Panga boat lands on Agate Street Beach, CBI takes custody of 14 individuals
On Wednesday, May 18 at 9:44 a.m., Laguna Beach Police Officers were dispatched to the area of Agate Street Beach in reference to a panga boat landing, according to Laguna Beach Police Sgt. Cornelius Ashton.
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Courtesy of City of Laguna Beach
Panga boat landing on Agate Street Beach
A resident observed a panga boat run ashore and observed approximately 16 individuals running towards 100 Agate St. Officers immediately detained nine individuals at Agate Street and Ocean Way.
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Courtesy of City of Laguna Beach
Individuals came ashore, leaving the abandoned panga boat with belongings behind
The same resident witnessed five individuals board a parked vehicle at 1300 S. Coast Highway, where officers then detained the five occupants.
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Courtesy of City of Laguna Beach
Closeup of 12 gallons of gasoline left aboard the panga boat with life vests scattered along the Agate Street Beach shoreline
Assistance was requested from the Newport Beach Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Department and Maritime Coordination Center (MCC).
US Customs and Border Protection agents responded and took over the investigation. CBI took custody of the 14 individuals pending further investigation.
Approximately 12 gallons of gasoline was found aboard the panga boat and life vests were found scattered along the shoreline of Agate Street Beach.
View a video of the panga boat landing on Agate Street Beach with the occupants fleeing onshore.
Video courtesy of Helene Gates
Inside City Hall
Dear Laguna Beach Community,
The City of Laguna Beach is extremely fortunate that the winds didn’t shift during last week’s Coastal Fire, and that there were no injuries or loss of life to any Laguna Niguel residents or their pets. The two injured firefighters (the injured were not Laguna Beach Firefighters) are recovering and doing well. I would like to thank our City’s Emergency Management Operation Team and Laguna Beach Firefighters who were among almost 600 firefighters that assisted in the Coastal Fire efforts and all our partnering agencies who answered the call and came to the aid of our neighboring community. Our thoughts are with those whose homes were destroyed or damaged.
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Courtesy of City of Laguna Beach
Laguna Beach Fire Chief Mike Garcia
The Coastal Fire moved quickly and was fueled by thick brush, strong wind, and steep topography, and such prompted a large response of firefighting resources from across the region including Laguna Beach. The use of the City’s new helicopter water refilling tank (which was one of the recommendations from the Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety Report) during the Coastal Fire served as a great “force multiplier” for the helicopters fighting the vegetation fire. It allowed more frequent water drops by allowing for a nearby water fill station and doesn’t require the helicopter to land and power down. Firefighting crews were able to provide more needed water drops by having this refilling station so close by. Its use in the recent Coastal Fire solidifies the Helipod as an excellent firefighting tool and part of our Wildfire Mitigation and Safety Plan.
The Coastal Fire, like the recent Emerald Fire, happened during a time we have relatively high moisture in our vegetation (fuels) and is a reminder that vegetation fires can now happen anytime throughout the year. Fire season is year-round, and preparedness is key to survival of both life and property.
Residents should take steps now to create an emergency kit and practice an evacuation plan. As we saw with the Coastal Fire’s embers that traveled from one property to the next, it is also important to keep your property defensible by keeping flammable vegetation and features completely out of the immediate 5’ area directly around your home. Fire safe planting, limiting more susceptible flammable vegetation and grasses, and maintaining vegetation/tree canopy out from the 5’ mark of your property up to 100’ makes a tremendous difference in ignitability.
Defensible homes with non-combustible roofs, sidings with boxed-in eves, double pane/tempered windows and fire-resistant vent screens all help a home from quickly igniting. For more tips, I invite you to visit our website at www.lagunabeachcity.net/fire.
The Coastal Fire serves as another good reminder that it is critical for Laguna Beach residents to register to receive emergency alerts. I urge you to sign up for both County’s notification system at AlertOC and to also sign up for Nixle, the City’s notification system by texting 92651 to 888-777. AlertOC is Orange County’s regional mass notification system designed to keep those who live or work in Orange County provided with important information during emergency events. Nixle is the City of Laguna Beach’s community alert system which is typically used for emergency notifications, community event information, or traffic issues which are sent by text messages, mobile app and/or e-mail. Please sign up for both.
With the current drought and the ongoing effects of climate change, it’s not a question of “if” a fire will happen again, but when. I ask you to please take the steps to prepare yourself now so that we are stronger together when emergency strikes.
In Community Spirit,
Mike Garcia, Fire Chief
Laguna Beach Fire Department
Fair Game
By TOM JOHNSON
Laguna Food Pantry finds challenges in serving the growing number of struggling families
I received an S.O.S. from Anne Belyea, executive director of the Laguna Food Pantry.
As you might imagine, “inflation is impacting all of us and hitting those struggling financially the hardest,” said Belyea. “Typically, Laguna Food Pantry volunteers register two to three new families a day. In the past two days, 19 new families reached out for help with groceries to feed their children. (While) rising food costs have decreased food donations.”
She also said that Laguna Food Pantry is now buying 900 dozen eggs per week. You read that right, 900 dozen per week! Previously, those were all donated. So just imagine that extra, unbudgeted new expense…although Anne did tell me that they’ve negotiated “a great price.”
They also need milk and produce.
Help is needed and appreciated. If you’re in a position, consider reaching out. For more information, go to www.lagunafoodpantry.org.
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Courtesy of Laguna Food Pantry
A Laguna Food Pantry volunteer helps process donations to a needy family
• • •
The Laguna Beach Police Department is conducting a Bike Safety Expo on Sunday, May 22 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Top of the World Elementary School.
There’s a lot planned: First off, residents are encouraged to bring their bikes for a safety inspection and to register them via 529 Garage; there will also be a BMX rider performance at 12 and 1:30 p.m., along with a fire department demonstration at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Courtesy of City of Laguna Beach
BMX rider completes successful jump at recent bike rodeo
For family fun there will be a balloon artist, face painting, a photo booth, bounce house and obstacle course.
Vendors joining for the day include not only the LBPD, but LB Dojo, Troy Lee Design, Laguna Cyclery and more.
And, there will also be a raffle to win not only a signed Tony Hawk helmet, but a number of other items.
Join ‘em, it’ll be fun.
• • •
With the recent reports of a mountain lion visiting Laguna Beach, Laguna Beach Animal Shelter, in conjunction with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, will present a workshop titled “Living with Wildlife.” And, mountain lions will be a topic, I’m told.
The workshop takes place at the Susi Q Center Community Room from 6-7 p.m. on Monday, May 23.
Check it out.
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Courtesy of Laguna Beach Animal Shelter
Find out more about our recent visitor in an upcoming Laguna Beach Animal Shelter workshop
• • •
Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley will host her first State of the County address next Wednesday, May 25. The address will provide updates on countywide accomplishments throughout the past year and offer a preview of future initiatives.
The address will take place from 11 a.m.-12 p.m., followed by an old-fashioned BBQ on the historic Old Orange County Courthouse lawn, located at 211 W. Santa Ana Blvd., Santa Ana.
Residents who want to attend should RSVP to bit.ly/kfsotc, as seating is limited.
• • •
Correction: In Tuesday’s issue of Fair Game, I mistakenly wrote that an initiative requiring a public vote for new hotel construction and remodels “was supported by Laguna Residents First.” Shortly after publication I was corrected by Laguna Residents First co-founder David Raber saying that they weren’t, in fact, connected to the initiative. I apologize for the error and any confusion.
