Editor,
Police Chief Laura Farinella knows more local history than many locals, astutely citing MTV’s Laguna Beach show among factors shifting tourist demographics over the last decade (“Visitors Overwhelm South Laguna Beaches” Indy July 22).
Ten years ago national headlines touted a “tide of day trippers” drawn by the show’s hype (“The Real Laguna Beach Disdains Its MTV Image” USA TODAY March 3, 2006). Laguna’s mayor boasted “Kids watching the show today are the tourists of tomorrow.”
Since then new visitors jumped from 4 to 6 million annually, including a whole generation of MTV show wannabes sending selfies out on social media from iconic Laguna Beach locations. Imitation of staged partying from the show follows at local beaches featured on show-inspired websites.
Tourists who historically shop for local art, food, and clothing – along with locals – are feeling more crowded-out than ever. Festive and youthful summer crowds in the past valued our art colony tradition, not so MTV’s generic beach resort narrative.
Unintended impacts go beyond property owners, local businesses, parking and traffic. Parental rights were assaulted when MTV’s modeling of local teen lifestyles became part of student life at LBHS.
There never would have been an MTV show in Laguna if senior school district administrators had not eagerly pursued it in secret negotiations with the network. MTV’s contract was abruptly disclosed and unanimously approved by the school board without any public dialogue.
Within hours the LBHS principal hijacked the Schoolpower telephone hotline to announce MTV auditions in the school board chambers. Parents and taxpayers who opposed unplanned ad hoc commercialization of public schools were denied a hearing.
School board stonewalling ended only after MTV’s Super Bowl half-time show scandal triggered a crowded emergency session. Approval of MTV’s contract was grudgingly rescinded, but school board members obstinately encouraged students to audition for MTV stardom.
Dozens of students were cast each season for years, joining a generation obsessed with emulating MTV’s portrayal of youth in our town. The show’s legacy is implicated disturbingly in the most recent State Department of Education Healthy Kids Survey at LBHS (“Drug, Alcohol Use Rising Among Youth” Indy July 22).
One lesson is that schools, city and businesses must coordinate to prevent increased demand for services without matching revenue. The other lesson is that school board actions must never contribute to risk from which parents must keep children safe.
Howard Hills, Laguna Beach
The author is a candidate for school board.
MTV’s show “Laguna Beach” was suppose to help the appeal of the town and remove the tarnish left from the late 60’s from the Timothy Leary and Brotherhood of Eternal Love scandal that rocked national headlines. It’s inception was planned at least a decade well before it’s initial announcement.
But I wouldn’t blame just a TV show on the popularity of any local area beaches or the Internet , all it takes is a look around at local communities like the city of Irvine and Aliso Viejo for a small reality check to see that the general populations around us are exploding with construction and housing projects. Just because we are and have been a target destination for centuries ” Underground Malibu” cliche, does not mean that Laguna Beach as a community as a whole should shrug responsibility to teaching an raising our own youth to be better than the examples set forth through the the gossip , money and fame mill of television.
Howie
What a CANARD you used for the title of your letter to the editor.
“Police Chief Laura Farinella knows more local history than many locals, astutely citing MTV’s Laguna Beach show ”
WOW!! Maybe our unethical, and lying chief knows Laguna Beach from MTV, but she and her MASTER, HERR johnny Pietig, should understand the Constitution way better than the BIGOTRY they are so proud of shows whenever they hear
of things that hurt their fee fees!
“Megyn Kelly airs images of ISIS fighters while Muslim dad of slain US soldier speaks to DNC”
You probably missed this speech. Climate change deniers just love their alternate(Crazy) universe that FAUX news presents daily.
Quoting the Washington Post:
“Muslim American Khizr Khan, whose son Humayun was killed while serving in the U.S. Army, offered Republican candidate Donald Trump his copy of the Constitution during a speech at the Democratic convention. (The Washington Post)
“Donald Trump,” he said, “you are asking Americans to trust you with our future. Let me ask you: Have you even read the U.S. Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy.” He pulled a copy of the Constitution from his pocket. “In this document, look for the words ‘liberty’ and ‘equal protection of law.’ ”
This is a question we should ask Laguna Beach’s own Donald Trump, HERR Pietig, and the DOG (laura) he chose to lead(??) our unethical, and unprofessional Police Department.
