Hansen: Here is what the people want, council

In the run up to the Laguna Beach City Council race in November, I thought it would be interesting to randomly survey people around town and ask them, “What are the top issues that the new council should solve?”

Not “address” or “consider” or “send to committee,” but solve.

So I spent Sunday afternoon downtown in classic person-on-the-street fashion talking to tourists, and then later I called up a few key civic leaders representing various constituencies to round out the conversation.

Perhaps it’s no surprise that traffic ruled — and everything related to it: parking, safety and trolleys.

“Parking. Other than that, I like it here,” said Kathy Kangarloo of Tustin, who has been visiting Laguna since 1984.

Her husband, Chuck Cuggino, added, “We stay away during the summer months.”

Richard Sands of Chino Hills has also been coming to Laguna for a long time, but he has grown to accept the traffic struggles. He said he admires the city in a weird way because at least it has been consistently bad.

“Change for the better is good, but change just to change is not,” he said. “But there is the traffic.”

Speaking of consistency, he admitted it would be nice to have a more reliable trolley service. Nearly everyone polled wants year-round trolleys.

“Easier access,” said Christine Miller of Lake Forest. “A trolley system going inland would be nice. We would come much more often.”

People say they are willing to park on the outskirts of town, but the current system doesn’t cut it. Either the trolleys are too unpredictable (or overloaded) or the routes and hours don’t work.

The local residents interviewed expressed similar but slightly different concerns about Laguna’s future. They want policies from the new City Council that support residents year-round, such as more sustainable and safer transportation.

Everyone remembers the road deaths this year.

“I guess, especially in light of what’s happened in recent months, I would say safety is the biggest issue,” said JoAnne Artman, gallery owner and resident for more than 30 years. “And I think the canyon is a significant part of that. It’s very dangerous, and I don’t know what the answer is.”

Artman has other frustrations. For example, she has tried without success to get simple things done in the city.

“I would like to see more business-friendly policies,” she said. “We have artists who drop off work, and there’s no loading zone. It’s just something simple, but it’s not. I’ve been to meetings to try and get that resolved and I can’t.”

Business newcomer Carol Robinson, owner of the nearly year-old Jasmine Street General Store, also wants the city to keep pushing for more local shopping. Robinson was stunned by the drop-off the day after Labor Day.

“It died,” she said. “I had a really decent summer with the tourist business, but I’d still like to see more encouragement for people to shop and support local businesses. I’m realizing this week that the tourists have all gone away, and business has just really stopped.”

Robinson also lives in Laguna and understands the challenges that locals face.

“I’m a local too, and it is hard to get out sometimes when it’s summer, and it’s hard to park,” she said. “But I also want to see the local businesses make it.”

Robinson added that she wants to see parking and trolley service expanded, plus have new and improved support for the homeless.

Both Robinson and Artman expressed concern and frustration about the homeless. They completely back a social service approach to treating the mentally ill and getting them into a sheltered environment, and acknowledge the effect when the homeless are left to their own devices.

“There are people who need help,” Robinson said. “I’ve gotten to know a few local characters just here in the store, and I haven’t felt threatened or in danger, but the minute they come around, my customers sure do vanish.

“We are obviously dealing with some mentally ill people, and I think it’s a challenge. It’s a challenge for our city. I’m glad I’m not running for office because it’s such a complicated problem.”

“It’s the same issues all the time,” Artman said. “I don’t know how other cities are able to solve things, so I don’t have a comparison. But I do feel like our issues need to be addressed. I’d rather just see things get done.”

There was a definite tone of exasperation in the voice of residents that enough is enough. People are done with the endless debates. They want action.

One influential local business owner did not want to be identified but was clearly at wit’s end with the city’s policies — or lack of them.

“I don’t think you want to know what I have to say,” she said. “I feel it’s even pointless talking about any significant change when we are so far behind anything modern and relevant, starting from the festivals, public art, the look of Forest Avenue, etcetera. We are stuck in the ‘80s with no hope of change in the near future, unfortunately.”

Rick Conkey, a music festival organizer, said he has seen some improvement but it hasn’t come easily. He wants the new council to continue the momentum of encouraging local musical talent by loosening the reins on restrictive permits and bureaucracy.

“My hope is our new leaders understand this opportunity,” he said. “Our little beach town is uniquely positioned to do something truly sublime. In my opinion, we need to activate the power of arts and music for the benefit of the community.”

Longtime Laguna resident Kenny Quigley remains skeptical. He’s seen too many issues come and go and come back again. He summed it up this way, repeating an expression he first heard in the 1980s about the Laguna Beach City Council: “It’s not the city’s council. It’s the council’s city.”

DAVID HANSEN is a writer and Laguna Beach resident. He can be reached at davidhansen@yahoo.com.