Disaster-relief leader is the perfect choice

Laguna Beach city officials could not have picked a better choice for

the position of community-recovery coordinator for the Bluebird

Canyon landslide.

How do we know this? Well, we know Bob Burnham.

Burnham may live in Bluebird Canyon, where he along with his

family had to evacuate, but he’s best known around these parts for

serving in the sensitive and demanding post of city attorney for

Newport Beach for some 22 years.

In that capacity, he handled some dicey issues, including keeping

a lid on the number of flights at John Wayne Airport, an

investigation of a former police chief, and the aftermath of

accusations of embezzlement lodged against a former utilities

director.

He also played a leading role in obtaining stricter environmental

regulations to clean up Newport Harbor and the Back Bay.

As such, he has trained well for his new job, which will include

assisting the city of Laguna Beach in obtaining federal and state

financial assistance, working with displaced residents, and managing

overall reconstruction efforts in beleaguered Bluebird Canyon.

Burnham was considered a model city attorney, and the Laguna Beach

community will be well served by this level of excellence and

competence as it embarks on its disaster-recovery effort.

Because Burnham is so well respected and is known locally, he will

get plenty of cooperation and assistance from the many city

departments that will be involved.

He will have his hands full, but Laguna residents can rest assured

that he will be working hard.

That’s the Bob Burnham we know and they soon will too.