6 lagunabeachindy . com OCTOBER 28 , 2022
The recent “ hit piece ” flyer against Ruben Flores mailed out by Peter Blake supporters was a mean-spirited and offensive joke . The front page shows Mr . Flores in a toga-type party costume and says , “ City Hall Isn ’ t a Frat House .” Huh ? Since when is it not okay to go to a party dressed in a costume ? What does going to a party have to do with City Hall ? The back of the flyer is even more ridiculous . The picture to the right shows Ruben at a recent debate , and he happened to have a can of hard seltzer by his side . This was a mistake , and he admits it . But since when is an adult drinking hard seltzer illegal ? The last picture and its commentary are the most ridiculous and denigrating . It shows Ruben ’ s back in a Facebook post he made 15 years ago . Of course , he was wearing swim trunks ( low-cut Speedos ), which the flyer conveniently omits . So this Facebook post is perfectly fine . The flyer calls this photo “ semi-nude ,” yet it is only a male at the beach with trunks on that were not shown . It ’ s a classic Nothing-Burger and a waste of Peter Blake ’ s campaign funds . Ruben has our money and our vote .
Charlotte and Alex Masarik , Laguna Beach
As a non-native Californian brought here by good fortune and an even better wife , I am often bemused by the direct democracy approach of ballot initiatives . It ’ s an odd approach to government , and I don ’ t see much evidence that it leads to better outcomes . With the hot topic in town turning to Measure Q , I did my research , spoke with people on both sides , and came to a clear conclusion Q is not the solution .
At the most recent LRF community meeting , I had the opportunity to meet the champion of this initiative , David Raber . I have no doubt , based on my conversation , that David is a fine man
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and his intentions are good , however , I believe his organizational efforts here are misguided .
By his own admission , under Measure Q , 18 more ArtLofts buildings could be built in the canyon . The great irony being ArtLofts is the most featured project on both the LRF website and their collateral . The reality is that only one building over 20,000 sf has been built in Laguna Beach in the last 20 years . That was the Montage , and there was a citywide vote .
The passionate attendees at the LRF meetings will eagerly tell you about their fights through the years to stop the toll road , the Irvine Company , and the development of Main Beach . I laud those efforts as they have certainly been more positive than negative and are all part of what has created this special place we call home . I don ’ t believe that anyone in that room wants to prevent a small business from opening or the improvement of one of our tired buildings here in town , but that is what will inevitably happen with Q .
The repeated phrases of , “ We can ’ t trust this council ”, “ Developers will ruin this town ”, and “ Measure Q is our only hope to keep Laguna , Laguna ” all seem dubious when I consider how much time and effort have gone into their planning and support of Measure Q .
I wish they spent that same time and effort recruiting , supporting , and voting for politicians that align with their vision of Laguna . Instead , they pursued something grander , a “ fix-all ” solution that waters down our elected official ’ s authority and creates even more uncertainty in what is an already famously complex and time-consuming approval process .
Elections have consequences , and recruiting , supporting , and voting for candidates that share our values should be our priority , not usurping their power through layers of bureaucracy .
Vote No on Q . Bob Remington , North Laguna
“ The forest was shrinking , but the trees kept voting for the Axe , for the Axe was clever and convinced the Trees that because his handle was made of wood , he was one of them .” ~ Turkish proverb . In this election season , as the dirt and the dust swirl , and the mistruths and half-truths continue to pollinate voters ’ minds , I encourage every Laguna resident to look for themselves at the details and reject Measure Q as an unnecessary and burdensome measure that is a solution in search of a problem that doesn ’ t exist . Voting for the Axe of Measure Q will result in the strangulation of our town , blight and more vacancies , and hacks away at property rights . The existing checks and balances in the current system of
LAST WEEK ’ S QUESTION
Are you for or against City vehicles going hybrid or electric ?
- Against 54.8 % - For 45.3 % Total Votes 113
THIS WEEK ’ S QUESTION
Are Laguna Beach coastal waters within the Gulf of Santa Catalina ?
- Yes - No
To vote , visit the poll tab at lagunabeachindy . com . Submit poll questions to clara @ firebrandmediainc . com .
LETTERS , page 30
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PUBLISHER EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Steve Zepezauer
CREATIVE & MARKETING DIRECTOR Tracy Powell
CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER / PUBLISHER Scott Sanchez
CITY HALL MEETINGS :
Wednesday , Nov . 2 . Administrative Design Review Meeting at 3 p . m .
HOW TO CONTACT THE CITY COUNCIL
Sue Kempf Mayor 439-3001 skempf @ lagunabeachcity . net
DESIGN REVIEW BOARD SECOND AND FOURTH THURSDAYS , 5 PM LOUIS WEIL : lweil @ lagunabeachcity . net KRISTINE THALMAN : kthalman @ lagunabeachcity . net DON SHERIDAN : dsheridan @ lagunabeachcity . net JESSICA GANNON : jgannon @ lagunabeachcity . net DEBORAH NEEV : dneev @ lagunabeachcity . net
Bob Whalen Peter Blake Mayor pro tem
Council member
497-0796
584-1224 bwhalen @ lagunabeachcity . net pblake @ lagunabeachcity . net
Toni Iseman Council member 494-7648 tiseman2 @ aol . com
PLANNING COMMISSION 1ST AND 3RD WEDNESDAYS , 6 PM STEVEN KELLENBERG , steve @ kellenbergstudio . com KEN SADLER : 616-0517 , ken . sadler @ cox . net JORG DUBIN : 497-2618 , jdubinart @ cox . net STEVE GOLDMAN : 203-554-2290 , steveg415 @ ymail . com SUSAN McLINTOCK WHITIN : 838-6317 , whitinsusan @ gmail . com
George Weiss Council member 295-0832 gweiss @ lagunabeachcity . net
Ann Marie McKay City Clerk 497-0309 amckay @ lagunabeachcity . net
Laura Parisi City Treasurer 949-497-0327 lparisi @ lagunabeachcity . net
OTHER ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES :
REP . MICHELLE STEEL , 1113 Longworth House Office Building , Washington , DC 20515 . 202-225-2415
ASSEMBLYWOMAN COTTIE PETRIE-NORRIS , 19712 MacArthur Blvd . Ste . 150 , Irvine , CA 92612 . 949-251-0074
FIFTH DISTRICT SUPERVISOR LISA BARTLETT , 333 W . Santa Ana Blvd ., Santa Ana , CA 92701 714-834- 3550 , Lisa . Bartlett @ ocgov . com
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