14 lagunabeachindy . com JULY 12 , 2024
Letters
PAGE 12 valua vitaly _ shutterstock
DR . ADRIENNE O ’ CONNELL 610 N Coast Hwy , Suite 208 Laguna Beach , CA 92651 info @ lagunabeachaesthetics . com www . lagunabeachaesthetics . com 949.415.4310
DAVIS LAW
A PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION
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Dr . O ’ Connell performs all procedures and consultations herself .
STILL THOUGHTFUL PROBLEM SOLVING
CHANGE IS GOOD
THOMAS P . DAVIS , APC ( Tom ) is pleased to announce that he has joined Anderson Law Group ( Nicole Anderson ) as of counsel to the firm . He will continue to handle litigation and transactional matters , including business formation , real estate and business contract review , contract negotiations , and litigation management and avoidance . The firm also serves as outside general corporate counsel on behalf of for-profit and non-profit organizations .
DAVIS LAW , APC 1000 N . Coast Highway , Ste . 10 • Laguna Beach , CA 92651 phone : 949.413.4754 tom @ tpdavislaw . com www . tpdavislaw . com as proposed . Why can ’ t we work together as a community where we take on these housing issues in partnership with the neighborhoods to find win-win solutions ? Is that too much to ask ? Richard Plavetich , Laguna Beach
In Agreement with Ray and Fried I find myself in agreement with recent columns by Michael Ray and Billy Fried . Michael Ray was on target with his prediction about the drone show . It was boring and , at $ 72,000 , really expensive . Hopefully , the city council will not repeat this blunder and reinstate the appropriate honoring of America with a fireworks display ( at half the cost ).
Slow-developing light displays of a dolphin , jellyfish and — wait for it — a plein air painter just don ’ t seem to celebrate our great nations ’ independence .
Billy Fried ’ s column was a hoot – what a display of a great sense of humor as he stated the obvious but painful truth for Democrats : Joe has to go , and “ any carbon-based life form under 70 with a pulse will do .”
These are trying times . At least all Americans can celebrate our nation ’ s independence in spite of the lame drone show and participate in our democracy while we still have it . Merrill Anderson , Laguna Beach
Who ’ s Looking Out for Us ?
At the July 2 Audit Committee meeting , we learned that the ccity had decided to change auditors , had solicited potential new firms and had closed the bid process . We learned that the reason for the change was the desire of the City Council for a speedier turnaround of the audit report . We learned that the current firm could not commit to an earlier timetable so was not asked to bid .
There was a consensus during public comments that the optics here are not good . Changing auditors after only two years ( rather than the normal three to five ), combined with having been assessed a material weakness in the city ’ s financial reporting process by those auditors in both of those years , is just a bad look . And there was a question as to whether absent an improvement in the city ’ s ability to produce a timely set of financial statements that are free of material error , a change in auditors would actually solve the timing problem .
These issues were raised at the July 9 City Council meeting . While they were not formally addressed , one council member stated that the finance department had made a unilateral decision to change auditors . Not only was the Audit Committee not informed , the change had not been approved by the council .
This is rather amazing . The finance department , which is the subject of the material weakness comment , unilaterally decides to change the firm making that assessment and then manages the entire process . There ’ s more . In a communication to potential bidders , a question as to whether the city had been notified of any material weaknesses in its past audit , the city responded in the negative , when in fact the opposite was true .
One might think the City Manager and the City Council would be incensed with this end around . Well , not so much . A decision was made to bypass the current Treasurer ( a Treasurer who has satisfactorily performed all investment functions for the last 20 years ) and reward the Finance Department with responsibility for overseeing the city ’ s recently outsourced $ 150 million investment portfolio . So let ’ s get this straight . A department that has yet to prove it can satisfactorily perform its normal duties has been assigned new duties to oversee a new outsourcing arrangement for which it has no expertise . What could possibly go wrong ? And who ’ s looking out for us — the residents of Laguna Beach ? Mary Locatelli , Laguna Beach
Fourth of July in Laguna Beach
The city ’ s drone show was a unique way for our village to celebrate Independence Day with lights and action without contaminating the air with gunpowder smoke or littering the ocean with thousands of pieces of plastic and paper debris from the exploding canisters or re-creating the terrifying sound pollution of bombs bursting in air .
All that effort and expense was overshadowed by Emerald Bay ’ s massive fireworks display that night and the plethora of private , illegal explosives and rockets that went on and on for hours that night and were firing for days before and after the Fourth . My suggestion is for the city to save their money and not produce their own display .
Rather , open Heisler Park and all the beaches for free viewing of the legal fireworks that can be seen from Emerald Bay all the way to San Pedro .
Then , spend the money they save on visitor services and police / fire / emergency interventions that are needed over the Fourth of July weekend .
Tom Joliet , Laguna Beach