The Laguna Beach City Council officially adopted St. Ives, England, as a sister city, joining current siblings in Menton, France, and San Jose del Cabo, Mexico.
An official recognition ceremony took place earlier this month with Mayor Elizabeth Pearson signing a proclamation, which her counterpart, Linda Taylor, will sign in St. Ives.
The economy of St. Ives, a port city in Cornwall, also relies on artists and tourists and shares a surfing industry as well as a similar climate in common. William Wendt, an early plein air painter who helped establish Laguna as an art colony, also painted in St. Ives.
To mark the alliance, a delegation of about 30 locals led by the Laguna Art Museum and Laguna Beach Sister Cities Association visited recently. “This trip to England is the springboard for a deeper understanding and appreciation of our mutual goals of increasing cultural, educational and business exchange,” said Karyn Philippsen, president of the Laguna Beach Sister Cities Association.
