Editor’s note: Mailbag letters were received...

Editor’s note: Mailbag letters were received before the Dec. 17

council meeting, during which it was decided to move the parking

meter rates back to $1 per hour and increase the time limit to three

hours.

Can’t blame meters for all business woes

Tom Ahern’s commentary on “Sounding Off” on the parking meter

issue was interesting and instructive.

The Laguna Beach merchant’s lament reminds me of Michael Jackson’s

whining that his last CD bombed because the record company only spent

$25 million to market it. Maybe, as the marketplace indicated, it had

something to do with the quality of the CD?

It is interesting because the merchants claim that retail sales

are down a certain percentage over for a certain period. It is 13%,

it is 30% and it is 60%. What is it really?

It is also instructive to have these merchants identify the cause

-- this time it is the parking meters. This reason has been

identified by a series of random and anecdotal comments generated by

unidentified customers.

As chair of Vision Laguna 2030, I would be remiss in not

commenting on this.

The Vision 2030 Final Report was presented to the Laguna Beach

City Council in January 2002. It was again presented, in a summary

format, in June 2002. What is in that final report bears directly

upon the issues presented by the merchants.

In the Economic Sustainability section, there were a number of

recommended actions. Here are just two that relate:

Prepare a market research study to determine the visitor and

resident preferences and desires (Page 55, EC3).

Establish an Office of Economic Development within the city to act

as ombudsman for businesses (Page 55, EC4).

The Resident and Visitor Mobility section offers seven project

proposals. Here are just a few:

1. Conduct a Traffic Analysis Survey to analyze supply, demand and

pattern-of-use (Page 30, MO5a).

2. Conduct a Livable Communities Analysis to balance between the

needs of vehicles, pedestrians and other modes of transportation

(Page 28, MO3).

3. Conduct Origin/Destination Analysis to increase transit

ridership (Page 26, MO1a).

Tom Ahern did participate in the vision process and indicated that

the Vision Laguna Final Report did include a variety of comprehensive

recommendations on traffic and parking.

So, what’s my point?

Rather then deal with these issues on a piecemeal and narrative

basis, a comprehensive and overall approach is required. That is what

Vision Laguna 2030 attempted to do. What’s more, it was the 2,000

citizens of Laguna Beach who developed the recommendations contained

in the report.

Questions for discussion:

If retail sales are down, is it the parking meters, the quality of

the stores or something else?

A new “visitor” is coming to Laguna Beach as a result of new

high-end hotels. What should be the retail makeup of Laguna Beach?

Frightening as it might be, the new visitor who is paying $500 per

night at the new hotels may want more than T-shirts and trinkets.

Besides the summer Festival offerings, what cultural and

intellectual opportunities are available in the fall and winter?

Does the wonderful and valuable “village” concept obscure the

economic realities of the future? Can the “village” co-exist with the

economic realities of the future?

It seems to me that there will continue to be endless and

circuitous debates as long as the city, the citizens and the

merchants fail to adopt more comprehensive approaches to the

problems.

FRED S. DROZ

Chair, Vision Laguna 2030

Laguna beach

Parking meters don’t work for Laguna

The concept of parking meters in Laguna Beach is dead. Instead,

meter people could chalk tires for however many hours Downtown, along

the beach and in the canyon, that is thought to be fair for

merchants, locals and visitors -- and increase ticket costs.

[Donald] Bren of the Irvine Co. opened Crystal Cove promenade less

than a mile north of town at almost the same time as Laguna’s meters

went from $1 to $1.50. Trader Joes, The Gap, Williams-Sonoma and

other stores are intended to draw business from Laguna with plenty of

free parking.

Does our city manager and City Council have any vision for Laguna?

The city should cut its payroll 5% now, and increased sales tax would

bring in another 5% or even much more. Two hundred fifty city

employees is too many. Meters stop locals from going to Heisler Park,

going about town to shop, snack, visit the museum, etc. They drive

visitors out of town.

Do our leaders understand what a concept is? We need visionary

city leaders -- with new ideas. Parking meters are no part of a

vision for the future.

ROGER CARTER

Laguna Beach

This raise in rates and reduction in parking times looks like a

big “oops!” Being sensible, I’m sure our thoughtful and wise City

Council will see its error and correct it as soon as possible, before

someone goes out of business and calls a lawyer.

