Letters to the Editor

In the 1915 Settlement Cottage (restored with the assistance of Laguna architect Todd Skenderian) tour-goers were transported to the early days of Laguna Beach, when many families built their own summer cottages. Two houses from the 1920s, one a Dutch Colonial Revival and the...

The newly opened parking lot has been christened. When I went back to my car yesterday, I saw that apparently a parked car a few spaces beyond me had an oil leak – albeit not a big puddle, but it left a stain. Obviously, this is going to happen unless the city puts a sign that...

Every California ratepayer should have the right to harness the sunshine that falls on their home, school or business without the meddling or discriminatory behavior of the utilities. I was very disturbed to hear that our elected California state senators just gutted a common...

On Tuesday, June 4, City Council will vote on a second reading of the compromise between the city and the Coastal Commission on an ordinance that protects residential neighborhoods from Short Term Lodgings (STLs). It is critical that you contact your council members and urge them...

The debate over PACs in Laguna has seen both sides accusing the other of misleading the public. There is a simple solution. All nonprofits should post on their websites tax returns, FPCC, CA SOS filings, financial statements, etc. All nonprofits have a link on their sites to...

With summer fast approaching, Laguna Beach is a popular destination for many, including plastics. If no change regarding plastic production and consumption is made, the ocean will house more plastic products than fish. Imagine taking a dip in the ocean to find heaps of plastic...

The true character of “Liberate Laguna” and its mega-developer members continues to be revealed. Recently, a complaint was filed with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and two lawsuits were launched alleging fraud and misrepresentations on the part of the...

Who is behind the expensive ads attacking Village Laguna? For one, the developer-backed Liberate Laguna. Why are they attempting to hurt Village Laguna? Because Village Laguna works to protect neighborhoods from over-development. For example, the proposed Cleo Street hotel...

Some claim national press coverage of recent cop car graphics controversy put our town in a bad light. Instead, my liberal and conservative friends across the country empathized with robust local debate wrestling over left-right dichotomies familiar to all Americans. Yet, council...

A question on Facebook, upon the first anniversary of the Parkland Massacre: Are we becoming numb to mass shootings? Or is it affecting us now more than ever? Why am I, at my present age of 80, so concerned for my life, my safety? Being killed in the Laguna Beach library would...

The alley with a clear view to the ocean bulged with people. “What’s happening?” my husband and I edged closer to the crowd too thick to penetrate. “Oh, I remember, there’s the auction, this morning,” he said. The property three lots up from ours was being sold via public...

It does appear that the Indy is not exactly the forum best suited to national politics. As Tip O’Neil said, “all politics is local.” Can we keep it that way? There are far better venues for a nationwide discussion/argument, please. It also might be a smart thing to present facts...

I just went on Liberate Laguna’s website and the political action committee (PAC) has also become a nonprofit corporation. It says you can donate to either the nonprofit or the PAC. After all the complaints they filed against Village Laguna for its operating structure, they seem...

I read with some dismay Anne Cox’s attack on me and my column concerning the Mueller Report. So, a quick rebuttal. She correctly quotes me as saying the Mueller team has no Republicans in a position of authority, but ignores the word “team” to concentrate on Mueller and...

In a half page announcement in the Laguna summer community services brochure, the city transit department says, “The short coastal trolley will have a new northbound and southbound stop at Beach Street between Broadway and Ocean. From there, it is just a short walk to the...

Dear Council Member Iseman, I’m confused. During discussion of the American flag graphic on police cars at a recent City Council meeting, you said this city was “built on the bodies of dead hippies.” That would not fly with your own liberal constituency if you just replaced...

While the Laguna BeachChamber of Commerce is a vital part of our community, it is notrepresentative of the majority of Laguna’s residents.In fact, the Chamber represents a small share of our total resident population. Why is it then that the “State of the City” address is given...

Just finished reading an article describing Mayor Bob Whalen’s state of the city speech this past week, basically emphasizing that more civility is necessary in order to deal with all the current dilemmas facing our city, along with quite a few other articles and letters...

Following up on Chris Moore’s April 19 LTE, “Stop the No-Bid Trash Racket,” in which he summarizes how, relative to other cities, Laguna property owners are vastly over-charged for Waste Management’s (WM) services; I would also highlight how WM’s...

Laguna Beach is a jewel—an iconic, artistic, welcoming California seaside community. As a jewel, we continue to polish our community as an example of sustainable ecological vision and action. The notion of more progress, prosperity, growth and pollution is challenged by the...

George Orwell put it this way: “Patriotism is love of one’s country. Nationalism is imposing that love on others.” Our local Patriots Day Parade is completely volunteer with typically half of Laguna participating and the other half watching. A great example of good old-fashioned...

For the past months, distortions appear quite frequently in your letters to the editor, focusing on Village Laguna and the endearingly lovely Charm House Tour. Anger and resentment and lies often fill your editorial pages. But the problem with a lie is not the lie itself. The...

Many parents and students would like to see the honors course grade-weight policy reinstated. The board voted 3-2 in 2016 to pull honors course weight from all except maybe one or two classes. The information offered at the presentation on the night of Feb. 9, 2016 was loosely...

“The Mueller team had not one Republican in a position of authority while conducting their investigation. In fact, it was populated with people who were partisan Democrats and had contributed to Hillary Clinton’s campaign.” –Emil Monda, “Common Sense,” April 26, 2019 This is not...

Emil Monda’s “Common Sense” column states, among other boilerplate Republican talking points, that the Mueller investigation had “not one Republican in a position of authority.” He seems to have overlooked Robert Mueller himself, lifelong Republican. I’m left wondering if Monda...