Fair Game
By TOM JOHNSON
When you want activism to rid ourselves of the offshore oil, who do you call? Jane Fonda!
On Monday, Oct. 18, there is a press conference at the Main Beach Cobblestones area supporting a ban on ALL offshore oil drilling, including ALL existing leases. And sometimes, in efforts such as these, in order to get things going, you have to call in the heavy artillery to get your point across. Enter Jane Fonda.
Yup, that Jane Fonda.
The Academy Award-winning actress, producer, author and activist will join a bunch of Orange County-connected policymakers, including our own Mayor Bob Whalen and our other city councilmembers, to announce their support.
“This latest oil spill is a wake-up call for all of us,” said Mayor Whalen. “Now is the time to come together to end all existing and any new oil drilling and production off our coast. Senator Dave Min (D-Irvine) has said he is ready to take on this challenge and the Laguna Beach City Councilmembers have signed on to support him in his legislative efforts. The road ahead will be difficult, but we must rise to the task to preserve and protect our ocean and our shoreline.”
Others expected to join the fight on Monday will be Min, who along with Fullerton’s Sen. Josh Newman, has led the efforts to ask federal representatives to make the decision in order to protect and preserve our coast and waters. He’ll be joined by Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach); Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley; Judie Mancuso, the founder/president of Social Compassion Legislation; Sen. Henry Stern (D-Los Angeles), chair of the Senate Natural Resources & Water Committee; Brendan Cummings, conservation director and Kassie Siegel, climate law institute director with the Center for Biological Diversity.
The whole affair begins at 11 a.m.
• • •
A who’s who for Laguna Beach gathered Tuesday night as the red ribbon from the chamber of commerce was pulled taut across the doorway entrance to the historic Hotel Laguna, while elected officials and hotel ownership gathered to officially witness the ceremony.
What those in attendance found was a spectacularly renovated ground floor, designed to “revive the original style and elegance, with a modern flair.”
The historic building that dates back to 1930, offered an extremely comfortable front entry area, leading to a long hallway adorned in framed classic photos and memorabilia of old Laguna Beach.
The rear end of the hallway leads to two highly anticipated new restaurant spaces. First, the signature Hotel Laguna restaurant, Larsen, which will feature a fresh take on coastal California cuisine, led by celebrated local chef Craig Strong.
Also new is a modern Japanese restaurant named Fin, that will feature the daily catch of local seafood and imported delicacies in a more intimate space.
Oh, and we’d be remiss in not mentioning the outdoor patio bar, with an absolutely stunning view of the Pacific Ocean. Extremely comfortable outdoor furniture was set in groupings conducive to relaxed conversation with the backdrop of crashing waves.
The Hotel Laguna has been closed since 2017 and then experienced multiple ownership groups coming in and out, each bringing in a different vision. But finally, it was longtime resident Mo Honarkar and his daughter Hasty Honarkar who brought their vision to reality.
“For more than 90 years, Hotel Laguna has been a treasure at the center of the Laguna community. It is a privilege to update and renew this unique destination for new generations of residents and visitors,” said Mo Honarkar, founder of the Laguna Beach Company. “The Laguna Beach Company puts residents at the heart of everything we do. This is just the start of the incredible vision we have for a transformed hotel that will provide unforgettable experiences and enliven downtown Laguna, while strengthening our city with jobs and economic vitality.”
Hasty Honarkar is using her talents to revive the ground floor building with Laguna Beach’s rich artistic heritage, by using paintings and other works created by local artists, including many who studied at the Laguna College of Art and Design.
Design changes of note for those with a keen eye on the past include the restoration of the original painted beams that had previously been hidden behind a dropped popcorn ceiling and a more open and spacious lobby.
The crowd included all five members of city council, City Manager Shohreh Dupuis, Police Chief Jeff Calvert, Congresswoman Michelle Steel, Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris, Orange County Supervisors Lisa Bartlett and Katrina Foley, Chamber President & CEO Sandy Morales and many, many others.
It was quite the party.
Congrats to the Honarkars…now, about those rooms upstairs?
• • •
Just a reminder, ran into my friend Ben Warner out on the street the other day, he of Coast Film Festival notoriety. He reminded me that the 2021 Festival runs November 10-14 at the Festival of the Arts, then followed by their Virtual Film Festival, online, from November 16-28.
Those connected to surfing will want to mark down opening night, Wednesday, Nov. 10. Here’s what’s in store: the birth of the Endless Summer, a story of people and events that’d change surfing and pop culture forever.
And that’s just the first night. It arguably gets better and better each night.
You can check it out at www.coastfilmfestival.com.
Arts Commission receives only two holiday palette design submissions, approves both, sets schedule for 2022 live performances
By SARA HALL
The Laguna Beach Arts Commission discussed a few interesting items at a meeting this week, including a record low number of submissions for the city’s holiday palette competition and next year’s live performance schedule.
On Monday, Oct. 11, commissioners were tasked with discussing and selecting up to two designs for the 2021 Holiday Palette Competition.
The Holiday Palette Competition is open to artists who reside, work or exhibit in Laguna Beach and are 18 years and older. The painted original artworks adorn lampposts throughout the city during the winter holiday season. Winning designs will be turned into full-scale 3-foot by 4-foot palettes. There is currently a $600 honorarium for a completed palette.
Staff did significant outreach for the holiday palette competition, said Commissioner Laura Ford, including on social media, through arts organizations, colleges and local media.
“But it seems that as a result of the pandemic – people moving, people struggling to get back to things – we’ve only had two submissions this year,” Ford said.
Commissioners were noticeably stunned.
“That’s a first,” noted Vice Chair Pat Kollenda.
They typically receive between 10-30 submissions, said Arts Program Coordinator Michael McGregor.
“It fluctuates year to year,” McGregor noted, “but things have been kind of rough…it was just a low turnout.”
Since the committee was tasked with selecting two palettes this year and since they only received two submissions, both were automatically chosen for the exhibition. The commission unanimously agreed.
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Courtesy of the City of Laguna Beach
The 2021 Holiday Palette Competition winners
They were aware of the competition, were paying attention to the deadline, and took the time to create and submit their designs, Ford said, so both will be rewarded as winners.
“It will not only encourage them (to submit again), but hopefully encourage their friends,” at the next competition, she noted. “And then let’s hope for a bigger turnout in the future as things get back to normal.”
They have a limited window to install the palettes, McGregor noted, so any delay in the program to allow for more entries could result in them not getting posted at all.
McGregor will re-examine their marketing efforts for the contest, including looking into directly contacting local artists to participate in future competitions.
They need to “beef up” the PR campaign for this event, Commissioner Suzi Chauvel agreed.
Usually, about 30 poles get two palettes each, McGregor said.
Although there will only be two new palettes, they still have plenty available for the rest of Laguna Beach.
“We will palette the city,” confirmed Chair Adam Schwerner.
They typically select four palettes every year. They are having six made in preparation for next season to create a backlog, McGregor said.
This year’s winning designs were created by local artists Noel Lashley and Kathy Tanaka.
The 2021 Children’s Palette Competition deadline is Monday, Nov. 15.
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Photo by Scott Brashier
A past Sunset Serenade concert featured Maestro Lazara Galarraga and friends
Also on Monday, the commission discussed and voted 7-0 to approve the 2022 dates for live music at Sunset Serenades, World Music, Music in the Park, Artist in Residency concert and the stage at the Promenade on Forest.
The Arts Commission has budgeted $70,000 for the presentation of these performances.
In 2021, alternative programming included four Band on the Bus performances, Circus Bella in addition to four Music in the Park concerts at the Festival of Arts and one at Bluebird Park. To date, a total of 88 music performances have been presented with an additional 42 scheduled through the end of 2021.
The subcommittee recommended a few changes:
–Music in the Park starting and ending one week earlier.
–No performances during January and February 2022 at the promenade.
–Discussion with the Festival of Arts about collaborating and presenting a concert during the summer season.
–A celebratory picnic event for the 40th anniversary of the banner program.
The first suggested change would mean the last Music in the Park would happen before school returns in the fall, noted Cultural Arts Manager Siân Poeschl.
Going dark for performances on the promenade in January and February is primarily due to light availability and weather, she explained.
The subcommittee also looked at the relationship formed with the Festival of the Arts of presenting Music in the Park at the FoA grounds. The festival does have an interest in pursuing what that could possibly be in the future, Poeschl said, which could be anything at this point.
“But we would like to collaborate together in presenting music in some form at the Festival of Arts,” she said.
The Arts Commission also approved staff’s recommended June 4 banner program celebration picnic.
The banner and palette subcommittee discussed how to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the banner program, McGregor explained. The recommended idea includes inviting the public to a celebratory picnic event at Heisler Park on the Saturday after Memorial Day, just after the banners are installed for the summer season. The idea is to include live music.
Whether or not it will be a catered event was not included in the approved recommendation. Currently, it only includes the use of amplified music for that date, which council will consider when they review the schedule.
The long-awaited artist-in-residence performance by Pamela Madsen was also on the approved calendar. It was previously postponed due to COVID-19. As things started opening up, she coordinated a date with the festival grounds, staff explained.
Circus Bella was again added to the calendar after the Arts Commission gave staff direction to make it an annual event.
The dates and programs approved by the commission: Sunset Serenade held at Heisler Park on May 6, 13, 20 and 27 and September 9, 16, 23 and 30; World Music at Heisler Park on June 3, 10 and 17; Circus Bella at Bluebird Park in June or September; Music in the Park at Bluebird Park on July 10, 17, 24, 31 and August 7, 14 and 21; Music at the Festival of Arts at the FoA grounds with dates to be determined later; Artist in Residence Concert at the FoA grounds on September 24 or 25; and Promenade on Forest performances on weekends March-December 2022.
Poeschl also confirmed that she has a preliminary meeting scheduled with members of Theatre Asylum, a Hollywood-based company providing consulting and production services. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, they met to discuss how to establish a “fringe festival” in Laguna Beach, she explained.
The consulting company has 13 years of experience with fringe festival management, including the popular Hollywood Fringe Festival. Fringe festivals are public, community events typically focused on theater, but include a variety of art forms, independent performers and unorthodox acts. Laguna could, for example, evolve the Circus Bella event into a fringe-style festival that they manage. Poeschl will report back after the meeting.
Also on Monday’s arts agenda, the commission unanimously approved the text in the cultural arts grants funding application. Funding is available to nonprofit arts organizations with programming within Laguna Beach.
The grand opening of Hotel Laguna
Photos by Mary Hurlbut
One of Laguna Beach’s most beloved seaside destinations, the historic Hotel Laguna, opened its doors to invited guests for a commemorative ribbon-cutting on Tuesday, Oct. 12, revealing the beautiful renovations to the ground floor aimed at reviving its original style and elegance, with a modern flair.
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(L-R) Congresswoman Michelle Steel, Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris and OC Supervisor Lisa Bartlett with commemorative plaques to bestow on Mo Honarkar (founder of the Laguna Beach Company) and Hasty Honarkar
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Laguna Beach Mayor Bob Whalen cuts the ribbon in celebration of the grand opening of Hotel Laguna
Lining the wall on the ground floor is a compilation of framed historic photos that captured the eyes of attendees which included local elected officials, business leaders, civic advocates and residents – all of whom caught a glimpse at the two highly anticipated new restaurant spaces – the signature Hotel Laguna restaurant, Larsen, which will feature a fresh take on coastal California cuisine, led by celebrated local chef Craig Strong and Fin, a modern Japanese restaurant serving the freshest local seafood in a more intimate setting.
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(L-R) OC Supervisor Lisa Bartlett, Congresswoman Michelle Steel, Stephanie and Laguna Beach Councilmember Peter Blake with City Manager Shohreh Dupuis
The hallway led to the outdoor terrace and patio bar, replete with comfortable seating above the glistening Pacific – the perfect gathering spot for convivial conversation. Guests enjoyed complimentary libations and hand-passed hors d’oeuvres (a special preview of what the spectacular food and drink menu will offer), as they took in the views of the crashing waves.
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Bill Levin and Laguna Beach Councilmember Toni Iseman
The restored Hotel Laguna is the vision of the Laguna Beach Company, the locally owned real estate business led by longtime resident Mo Honarkar and his daughter Hasty Honarkar. The ground floor renovation is the first step in a broader restoration effort being conducted in coordination with the City of Laguna Beach.
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Laguna Beach Councilmember George Weiss enjoying the spacious, renovated lobby
The hotel formally opened to the public on October 13, with the vision of updating and renewing a unique destination for new generations of residents and visitors.