Even Raber admitted that the backers of that initiative are flying under the radar, although some names have emerged unsubstantiated later this week.
Laguna celebrates Dr. Alissa Deming of PMMC during Women in Marine Mammal Science month
By DIANNE RUSSELL
Photos by Mary Hurlbut
Although it is not widely known or commemorated, Women in Marine Mammal Science month (May) is nevertheless an important tribute, especially for Laguna Beach and Pacific Marine Mammal Center (PMMC). For two years, Alissa C. Deming, DVM, MS, PhD, has served as vice president of Conservation Medicine and Science at PMMC. She brought a wealth of expertise to her position, which was created by the board of directors to strengthen PMMC’s impact by prioritizing research.
From its beginnings more than 50 years ago – with Co-founder Jim Stauffer’s rescue of one seal and the assistance of Co-founder John Cunningham in building the facility – PMMC has grown to include a vast array of research and educational programs, not only locally but in the U.S. and around the globe.
According to www.oceanconservancy.org, more than half of undergrad marine science degrees today are awarded to women, and women make up the majority of biology graduate students around the country. This is a remarkable accomplishment considering no women were even allowed on research vessels in the U.S. until the 1960s. However, women are still underrepresented in this field, especially in leadership positions (as reported on the Women in Marine Mammal Science website).
“It’s a very male-dominated field,” said Deming. “Until the early 2000s, it was a mix of male and female, but the males tended to be in positions of authority and women were more ‘boots on the ground.’”
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Dr. Alissa Deming
It appears Deming performs both these roles – she’s a VP with her “boots on the ground.”
To assume her position, she moved here right in the middle of the pandemic. “When I came here two years ago, it was in the middle of COVID, so I didn’t have a lot of choices of where to live, so I moved to a place in Laguna Niguel sight unseen,” she said. “I just relocated to Laguna two months ago. I love it. I walk the beach (a block away) in the morning before I come to work to reconnect to the ocean. I also walk in the evening when work permits and I love the sunsets. I see a lot of harbor seals at the Montage and sea lions. I live in a great neighborhood and all the homes have individual characteristics. The neighborhood does potlucks and one of my neighbors used to volunteer at PMMC in the 1990s.”
Deming is responsible for the medical care of all in-hospital patients and provides medical care to live dolphins and pinnipeds that strand alive on Orange County beaches – all the way from San Onofre to Seal Beach. Deming’s research efforts are focused on a commonly diagnosed cancer in wild California sea lions. She is also the chair of the Sea Lion Cancer Consortium (SLiCC) and leads the sea lion cancer research at PMMC. Her principal research interest is to study disease patterns in marine mammal populations to better understand the impacts of human and environmental factors on ecosystem health.
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Male northern elephant seal pup named “Rocket” who is approximately 2 months old, was presented to PMMC due to malnutrition (aka starvation) with sand in his stomach. He is well on his way to recovery and is enjoying his pool time, eating well and gaining weight.
Deming admits that she likes to fix things, and that’s one reason she got into marine mammal science.
Born in South Florida (where there are no seals or sea lions), Deming fell in love with manatees and sea turtles. “Back then I didn’t know there was a field for this. During my undergraduate studies, I had my first experience working with sea turtles and immune suppression in sea turtles and dolphins.”
For Deming’s complete resume, click here.
Sea lions are a critical model for understanding how cancer develops
Deming received her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine and PhD in Comparative, Diagnostic and Population Medicine from the University of Florida. “While I was working on my PhD, I focused on viruses, in particular the herpesvirus and how it can cause cancer in animals and humans,” she said. “We were finding cancerous tumors caused from the herpesvirus, as a result of compromised environment and contaminants. For the 10 years we’ve been looking at sea lions, we’ve discovered that they have the highest rate of this single type of cancer of any species in the world. Herpes is a good barometer of the impact of environmental contaminants on the health of animals – and humans.”
Affected by the immune system, herpes is the same virus as chicken pox and stays latent in the nerves. It can lay dormant until the immune system is compromised by stress or contaminants.
After more than three decades of research, scientists have proven that the cancer affecting up to one in four adult California sea lions that received a necropsy at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, is caused by a sexually transmitted herpesvirus. The cancer, known as sea lion urogenital carcinoma, has clear parallels to cervical cancer in humans and provides a helpful model for human cancer study. Dr. Deming was the lead author of this study while she was a research fellow at that marine mammal center.
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These four California sea lion pups (“Cactus,” “Meadow,” “Colcha” and “Trifecta”) are all suffering from malnutrition, pneumonia and one had two fish hooks embedded in her flipper on presentation. They are still in critical condition, being tube fed and on various medications to treat their pneumonia and wounds associated with the embedded fish hooks.
“One of the reasons I got a PhD was to pay homage to these animals,” Deming said. “We’ve done so much to the environment to cause this cancer, we need to do something to understand how the process works.”
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OC Supervisor focuses on homelessness, fire mitigation, traffic as top issues facing district
By SARA HALL
Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley emphasized homelessness, fire mitigation, and traffic as key issues facing Laguna Beach and much of the South County in her newly redrawn district during a community forum this week.
Foley was the featured speaker on Wednesday (May 18) at the monthly community meeting for Laguna Forward, a recently formed local political action committee. The meetings are open to the public and held via Zoom.
Foley represents Laguna Beach in the fifth district under the newly redrawn maps. The new map (identified as 5A-1) keeps Laguna in district five with Dana Point, San Clemente and Laguna Niguel, but separates it from Rancho Santa Margarita, Mission Viejo and Lake Forest. It also brings in Newport Beach, Costa Mesa and a portion of Irvine. She’s up for re-election in the new district this year.
It’s a very diverse district, she noted, but there are some common issues throughout the region, like homelessness and housing. She’s been quickly getting up to speed on a range of issues by simply getting out in the community and talking to people, Foley said.
“It’s a very different district,” Foley said. “We’re busy getting to know everyone.”
Foley won a March 2021 special election after former supervisor Michelle Steel was elected to California’s 48th Congressional District.
“When I was elected last year, I got right to work,” she said. “And I knew…exactly where the gaps were in service between the county and the community.”
She organized a meeting with the mayors and other elected officials to hear what was needed in each city. She hosted a similar meeting when the district was redrawn.
When meeting with local officials in the new district, including Laguna Beach Mayor Sue Kempf, Foley noted that all of the mayors at the meeting collectively agreed that the county isn’t providing enough direct funding to tackle the homelessness issue, causing the cities to dip into their general funds.
“I don’t think that’s acceptable,” she said, noting that funding comes down from the state to the county and it’s meant for the cities. “We’ve got to change the way the culture of the county works in that regard.”
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Courtesy of Laguna Forward/Katrina Foley
Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley
As mayor of Costa Mesa, she spearheaded the first homeless shelter in the city in 2021 in collaboration with Newport Beach officials.
When she was elected a supervisor, she researched what the county was spending on the issue. Learning that OC spends $1.6 billion annually on homelessness, mental health and addiction treatment.
“It’s all about, ‘How is the money being spent?’ and I do think we should re-prioritize that spending,” Foley said.
