Mountain Road home redesign not historic City...

Mountain Road home redesign not historic

City Council should have followed Wayne Baglin’s lead to send [the

Mountain Road home issue] back to the Heritage Committee for denial

of Heritage Status.

The new design does not look at all like the original home.

Heritage is supposed to be preservation -- this won’t even be

replication.

The front facade of the home had already been destroyed by a

previous nonpermitted remodel by the current owners in 2002. Heritage

homes should retain the original visual appearance.

This is just an unethical way to get around building a house that

is too large for the lot and not have to follow proper building codes

or pay costly permits.

It is unfortunate the picture of the original house was found

after the Heritage Committee made their decision, however, we still

have time to correct this mistake.

LYNN SIKES

Laguna Beach

Yes, I applaud the City Council’s decision to affirm the appeal of

the Mountain View remodel project. I also believe Councilman Wayne

Baglin’s public statements regarding Laguna’s historical registry

policy and the inherent building code loopholes are a matter for

further, public investigation.

After becoming involved with the Mountain View project and

learning more about the current firestorm surrounding the development

of the residences at the Montage by attending the City Council

meeting, I have concluded that it is time to review, clarify and

revise many of Laguna’s building approval processes.

ROBIN K. HALL

Laguna Beach

Yes, the decision to send the project on Mountain Road back to the

design Review Board was correct.

The appeal was based on both the questionable use -- or as in this

case misuse -- of the city’s historic ordinance and the failure of

both the Heritage Committee and Design Review Board to adequately

address view and privacy issues raised by the neighbors on the side

and rear of the project, where the negative impact is difficult to

ignore.

It is difficult to understand how this project ever made it

through heritage and Design Review Board. This process is obviously

flawed. Just because a project is deemed as cute does not mean that

the city’s building codes can be brushed aside along with the

property rights of the surrounding neighbors.

My sincere thanks to the City Council members for listening to the

facts and getting it right.

TOM GILES

Laguna Beach

The council was correct in upholding the appellant but they did

not go far enough. Councilmen Wayne Baglin and Steve Dicterow opposed

the motion that carried because they wanted the matter of the home

even being on the historical registry questioned. All the council

spoke or voted in favor of the appellant. The dispute was what

further action was then appropriate.

JUDSON M. ROBERT

Laguna Beach

No more butts on the beach please

What a great idea to ban smoking on the beach. It should not be

used as a big ashtray.

DOROTHY MOSS

Laguna Beach

More signs and would help tide pools

Thank you Bill McDonald for the letter about robbery of our tide

pools (Coastline Pilot, April 16).

As my husband and I walk our dog from Brooks Street to Main Beach

we have often seen visitors to our city who may be staying at the

local hotels between Saint Ann’s Street and Main Beach taking sea

life and shells from our protected tide pools, especially at low

tide.

I have wanted to say something to these people but hesitated since

I have no authority. I was amazed that McDonald got such a run around

with the lifeguards and police department who suggested he call the

Fish and Game Department, which would be futile since there are so

few of them and the territory of Orange County they have to cover is

so enormous. We need to look at someone being appointed to go to with

this problem. Someone with authority to hand out tickets.

My next observation is about the new signs posted at all the

stairways from Heisler Park to Crescent Bay. Why don’t we have those

signs on each stairway in South Laguna? I think it would help.

My other thought along with the stairway signs would be to have in

each hotel room and lobby along the beach especially a sign or

appropriate card about not violating guarded ecological sanctuaries

here in Laguna. Management of all hotels should consider this. A card

regarding the tide pools could be handed out at the desk when

visitors are checking into the hotels.

I know if I were made aware that the tide pools here are protected

I would thank them for the information. Let’s find some answers

instead of delays and put-offs.

DARRYLIN GIRVIN

Laguna Beach

Off season no longer a break for tide pools

Over the past several weeks there have been many letters

concerning the state and fate of our tide pools here in Laguna Beach.

For many years they have been, to our shame, Laguna’s forgotten

treasures.

First hand accounts of the plight of the creatures which inhabit

our numerous tide pools have been published in your paper as well as

the importance of these creatures to many of the inhabitants of our

city.

I am pleased that the efforts of the Tidewater Docents have

brought a new and heightened awareness of the unique asset we are

privileged to have here at our very doorstep. Even at their rather

diminished levels relative to years past, many of the tide pools on

our rocky coast are something to behold, while others are nothing

more that puddles of seawater. The life in those areas where it still

exists is quite remarkable and worthy of preservation. There is

nothing like it for miles both up and down the coast.

