Editors,
Once again I agree with Ms. Christoph about saving some of the oldies but goodies – now if she only would jump down from her tower and agree that saving views is also part of Laguna Beach’s (that’s right beach – not forest) important heritage. Of course some of these oldies are right in the line of fire (no pun intended) with all the eucalyptus, pine, palm and an abundance of dead vegetation or overgrown vegetation that seems to be so prevalent in so many neighborhoods. So let’s join forces and stop telling people that green vegetation does not burn, that eucalyptus are Gods gift to Laguna and start making it easier for our fire department to put out the nasty little fires that start either deliberately as the ‘93 fire was started, or by accident, or by mother nature. Of course some of these older homes have bad wiring and that could even start a fire while the little house is waiting to be bought and upgraded ever so slightly.
If you ask realtors what is one of the first questions or items on a “wish list for our new house” ocean view is usually at the top. Insurance companies seldom applaud when they see fire hazards on property such as overgrown vegetation. So let’s stop beating around the bush, and get more support to stop neighbors from using such trees as noted above, as weapons of mass destruction, or power play, or just being plain nasty by purposely blocking views. As I said once before, we all can buy framed ocean views from the many fine galleries in town that are executed by some of the finest artists in the world.
We should all be thinking about the safety of people, animals and yes our property.
Ganka Brown, Laguna Beach
