Church project is street problem I’ve just...

Church project is street problem

I’ve just read your article, “Narrowed street concerns church

neighbors, council” July 8, with amazed disbelief.

Temple Terrace is a major circulation road in Laguna. It is used

like Thaila, Bluebird and Glenneyre to travel around our town and

avoid the congestion of Coast Highway. I can’t believe no one

realized there would be a problem when the sidewalk and landscaping

were put in front of the Catholic church. Of course it would expand

out into traffic!

There are only two solutions: Tear out the new landscaping and

push those spaces back in, or unfortunately, lose the parallel

parking across the street. Temple Terrace cannot safely be a one lane

road for the people using the church or those driving by. Also, the

whole street in front of the church needs to be smoothed out and

resurfaced immediately.

MARY HURLBUT

Laguna Beach

Realty agents asked to donate to victims

Fundraisers notwithstanding, plans to raise taxes and parking

meter increases aside, the definitive answer to what could and should

alleviate the losses of Bluebird Canyon landslide disaster victims

has just surfaced. In a simple statement issued this week,

independent real estate executive, Michael Vorobiev, has pledged to

donate 50% of all his listing sales commissions henceforth to assist

home owners in recovering from this tragedy.

Vorobiev, a Laguna Beach resident who established Sagamore Hill

Realty as President and chief executive, envisions the enormousness

of what might prevail if even a few brokerage firms will similarly

contribute to this worthy cause. Vorobiev stresses that “the real

estate industry which has financially benefited the most in our city,

should certainly re-invest in the rebuilding of the very product that

has enabled them to work and live here in this beautiful beach

community.” Considering the fact that there are in excess of 90 real

estate firms in our town, we came up with some overwhelming

estimates.

To wit, with Laguna Beach home prices averaging an astounding $2

million, give or take a few thousand, the average commission to a

listing broker is 2 1/2 % or approximately $50,000. If only one sale

from each of the 90 local firms contributed to one half, or $25,000,

we could have an immediate $2,500,000.

Take it from there and note that the resulting figures are

phenomenal, enabling us top reach our ultimate goal much more quickly

than heretofore imaginable.

Over and above this, think how much the city will save in

converting parking meters to increase revenue, which in turn, will

diminish potential income from tourists as happened a few years back.

Raising taxes, similarly, would be unfair to those of us who already

pay dearly. Local fundraisers, however, will hopefully continue to

further the cause and all personal contributions will continue to be

gratefully welcomed.

GLORI FICKLING

Laguna Beach

‘Guppies’ stand no chance in fight

At the council meeting July 5 a woman from the Blue Lagoon

neighborhood spoke on two subjects that bring passions to a boil in

Laguna Beach: view encroachment and the Montage Resort.

The woman squared off against architect Morris Skendarian, or

simply “Morris” as he’s called by most council members. This neighbor

was also going up against John Mansour, of the Montage, who was

defending a private home development on Athens and Montage property.

During her attempt to ward off the proposed encroachment, she said

she’d been told earlier by neighbors to consider herself a guppy

among sharks. She said she was nervous; maybe she rightfully believed

what she’d been told. After she finished her presentation and after

20 or so minutes more of back and forth from “Morris” and Mansour and

some other Blue Lagoonans the battle was over and the guppies were

history.

Sharks for sure. Don’t know if she saw the $400,000 Maybach

Mercedes cruising the waters over the weekend across the street from

her little pond.Anyway, the guppies lost on Tuesday night, and when

it comes to the owners of the trailers at Laguna Terrace Park, I’d

suggest that they think of themselves as plankton. City boss (oops, I

mean manager) Ken Frank has already floated the words “eminent

domain” with respect to the land just below. They’ll be moving up

that embankment as soon as the great whites of Laguna get a little

hungrier, and that ought to be making everyone in this “little town”

a little nervous.

Blue Lagoonans lost those precious few inches of ocean view;

residents across the street at Laguna Terrace Park could lose much

more. Speculators in town are always trolling and watching and making

strategic adjustments. I hope more people here get the message and

learn to become community activists ahead of the curve; otherwise,

it’s just about being a bunch of shark bait and keeping your eye on

the affordable development that’s taking place out near Barstow.

MARY DOLPHIN

Laguna Beach

Rising oil prices equal economic catastrophe

I don’t want to play the told-you-so game but, what the heck, I

did: Back in mid-March, in a “Sounding Off” column, I predicted the

price of oil would hit $60 a barrel and gasoline would cost $3 a

gallon. Know what? My crystal ball was right.

Gasoline did reach $3 a gallon soon after my piece ran, but

luckily, the price quickly dropped. As for the price of oil? Despite

the Senate’s recent action on a new energy bill and OPEC’s increased

output, crude recently topped $60 a barrel for the first time.

One of my USC fraternity brothers, who has been in the oil

business for years, urged me to publicly predict the price jumping to

$100 a barrel. I told him I wouldn’t and couldn’t. What I can predict

is a very bumpy ride when it comes to the cost of oil and gas.

Until and unless U.S. auto manufacturers reengineer their cars to

be more ethanol friendly, corporate giants like General Motors and

Ford will continue to miss their revenue estimates and, consequently,

need to lay off even more workers. This is an economic calamity in

the making.

Converting biomass to ethanol is a smart move for several reasons:

first, it takes trash from overloaded landfills and extends their

life; second, it creates a reliable source of energy by adding

billions of gallons of petrol to a very volatile commodity; third,

automakers will be able to increase the number of employees on their

assembly lines; and last, the price of gas will drop at the pump.

I don’t know when this will happen but it must. Anyone care to

make a prediction?

DENNY FREIDENRICH

Laguna Beach