The legal authority to preserve the tide pool creatures and

environment has been in place for well over a decade. Laguna Beach’s

entire coastline has been designated a protected area since the early

1990s. Protection means that no animal (alive or dead), shell, plant

or rock may be disturbed, yes disturbed -- forget about taken --

anywhere along Laguna’s coast. The law allows for a fine of up to

$1,000, if an individual is caught in the act of disturbing this

environment.

In the long term, compliance will only be achieved if all of the

people visiting our beaches are aware of the laws and regulations

pertaining to our coastline. Signage plays an important role in the

education process. For many people, the first time they become aware

of the protected status of Laguna’s is by reading one of the signs

that is posted at the entrance to beaches and coves. However, many

people don’t look at signs and for those the opportunity to become

informed is lost.

The next educational opportunity becomes available when a

lifeguard makes a trip to the tide pools to tell a person or group of

people that the area is protected and that they should “stop messing

with the critters.” For the most part, this occurs during the summer

when the Marine Safety Department is fully staffed with its

complement of seasonal lifeguards. Let us say that this is the case

during the three-month “high season.”

What happens during the rest of the year? There are six full-time,

year-round lifeguards watching the coastline for the nine month off

season. They have a difficult task providing adequate water safety

for swimmers and surfers during the off season for the 5 1/2miles of

coastline we have in Laguna Beach much less enforcing Marine Habitat

Protection Laws.

We all know that the off season is no longer quiet and tranquil.

Weekends on a sunny day can be as busy as any day during the season.

For example, between 1:30 and 4 p.m. on March 21 there were more than

200 people at the tide pools at the south end of the beach at

Treasure Island. So the difference between the off season and the

season is now weekends, with as many beach visitors, but with far,

far fewer lifeguards to perform water safety and habitat enforcement

functions.

There is one additional factor working against the tide pool

habitat during the winter: daytime negative or extra low tides where

more creatures are exposed and creatures are exposed for longer

periods of time. It is a fact of nature that there are more daytime

negative low tides during the off season than during the season.

During the season negative low tides occur during the night while

they are daytime events during the off season. Negative low tides

occur with the highest frequency when there is the lowest level of

lifeguard presence on the beach. In effect, this creates a double

whammy: a high level of tide pool creature exposure and a low level

of protection.

The volunteer Tidewater Docents have been attempting to fill the

education/enforcement gap created by the convergence of high off

season beach utilization, high tide pool creature exposure and low

lifeguard presence.

I am happy to say that the volunteer docents have made quite a

difference on the two beaches that they patrol. However, it has

become clear after a year-long effort that additional professional

support is needed. We believe that a Marine Enforcement/Education

Officer within the Laguna Beach Marine Safety Department who is

empowered to write citations as well as perform water safety

functions is required if we are to effectively enforce existing

marine habitat laws and protect our tide pools and provide additional

marine safety for all of those off season swimmers and surfers.

FRED SATTLER

Chairman, Ocean Laguna

Foundation

Coordinator, Volunteer

Tidewater Docent Program

Laguna Beach

Oh crud, one more party to keep track of

I am putting myself forward as a write-in candidate for Laguna

Beach City Council as well as seeking recruits for my new political

party -- Citizens Representing American Principals. The C.R.A.P.

party.

I am 83-years-old, have lived in Laguna Beach 44 years. You might

ask, “Why elect an argumentative, ill-informed man?” Could I do any

worse than the council has done in the past few years?

Our taxes have been raised. They have given away millions of our

tax dollars to a multi-million dollar enterprise, the Montage. Where

is our parking structure? According to my files, the Downtown parking

structure was supposed to be put on the “urgent” agenda in July 1996.

Well, they’ll put a man on the moon before we get a Downtown parking

garage.

Remember, a vote for HUSTON is a vote for ACTION. We may not know

where we are going but at least we will be doing something.

DAN HUSTON

Laguna Beach

The Coastline Pilot is eager to run your letters. If your letter

does not appear, it may be because of space limitations, and the

letter will likely appear next week. If you would like to submit a

letter, write to us at P.O. Box 248, Laguna Beach, CA 92652; fax us

at (949) 494-8979; or send e-mail to [email protected].

Please give your name and include your hometown and phone number, for

verification purposes only.