, density, height or other community guidelines on projects built on church property. It also accelerates approval timing.
When she cautions, “Be careful what you wish for,” remember that any developer not operating under the SB4 protection would have to go through the normal Laguna Beach Design Review process and follow all zoning guidelines.
All developers, including Related California, are in this to make money – and that’s fine. That’s why they are in business. But they should not do so at the expense of the surrounding neighborhoods.
I am not aware of anyone in the surrounding neighborhoods objecting to housing on this site. The issue is mass and scale; this project would include a parking level topped by three residential floors and 72 units in all, majority two or three bedroom. This equals 60 units per acre, a high
density in any urban setting let alone the Laguna Village area. This is a massive structure towering over adjacent streets. Lot coverage of 84% over the 1.2 acre site with minimum 5-10 foot setbacks.
The pastor of the church has indicated that the church is unwilling to scale back this proposal to make it more neighborhood compatible.
When she claims that this “type of project may or may not impact future home values”, remember that the neighboring homeowners all struggled to save the down payment, make the monthly mortgage and live the Laguna Beach dream like others in this community. While I admire the volunteer efforts of the Housing and Human Services Committee, I hope that they will consider the impact of this project on other residents when they themselves may not be impacted by views gone, parking, traffic, congestion and noise. There has been zero feedback from the proponents short of “full speed ahead” on the massive scale and accelerated timing of the project
Brian Krinsky, Jared McLenigan, and Lauren Weinberg. Photo by Aaron Rumley.
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DAVIS LAW
THOMAS P. DAVIS, APC (Tom) is pleased to announce that he has joined Anderson Law Group (Nicole Anderson) as of counsel to the firm. He will continue to handle litigation and transactional matters, including business formation, real estate and business contract review, contract negotiations, and litigation management and avoidance. The firm also serves as outside general corporate counsel on behalf of for-profit and non-profit organizations.
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as proposed. Why can’t we work together as a community where we take on these housing issues in partnership with the neighborhoods to find win-win solutions? Is that too much to ask?
Richard Plavetich, Laguna Beach
In Agreement with Ray and Fried I find myself in agreement with recent columns by Michael Ray and Billy Fried. Michael Ray was on target with his prediction about the drone show. It was boring and, at $72,000, really expensive. Hopefully, the city council will not repeat this blunder and reinstate the appropriate honoring of America with a fireworks display (at half the cost).
Slow-developing light displays of a dolphin, jellyfish and—wait for it—a plein air painter just don’t seem to celebrate our great nations’ independence.
Billy Fried’s column was a hoot – what a display of a great sense of humor as he stated the obvious but painful truth for Democrats: Joe has to go, and “any carbon-based life form under 70 with a pulse will do.”
These are trying times. At least all Americans can celebrate our nation’s independence in spite of the lame drone show and participate in our democracy while we still have it.
Merrill Anderson, Laguna Beach
Who’s Looking Out for Us?
At the July 2 Audit Committee meeting, we learned that the ccity had decided to change auditors, had solicited potential new firms and had closed the bid process. We learned that the reason for the change was the desire of the City Council for a speedier turnaround of the audit report. We learned that the current firm could not commit to an earlier timetable so was not asked to bid.
auditors. Not only was the Audit Committee not informed, the change had not been approved by the council.
This is rather amazing. The finance department, which is the subject of the material weakness comment, unilaterally decides to change the firm making that assessment and then manages the entire process. There’s more. In a communication to potential bidders, a question as to whether the city had been notified of any material weaknesses in its past audit, the city responded in the negative, when in fact the opposite was true.
One might think the City Manager and the City Council would be incensed with this end around. Well, not so much. A decision was made to bypass the current Treasurer (a Treasurer who has satisfactorily performed all investment functions for the last 20 years) and reward the Finance Department with responsibility for overseeing the city’s recently outsourced $150 million investment portfolio. So let’s get this straight. A department that has yet to prove it can satisfactorily perform its normal duties has been assigned new duties to oversee a new outsourcing arrangement for which it has no expertise. What could possibly go wrong? And who’s looking out for us—the residents of Laguna Beach?
Mary Locatelli, Laguna Beach
Fourth of July in Laguna Beach
DAVIS LAW, APC
1000 N. Coast Highway, Ste. 10 • Laguna Beach, CA 92651
phone: 949.413.4754
tom@tpdavislaw.com www.tpdavislaw.com
There was a consensus during public comments that the optics here are not good. Changing auditors after only two years (rather than the normal three to five), combined with having been assessed a material weakness in the city’s financial reporting process by those auditors in both of those years, is just a bad look. And there was a question as to whether absent an improvement in the city’s ability to produce a timely set of financial statements that are free of material error, a change in auditors would actually solve the timing problem.
These issues were raised at the July 9 City Council meeting. While they were not formally addressed, one council member stated that the finance department had made a unilateral decision to change
The city’s drone show was a unique way for our village to celebrate Independence Day with lights and action without contaminating the air with gunpowder smoke or littering the ocean with thousands of pieces of plastic and paper debris from the exploding canisters or re-creating the terrifying sound pollution of bombs bursting in air.
All that effort and expense was overshadowed by Emerald Bay’s massive fireworks display that night and the plethora of private, illegal explosives and rockets that went on and on for hours that night and were firing for days before and after the Fourth. My suggestion is for the city to save their money and not produce their own display.
Rather, open Heisler Park and all the beaches for free viewing of the legal fireworks that can be seen from Emerald Bay all the way to San Pedro. Then, spend the money they save on visitor services and police/ fire/emergency interventions that are needed over the Fourth of July weekend.
