A civic meeting diary

Tuesday, 6:15 p.m. I walk into the City Council meeting to a heated public comments section with several members of the Minuteman Project speaking about illegal immigrants. To say it was mild-mannered would be a gross mistake, because it was anything but. The issue of illegal immigrants is touchy at best. How can one support something that is illegal? But for people to blame and stereotype illegal immigrants as rapists, bank robbers and child molesters, as some of these Minuteman members did, is beyond my imagination.

6:30 p.m. I head over to the Laguna Beach Environmental Committee, which will feature water-quality and marine-environment guest speakers Rick Wilson, Mark Klosterman, Mike Beanan and Chris Keyes, with Tom Girvin chairing in place of Greg O’Loughlin.

6:47 p.m. Public comments begin with concerns about the new toll road being routed through the campsites at San Onofre State Beach. This project is not funded by the county or state, but is overseen by a private, independent company. It makes you wonder who’s going to pay for the upkeep and repairs of this new toll road. I’m assuming it will be the taxpayers. My advice: “Just say no.”

7:03 p.m. Rick Wilson of the Surfrider Foundation begins his presentation on the Marine Life Protection Act and how it may affect Laguna Beach. The act was passed in 1999 after an increase in the number of fishermen, the use of more sophisticated fishing technologies and ineffective fishing regulation led to a decline in fish populations. Committee member Arnold Hano points out that “Laguna Beach is only one small dot, but it is our dot.” For every one of us, there are millions of other dots out there in the world. So let’s connect the dots and do something about it.

7:38 p.m. Chief Mark Klosterman of the Laguna Beach Lifeguards describes the mission of the lifeguards: performing rescues, providing medical attention and enforcing city ordinances. “The blue belt [ocean] is the number one source of income for this town,” Klosterman says. “It’s our beaches that drive the economics of this town.” We need more year-round marine safety officers. Is this a budgetary issue or a priority issue?

8:05 p.m. Mike Beanan of the South Laguna Civic Assn. begins his presentation. Beanan’s background is in biology and sociology, and he is here to discuss water ecology -- specifically Aliso Creek and the urban runoff that continues to pollute Aliso Beach. His plan would be to recycle the creek water and send it through a filtration system located at or near the creek. Did you know that the golf course that sits next to the creek does not use reclaimed water?

8:43 p.m. From miles of coastline to miles of sewer line -- Chris Keyes discusses the North Coast Interceptor, a major sewer line that carries 2.4 million gallons of raw sewage a day. This particular sewer line is in the downtown area and, Keyes says, could spill into Heisler Park and onto the nearby beaches. No one has checked the condition of these underground pipes in more than 10 years.

9:13 p.m. The environmental meeting is adjourned. I walk past the City Council meeting, which is packed and still going on. For a moment I ponder walking back in before remembering “Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County” is on. Now there’s a show to watch.

Peace.

* James Pribram is a Laguna Beach native, board member of Clean Water Now, professional surfer and founder of the Aloha School of Surfing. He can be reached at jamo@alohaschoolofsurfing.com.

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