Small matters count. They matter because they often indicate what is going on in the big picture. Case in point: My wife and I attended the Farmers Market this past Saturday as we do every Saturday. We parked, and as we walked over the bridge that spans the drainage channel from the canyon, I noticed something very unusual. On closer examination, I saw that there was some debris that had jammed the channel and had backed up the free flow of the water. As a result, there was a huge bloom of disgusting green sludge that completely filled the width of the channel and had backed up approximately twenty-five feet from the obstruction. It occurred to me that this was a true environmental disaster that was about to happen. Should the obstruction break this mass of green sludge would wind up at Main Beach, and the resulting bacteria probably close the beach.
I gave this some thought and called the Laguna Beach Police Department’s non-emergency number to report what I was concerned about. The operator took the call and noted the concern. I was so worried that this may fall through the crack that I followed up and returned to the bridge to see if I needed to follow up with my concern. Low and behold, the heavy sludge was removed to the elevated sides of the watercourse where it could dry and the blockage cleared.
I am writing because I believe that this event, although being a small matter, points to the leadership of our very capable city manager. It demonstrates that the departments are communicating with each other in a timely manner, and there is a synergy that carries the day. This only happens when there is a hands-on leadership that permeates the entire organization. I believe this event indicates true leadership, and we are fortunate to have Shohreh Dupuis at the helm.
Eric Jensen, Laguna Beach