Tom Joliet, Laguna Beach
GUEST OPINION:
Hell Hath No Fury Like a Drone Show
By BILLy FRIeD
Of the hundreds of snarky columns I’ve penned over the years to polarize and agitate my readers, nothing will inflame them more than the following statement: I liked the drone show. Yep, I said it, and I can already feel your temperatures rising. It’s the same heat wave that washed over social media when the city announced they would be abandoning fireworks for a trial drone show. Forget Confederates versus the Union, L.A. versus New York, Beatles versus Stones, The White Album versus Sign o’ the
Times, nothing ginned up anger and vitriol more than taking a year off from the rockets’ red glare to try something new.
Could it have been better? Way. Should it be further out to sea if possible, so more people can view it from their homes? Certainly. Should we take better advantage of this amazing, emerging technology that –instead of killing people – can inspire, amaze, and expand our consciousness with mind-melting visuals that evoke sacred geometry, the cosmos, the cosmic, the mystic, the mycelium world, and other dimensions? I don’t know. Could be the edibles kicking in. But I have, in fact, seen better drone shows than this one.
Just the idea that these images can be programmed into hundreds of tiny flying machines and projected into the sky is way more compelling than a technology that hasn’t evolved in, well, ever, continues to blow peoples’ fingers off and still seems to involve pyrotechnic families with Italian names. Plus, come on, they scare animals, traumatize veterans, trigger car alarms, pollute the environment,
and send 10,000 people to the emergency room every year. Also, do we not get that 250 years ago, we weren’t living in high-fire risk zones? There were moments of beauty and astonishment in the Laguna show. And the sense that, like America, anything is possible in this land of innovation. Remember, it was a freshman try by a city that plays it safe so as not to annoy one side (too late for that) and, apart from the clip art look of those cliched Laguna images, there were still moments of absolute sublimity as the sky morphed threedimensionally into different colors and objects, spinning and rotating in the process. Let’s enjoy the reverence, and a rare moment of silence to actually process what independence means. You want sound, play your own soundtrack.
Stop with the loud noise already. We have enough of that day and night on our streets and in our restaurants. And I suspect that’s what this anger is really about. It’s summer. The city is a parking lot. And our beaches are trash receptacles. Your nerves are frazzled. Your cortisol levels are spiking, and
Luxury Time Pieces
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you barely want to leave home. It’s the worst ever this summer, and we still don’t do a damn thing about it. So, I get that some just want to blow some stuff up.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. We can use innovation and resources to slow people in their cars, frustrate them, divert them, and encourage them to use other means into town –or not come at all. I drove out the 133 last Saturday at 11 a.m., and it was frozen with cars coming into town all the way from the 405. Where do they all go? Why aren’t we hitting the Irvine Company and Five Points with an Impact Tax, which could be used for shuttles from their developments? Why aren’t we seriously considering peripheral garages at El Moro, Aliso Beach, and Act V and the Digester? Or a lot at the 405 with a free shuttle? Yes, it’s a massive infrastructure project – but that’s what America was built on. It will ensure a quality of life for generations to come.
Why aren’t we taking a serious look at gondolas to move visitors from
, PAGE 17
GUEST OPINION: THIS IS WHERE WE LIVE
Jean Louis Egasse
By HuNTeR FueNTes
Everyone loves a mystery! Last month Laguna Playhouse presented the show Holmes & Watson. Set on a remote Scottish island, Dr. Watson investigates the assertions of three men claiming to be his friend and partner, Sherlock Holmes. The great detective was presumed dead, but no body had ever been found. The clever twist in this tale is that our missing sleuth is hiding in plain sight. In our research of the leading architects of the early decades of Laguna’s history, one of the most gifted was Jean Louis Egasse. Like the fictional Holmes, he was a talented and eccentric free spirit. Egasse left a small body of work but a significant impact on local design, and a little mystery of his own.
Jean Louis Egasse was born to Henri and Louise Egasse in the 17th arrondissement of Paris on June 17, 1886. His childhood was marked by tragedy. His mother died when Jean Louis was eleven. His father died four years later. Orphaned at 15, ejected from his home by a vengeful stepmother, he was sent to study for an extended period in Spain where he mastered the language. He was living in Britain in his mid-20s. He found his way to an experimental school called “The Cloisters” in the village of Letchworth, Hertfordshire. The school had been established by Miss Annie Lawrence, a socialminded Quaker in 1907. Housed in an unusual building, designed using images that appeared to Lawrence in a dream, students studied an avantgarde curriculum dedicated to how “… thought affects action and what causes and produces thought.” Students took most classes outdoors and slept in hammocks suspended from the rafters. The Cloisters also became a center of the emerging Arts and Crafts movement and the study of Theosophy. Both influenced Egasse for the rest of his life.
Jean Louis married a young British woman named Jessie Read in 1912. According to Jeanne Egasse Philpot, the architect’s granddaughter, the bride’s parents did not approve of the union and the couple emigrated to the United
States in March 1912. A year later, they were living in Los Angeles, where their two children were born. In 1917, Egasse registered for the selective service. Described as being of medium height and build with brown hair and brown eyes, he listed his occupation as “engineer and architecture.”
The first designs credited to Egasse were built in LA County in the early 1920’s. Egasse developed a truly unique aesthetic, combining the French Norman of his native country, the Arts and Crafts elements of his days at The Cloisters, and the Hollywoodinspired Storybook style. Egasse’s first known commission was a residence in Eagle Rock in 1923 for Albert and Constance Braasch. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck wrote “Good Will Hunting” while renting that very house. That same year he undertook his first local project, the stunning Ark home on Ocean Way at Wood’s Cove. This is one of the most unique homes in all of Laguna. He also designed the Bruce Crandall home on Crescent Bay Drive and his personal residence at 1280 North Coast Hwy. That property looks like a Norman castle, towering over the highway. He completed only around half a dozen homes in Laguna, but each strikingly individual.