Looking ahead, she wants to work on humanely clearing encampments and focusing on changing how they address the chronically homeless. The root issues for some of the chronically homeless are serious drug addictions and some are unstable, she noted, so services need to be in place to treat, house and get them off the street.
She’s also working with several cities to convert tired, old motels into supportive housing, particularly for veterans. It’s a good model and it’s working, Foley added.
Answering a question about the recently released Orange County 2022 Point in Time Count of the Homeless report, Foley noted that there was an overall reduction in the county. Although it’s only a “snapshot” over a period of three days, it’s still a good sign, she added.
“It’s positive news, but there’s still a lot more work to do,” Foley said. “What the Point in Time Count did reveal – and it’s something that we had already known because of our own studies in our own office in our own district – is that we’re not taking care of the most chronically homeless. And that’s who everyone sees, right? That’s what everyone is concerned about. And so we’re not doing a good job there. We have to really focus our efforts there more.”
In this year’s report, 2,408 persons were listed as experiencing chronic homelessness, while in 2019 there were 2,501.
She also believes the county needs to do a better job at housing veterans, added Foley, whose brother is a veteran on medical disability. The 2022 Point in Time Count reported 280 veterans versus 311 in 2019.
“I’m passionate about helping veterans,” she said. “I understand the challenges that some of our veterans who are homeless have. It’s a unique group and we need to really do better to help them.”
The Point in Time Count is conducted every two years. The 2022 count happened in late February. Orange County as a whole saw a 16.65% reduction in the total number of people experiencing homelessness since 2019. The 2022 Point in Time report noted 5,718 homeless individuals, while the 2019 report counted 6,860.
Locally, in a May 12 press release from the city, City Manager Shohreh Dupuis noted the significant reduction in homeless individuals living within the city since 2019.
The report shows the number of unsheltered homeless individuals living in Laguna Beach has dropped by 60% from 2019 to 2022 (71 to 28 persons). The 2022 report also noted 55 sheltered homeless individuals in Laguna, compared to 76 in 2019.
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Photo by Cyrus Polk
The Laguna Niguel Coastal Fire last week
Fire mitigation is a huge issue in the South County area, which is prone to fire hazards, Foley noted on Wednesday. The issue was particularly noteworthy following the recent Laguna Niguel fire that burned 200 acres and destroyed 20 homes. The incident comes just three months after the Emerald Fire in Laguna Beach burned approximately 154 acres.
Foley read through the city’s wildfire mitigation and safety plans, and considered how the county can help.
“There’s a lot of great work already done,” Foley said. “What is missing at the county level is help to get the funding to implement that.”
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In Memoriam
Fred Talarico
October 31, 1946 – May 5, 2022
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Courtesy of the Talarico Family
Fred Talarico was born on Halloween 1946 in Chicago, Illinois to loving parents Mary and Joseph Talarico. After the untimely passing of his father, the Talarico family left Chicago in 1956 and moved to Alhambra, California to be near relatives. Fred graduated from Alhambra High School and California State University, Los Angeles, where he served as president of Phi Sigma Kappa. He then attended the University of Southern California for graduate work before being drafted into the Army.
Fred met his lovely wife, Pamela Talarico, at registration day for Cal State L.A. in 1966. They married in 1969 just before he served in Vietnam. If asked about his time in Vietnam, he would only tell you the surf looked great and that he played a lot of basketball.
After his safe return from Vietnam and a summer of VW camping with Pam and friends in Europe, Fred began working for the Orange County Planning Department. There he helped update the County’s General Plan to incorporate a Housing Element which in turn established much of the land uses and housing seen today in Orange County. Later, he joined the City of Newport Beach as a Principal Planner where he became known as a preeminent California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and California Coastal Act specialist; both new laws enacted in the 1970s set the course for much of California’s development to this day. For the remainder of his career, he was in the private sector, first as principal/owner of Sanchez Talarico & Associates (STA) and later as principal/owner of Vista Community Planners (with a brief stint at EDAW – now AECOM between the two). Fred had involvement in many small and large projects around the state and the stories to go with them.
Pam and Fred moved to Bluebird Canyon in Laguna Beach in 1972, where they raised three children, (Nikki, Jakki and Aaron) all of which grew up in Laguna attending public schools. He was a very active parent – coaching, refereeing, and driving everyone around. If he wasn’t taking Nikki to music and dance or Jakki to gymnastics, you’d find him with Aaron at tennis, soccer or Little League at Riddle Field. Fred always had time for his kids, whether it was talking with them on the phone every day or taking them to breakfast, lunch or a mid-afternoon coffee break. He especially loved bringing his family skiing which he and Pam took up later in life. As the grandkids started skiing, his advice was “If you get them on the first lift with their boots and skis and both gloves on, you’ve won the day.”
Fred loved the ocean, skiing, and traveling. Even though Aaron and his wife Catherine attended Notre Dame, Fred’s favorite team was his beloved Trojans. You’d often see him around town with a ND hat and a SC shirt. It was always a good conversation starter. He loved walking the beaches in Laguna, either by himself or with one of his close friends. Shortly after Pam’s retirement from teaching they bought a house in Princeville, Kauai which they visited regularly. They always kept the house open for friends and family to use as Fred always did things to keep his family and good friends close.
Fred could be seen many a morning in Laguna getting coffee at one of the city’s rotation of breakfast spots (Zinc, Heidelberg, Orange Inn and the Penguin Cafe being some of his favorites). Usually, you could find him at one of these locations with a grandkid or two or three, having the best time.
Fred’s greatest love was for his wife of 52 years, Pam. He would tell his kids that if he had never met their Mom he’d probably still be hanging out at his fraternity at Cal State L.A. He loved traveling with Pam, going to movies and dinner with her, Broadway shows, art museums, and even shopping. He had a deep respect for her as a mother and as a teacher and he trusted her to make decisions for their children and the family. Most of all, he simply loved being around her and supporting her in everything she did.
Fred is survived by his wife of 52 years, Pam, daughters Nikki Talarico and Jakki (Greg) Tonkovich, son Aaron (Catherine) Talarico, and his five grandchildren Colten and Taitlyn Tonkovich and Caroline, Claire, and Andrew Talarico. He is also survived by his sister Evelyn (John) Bondi and numerous in-laws, nieces and nephews that he loved.
A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, June 18, 2022, at the Neighborhood Congregational Church in Laguna Beach. A link can be viewed at www.mccormickandson.com where you can leave comments for the family.
Cultural Arts Center celebrates weekend of music with Saturday’s ukulele workshop and concert followed by some toe-tapping bluegrass on Sunday
By THERESA KEEGAN
This story is a part of our Arts section. Visit www.stunewslaguna.com/arts for more arts stories as well as our arts calendars.
When acclaimed musician Andrew Molina arrives in Laguna Beach to present a ukulele workshop and concert this weekend, he’ll encounter something he doesn’t find in his native Hawaii – a deep passion and excitement for the four-stringed instrument.
“Ukulele clubs are everywhere, but not here in Hawaii,” he said, appreciating the irony that an instrument so affiliated with this island paradise has gone mainstream worldwide. “The community has just risen everywhere – there are ‘uke’ clubs all over the world and they meet and all play music together.”