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Guests mingle on the outdoor terrace
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The patio bar opens to the outdoors to take in sea breezes and breathtaking ocean views
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Mo Honarkar and Chef Craig Strong in an endearing embrace
Commission finds “substantial issue” with Pacific Edge project, concern about lack of low-cost lodging on-site
By SARA HALL
A state agency unanimously agreed this week that there is a “substantial issue” in regards to an appeal of a local hotel remodel project, primarily citing no low-cost lodging on site.
The California Coastal Commission (CCC) voted 12-0 on Wednesday, Oct. 13 that an appeal submitted by UNITE Here Local 11 raises a substantial issue with the city issued Coastal Development Permit for a remodel project at Pacific Edge Hotel, located at 647 S. Coast Highway and 610-668 Sleepy Hollow Lane.
Despite CCC staff recommending the commission find no substantial issue with the project, commissioners all agreed in their concern about the lack of affording accommodations on the property. Several also mentioned that the $625,000 in-lieu fee (as mitigation for creating 25 new hotel rooms at the high-cost rate) was headed out of town to the cottages at Crystal Cove State Park. Commissioners questioned the cottages as an equitable low-cost alternative, noting the particularly difficult reservation system, long waiting list and low number of accommodations.
Since commissioners agreed that there is a substantial issue with the project, then CCC staff will bring the matter back for a “de novo” review of the application at a later date.
At the de novo hearing, they will consider the application based on the merits of the project, which will use the LCP as the standard for review. In addition, since the project is located between the first public road and the sea, it must also be consistent with the public access and recreation policies of the Coastal Act.
When the project returns, the commission could require an on-site affordable accommodations special condition, confirmed Karl Schwing, CCC south coast district manager.
The hearing will include an opportunity for public comment.
The project includes a remodel of nine existing buildings, relocation of the pool and spa, construction of a 53-vehicle subsurface parking garage, restriping the parking areas, a new porte cochère, roadway improvements along Sleepy Hollow Lane, new office and conference areas, a new café with outdoor dining, HVAC equipment and landscaping.
Overall, the project will provide an additional 25 hotel rooms, for a total of 156 rooms.
A reconfiguration of the existing oceanfront restaurants established at the Villa and Driftwood buildings will increase the number of seats provided by 14, and a new 63-seat café with outdoor seating is proposed at the Coast building.
A variance is required to construct a new elevator to meet fire code access requirements that will exceed the maximum building height.
A special condition requires the project to dedicate a lateral access easement across the beach fronting the hotel.
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Rendering by Luxigon/Courtesy of the City of Laguna Beach
A rendering of the Pacific Edge Hotel project looking from the ocean
For a timeline, they need about six months for the permitting phase, a month or so to orchestrate the team, and then shut down the entire site for about a year of construction, local architect on the job Morris Skenderian previously confirmed.
A condition of the city’s approval required the project applicant, Highgate Hotels, to pay a mitigation fee of $625,000 to the Crystal Cove Conservancy in lieu of providing lower cost visitor accommodations at the property.
The mitigation fee was calculated based on 25% of the proposed 25 new hotel rooms (will all be at a higher cost), which equals 6.25, and then multiplied by $100,000 per room. No mitigation was required for the remodel of the existing 131 hotel rooms, which the city found were not low cost.
Answering a commissioner question about how the in-lieu fee was determined and whether there was any negotiation or pushback, CCC Senior Planner Zach Rehm said that during a conference call with the city and applicant, they encouraged the applicant to provide low-cost lodging on-site.
That was the preferred option and they emphasized that to the applicant, Rehm said. Precedents set by other projects were mentioned by the applicant’s representative and the city also had a few ideas in how the fee might be applied in other ways.
“We thought that if there was going to be an in-lieu fee this was the best place to direct the funds because it would fund an actual project,” Rehm said.
Steven Kaufmann for Highgate Hotels claimed that the appellant didn’t raise the issue about the in-lieu fee before the city.
They coordinated with city and CCC staff on low-cost overnight lodging and found the program at Crystal Cove to be consistent with the Coastal Act and the city’s LCP, Kaufmann said. The critical factor with this project is that the in-lieu fees will ensure actual low-cost lodging, he noted.
In order to add 25 new rooms at Pacific Edge, six will be created by dividing three rooms in one building, four created by converting a carport in another building, and 15 in two new buildings over a new subterranean parking garage.
“This is a high-cost facility,” Kaufmann said. “It doesn’t make economic sense to make improvements and create low-cost rooms on-site.”
Laguna Beach Planning Commission approved the project with modified conditions on March 17 and discussed the in-lieu fee, but not at length. When the City Council approved the project on August 10, there was some concern about the funds not being put to use in Laguna Beach.
At the time, Mayor Pro Tem Sue Kempf said seeing the money from a local project head out of town gives her “heartburn,” while Councilmember George Weiss said affordability is being “exported to another city.”
It’s an admirable project at Crystal Cove, but they’d like to see the affordable rooms stay in Laguna, although she’s not sure how it would work, Kempf said. Since the city does not have an appropriate low-cost overnight accommodation program and the Crystal Cove Conservancy does, the funds will help restore the north beach cottages at Crystal Cove State Park, located just north of the city along Coast Highway.
The city is currently looking into creating a program for future projects, but staff didn’t want to hold up the project as they develop it, Community Development Director Marc Wiener confirmed at the council meeting in August. It will take about six months, as they look for opportunities with local hotels, he said.
At both meetings, members of UNITE Here Local 11 spoke during public comment. At each meeting, they urged the commission and council to reject the project, which several argued isn’t compatible, doesn’t respectfully consider the current employees and their commute and parking problems, and that it will create more community traffic and parking issues.
Several also noted that rooms were previously as low as $79, prices have already increased and will be well out of range for a lot of people after this project is completed. It’s pushing low-income people out of Laguna Beach and limiting access to the coast, speakers argued at the city meetings.
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Screenshot by Sara Hall
A screenshot of recent prices for a room at Pacific Edge Hotel for one night during the week, the price more than doubles on the weekend
On Wednesday, Commissioner Caryl Hart noted that, after looking at the website herself, Pacific Edge Hotel currently has rooms available on a weekday for a relatively affordable price.
“It made me wonder why the hotel would push back so much if they’re already offering these rooms?” she questioned.
There is new or additional testimony that indicated that there has been a historic provision of lower cost accommodation on the site, CCC Chair Stephen Padilla noted, and without a de novo hearing the commission can’t thoroughly get to the bottom of the issue.
“We had some, frankly, new information in the record today from one of our own commissioners, (she) was able to quickly ascertain that there were relatively low-cost (rooms) being offered on-site as we speak and convene in this hearing,” Padilla said.
They need to answer the question of feasibility of on-site affordable accommodations and the mitigation off-site at a property that itself is questionable as to whether it’s adequately affordable, he explained.
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Photo by Mary Hurlbut
The current Pacific Edge Hotel in Laguna Beach
During the appellant’s comments, UNITE Here Local 11 co-president Ada Briceño said this project violates the core public access policies of the Coastal Act. They are seriously concerned about the impact the project has on low-cost accommodations and public parking access within the Coastal Zone.
“(Both) are essential to allow working families to access coastal areas that are increasingly congested and rapidly increasing in cost,” she said.
Local 11 has been working with the CCC in identifying optimal locations for on-site affordable accommodations, based on the input from hotel workers, Briceño said.
“While the circumstances surrounding each hotel development are unique, the Pacific Edge remodeling and expansion is the perfect example of a development where on-site affordable rooms should be feasible and should be required,” she said.
The commission has been assertive about enforcing the Coastal Act in regards to affordable accommodations, but this project would reverse this progress and establish a destructive precedent by allowing in-lieu fees for off-site mitigation, Briceño said.
Several local resort employees also spoke at the meeting, including Jaime Gomez, a longtime Costa Mesa resident and Balboa Bay Club and Resort cook.
“I work hard to make Orange County a place that people come to visit,” he said.
The beautiful beaches and coastal bluffs that he loves are also why so many others visit, he noted. The Coastal Act’s goals of protecting these natural resources and public access are important, Gomez added.
His family used to spend a night or two at some of the hotels along the coast, he recalled. They’d enjoy the beach or go fishing. It was something that somebody earning minimum wage would be able to afford, Gomez said.
Now, this is a luxury. There’s no affordability along the Orange County coast, he said.
“To not enforce the Coastal Act to make sure that there is some affordability left, some access left, for the working class, especially those that make minimum wage, is a detriment to our future,” Gomez said. “We’re taking coastal access away for future generations.”
The commission should require the developer to provide affordable rooms at the hotel, not pay for rooms elsewhere, he said. Otherwise, this project should be rejected, he urged.
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Rendering by Luxigon/Courtesy of City of LB
A rendering of the highway elevation view of the Pacific Edge Hotel project
Longtime Laguna Beach resident Judie Mancuso agreed that there’s been a loss of locally affordable hotel rooms.
“We have more five-star resorts now than grocery stores in Laguna Beach,” Mancuso said.
If this in-lieu continues to be granted to hotel projects in the future, there won’t be anything remotely affordable left, she said.
The Crystal Cove cottages have a waitlist often for longer than a year, she noted.
“That’s not even realistic. It’s a red herring. It’s a boondoggle,” Mancuso said. “Put the hammer down, it’s time to stop this.”
A few commissioners also noted the long waitlist and complicated reservation system for the Crystal Cove cottages.
“They’re almost impossible to reserve,” said Hart, who went online to try and reserve a cottage and also noted the complex process. “I couldn’t even figure out the system and I was on the Parks Commission for 15 years.”
It’s also a reach to call Crystal Cove affordable if the cost is broken down considering how few rooms are available and how few people they can accommodate, Hart pointed out.
The cottages are too far and too few, agreed Commissioner Linda Escalante.
“The way things are going, it does worry me about further segregation by income class in Laguna in terms of visitor access,” she said.
Although she appreciates what Crystal Cove does, it is very difficult to get a reservation for a low-cost cottage, said Escalante, who also tried to get a reservation and couldn’t even get on the waitlist.
“I do believe this in-lieu fee is not at all a fair trade,” she said.
Lessons from the masters: Last week’s 23rd Annual LPAPA Invitational flooded our town with talent…and a lot of insightful wisdom
By MARRIE STONE
This story is a part of our Arts section. Visit www.stunewslaguna.com/arts for the full story as well as our arts calendars.
“I remember exactly when I painted this picture,” said plein air master Donald Demers, holding “Green on Green,” an oil piece he painted in 2005. “We were traveling around Tahoe and there was no particular subject. There wasn’t a barn or lake. There was just this interaction between these organic objects.”
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Photo by Jeff Rovner
Signature Member Donald Demers holding his 2005 oil painting, “Green on Green,” at the Strotkamp residence
“Green on Green” gives the eye a lot to take in. It also offers it space to rest. Demers created a quiet scene of pine trees and scrub brush, rocks and grass. But he also produced a place for the mind to meditate on the natural world. “This is what poets do too,” Demers said. “They see a spot of nothingness and find something in it.”
Last week, 35 plein air masters came from around the country to participate in the 23rd annual Laguna Plein Air Painters Association (LPAPA) Invitational. They brought not only their skills and talent, but their artistic secrets and inspirations, their backstories and philosophies, even their vulnerabilities and moments of pride.
Demers, who lives and works in Maine, regularly judges plein air shows. His paintings appear in numerous prestigious art publications across the nation and have garnered awards in the LPAPA Invitational in 2001, 2002 and 2020 (when he won Best in Show for his oil painting “Laguna Breakers”). This year, he took home the Fine Art Connoisseur Award for “Autumn Tones.”
When Mary Linda Strotkamp (former board member of LPAPA) and her husband Jay (also a longtime supporter of the association) purchased “Green on Green” in 2006, they closed the conversational loop Demers had initiated. “I was so grateful there was reception at the other end, because otherwise I’m yelling down a well,” Demers says. “Art is a dialogue, after all. It’s a form of communion. Once Jay and Mary Linda saw the painting, I was no longer yelling down a well.”
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Photo by Jeff Rovner
(L-R) Mary Linda Strotkamp, Donald Demers and Jay Strotkamp in the Strotkamp residence with their painting, “Green on Green”
Insights like these kept coming this past week. We followed several artists and learned not only about their artistic processes, but how they view the world. While their paintings are intricate, their mental landscapes are equally rich and complex. They shared some of their wisdom.
This story is a part of our Arts section. Visit www.stunewslaguna.com/arts for the full story as well as our arts calendars.
Council agenda includes new restaurant at White House, resident surveys, safety element update
By SARA HALL
City Council has an interesting and varied agenda next week, including a permit and parking reduction plan for a new operator at a historical local restaurant, distribution of resident and business surveys, consideration of an update to the General Plan’s safety element, and a resolution opposing oil and gas drilling in federal and state waters off the California coast.
