Mailbag: A few more Laguna issues to tackle

I was thrilled to see columnist David Hansen tackle some of Laguna’s problems (“Key issues in 2015 will require action,” Forum, Jan. 2).

I would have put noise pollution, utility poles and sidewalks as the top three issues.

I do have a sidewalk in front of my home, but it is reduced to a third by the huge utility pole squarely in the center.

The City Council talks about undergrounding utility poles on Laguna Canyon Road. Why not tackle the more densely populated areas, thereby benefiting the greatest number of tax-paying residents, tourists, renters and motorists?

I have given up my one-woman crusade to rid the neighborhood of leaf blowers. My experience suggests the city should add a leaf blower patrol for an hour each day for a week. Do this for a few months and the problem will be gone.

Thank you for your support of improving life in Laguna.

Carole Daley

Laguna Beach

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Officers’ killings also outrageous

You forgot to mention in your article (“Save your outrage for the truly reprehensible,” Life & Arts, Jan. 2) the cold-blooded assassination of two NYPD officers in Brooklyn as a byproduct of the outrage on your front cover.

Two wrongs don’t make a right.

Margaret Baldwin

Laguna Beach

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Thanks for the true public service

I want to publicly thank Bob Koch in the city’s public works department for his above and beyond work. He is a gem and I sure hope that the city realizes how well-respected he is. Koch is the personification of a true public servant.

When street repairs were done in Arch Beach Heights and specifically on our street, the private contractor hired by the city did a poor job of replacing a berm in front of our home. When we had the serious rains before Christmas, we wound up with layers of mud near our front door.

Koch came out, assessed the situation and quietly and efficiently went to work, spending time on Saturday and Sunday after New Year’s to make sure the repairs were done prior to the slurry seal scheduled for Jan. 6.

Cheerful, smart and dedicated — I’m proud to know him and hope the city appreciates him for what he does.

Maurice Possley

Laguna Beach

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Free Friday flicks are a treat

My husband Ken and I attended the free First Friday Flicks at the Forum screening on Jan. 2.

It was a lovely gift to our community from Steve Chadima and Mark Porterfield. I had been wanting to see “Finding Vivian Maier,” having missed it at the art houses. Seeing it on the big screen was a true pleasure.

We have marked on the calendar the next two first Fridays for “Frank,” a 2014 film about a genius rock star who performs wearing a giant plaster of Paris head that he never removes, and “20,000 Days on Earth,” a drama-documentary wherein ever-innovative musician Nick Cave marks the number of days he has been alive.

Thank you for this breath of fresh, cool air. We are grateful for this opportunity to enjoy entertainment that’s a bit edgy and out of the mainstream. There’s an audience for it.

Barbara McMurray

Laguna Beach