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Photo by Jay Molina
Andrew Molina, known world-wide for his impressive ukulele playing and teaching, will offer a workshop and a concert on Saturday, May 21 at the Laguna Beach Cultural Arts Center
That soaring popularity is why Molina has created a two-prong touring approach, combining a workshop, as well as a concert, when he’s on the road. That’s the program he’ll be bringing to the Laguna Beach Cultural Arts Center this Saturday.
“It’s really cool to see the ukulele being appreciated,” he said. “It’s a very serious instrument and it’s finally getting noticed for what it is.”
Worldwide popularity expands musical repertoire
And with that global appreciation comes an expanded approach to the music played on this very portable instrument. Gone are the days of strumming Don Ho’s “Tiny Bubbles.” Today’s uke players embrace multiple music genres, even tackling such classics as Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and Aerosmith’s “Dream On,” as well as classic Irish tunes.
“People are playing anything on the ukulele – jazz, pop rock, really iconic songs,” he said. “It’s not limited to Hawaiian anymore.” In fact Molina’s three albums, which explore the boundaries of the instrument, have all been nominated for “Ukulele Album of the Year” in a prestigious awards program in Hawaii.
And, the fanaticism for this stringed instrument, which was originally brought to Hawaii in the 1800s by the Portuguese, just continues to grow throughout the world. (The word ukulele translates into jumping flea, as the Hawaiians thought that’s what the musicians’ fingers resembled as they played the instrument.) The pandemic saw a huge surge in ukulele sales, but Molina says the trend has been growing since 2010. He’s traveled and played throughout the world and is thrilled at the different approaches he’s seen toward people playing the ukulele. Some just casually strum along, others focus on intense finger playing and in Ireland, he was amazed that it was the instrument of choice in a long night of music.
“These people play for hours – they played from eight at night until three in the morning.” Molina credits the worldwide enthusiasm and interpretations to the ukulele itself.
“It’s such an inviting instrument – it’s not intimidating and that happy sound, that island music sound, is why it’s so popular.”
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Photo by Jay Molina
Andrew Molina’s ukulele playing complements his father, Jay Molina’s bass playing. The two have been known to expand the boundaries of traditional ukulele playing.
An instrument of the community
In Hawaii, where Molina grew up, the ukulele is so prevalent that it’s found in everyone’s homes and is taught as an elective at school. In fact, it was only after signing up for the school class that Molina, then 13, received his first ukulele. It was from his grandmother’s closet and he’d been coveting it for years. She jokes that if she’d known how far he would advance, she would have given it to him sooner. Once he became proficient on the ukulele, Molina and his father Jay, who plays bass, expanded their musical repertoire to include classic rock and other musical genres.
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Courtesy of Rick Conkey
The intimate venue of the Laguna Beach Cultural Arts Center will host two very diverse and exciting concerts this weekend with a ukulele player on Saturday and bluegrass music on Sunday
During his workshop at the Cultural Arts Center, Molina anticipates meeting attendees where they are in their musical journey playing the ukulele.
“I connect the dots when it comes to learning,” he said. “It’s hard to capture the attention of all people, but they reach the next level.” Topics he covers includes music theory, strumming and utilizing chord options. And despite the differing levels of musical accomplishments, Molina finds ukulele musicians have their own universal vibe.
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Temporary art exhibits will continue on city hall front lawn
By SARA HALL
The rotating, temporary art exhibition on the front lawn of city hall will continue for another three years following a decision this week, although some commissioners requested that the art be more “challenging.”
The Laguna Beach Planning Commission voted 4-0 (Commissioner Susan Whitin was absent) on Wednesday (May 18) to approve a Temporary Use Permit (TUP) and a Coastal Development Permit to allow temporary art installations on the city hall front lawn for a three-year period.
The commission previously authorized a temporary art program at this location in January 2019, explained Planning Technician Garrett Wank. The recent application is identical to the previously approved program, he noted. Based on the success of the prior TUP, staff is requesting a new term.
Commissioner Steve Kellenberg noted that he’s really enjoyed the exhibits in the past. He was excited when the program started and a bit surprised it took so long for an idea like this to get going.
“We are an art community and any way we can manifest art in any dimension in the community, ongoingly, just reinforces the fundamental heart and soul of the community,” Kellenberg said.
“It’s a great program,” agreed Commission Chair Pro Tem Jorg Dubin. “To be able to have some rotating different types of artwork in front of city hall and also in Heisler Park, is an interesting thing.”
It allows the exhibit to “stretch out” since they aren’t permanent installations and allow a broader range of subject matter, materials and style to be displayed, even if it’s controversial, he noted.
“I would like to see, personally, some more challenging work being put out there instead of things that are, by and large, kind of decorative. They’re beautiful and interesting, but, I think, because it’s temporary we should be able to open the door to work that is a little more challenging to the public,” Dubin said. “Since we are an art community, we should be able to handle that.”
Cultural Arts Manager Siân Poeschl commented that some pieces have been challenging to the community. She noted that they received national press coverage for one installation and some people even dressed up as the art for Halloween. While not specifically naming the artwork, the most controversial and engaging exhibit was “The Caretakers” by artist Mark Jenkins and collaborator Sandra Fernandez. The installation displayed human figures in hoodies performing a variety of tasks on the lawn of city hall during a few months of fall 2019.
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Photo by Mary Hurlbut
The controversial “The Caretakers” installation by artist Mark Jenkins and collaborator Sandra Fernandez on the lawn at city hall in fall 2019
“The temporary art installation program would reinforce the city’s image as a destination for the arts and enliven the area, which is otherwise defined by its cluster of civic buildings and other public-serving facilities,” the staff report reads.
The approximately 480-square-foot grass lawn would accommodate a variety of temporary installations ranging from one week to six months in duration, with a majority being for a three-month period, Wank said.
Each individual piece would be reviewed and approved by the City Council or the Temporary Public Art Review Panel, which consists of individuals representing the arts and planning commissions and several city departments.
The lawn would be restored to its preexisting condition as necessary at the conclusion of each installation, Wank confirmed.
It’s been a good location for public sculptures, Poeschl noted.
“The Arts Commission, through its budget of the Laguna Beach Tourism Marketing District, as well as private donations, has funded and facilitated seven exhibitions, by both local and internationally respected artists,” she wrote in a memo with the staff report.
So far, all installations have been funded through the Arts Commission budget, Poeschl said at the meeting. They then go to council for authorization of the funds for temporary installation, she said.
The arts budget comes from the Transient Occupancy Tax, Poeschl explained.
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Council plans budget workshop, regular agenda includes Coastal Fire investigation NDA, Bluebird FMZ, wastewater projects
By SARA HALL
Following a budget workshop, next week’s City Council meeting agenda includes several interesting items.
On the consent calendar for the Tuesday (May 24) meeting, council will consider: A non-disclosure agreement between several agencies related to investigating the Laguna Niguel Coastal Fire; items related to the Bluebird Canyon Fuel Modification Zone and wastewater system improvements. Another wastewater project, the North Coast Interceptor Project, is on the agenda during regular business.
The meeting will start at 3 p.m. with a budget workshop, at which time the council will hear the proposed budget for fiscal year 2022-23, consider a fee schedule update for the community development, water quality, public works and fire departments and review the community development staffing proposal.
According to the staff report, the budget is balanced and city revenues continue to improve, exceeding pre-COVID levels.
The budget includes the city’s new ambulance program, new community development staff positions, technology projects, renovations for city playgrounds and beach access and funding to continue the Main Beach Management Plan.