On Tuesday, Oct. 19, during regular business, council will hear plans for a new restaurant at 300-340 South Coast Highway, formerly the White House Restaurant.
The planned restaurant, Finney’s Crafthouse, will include the service of alcohol, increased seating, outdoor seating and a 34 percent historic parking reduction. Officials previously confirmed that the new restaurant will very likely maintain “White House” somehow in its name.
Planning Commissioners unanimously supported the project on September 15, recommending that council approve the required conditional use and coastal development permits for the new restaurant.
The property has a 6,600-square-foot, four-unit commercial building that was constructed in 1915. Current tenants include Crazy Shirts, Carats Jewelry Store, the White House Restaurant (closed), and an upstairs office.
Plans include updating/repairing the exterior of the building, enlarging the existing dining patio, and exterior modifications to the K-rated structure listed on the city’s Historic Register. A folding door will be installed between the dining and patio areas.
According to city code, K-rated historic structures located in commercial zones may be granted a CUP to allow a reduction in parking requirements up to a maximum or 50%, based on the degree to which the historic character of the building is preserved and/or enhanced.
A variance to exceed the maximum building height allowed is also required to make room for rooftop equipment, which was moved so it was out of public view. New skylights are also proposed.
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Photo by Mary Hurlbut
The currently closed White House restaurant in Laguna Beach
The applicant proposes to establish a full-service restaurant and bar with a total of 143 seats.
According to city staff, the seat count will increase quite a bit from the previously allowed 90 seats. The applicant indicates that the previous White House restaurant had a similar number of seats, however, city records note that the restaurant was only allowed a maximum of 90 seats.
At the previous Planning Commission meeting, local architect Morris Skenderian clarified that the size of the building is not increasing, the floor area is still 4,789 square feet. When they counted, the restaurant had 132 seats plus the dance floor (which will be removed to become an ADA bathroom), so, 143 seats is a practical increase of 11 seats compared to the previous tenant.
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Courtesy of the City of Laguna Beach/Morris Skenderian and Associates
A rendering of the proposed restaurant at the White House location
Other “Finney’s Crafthouse” restaurants in the region include Westlake Village, Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Burbank and Porter Ranch.
Although these restaurants share the same name, city staff believes that each restaurant has a unique presentation and does not take a formulaic or mass market approach; therefore, the proposed restaurant and existing restaurants are not classified as formula-based businesses.
The proposed menu features more than 50 made-from-scratch favorites, including shareable appetizers, gourmet salads, tacos, flatbread pizzas, signature burgers, sandwiches and steaks. The applicant also proposes to feature rotated craft and locally sourced beer on tap. Prices range from about $9-$14 for starters to $10-$15 for salads, tacos, pizza, wings, sandwiches and burgers.
Hours of operation will be from 7 a.m.-1:30 a.m. daily. Live entertainment was not proposed at this time.
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Photo by Mary Hurlbut
The city is working on distributing surveys to city employees, residents and businesses
Also on Tuesday’s agenda, council will review resident and business survey instruments and consider directing staff to proceed with distributing them.
Surveying the residents, businesses and city employees has been a goal for newly appointed City Manager Shohreh Dupuis. It was a key issue several residents asked for during the candidate search process.
“I want to make sure through the surveys that all the voices in the community are heard,” Dupuis said at a Laguna Beach Business Club breakfast meeting on August 19. “To really understand from our employees, residents and businesses that what is it that they need from the city organization? And what are their priorities?”
To complete the task, the city hired Polco National Research Center, a company that specializes in local government surveying.
“The goal of both surveys is to measure the quality of life, satisfaction with city services, and to understand community priorities from both the resident and business perspective,” the staff report reads.
Polco will administer their National Community Survey to local residents and their National Business Survey to Laguna Beach businesses.
Both surveys consist of standardized questions that cover a multitude of relevant subjects. They also contain a custom question section for issues specific to Laguna Beach. Staff is recommending including questions that help identify residential trends at the neighborhood scale and gauge resident or business interest in high profile issues.
The proposed surveys are attached to the staff report in full.
Custom questions recommended for inclusion on the residential survey (edited for length/clarity):
–Indicate the general area of the city in which you live (neighborhoods listed).
–Are you interested in building an accessory dwelling unit on your property?
–Rate your level of support for each of the following city initiatives (partial list: Converting lower Forest Avenue into a permanent pedestrian plaza, acquiring Laguna Canyon Road and Coast Highway from Caltrans, eliminating the Design Review Board, building parking structures, adopting term limits for city commissions, committees and boards, and more restricted regulations to stop future development).
On the business survey, the recommended custom questions (edited for length/clarity) are:
–Which general area of the city is your business located (neighborhoods listed)?
–Are you a member of the LB Chamber of Commerce?
–As a business owner, do you also live in the city?
–Rate your support, if at all, for the City of Laguna Beach initiatives (partial list: Converting lower Forest Avenue into a permanent pedestrian plaza, building parking structures, eliminating the Design Review Board, implementing commercial rent control, more restrictions and regulations for future developments, new regulations to ensure private buildings are well maintained, new regulation to allow easy conversion of uses and allowing more franchises in town).
Council members or the public can provide additional input on the custom questions, staff notes in the report, however, for benchmarking purposes it is recommended that the city limit modifications to the standardized questions.
All responses are anonymous and will be tabulated in a report. Polco will utilize their proprietary database to benchmark the city’s results against the response of up to 500 other agencies in the country.
Surveys have already been distributed to the police department and city departments. By late fall, the survey results will be presented to council and used to help shape the city’s strategic planning process.
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Photo by Mary Hurlbut
Laguna Beach fire trucks ready to respond to an emergency
Also on Tuesday, council will consider an update to the safety element of the city’s General Plan.
On August 23, the Emergency and Disaster Preparedness Committee approved the recommendation and forwarded it to the Planning Commission, who unanimously recommended the council adopt the updated policies and programs in the Safety Element update at their meeting on September 1.
Most of the discussion revolved around terrace drain infrastructure on private property (concerns about overgrown vegetation blocking the drains and removed or damaged drains) and undergrounding utilities (particularly removing or somehow better guarding a few specific poles in the canyon that often get hit by vehicles).
Overall, commissioners were very supportive of the update and noted that it’s been needed for some time.
City Council may consider the addition of a new implementation action to promote the concerns raised by the Planning Commission.
The Safety Element was originally adopted by the City Council on March 20, 1979, as the “Seismic and Public Safety Element.” After the wildfire of 1993 destroyed hundreds of homes, the Safety Element was subsequently renamed, revised and updated. The current version was adopted by council on June 6, 1995.
State law mandates the Safety Element be updated in conjunction with the next Housing Element update. The city’s 6th Cycle Housing Element (2013-2021) is due to expire this year.
The purpose of the Safety Element is to identify community safety risks and establish goals, policies, and programs to safeguard residents and businesses from those risks.
Safety risks posing the greatest threat locally include fire hazards (wildland and urban), geologic risks (e.g., seismic shaking, liquefaction, and landslides and mudslides caused by slope instability), flooding and climate change.
Other topics also addressed in the Safety Element update include emergency preparedness, hazardous materials and waste, evacuation constraints (including impaired access roads) and shoreline protection (including how the city should respond to sea level rise).
City staff began the process to update the Safety Element in July 2020. Staff has incorporated the 2018 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP), the 2019 Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety Report and the Laguna Beach Evacuation Time Estimate Study by reference into the update.
The primary changes to the Safety Element include:
–The incorporation of information from the referenced reports/studies for compliance with state regulations.
–Updated figures/maps consistent with the 2018 LHMP.
– A new figure/map labeled “Single Emergency Evacuation Route Residential Developments” for compliance with state regulations.
–Reformatting of the element for design and organizational consistency with other recently updated General Plan documents.
–Modification of the goals, policies and implementation actions to rely more on the city’s implementation tools such as the municipal code and other adopted subject matter studies and plans.
–Incorporating/clarifying references to the LCP certified resolution which deals with the city’s vegetation management practices.
–Ensuring consistency with the other elements of the city’s General Plan.
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Courtesy USCG/Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Richard Brahm
Crude oil is shown in the Pacific Ocean offshore of Orange County during the recent oil spill
And last on the council’s agenda is a resolution opposing current and future oil and gas drilling operations in federal and state waters off the California coast.
The recent oil spill is one of the largest California has experienced in decades, city staff explained in the report, noting several other large oil spills in the last 50 years. It is estimated that as much as 130,000 gallons of oil spilled into the ocean, staff noted. The oil slick touched land in Laguna Beach, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, and continues to threaten the shorelines of Southern California.
“The Orange County oil spill is not an isolated incidence,” staff wrote in the report. “Offshore oil drilling threatens California’s economy, natural resources and military assets.”
The resolution supports ending all offshore drilling, including current leases in the waters off the coast of California.
On Monday, Oct. 18, Mayor Bob Whalen is scheduled to join local policymakers, environmental advocates and Academy Award-winning actor Jane Fonda at a press conference in Laguna Beach in support of the ban.
“This latest oil spill is a wake-up call for all of us,” Whalen said in a prepared statement. “Now is the time to come together to end all existing and any new oil drilling and production off our coast.”
They have signed on to support Senator Dave Min in his legislative efforts on the matter, Whalen pointed out.
“The road ahead will be difficult, but we must rise to the task to preserve and protect our ocean and our shoreline,” Whalen said.
Council recently joined Min (D-Irvine) and Senator Josh Newman (D-Fullerton), in sending a letter to Orange County’s federal legislative representatives asking them to lead a legislative effort to end all offshore drilling in federal waters off the coast of California, including drilling performed under current leases.
Along with Min, also attending the press conference: Laguna Beach councilmembers; Assemblymember Cottie Petrie Norris (D-Laguna Beach); Senator Henry Stern (D-Los Angeles), chair of the Senate Natural Resources & Water Committee; Katrina Foley, Orange County Supervisor; Judie Mancuso, founder/president of Social Compassion in Legislation; and Brendan Cummings, conservation director and Kassie Siegel, climate law institute director, both from the Center for Biological Diversity.
Also on Tuesday’s agenda during regular business, the council will review the Laguna Beach Tourism Marketing District Annual Report from Visit Laguna Beach and consider appointing Assistant City Manager Ken Domer to serve as the city’s primary representative on the Laguna Beach Tourism Marketing District Board of Directors.
In another regular business item, council will also consider approval of the Environmental Sustainability Committee’s proposed 2021-2023 Workplan.
The council agenda is available online here. The closed session starts at 4 p.m., the regular meeting begins at 5 p.m.
To participate via Zoom, you can click here from your computer or smart phone. You can also call 669.900.9128 and wait for instructions. The Webinar ID is 91641723096#. If you have issues getting into the Zoom meeting or raising your virtual hand to comment, you can text the city clerk at 310.722.5051.
The meeting can be watched live on Cox channel 852 or on the city’s website at www.lagunabeachcity.net/agendas.
You can also speak in person in Council Chambers.
Comments can be submitted on any agenda item or on any item not on the agenda in writing via mail to the City Clerk at: 505 Forest Ave., Laguna Beach, CA 92651, by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or by using the interactive form at www.lagunabeachcity.net/comment. Email your comments to the City Clerk no later than 3 p.m. on October 18 (the day before the City Council meeting) in order for your comments to be submitted to the members of the City Council the day prior the meeting, which provides them sufficient time to review the comments.
You may continue to provide written comments up to 12 p.m. on October 19 (the day of the meeting). While these comments will be provided to the City Council at 2 p.m. on October 19, council members may not have sufficient time to review them prior to the meeting.
23rd Annual LPAPA Collectors Gala draws crowd of art lovers at Festival of the Arts on Saturday
By DIANNE RUSSELL
Photos by Mary Hurlbut
Laguna Plein Air Painters Association (LPAPA) President Toni Kellenberg welcomed art lovers and collectors to the 23rd Collectors Gala on Saturday evening, Oct. 9 at the Festival of the Arts. “It’s been an exciting week. The most dramatic event was the electrical storm, but we adapted, worked it out and rose to the occasion. I want to thank all of our supporters.”
During the 23rd Annual Laguna Plein Air Painters Association (LPAPA) Invitational, 33 invited artists from across the country painted throughout Laguna. These painters were joined by Laguna Beach school kids from El Morro/Top of the World Elementary Schools, Thurston Middle School, Laguna Beach High School and Laguna College of Art + Design.
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FOA was the site of the LPAPA Collectors Gala on Saturday
The Saturday event was a wonderful gathering at which art lovers had the opportunity to meet the artists and collect an original Laguna plein air work of art created during the invitational, which is LPAPA’s biggest fundraiser.
Attendees at the gala were treated to a sumptuous and seemingly endless supply of finger foods provided by Saltwater Catering. During the awards, they surprised guests with a medley of fancy desserts, which was a work of art in its own right.
