Has Billy Fried become Michael Ray’s Mini-Me? Just when we thought we were rid of Ray, Fried does a tag team display of ad hominem nonsense about criticism of a taxpayer-funded public employee, the city manager!
Who appointed Fried the defender of the city manager? There is real question about her competence. She has recently named and attacked individual residents on the public record. Where is her evidence of this so-called cyberbullying? She did not provide proof and should be required to do so. Let me say again: The city manager is a public employee. Now Fried adopts a Peter Blake diatribe and attacks councilman Weiss. Enough!
Let me suggest that Mr. Fried work out his obvious interest in the community by doing something useful, like serving on one of the city committees that are currently recruiting.
Let me also suggest that the Indy find some new guest opinion columnists. The voters have spoken about Peter Blake. I believe we have all had enough of both Fried and Ray.
Kiku Terasaki, Laguna Beach
More nonsense from the rear view mirror folk. I see plenty of letters and columns in the Indy that are far more conspiratorial and off base then either Fried’s or Ray’s. How many years going forward are you going to continue to blame everything you don’t like about progress in Laguna Beach on Blake, Ray and Fried? Aren’t you tired of chasing windmills. The future is for those with creative vision not vitriol spewing luddites!
My sentiment exactly. And stop attacking City employees. BE CIVIL
Jorg, I guess your statement, “How many years are you going to continue to blame everything you don’t like about progress in Laguna Beach on Blake, Ray, and Fried”. I guess the answer to that is “how do you define progress”. Is your definition of “progress” an ill conceived parking structure on 3RD. Street? This proposal is not only fiscally unsound but 100% inappropriate in too many facets to go into. Or maybe “progress” is the fast track approval of dismantling the 25′ set back and allowing for development of the Bluff Face in Laguna to be built out to “ZERO” Feet from the Bluff’s edge. (under certain circumstances ) The “Circumstances” and to “whom” they might apply is not defined.
The Laguna Beach City Council has been hijacked by Pro-Development proponents who have time and time again championed irresponsible proposals without proper noticing to residents, or even offering the residents an opportunity to voice opinions and concerns. This continued “end around” strategy that has become the M.O. of our City Council is quite simply in my opinion, dishonest and deceitful.
I am hopeful that the addition of Council Persons Rounaghi and Orgill will put an end to the City Council of the past sessions pro-development, pro-tourism, (at the expense of residents), and anti-resident agenda. Let’s have our Council become a true extension of what the citizens of Laguna want and need from their City Council. Thoughtful development, Citizen participation, proper noticing, and most importantly honest transparency on matters of interest to the residents of Laguna Beach.
Planning Commissioner Dubin: Your Question: “How many years going forward are you going to continue to blame everything you don’t like about progress in Laguna Beach on Blake, Ray and Fried?
Answer: Until every individual given city positions of authority by Peter Blake no longer serves us and we aren’t subjected to their Blake type bias and name-calling playbook. Maybe start with you since you have shown you are biased and clearly openly resent Laguna Beach residents who don’t share your views. In my opinion, this isn’t the behavior of a professional and certainly not the level of city representation Laguna Beach residents should settle for.
As for the two columnists mentioned – I think readers would just be happy if they stopped name-calling, spinning city and development narratives and actually provided some facts. Until they do, their columns are purely political entertainment to me.
I’m so happy to read that someone else is tired of these two writers who write the wrong information. All Fried and Ray’s columns have no truth in them. Most of what Fried wrote was untrue. It would be wonderful if they did a little research before they write their articles.
Jorg, are you saying that the four years Blake was in office that he didn’t do anything that would last past those four years?
The name callers want someone being called a name to not call people names? Gotta love it.
Michael+Ray, I looked at Your All Caps note above “BE CIVIL”. I, as many who follow your column, MUSINGS ON THE COAST was to say the least astonished at your words. So I took it upon myself to revisit some of your quotes from previous MUSINGS ON THE COAST.
Here You go, Michael+Ray; On Toni Iseman, ” almost all of your actions were as though you did not exist. Your service was so much dust” * “You changed, politics became more than friendship, a pity you lost your soul”. Remember, be CIVIL.
On Billy Fried, “So Billy, You and Your Ilk”. Remember, be CIVIL.
On Mo Hanaker, “Mo may own the Hotel Laguna but he is an amateur”. Remember, Be CIVIL.
On Reuben Flores, “who has the distinction of “allegedly” multiple code violations and “allegedly”welshing on his debts”. Remember, be CIVIL
On Jerome Pudwill and Mark Orgill, “They have done nothing in the community to merit anyone’s support”. Remember, be CIVIL.
On Village Laguna, “Your opinion ain’t popular, and You ain’t either, so get over your preachy know it all airs, You’re done, stick a fork in it”. Remember, be CIVIL.
Michael+Ray, civility is certainly “NOT” Your strong suit. Please do not attempt to portray yourself as some benevolent voice of reason. You are certainly as caustic as your writings indicate. Remember, be CIVIL.
I wonder if anyone remembers Your PAC flyers condemning Reuben Flores. Those “flyers” were the polar opposite of civility. For You, of all people to preach “Civility” is a laugh. I could have furnished more of your diatribe, but I think this “small” sampling sufficient.
Jorg Dubin was and, IMO, and still is a Blake “wanna be”. One of the first LTE’s to the Indy that Dubin wrote signed it as “Jorg Dubin, Planning Commissioner”. The title was “Stop the Squeal” wherein he parroted and amplified Blake’s continuous smearing of Village Laguna. One of Blake’s favourite name for Village Laguna members or those that supported VL was to call us “pigs” in his emails. I guess Dubin wanted to assure his pal, Blake, that he could be just as uncivil and vicious as Blake. And did the City Attorney ever call on Dubin to recuse himself because of bias? Not to my knowledge. But then a City Attorney that knowingly lied when, under the guise of an unbiased summary of Measure Q defined the word “electorate” as those “that are registered to vote” instead the the legal meaning in this context to be “of those voting” would not be expected to do anything. I maintain that this was a purposeful lie because even a high school student could not possibly think that those who do not vote can determine the outcome of an election. l When the City Attorney received a letter from the LRF attorney stating the obvious with case law references what was our city attorney’s response ? Take me to court or sue me. He took a play right out of Trump’s playbook, IMO. Wonder what would have happened if he had misspoken or intentionally lied about something that favored LRF? I believe that like on the words of our Community Development Director, Mark Weiner, the City would have again “bent over backwards” to correct the error.