The “wish list” includes a request from the Emergency Disaster Preparedness Committee to expand the outdoor warning system.
On the consent calendar, the council will consider entering a non-disclosure agreement related to investigating the Laguna Niguel Coastal Fire between the city of Laguna Beach, Safety and Enforcement Division of the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Orange County Fire Authority and the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety.
“As part of the multi-jurisdiction investigation into the fire, the city has been asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement,” the staff report reads. “The NDA is intended to allow for the confidential sharing of information between the multiple parties related to the investigation of the cause of the fire and quicker resolution of findings.”
If approved, the council will authorize the city manager to execute the NDA and receive confidential information, along with the LB Fire Department chief.
The Coastal Fire started on May 11, burned 200 acres, destroyed 20 homes and damaged 11 more.
The item comes after a group of Laguna Niguel residents filed a lawsuit against Southern California Edison, claiming the Coastal Fire was sparked by the company’s faulty equipment. SCE officials have noted that there was “circuit activity” near the area when the blaze started.
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File photo
A team of experienced hand crews also works in fuel modification zones to clear brush by hand
Also on the consent calendar, council will consider several items related to the Bluebird Canyon Fuel Modification Zone project.
The item includes: A service provider agreement with Nature’s Image for fuel modification hand crew services in the amount not-to-exceed $3.2 million for a three-year term; authorize the city manager to approve project-related expenses for unforeseen circumstances for an amount not-to-exceed $488,000; appropriate approximately $1.46 million for phase II of the Bluebird Canyon FMZ, with an increase in grant revenue of $1.094 million and authorize the use of $365,000 from the Wildfire Mitigation fund balance to meet the local 25% project matching requirement for phase II of the project.
Historically, the city has retained Nature’s Image to provide hand crew vegetation management services, according to the staff report. After conducting an informal bid process and receiving five responses, city staff interviewed the top candidates and determined that Nature’s Image was the most qualified related to experience in fuel modification, environmental permit conditioned programs and had technical experience with hand crews.
The city has received several state and federal grants to offset program costs for several city FMZs.
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From a start behind the scenes at Pageant of the Masters, accomplished artist debuts this summer at Festival of Arts
By THERESA KEEGAN
This story is a part of our Arts section. Visit www.stunewslaguna.com/arts for more arts stories as well as our arts calendars.
It’s only fitting that Leslee Turnbull will be a featured artist at this summer’s Festival of Arts. After all, she had been a behind-the-scenes artist for the Pageant of the Masters since early in her career.
“It’s going to be great to reconnect ” she said. “I‘ve been away for so many years and now I’m back in Laguna. I’m so excited.”
In the 1980s, just starting out as an artist, Turnbull landed a job painting the huge backdrops of recreated classics for the live art scenes. “The Pageant was the best training ground because I had to study the masters,” she said. “Every brush stroke I had to study – and recreate.”
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Courtesy of Festival of Arts
Artist Leslee Turnbull’s nocturne series will be part of her exhibition at this summer’s Festival of Arts. Here she depicts a street scene of New Orleans at night.
Turnbull learned not only how to paint the scenes, but also to look at them critically from a distance, from an audience member’s perspective. “I learned to leave out what’s not important,” she recalled. But after 14 years with the Pageant, she decided to move on.
Arriving in the Bay Area, she painted murals for the Santa Rosa flower shows and harvest fairs before becoming involved with the film industry.
“I became a union member and worked on Scream, Treasure Island and other work in theater and films.” Her skill adorned the sets of the Academy Awards three years running. Yet as a single parent, the randomness of gig work was unsettling.
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Courtesy of Festival of Arts
Leslee Turnbull’s early art career included painting the backdrop scenes for the Pageant of the Masters. This summer she is one of 16 new artists exhibiting at the Festival of Arts.
When Turnbull heard The Walt Disney Company was hiring, she applied for a painting job in the scenery shop. Two years later she got a call back and was hired as a senior production designer in the Imaginarium Department. More than two decades later, she’s still at it. As an Imagineer, her duties include making sure that any changes, and everything within the park, hold true to Walt Disney’s original intent.
“As an Imagineer, you have to do a lot of research,” said Turnbull. “I really, really enjoy researching the ideas and the visuals.” The theme park’s perks are also nice. When she first started and was told she needed to get out and ride the rides more often, Turnbull couldn’t quite believe she was actually at work.
“I’ve just been really, really lucky. Every job I’ve had has been related, in some way, to art,” she said before admitting her passion for the profession may have also shaped her career. “Actually I’ve also been stubborn in insisting that’s the way it’s going to be.”
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Courtesy of Festival of Arts
Turnbull loves the moodiness of night scenes. Her St. Charles Avenue Nocturne emphasizes the power of the moonlight and the darkness to create a complete scene.
In addition to her work as an Imagineer, Turnbull paints for Disney, creating popular pieces for members of Disney’s exclusive 33 Club. She takes iconic Disney scenes and adds “a dash of different” to them.
Her scene of the Haunted Mansion reflects a time before the mansion was haunted and shows the familiar ghosts in a prior life, very much alive. She’s also done murals for Disney, including a bayou scene and a New Orleans street scene.
While Turnbull’s excited about her work for the Pageant, it has nothing to do with Disney. However, she knows her experiences there influence her work, especially her current nocturne series in acrylics, which are evening scenes from a time gone by.
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Courtesy of Festival of Arts
Paintings of California’s missions as they appeared centuries ago are inspired by images Turnbull discovered in various archives throughout the state
Turnbull acknowledges extensive research is critical to the success of her current paintings. She has pored through numerous archives, seeking images of California’s missions and how they appeared over 150 years ago. An image from the 1900 Air Show in Paris inspired a new art work that offers a unique perspective from the Eiffel Tower looking down. There are also street scenes and the Hotel Monteleone from New Orleans.
“I think it’s the mysteriousness and moodiness of it that I like,” she said of the night scenes. “And I do like the architecture a lot – it’s not people-centered at all.”
And at this point in her career, Turnbull only paints what inspires her.
“I don’t even think about ‘Will this sell?’,” she said. “I have no idea what people are going to like, but I need to really like what I’m doing.” She no longer does commission work and some of her concepts are years in the making.
“I have to sort of gestate an idea for quite a while. I do a lot of composing and painting in my head. A lot of artists sketch and sketch. I need to mull it over,” she said.
“Sometimes it’ll be years. I put an image away to have a photo reference and then much later I bring it out and say, ‘That’s a great idea!’”
And only then will she begin to paint.
“At this time of my life, it’s like a new phase, and it’s just been energizing,” she said of her career. “It has kind of been this meandering path, but it’s all for a reason … (and) I’m enjoying the ride.”
Turnbull is one of 16 first-time exhibitors at the Festival of Arts this summer. Their work can be seen through June 23 at the Fresh Faces exhibit at foaSOUTH, the FOA’s off-site gallery, at 1006 South Coast Highway.
For more information, visit www.foapom.com.
This story is a part of our Arts section. Visit www.stunewslaguna.com/arts for more arts stories as well as our arts calendars.
Laguna Board of REALTORS® host Senator Dave Min
On Friday, May 13, the Laguna Board of REALTORS® (LBOR) held their 98th Annual Membership Meeting. Each year, the REALTOR® members and their Affiliates get an update from the board of directors. Traditionally, there is a keynote speaker from outside their ranks who shares some insight that is relevant to the mission of assisting with real estate transactions and advocating for property ownership.
