Last week, Village Laguna sent a request that the City Council cure a violation of the Ralph M. Brown Act committed during the Council’s closed-session meeting on June 29, 2021. Specifically, we are requesting that the Council repeal its closed-session decision effectively lifting the City’s stop work order at the Hotel Laguna. We are further requesting that the Council cure its violation of the Brown Act by publicly noticing and deliberating the decision to allow construction to resume at the Hotel Laguna.
On June 28, 2021, we sent you a letter cautioning that closed-session deliberations on lifting the Hotel Laguna stop-work order would violate the Brown Act. We urged you to conduct your deliberations in open session. Despite our urging you proceeded to deliberate and act in closed session. By acting in closed session, you deprived Village Laguna and its membership from participating in Council decisions to renovate and reopen the Hotel Laguna. You also deprived the entire Laguna Beach community from participating.
The Hotel Laguna is one of the most iconic structures in Laguna Beach, perhaps the most iconic. The history of the Hotel Laguna is strongly tied to the history of Laguna Beach. The Hotel Laguna’s historic architecture and location at Main Beach make a strong visual statement of Laguna Beach’s historic character. Village Laguna is a California Mutual Benefit Corporation dedicated to preserving and enhancing the historic charm of Laguna Beach. Your secret deliberations and actions regarding the Hotel Laguna have deprived Village Laguna and its membership from discharging the organization’s core function. We urge you to act in the interests of transparency and community involvement and reverse your secret decisions regarding the Hotel Laguna.
Anne Caenn
President, Village Laguna
Hhmmmmm, there’s a recall next month, should we add a few names?
Also, what is the VL’s take on the Sweetwater project? Do we need to look like Irvine?