Artist Suzie Baker from Shenandoah, TX, who won the Outdoor Painter.com Award for her work Sycamore Sun & Shadow, is now in her seventh year of participation in the invitational.
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Outdoor Painter.com Award, Suzie Baker – “Sycamore Sun & Shadow”
Baker is president of Oil Painters of America and holds signature membership in that prestigious organization as well as being a Signature Member of the LPAPA. “In 2010, I was on a trip with a friend to Huntington Beach and we drove to Laguna Beach and I found a flyer about the event,” Baker said. “I wondered how I could participate? So, I made an application for the Telluride Plein Air Festival to educate myself. Then I went to the Plein Air Convention and met Rosemary Swimm, LPAPA executive director. I applied and was invited, and I felt like an athlete being accepted into the Olympics.”
A graphic artist, Baker commends the event, “in which women participate alongside men, which in some parts of the world is still not possible.”
Watercolorist Barbara Tapp, participating in the invitational for the first time, originally hails from Australia and currently resides in Berkeley. She started painting in 2007 and took up plein air painting in 2013.
She and Baker are both demonstrators at the Plein Air Convention, which will be held next year in Santa Fe, NM.
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LPAPA Collectors Gala table
“It’s the most superbly run organization,” said Tapp. “They organize the trolley and have box lunches and parking passes, all the while thinking where the artists are going. They have two evenings of panel talks and group meetings.”
Tapp relates a story about two women from Saddleback who were taking a plein air painting class and had researched the artists. “They followed me around and asked questions. Then they went back to do a report for their class.”
Tapp painted three cottages on Jasmine and developed relationships with the owners.
“This event allows the buyer to have a connection to the painting,” Tapp continued. “They can watch it being painted and talk to the painters.”
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Kinsman Family Foundation Award, Michael Situ – “Heisler Park”
“For some people, this is their first experience with art,” said Baker. “They pass by the artist, and see the art piece and whole story and it’s a connection to the place, the artist and the piece. It’s real art and they have this connection.
Paul Kratter, a former illustrator from San Francisco, has participated in the invitational seven or eight times. “At first I didn’t realize that artists have to be invited back each year,” he admits.
Laguna resident Mahmoud Aldimassi complimented the evening’s festivities, “Truly this was a lovely event to have attended. While the artists have amazingly expressed their impressions of reality in so many incredible paintings in a week’s time, it was wonderful to see so many diverse faces that have created that art. The young and the young at heart, different ethnicities and cultures. This is our Laguna; in art we are bridging our differences and have knocked down walls that we have created. I was truly humbled when my wife Debbie and I were approached by total strangers that just wanted to have a friendly chat about some of the painting they liked/purchased or just casual chats.”
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Blue Ribbons awarded to Ryan Jensen from Southwest Art Quick Draw Award for his “Painters on the Beach” and Pleinair Magazine Award for “Wild Night”
23rd Annual Laguna Beach Plein Air Painting Invitational: 2021 Awards
$7,500 LPAPA Best In Show, Carl Bretzke - Valley Below, Sponsored by: Laguna Plein Air Painters Association.
$2,500 Award of Excellence, Mark Fehlman - Let’s Take a Walk, Sponsored by: SeaWind Properties.
$2,500 Greg Larock Legacy Award, Kathleen B Hudson - Evening from Recreation Point, Sponsored by: Laguna Plein Air Painters Association.
$2,500 Jean Stern Distinctive Merit Legacy Award, Daniel Mondloch - Pick Up Game, Sponsored by: Laguna Plein Air Painters Association.
$1,000 The Kinsman Family Trust Award, Debra Huse - Above and Beyond, Sponsored by: Kinsman & Kinsman.
$1,000 Hilbert Museum of California Art Award, Shuang Li - Lifeguard on Duty, Aliso Beach, Sponsored by: Hilbert Museum of California Art.
$1,000 The Irvine Museum Award, Jane Hunt - Quietude, Sponsored by: The Irvine Museum.
$1,000 Architectural Award, Richard Boyer - Mission Capistrano, Sponsored by: LBE/CAF.
$1,000 Artistic Palette Award, Rick J Delanty - Illumination, Sponsored by: Joe Hanks Van Cleave Foundation For The Arts.
$1,000 Kinsman Family Foundation Award, Michael Situ - Heisler Park Sponsored by: Kinsman & Kinsman.
$500 Directors’ Choice Award, Calvin Liang - Boats in Dana Point, Sponsored by: Rosemary Swimm.
$500 Southwest Art Quick Draw Award, Ryan Jensen - Painters on the Beach, Sponsored by: Southwest Art Magazine.
2021 Laguna Beach Plein Air Painting Invitational Awards
Pleinair Magazine Award, Ryan Jensen - Wild Night, Sponsored by: PleinAir Magazine.
Fine Art Connoisseur Award, Don Demers - Autumn Tones, Sponsored by: FineArt Connoisseur Magazine.
Outdoor Painter.com Award, Suzie Baker - Sycamore Sun & Shadow, Sponsored by: OutdoorPainter.com.
American Art Collector Award, Jed Dorsey - Unnamed Alley, Sponsored by: American Art Collector Magazine.
$500 Artists’ Choice Award, Kathleen B. Hudson - body of work, Sponsored by: The Kellenberg Family.
$500 Collectors’ Choice Award, Kathleen B. Hudson - body of work, Sponsored by: Melanie Froysaa & David Hussey.
The Revelite/Lyn Burke Memorial Award, Gil Dellinger - Old Sycamore, Sponsored by: Revelite & Lyn Burke’s Family.
Special Lifetime Achievement Awards, Jeff Sewell, Sponsored by: LPAPA.
The Lifetime Member Award, Toni Kellenberg and Steve Kellenberg, Sponsored by: LPAPA.
Next Generation, Sponsored by: LPAPA.
Undergrad MFA - Kelly Mogilka
1st Place, Oliva Stude
2nd Place, Xandra Squier
3rd Place, Jordan Tacker
Shop dogs at Laguna Playhouse are happy to be back after the long intermission
By DIANNE RUSSELL
Photos by Mary Hurlbut
Some establishments in town boast one shop dog, but Laguna Playhouse has several. Recently, three of them were interviewed along with their people: Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham and Murphy, Associate Producer Director/of Marketing and Communications Dee Dee Irwin and Pickle, and COVID Service Officer Wally Ziegler and Tamzen.
Wareham, Irwin and Ziegler all agree that they – and their pooches – are very happy to be back at the Playhouse after the long hiatus.
Of course, just as humans sometimes don’t get along, these canines aren’t all bosom buddies. Tamzen and Pickle tolerate each other, but aren’t friends. However, Murphy and Tamzen won’t even tolerate each other. It could be a personality conflict, ego – who knows – theater folk (or in this case, creatures) can be dramatic.
This “Playhouse Pack” is a diverse one. According to Irwin, “Each dog really has its own agenda, which is what makes it so funny.”
Murphy – crazy about movies and lizards
Wareham adopted 5-year-old lab mix Murphy when the pup was a year old – as a rescue from a Los Angeles family who couldn’t keep her. Murphy comes into the Playhouse a few days a week and on the other days, she goes to “camp” at a friend of Wareham’s. Preceded by Scout (who was Pickle’s bestie) and Sailor, Murphy is the latest in a succession of shop dogs that Wareham has had during her tenure at The Playhouse.
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Ann E. Wareham and Murphy
As one would expect, the hours are crazy during the theater season, so Murphy has to spend some time alone during performances. However, Wareham makes sure Murphy is entertained while she’s on her own.
“I have an old television set with a VCR and sometimes in the evening, she’ll watch movies,” Wareham said. “I like to leave one going for her to keep her company. She likes My Fair Lady and Land Before Time, or I’ll put on the Hallmark Channel, something non-violent, because she’s sensitive. When I put on Aristocats, she can’t figure out how to get to the cats.”
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When she’s not at work with Wareham, Murphy loves to chase lizards
Murphy has lots of favorite activities – she loves to go hiking, and at the beach she’ll go to the edge of the water and bite the foam.
According to Wareham, Murphy possesses relentless energy, so it’s not a surprise that she likes to run after things. “Her favorite pastime is chasing lizards and bunnies,” Wareham said.
Yet, there’s no harm done. Wareham admits, “She doesn’t catch them. She’ll go right up to a rabbit and then stop and have a Scooby-Doo moment.”
Definitely a social animal, Murphy says “Hello” by barking and is friends with the actors and crew. Sometimes patrons stop by to greet her.
As for snacks, she likes anything with peanut butter or pumpkin.
The love for treats seems to be an ongoing theme for these three.
Pickle – a canine critic
It makes perfect sense that a dog who watches rehearsals and shows – and even appeared in three plays – would eventually become somewhat of a critic. Doesn’t everyone have an opinion? Yes, even this furry footlight fancier. Irwin says Pickle has ways of letting her know his reactions to the performances and plays.
“Pickle has a lot of opinions on things,” said Irwin. “He first started watching shows from upstairs where no one could see him, but now he sits on the side or in the back. He’ll bark – but not during a performance – as if he’s critiquing it.”
The regular actors know him, and no doubt long for an approving bark from him.
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Irwin with Pickle, who is “stage struck”
Irwin adopted Pickle, who is 10 years old, in 2012. She went off to the Burbank Animal Shelter with the thought, “I’m going to get a dog, and I’m going to name him Pickle,” she said. “He was found wandering the streets.”
Pickle was named after a dog called Mr. Peanut. A Cairn Terrier and (possibly) Chihuahua mix, Pickle has a distinct personality.
Almost every day for eight years, he’s been coming to work with Irwin. As if born for it, Pickle adapted to the theater life very quickly and flourished. As the old saying goes, “He’s come a long way, baby.”
Pickle has appeared in the Laguna Playhouse production of A Christmas Memory and in The Wizard of Oz twice – as guess who? He was also in The Kermit the Frog show in Pasadena for a Holiday Panto performance.
His performance in A Christmas Memory, was nicely reviewed in the LA Times, “He was up to the task,” and he had a cover shot in the OC Register.
One might guess Pickle would be skittish with a bunch of kids around, but during the Holiday Panto show, he was brought on stage while they were performing and he was fine, explained Irwin. “He likes being included and being part of it,” she said.
In addition to being a self-proclaimed critic, Pickle is a stickler for theater etiquette.
“During opening night of Barefoot in the Park, he was sitting to the side and someone nearby loudly opened a candy wrapper, and he gave a low growl. Luckily no one except the people near us heard it,” she recalled.
If food is involved, Pickle is all in. He may be particular about what he likes in a play, but when it comes to a treat, he’s not finicky. “He’s not particular about snacks,” Irwin said. “He likes carrots, apples, green beans and blueberries.”
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Pickle’s full name is Pickle C. Irwin, which is commemorated in an inscription on a paver in the courtyard. The “C” is in memory of Irwin’s former pets, Charlotte the cat and Crasher the dog.
Evidently, he’s very tolerant of everyone and walks around the office, going from office to office, like he owns the place.
“He was super excited to come back to the Playhouse after the closure,” Irwin said. “He was sad at home. He was used to the snacks. There was no one handing out treats and he likes to be with his pack.”
What he doesn’t like is the sand at the beach or the swells.
“He’s spoiled,” Irwin said. And who wouldn’t agree he deserves it.
Tamzen – “a one-man woman”
After being off for 19 months during the Playhouse’s COVID intermission, Tamzen, Ziegler’s Border Collie, is also excited to be back. Tamzen, who is 12 years old, has been coming to the Playhouse with Ziegler since she was 10 weeks old. “I found her online, when she was just seven weeks old, at a ranch in Oklahoma – her parents are working dogs – and it was love at first sight,” said Ziegler. “She was from a litter of four, and they wanted to keep the males.”
Happily, there was a bit of serendipity involved.
“I was saving up for a flat screen television, and it turned out that the price for her was the exact amount I had saved,” said Ziegler. “They flew her to the Orange County airport.”
Tamzen’s name came from the Disney movie Lady and the Tramp, sparked by the scene in which two cats sang, “We are Siamese, if you please.” However, Ziegler added a “Z” to the name – as he likes Zs.
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Wally Ziegler and Tamzen
Tamzen’s first hangout in the Playhouse was in the annex. “In the beginning, I’d bring her out for youth theater class, and the kids crowded around her and made her nervous,” said Ziegler. “She still really hasn’t gotten used to kids. In 2008, when she was 6, we moved into the Playhouse from the annex.”
Ziegler drives back and forth to Lake Arrowhead every day. “I love it up there,” he said. “Tamzen loves it too, especially the snow.”
While the Playhouse was closed, they went for a lot of hikes, three or four a day of varying distances – short, medium and long ones.