His best-known local work can be found downtown. In a Los Angeles Times article, Steve Carney noted that Storybook architecture details include steeply pitched, often wavy roofs, multiple gables, turrets, arched doorways, and chimneys (often crooked). Could you ask for a better description of the Lumberyard restaurant building than that?
Completed by Egasse for Joe Jahraus, it served for over half a century as the headquarters of the Laguna Beach Lumber Company. In 1927 he designed the South Coast News Building on Forest at Glenneyre for Joe’s father, Elmer Jahraus. Egasse was a larger-thanlife presence in town. He taught
fencing, surrounded himself with fellow Francophiles, and actively supported the local Theosophy movement that included many in the art community.
The Depression devastated Egasse’s business and family. Around 1932 his wife left him and returned to live in Britain, joined by their daughter. His son lived with a couple of different local families. But Jean Louis Egasse simply disappeared. He was even described in a December 18, 1942 South Coast News article as “... long since passed away….” But we could find no obituary. A recent conversation with his granddaughter, Jeanne, solved the mystery of the missing architect. She told us that he had fled his Laguna creditors, moved to Santa Barbara and lived a lowprofile life there, even assuming a new name, J.L.E. d’Argastel. He died in that city in 1965. Now we know.
In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle,” his protagonist boldly asserts, “My name is Sherlock Holmes. It is my business to know what other people do not know.”
Jean Louis Egasse spent less than a decade in Laguna Beach. His work still enchants residents and visitors alike. The best part of asking questions is finding answers; it stirs the inner detective in all of us. It’s fun to know something that others might not and even more fun to share that knowledge.
Hunter is a Laguna Beach resident and founder of Historic Laguna (historiclaguna.com). Jon has lived in Laguna for over 20 years. He is a retired history teacher and member of the Laguna Beach Heritage Committee. You can reach Hunter and Jon at jon@historiclaguna.com and hunter@historiclaguna.com.
GUEST OPINION:
Haiku Corner
By CHeRyL PROCACCINI
shrill calls pierce the air red tail hawks soar, circle in elegant courtship
lemonade berries’ soft flesh nestled in wet leaves invite all to feast
pale grey morning mist suspended in air, shrouding hill tops, horizons roar of crashing waves scattered mounds of brown seaweed decorate the shore
Cheryl is a resident of Laguna Beach and writes Haiku poems inspired by the local flora and fauna around her. She is also a certified EMDR psychotherapist and the creator of Birdsong and the EcoWonders, BirdsongTV.
AND JON sTORDAHL
An Egasse home at 1280 North Coast Highway. Photo courtesy of Hunter Fuentes
Why Not Ticket Distracted Jaywalkers?
By ROGeR BuTOW
AB 2147, passed in 2022, is the so-called “Freedom to Walk Act.” It was built on AB 1238, passed in 2021, which was vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom.
In my opinion, the title is misleading.
Their mutual purpose was to decriminalize and curtail perceived systemic racial profiling and alleged targeting by law enforcement.
Random enforcement, though, or worse, voluntary compliance, leaves chaotic conditions in place and doesn’t bring significant change that begs for adherence in urbanized environs.
What constitutes an infraction, and under what circumstances can sanctions (fines from citations) occur, haven’t been socialized accurately.
AB 2147 specifically allows for officer discretionary intervention. It doesn’t change the existing law that requires pedestrians to avoid potentially hazardous situations.
“Distracted jaywalking” shouldn’t be proposed as a “tip to pedestrians,” as our city-distributed statements contend. Deterrence drives compliance, not a naïve strategy of reversing ongoing abusive acts couched as a polite request.
After 52 years of watching pedestrians cut across PCH or transit even though the signal was red, I think that only by ticketing can we stop the pell-mell behavior, including those who weave through both parked and mobile cars at will.
Compounding the problem are the drivers who are unlawfully using their electronic devices.
Media exacerbated the confusion and gave the mistaken impression that pedestrians are also “free” to create and trigger negligent traffic accident conditions, even “free” to be injured or die themselves.
“AB 2147 prohibits a peace officer,
PAGE 4
band said the grant will significantly bolster the band’s ongoing efforts to bring the magic of live music to the Laguna Beach cultural arts scene.
The FOA Foundation, an independent nonprofit endowed by the Festival of Arts, makes awards annually to art and educational programs in Laguna Beach and the surrounding area. On average, the foundation assists over twenty organizations each year.
“We are grateful for the FOA Foundation’s continued support,” said director Mark Lowery. “This grant recognizes our dedication to the arts and energizes our mission to share high-quality live musical experiences with our community.”
In celebration of this support, Laguna Community Concert Band will perform at Festival of Arts on Sunday, July 21, at 1 p.m. on the main stage. The program will feature John Williams’ stirring march from the movie “1941” and a symphonic
tribute to George Gershwin that includes excerpts from “Rhapsody in Blue” and “An American in Paris.” Vocalist Lisa Morrice will join the band on selected numbers to perform crowd favorites including Big Band hits and modern classics.
The LCCB-affiliated Laguna JaZz Band will perform at Festival of Arts on Wednesday, July 17, at 5:30 p.m., and on Wednesday, Aug. 14, at Susi Q at 6:30 p.m. This fall, the Laguna Community Concert Band will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a performance on Sunday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. at the Laguna Playhouse.
Laguna Community Concert Band performances are always free, although donations are accepted. Festival of Arts admission is complimentary for Laguna Beach residents, active military, Festival of Arts members, and children five or younger, and $15 for residents from surrounding areas.
Aquagrom Kids Swim for Ocean Conservation
By Clara Beard | LB Indy
At just 12 years old, Alia Marriner and friend Cedar Reckas have already completed two aquathons – a homegrown swim, climbing and walking event through Laguna’s coves from Crescent Bay to Aliso Creek. Reckas and Marriner were the only kids to complete the arduous Aquathon, which gave Marriner the idea to start the Aquagrom, which is “basically an Aquathon for kids.”