Some observations: Laguna Beach 101 -- There isn’t enough local

trade to support our businesses, Laguna Beach is a tourist town. We

depend on visitors. Laguna’s prime attraction is its “hometown by the

sea,” friendly atmosphere. Galleries, shops, restaurants and real

estate all benefit from this atmosphere.

Let’s not discourage visitors who may be short on quarters but

long on dollars. Typically, locals and visitors don’t carry around

jars filled with coins. Confronted with the choice of depositing 18

quarters, getting a $29 ticket or going somewhere else, we shouldn’t

be surprised by the recent downturn in sales our merchants are

reporting.

The power to tax is the power to destroy; and don’t kid yourself,

a parking meter is a soulless tax collector. Mary Castillo’s article

reveals spending plans for these funds, and I must protest. The

$50,000 payroll/personnel program reminds me of the famous $2,500

coffeemaker NASA was using. That, however, doesn’t gall as much as

the $400,000 listed as grants! Excuse me, but by what right and

authority does a municipality impose taxes on citizens in order to

engage in philanthropy!

This is an outrage and a blatant abuse of power. Certainly these

are worthy charities, deserving of private support. But I don’t care

if it’s the “Warm and Furry Big Eyed Abused Kittens Fund,” this is

not an obligation of city government, especially when it’s looking to

cut expenditures and increase taxes!

Perhaps this would be a good time to examine the latest filing of

the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, wherein the invested

reserve funds are detailed. By last reckoning, our city had stashed

away tens of millions in surpluses from past tax receipts. Remember

Bob Citron?

MATT SMITH

Laguna Beach

On Baglin and some Laguna history

Wayne Baglin

Wayne Baglin has given to this city of Laguna Beach so much of

himself over the many years of his service on the City Council, and

represented our best interests when he served on the Water Quality

Board. He believes that he is innocent of the charges that have been

brought against him, so he elected to plead “not guilty.” His

decision will probably place the ultimate burden on determination of

his innocence or guilt on a jury.

To judge him prematurely, either publicly or privately, is not the

American way. Our system of jurisprudence dictates that he is

innocent until proven guilty.

Laguna History

How did the Hospitality Night get started? In the late 1950s or

early ‘60s, there was a competition between the coastal communities

from Huntington Beach to San Clemente over which town had the best

holiday decor. I think it was called “Miles of Smiles.”

The Laguna Beach Jaycees were the spearheads for this competition

in our town. If you were to check with Storm Case or Harry Lawrence,

I am sure that you would find exactly how the Hospitality Night

evolved.

I believe that it originally coincided with the night that the

judges passed along the coast, from city to city, making their

decision of which one would win the competition.

Many residents would put colored lightbulbs in their front door

lights so that our hillsides were aglow with color. I think the

present day palettes that adorn our city’s light poles along the main

streets also evolved form that original competition.

DON KNAPP

Laguna Beach

Nothing wrong with Baglin’s actions

From my point of view, Wayne Baglin has done nothing wrong. He

earned a sales commission through the normal course of his

long-established business. Had he not been the listing broker and had

received a fee for putting the buyer and seller together, then there

would be a problem. On the other hand, the sellers could have entered

into a purchase agreement with another party; Baglin would have been

entitled to the same sales commission, and the city would have had to

initiate eminent domain proceedings, at added expense, to obtain the

property.

Wayne Baglin is an honorable man who has loyally served this

community over many years. He should not have to be subjected to this

type of harassment which most certainly was instigated by some of the

bureaucrats who don’t agree with him.

This whole thing really stinks! Rather than bureaucrats trying to

get rid of an elected council member, let’s have the City Council

members do some housecleaning at City Hall. Maybe it’s time for Ken

Frank’s little fiefdom to come to an end.

DAN FREEMAN

Laguna Beach

Baglin is bad leadership example

There are times when nice people do bad things. And there are

times when people do bad things without knowing they have done so.

Does this make it right? And of greatest concern is the forceful

insistence that wrong was right. Not even the hint of contrition

coming from Baglin or his attorney.

This is hardly an example for ethical and moral leadership, or

social responsibility, all things sorely lacking in contemporary

American society.

BETSY PARKER

Laguna Beach

The D.A. is dead on!

Baglin has been skirting the law his entire tenure. He rightly has

been caught up with finally.

ANNE HAUSER

Laguna Beach