6 lagunabeachindy . com FEBRUARY 9 , 2024
Letters LETTERS CAN BE MAILED TO : EDITOR @ LBINDY . COM
Bottlebrush Trees at Village Entrance are Missed
Paul Merritt ’ s letter ‘ Village Entrance aesthetic leaves much to be desired ’ ( Feb . 2 Indy ) addressed what has been on my mind for some time now . I , too , wonder who decided to replace the mature , established , drought-tolerant bottlebrush trees with what he calls “ weeds in a gravel patch .”
Having worked in the landscape industry as a nurseryman for many years , I understand how much money all that plant material and new drip irrigation must have cost . It would not be an insignificant sum .
The likely response from the decision-makers would probably be that the replaced plantings are natives , and therefore , it was a responsible decision . However , I believe it is a widespread misconception that native plantings are easy to care for . I know from experience that it takes regular maintenance to keep native plants looking healthy and lush and that those miles of drip tubes will be courting a new crop of weeds , calling for more hours maintenance crews will need to work to keep the median from looking unkempt .
I agree with Mr . Merritt ’ s assessment ; the loss of those colorful specimen trees on the approach to our town has indeed degraded the Village Entrance aesthetic . Donna Furey , Laguna Beach
Promenade Committee Should Include Residents , Business Owners
Is the City Council majority tonedeaf ? Or do they just not care about what residents want ?
Mayor Sue Kempf has promoted the promenade since 2020 without giving residents an opportunity to provide meaningful input . This was repeatedly pointed out at the Jan . 23 city council meeting when 20 residents and busi-
ness owners blasted councilmembers and railed against the two permanent city-defining promenade plans the council majority hoped to approve . Both plans called for removing virtually all existing Forest Avenue trees .
The promenade was imposed on residents , originally advanced without required public notification by Kempf and then-Assistant City Manager Shohreh Dupuis as a temporary fix for four restaurants during Covid .
Part of their justification was based on a survey they took of Forest Avenue businesses ( no residents ) – a survey never revealed . No mention of how many businesses were surveyed , whether interviewees were landlords , business owners or salespeople , or what questions were asked . In short , no data , proof or evidence – just their word .
Two public planning workshops were eventually conducted . The first consisted of condescending questions such as , “ Which style of garbage cans do you prefer ?” That workshop ended
LAST WEEK ’ S QUESTION
Is it a simple process to obtain a city-issued shopper , handicapped , residential , etc . parking permit ? - Yes , 70.21 % ( 33 votes ) - No , 29.79 % ( 14 votes )
TOTAL VOTES - 47
LETTERS , PAGE 18
theIndyPoll
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THIS WEEK ’ S QUESTION
Should the city seek more input from residents when it comes to future Promenade plans on Forest Avenue ? - Yes - No
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Staff
EDITORIAL
MANAGING EDITOR Clara Beard clara @ firebrandmediainc . com
DESIGN
DESIGN DIRECTOR Tracy Powell
SALES
ADVERTISING SALES TEAM Carol Josepher Chris Mattingley Dawn Lindeman Mara Hertel
PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION MANAGER Tina Leydecker tina @ firebrandmediainc . com
ADVERTISING & CIRCULATION : Tel : 949 715-4100 ; Fax : 949 715-4106
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Tiffany Thompson
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A publication of
PUBLISHER EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Steve Zepezauer
CREATIVE & MARKETING DIRECTOR Tracy Powell
PRESIDENT OF SALES & MARKETING Scott Sanchez
CITY HALL MEETINGS :
Feb . 12 - Recreation Committee at 6 p . m . Feb . 13 - City Council Meeting at 5 p . m .
HOW TO CONTACT THE CITY COUNCIL OUR LETTER POLICY
Sue Kempf Mayor skempf @ lagunabeachcity . net
DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
Alex Rounaghi Mayor pro tem arounaghi @ lagunabeachcity . net
SECOND AND FOURTH THURSDAYS , 5 PM LOUIS WEIL : lweil @ lagunabeachcity . net KRISTINE THALMAN : kthalman @ lagunabeachcity . net DON SHERIDAN : dsheridan @ lagunabeachcity . net JESSICA GANNON : jgannon @ lagunabeachcity . net TOM GIBBS : tgibbs @ lagunabeachcity . net
George Weiss Council member gweiss @ lagunabeachcity . net
Bob Whalen Council member bwhalen @ lagunabeachcity . net
PLANNING COMMISSION 1ST AND 3RD WEDNESDAYS , 6 PM STEVEN KELLENBERG , steve @ kellenbergstudio . com KEN SADLER : 616-0517 , ken . sadler @ cox . net JORG DUBIN : 497-2618 , jdubinart @ cox . net STEVE GOLDMAN : 203-554-2290 , steveg415 @ ymail . com SUSAN McLINTOCK WHITIN : 838-6317 , whitinsusan @ gmail . com
Mark Orgill Council member morgill @ lagunabeachcity . net
Ann Marie McKay City Clerk amckay @ lagunabeachcity . net
Laura Parisi City Treasurer lparisi @ lagunabeachcity . net
OTHER ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES :
REP . KATIE PORTER ,, 1113 Longworth House Office Building , Washington , DC 20515 . 202-225-2415
ASSEMBLYWOMAN DIANE DIXON , 19712 MacArthur Blvd . Ste . 150 , Irvine , CA 92612 . 949-251-0074
FIFTH DISTRICT SUPERVISOR KATRINA FOLEY , 333 W . Santa Ana Blvd ., Santa Ana , CA 92701 714-834- 3550 , Lisa . Bartlett @ ocgov . com
E-mail letters to : Clara @ firebrandmediainc . com
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