The California Peace Officers Association Ethics guide says that “DOGS are loyal to their Masters,
Peace officers are LOYAL to the Constitution and the citizens they swore an oath to protect”
Has lying laura and her BIGOTED Master ever read the Constitution? They operate with NO respect for what America stands for. HERR johnny thinks he can issue his OWN restraining orders! How very sad he doesn’t understand the American Legal system, except to pursue his petty vendettas against those not afraid to speak TRUTH to his BIGOTED power. BIGOTS pick BIGOTS in their own image.
BUT, laura sure does know her MTV. An embarrassing compliment of laura, and the value you put on Reality TV!
Regarding you running for School board:
What is your opinion of ALEC’s Education Agenda?
Let the public know!
Hector, both the Chief and I were careful in use of words to avoid the suggestion that the MTV show is the only cause of shifting demographics and pressures on our town and its neighborhoods. But it would be a form of revisionism and denial of truth to pretend the MTV show was not a significant factor in the changing relationship between our town and the masses who come here. My point is that we contributed to trends that do not need to be promoted or serve the community well, and we have no one to blame but ourselves for allowing people in local office who thought the MTV show was a good idea to bring it here. It is hard to believe and some people do not even know the School Board approved a contract allowing MTV to produce its show on a public school campus and in the language of the contract “commercially exploit” the recorded images, speech and actions of students on campus for profit. This was naive and stupid public policy-making by elected Board members beguiled and dazzled by the temptation of celebrity, and who had no understanding of Laguna’s history as a refuge from Hollywood celebrity culture. The claim that the Board thought it was a “documentary” and that MTV would contribute to LBHS scholarships was absurd. The nature of the show was known to be Hollywood teen tabloid reality TV, and the network made millions in profit for every dollar that might possibly if ever have gone to scholarships.
As for you, Eli, your question about ALEC and trends in public and private education is welcome and my answer is unequivocal: Public education that opens the doors of knowledge and free thought as well as equal opportunity to every child in America must always be a choice for every parent or guardian responsible for the welfare of our children. I will always admonish you to regulate your emotions and language directed at public officials, but I will join you in a little rhetorical excess by agreeing that anyone who suggests public education should be phased out or be degraded by lack of priority in the allocation of resources is CRAZY!
That is why my platform calls for restoration of civic literacy in public school governance at the local level. Our public schools should be as safe and enriched academically as private schools, but should never be governed like private schools. Just as federal taxes we pay for national defense are imperative to our nation’s future, the property taxes we pay in Laguna Beach for public education is an investment in our town’s future.
Instead of expanding a top heavy senior staff of educational bureaucrats or hiring high priced lobbyists from Sacramento, we should invest in our trusted local teachers to build local capacity under local School Board oversight to implement more rigorous academic standards from the bottom up. That is why I propose a Civics in Public School Governance Institute to do for public school management and public education policy what School Power has done to secure, expand and augment generous private community financial support for our public schools.
I believe private schools and home schooling are choices that parents and guardians should have, and that public and private schools can cooperate and collaborate in ways that motivate enhanced learning in both public and non-public education. That is how the full range of free thought and action based on family and local community values has always succeeded in America. I attended public schools at the primary, secondary and college levels, but went to a private law school.
My son and daughters attended public schools through high school, and then private university and graduate schools. That is a great American tradition that must flourish if our future is to be as good or better than our past.
Mr Hills, I have never personally met you, but you are obviously running for an elected office and I am not even sure public officials are allowed to endorse candidates . But since you have aligned yourself with the police chief and whom I believe is doing her job to the best of her ability I have zero complaints concerning her aptitude and job skills.