The pandemic changed Ziegler’s mind about retiring, which he was contemplating. “Being off for 19 months, the days were long and I missed the people,” he said.
Tamzen in particular was thrilled to be commuting back here. “When I said, ‘Let’s go to work in Laguna,’ she was excited. She remembered Pickle, but she doesn’t get along with the other dogs. She’s a loner.”
She’s also not a “cuddler” and likes the floor better than her dog bed.
She loves her frisbee and riding in the car, which is a good thing, since it’s a two hour or more drive back and forth from Lake Arrowhead.
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Ziegler and Tamzen outside Laguna Playhouse
One thing most people know about Border Collies is that they are very smart. They are also extremely loyal to their people and are often one-person dogs.
“She’s very protective and jealous, a one-man woman,” Ziegler explained. “If I happen to give an actress a hug, Tamzen barks.”
Border Collies need a job. Tamzen is no exception. “We live on an acre, and I throw the ball up a culvert and she rolls it back. She has also gone to a couple of sheep herding ranches and took to it right away,” he shared.
True to her breed, she’s a fast learner. “When we were at the beach the first time, she chased the birds and they flew away, on the second time she learned –don’t chase them, they only fly away,” said Ziegler. “It only took two times to learn that and she stopped chasing them.”
“She understands a lot of words. If I say, ‘go get the red ball,’ she gets the red ball and not the blue one. She’s not keen on other toys, but she does have a red fishing bone,” he said.
Strangely, Tamzen likes to watch dogs compete in obstacle courses on television, but if it’s a commercial, she barks.
Treats rule at the Playhouse. Just like Murphy and Pickle, Tamzen likes treats. Ziegler says she immediately assesses people – are they greeters or treaters?
If you happen to stop by the Playhouse or attend one of their spectator shows this season, be sure your pockets are full of treats – just in case you are lucky enough to spot one of the “Playhouse Pack.”
The Laguna Playhouse is located at 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach.
For more information on the season’s shows, go to www.lagunaplayhouse.com, or call 949.497.2787
“Opera Reimagined”: backstage with Laguna Tenor Rick Weber
By MARRIE STONE
This story is a part of our Arts section. Visit www.stunewslaguna.com/arts for the full story as well as our arts calendars.
Opera singer Rick Weber, better known by locals as the “Laguna Tenor,” brings both his talent and passion for opera to the Laguna Beach Cultural Arts Center (LBCAC) on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 8 p.m.
In an age when opera might feel antiquated or intimidating – when today’s music sounds more techno than classical – Weber’s performances exude drama, humor, desire and heartache. From unrequited love to tragic deaths, Weber delivers the heart’s drama to his audiences. He’s not only a singer, but a storyteller. He shares the vivid narratives behind every aria he sings. Once the music begins, spectators are already invested in the characters’ lives.
We sat down with Weber to discover where his interest in opera began, some of the highlights of his career, how he’s trained his voice and other surprises that happen behind the scenes of an opera singer’s life.
The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
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Photos courtesy of Rick Weber
Laguna Tenor Rick Weber will perform at the LBCAC on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 8 p.m.
Stu News: Tell us about your entrée into music. When and how did you get started?
Rick Weber: Growing up, we always had music playing in the house. My mom is Italian American, and my dad immigrated to the United States from Germany. I’m not the only singer in the extended family. There are a few other tenors floating around in my family, from across the world, on both the German and Italian sides. My brothers, sister and I were raised outside of Philadelphia, where we had easy access to the art museums and theaters in Philly and New York.
Even by fifth grade, I had a big voice. I played the role of Geppetto in the musical Pinocchio. When I would sing, the kids would look at me funny, so I knew it was unusual.
Over the years, I started performing in local productions. I went to George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and took an opera-singing class. I didn’t take it too seriously. I was hunting for credits so I could take fewer classes in my senior year and figured I could get a good grade for this elective. Back East, I had performed in about 30 musical productions, but it wasn’t until I moved to California that I really got interested in opera.
SN: Talk about that first opera experience.
RW: My first opera was Turandot by Puccini. I saw a production by the San Diego Opera and I was blown away. It was like a combination of all the arts. Like going to a vocal concert, plus a symphony, plus an art museum. One time during the holidays, I went home for Thanksgiving to visit my parents. My dad had accidentally ordered too many of The Three Tenors CDs (with Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti and José Carreras). There were five CDs sitting on the table, so I took one and brought it back to California.
I was living in Dana Point and had just started dating my wife (then my girlfriend) who was living in Rancho Cucamonga. On the many journeys back and forth from the beach to the Inland Empire, I learned what road rage was like – I’d never experienced this kind of traffic. So, I popped that CD in to give me some peace. I started messing around, singing along, and realized, “Wow, I can hit these notes!”
I made a New Year’s commitment to get singing lessons. My wife and I went to see Carmen at the LA Opera. William “Bill” Vendice was the choral director listed in the program. I called the general line at LA Opera, went through all the menu prompts, and got through to Vendice’s voicemail. Months went by because he was traveling in Italy, but he eventually checked his messages and called me back. I remember saying, “I think I’m a tenor, but I expect you’ll be the judge of that. I’m really just hoping you could refer me to a trainer. He replied, “I’ll train you myself.”
So, I went to his house in Silverlake. We started with the songs I knew from the Three Tenors CD. The first song I learned was “Recondita Armonia,” which is the first tenor aria in the opera Tosca (an opera by Giacomo Puccini). To this day, I open most of my shows with that song. It’s the first aria I ever sang and I still sing it first today when I open a show.
This story is a part of our Arts section. Visit www.stunewslaguna.com/arts for the full story as well as our arts calendars.
Where’s my rum?
By Diane Armitage
You may recall that months and months ago – April 13, to be exact – I announced that Rum Social Kitchen & Cocktails would be taking over the old Watermarc space.
Termed by the longtime restaurateurs as “an upscale Hemingway speakeasy,” the team planned to open its Caribbean/Asian concept in July.
With July now three months behind us, you may have begun to wonder if this much-anticipated opening will ever occur.
Courtesy of Rum Social Kitchen & Cocktails
Still waiting on some permit approvals, Rum Social hopes to open its Caribbean concept in early December
“It’s just bad timing coming out of a COVID year,” said Ken Ussenko, a partner in the project with John Fisher and Steven Sherwood.
“Everyone involved in the permitting process has just been overloaded.”
“The city was able to give us approval to complete our interior restoration in early July, but the County Health Department has to sign off on certain plans in that restoration, and we’re still waiting for that to happen,” Ussenko explained.
“It’s been really frustrating, but there are only so many calls you can make to the county to ask to be seen,” noted Todd Skendarian, the architect on the project.
Fortunately, the team tells me that County Health Department personnel have agreed to an in-person meeting this week or next, and they’re hoping everything will be ironed out and signed off.
“Once the county signs off, we’re still looking at five or six weeks of renovation and then finish work for a few weeks thereafter,” said Ussenko.
“So, we’re hoping to open Rum Social – at least for a locals’ preview – by Hospitality Night on December 3,” he concluded.
San Shi Go coming soon
Local favorite San Shi Go looks to be rounding the final bend for their re-opening at the former Okura Sushi restaurant at Thalia and Coast Highway.
San Shi Go closed in its old location on March 1. A devastated fan base moped for months before hearing the blessed news that the restaurant had chosen the Okura location in early June. At the time, Owner/Principal Koichi Sakamoto hoped for (yet another) July opening.
Now, three months later, Koichi tells me that he plans to be open to the public and in full swing by early- to mid-November. Stay tuned for more details from me next week.
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Photo by Diane Armitage
After a months-long wait, San Shi Go hopes for a re-opening in November
Wine Gallery’s Tasting Tuesdays return
The “Locals’ Season” is in full swing with restaurants all over town offering creative events.
Wine Gallery’s popular “Tasting Tuesday” has returned. Owner Chris Olsen initiated the every-other-week event prior to COVID and started them up again in September.
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Photo by Mary Hurlbut
Owner Chris Olsen of Wine Gallery has re-introduced his popular “Tasting Tuesdays”
“I schedule them for every other Tuesday, and they’ve been selling out pretty much in advance every time,” Olsen told me.
“About 40 or 50 people attend each event and I always have a representative from the featured winemaker. People love it; it’s a fun way to get a new perspective on great wines.”
Prices range between $30 and $40 per person, depending on whether five or six wines are featured. Wine Gallery doesn’t skimp on the tastes, either, with 2.5-ounce pours for each.
On Tuesday, Oct. 26, Stag’s Leap will be in play, followed by a Rombauer visit on Wednesday, Nov. 10. Olsen tells me that he’s booked Tasting Tuesdays the entire remainder of the year, so stay tuned to Wine Gallery and my own social platforms @bestoflagunabeach for ongoing announcements.
Call for reservations at 949.715,8744, or sign up for their email reminders with a direct reservation link.
Wine Dinner instead? Or perhaps a kids’ cooking class?
Chef Lindsay is offering a five-course Wine Pairing Dinner on Wed., Oct, 20 at 6 pm. Featuring David Phinney’s gloriously edgy Orin Swift Wines, it’s a five-course meal featuring flavors of the fall season.
The dinner is $175 per person (plus tax and gratuity) with a $50 deposit requirement. Go to https://nirvanagrille.com for online reservations.
While your kids and grandkids may not be interested in a wine dinner, they’ll certainly find fun in an interactive cooking class with Chef Lindsay and her 13-year-old son, Diego. On Thursday, Oct. 21 at 5:30 p.m., the mother/son team will help kids and their parents/grandparents create “themed Halloween creations.”
Recommended age range for children is 8-14 years of age. Tickets are $45 per person (plus tax and gratuity). Reservations are required at https://nirvanagrille.com.
“We got the beat” at Harley’s
On Friday, Nov. 5, Go-Go’s drummer, Gina Schock, will be hosting a “Meet & Greet” at Harley Laguna Beach.
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Photo by Diane Armitage
Go-Go’s drummer Gina Schock will be signing books at Harley Laguna Beach on Friday, Nov. 5
Tickets are $125 per person and include a signed copy of Schock’s new book, Made in Hollywood: All Access with the Go-Go’s, as well as two premium drink tickets and heavy tray-passed appetizers from their talented Chef Greg Daniels. Enter to win fun merchandise and hang out with celebrity legends as you enjoy a night that feels like a vacation (all you ever wanted).
The best-selling author and blogger on The Best of Laguna Beach™, Diane Armitage is on an endless quest for the most imaginative adventures in Laguna’s restaurants, events, and lifestyle. Check out chef interviews, retail and restaurant news, and favorite events at https://thebestoflagunabeach.com/. Follow: Instagram @BestofLagunaBeach for daily updates and new news.
SoCal’s premier outdoor adventure, action sports film festival returns
The 3rd Annual Coast Film Festival (CFF) is set for November 10-14 at the Festival of the Arts in Laguna Beach. CFF’s multi-screen indoor and outdoor theaters will show more than 50 premier surf, snow, skate, mountain biking, climbing and other action sports, outdoor and environmental feature films and documentaries.
Festivalgoers will also have full access to watch lively post-screening panel discussions co-hosted by Outside TV’s Pat Parnell and TV personality Ariel Tweto, stroll through the festival’s art exhibition, and for the kids – film, art and environmental programs are scheduled throughout the weekend.
“This year we will premier several amazing films and curate others including some gems from the past with the overall purpose to inspire the human spirit and help protect our planet through the power of film and storytelling,” said Ben Warner, founder and executive producer of the Coast Film Festival. “Our new venue, the Festival of Arts, gives us the ability to welcome larger audiences and showcase their really cool multi-screen outdoor theater.”
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Photos courtesy of CFF
(L-R) Pat Parnell, Ben Warner, Chris Evans, Christina Evans and David Reddick
Tickets go on sale Friday, Oct. 15, and range from $25 for daytime general admission, $35 for evening general admission, $55 for an all-day pass, $95 for an all-day VIP pass and $375 for an all-festival VIP pass.
CFF is also presenting a wide variety of films and panel discussions virtually with a Video-On-Demand format from Tuesday, Nov. 16 through Sunday, Nov. 28. The online programming will be accessed through an easy-to-use digital platform built into the CFF website.
Since its inception in 2019, CFF has showcased more than 100 best-in-class adventure and outdoor films including several premieres. Additionally, the interactive multi-day format and coastal location attract celebrated athletes and Academy Award-nominated directors who come together to network and discuss the art of storytelling and important social and environmental topics.
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Filmmaker Greg MacGillivray speaks at a previous CFF event
“As a community united by a shared love for the outdoors, cinema, stories and art, we are presenting inspirational and motivating films that will hopefully create a spark for deeper conversations about the current health of our planet and actions to take for future generations,” said Warner.
