Editor,
One item left off the conversation about Park Plaza – the fire department used this route to return to the main Fire Station. This was a quiet, safe, and fast route compared to going up Forest or Broadway (too much traffic and pedestrians) or now Legion (furthest route). Now it takes longer to get back. Will this cause issues with responding to emergencies? How was this approved without their input?
This little plaza was in part proposed by the Beautification Committee, which is now and in the past made up of a multitude of Village Laguna members, much like the Heritage Committee, etc. This leaves little space for the rest of us to voice our opinion and even if we did it is disregarded because these folks have back door access to key folks in our city government. Village Laguna members know how to flatter key decision makers. They are also using this space to recruit new members.
Unfortunately, it is mostly Village Laguna folks coming up with cute ideas, but with no long thought given to the outcomes. We are still spending thousands of taxpayer dollars for consultants to figure out again what to do about the village entrance, etc. I have heard that consultants look at Laguna as the gravy train for gigs. Most of the roadblocks to decisions by our City Council comes from Village Laguna.
I think they should fork over some of their profits from their Charm House Tour to subsidize this on-going outlay of our dollars. But I understand that they are saving these dollars to support their candidates for City Council coming up in 2018. Please keep this in mind as we approach what I think will be a key election year in our town, county, state and country.
Ganka Brown, Laguna Beach
