One just has to read Michael Ray’s column in the June 17 issue of the Indy and then read Gene Felder’s letter to the editor in the June 24 issue to realize that Ray has little regard for the truth and his intent is to malign certain people and organizations with fake facts and lies. He uses two letters to the editor written six years after the 1993 fire as proof that Laguna ran out to water when the truth could have easily been found with a few clicks of his computer.
These efforts to spread damaging lies would be laughable if they so weren’t so pathetic. Just about every other column that Ray writes for the Indy is filled with vicious lies and unsubstantiated facts.
There is no doubt that these columns have only one purpose. It is a malicious attempt to discredit and destroy reputations and especially that of Village Laguna’s, a 50-year all-volunteer organization whose mission is to “preserve, enhance, and celebrate the unique village character and cultural heritage of Laguna Beach”. By continuing to allow Ray to publish his lies, the Indy is complicit in this effort.
Liza Interlandi Stewart, Laguna Beach
Thanks for pointing out the truth about the majority of what Mr. Ray writes about. He is on a mission to spread myths and falsehoods about Village Laguna in nearly every column he submits. The reason: they have been an effective voice to limit the worst of what developers have wanted to impose on Laguna Beach. However, he overstates their past and current influence all in an effort to make them the “boogieman” for what ails our City today. In reality they have helped foster that which makes Laguna special: protected green & blue space. Small town charm. Human-scale development. Limited “McMansionization” of residential areas. We owe Village Laguna and like-minded civic organizations a large debt of gratitude.
Gentlepeople, if you will only look at the meetings to the City Council meetings in 1990, you will find that the Fire Reservoir was APPROVED, then later that year killed by Village Laguna activists. And the fire raged.
THOSE are facts.