CFF is a proud member of “1% for the Planet” with a portion of proceeds supporting these non-profit organizations – Laguna Canyon Foundation, Surfrider OC, Protect Our Winters and the Coast Film Emerging Filmmaker Scholarship.
Coast Film Festival is a multi-day film and art festival that showcases filmmakers, artists and social changemakers who focus their work on topics related to the land and sea. Founded in 2019, CFF crisscrosses the globe in search of diverse and inspiring films about people and cultures from the worlds of action sports, outdoor adventure and environmental conservation.
To learn more, visit www.coastfilmfestival.com, or direct questions to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Festival of OC Chefs benefits KidWorks, honors Nirvana Grille Chef Lindsay Smith-Rosales
Festival of OC Chefs, benefiting KidWorks, hosted its first culinary event on Sunday, Oct. 3 at Newport Beach Country Club.
The food festival, which featured 25 chefs, invited 425 guests to mingle and sample their fare. Renowned wineries, such as Duckhorn, JCB, Justin and Crown Point, were also a part of the mix. Guests were later seated on the lawn to sample desserts and be introduced to the chefs by MC DawnMarie Kotsonis. Chef Event Chair Pascal Olhats introduced Honorary Chef, Lindsay Smith-Rosales of Nirvana Grille, Laguna Beach, who has been featured as a celebrity chef on Food Network’s Chopped. She credited Olhats as her mentor.
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Photos by Tony Lattimore
(L-R) Newport Beach Country Club Host Chef Graeme Blair, Event Chef Chair Pascal Olhats and Honorary Chef Lindsay Smith-Rosales
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(L-R) Honorary Chef Lindsay Smith-Rosales shares a culinary sampling with a guest
Kidworks’ board member and event co-chair Cory Alder shared the Kidworks’ story. Involved with the charity for 15 years, he lauded the nonprofit’s academic support, character and leadership development programs that empowers students in Orange County’s underserved neighborhoods from pre-K through their college years. He said the key was involving the entire family to ensure the student’s success. “We are most proud of the fact that 100% of our high school graduates enroll in college or university,” he stated.
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Laguna Beach residents and sponsors Guy Johnson and his wife Trish Johnson
The Presenting Sponsors Kay Family Foundation, represented by Ethan Kay and the David A. Pyle Family, represented by Annie Pyle, were honored for their ongoing KidWorks support.
The event co-chairs included Lisa and Cory Alder, Tracy and Kevin Murphy and Kyle and David Team, with committee members Joey Booth, Darin and Jeff Garell, Nina and Ethan Kay, Heidi and Ruben Mendoza, Connie and David Oh, Camille and Tim Strader Jr., Eleanor and Tim Tang, and Sue and Nick Willett. Also attending were Board Chair Adrian Montero and KidWork’s CEO/Executive Director David Benevides. KM Productions was thanked for producing the event.
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Laguna Beach residents Mona Lee Nesseth and George Rozsahegyi. Nesseth donated the wines for the $4,000 wine tree raffle.
Following a generous Fund-A-Need portion, which helped boost net proceeds to more than $640,00, the band, Flashback Heart Attack, took the heartfelt evening home.
Laguna Beach County Water District welcomes back residents to SmartScape
The Laguna Beach County Water District (LBCWD) welcomed back residents to its annual SmartScape Waterwise Expo on October 9 at the district’s headquarters. Great weather, giveaways, music and vendors brought out more than 500 residents who learned about the benefits of using California native plants and efficient irrigation techniques in residential and commercial landscape settings.
Throughout the event, residents had the opportunity to visit with the region’s gardening and irrigation experts and learn about the latest water-efficient landscape products and services. As in years past, family-fun activities were provided throughout the day, and attendees could purchase rain barrels and California friendly plants as well as get the latest information on water-saving rebate programs.
Among the takeaways, attendees brought home bags full of teachable handouts from recycling and water conservation to raising gardens to attract bees & butterflies, gardening gloves – and for the youngsters – coloring books about the ocean.
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Photos by Mary Hurlbut
Two youngsters are checking out gardening hose nozzles and gloves
“After going virtual last year due to the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, it was great to welcome the community back to an in-person event,” said Christopher Regan, water district assistant general manager. “Saturday’s event not only provided useful information on methods to reduce outdoor water use, which is crucial in our state, but also gave customers a chance to meet staff and connect with non-profits and vendors offering cutting-edge water-saving technologies.”
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Bolsa Chica Conservancy displayed a touch tank with a stingray, shark lobster and sea stars
Most attendees felt the event could not have come at a better time as the state is once again in the grips of drought. Following two consecutive dry winters, with all signs pointing to a third, Californians need to be diligent in reducing the amount of water that is used daily. Outside water use accounts for about 50 percent of the average homeowner’s water use.
This year’s participants and sponsors included Bolsa Chica Conservancy, City of Laguna Beach, Rain Barrels International, South Coast Water District, Honey Girl Grows, California Native Plant Society, Laguna Ocean Foundation, Master Gardeners of Orange County, Wyland Foundation, Boys & Girls Club, Laguna Beach Garden Club, Laguna Bluebelt Coalition and the Laguna Beach Fire Safe Council.
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Wyland Foundation was among the many sponsors
For information on rebates that residents and businesses might be eligible for, visit the LBCWD’s website at www.LBCWD.com, or contact the district’s Water Use Efficiency Department at 949.464.3116.
Laguna Beach County Water District provides water service to 20,000 residents within an 8.5-square-mile area of Laguna Beach. The district’s mission is to furnish a high quality, reliable water supply in a financially responsible manner, while promoting water-use efficiency.
Mary Gulino to speak at LOCA Art Talks
LOCA Arts Education invites art lovers to its LOCA Art Talks events in downtown Laguna Beach. The 2021-22 season opens with painter and photographer Mary Gulino on Thursday, Oct. 21 from 5-6:30 p.m.
“Our fun, educational and interactive gatherings are great for artists and non-artists alike,” said program coordinator Cindy Fletcher.
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Courtesy of LOCA
Artist Mary Gulino with some of her works
Gulino will share rare insights into her journey as a successful artist in Laguna Beach, spanning more than 11 years. Attendees will learn about her career challenges and triumphs running her My Artist Loft studio here, and as a longtime exhibitor at Art-A-Fair and Sawdust Festival. A gifted teacher, Gulino has been embraced by thousands of students who benefited from her photography and painting workshops through Irvine Valley College, LOCA Arts Education, Sawdust Art Festival and more. Questions will be invited, and the atmosphere will be warm and friendly.
Admission is $20 per event and free to LOCA members. Advance registration is requested. Call 949.363.4700 and visit the calendar page at www.LOCAarts.org.
LCAD Gallery is located at 374 Ocean Ave., Laguna Beach. Metered street parking is available.
Guest Columnist
From Laguna with Love: Tea with fairies
By Sherry Keith
Thursday morning, I attended a tea party at the Butterfly Fairy Garden beside the Laguna Beach Branch of the Orange County Public Libraries. The day before, when stopping to pick up a book, I noticed the rainbow of yellow, orange, red and magenta flowers popping out among the greenery near the library entrance.
“The garden looks so festive; do you librarians take care of it?” I asked.
The librarian disappeared momentarily, returning with two small color photo books. “The garden is the work of Jessica deStefano, a local sculptress,” she explained.
And that is how I found myself having fairy tea with deStefano in the garden the following morning.
She invited me to sit down at the low tree stump table and chairs. My knees were almost touching my chin as she treated me to a tiny cup of fairy tea made from blue buds steeped in a little teapot then poured into miniature teacups. Each was topped with a rose bud. The blue bud tea turned a gentle purple, thus beginning an experience of pure enchantment.
The delicate flavor reminded me that I’d never sat in a fairy garden before, although I have frequented the library innumerable occasions. It’s easy to miss small treasures like this, because there is so much to love about Laguna Beach. The intersection of Glenneyre and Park Avenue is a heavily trafficked intersection, so I usually focus on getting into the library rather than noticing a child-sized garden.
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Photo by Jennifer Griffiths
Visitors to the Butterfly Fairy Garden will see at least half a dozen fairy houses
Over fairy tea, deStefano told me that she had been troubled by the plight of the monarch butterflies facing extinction due to urbanization of their natural habitats.
“I contacted the library and was given permission to plant a few milkweed bushes beside the library’s entrance.”
I asked deStefano if she has a garden of her own.
“No, but I grew up with a food garden.”
Her words evoked the idea of the Butterfly Fairy Garden as a free restaurant for the monarchs as well as a place nurturing the imaginations of all passersby. For those who haven’t seen a fairy recently, time spent in the garden will be a reminder that fairies have netted dragonfly wings, curly hair and delicate child-like faces. I saw them myself.
“After planting the milkweed, the monarchs arrived. The butterflies were followed by children visiting the library who delighted in chasing them around the garden,” deStefano told me. “That created the need for homes where the fairies could live.”
Photo by Jessica deStefano
A butterfly is attracted to a colorful bloom in the Fairy Garden
Today, visitors to the Butterfly Fairy Garden will see at least half a dozen fairy houses constructed from tree branches and stumps as well as discarded bird houses that have been gaily painted and decorated. There is even a mail basket where children can leave notes for the fairies and the fairies sometimes leave their replies.
Until this year, deStefano maintained the garden herself. However, she now has formed the Magical Fairy Garden Team including Mehrnoosh, a plant therapist; Vladimir, a medical student studying surgery; and the trimmer of trees and hedges, Kim, the Fairy Mail Mistress; along with Simone and Ellis, a mother-daughter duo who build and repair the fairy houses.
As deStefano and I were enjoying flower fairy tea, Rebecca, nearly 2 years old, arrived with her mother to explore the garden. Rebecca immediately joined us for her own cup of fairy tea. While her family lives in Irvine, they love to come to Laguna for Fairy Garden visits.
“I’ve sent pictures of the garden to friends in Moscow, and they are incredulous that such a magical place exists on the corner of a busy city street,” Rebecca’s mother told me.
Ah, I reflected to myself, our Laguna Beach Butterfly Fairy Garden is internationally known!
Later that afternoon, I watched a first grader ramble among the begonias with her little brother trailing behind. She posted a letter in the fairy mailbox just as a group of teenage girls on their way to Main Beach stopped to admire the garden and take selfies, verifying that this garden is an attraction for all ages.
A few blocks up Park Avenue, there’s a sign that reads, “If you’re lucky enough to live at the beach, you’re lucky enough.” I would add, if you’re lucky enough to live in or near Laguna Beach, you’re lucky enough to enjoy a butterfly fairy garden at our local library.
Sherry Keith, writer, divides her life between 35.5/37.8 North & 117.7/122.3 West.
Organized by the Laguna-based nonprofit Third Street Writers, “From Laguna with Love” features personal stories (anecdotes of up to 200 words and longer pieces up to 750 words) and photographs that celebrate only-in-Laguna moments and experiences, whether they’re funny, sad, insightful, or simply a reflection of daily interactions.
If you or someone you know has a Laguna experience to share, you can submit your story or photo to https://thirdstreetwriters.submittable.com/submit for consideration.
Questions? Contact Amy Dechary at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Vote now for “Best of the Rest”
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Artwork by Sean Hunter Brown
The winners of the 10th Annual Laguna Bluebelt Photo Contest have been chosen, so now is the public’s chance to vote in the popular “Best of the Rest” Facebook contest. There is only one week left to vote! Deadline for voting is midnight on Tuesday, Oct. 19. Visit the Laguna Bluebelt Facebook page to submit your pick for the “Best of the Rest.” Click here to see the entries and vote. (Pictured is “Intertidal,” First Place, Professional by Sean Hunter Brown.)
The Plant Man: Autumnal roses
By Steven Kawaratani
“Now that your rose is in bloom.”
– Seal
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Photos courtesy of Steven Kawaratani
Steve Kawaratani
The autumnal roses in Laguna are the loveliest of the entire season. And what a season it has been! A mild winter ensured that our first rose was in bloom on the day before Super Bowl Sunday. Since then, rose gardeners have struggled only to find enough vases to keep pace with their bountiful production of blossoms.
In compiling Fall’s list of roses, I have selected roses that are easy to grow, disease resistant and particularly fragrant
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Iceberg (Rosa ‘KORbin’)
Easy to Grow. The non-stop bloomer, Iceberg, is a climber and bush that doesn’t quite reach pure white in our coastal clime. It is very fragrant and nearly disease resistant, so if you only have space for one rose, this is the one.
One of the most rewarding of the climbers is the single, blood red bloom of Altissimo. Also fragrant and excellent as a cut flower, this rose blooms freely throughout the year. This is the strongest red climbing rose for Laguna gardens.
A vigorous and bushy plant, Heritage is a perfect rose. The blooms are a lovely soft pink with a nice fragrance. Never fussy, it requires very little care.