In its second year, the Aquagrom is an invite-only swim and walk from Crescent Bay to Victoria Beach, done by groms, aka kids. Not only are the groms adventuring through Laguna’s coastline, but they’re also fundraising for the Surfrider Foundation.
The group of 25 groms will head out once again this Saturday at Crescent Bay at 8:30 a.m., and will start the swim at 9 a.m. The Aquagroms plan to finish the swim at Victoria at around 12 p.m. and celebrate the event’s
Leave It to Beaver GUEST OPINION: PET PEEVES
By MARK D. CRANTZ
A Trilogy-Part One
It was an oft-heard Laguna story. A family moves from somewhere else and relocates to Laguna Beach. The time was the 1960s. The job was retail lumber. And leave it to the Beaver family to jump at the chance. The Beaver family took to many highways to get here. Before the road trip of their lifetimes, the Beavers took a big, toothy photo of themselves and sent the picture to their new address on Blue Bird Canyon. The Beavers were excited to see whether the picture of themselves or their real selves got to Laguna Beach first.
second year with a party.
“I’d like to thank our sponsors Victoria Skimboards, Laguna Surf and Sport, Hobie, Catch Surf, Thalia Surf Shop and Gina’s Pizza for helping us with prizes,” Marriner said. “These groms and I care so much about the ocean. We’ve grown up by the ocean, and we feel that it’s our duty to protect it. It pains us to see humans trashing it like it’s a landfill. This is why all the groms have gotten together to do a swim, raising money for the Surfrider Foundation.”
The Surfrider Foundation works nationally to protect ocean life. Its main goals are to find natural solutions to climate change, reduce plastic pollution and encourage sustainability among local businesses. Last year, Marriner and the Aquagroms raised $16,000 for ocean conservation. To help the Aquagroms fundraise for ocean conservation, visit gofundme. com and search Aquagrom 2024.
While the Beavers poured over the glove box travel maps en route, a small group of artists started an art festival in a five-acre grove of eucalyptus trees. They dreamed of becoming great artists in many different mediums. They knew their dreams took time, but their landlords did not share the time dreams take and insisted on rent due on the first of the month. The money raised at the art festival would fulfill the landlord’s dream while theirs continued to percolate.
Meanwhile, the Beaver family had nine different state maps to contend with. Not one of the state maps could ever be refolded back to its original position. The 1960s were pre-Google Maps, and folding was necessary. The paper maps frustrated the Beavers, who, in a frenzy, tore the maps to smithereens. Seven days in and 90 miles along their way, the Beavers stopped and resupplied themselves with new paper maps. Back in Laguna Beach, the artists couldn’t agree on the name of their new festival. The group of 16 budding artists offered up different festival names. “Let’s call it, The Greatest Show on Earth.” The other artists shook their heads no. “That’s
The 2023 Aquagroms. Photo courtesy of Alia Marriner
GUEST OPINION:
It’s Time to Bring Back Zoom Artists
PAGE 1
By JAMes GROssBeRG
In a Feb. 13 incident of what commonly is called “Zoom bombing,” an organized group used Zoom to disrupt a Laguna Beach City Council meeting with racist, antisemitic and homophobic slurs. None of the disrupters appeared to be Laguna locals. After that incident, the council abruptly halted all remote comments at its meetings and has not restored them.
Local governments in California began to allow such remote public comments during the COVID19 pandemic. The pandemic waned, but many city councils, including Laguna’s, continued to welcome remote comments as a public service to individuals who have difficulty attending council meetings due to family or work obligations or disability.
Despite numerous Zoom bombings that California public bodies have experienced, a consensus has been reached in California that remote public comments have benefitted everyone. A recent survey of 100+ California cities found that most are successfully using remote comments and believe they “have been beneficial to city council meetings[,] . . . increased public participation and civic engagement” and “not caused significant negative
impacts.” The City of San Diego, which has been subjected to numerous Zoom bombings, has continued to permit remote public comments.
Yet, in a June 12 public statement, City Manager Dave Kiff argued that Laguna should not rush to reinstate Zoom out of concern that hateful comments can traumatize meeting participants and City staff and disrupt “community decorum and city business.”
However, a fundamental tenet of a democratic society is that the occasional abuse of free speech by a few individuals should never serve as a reason to curb the free speech of everyone else. As the US Supreme Court has recognized, “speech that demeans on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, religion . . . or any other similar ground is hateful; but the proudest boast of our free speech jurisprudence is that we protect the freedom to express ‘the thought that we hate.’”
As Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote, government prohibitions against “speech found offensive to some portion of the public can be turned against minority and dissenting views to the detriment of all. The First Amendment does not entrust that power to the government’s benevolence. Instead, our reliance must be on the substantial safeguards of free and open discussion in a democratic society.”
Mr. Kiff also cited City Attorney Megan Garibaldi’s concern that council actions such as those celebrating LGBT+ Pride Month and Juneteenth could limit the city’s ability to control disruptive comments at council meetings because those comments might then arguably relate to “city business” “In that instance, we’d likely have to endure the hateful speech,” according to Ms. Garibaldi. However, that is not the law.
California’s major open meetings statute, the Brown Act requires council to permit members of the public to address the body “on any item of interest to the public . . . that is within the subject matter
jurisdiction of the legislative body.” That jurisdiction is not defined by whatever “city business” council may choose to conduct but rather by state law. So a decision by council to address minority rights or, for that matter, any other issue does not alter the City’s statutory jurisdiction or limit its ability to regulate public comments to council.
