Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, With scorching heat and raging wildfires in the west and torrential downpours and massive flooding in the east, global warming is not just about a gentle sea rise any more. These tragic consequences of dumping greenhouse gases into our atmosphere, call for drastic...

Editor: Here’s one more reason to oppose the city’s proposed 12.9 percent sales tax increase in November. Look at the City Council’s approval last week of the $11.1 million Village Entrance, at 30 percent over budget. Council members Rob Zur Schmiede and Toni Iseman, both up for...

Editor: Many of you probably received the newsletter from Congressman Dana Rohrabacher in the mail in the last week or so. I was completely flabbergasted when I saw a section highlighting Dana’s work in “defending the planet,” mainly because Mr. Rohrabacher is not known to be a...

Editor: I would like to report that the recently finished Agate Street stairs already has a broken railing. One of the most important pieces of railing—the last piece to the ocean where you can pull yourself up on the stairs if the sand is low—is already broken and missing. Also,...

Dear Editor, This is a commentary from a 56-year Laguna resident about the city’s plan to spend taxpayer money on the beautification of the current roundabout located at the Catalina/Los Robles/Camino Del Mar intersection. As a member of the city’s now-defunct...

Editor: David Raber’s July 13 letter to the editor, “Alternatives to Reduce a Canyon Bottleneck” presents a brilliant idea: get Caltrans to de-commission the entire El Toro Road/133 intersection and remove the traffic light. It sounds a bit unrealistic, but read on. It solves a...

Editor, Every day I look over the ridge toward Top of the World, where in 1993 I saw flames reaching for the sky and smoke drifting down into Bluebird Canyon, and the smell permeated the whole town. Horrible. Homes, memories, domestic and wildlife were being destroyed every...

Residents of Laguna, On my daily walk, I pass by this iconic view, and I wonder what changes the “Lady” will see in the next few decades. Why should the derelict building that used to collect Laguna’s sewage be “saved?” Crusaders love a crusade. The vocal minority speaks and the...

Dear Editor, After reading Ms. Geller’s letter to the editor, I felt compelled to respond on behalf of the Surfrider Foundation. First and foremost, the Surfrider Foundation’s mission is focused on the protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean, waves and beaches through a...

The megaproject proposed by an investor group to transform the Coast Inn and Coast Liquor property by dramatically increasing the intensity of use and altering the structures has been a contentious issue for more than a year. The substantial list of major problems with the...

This summer’s trolley service is an insult to visitors and residents. It is hard to believe the transit department is under the supervision of the public works director and assistant city manager. There is no trolley service to North Laguna to and from the bus depot....

As I walked up Broadway to the Laguna Playhouse on Wednesday, July 11, I commented to my mate, “That tree looks dangerous leaning out over the road at an extreme angle and a large section of bark is missing near the base.” Monday, July 16, at 3:13 pm, I get a text from LBGOV:...

Dear Editor, The city of Laguna Beach is committed to protecting its greatest public resource—the ocean.   Recently, a letter questioned the water quality testing methods and runoff prevention programs in Laguna Beach. The writer questioned the Heal the Bay report card grades...

Editor: Please attend the July 31 special council meeting to voice support of a new Historical Preservation Program (HPP) that is based on voluntary participation and private initiative. This meeting will focus on the discretion the city has under state laws to implement a new...

Editor, The city’s urgency in undergrounding utilities is the mitigation of risk from wildfire caused by Edison utility poles, yet nothing in the schedule or execution of this project actually mitigates fire risk until project completion. That’s because the project...

Editor, Last week, City Council gave 5-0 approval to place their recommended 1% sales tax increase on the November 2018 ballot. This despite objection by a clear majority of residents, who spoke to provide arguments against the excessive taxation projected to generate $5.6...

Editor: If the Indy has chosen to endorse a candidate for the 48th Congressional District, it should announce it now. Otherwise, we will have to endure more stories about how a very small group of weekly “protesters” and a high school senior in a political action club assisting a...

Editor,   The town of San Clemente is facing a modern day David v. Goliath battle against a government agency’s blind rampage of destruction.   The TCA is moving forward with the 241 Toll Road extension through south Orange County, and they want to bulldoze right through our...

Editor, It has come to our attention that the Transportation Corridor Agencies that only builds toll roads, is looking at eight options, five of which include managed toll lanes on the 5 freeway. All of the options include eminent domain takings of homes and businesses. The TCA...

Editor, After many long meetings regarding the Historical Preservation Ordinance, the City Council voted in favor of forming a task force of residents to study and ultimately make recommendations back to them for action. Council members Steve Dicterow and Toni Iseman volunteered...

Editor, Should we be worried about the Russians? Absolutely. It was shocking to see our president standing on stage next to Vladimir Putin saying he believed the Russians over our own American intelligence agencies that all agree Russia meddled in our presidential election...

Editor, Coastal city short-term rental proponents ignore legally-binding land use concepts, typically using meritless, fatally flawed arguments at hearings. They’re good for business? Unfortunately, coastal trends since 2000 are “Commerce first, residents second.” By residents, I...

Editor, Given the sensitivity of Laguna Canyon, we should explore every option that would enable better traffic flow at a reduced impact to the canyon.  One of the best options to achieve this is to eliminate the redundant portion of El Toro Road and return it to wilderness uses....

Editor, I was at the beach yesterday and I watched a surfer working the waves outside the surfing area at St. Ann’s narrowly miss a little kid playing in the surf. The lifeguard swam out to the surfer and I presume asked him to be careful and stay in the surf area. I saw the...

Editor, Caltrans holds the record on road re-alignments for Laguna Canyon Road, each time to “mitigate congestion and improve safety and facility operations.” In 1993, 10 alternative routes were considered between the 405 and 73 toll road; one was chosen for SR-133, the...