City closer to sewer strategy

The City Council is asking for more time to come up with a plan to

deal with the maintenance of private sewer lines.

The city already has a plan for maintaining the sewer system as a

whole, which it will submit to the Environmental Protection Agency on

March 1.

“We’re on target,” Assistant City Manager John Pietig said. The

only exception is that the city will request an extension of the EPA

deadline for a plan focusing on private sewer laterals to Sept. 2003.

“When I verbally suggested this to EPA officials, they didn’t feel

that an extension would be a problem,” he told the council.

The Wastewater Advisory Committee held a workshop on Saturday to

brainstorm possible solutions to the problem of roots being cleaned

out of private laterals into city sewer lines. Roots have been blamed

for the majority of the city’s sewer spills.

“One of the themes of the meeting is that the public needs to be

educational,” Pietig said in a phone interview. “There is was no

clear direction of what the next course of action should be.”

Out of the meeting, attended by about 80 residents and chaired by

Mayor Toni Iseman and Councilman Wayne Baglin, arose three policy

questions that the Wastewater Advisory Committee will review before

it makes a recommendation to the City Council in late spring.

Those questions are: Should maintenance be voluntary or mandatory?

Who should pay for the cost of maintenance and repairs? How will the

coordination work between repair people and the city?

“If everybody in town goes out and starts cleaning private

laterals without coordinating with the city, they’ll push roots into

sewer lines, and we’ll start having sewer spills all over the city,”

Pietig said.

At the council meeting, Baglin said that the EPA order issued last

September was a shot in the arm that the city needed.

“I think it’s better for us and better for the community,” he

said. “I don’t see this as a slap on the wrist.”

He commended city staff for cooperating with the EPA.

-- Mary A. Castillo

Former ambassador to speak on war issues

The Laguna Beach Peace Vigil has organized a free public meeting

featuring former U.S. Ambassador Joseph E. Wilson.

Wilson will speak on the uncertainties and perils of a possible

war with Iraq. He served as chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in

Baghdad from 1988 to 1991 and was acting ambassador during Operation

Desert Shield. He is also an adjunct scholar at the Middle East

Institute in Washington, D.C.

Attendees are encouraged to participate after the talk in an open

discussion on possible peace strategies.

The meeting will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Unitarian

Universalist Fellowship Hall, 429 Cypress Drive. Information:

400-3190 or www.lagunapeace.org.

PTA Coffee Break will focus on drug issues

The topic of PTA Coffee Break will be “Get to Know What’s Really

Going on with Drug and Alcohol Use in Laguna.”

A panel of local experts will speak including Laguna Beach police

chief Jim Spreine; Jenny Salberg, assistant principal at Laguna Beach

High School; Gretchen Ernsdorf, guidance counselor at Laguna Beach

High School; Cheryl Kinsman, Laguna Beach councilwoman; and Brian

Haney, who runs the new drug testing program.

The meeting will take place from 8:15 to 9:30 a.m. Feb. 26 at the

Surf and Sand Hotel, 1555 S. Coast Highway. Admission is $5.

Information: (949) 497-4105.

Faith healer will be back in Laguna Beach

Faith healer Ron Roth will visit the Neighborhood Church.

From 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 21, Roth will lead a healing therapy

session. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 22, he will lead a healing

workshop.

Admission is $35 for the therapy session, $125 for the all-day

workshop or $150 for both. The church is at 340 St. Ann’s Drive.

Information: 494-8333.

Jim Law recognized as honored veteran

Former Commander of Laguna Beach American Legion Post 222 Jim Law,

USMC Retired, will be the first recipient of the Sid Goldstein

Memorial Service Award.

The award is in recognition of Law as the most honored Orange

County veteran.

The award will be presented by Orange County Supervisor Tom Wilson

at a ceremony breakfast meeting at 8 a.m. Tuesday at Home Town

Buffet, 23481 El Toro Road in Laguna Woods.

For reservations, call (714) 567-7450.