Courts have ruled that the First Amendment allows legislative bodies to impose “reasonable time, place & manner” restrictions on public comment periods. Under that rubric, council also has several options to minimize the risk of a reoccurrence of the Feb. 13 disturbance. They include: —barring public comments that actually disrupt or impede a Council meeting, ejecting violators and pressing criminal charges; —limiting the use of Zoom callins to Laguna locals so long as everyone else is free to comment in person at Council meetings or in writing, a measure recommended by the National School Boards Association; —verifying the identity of Zoom speakers to confirm they are in fact local; —invoking existing laws that criminalize fraudulently obtaining access to or violating the terms of service of teleconferencing platforms by, for example, registering under a false address; and —prohibiting public comments that are obscene, fraudulent or integral to illegal conduct, incite imminent lawless action or threaten violence, none of which enjoy First Amendment protection.
City Council should utilize these options and promptly reinstate remote public comments.
Jim is a retired First Amendment and freedom of information attorney. He served as president of the nation’s largest organization of news media lawyers and as lead newsroom counsel for the Orange County Register for more than two decades. He has represented numerous news entities in freedom of information litigation, including landmark cases before the US Supreme Court.
The amendment, which is not subjected to the California Environmental Quality Act, does not change these requirements but removes the need for a panel review toward a more administrative procedure to speed up the process for artists obtaining a live-work space.
Sian Poeschl, the city’s social and cultural arts manager, shared the inefficiencies within the current process, highlighting the threemember artist review panel review process, considered public meetings, to evaluate each live-work space application being the biggest hurdle.
“These meetings are…often very short. I think a meeting can last three to four minutes to review an application but requires members of the arts commission to schedule to be here, and sometimes that has proven to be slightly difficult to coordinate everybody’s schedules,” said Poeschl.
On average, the Laguna Beach Arts Commission receives two applications a month, with an estimated total of 20-to-25 applications a year. Before the amendment, applications would take upwards of 30 days to complete the review process. Applicants often withdraw their applications due to lost interest.
The amended ordinance will allow the community development director or the cultural arts manager to review, thus approving or denying permits for artist occupancy within 14 days of receiving an application.
Although the City Council unanimously agreed to amend the city’s municipal code, councilmember George Weiss raised a point about the demarcation of power.
“I don’t have a problem with the change. It’s just putting (power) in one person’s hands. It seems like there are no checks and balances,” said Weiss.
Mayor Pro Tem Alex Rounaghi reiterated the need to eliminate extra processes, making it easier for artists to live and work in Laguna Beach. This further reinforced the city’s dedication to supporting its thriving art community.
“I think this is streamlining government and getting rid of unnecessary commissions that just create unnecessary time and energy for everyone, and I think this still achieves the goal of making sure that true artists are living in artist work housing,” said Rounaghi.
Utility Undergrounding Construction on Laguna Canyon Road
By LB Indy Staff
Southern California Edison (SCE) contractors have started construction to underground the overhead utility lines along Laguna Canyon Road between El Toro Road and the SR-73 toll road. Southbound Laguna Canyon Road traffic will be detoured to the southbound toll road onramp to El Toro Road from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday most weeks through May 2025. The overall project, including road widening, drainage improvements and utility undergrounding is expected to be completed in the spring of 2026. For more information, contact SCE Communications Advisor Luis Lara at luis.lara@sce.com or 909-942-8020 or City Engineer Mark Trestik at matrestik@lagunabeachcity.net or 949- 497-0300.
Restore Our Town’s Fire Truck, Future Generations Will Thank Us
When I saw our 1931 LBFD Seagrave classic at the Fourth of July celebration on Brooks Street, a mid-1950s memory came back, and I vividly recalled that very truck’s siren down on PCH. Then, the siren grew louder as it came our way. My brother and I ran out the old screen door to the front yard of my grandma Julia’s cottage on Hawthorne Road and stood in awe, watching that giant red fire engine climb the hill, roaring by us with siren blaring and red lights flashing. The driver saw us. With a stern gaze in our direction, he reached down and rang the bell so hard it made us cover our ears. He was telling us to stay on the curb as if we needed more warning signals. Then his facial expression gave way to a wave and a smirk at how totally entranced we were.
The fabled 1931 Seagrave was the first vehicle purchased by the city for the fire department and was in service until its retirement in 1962. From then until 2013, it served to bring Santa to Hospitality Night and
many civic events. When I heard restoration project supporters were taking the Seagrave Main Beach after the Brooks Street celebration was over, we followed it downtown to the cobblestone
plaza. Then another memory came back as I stood by the Seagrave, very near where I stood with my grandpa over 65 years ago on PCH, watching that shiny red fire truck go by like the Santa Fe train in San Juan Capistrano. There were still homes and commercial buildings where Main Beach Park is now. My grandpa took us for breakfast at Benton’s on the old boardwalk, and seeing what passed then as a monster truck fly by on a quiet early summer morning was a thrill I never forgot.
HILLS, PAGE 20
Above: (l to r): Brooks Street Parade Master of Ceremonies Steve Cohn, Councilmember George Weiss, Brooks Street Parade Keynote Speaker Howard Hills and one of LBFD’s finest Top right: Lura Hills with grandson Elden on running board of Davidson, N.C. restored fire truck in 2023. Photos/ Howard Hills
My support for the Seagrave restoration project is also driven by an apt example of why historic legacy projects are important to sustain community values. With two of four daughters and four of twelve grandkids in Charlotte, N.C., we bought a home in a forest near Lake Norman and the fabled college town of Davidson, N.C. The college was founded in 1837, and our home was in the historic village, so I could walk into town with my grandkids for breakfast when they stayed with us.
Walking down scenic historic Main Street in that perfectly preserved small town, not unlike Laguna’s Forest Avenue, where no one passes by without a wave and a hello, I used to think any sequel to “It’s A Wonderful Life” would have to be made in Davidson. It’s that authentic.
On Saturday at the Farmer’s Market the main attractions for kids of all ages, locals and visitors, is the historic Davidson Fire Department’s restored fire engine. It still runs. The Davidson Fire Station is next door to the Farmer’s Market, where the fire truck is a treasured community legacy.
