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Off the Menu By Christopher Trela | NB Indy Summer is fast approaching, which means it’s nearly time to celebrate the arts in Laguna Beach. The popular Sawdust Art & Craft Festival and the nearby Art-A-Fair both open their doors at the end of June, while Festival of Arts and...

Omaya Hassan Charaf Johnson Omaya Hassan Charaf Johnson was born in Damascus Syria, on April 23, 1923, to a Lebanese mother and a Syrian father, Hassan Mahmoud Charaf M.D. He was a physician to (and rode with) Prince Faisal of Arabia and T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia) during the Arab...

Bird’s Eye View “It’s time to fly south for the summer,” cooed a Morning Dove. “Sorry dear, but you have that mixed up. It’s fly south for the winter,” answered his mate. “Not this year. Haven’t you read the Indy? She shook her head. “No, I only pass over Indy’s when nature...

As a criminal defense attorney, the question I am asked most frequently is, “How can you represent someone if you know they’re guilty?” What I have learned in my 24 years of defending people who are charged with crimes—beyond the fact that we have a right to be presumed innocent,...

In a recent editorial in the Indy, a writer commented that some people may have been disappointed in the outcome of the new walking/parking space referred to as Village Entrance. I was disappointed, and I knew I would be, given the modifications made at the last moment to the...

On June 4 at City Council, Councilman Steve Dicterow voted “no” on the second reading of the revised Short-Term Lodging (STL) ordinance that is an agreement between Laguna staff and Coastal Commission staff. It is both shocking and disappointing to me that Steve voted “no.” He...

Do a search for “signs of an effective school board member” and you’ll find positive characteristics including: an altruistic reason for service, an ability to speak for all stakeholders, maintaining constant open communication with a broad constituency, and having the wisdom to...

Of Smartphones and Schools With my size 11 sneakers, I am going to tread not so reverentially over sacred ground. The subject for today is American students and their smartphones. There is a bill pending in Sacramento, put forth by Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, that would require...

By Hoiyin Ip, Special to the Independent There will be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050, according to World Economic Forum. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) reported in May that “around one million animal and...

Tony DeLap Nov. 4, 1927 – May 29, 2019 Parrasch Heijnen Gallery, Los Angeles, and Franklin Parrasch Gallery, New York, are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Tony DeLap at the age of 91. Born in Oakland, California, in 1927, DeLap’s 70-year-plus career...

The school district is revisiting a 2016 decision to unweight grades. Some parents and students question the school district’s course structure alignment to UC standards, when only 13 percent of LBHS graduates choose to attend UC schools. One concerned parent explains, “This...

The Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual State of the City event on May 2—it was our largest turnout in history. Mayor Bob Whalen shared his desire for elevating the quality of debate in our community. City updates were also given by Community Development Director Greg Pfost,...

I’ve just returned from almost a month in a short-term rental in Sorrento Italy. Sorrento is very much like Laguna Beach—it is a charming seaside town of 16,000 residents set on cliffs. It has high-end hotels that attract the world’s wealthy and famous. It has a thriving artist...

On Friday, May 17, 175 TOW parents and students joined together for the Second Annual TOW PTA Family Wellness Night, a farm-to-table supper. This year, the dinner was themed a Mediterranean Rainbow, emphasizing the “eat your rainbow” edict. Set outside the school’s main garden,...

In April, I had the pleasure of attending the “Diversity and the Creative Economy” symposium. In the current political climate, marked by negativity and division, it was refreshing to see that many in our community are looking to keep dialogue alive. I’m grateful for all the...