State of the City? Much better

The news was all good at the annual “State of the City” luncheon Tuesday, sponsored by the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Mayor Elizabeth Pearson-Schneider said she was wearing her red jacket to accentuate the fact that “this is a red-letter day” for Laguna.

Not only will the city get all the funding it asked for from state and federal officials to cover estimated costs of the Bluebird Canyon landslide, but Laguna’s hospital may be on the road to new ownership ? and the city is about to fill the vacant post of Marine Protection Officer.

“We requested $16 million [to cover landslide costs], and as of this morning, we are getting $16 million,” Pearson-Schneider told the audience. “The state Office of Emergency Services and FEMA say we’re getting everything we asked for.

“I’m relieved,” the mayor said. “And, we’re going to keep our hospital,” she added.

Pearson-Schneider allowed that news to be relayed by John Pietig, assistant city manager.

Pearson-Schneider told the business owners that the half-cent sales tax increase, which will begin July 1, will probably only need to be in place for three to four years, not the six years approved by voters.

“We still need to create a superfund for future disasters, but we can put it [the tax] to bed in three to four years,” she said. “I want to thank the businesses for understanding the needs of the community.”

Pietig announced that representatives of South Coast Medical Center are in negotiations with a potential new owner who plans to keep the hospital in Laguna Beach.

Pietig did not reveal the name of the potential new owner, and hospital officials have declined to comment on rumors of an impending sale.

“We expect an announcement within a few months that the hospital has new owners and will be staying in town,” Pietig said.

“It is going in the right direction,” Pietig said of the negotiations.

In 2004, revelations that the owner, Adventist Health, was considering moving the hospital to San Juan Capistrano drew intense opposition and a joint task force was formed to halt the move.

Last summer, after hospital officials announced they had dropped plans to move the facility out of Laguna Beach, the hospital was put up for sale.

To cap off the positive news, Marine Safety Director Mark Klosterman announced that an offer had been made to a potential new marine protection officer to enforce the city’s tidepool rules.

“We expect the position will be filled in a few weeks,” Klosterman said.

That news generated the biggest applause of the event.

In keeping with the upbeat tone, the tables at Tivoli Too! were laden with fortune cookies which had the same message: “Keep it positive.”