Appreciating the Davidson historic fire truck and the Laguna Beach Seagrave firsthand, I kicked in a little more from my charitable causes fund than I might have, but I was happy to do it.
If you feel like I do, that the 1931 Seagrave is worth restoring, the Laguna Beach Firefighters Association is accepting gratefully any support you can provide. Visit lagunabeachcity.net to find more details about this historic fire truck.
Howard Hills is a third-generation Laguna native and constitutional law author.
July 4
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down the stairs and stop because the beach is overrun...and the environment is getting trashed.”
The city’s first-ever Fourth of July drone show was also met with mixed reviews. Some residents said they enjoyed the change, while others lamented the loss of the traditional fireworks.
“I loved our new drone show,” said resident Jan Hobbs, adding that her out-of-town guests commented on how quiet Laguna Beach was. “I would have liked it to have been a little longer and more in line with how long the fireworks show was, about 25 minutes.”
Beach Environmental Sustainability Committee, said the Laguna public can trust her to be “on the right side of every environmental issue.”
“I am willing to take on issues others may be afraid to tackle, but that Lagunans want to see addressed,” she said. “Having a champion for animals, people and the planet on the council would benefit everyone. I am also a proponent of fiscal responsibility and accountability. That’s a profile we need on our city council.”
Mancuso previously ran for a council seat in 2016 and 2018 and said she’s dismayed that little progress has been made since then, especially when it comes to traffic and tourism.
“Livability and affordability are still top-of-mind for so many voters I speak with,” Mancuso said. “Community members also continue to want greater transparency and accountability. They want to feel like they are being consulted on big decisions, which isn’t always the case today. Very little progress has been made on infrastructure modernization. We need council members willing to take on the less glamourous issues and identify preventative measures that will avoid catastrophes down the road that could be devastating for residents and businesses as well as our wildlife and city finances.”
For that reason, Mancuso said that, if elected, one of her main priorities will
be public health and safety, focusing on ocean health and water quality.
“Our city has spilled 2.7 million gallons of sewage since 2007,” Mancuso said. “Funds are being allocated to maintenance and upgrades, but many are wondering if it isn’t too little, too late. The experts I have spoken with have serious questions about whether Laguna should be running its own sewer district. That’s something that needs to be debated openly, with guidance from experts, not politicians.”
Mancuso started full-time legislative advocacy work in 2007 when she founded her nonprofit, Social Compassion in Legislation (SCIL).
The animal advocacy nonprofit was behind the law removing puppy mills from California pet shops and prohibiting the use of wild animals in circuses.
The nonprofit also sponsored a bill allowing pet owners to dine with their pets on restaurant patios.
“Passed in 2014, that law is still hugely popular today, though not many people know it was the brainchild of my nonprofit,” Mancuso said. “It was so popular I was asked to get one passed in New York as well, which I did in 2015. As far as I know, no one else in the race has successfully gone up against special interests like I have. That includes standing up to the biggest corporations in America to get them to stop needlessly
torturing animals to make beauty products. Even my setbacks have made me a more effective and strategic leader and taught me vital lessons that I carry with me into my work and personal life.”
Mancuso’s next campaign event will be a Happy Hour hosted by Laguna residents and Citizens’ Climate Lobby members Sue and Gary Stewart. The event will take place at the Stewart’s home on July 19 from 6 to 8 p.m.
Another event hosted by Charlotte Masarik, a Laguna Bluebelt coalition board member, is in its planning stages.
Visit judiemancuso.com to sign up for updates on future events and opportunities or to register to host a meet-and-greet.
Laguna Beach’s general municipal election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 5, to elect two city council members, the city clerk and city treasurer. All positions will hold a full term of four years.
The nomination period for these offices begins on Monday, July 15 and closes on Friday, Aug. 9, at 5 p.m.
Council members George Weiss and Bob Whalen, as well as city treasurer Laura Parisi and city clerk Ann Marie McKay, are up for reelection.
As of press time, only Mancuso and Hallie Jones, the executive vice president and chief program officer at Crystal Cove Conservancy, have officially announced their bids for city council.
majestic ocean.”
Adding, “We’re over the moon about this visual voyage, which sparks a deeper appreciation for the beauty and fragility of our oceanic wonderland. Through these shared glimpses of splendor and connection, we aim to strengthen our dedication to protecting and preserving these priceless marine ecosystems.”
“Our sincerest appreciation goes out to each participant for their contributions, our esteemed judges, and the organizers for fostering such a magnificent celebration!”
The contest was judged by Laguna’s Rich German, global marine scientist Julianne Steers, and photographer and marine scientist Kate Vylet. They selected the first, second and third place winners in two categories: Amateur and Professional as well as 3 Honorable Mentions in each.
Rich German, Project O founder said “It’s always an honor to be a judge for the Laguna Bluebelt Photo Contest. Laguna’s MPA is the ultimate example of our commitment to protect our precious coastline and the life that calls it
home. And these images bring that commitment to light in a beautiful, visual way.”
Likewise, global marine scientist and contest judge, Julianne Steers said, “From expansive aerials to dime-sized underwater wildlife these stunning images truly showcase the beauty and diversity in Laguna’s Marine Protected Area. Each image highlights a key role these elements play to thrive within our Bluebelt.”
A new judge from Monterey Bay, Kate Vylet, conservation and underwater photographer and videographer said, “It was wonderful seeing so much passion for the Laguna MPAs captured in this year’s entries. I thoroughly enjoyed going through everyone’s work.”
Everyone has a chance now to pick the “Best of the Rest” as public judges and select their favorite photo until the deadline on July 23. Visit the Laguna Bluebelt facebook page to cast a vote. Winning photos can be previewed at lagunabluebelt.org. Photo contest winners will be celebrated with an artist reception and chance to purchase their work on Aug. 1 at the Laguna College Art & Design Gallery, 374 Ocean Avenue in downtown Laguna Beach from 5 to 8 p.m.