This year’s speaker was Dave Min elected in 2020 to represent Orange County’s 37th State Senate District, which includes the cities of Anaheim Hills, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Newport Beach, Orange, Tustin and Villa Park. LBOR was thrilled and honored to have Senator Min address the members at the Neighborhood Congregational Church.
Senator Min is the son of Korean immigrants who grew up during the Korean War, at a time when food was scarce and the economy was struggling. Thanks to the generosity of American GIs, his parents came to appreciate the unique flavor and texture of Spam as well as the values that America has always stood for. They came to the United States in 1971, got married and had two sons. Their story is the American Dream, and it’s a story that has been shared by millions of other new Americans over the past several centuries.
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Photo by Matt Kern
Courtesy of Laguna Board of REALTORS®
Laguna Board of REALTORS® President Laura Baptista and Senator Dave Min
Because of the values Min inherited from his parents, including a passionate love of this country and what it has always represented, he has spent his career in public service, working to improve the economic opportunities available to working families. After graduating from Wharton and Harvard Law School, he began his career at the Securities and Exchange Commission, turning down higher paying jobs to try to hold Wall Street accountable in the aftermath of the Enron and WorldCom accounting scandals. He went on to work for U.S. Senator Charles Schumer as a senior economic policy adviser and then the Center for American Progress as an economic policy director before coming back home to California to teach at UCI.
During his time in Washington, DC, he helped to develop solutions to the subprime mortgage crisis, including several of the leading mortgage modification programs, and oversaw the development of the leading proposal on how to transition the mortgage financing companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into a sustainable, equitable mortgage finance system of the future.
With the audience hanging on every word the senator spoke about his accomplishments and agenda in the nation’s capital, he aggressively addressed many of the greatest challenges of our age, such as: climate change, offshore drilling, concern for future transit and accessible water while adding additional housing. Min also discussed the state’s plan for the $96 billion surplus to provide relief as a gas tax rebate, funds for wildfire prevention technology and additional hand crews in the canyon, to name a few. In closing, he stated his passion is to be a leading voice against Asian hate crimes.
For more information on the Laguna Board of REALTORS®, visit www.lagunarealtors.org.
Community ribbon cutting celebrates InFlow Card
On Wednesday, May 11, the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce officially welcomed InFlow Card to its family with a ribbon cutting at its offices in Laguna Beach. The same evening, as fire burned acres of trees, business leaders gathered to celebrate a card that worked to preserve our wildlife.
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Photos by Evelina Pentcheva
(L-R) Dawn Kamber, InFlow Card Founder Shad East, LBCC Board Chairman J.J. Ballesteros, LBCC Board Treasurer Doug Vogel and Chamber Ambassador Jennifer Halbert
Guests who visited that evening, enjoyed both the courtyard and office deck overlooking Woods Cove. Social Artist CEO Shad East was awarded certificates from Laguna Beach Chamber Interim President/CEO Paula Hornbuckle-Arnold and Dawn Kamber before sharing a few words about building more community and connectivity in Laguna Beach.
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(L-R) LBCC Events and Marketing Manager Erin Slattery, LBCC Interim President/CEO Paula Hornbuckle-Arnold and Shad East
East, with Co-CEO Mario Contreras, created the InFlow Card to address environmental stewardship as well as a seamless user interface experience. As philanthropy matters to the team, for every card purchased, the company plants a tree on a nature trail at https://pausetogether.org/. The card, when waved by an NFC-capable phone, instantly uploads a full profile. In a matter of seconds, the table is set to connect on multiple handles. With space to add all social accounts, contact information and business profiles with easy updates, InFlow keeps one’s contact current regardless of job or name changes.
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(L-R) Shad East and Joe Hanauer
As an entrepreneur, East found himself meeting hundreds of colleagues, yet lacking the bandwidth to follow up. “With this technology, I can cultivate deeper relationships to maximize opportunities during this post-pandemic growth phase. I imagine a brighter future with more human connection, mental wellness and screen time reduction,” East said.
The InFlow Card promotes efficiency for all involved. To learn more, visit https://inflowcard.com.
Pageant of the Masters commissions Laguna Beach artist to paint travel poster
The Pageant of the Masters is busily preparing for this summer’s production of Wonderful World, a theatrical love letter to the joys of travel and the wondrous art to be found in every corner of the globe. The production’s combination of live music, narration and artworks magically transformed into “living pictures” (tableaux vivants) promises to visit 17 countries in search of artistic inspiration during its 90-minute performances presented every night, July 7-September 2 in the Irvine Bowl at Festival of Arts.
As part of Pageant Director Diane Challis Davy’s ambitious vision of a global community brought together through art, she has also made it clear that there’s room for some nostalgic fun in the process. The Pageant will open with a series of travel posters from that distant time: the 20th century. And to include a local angle, Challis Davy invited Laguna Beach artist and longtime Festival of Arts exhibitor Mike Tauber to create an acrylic painting to be transformed into a “living picture.”
Challis Davy described her idea. “I was assembling a group of charming vintage travel posters of the French Riviera and other seaside resorts. But it felt incomplete without a nod to our own iconic coastline, hotel and boardwalk here in Laguna. Our recreation of Mike’s painting, Laguna Beach, will be part of our artistic trip around the world. Not surprisingly, the show will end back here in Laguna Beach for the Pageant’s traditional tableaux of Leonardo’s The Last Supper.”
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Courtesy of Festival of Arts
Artist Mike Tauber and Pageant Director Diane Challis Davy with Tauber’s original painting, “Laguna Beach”
An award-winning 24-year Festival of Arts exhibitor whose mediums are acrylic painting and ceramic tile, Tauber is very familiar with the Pageant of the Masters. He admits to being “surprised and incredibly honored” to undertake Challis Davy’s commission. Tauber worked with the Pageant team, employing props, a volunteer model and staged photos taken on location as inspiration for his completed acrylic painting titled simply, Laguna Beach.
In it, a young woman, like countless plein air painters before her, sits at an easel overlooking Laguna’s pristine coastline and paints what she sees. Tauber’s canvas takes its cues from countless promotional travel posters from the mid-20th century. But it also teases with its gentle nostalgia and echoes of local history, especially when it becomes a Pageant “living picture,” with its own original music and narrative. Tauber concluded, “I’ve always admired the Pageant’s team of professional designers and artists. I’m thrilled that they invited me and I hope, truly hope, they like what I created.”
Tauber’s painting will join the dozens of other artworks transformed into theatrical illusions during the 2022 Pageant of the Masters as it travels the globe in search of artworks revealing cultural traditions of other countries. With Director Diane Challis Davy in charge, there’s every reason to believe Wonderful World will once again create its own magical spell. Challis Davy offered a final thought. “Art in every culture expresses our common humanity. I hope our audiences will see universal traits that unite us.
Wonderful World runs July 7-September 2. A Pageant ticket is also a season pass to the 90th Annual Festival of Arts Fine Art Show (July 5-September 2). Follow the Pageant and Festival on social media at @FestivalPageant and visit www.foapom.com. When at the Festival of Arts Fine Art Show this summer, stop by booth #87 to visit with artist Mike Tauber and see his artwork.
