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Editor,   Every neighborhood has its own flavor and urban legends.  Down the street from my home is a neat, orderly pretty residence with a large yard owned by a local couple.  She, an elementary school teacher now retired. Upon retirement her energies began to be focused on...

Solving a Fiscal Crisis By Alan N. Boinus, Special to the Independent   In an effort to balance the budget and bring fiscal stability to California, Gov. Jerry Brown and the Democrats in the Legislature approved a budget over continued intransigence from Republicans and the...

Take the Bait Will we go to the lake this year? I imagine. Will you take us fishing? Fishing! You hate fishing.   Too many bugs. Too hot. The juice isn’t cold. Salmon eggs are stinky. My line is tangled. It’s too long a walk. Don’t kill it! Don’t kill it with a rock!  ...

Putting in a Plug for Laguna Beach By Tom Osborne I attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the completion of our city’s first two electric car plug-in stations last week.  I learned that Laguna Beach is the second city in Orange County (Anaheim being the first) to take such a...

A Newcomer Samples Local Culture   By Mark D. Crantz, Special to the Independent  “Welcome to Laguna,” said the real estate agent as she handed us the keys to our new rental. “Oh, and here are two tickets to the preview to the Festival of Arts.”  What no key chain light or jar...

By Paul D. Speer Jr., Special to the Independent My family moved from Laguna Beach in my graduation summer.  I came back to the village periodically while I was in college.  After 1953 I did not return for 31 years.  In 1984, as I drove down the coast past Corona del Mar and...

Editor:       As one of many long-time supporters of our Laguna hospital and its excellent doctors, I am concerned about the stealthy acquisition of the adjacent Domanskis parcel, undercutting what Lagunans believed to be a successful bid to preserve the land as open spa...

Editor,  It was good to read that the Mission Hospital purchased the empty lots behind the hospital.  Maybe now that land will be put to some useful purpose for the citizens of Laguna Beach. Too bad that a trail may eventually have to be routed around it. We only have zillions of...

Editor, Laguna Canyon Conservancy founder and former mayor of Laguna Beach Lida Lenny was fond of quoting the anthropologist Margret Mead. “A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Thank God for the activists. I...

Editor, Count me among many Lagunans who are profoundly disappointed and angered by Mission Hospital’s last-minute pre-emptive action to prevent the city from acquiring nearly eight acres of open space behind the hospital. While there probably is nothing legally wrong with it, it...

Editor, Ah yes, the letter from the Immels (“Views from an Open Space-Campaign Critic,” Letters, July 1) makes me wonder whether they fell asleep during their high school civics class.  All initiatives in California are started with a petition that must be signed only by...

Editors: I just came from my annual token visit to the Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach.  I say “token” because I do it in honor of the artists and their effort, but usually do not find anything new and exciting there.  This year, however, was different. This year...

Editor, Re: the proposal to build a staircase at Rockledge Point (“Neighbors Seek Beach Access,” April 29 edition.) As one of the few souls who frequents the rocks in front of Rockledge point by swimming, the idea of building a staircase there is ridiculous. This proposal is a...

Editor, It’s disappointing that Mission Hospital would undermine our community’s efforts at the last minute to purchase a critical hillside parcel of land in South Laguna.  Our City Council approved the deal June 7 using Prop. 12 monies and it would have closed by the end of the...

Editor: It is now known that Mission Regional Medical Center has “outbid”, rather it has undercut, the city for a 7.8-acre parcel of land on Mar Vista Avenue that sits adjacent to the hospital.  The property features a popular public trail connecting to Badlands Park and Aliso...