Disease resistant. Royal Bonica continues the trend of modern roses; free blooming, disease resistant and not fussy about pruning. Pale pink blooms cover very green and shiny foliage.
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Sunrosa Shrub Rose
The dark green foliage of Sunrosa is the first indicator that mildew should think twice about invading this tough rose. Its graceful, crimson blooms look wonderful in a vase.
I recall when I first introduced Winifred Coulter into my garden. That was nearly 25 years ago and its glossy green leaves have yet to be sprayed for either insect or disease. This floribunda’s rose pink blooms appear to be almost never ending.
Especially fragrant roses. Possessing an old rose perfume, Othello is a standout rose. It produces large, cupped blooms of crimson fading to purple. Florists tell me that the blooms are excellent in flower arrangements.
David Austin holds the shrub rose, Grüss an Aachen, in high esteem; he has even adopted it as one of his English roses. The deeply cupped blooms have a pleasing fragrance, which turns a pearl pink to creamy white.
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Glowing Peace
Glowing Peace is treasured for its large yellow pinkish blossoms that are very fragrant. This grandiflora rose grows vigorously upright with elegant buds.
The rose reigns supreme in our garden; in fact, if Catharine had her way (and of course, who says she doesn’t?), the garden would be filled with even more roses (with ample room reserved for her vegetable garden). See you next time.
See you next time.
Steve Kawaratani has been a local guy for seven decades and likes to garden and drive the Baja Peninsula. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 949.494.5141.
Laguna Art Museum exhibition showcases the works of Jessie Arms Botke
Laguna Art Museum (LAM) will be exhibiting, “A Fanciful World: Jessie Arms Botke” from November 4 through January 16, 2022.
Bold, decorative studies of exotic birds and flowers are the subject of Botke’s most notable paintings. After settling in California, she reached her stylistic peak in the 1930s with eye-dazzling artworks adorned with gold and silver leaf, inspired by Japanese design and European landscape aesthetics.
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Courtesy of LAM
Botke’s Cockatoos and Easter Lily Vine (Beaumontia), oil on panel, 1961, The Rowe Collection
Despite her prolific output and successful career, few exhibitions have focused solely on Botke’s work. This exhibition examines work from different periods of Botke’s career and travels including a magnificent 29-foot-long mural that once adorned the Oaks Hotel in Ojai, Calif.
Laguna Art Museum is located at 307 Cliff Drive, Laguna Beach. www.lagunaartmuseum.org
Laguna Canyon Riders hosts 2022 race season kick-off meeting on October 18
Laguna Canyon Riders are holding their season kick-off meeting at The Ranch on Monday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. All are welcome to attend (at the middle school and high school levels) to find out more details about the upcoming season.
The meeting begins with a 6 p.m. Meet/Greet/Eat (optional), followed by the presentation at 7 p.m.
Riders in grades 6-12 in Laguna Beach are invited to ride with them. All skill levels are welcome – from first time beginners to seasoned shredders.
The team is registered with the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA). All coaching and volunteers are subject to NICA accreditation and rules. Participants ride with an expert coaching staff to build foundational skills or train hard to be ready to race.
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Submitted photos
Laguna Canyon Riders during the 2020 racing season
Laguna Canyon Riders’ goal is to provide safe and competitive riding that builds strong bodies and strong minds.
The season runs December through May. They practice three days a week (except for holiday weeks) and there will be lots of racing options starting January 2022.
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Enjoying some great views during a ride
They will have some skills and bike check practices starting in November, and then official practices will start December 1 on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays starting at Alta Laguna from 3:30-5 p.m.
“It was amazing to see so many kids on bikes last season and what great riders they became,” said Fiona Petersen, Laguna Canyon Riders team director. “We hope they all come back for more fun as we are looking forward to seeing new faces too.”
For more information, visit www.lagunabeachmtb.org.
COVID-19: 11 new cases and one new death reported in Laguna Beach this past week
Stu News Laguna is reporting COVID-19 numbers on a weekly basis, as reported by the OC Health Care Agency.
This week, October 6-October 12, there have been 11 new cases in Laguna Beach and one new death, bringing the overall totals to 1,168 cases reported to date and eight overall deaths.
During the past week, the county reported a total of 1,792 new cases, raising the total to 300,531 to date. The death totals for the county were 56 for the week, bringing the overall total number of deaths to 5,504.
As of Tuesday, Oct. 12, Orange County has performed a cumulative of 5,202,497 tests to date. There are 211 current cases of hospitalized patients in Orange County, of which 45 are in ICU.
For questions about the data presented by the county, call 714.834.2000 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
To view the county’s data dashboard, click here.
COVID-19 numbers are updated weekly by Stu News Laguna in Friday’s edition.
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Data courtesy of OC Health Care Agency
Local cat promotes philanthropy in Laguna Beach
Last month, the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach received an unexpected gift of $1,000. Later that day, the team learned about the gift origin. And, how philanthropy (traditionally defined as “fellowship of man”) is alive and well in Laguna Beach, and, in this case inspired by a cat.
Rex Murphy is a heavily boned and muscular Maine Coon cat. Initially bred as outdoor cats, these strong creatures became a working breed in the U.S. to keep barns and homes clear of rodents. As a child, the Maine Coon cat is sweet-tempered, gentle, develops deep relationships with human parents and adapts to any environment. This large-scale cat must have daily exercise and a place to run and play.
Often called “America’s Cat,” the Maine Coon cat is considered the only longhair breed native to the U.S., likely introduced by seamen in New England who carried them via ship. Upon hitting shore, these restless sailors met other feline friends with whom they created their unique breed, soon winning best-in-show in New York in 1895.
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Submitted photos
Rex, an adventurous Maine Coon cat
When an unsolicited $1,000 donation arrived at the Boys & Girls Club from Sarah Murphy, it was Chief Executive Officer Pam Estes who first learned of its origin: “We loved hearing this heartwarming story about two supporters who worked together to bring Rex home. We are grateful that they chose to support their local Boys & Girls Club.”
Murphy’s cat, Rex, took a run beyond the boundaries of his home. Initially, he created a panic, which spurred the neighborhood on to find him. A $1,000 reward for his return was prominently posted. Barb Bowler became the self-appointed partner to lead the search and rescue with her neighbor, Murphy. Formerly with Combined Investments, LP, Bowler is now semi-retired in the commercial property and management industry.
Artist, ceramicist, photographer and Kaftan Queen (who sells original saris), Murphy moved to Laguna Beach in 2008. She and her husband adopted two daughters from Guatemala as infants. Now teens, the young ladies attended the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach at Bluebird Park up until fifth grade.
According to Murphy, “Barb jumped in right away – as soon as she knew he was missing. She pointed out all the flyers – from beginning to end and we nailed them all over our area together – in her golf cart. She gave me hugs, wiped my tears and kept us going. There were times when I had given up. Nothing was going to stop her.”
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(L-R) Barb Bowler, Sarah Murphy and Rex
And nothing stopped Bowler and Murphy along with the overflowing support from strangers and friends. When Rex stepped out – Laguna Beach stepped in as did citizens from sister cities. The family felt overwhelmed with gratitude and faith. Through these valiant efforts, Rex was found and Bowler helped get him home.
“The power of community and neighbors was such a bright shining light that shone through our beloved kitty story. It felt like a miracle that we got him back, as we all know how often this does not end happily. I could not have gotten him home without everyone’s help…especially Barb!,” said Murphy.
And, with Rex’s safe return home came the $1,000 reward to Bowler who immediately asked that the funds be donated to the Laguna Beach Boys & Girls Club, which has been transforming lives in town since 1952. Bowler and her husband Doug are long-time supporters who even created personalized BGCLB tote bags to sell at the Farmer’s Market.
To learn more about the Boys & Girls Club, visit https://bgclagunabeach.org/, or email Chief Relationship Officer Michelle Highberg at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to set up a tour and/or organization update.
Guest Columnist
Birthday reflections
By Dr. Vidya Reddy
Hello, this week I’d like to welcome you to the birthday corner.
Sunday is my birthday. And, on this birthday eve, I wanted to take the time to reflect on doing scary things out of my comfort zone to become a much better version of myself.
As a thought exercise, what I’ve learned over the past few months I feel compelled to share them with you in the spirit of robust helpfulness. If you would like more information, techniques and meditation based on Life Lessons, please refer to my podcast: https://naturally-happy.com/podcast/.
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Photo by Johnny Antezana
Dr. Vidya Reddy
Here are 11 slightly scary ways to become a better you:
1. Work with people who are smarter or more accomplished than you. You will leap further to meet your intuition, dig deeper into your industry and listen more actively.
2. Solicit opinions from a diverse audience. There is nothing like asking a 20 year old and a 70 year old what they think about what you are doing.
3. Solicit opinions from experts. Ask a gifted writer what they truly think about your material. Take your CEO to lunch for a preemptive performance review and some tips on how to sail up the ladder. Hire a stylist to eyeball your fashion fabulousness. It may sting, it may be a major gust of wind beneath your wings, but either way, an expert opinion will motivate you to get on top of your game.
4. Stand naked in front of the mirror and don’t leave until you can say three deeply loving things about: your physique, the miracle of your health and your qualities as a good human being.
5. Fire your most annoying client, team member, or nasty friend. You’ll wished you’d done it a long time ago.
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Photo by Pieter Baetens
Birthdays are a good time for reflection
6. As the Dalai Lama says, “Love until it hurts.” For me that would mean volunteering at an old age home. I can hardly bear the waste and scarcity of dignity that makes for most nursing homes. It slays me. I always leave a total wreck.
7. Choose silence. Turn off the TV. Commute without the car radio on or your iPod earphones in. The silence may unsettle you. With our addiction to noise and distraction are held at bay, our anxiety, painful beauty and genius has room to surface.
8. Underachieve. This is especially helpful for all A Types and workaholics. Slack. Don’t finish the book. For one week, don’t do a to-do list. (I know, your palms are sweating at the very thought.) Be late, just because you wanted an extra five minutes in the hot shower.
9. Take an improv class. It could teach you more about innovation, relationships, success and sexuality than any therapist or self-help book.
10. Say no. Only offer the simple explanation that, “It just doesn’t feel right.”
11. Say yes. Just for the hell of it. Whimsy is a direct route to enlightenment…or peril. Either way, you’ll come out stronger.
Stand strong. Remain of good courage. I’m here to help.
In Peace, Love and Gratitude.
‘Til next time.
Dr. Vidya Reddy, ND, AMS, DAC, CLC
LBHS Annual Cheer Clinic is back
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Courtesy of LBHS Cheer
The LBHS Cheer Clinic is back and the team welcomes students from grades K-8 on Saturday, Oct. 23 from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Learn cheers, chants and dance with the cheerleaders. Those who attend will perform during the 2nd quarter and halftime at the next Friday night game on October 29, LBHS vs. Godinez. More details and a link to register can be found at www.lbhsathletics.com/cheer. Go Breakers!
Epilepsy monitoring unit expanded to further meet South County needs
Epilepsy is the third most common neurological disorder, and yet, until recently, some South Orange County residents have had to travel outside the region for certain types of care. With the opening of the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, Providence Mission Hospital is able to treat more patients close to home. This month, the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit will be expanded to provide even more essential care for South County.
“The unit is designed to provide more sophisticated testing for patients who require a higher level of care,” said Parshaw J. Dorriz, M.D., chief of the neurology department and site director for the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit. “Before this unit, we didn’t have full epilepsy coverage in South Orange County.”
The unit provides state-of-the-art inpatient testing for adults with confirmed epilepsy who have not improved with medications and are being evaluated for surgery, as well as testing to better characterize the type of seizure or the cause of epileptic episodes.
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Courtesy of Providence Mission Hospital
The Epilepsy Monitoring Unit is designed to provide more sophisticated testing for patients who require a higher level of care
The Mission Epilepsy Center is a critically important member of the USC Epilepsy Care Consortium, a collaborative partnership for 10 epilepsy centers that share resources and expertise to provide epilepsy services over a large geographic area, from Madera to South Orange County.
“The expansion of the EMU at Mission under Dr. Dorriz’ leadership is a very important development as we all pull together to address the public health dimensions of epilepsy in Orange County and across our region,” said Charles Liu, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Neurological Surgery and Neurology at USC Keck School of Medicine and leader of the consortium.
“The consortium is an integral part of our program,” Dr. Dorriz said. “We have a weekly summit where we discuss our cases, show our results and receive the counsel and consensus of more than 20 physicians, including epileptologists, neurosurgeons and neuroradiologists. Patients get their care locally, and we are confident they are getting world-class, academic-level care.”
