Fortunate to have many friendships I moved...

Fortunate to have

many friendships

I moved to Laguna 25 years ago for the extraordinary beauty and

wonderful climate. I’m staying and will never leave because of the

remarkable community. My family’s home is yellow-tagged with no firm

date to move back in. I feel fortunate. Not because our home still

stands, but for the outpouring of genuine sympathy, affection, and

real help from old friends and new.

We are blessed to live in this community. It has rallied together

to help those families in need like I have never seen before. The

terrible events of the Bluebird slide have reaffirmed the grace and

generosity of this special town. Laguna is different. It took a sad

event to once again reveal the special character of this group of

people. I have a long list of individuals to write to, but at this

moment I want to say thank you to all. I’ve gained more than I’ve

lost.

LONNIE DUKA

Laguna Beach

Capt. Danell Adams

is a credit to our city

We would like to compliment the city of Laguna Beach and the

Laguna Beach Police Department for selecting Capt. Danell Adams to

interact with the media as spokesperson after the landslide. She has

been extremely professional, articulate, and informative -- a credit

to the city and her department. The landslide has garnered worldwide

television coverage and we are very fortunate to have such a capable

person as Capt. Adams providing information to the media and fielding

questions in front of the cameras. She has done a fine job of

communicating to the press the gravity of the Bluebird landslide, the

courage of the victims, and the solidarity of the community. Thanks,

Capt. Adams.

JACK MORSE

Laguna Beach

Iseman’s record is

one of principle

I served with Toni Iseman on the board of directors of the Laguna

Greenbelt for 10 years. While I have not always agreed with some

positions Toni has taken, I never questioned her unswerving

commitment to the environment. However, even the most idealistic

among us must yield to the realities of compromise when serving the

public.

In her capacity as Coastal Commissioner, Toni seems to have

angered a small group of environmental 100%-ers who sought

all-or-nothing decisions in regard to three main projects:

developments at Bolsa Chica, Marblehead, and the Dana Point headlands

-- the projects they ostensibly “graded” Iseman on.

Bolsa Chica received an 11-1 Coastal Commission vote in favor of

the final project. Marblehead was supported unanimously by the

commission. The Dana Point project, which passed with a 9-3 vote, was

the most contentious of the three, partly because of the approved

reconstruction of a sea wall. However, the Dana Point City Council

and the recall committee, as well as the citizenry of Dana Point,

supported the final project from which residents of Dana Point will

receive major public benefits at no cost to the taxpayers.

Once again, extremist segments of the environmental community need

to be reminded that the only way to preserve a private property is to

buy it. Any group or individual who expects a 100% victory in

negotiations is smoking funny stuff.

Prudent environmentalists know when negotiations must yield to the

reality of property rights. Moreover, the 100%-ers give the rest of

the environmental community a bad name and diminish its overall

effectiveness in the public eye.

When Toni Iseman votes on the commission, a principled sense of

community context and a deep-rooted commitment to the environment

guide her decisions. Her record deserves solid support from the

citizenry of Laguna Beach as well as from the informed of other

coastal communities.

ANNE JOHNSON

Laguna Beach

Reappoint Iseman

to commission

Toni Iseman should be appointed to the commission. She is a

brilliant woman, courageous and willing to go against the tide when

she needs to. She is no one’s lacky.

LARRY STEDNITZ

Morro Bay