28 lagunabeachindy . com NOVEMBER 4 , 2022
Letters
PAGE 26
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all believe in : protecting our environment , access to affordable healthcare , women ’ s reproductive freedom , sensible gun laws , and so much more .
Gwen McNallan , president of the Laguna Beach Democratic Club
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As a former resident and 35-year employee in Laguna Beach , I have a selfish motive for hoping the voters pass Measure Q . I want the peace of mind in knowing that there is a still a place in Orange County where smalltown charm exists and where local activism matters .
The motivation behind Measure Q is for pragmatic safeguards to prevent what ’ s happened to some other OC beach towns where City Hall favor tourism over its residents .
I can ’ t afford to live in Laguna , but I hope the voters appreciate what they have and take the steps to protect its future by supporting Measure Q . Mike Phillips , Laguna Niguel
Laguna Beach is not a village . Laguna has always been a sophisticated urban center in a sea of suburbia . It has a true downtown , a high street and a variety of communal places , parks and urban streets . Proper cities sustain us . A sense of community is fostered by architecture ; buildings create outdoor rooms that encourage and enable us to come together , allow us to eat together , to talk , to discover . This is what humanity seeks and this is what we need , companionship , collective society . These are the kinds of places you visit on your holidays and travels .
Such civic places are not created by one story , unconnected small structures , something that measure Q and its proponents desire ; everything proposed by Measure Q destroys civic potential .
The authors of measure Q clearly don ’ t understand the proposed zoning and controls and most certainly not the physical results of what they propose . I don ’ t say this in a derogatory fashion . Most people don ’ t understand this . However , most people don ’ t propose to control how we build our city , our civic heart . As a practicing Architect and student of cities and civic life , I implore you to vote no . L Paul Zajfen , Laguna Beach
To those who are still wondering how to vote on Q , I would ask you to notice who has what to gain . It doesn ’ t take much investigation to see ( read the small print on those flyers ) that most of the NO on Q literature has some connection to developers . It ’ s pretty obvious what they have to gain . Try as hard as you can , you can ’ t see what we YES on Q supporters have to gain monetarily . Almost universally we are trying to protect the integrity and beauty of our town . I ’ ve already voted YES on Q because I want to protect this unique town from becoming simply another tourist-serving venue , losing much of its charm in the process . I urge you to join those of us who love our hometown with no expectation of personal gain .
Rosemary Boyd , 53-year resident of Laguna Beach
In last week ’ s Indy , Ann Christoph revealed that I rejected the endorsement of Village Laguna . I want to explain why I did so , and why I ’ m committed to being an independent candidate and Councilmember .
The best part of this campaign has been the time I ’ ve spent talking and listening to residents ’ concerns . I ’ ve learned so much from our conversations . I ’ m continually amazed at the talent , kindness , and passion for the town we call home .
Do we agree on every issue ? Of course not . But I believe there is more that unites us than divides us . There is no reason our community can ’ t come together and find creative solutions to the complex challenges we face . But our toxic political culture gets in the way . In this election , there has been an unprecedented amount of spending by independent expenditures . This outside spending fuels misinformation , meanness , and unnecessary divisiveness in our beautiful town .
People are tired of tribalism . That ’ s why I declined Village Laguna ’ s endorsement when Anne Caen and Ann Christoph offered it to me after the first candidate forum . I would do the same with Liberate Laguna /
LETTERS , page 36