Providence Mission Hospital in Laguna Beach provides South Orange County coastal communities with 24-hour emergency and intensive care as well as medical-surgical/telemetry services, orthopedics, general and GI surgery. CHOC at Providence Mission Hospital is a 54-bed facility that is the area’s only dedicated pediatric hospital.
Fully accredited by The Joint Commission and designated as a Magnet hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center for nursing excellence, Providence Mission Hospital is highly recognized for its high quality of care, evidenced through a multitude of healthcare quality benchmarks.
An October sunset
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Photo by Scott Brashier
Reflections of a setting sun
Dennis’ Tidbits
By DENNIS McTIGHE
April 1, 1967 - What a day it was!
You wouldn’t think that a place as far north as the Pacific Northwest would be heavily affected by any tropical system at all, let alone the entire West Coast. It has only been directly impacted twice in more than 160 years – in 1858 and again in 1939 – and that was way down in Southern California.
The historic storm that attacked the Northwest was once a super typhoon – a system that early on ravaged parts of Southeast Asia and up into Taiwan, China and Japan before it took a sharp turn to the east. It was reclassified as a post tropical system while moving to the east for several days. It eventually hooked up with a very strong low that was plunging SSE out of the northern Gulf of Alaska.
Then this storm turned into a real monster with a central pressure of 959 millibars as it set its sights on the Pacific Northwest, unleashing winds up to 120 mph with up to a foot of rain with 40-50 ft. storm surf along the Washington and Oregon coast. Having been a Cat. 5 typhoon in its earlier stages, the monster cyclone finally made landfall near Astoria, OR on Columbus Day of 1962. That’s the thing about weather; there’s always a surprise!
The very first time I witnessed a super cell mesocyclone was back on April 1, 1967 in Amarillo, TX, way up there in the Texas Panhandle at the southern end of Tornado Alley. What a dramatic day that was. At the time, I was attending Weather School at Amarillo Air Force Base.
The day started innocently enough with clear and sunny skies as we awoke at 0600h. The temp was a chilly 36 degrees with gentle southerly winds. Throughout that morning, temps began to climb rapidly as the winds picked up from the SSE at 20-30 mph. The winds were very warm and by noon, it was all the way up to 80 degrees.
At that time, I noticed a long line of anvil shaped clouds rising out of towering cumulonimbus clouds to the south and west near the horizon, still at least 50 miles to our south and west. In just a little more than one hour, the storms were on us as the first downburst – with winds up to 50 mph – began to spread out from up in the clouds. The temperature immediately dropped at least 20-25 degrees. Minutes later, intense and frequent lightning flashed, followed by ear-piercing thunder. I’ve never witnessed thunder that loud. It literally shook the building like an earthquake. Then came the hail, as big as baseballs, that entirely covered the ground in just a few moments.
Looking to the sky, I noticed the whole bottom of this monster cloud was beginning to rotate counterclockwise like a huge merry-go-round in the sky. Minutes later the twister beefed up into a mile-wide EF-4 monster with winds up to 180 mph. Lucky for us the tornado was moving to the NE – as most twisters do – and this monster, thank God, was moving away from us. Then came buckets of rain, over two inches of it splashing down in less than one hour. Here’s the capper; two hours later, it began to snow as the temp plunged to near 30. By 9 p.m., the whole thing was over as skies cleared. All of this drama in less than 12 hours. What a weather day!
Have a safe and healthy weekend, ALOHA!
Where’s Maggi?
Who knows where Maggi spied this fishy arrangement of flotsam?
Send your answers in to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The location will be revealed in Tuesday’s edition, and we’ll let you know who got it right.
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Haven Laguna and the Hygge lifestyle: the art of creating intimacy in your surroundings
By DIANNE RUSSELL
Photos by Mary Hurlbut
Mara Samuels, owner of Haven Laguna, references the Danish word Hygge to describe her shop. “Hygge is a sense of being ‘consciously cozy’ or ‘the art of creating intimacy’ or ‘the pursuit of everyday happiness.’”
According to the land of Nord, it is “the absence of anything annoying or emotionally overwhelming; taking pleasure from the presence of gentle, soothing things.” It is a word used to acknowledge a special feeling or moment. It can be alone or with friends, at home or out, ordinary or extraordinary, but it is always comforting, charming or special.
Hygge is a state of mind – and lifestyle – that Haven embodies so well.
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Mara Samuels, owner of Haven Laguna
Samuels launched her interior goods and design shop the first week of December 2020 with limited inventory due to the delay in the shipment of goods during COVID. In the absence of display tables, she set up picnic tables. Even then, on my first visit to the space, it had a welcoming and serene aura.
There’s no doubt it was tricky to open during that time, but Samuels says, “It always felt right and the response has been amazing. The Laguna Beach community has been so complimentary and supporting.”
In addition to interior design accessories, Haven is the perfect local shop to pick up a quick hostess or housewarming gift.
“I’m really happy,” she continues. “I’ve had a lot of locals come in, repeat customers and out-of-towners. Fifty percent of my customers are from Phoenix who visit here in the summer. Locals just pop in to say, ‘hi’ or they need a wedding or birthday gift.”
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Haven Laguna opened in December 2020
Now, more than 10 months after the doors opened, Haven is filled with items of every sort to make your home overflow with warmth. It is a cornucopia of home goods, candles, jewelry, furniture, accessories and linens. One of the most popular items in the shop is Samuels’ sumptuous assortment of pillows in natural fabrics.
Also on display are a variety of natural fiber area rugs – with samples available to try out in your own abode.
“I love textures and items that are natural and organic,” Samuels said.
Haven supports community artists – two of Laguna artist Todd Kenyon’s paintings hang in the shop. Samuels features jewelry from local artisans and stocks Civetta candles with accompanying rose quartz message stones.
“When possible, I really like to source my products from local artisans and companies,” she said. “I think it is important to support the community that we all share, and I know that the locals and visitors agree. With shipping costs being astronomical now, I love that I have such a great network of local talent to pool from.”
There’s always something new to see. Back-ordered merchandise from last December shows up without announcement. “I never know when something will arrive,” said Samuels, which is exciting for her customers.
To keep up with new merchandise, go to Haven Instagram @havenlaguna.
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Vintage Halloween décor will soon make way for Christmas cheer
Haven is all decked out with Halloween décor – black cats, pumpkins and vintage handmade decorations, but come October 31, they will come down and the Christmas decorations will go up. For the holidays, Haven will feature chocolates and toffees along with unique merchandise and ornaments.
Background
Haven is housed in a 1929 building that was previously a print shop – next to a courtyard of quaint cottages. “The owners wanted to retire,” said Samuels, “and they asked, ‘why don’t you take over the space?’”
At the time, she was working for Skyline Kitchen and Bath – which is next door to Haven – doing a remodel.
“This space was run down but the thought of bringing it back to life was part of the joy of creating the store,” Samuels said.
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Natural fabrics and vintage furniture
Samuels’ passed on her entrepreneurial spirit to her family. Her son Duran helps her with the business – in addition to launching his own line of gourmet spices – and her daughter Talia is founder and president of Outshine Public Relations in Corona del Mar.
Among the many renovations she undertook, Samuels put in new floors and. Windows, along with and flower beds in front of the store.
“As an artist, I love taking something old and reimagining and creating it into something new,” she said.
It seems Samuels has always been involved in some way with houses and design. She was in real estate for 10 years while she lived in Coto de Caza. She was set to remodel the Coto de Caza general store and center when the project fell through. Then Samuels started designing for Skyline Kitchen and Bath.
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Lots of linens
It’s no surprise that another of Samuel’s passions is architecture. She adheres to the philosophy of getting the foundation right – and she has done just that with Haven.
“I sell home interior and gifts, but I am also a home designer and love to work with my clients on remodeling home projects,” she said. “I have customers that come in and they want to redo their whole house but have no idea how. I love helping them do that.”
When she says house remodel, she means inside and out. “I love everything from reimagining the elevation to the landscaping.”
The thought of opening a store started when she was in college.
“As an art student, I have always had a creative spirit and originally I was planning to be an architect,” said Samuels, who earned her design degree at Saddleback College.
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Choices for hostess and housewarming gifts
“Surrounding yourself with what you love creates that feeling of Hyggee, and we want you to feel that in your own home always,” said Samuels. “That’s what Haven is all about. Helping you find beautiful treasures that you can bring home and create that special feeling within your own space.”
It seems Haven Laguna has exceeded Samuels’ expectations as her dream shop.
“I’m so excited to come in here every day. People say the vibe is good,” she said.
Go check it out for yourself. Haven beckons you to come inside and wander around. You won’t want to leave.
Haven Laguna is located at 435 N. Coast Highway.
It is open seven days a week from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Haven gift wraps, ships and delivers.
For more information, go to http://havenlaguna.com/, or call 949.939.5553.
“Art in Public Places” – North and South Waves by Larry Gill
By DIANNE RUSSELL
Photos by Mary Hurlbut
This is the 30th article in our weekly series featuring Art in Public Places. Since there are more than 100 pieces of public art scattered throughout Laguna, it will take a while to cover them all.
Some of the art you see around Laguna Beach is the result of two city programs: “Public Art and Murals” and “Art in Public Places.” The goals of the Public Art and Murals and Art in Public Places (adopted in 1986) initiatives are to create diverse art installations of the highest quality that will, over decades, reflect the city itself and its citizens, and improve the quality of life; and to be a source of pride to all Laguna Beach residents.
North and South Waves was installed at Forest and Pacific Coast Highway in 2003. The abstract ocean wave forms were created of stainless steel and granite by Laguna Beach artist Larry Gill.
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In 2017, it was cleaned and sealed to keep it looking bright
“I believe art is a kind of energy,” said Gill. “I look for beauty and awe to empower a piece of artwork.”
Though he originally aspired to be a painter, Gill discovered early on in his career that he was far too tactile not to sculpt. For the past 45 years, he has been creating his works of art using stone, metal and other media. He has a welding studio in Santa Ana, which allows him to shape metals into inspired pieces of art.
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The waves are made of stainless steel and granite
He’s installed sculptures around Laguna Beach, from “Welcome,” a permanent waterfall structure at the Sawdust Art Festival, to “Waves.” He also created the new gates at the Sawdust Art Festival, where he has been an exhibitor, with fellow artist Gavin Heath to commemorate the 50th anniversary.
Requiring a lot of engineering, Gill’s work is typically very time-intensive, labor-intensive and massive.
For a map of Art in Public Places (not every piece is listed), click here.
To apply for the Arts in Public Places program, click here.
Middle and High School PTAs’ 13th Annual Sports Swap scheduled for November 6
The Thurston Middle School and Laguna Beach High School PTAs invite residents to take part in the 13th Annual Sports Swap to be held again at the high school stadium on Saturday, Nov. 6. Doors will open at 8 a.m. on that day.
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Submitted photo
(L-R Mason Herr, Ashton Azadian and Jacob Castro, LBHS juniors and members of the basketball team
Sports Swap Chair Jimmy Azadian asks those who wish to donate sports gear and equipment to call or text him at 818.645.9177.
“This fun community event and fundraiser supports our students at both Thurston Middle School and Laguna Beach High School. All unsold items will be donated to the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach,” Azadian said.
Azadian and his team of student volunteers will gladly come to your home or place of business to pick up your donated items, making it as easy as possible on you, while the students earn community service and volunteer credits. Or, if you prefer, you can make arrangements to drop off your donated items. All donated sports items are 100 percent tax deductible.
Laguna Beach High School is located at 625 Park Ave., Laguna Beach.
Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach to hold “An Autumn Affair”
The Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach is hosting “An Autumn Affair” on Saturday, Oct. 23 from 5:30-10 p.m. at the Lake Forest Community Center.
This 6th Annual Night under the Stars Gala benefits the Boys & Girls Club Lake Forest programs and is honoring Joe Ziomek and the I.D.E.A (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access) Initiative. The initiative is a legacy investment in the future of young people who face systemic obstacles beyond their control every day.
Join in the evening’s festivities beginning with Happy Hour and complimentary beer & wine, a silent auction from 5:30-6:30 p.m., and dinner, a live auction and music & dancing from 6:30-10 p.m.
Tickets are $150 per person.
For more information, admission and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.bgclakeforest.org.
The Lake Forest Community Center is located at 100 Civic Center Drive, Lake Forest.
Police Beat Primer
Compiled by Suzie Harrison
Police Beat derives from information in the daily police and arrest logs published on the City of Laguna Beach’s website and required under CA Government Code Section 6254 (f). Additional information is obtained through communication with the Laguna Beach Police Department’s Public Information Officer.
Information in the logs is deemed reliable and Stu News Laguna is not responsible for any mistakes made available as public record by the Laguna Beach Police Department.
Any person arrested is innocent until found guilty in a court of law.