French Buckets honored as Local Business Spotlight for May
French Buckets has been honored by Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris as the Local Business Spotlight for May. It is a woman-owned, family operated florist shop in the heart of Laguna Beach, where locals always stop by to purchase some beautiful arrangements, and artisan goods.
Courtesy of the Office of Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris
(L-R) Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris with French Buckets owner Sussanna Davidson
“I was very excited to recognize French Buckets for our Small Business Spotlight this month. This woman-owned and operated florist in Laguna Beach truly captures the beauty of our community in their amazing floral arrangements and artisan goods,” said Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris.
Sussanna Davidson, owner of French Buckets, and her family have expressed how much they love people and enjoy being a part of all aspects of celebrations. They work with all people and around every budget to ensure that the occasion is made very special.
Visit French Buckets at 1492 S. Coast Highway Laguna Beach, or on their website at www.frenchbuckets.net.
Village Laguna monthly meeting to feature OC Supervisor Foley
This month’s Village Laguna general meeting will be Monday, May 23 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Their guest speaker is Katrina Foley. She was elected supervisor for the Second District last year. She is running in the Fifth District (Laguna Beach’s) in June, where she would replace Lisa Bartlett, who is running for Congress.
Before becoming a supervisor, Foley served for 12 years on the Costa Mesa City Council and was its first directly elected mayor. Village Laguna looks forward to hearing her concerns about the county and sharing theirs.
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Courtesy of O.C. Supervisor Katrina Foley
OC Supervisor Katrina Foley
Village Laguna was founded in 1971. It is a non-profit mutual-benefit community organization. More than 50 years ago, concerned citizens opposed the construction of high-rise buildings along the Laguna Beach coastline and later helped create Main Beach Park, the city’s “Window to the Sea.”
Village Laguna’s mission statement is to preserve, enhance, and celebrate the unique village character and cultural heritage of Laguna Beach; to foster community spirit and address social needs; and to work toward restoring and protecting our ocean and coastal habitats.
For more information about Village Laguna, visit www.villagelaguna.org.
All are welcome. To request the Zoom link, email Village Laguna at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Kids take over Laguna Art Museum during “Outside the Lines Summer Day Camps” and “Kids’ Night Out”
The school year is quickly coming to an end, which means it’s the perfect time for kids to explore the world around them, filling their days with unique experiences that expand their imagination. This summer, Laguna Art Museum (LAM) will provide opportunities for kids to unleash their creativity during “Outside the Lines Summer Day Camps” and “Kids’ Night Out” programming, where kids can get messy and cut loose.
“We believe that art is for all ages and that kids can enjoy the museum just as much as adults,” said Julie Perlin Lee, executive director of Laguna Art Museum. “The Outside the Lines Summer Day Camps and Kids’ Night Out programs are the next step in educating kids about the importance of art and exploring their creative side.”
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Courtesy of Laguna Art Museum
“Outside the Lines Summer Day Camps” take place in July for two age groups
Outside the Lines Summer Day Camps will offer four sessions starting in July for ages 6-9 and 10-12. These single-day summer camps transform the museum into a space for creative expression and exploration – no matter how messy it gets.
Parents can take the night off during Kids’ Night Out on August 19 and 26, when kids take over the museum for a special, fun-filled night of art-making and learning about the museum’s permanent collection. LAM’s education team will provide young learners with dinner, art-related activities and opportunities to explore exhibitions.
Schedule of Events:
–Outside the Lines Summer Day Camp: Gallery Groovin’ on Wednesday, July 13 from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Geared for ages 6-9.
–Outside the Lines Summer Day Camp: People, Portraits, Personalities on Wednesday, July 20 from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Geared to ages 10-12.
Laguna Beach Art Museum is located at 307 Cliff Drive, Laguna Beach.
For more information, visit www.lagunaartmuseum.org.
The Plant Man: the push reel lawn mower
By Steve Kawaratani
“Somewhere, a long way away, people are doing sensible things like mowing lawns and digging gardens.”
–Michael Palin
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Courtesy of Steve Kawaratani
Steve Kawaratani
By summer of 1973 I had completed my college courses and I was resigned to working in the family business, mainly to a lack of other job opportunities. Although I never left until the nursery shuttered nearly 30 years later, assembling lawn mowers for my father, Pete, didn’t seem remotely related to my recently acquired liberal arts education. I couldn’t have been more mistaken.
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Photo by Catharine Cooper
Dogs just want to have fun…on the lawn
Lawns reigned green during the early ‘70s in Laguna and beyond, as household water consumption was not yet a major concern in Southern California. Employing a gardener was a luxury, not a requisite as today, so a family (usually the less cerebral of the siblings like me) would mow their own lawn. In the era before big box retailers, our family nursery sold a sizable number of push-reel lawn mowers.
O.M. Scott and Sons, the venerable lawn and garden care company, shipped them to us. And we sold them, my minimum wage salary compensating for my relatively slow and less than enthusiastic production output. I am fairly certain that Baby Boomers like myself were partially a precursor for many American businesses outsourcing manufacturing and assembly overseas.
Over the ensuing decades, grass slowly evolved into less water consumptive landscapes due to concern with drought and climate change. For those who still dreamt of a green lawn, push mowers gave way to self-propelled lawn machines and then riding lawn mowers; and the grass shear became the weed eater and everyone hired a gardener so there would be more time to watch television.
And without tasks like mowing a lawn, our caloric expenditure declined and many of us became sedentary and gained weight (after the Black Death pandemic, many Renaissance paintings depicted naked fat people lying on couches). I’ve learned that history oft times repeats itself.
A 170-lb. individual can burn 224 calories by using a push reel mower versus 184 calories in 30 minutes by pushing a power lawn mower; or add 530 calories by consuming popcorn and watching a Netflix miniseries. (By the way, I strongly recommend The Lincoln Lawyer, which Catharine and I completed over the course of two late evenings).
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Courtesy of Steve Kawaratani
Scotts 14-inch push reel lawn mower
I needed to mow the lawn recently, as the gardener wasn’t able to do so; I vaguely recalled that I had bought a mower over a decade ago. Searching my mom’s garage, I re-encountered the familiar green and white logo of Scotts, on a 14-inch push reel lawn mower. Some minor maintenance was required, however, and 30 minutes later I had come full circle with a freshly mown lawn. Distant memories flooded back, my lifelong gratitude for the opportunity to work in a family business, learning to use a screwdriver and wrench and a renewed green consciousness. See you next time.
Steve Kawaratani has been a local guy for seven decades and likes to garden and drive the Baja Peninsula with Catharine and Loki. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 949.494.5141.
Letters to the Editor
Less opinion would make Stu News better
I am a local Laguna resident. I always have enjoyed reading Stu News…for years! I find that recently I am not enjoying it as much and I feel it is because Tom Johnson gives his ‘opinion’ too often…his reporting has changed the feeling, tone of our community paper. This just doesn’t seem to be the right thing to be doing here. I feel uncomfortable with it. Maybe try less of it and just release the facts and activities that we are used to reading about.
Pamela Broadman
Laguna Beach
Dennis’ Tidbits
By DENNIS McTIGHE
More on hurricanes
On Wednesday, down in the Eastern Pacific tropics, there’s a very large area of low pressure over and off the coast of Central America. Possible development of a tropical system down there is days away. However, right
now it’s not about the wind, rather the flooding rains over a wide expanse, thus ushering in their 2022 rainy season. There is around a one in three average that a tropical system forms in the month of May.
