MAILBAG - Jan. 11, 2008

Time for action on poor cell phone service

Does your cell phone get reception in your Laguna Beach home? Cell phones are more than a convenience for most of us, particularly in times of fire or storms.

I live near the Montage Resort and my cell has never had reception in my home. My neighbors and I have found that we may sporadically receive reception while standing in our street; a location that certainly is not conducive to business conversations.

The other day I was at home expecting an important call on my cell. I soon tired of sitting in my car and contacted my carrier from my land line. A helpful Verizon representative recorded each of my related concerns which included no service and dropped calls. He assured me that he would expedite my ticket to the appropriate department and would follow up with me as soon as possible.

True to his word, he called me within two hours. With a recorded history of other complaints from my neighborhood, it had previously been determined that there is a need for an additional tower.

Unfortunately, there are no current plans to install a tower. Apparently, the complaint level had not reached a point to support the cost.

I admit my guilt. Although I had grumbled, I had not previously called to report my long-term problems.

If you find that your cell service is not what you would expect in Laguna Beach or the surrounding area, I encourage you to contact your provider.

Lack of service in a time of emergency has the potential to be costly to life and property.

SUNNY TAYLOR

Laguna Beach

Not all taxpayers get recycling services

Our city may pride itself on its clean beaches, but it needs to take another look at our recycling.

The city recently signed a five-year contract with Waste Management to pick up recycle and trash separately, yet Waste Management continues to toss them into the same garbage truck for a significant number of families.

They insist that 280 of Laguna’s households live on streets that are difficult for a Waste Management truck to drive on, yet are OK to send one garbage truck once a week to pick up trash “” but cannot send a second truck to those very same streets to pick up recycled material.

This is Waste Management’s excuse to “further reduce recycling service,” despite the fact that payment for recycling is part of our annual tax bill.

Waste Management has lied to our city that they have never sent separate trash and recycle trucks down these streets. My street, Point Place, is one of these streets. The fact is that for most of the seven years I’ve lived here, Waste Management has sent a separate recycle truck here every Tuesday afternoon.

About six months ago, for the third time in seven years, Waste Management summarily discontinued the recycle pickup, hoping, I’m sure, that no one would notice them tossing recycled material into trash trucks.

In the first two instances, our city’s Recycling Department stepped up to the challenge and got Waste Management to resume sending two trucks.

In the second instance, about one and a half years ago, the previous head of our city’s recycle department and Waste Management’s own operations manager, Tom Koutroulis, met with me on Point Place and resolved that Waste Management would indeed continue sending a second truck for recycled material.

And they did “” for about a year, until Waste Management, without any notice, stopped sending the recycle truck, maybe deciding it was cheaper to only send one truck. I have now fought for five months with our city’s recycling department to get Waste Management to resume sending a separate recycle truck, to no avail.

Just what hold does Waste Management have over our city government?

It’s not a safety issue, as Waste Management claims, certainly not on this short street that huge moving vans on occasion have transited safely.

Laguna Beach residents are being taxed for services that are not being performed, and our city officials should be the watchdogs to ensure that those they hire to perform services do in fact provide them. This is what good corporate governance is all about.

If a street is safe for one truck to drive down, it is safe for two.

If enough citizens are concerned about this, maybe our new Mayor Jane Egly and her recycle department will start off the new year with a renewed commitment to restore Laguna Beach to a “green” environment and provide recycling for all Laguna residents.

Laguna Beach

Seeing another side of Iseman

In response to Roger Butow’s Dec. 21 letter, “Iseman good, bad and ugly for environment,” Mr. Butow characterizes Toni Iseman as snide, Machiavellian and unilateral. I see her as kind, dedicated and brave.

Brave because she knows that the compromises she and the other council members make invariably disappoint many citizens, not to mention all interest groups.

For example, the Laguna Beach Resource Center has a long wish list for assisting needy families and people who are homeless. The town’s business owners undoubtedly have an equally long list. The council’s resulting decisions invariably disappoint both sides.

Which probably means that our representative government is working.

ANDY SIEGENFELD

Laguna Beach