6 lagunabeachindy . com MARCH 15 , 2024
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Due to printing logistics , home delivery of the paper for next week will take place on Saturday , March 23rd . Bulk copies will be available at our more than 100 locations on Friday as usual .
VIEW THE FULL ISSUE OF THE INDY ONLINE AT LAGUNABEACHINDY . COM
Letters LETTERS CAN BE MAILED TO : EDITOR @ LBINDY . COM
New Preschool Fee Needs Recalibration
I applaud the Laguna Beach Unified School District for opening a new preschool this coming fall . One of the benefits of this preschool is its long hours , benefiting working parents . It does seem , however , that an organization willing to spend megabucks on an extravagant new pool could maybe afford to give a break to those working parents who can ’ t afford $ 1,200 a month ! Why is this fee not calibrated to income level ? I hope they reconsider these fees and allow for suitable adjustments to these fees for those who need it .
Rosemary Boyd , 57-year resident of Laguna Beach
Response to Billy Fried ’ s Column
I understand that Indy policy is to avoid comments , good or bad , about local businesses . Perhaps an exception in this case ? Regarding Billy Fried ’ s Guest Opinion of March 8 , he describes our local Ralph ’ s Market as “ foul ” and that it falls short in several aspects . As an 18-year resident of Laguna Beach and a frequent shopper at Ralph ’ s , I feel compelled to comment .
The meat and fish department at Ralph ’ s is fine , as are the produce and deli selections . The store is well-kept , and the knowledgeable staff is always willing to help provide what I am looking for , with a great attitude . The selection is quite large considering the store ’ s size limitations . My family does not possess vast wealth as perhaps Mr .
Fried does , but our meals are handmade with fresh ingredients . Not much highly processed food at our home .
I always feel welcome and safe visiting Ralph ’ s . The team at Ralph ’ s is an important part of my Laguna Beach community . From the friendly parking lot security guard , efficient checkout cashiers , and considerate baggers , I feel like I am among friends .
Mr . Fried doesn ’ t like the “ sketchy ” people milling about . They are all over — everywhere ! We recognize that Ralph ’ s is not the cause of this , right ? The presence of “ sketchy ” individuals is influenced by various factors , including socioeconomic challenges , mental
LAST WEEK ’ S QUESTION
Should the city remove the lemon-scented gum tree at the roundabout at Catalina and El Camino del Mar ? -Yes , 23.81 % ( 15 votes ) -No , 76.19 % ( 48 votes )
TOTAL VOTES : 63
LETTERS , PAGE 11
theIndyPoll
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THIS WEEK ’ S QUESTION
Are you on board with a new 25-meter community pool being constructed in Laguna Beach ? - Yes - No
The LagunaBeachIndy . com poll is conducted using Crowd Signal polling software . To minimize fraudulent entries and votes , the software is set to block duplicate votes by cookie and IP address . While we cannot control users who change locations and use separate devices on different networks , this measure is the most stringent way to deter participants from voting multiple times . No polling software available online can block all attempts at fraudulent voting , as there are ways around most blocking methods . For this reason , we can ’ t fully verify the accuracy of this poll . Language from Crowd Signal ’ s software settings : Voting in a poll is rate limited by IP , even when no blocking is enabled . This means that a large number of votes coming from a single Internet address will trigger a cooldown block to help prevent cheating . Sometimes this is tripped by many people at one location ( for example in schools and offices ) voting in a short period of time .
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
MAILING ADDRESS :
900 Glenneyre St ., Suite B Laguna Beach , CA 92651 Tel : 949-715-4100 ; Fax : 949 715-4106 www . lbindy . com
A publication of
PUBLISHER EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Steve Zepezauer
CREATIVE & MARKETING DIRECTOR Tracy Powell
PRESIDENT OF SALES & MARKETING Scott Sanchez
CLARIFICATION : In the March 8 edition of the Indy , it was reported that the Blue Bell Foundation for Cats receives pro bono services from Laguna Beach Veterinary Medical Center . The nonprofit receives a discounted service , however it is not pro bono . The Indy regrets the error .
CITY HALL MEETINGS :
March 18 - Heritage Committee at 6 p . m . March 20 - Administrative Design Review Meeting at 3 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
Letters strengthen community ties and provide a community forum open to all . Due to space constraints we ask letter writers to limit their topics to local concerns , make their submissions exclusive to the Indy alone and be of 400 words or less . Letters should be submitted by Tuesday , 5 p . m . They may be edited for clarity , length or appropriateness as needed .
We decline to publish letters that we perceive as personal attacks , even of public figures . We strive for civil discourse over ideas and issues , not personalities .
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