By Billy Fried

I just returned from a month-long trip , which is the very best way to appreciate how good we have it here in Laguna . No snow to shovel . No humidity to swelter in . And now the rains , glorious rains . Is there anything more refreshingly beautiful than Laguna after a rain ? Well , yes . Laguna after several rains . The mentholated , crisp air , gushing green canyons , overnight explosion of flora , the roiling , whitecapped waves of a winter swell , and the electric cloud-shrouded sunsets . I can ’ t even

conjure more accolades to express how special it is here .

And now we are in for a delight of spring wildflowers , those dormant seeds finally primed to pop and spread their glorious pedals . If you get up in the hills , you ’ ll already get a sneak preview : Encelia ’ s , deerweed , monkeypods , lupines … all peaking from behind the curtain before it is raised on a symphony of colors .

Then there are the improvements to our town itself . Never have we birthed more tantalizing dining options . There ’ s Kebab Kurry , Finney ’ s Crafthouse , The Taco Stand , Laguna Fish Company , and the about-to-open Red Dragon . Even our nightlife has improved with lounges like Ahba and Seahorse and electronic dance nights at Suenos and Brussels Bistro . Like minnows swimming upstream , we ’ re tempting young people back to our ossified environs .

We continue to master our destiny , buying St . Catherine ’ s school , taking over our library and southern beaches , and have thus far avoided catastrophic fires and floods . We did all that and still generated a budget

surplus of $ 17 million . That alone would be reason enough to shower City Manager Shohreh Dupuis with accolades . After all , it ’ s her number one responsibility . Instead , she gets a heinous attack on her home and continues to get abused by the Cabal of Complainers , who , instead of celebrating their good fortune living here , spend their days wallowing about how miserable it is and how corrupt our leaders are . Sheesh !

This time it ’ s the ridiculous waste of oxygen expended on whether or not our city manager tried to use her influence to wiggle out of a $ 20 violation for holding a cell phone while driving . Holy Hunter ’ s laptop ! Bend over Benghazi ! Hold the pepperoni , PizzaGate . This must be the most wicked , over-the-top abuse of power since Watergate .

The animus towards Shohreh seems to be because of her competency . And perhaps gender ( no one ever dared challenge her male predecessor ). When three members of council vote to do something , she gets it done . Pedestrianize Forest Ave overnight in the face of looming economic disaster caused by the Coronavirus ? Check ! Help

businesses open to fill our empty storefronts or rescue struggling restaurants with outdoor dining ? Check ! Expedite the hasty purchase of Ti Amo without a proper appraisal at the behest of two council people who developed amnesia after their South Laguna constituents turned on them ? And then let Shohreh take the heat ? Check and check !

One of those council persons , who finds himself time and again on the wrong side of the majority , now wants to punish our city manager by disgracing her , having the temerity to accuse her of a crime , and most petty of all , ignoring her while carrying out his responsibilities as a public official . In every meeting Shohreh has attended with him , she ’ s been completely ignored . He won ’ t even look at her . In his present term of over two years , he hasn ’ t spoken a word to the chief administrator of our town . This is like a board member of a corporation pretending their CEO doesn ’ t exist . Does this sound like a mature , stable person fulfilling their obligation to the community ?

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