Has anyone noticed unexpected development near your property recently? It could be recent changes in Community Development (CD) started under the ex-city manager; I think it’s called “streamlining.” In my opinion, this is a euphemism for eliminating the pesky neighbor and public oversight from the process.
I’ve built and remodeled my Laguna properties over the years and know the CD project review and permitting process well. I believe the public notice & DRB approval process, while painful, is balanced and protects neighbors. However, this process has recently been rife with abuse, starting with recent public noticing changes but includes DRB plan check failure, staff report “incompleteness,” overt bias, and even arbitrarily waiving of required DRB reviews.
Over the last six years, I’ve defended my property rights from neighbors I would characterize as self-absorbed, entitled “bad actors” who start work without permits or regard for neighbors. I conducted the same research and reviews of city code, historical city files, proposed plans that CD should complete. I have found gross differences that benefit the applicant 100% of the time. They result in incomplete DRB staff reports biased in favor of the applicant and are, in effect, usurping the DRB’s ability to make informed decisions.
The motivations/causes here aren’t clear, but the abuse of process is excessive, flagrant and too complicated to include here in a single letter. I will write more letters in the future, but this one is focused on the public notice process and requirements, which are 21 days for full DRB and 14 days for admin.
A couple of years ago, I missed a Dec. 29 admin DRB meeting because I received the notice letter three days later. The postmark was Dec. 15 and thought maybe the City should modify the process to ensure I received it per the public notice requirement (14 days in this case), not just send it out on that date.
Recently, an incomplete notice was posted in my neighbor’s mailbox only 10 days before the meeting date.
After talking to the City and mailing contractor, I found the neighbor’s mailed notices hadn’t been sent out.
This is due to a new, 6-month-old process instituted to send postcards via a third-party mailer, and it was clearly broken. Worse, the City’s website didn’t show the DRB agenda until two days before the meeting. Intentional or negligent? You be the judge.
David Dyrnaes, Laguna Beach
 started under the ex-city manager; I think it’s called “streamlining.” In my opinion, this is a euphemism for eliminating the pesky neighbor and public oversight from the process. ){kind=link}