Robb Mitchell’s “Chillin Gulls” won first place in Laguna Bluebelt photo contest amateur category. Photo/Robb Mitchell
as defined, from stopping a pedestrian for specified traffic infractions unless a reasonably careful person would realize there is an immediate danger of collision with a moving vehicle or other device moving exclusively by human power.”
What constitutes “a reasonably careful person,” and what might enforcement, ultimately look like, be hinged upon to be successful? Doesn’t jaywalking while using a smartphone constitute “unreasonable, careless?”
The law doesn’t preemptively inure with impunity, shelter, or give ridiculous decision-making autonomy to many who are not just rude but inattentive, perhaps under the influence of the now ubiquitous drugs and alcohol in our society.
Laguna is a year-round tourist destination, and millions visit to avail themselves of loosened drug laws. They feel falsely empowered when their pedestrian, scofflaw activities need attenuation.
What if a Laguna Beach police officer observes erratic behavior, wants to prevent injury to that pedestrian or allows them to jeopardize the safety of motorists traveling at moderate but still deadly speeds?
Feeling curtailed, inhibited as that might be construed as harassment (something AB 2147 alleges it inhibits), if they do stop the person and ask a few questions, will we have civil rights law firms setting up shop in our city?
Whether it’s wearing helmets on roadways or a seatbelt while operating a vehicle, we’re down to saving people from themselves and their own poor judgment while navigating our arterial surface streets.
Legislating behavioral modification is one thing; implementing it at ground zero, literally where “the rubber meets the road,” is another.
For those gleefully anticipating the acquisition of both Laguna Canyon Road and PCH? With assets come liabilities, including potential negligence litigation vulnerabilities.
Perhaps failure to enforce “distracted jaywalking” might lend itself to expensive, protracted legal interventions. We might be forced to defend ourselves from frivolous personal injury attorneys who always seek deep-pocket resources.
One possible solution is to give our chief and his officers the tools for discretionary ticketing. Mass broadcast that obligatory possibility, i.e., publicize it via mainstream and social media, emphasize that policy in press releases and public service announcements.
Socializing the first offenders in the public square pillory usually extends the issue into the bigger world. It warns locals and visitors alike that we’re serious about controlling rampant mischief.
As for those knuckleheads who
have their smartphones up to their ears while weaving their way through traffic between crosswalks? That, in my opinion, is not acting reasonable and literally defines distracted jaywalking.
Initiate this ability to proactively confront what is occurring, and the ramped-up probability of injury and death as we become more urbanized lessens.
Put AB 2147 on the City Council agenda and have our police department and city attorney explain how it might or might not give us a degree of legal safe harbor.
Let’s get ahead of the curve instead of behind the inevitable EMT, fire, police department and litigation 8-ball.
Roger E. Bütow moved to Laguna Beach in 1972. A former general contractor, he’s currently a professional land use & regulatory compliance analyst who specializes in environmental and constructionrelated advisory services.
the name of a circus. We don’t work with animals, remember?” Another artist piped up with, “Beach Ball Pictures.” The artists gasped. “Beach Balls? That’s probably the only object we all haven’t painted, sculpted or made glass out of it. We need a more encompassing name.” Silence endured while the thinking caps were pulled tighter. A pre-schooler of one of the artists shouted, “Sandy Pants.” The others looked at one another, shrugged, “That’s pretty good.” The pre-schooler said, “No, it’s not. You wouldn’t say that if you had sand in your pants.”
By some miracle, the Beaver family got to Laguna Beach on their 100 and 20th set of road maps. They just needed a little help to find Bluebird Canyon road. They saw a group of people in a eucalyptus grove and pulled over to get directions.
The Beavers pulled up in front of the shouting group of people and opened their doors to stretch their legs and ask for help. Out poured the remains of all those road maps at the feet of the arguing artists. “Sawdust?”
The Beavers answered, “No. Road maps.” The artists jumped for joy and praised the Beavers. “You did it. You brought us the new name. We’ll call it the Sawdust Festival.”
Crantz tells the Indy the Beavers were given directions to their new home on Bluebird Canyon. They had beaten the picture of themselves. Unfortunately, a picture of squatters had arrived before them, so they are building a
on the property to
“Oh,
9/13 RICHIE KOTZEN with Mark Daly 9/14 JOURNEY USA (J
9/15 BENISE: Fiesta! 9/19 THE MAN IN BLACK (J ohnny C ash T R
9/20 WILD CHILD
) 9/22 JANE MONHEIT
9/25 ANA POPOVIC 9/27 DAVE MASON 9/28 ORIANTHI 10/3 ZEBRA 10/4 DAVE MASON 10/5 KIMBERLY PERRY (of The Band Perry) 10/6 DAVE HAUSE 10/9 AL DiMEOLA The Electric Years
10/10 HENRY KAPONO 10/11 HENRY KAPONO 10/12 PABLO CRUISE 10/16 JIMMIE VAUGHAN 10/18 GARY PUCKETT & THE UNION GAP
10/20 THE YOUNG DUBLINERS 10/25 MIRAGE ( f lee T woo D m a C T R ibu T e )
10/30 THE MUSICAL BOX 10/31 OINGO BOINGO FORMER MEMBERS UNTOUCHABLES
11/1 OINGO BOINGO FORMER MEMBERS UNTOUCHABLES
11/2 VENICE 11/3 THE WINEHOUSE EXPERIENCE ( a my w inehouse T R ibu T e ) 11/8 COMMON SENSE
11/9 TYRONE WELLS 11/13 JOHN HIATT
11/15 RONSTADT REVIVAL 11/16 JOSHUA RADIN & RON POPE 11/22 SPACE ODDITY (D avi D b owie T R ibu T e )
11/23 RUFUS WAINWRIGHT 11/26 LEONID & FRIENDS (C hi C a G o T R ibu T e )
11/27 BEATLES VS STONES 11/29 THE PLATTERS
11/30 LEE ROCKER of the Stray Cats
12/4 LIVINGSTON TAYLOR and LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III
12/11 DAVID BENOIT
12/12 KY-MANI MARLEY 12/15 THE GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA
12/21 AMBROSIA Holiday show
12/29 L.A. GUNS
12/31 THE ENGLISH BEAT
1/10 TOMMY CASTRO & The Painkillers
1/24 GENE LOVES JEZEBEL / BOW WOW WOW 2/16 INCENDIO w / a RD eshi R f a R ah ( of s TR un Z & f a R ah ) 3/6 ALTAN
Laguna Festival of Arts Foundation (FOA) Awards a Generous Grant to LPAPA
By LB Indy Staff
As LPAPA prepares for its 26th Annual Laguna Beach Plein Air Painting Invitational, we are proud to announce that the Laguna Festival of Arts Foundation (FOA) gifted a grant of $5,000 for LPAPA’s renowned educational programs and events that include the year-round multi-generational Plein Air Project, the Future Generation Paint Out for grades 4 through 12, and the Next Paint Out for college level students.
