20 lagunabeachindy . com AUGUST 9 , 2024
GUEST OPINION :
Why So Much Traffic on Laguna Canyon Road ?
By eLIZABeTH PeARsON
After seeing so many complaints on Facebook and Nextdoor about traffic , congestion and parking , especially coming off of Laguna Canyon Road , I wanted to share some facts based on data that the community might want to know .
In 2005 , I was hired as a subcontractor to the city of Irvine ’ s public relations firm to conduct outreach on the ideas being considered for the Great Park ( located in the area to the north of Laguna Canyon Road ). Part of that research required me to conduct many focus groups throughout the county , including veterans groups , arts groups , business groups , sports groups and more .
I then organized an all-day community event with break-out sessions that anyone in Orange County could attend . This was advertised widely .
During my time on this project , I learned that thousands of homes would be built in the Great Park .
As I had been working for nearly 10 years ( both as a Planning Commissioner and City Councilmember ) to push forward a parking garage at the Village Entrance with a multi-level garage and park in front . Once I learned of the number of homes that would be built , I realized that the new homeowners would likely go to their closest beach for their summer fun : Laguna . My fervor for the Village entrance and garage ( that would have given us a net gain of 10 % more parking ( including the surface parking ). The cost would have been covered by the $ 6 million we had in the parking fund and parking meter revenues would have paid for a bond to build the project .
The naysayers , led by Village
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Letters
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likely need expansion and have increased costs in the fu-ture as they go towards personnel costs .
Jim Kelly , Laguna Beach
REALLOCATE CITY FUNDS FOR DAY-TRIPPER ENFORCEMENT The Aug . 2 edition of the Indy contained a report about the Laguna Beach city council ’ s failure to address business tax license increases and a gross receipts tax on bars and restaurants to offset the considerable , non-reimbursed costs incurred by the city ( Ultimately , the taxpayers ) to cover unreimbursed day-tripper tourist costs .
John Thomas ’ s guest opinion in the Aug . 2 Indy presented a strong case in favor of increased business , and bar and restaurant taxes . If you look at the 2023 city budget , note that the city uses $ 27,000,000 to balance the budget . Most of this covers the $ 20 million of unrecoverable costs required to support day trippers . Because of the magnitude of non-reimbursed expenses , the city needs to consider a gross receipts tax . Two councilmembers favored the consideration of the tax , and an ad hoc committee was formed to explore possibilities for revenue . A new state law specifically allows bars and restaurants to show and add taxes to a customer ’ s bill . This would be a pass-through . The establishments would simply be collecting the tax for the city .
I know there is opposition as bar and restaurant owners complained this tax would affect their business . However , another way to view this is that Laguna voters are subsidizing restaurants and bars that attract day-trippers with their property tax money , which the city could use instead for aging infrastructure and other purposes .
Over time , unrecovered daytripper costs have greatly affected Laguna ’ s unfunded pension liability and household debt . In 2019 , Laguna had the highest unfunded pension liability of any Orange County city ( 52 %) and the highest pension debt per household ($ 11,513 ). The city is continuing to add personnel to accommodate day trippers . City employment is now 350 , and they all get pensions .
Council continues to “ kick the can down the road ” by not addressing how the city will be made whole for excessive day-tripper expenses .
A gross receipts tax on bars and restaurants is a good start and will generate substan-tial revenue . Other sacred cows should be explored , such as entrance fees for the Pageant , Art-A-Fair and Sawdust Festival . In addition , the scope of the TOT can be greatly expanded without changing the current rate of 14 %.
In a July 11 town hall , residents questioned why Visit Laguna was needed , as Visit Laguna ’ s function is to entice more day-trippers to come to Laguna .
The residents felt that the city needed to get rid of Visit Laguna . See Michele Monda ’ s excellent guest opinion in the Aug . 2 Indy .
The city is providing $ 1.8 million to Visit Laguna , which encourages day-trippers through social media and its website . Instead , the city could use the $ 1.8 million that goes to Visit Laguna to balance the budget and for enforcement against day trippers .
George Orff , Laguna Beach
Happy ‘ Hudson ’ Eager to Find His Forever Home
Hudson is a one-year-old neutered male Keeshond Husky mix currently up for adoption at the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter . The shelter says he ’ s incredibly smart , easy to train , and gets along with other dogs .
The Laguna Beach Animal Shelter adoption procedures are designed to make sure that both the potential family and the animal adopted are in the very best situation possible . The Laguna Beach Animal Shelter is located at 20612 Laguna Canyon Road . For any questions , please call ( 949 ) 497-3552 .
Hudson is currently up for adoption at the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter . Photo / LBAS
GUEST OPINION : PET PEEVES
In Sync
By MARK D . CRANTZ
“ Crantz , you lead such an exciting life ,” wrote a recent reader . “ What are you doing this week ? I want to be like you . Being like Mike is so yesterday . Do you have your own line of nap shades ?”
Thank you for noticing , my one and only fan . For the rest of you out there , my mailbox is not full , so get with it . Get in sync . Be like Crantz . Watch the Olympics . There ’ s still time . Otherwise , you ’ ll have to wait another four years to be like me . Who can wait that long for nap shades ?
You probably want to ask me , ‘ What is your favorite sport at the summer Olympics ?” I ’ d say looking for Matt Lauer . Where in the world is he ? Never mind . I ’ m not some roving reporter over there looking for him . I ’ m a stay-at-home reporter because of my wobbly knees . However , I can report from home that all the celebrities are in Paris . There ’ s Nicole Kidman , Keith Urban , Tom Brady , Natalie Portman , Snoop Dogg , Martha Stewart and on and on . The only three who aren ’ t there are J . Lo , Ben Affleck and me . Hmmm . No , it ’ s not a love triangle . I have nothing to do with those two . And they have nothing to do with each other , come to think of it . Just three random individuals , probably not at the Olympics , due to their own set of wobbly knees . I ’ ve spent my home reporting trying to devour all the snacks that the Olympic commercials are pushing . It ’ s tough keeping up with their recommendations . I ’ m feeling a bit woozy .
My favorite sport is the synchronized diving . How did this event or its sister event , synchronized swimming , start ? I did some research after grabbing a recommended bag of Cheetos . My research produced an orange and sticky mess of it . Yuck . Luckily , the recommended Dawn dish detergent came to my rescue . I figured if it can clean up oily ducks it should be a cinch to clean up orange research notes . I figured wrong . Oh well , I ’ ll
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