Letter: Regarding Developer-funded campaign for Laguna Beach election exceeds $82,000

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I read your recent article, and was absolutely stunned that you would describe Samuel Goldstein and Michael Ray as ‘developers’. Why not say residents of Laguna? Is it because it dulls your heavily biased point that nothing need ever change in Laguna?

Michael Ray has lived in Laguna as a resident for 38 years. Samuel Goldstein has lived here for 42 years. In total that is eighty years.

Eighty years of living in a town that they love, both men consistently working to support and beautify this town and also to bring their expertise and charity to bear beyond its borders.

Michael Ray is a very successful developer, part of his success is his good judgement. I very much doubt that his good judgment means that he wishes to develop high-rise buildings in Laguna, that is simply an absurdity. Why is the mans’ profession used so ominously in this article? As a longtime resident of this city his desire seems to be to streamline the design approval process, what’s wrong with that?

Samuel Goldstein developed the Heisler building downtown. What is wrong with that development? The building is superb. The roof deck is fantastic.  It took him nearly a decade to get the necessary permissions to complete that project; is that right? Is that sane?

I am English, in the U.K. we have a deeply treasured culture, museums and grand buildings and traditions abound, but not at the expense of normal life, life is moving always recreating itself over and over, that is the nature of the thing. Many of our buildings are centuries old, and we English love our buildings and our history, but even there I have never seen such absurd bureaucracy and simply unqualified interference in people’s domestic architectural choices as exists here in Laguna.

Near to where I live in North Laguna is a house that has been for sale for over two years. Why hasn’t anyone bought the house? Because they know that if they do buy this perfectly charming little shack for close to $2 million that they will be obliged to spend easily way north of a couple of hundred grand, and much, much worse, spend several years arguing back and forth with Village Laguna to gain permissions make the place habitable for a modern family. Who can be bothered? 

Kim Bowen, Laguna Beach

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Thank you Kim Bowen for pointing out that developers are not the awful folks that Village Laguna want us to believe.

    Who do people think built all the structures in our town? It’s a risky business in general, but made a lot moreso by a bunch of risk-averse folks whose claim to fame is the ability to tag-team letter reading during public comment at City Council.

    Village Laguna only know what they don’t like – that’s their blinding vision. Our town needs some serious investment to bring it up to snuff. That won’t come from naysayers lacking any vision.

  2. Pour one out for the developers who don’t want to be called developers. The developers at Liberate Laguna spent of fortune tearing this town apart so they could enact their pro-development agenda and now have 23 days until the election to convince you they’re concerned citizens who care about you and your family. I don’t think it’s going to work. Voters aren’t stupid.

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