Slinging the mud for street funds

It’s said that beauty ? or the lack thereof ? is in the eye of the beholder, and for Supervisor Chris Norby and Laguna Mayor Elizabeth Pearson-Scheider that’s certainly true.

Norby drew the ire of Pearson-Schneider when he argued in a public hearing that Laguna Beach did not need street “beautification” funds from the federal government ? that cities in his district were more deserving of such funds.

Why? Because Laguna is already beautiful and the cities in his district could, ahem, use the services of an aesthetician.

Talk about shooting from the lip and hitting yourself in the eye.

Laguna city officials have applied to the county Transportation Authority for about $1 million in federal Transportation Enhancement Activities funds to help finance three streetscape projects, one in downtown and two ? including a pedestrian/bikeway project ? in South Laguna.

Laguna Beach won three of the four grants city officials applied for, competing against 62 projects from some 25 other cities, and the County of Orange. (A Coast Highway median project failed to make the cut, but is pretty high on the list.)

The funding is supposed to go for projects that “enhance the quality of life” by putting in attractive landscaping and bicycle paths, things of that sort.

Apparently it upset Norby that proposed projects in his cities ? Anaheim, Fullerton and Buena Park ? failed to get recommended by the Regional Planning and Highway Committee, while Laguna’s did, despite the high quality of life here.

Apparently it didn’t bother him that Costa Mesa, Westminster and Orange also got multiple projects recommended. Apparently the quality of life in those towns isn’t “too high,” as it is in Laguna Beach.

Norby, who sits on the committee, made a motion that the committee hold up approval of the funding recommendations until April 17.

This might seem like a laughing matter ? it certainly made us chuckle ? but it’s not funny to the mayor, who took umbrage at Norby’s remarks, which his staff insists were not meant to “dis” Laguna. No, it was more like a back-handed compliment ? a slap in the face and on the back.

On Monday, the panel ? with Norby the only “no” vote ? approved Laguna’s requests. But the supervisor still has another shot at “shooting from the lip” when the full board of supervisors votes next week on the package of street projects.

We hope Norby’s sentiments about Laguna don’t stand in the way of further improving this city’s admittedly excellent quality of life.