For those of us who like hiking, south Laguna offers a labyrinth of scruffy, scenic trails. Thanks to the County of Orange, the South Laguna Civic Association (full disclosure: I’m a board member), and other environmentally minded groups and citizens, public access to these paths was and remains secured. Of late, I’ve come to […]
For those of us who like hiking, south Laguna offers a labyrinth of scruffy, scenic trails. Thanks to the County of Orange, the South Laguna Civic Association (full disclosure: I’m a board member), and other environmentally minded groups and citizens, public access to these paths was and remains secured. Of late, I’ve come to appreciate […]
Sustainable Tourism on the Coasts of Southeast Asia My family’s recent tour of countries and coastlines in Southeast Asia yielded good and bad news. The bad news is that beaches bordering the Andaman Sea are being overrun, ironically, by folks like me. The good news is that some countries and hotels located along these […]
“Beauty will save the world,” said a character in a novel written in the late 1800s by Feodor Dostoevsky, one of the most revered authors in modern literature. Seemingly inspired by this insight, the MacGillivray family in town has long been making film documentaries that have aimed at saving dolphins and other marine creatures, and […]
Reportedly, on average 3 million gallons of pollutants empty into Aliso Beach daily–rain or no rain. Motor oil, fertilizers, animal dung, and more contaminate this much-used public beach and the waterway that flows into it. Imagine the impact of this on public health; put more starkly, on the unprotected children who play at the mouth […]
Library Hosts Local Author Thomas Osborne, local author and columnist for Laguna Beach Independent, will be at Laguna Beach Library on Monday, Sept. 16, at 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. He will answer questions and sign copies of his most recent work, “Pacific Eldorado,” which will be available for purchase. The library is […]
Recently I spent two 10-12-hour days at the California Coastal Commission meeting in Long Beach’s City Council Chambers. Had my schedule permitted, I would have attended the third and final day of that meeting. I attended because of my growing interest in protecting the Golden State’s magnificent 1,100-mile coast from development-driven pollution (think Aliso Creek […]
Recently I spent two 10-12-hour days at the California Coastal Commission meeting in Long Beach’s City Council Chambers. Had my schedule permitted, I would have attended the third and final day of that meeting. I attended because of my growing interest in protecting the Golden State’s magnificent 1,100-mile coast from development-driven pollution (think Aliso Creek […]
Our kids grow up and one day leave Laguna. Laguna, however, seldom leaves them. They go off to college armed with their wits, often our credit card (yikes!), and whatever stuck from their upbringing. Many are equipped with something else as well, an attachment to their coastal hometown and the sea. Such a person is […]
Preserving the California coast and its historic cottages is a big job. Often it requires the partnering of citizen activists and their groups, the California Coastal Commission, and generous donors. Such has been the case locally at Crystal Cove, nestled along the shoreline between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach. Laura Davick, founder of the […]
Governing as if Environmental Factors Matter Do we replace our aging roof, or refurbish the entrance gate to our home? We’re not always able to do both simultaneously. Naturally, we’ll prioritize and eventually finish both tasks. Our city government, similarly, has to make a host of decisions (infinitely more complex and numerous than those in […]
I’m a booklover. I love the feel, the look, the smell of books. I’m drawn to others who share this passion—librarians, collectors, and independent booksellers (particularly sellers of used volumes). A trip to Portland always entails many hours at Powell’s Books, and similarly in the Bay Area I’m drawn like metal to a magnet to […]
If you’re like I am, when you travel abroad, on returning home you may see Laguna Beach through a slightly different set of eyes. Comparisons, contrasts, and spatial connections–all involving Laguna and the wider world–that I had not seen before embarking on trips to foreign lands seem to jump out at me on returning to […]
Finishing a Legacy Begun by Others The open space initiative on this year’s ballot has raised questions and inspired debate. People naturally want to know how it would work, while some argue that it’s not necessary. For those with questions, I encourage you to visit the campaign website, lagunaopenspace.com. You’ll find that Measure CC would […]
Thumbs Up for New Sustainability Committee I recently attended the reorganized and renamed Environmental Sustainability Committee (ESC). The seven-person group meets at the Susi Q Senior Center on the fourth Monday of each month at 6 p.m., and the meetings are open to the public. As a former member of that body when it was […]
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