Highs and lows of the year in Laguna

* EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second part of a two-part recap of the past year in Laguna Beach. Items are listed according to the month they were reported in the Coastline Pilot.

JULY

* A widely rumored appearance of Paul McCartney failed to materialize at a June 29 fundraiser for families displaced in the June 1 landslide. Organizers called it a “small disappointment.” The event raised more than $40,000.

* Councilwoman Toni Iseman was not reappointed to the California Coastal Commission, leaving Orange County without any representation on the commission. Iseman had been criticized by leaders of the Surfriders Foundation and the Sierra Club for her votes in favor of the Dana Headlands and Bolsa Chica projects.

* Saints Catherine of Siena Catholic Church was rededicated after a two-year renovation project.

* About 100 picketers protested the city’s funding of a Day Labor Center. Scuffles broke out and a knife was confiscated by police, but no arrests were made.

* City officials were told that the emergency protective measure to winterize the Flamingo Road landslide would cost an estimated $6.5 million.

* Small boutique owners convinced the City Council that downtown Laguna was already saturated with women’s clothing stores. The council overturned approval of a Sophea Parros shop in the vacant space previously occupied by Banana Republic.

* Results of a poll showed overwhelming voter support for keeping South Coast Medical Center in Laguna Beach.

* The City Council voted 4-1 to approve the Arts Commission’s choice of Linda Brunker’s sculpture to be installed by Fire Station I. Brunker will be paid $80,000 for the piece, the highest commission the city has ever awarded.

* “Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County” began its second season on MTV July 25.

* The city gave itself high marks on the 2004-05 report card of accomplishments. City officials said evacuating 350 families out of Bluebird Canyon after the landslide June 1 topped the list. Successful grant applications for federal and state money hit an all-time high.

* Michael Sellers was selected to succeed retiring Police Chief James Spreine. Sellers had served as chief of Seal Beach for the previous eight years.

* South Coast Medical Center’s governing board announced it had recommended to owner Adventist Health that the hospital should continue operations at its present site. Adventist promptly announced it would put the facility up for sale.

* Lagunans Jack and Mary Bayramian left a $7.3 million bequest to Cal State Northridge -- the largest ever gift to the school, even topping a gift from movie mogul Michael Eisner.

AUGUST

* The Lockhart family was the first to benefit from the Adopt-A-Family campaign launched by Mayor Elizabeth Pearson-Schneider and co-chaired by Planning Commissioner Anne Johnson. Architect Morris Skendarian, who adopted the family, approached client Phyllis Phillips to see if she would be willing to have a couple of trailers moved onto a vacant lot she owns in Laguna Canyon.

* Demonstrators brandishing Confederate flags and swastikas joined what had been promoted as a protest against illegal immigration and funding for the Day Labor Center in Laguna Canyon.

* The City Council granted emergency authority to City Manager Ken Frank to hire contractors to stabilize the Flamingo Road landslide without council approval or competitive bidding, capping the authorization at $7.5 million.

* Despite the threat of a lawsuit by a hillside property owner, the City Council voted unanimously to “discourage” grades of more than 12% on new streets and driveways and to prohibit grades of more than 14 degrees. City officials said it was a safety issue. Hillside property owners contended that it was an attempt to stop hillside development without having to buy the properties.

* The Laguna Beach chapter of the Surf City Lifeguards Employees Assn. reached an agreement that gave seasonal guards a raise and an unprecedented allowance for equipment such as swim fins and sunglasses.

* Three more families displaced by the June 1 landslide selected trailers to be moved to a Laguna Canyon parcel owned by Phyllis Phillips: Steve Howard and his daughter, Brianna; partners James Moore and John Gustafson (not the city employee of the same name); and the Stevens family.

* A garage sale purchase made 10 years ago by Laguna Beach Heritage Committee member Anne Frank was identified as a bas relief of historical and artistic merit by Julian Bracken Wendt.

* The Small Business Administration opened an office in Laguna Beach to provide information and applications for low-interest loans up to $200,000 for families who lost homes in the June 1 landslide.

* Hundreds gathered on Aug. 17 at Main Beach to show support for antiwar protester Cindy Sheehan, whose son was killed in Iraq.

* Laguna’s high school students scored the highest pass rate of any county district in the California High School exit exam.

* City officials learned Aug. 25 that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had declined the city’s claim for financial assistance to repair the infrastructure damaged in the June 1 landslide.

SEPTEMBER

* Girl Scout hackles were raised when word got out that city officials were considering selling the North Laguna parcel on which the Scout House has stood for more than 50 years.

* “Desperate Housewives” star Teri Hatcher hosted the 7th annual Pageant of the Master gala fundraiser. Hatcher and her daughter, Emerson Rose, also joined the cast for one performance.

* A team from the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services came to Laguna to discuss an appeal of the federal decision to deny financial assistance to the city to repair infrastructure ruined in the June 1 landslide.

* Enrollment for the 2005-06 school year was up by 135 students at Laguna Beach High School and 45 students at El Morro Elementary.

* The City Council took the sale of Girl Scout House lot off the table when faced with a strong outcry from the public.

* The city was absolved from responsibility for injuries suffered by a Miami man who filed a $7 million claim, alleging that a pole placed on the sidewalk side of a fire hydrant was a public hazard. A jury voted 12-0 in the city’s favor.

* Business owners attributed brisk business to “The OC” and “Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County.” George Nelson, owner of Fawn Memories on Forest Avenue, said the shop had one of its best summers in 31 years.