These problems which have been highlighted by recent events are on going an have been for decades, and youth this time around always is a safe scapegoat, before this it was the surfers, then there were the hippies and then the LGBT community, my objective was to remove the vail to call to the attention the need for responsibility and answers instead of finger pointing and blame in which you have agreed to so eloquently and have expressed in so many words.
howie
Thank you for answering my question. The community now has a “baseline” to judge your future actions regarding Laguna Beach’s students, IF elected. I am stunned you did NOT defend ALEC, which has been the source of Republican discrimination for over a decade now at the state and local levels of government.
Your admonishment is an insult to me and any other citizen who knows their responsibility to our Constitution to call out unethical Public Servants. Bigots like HERR Pietig depend on citizens being afraid to call them out, and rear end smoochers such as yourself who always will defend the indefensible regarding our local yokels and Laguna Beach’s Mayberry, third world PEON Department.
Hector, I really appreciate your honesty and search for the truth, but let me explain a few things. First, I did not bring this subject of MTV up, but when others raise the issue and it comes up I will speak the truth about it. I am not doing so because I have decided to run for School Board. In fact, it is a distraction from the issues I am promoting in my campaign. So it is not really helping my campaign to respond to you. But when you talk about blame versus responsibility that requires that readers be reminded that after 2006 the School Board tried to deny that it had approved the MTV contract. So it is not about me pointing blame, it is about the School Board denying responsibility. You talk about answers, well, it was the parents who had the answer which was to rescind the contract and keep reality TV camera crews off the LBHS campus. Can you imagine how distracting that would have been to learning. It was the School Board that thought that was a good idea. Finally, respectfully, I can tell you for a fact that the MTV show had nothing to do with the 1960’s counter-culture in Laguna Beach. There is no basis for the suggestion the MTV show was intended to enhance the image of youth in the town. Youth in Laguna back in 2004 had no image problem related to the surfer days of the 1950’s or the hippie days in the 1960’s, 40 years earlier. The MTV program was a political stunt by school district senior staff and the School Board to appear attuned to adolescent lifestyle trends. It was pandering to Hollywood. In the two Board Meetings on the MTV show there was nothing said on the record to support that notion. I was there.
Eli, I just think you are more effective when you stick with the issues and avoid the name calling.
Mr Hills,
I gather you would rather back track then head a problem face on.
It seems you are confusing the facts and twisting theories out of proportion. It may benifit your reelection to gather a committee in order to voice your public opinion in your future pursuits for public office.
Hector, Hector, Hector, let me explain to you how things work. At this point no one else is reading this drivel. It serves no purpose for me to respond further. Obviously we are not in agreement so let me just wish you well in life.
As for your last comment, I can only lose not gain votes if anyone were reading this, because only someone who is not going to vote for me anyway would take the time to follow this chain of comments, but I am not really worried about that.
So let me just say you are the one who is looking back not forward, posting the “twisted theory” that in 2005 our School Board was thinking back 40 years and brought MTV to rehabilitate the image of youth in our town. Now that is a truly twisted theory, because there is zero evidence to support it and massive evidence to disprove it. You are the one who “back tracked” not to 2005 but to 1968, instead of facing head on the problems of youth in our town today.
Did you read the California State Department of Education “Healthy Kids Survey” on students at LBHS? Why would you focus on the MTV issue and defend the School Board’s invitation of that show into our town and not even mention the reference in my comments to the Health Kids Survey? I was using the MTV episode to direct readers’ attention to the Indy article on the Healthy Kids Survey and you ignore the present and future issues it raises and that I was trying to bring to the attention of the public.
Instead you try to defend the MTV program that happened long ago, only to then argue that we should not dwell in the past, but you never address the issues of the present and future affecting our youth as revealed by the Healthy Kids Survey. Yet, moving from the Police Chief’s point about MTV to the current issues raised by the Healthy Kids Survey was the key point that I led to in my letter to the editor.
I don’t really care, because all this exchange proves at this point is that it takes fewer worlds to confuse issues than it does to clarify the truth.