TRY A WORLD FAMOUS
Est 1977
PIZZA BAR
397 S Coast Hwy @ Laguna Avenue pizzabar . com
“ Our Town , Our Paper ” lagunabeachindy . com SEPTEMBER 2 , 2022 | Volume XIX , Issue 35
Surfers Shred Again at Brooks Street Classic
Facing Incivility and ‘ Brick Walls ’, Iseman Steps Down After 24 Years
Scout Mitchell earned first place in the 16 and older women ’ s category at the 2022 Brooks Street Classic held Aug . 26 and Aug . 27 . Photo by Bob Booth
By Daniel Langhorne | LB Indy
After a four-year hiatus , the 56th Annual Brooks Street Surfing Classic returned to the surf line on Saturday and Sunday .
The Vic skim boarding contest was also held the same weekend as the Brooks Street Classic as both contests sought the same thing — a prime swell .
“ It turned out to be a great event with surf in the three to six feet range with occasional bigger sets in the eight feet range . I need to thank Surfline for providing great data on the swell giving us confidence that there would be enough contestable surf for the entire weekend ,” said Brandy Faber , director of the Brooks Street Surfing Classic Contest .
Among the special award winners : Brooks Carter took home the Cy Chambers Award and Maddox Rapp earned the Thom Chambers Award .
In the professional / amateur competition , Hudson Saunders took home the top prize of $ 1,000 . Travis Booth , Eli Viszolay , and Michael Chapman respectively
SURF , page 3
AT FIRST PANEL , CANDIDATES SOUND OFF ON CLIMATE CHANGE , HOUSING AND MEASURE Q
By Clara Beard | LB Indy
Laguna Beach City Council candidates Ruben Flores , Mark Orgill , Jerome Pudwill , Alex Rounaghi , Louis Weil , and incumbents Peter Blake and Sue Kempf , took center stage at the Council Chambers for the first candidate panel Monday night . Each challenger is eying three open spots on City Council for a four-year term .
Village Laguna Vice President Merrill Anderson and board member Ann Christoph moderated the two-hour forum . After the candidates ’ two-minute opening statements , the moderators asked a handful of pre-prepared questions ranging from climate change to code enforcement to incentivizing the art community . The public had the chance to submit their own questions prior to the forum .
Leading off was a question regarding how the candidates would protect and enhance Laguna ’ s beauty
PANEL , page 26
By Daniel Langhorne | LB Indy
As Councilmember Toni Iseman visited mentor Bonnie Hano on her deathbed in April , the long-time Laguna Beach activist held her hand and said she should not run for reelection .
When the Aug . 12 filing deadline passed without Iseman declaring her intent to seek another four years in office , it marked the beginning of the end of her 24 years in public service . The veteran politician had mulled the decision for months but Hano ’ s words made the decision easier .
“ I just wanted to thank her for pointing out to me how consuming this job is and how there are other things in life ,” Iseman said .
In a wide-ranging , exclusive interview with the Independent , Iseman said her decision to step down was partly motivated by the increasing incivility in the Council Chambers , a reflection of the rancorous tone of national politics trickling into an artistic beach town . Iseman also credits the move with her inability to
INSIDE
ISEMAN , page 22
COASTAL REAL ESTATE GUIDE
The Ultimate Real Estate Guide for Homebuyers & Owners in Newport Beach and Laguna Beach
without a doubt , we ' re in a drought W A T E R U S E R E S T R I C T I O N S A R E N O W I N E F F E C T
Watering with sprinklers is limited to 3 days per week ( Tuesday , Thursday , Saturday ).
Watering is prohibited between 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM .
Limit watering to 10 minutes per valve , per cycle with no runoff .
L A G U N A B E A C H C O U N T Y W A T E R D I S T R I C T
Plant containers , trees , shrubs , and vegetable gardens may be watered additional days using drip irrigation or hand watering with a hose equipped with a self-closing nozzle .