The city of Laguna Beach will host a free public lecture at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 30, to present proposals for an estuary restoration project at Aliso Creek and its implications for the future. The lecture will be held in the community room at the Laguna Beach Community Center...

Catmosphere Laguna, the first cat café in Orange County, is slated to open Monday, Aug. 13. Founded by Gail Allyn Landau, Catmosphere Laguna will serve as both a community café and a foster home for adoptable cats and kittens. Catmosphere Laguna has partnered with the Laguna...

  Laguna Beach Police Department employees worked along Ruby’s Diner staff on Saturday, July 28, to raise funds for the Special Olympics Orange County Region at the annual Tip-a-Cop event. Sgt. Jim Cota reported that the event raised $23,787 this year, with 100 percent of...

The proliferation of online social media platforms has understandably depressed the number of vacation photos submitted to the Independent in recent years. So has a lack of space in the publication. With apologies to the 2017 submissions that have gone unpublished until now....

By Allison Jarrell, Special to the Independent Hundreds of Laguna residents gathered on Brooks Street to celebrate the nation’s independence, honor local servicemen, and commemorate a neighbor who lost his life 10 years ago protecting their freedom. Brooks Street resident and...

The following is a list of winning entries in the 54th edition of the Patriots Day Parade, which took place despite showers and cool temperatures last Saturday, March 4. Grand Marshal’s Trophy: Beach Cities Auto Collision. President’s Trophy: Pageant of the Masters. Band...

Rolf Julius Engen-  Aug. 5, 1929- July 31, 2018 Rolf Engen passed away peacefully at his home in Laguna Beach, surrounded by his loving family. He was five days short of his 89th birthday. Rolf was raised in Santa Ana, California, and was a life-long athlete, playing basketball...

July 13, 1946 – July 16, 2018 Susan Lyons Pons, known to friends as “Laguna Sue”, passed away on July 16, 2018 at the age of 72. She was born in Long Beach, California on July 13, 1946 to parents, Jack and Theora Lyons. She graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas,...

April 28, 1929 – July 26, 2018 Marjorie Joan (Birck) Sawyer, 89, longtime resident of Laguna Beach, passed away July 26, 2018 in Vancouver, Washington. She was born April 28, 1929 in Brooklyn, New York and grew up in Long Island, receiving a bachelor’s degree in education from...

One-Step Authenticity The word of the week is “authentic,” the flip side of hypocritical. Two weeks ago, I wrote that Mark Twain’s writing reflected his search for truth and authenticity. Twain, though wary of religion, had a spiritual perspective and enjoyed long friendships...

Historic Holdup 2.0 Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s historic. Using age as a prime criterion to include a property on the inventory of historic resources casts too broad a net, and often impacts the rights of property owners for no public benefit. Almost all the...

Tempest in a Teapot  I held my breath while reading the Indy’s “Coastal Commission Hits Laguna Beach Couple with $1M Fine for Illegal Home Construction.” I let out my breath when I realized it wasn’t my wife and me. “See honey, those macramé hanging baskets almost did us in. They...

Read the Personals MY BIG FAT OVAL TRAMPOLINE for sale.  My kids nagged me to buy it for years.  Nobody uses it anymore.  $300 OBO. Above ground pool is also for sale – only $600.  Let’s make a deal for both – good price/bargain.  #IWantMyYardBack LOST: MY HEART to a pretty gal...

Mindful Flushing This November will decide the next few years for Laguna Beach as we vote on three of the five City Council seats. My vote will go to the candidate speaking the most about one particular word. This one word defines Laguna and the health of our greenbelt and...

Historic Holdup The best way to see Laguna Beach is on a walk. My wife Nancy walks me daily. Doctor’s orders. No bag or leash required. Pierre is so jealous. The first thing you see is the variety of neighborhoods in Laguna. It isn’t as demographically varied as it once was....