LBindy_5.12.23 | Page 16

Allergy Workshop A t H e a l t h i n B a l a n c e
16 lagunabeachindy . com MAY 12 , 2023
GUEST OPINION :

Save Our Firepits

By Billy FrieD
Calling all families , friends , colleagues , and lovers of the flame , we are in danger of losing our beloved Aliso Beach firepits – forever . If you haven ’ t noticed , they ’ re already gone . Now we have one shot at reclaiming them – this Tuesday at City Council . We need you to show up ( or call in ) and voice your support for wood-burning fire rings – just as we ’ ve enjoyed over countless generations . It ’ s one of the things that makes living here special and one of the reasons the human species evolved from the Stone to the Bronze Age . But now we are at risk of devolving into the Nanny Age .
It ’ s been amazing how quiet our community has been amidst the quiet dissembling of our beloved rings . I ’ m not certain we knew what hit us . It was so gradual . It all started last year under the county ’ s jurisdiction . One by one , they started disappearing . Were they swallowed by the storm surges ? Or did the county quietly move them to their other beaches when they knew they were handing over control to our city in the coming year ? No one knows because they ’ ve been mum . All we know is those beloved , cultural icons that have spawned lifetimes of magic memories - and perhaps even a few babies - are gone , and there is pressure to make them permanent . The fire department would , of course , rather do away with them , citing fire safety and the fear that some rogue windstorm will send a spark across Coast Highway and into a hillside home . It ’ s their job to say no to any open fire reflexively . But if we are concerned about beach safety , we better fence the shoreline , too , because a shark may come ashore and nab a child .
I get that wood-burning fireplaces in new construction have been banned because of the overall air quality impact . But open firepits by the ocean ? The South Coast Air
Quality Management District Board tried banning South County beach pits 10 years ago and was roundly repudiated by angry citizens and mayors . It came about after a few wealthy beachfront homeowners in Newport complained about smoke . Those nearby firepits were switched to charcoal only , and the rest stayed put . Problem solved !
So , for those of you keeping score at home , Orange County currently has 838 public fire rings . From north to south : Bolsa Chica 176 , Huntington Beach 357 , Newport Beach 63 , Dana Point 44 , Capistrano Beach 4 , San Clemente 194 , but little Laguna Beach , zilch . Yep , we are bidding for Nanny State Award of the Year !
Fire rings have been around longer than any of us , and there is no record of a firestorm being caused by them . It is one of the great things about beachgoing at night – the hypnotic flames , glow of the embers , the crackling sounds , the stars overhead and the waves crashing , and above all , the warmth . I doubt many could spend time on the beach at night without them . And it ’ s free and open to everyone . That ’ s a rarity in our profit-driven culture today .
When the city of Laguna announced they were taking over jurisdiction and operations of our
southern beaches from the county , we all applauded local control . We knew our Marine Safety staffing was second to none and that more swimmers would be safe . We knew that local ownership meant better stewardship of the land . But never in our wildest dreams did we think we ’ d lose more of our precious freedoms to recreate and gather on our public land , the ones we finance through our taxes .
Please join me and say yes to the firepits at Aliso Beach . Preserve a cherished tradition . Do your part by speaking out and letting the council know how special they are to you . You can watch from home on the city website and call in via Zoom . You can track when the motion is heard by viewing the agenda at lagunabeachcity . net . Click on City Council and then Meeting Agendas . But by far , the most effective way to have your voice heard is to show up and tell the council what those few firepits mean to you . In the immortal words of Eminem , “ You only get one shot , do not miss this chance to blow , this opportunity comes once in a lifetime , yo .”
Billy is the CEO of La Vida Laguna , an outdoor adventure company , and the host of “ Laguna Talks ” on KXFM radio – Thursdays at 8 p . m . Email : billy @ lavidalaguna . com .
Allergy Workshop A t H e a l t h i n B a l a n c e
Mon May 15th 6:30 PM
Demystifying Food Intolerance & Seasonal Allergies Presented by Gary Arthur , D . C . & Lisa Arthur , D . C
Join us to learn what you can do to diminish the effects of allergies for you and your family !
Each guest will get muscle testing with our doctors for three common food allergens to see if your body may be sensitive to them .
Dinner Included
Free Workshop
Located at Health in Balance 330 Park Ave , Suite 3 , Laguna Beach
Call 949-497-2553 or visit www . healthinbalance . com to register !
ARE COLLECTIBLES HIDDEN IN YOUR HOME ?

Hotel Laguna

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operations until court ’ s ruling on the request for a preliminary injunction , currently set for May 30 .
Much Law Firm ’ s Issac Zfaty , counsel to Mo Honakar and the Laguna Beach Company , said there are multiple lawsuits pending over the dispute and that the firm is currently looking into financial irregularities they identified earlier in the year with their investors .
“ There are tens of millions of dollars in liens that Mr . Honarkar did not know about and which , at a minimum , should have been disclosed ,” Zfaty said in a statement to the Indy . “ We hope that Mr . Honarkar ’ s investors will cooperate and explain their actions without any further aggression . They have made various misstatements in their filings that we hope were the product of carelessness and not a deliberate attempt to mislead the court . We will , of course , dispel any false claims at the injunction hearing on May 30 .” In the meantime , however , Zfaty said there were no plans to appeal the temporary restraining order .
“ We will abide by the Court ’ s decision to simply stay away from the hotels for three weeks so that he can sort out the relationships ,” he said .
Representing the investor group , lawyer Marc Cohen said it ’ s “ business as usual ” at the two hotels .
“ At the end of the day , the judge ruled in our favor ,” Cohen said . “ We have restarted operations and will continue to do so despite Mr . Honarkar ’ s recent aggressive and inappropriate tactics .”
Last week ’ s conflicts were related to an ongoing civil dispute over the control of operations and management at the hotel properties between Honarkar and a group of investors who claim to have bailed out Honarkar from foreclosure two years ago .
As part of the bailout , Honarkar contributed all of his assets to a group of investors represented by Cohen Law Group , which includes properties such as Hotel Laguna , the Art-A-Fair building , Cliff Village LLC , Terra Laguna Beach , several vacation homes and the 14 West hotel .
However , on May 2 , the Laguna Beach Police Department responded to claims of trespassing and physical altercations between two armed security guard teams at 14 West ( formally the Holiday Inn ). The police responded to another disturbance at Hotel Laguna in the afternoon and again later at 14 West that evening . The incidents led the city manager to issue a nuisance abatement order late that evening , citing unsafe conditions for the public and Laguna Beach police .