This year’s Future Generation Paint Out will be hosted on Oct. 7, with artist members of the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association (LPAPA) mentoring local students, grades four through 12, from the Laguna Beach Unified School District. Students selected by their school will be invited to paint outdoors at Heisler Park for their own plein air painting experience. The young artists will receive art supplies that include a paint set, canvas board and a portable easel that they can take home with them. The student’s artwork created that day will then be exhibited at the LPAPA Gallery for sale, with 100% of the proceeds to be donated to the participating schools to benefit
their art programs.
Another element held during our Annual Laguna Plein Painting Invitational in October is the Next Generation Paint Out. This program offers college level students an enhanced learning experience, helping them to prepare for a professional career in the arts, while augmenting their painting and drawing skills, and giving them recognition for their creative efforts through opportunities to sell their work and compete for scholarship awards.
Throughout the school year, LPAPA’s Plein Air Project is a multi-faceted approach that involves painting demonstrations at elementary schools, a visit to our Laguna gallery or a local museum, and a hands-on plein air painting experience at or near the participating school.
In addition, LPAPA offers yearround adult education programs and workshops.
The Festival of Arts Foundation’s commitment to the arts will help LPAPA “pay it forward” and continue to fulfill our dedication to support the rich artistic culture of our city through our
Laguna bids farewell to Waste Management Services
Neighbors Bobbi Straus and Bob Hartman say goodbye to Hugo at Waste Management. For 30 years, Hugo has been their hauler on Ceanothus Drive. Laguna Beach City Council officially voted CR&R as the city’s new refuse hauler on July 12, 2023 and the change went into effect this July 1. CR&R has started the process of replacing Laguna Beach residents’ Waste Management containers within city limits, and will continue until Oct. 4. Photo courtesy of Bobbi Straus.
educational programs while inspiring future generations of artists to continue the Laguna plein air painting tradition and legacy.
The Laguna Plein Air Painters Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit art organization originally established in Laguna Beach in 1996. For more information about the 2024 Laguna Beach Plein Air Painting Invitational visit lpapa.org or contact LPAPA by email at info@lpapa.org or by phone at (949) 376-3635. The LPAPA Gallery is located on Gallery Row in Laguna Beach at 414 N. Coast Highway.
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Driving unlicensed, bench warrant, possession of a controlled substance. Agustin Gonzalezquintero, 26, of Los Angeles was arrested on suspicion of driving unlicensed, an outstanding bench warrant and two counts of possessing a controlled substance. He was held without bail. Bench warrant. Marc Frank Zavala, 50, of Laguna Beach was arrested on suspicion of an outstanding bench warrant. He was held without bail.
Wednesday, July 10
Act V parking to downtown, like they do so successfully in many South American cities as a form of mass transit? It would be non-polluting, quiet, fun, and would come with an epic view descending into the city. As they say in the theater business, that’s an entrance. A real Village Entrance. Why not a true bike lane network, with electric bike kiosks spread all over town? Why not a congestive pricing tax on those who use Coast Highway as a commuter lane? At least until the Toll Road un-tolls theirs? Why not slow down the velocity of speeding cars from Diamond to downtown with a series of massive speed bump/crosswalks?
There are dozens of methods for curbing the curse of cars in the new urban environment, which puts humans first. So, to borrow one more fireworks cliche, let’s hold our council candidates’ feet to the fire this election season and get moving on Making Laguna Livable Again.
Billy is the Chief Experience Officer at adventure sports company La Vida Laguna, and Executive Director of KXFM 104.7, Laguna’s Community Radio. He can be reached at billy@ lavidalaguna.com.
Evading peace officers. Melissa Lynn Haley, 33, of Newport Beach was arrested on suspicion of evading peace officers with wanton disregard. She was held without bail.
Conducting business on city property, providing false identification. Isabel Hernandez Gonzalez, 42, of Los Angeles was arrested on suspicion of conducting business on city property and giving false identification to specific peace officers. She was held on $500 bail.
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SUMMER SPORTS
Laguna Beach High School Athletics summer programs will be starting soon. Check out the programs for all sports at lbhs.lbusd.org. Indoor Volleyball is having camps beginning July 22 with a session for grades 6-8 and Girls indoor sessions for grades 6-9 and 10-12. Have a note/question on Laguna sports/correction/update? E-mail Frank at Frank@twometer.net. Looking for the 2023-24 high school schedules and scores? Check Laguna Beach High School on the Max Preps website.
Marcus Skenderian
Luke Sydnor
Jimmie Russell