Turning our attention to the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts, the nominal hurricane season begins on June 1 and runs until November 30. Early in this season, the western Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico are the principal areas of origin. In July and August, the spawning center begins to shift eastward and by early September, a few storms are born as far east as the Cape Verde Islands off Africa’s west coast. Once again, after around mid-September, most storms begin back in the western Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico where by now, water temps are as high as 90 degrees in some areas. That’s plenty of fuel for some intense storm formation, especially when upper level shear wind has slackened.
In an average year, more than 100 disturbances with hurricane potential are observed in the Atlantic, Gulf and Caribbean. On average only around 12-15 of these reach the tropical storm stage, and only around six to eight mature into hurricanes. An average of three to four become major hurricanes with winds at 111 mph or higher. On the average, two of these hurricanes strike the United States where they are apt to kill 50-100 people from Texas to Maine and cause hundreds of million to billions of dollars in property damage.
Of course, that number varies from year to year. In a worse than average year, these same storms cause several hundred deaths, like the monster that
hit Galveston, Texas in 1900 where 6,000-12,000 lives were lost. A few storms have caused up to $15 billion in damages. For the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the hurricane season means another hazard from the atmosphere at a time when tornadoes, floods and severe storms are also playing seasonal havoc elsewhere on the continent.
From birth, the hurricane lives in an environment that constantly tries to kill it – and ultimately succeeds. The hurricane tends to survive while it is over warm water at 80 degrees or higher, but its movement is controlled by the forces which drive the storm ashore or to colder waters beyond the tropics. Atlantic storms that reach the East Coast of the United States can make it as far north as places like Nova Scotia thanks to the super warm and elongated Gulf Stream.
A few systems have made it all the way as high as 46 degrees North Latitude whereas here in the Pacific, most storms weaken considerably by the time they reach as much as 30 degrees North Latitude as the waters of Southern California are too cold to support such a storm. In these non-nourishing environments, the storm will die. This thrust away from the tropics is the clockwise curve which propels hurricanes into the eastern United States. It also takes Eastern Pacific typhoons across the coastlines of Japan and into the Asian mainland.
Additional information and stats will appear in next Tuesday’s edition of Stu News Laguna.
Until then, have a wonderful weekend and ALOHA!
Heading home
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Photo by Scott Brashier
With no traffic in site
Laguna Beach – A Look Back
By Dr. Gregg DeNicola, Laguna Beach Historical Society
Today we go back to the 19th century to get a good look at the newly built Hotel Laguna in 1888.
Records show Henry Goff opened the Hotel in 1888 at 425 S. Coast Highway – the site of the current Hotel Laguna. The exact timeline from this point is complicated.
Goff was one of four brothers that came to Laguna in 1878 from Connecticut and settled in town. He lived on a small patch near the current Montage site.
He called his new hotel the Alpha Hotel and enjoyed some financial success with the tourists passing through. Goff even moved another building to the site, almost doubling its size. But after only a few years, the travel industry bottomed out, a depression ensued and land values plummeted
The hotel was abandoned and became the home of rabbits, squirrels and the occasional hobo.
There were 14 guest rooms, a dilapidated kitchen and wide verandas allowing many entrances into the hotel, both from the street on the north and the beach on the south.
In 1895, Joseph Yoch bought the property by simply taking over the mortgage – all $600 of it. The Yochs lived in Santa Ana and used the Hotel as their summer home.
In 1897, Yoch moved another Laguna hotel investment of his – the Arch Beach Hotel – up the street and combined it with the Alpha. With the new 30 room hotel, now called the Hotel Laguna, the Yochs dove headfirst into becoming first-class hotel managers, putting the whole family to work.
This “ruined” his wife, who soon became wheelchair bound.
Thanks to the patronage of Riverside tourists, the hotel filled nicely and became the focal point of the young town. It became the center of the “Gay 90’s” in Laguna and boasted Madam Modjeska and James Irvine as regulars.
By the 1920s, Laguna was becoming an art colony and property values were booming. By this time, the hotel had changed hands several times and was in need of many repairs. It was actually condemned, razed and rebuilt into the structure we would now better recognize. The new building debuted in 1930, 42 years after being first built.
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Jim Nordstrom Photo Collection
Courtesy of Laguna Beach Historical Society
Laguna Hotel, 1888
In this 1888 photo, the veranda facing the beach appears to be a popular place to hang out. Fedoras for men, and long fluffy dresses for women seem to be the dress code of the day. Wine or whiskey barrels were stored on the sand, and a handwritten sign informs us there was a grocery and tobacco store on site.
Today we can thank Goff and Yoch for the foresight of this hotel site, which remains – 134 years later – Hotel Laguna.
• • •
Laguna Beach Historical Society is located at 278 Ocean Ave. For more information, call 949.497.6834 or visit www.lagunabeachhistory.org.
Animal art voted “Best in Show” at Gallery Q will win $100 donated by Blue Bell Foundation for Cats
Gallery Q’s latest show, Animals Wild and Not So Wild, will open with a reception on Friday, May 20 between 5 and 6:30 p.m. at the Susi Q and Community Center, 380 Third Street, and run from May 19-July 27. At the reception, the public is invited to enjoy snacks, fabulous art by aspiring and professional artists, and wonderful camaraderie on the patio with fellow animal and art lovers. Wine will also be available.
Excitingly, this free show features a partnership with two cat nonprofits, who combined are creating a cash kitty for fine animal art voted Best in Show, as well as a prize for the runner-up.
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Submitted photo
“The Cat That Ate the Mouse” – one of the paintings of cats that will be on show at Gallery Q’s “Animals Wild and Not So Wild” exhibition
Blue Bell Foundation for Cats, which provides homes for senior cats whose owners are no longer able to care for them, will sponsor the $100 prize for the winning artist, with Catmosphere Laguna Foundation – whose focus is on placing homeless cats with loving owners in partnership with rescue organizations – will cover $50 for the runner-up.
All the paintings, photos and mixed media will be eligible for the prizes. Voting forms will be available throughout the duration of the show.
“We are thrilled to partner with these wonderful, caring organizations,” said Judy Baker, Gallery Q’s art coordinator. “Gallery Q is dedicated to supporting upcoming and established artists in the community and these prizes will accord much-appreciated additional recognition for our exhibitors.”
Art Director Bill Atkins agrees. “We love partnering with fellow nonprofits – we’ve worked with LOCA and the Laguna College of Art + Design in the past – and this is a wonderful new collaboration.”
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Submitted photo
Coco, one of Blue Bell’s happy residents, is pretty as a picture – and mysterious too
Blue Bell’s work in caring for senior cats with love and compassion until the end of their days is well known in Laguna. Less well-known is their support of the arts – in fact, a mural painted by Bill Atkins hangs in the larger of the two cottages where the cats reside and a large sculpture of a cat painted by an LCAD student greets visitors in the lovely garden.
“Art and cats go beautifully together,” said Susan Hamil, chairperson and executive director at Blue Bell. “Both can be mysterious and aesthetically pleasing at the same time. Who hasn’t wondered what a piece of art meant, or what a cat was thinking?”
Catmosphere Laguna Foundation has placed more than 450 cats – imagine that! – in the space of five years, supporting organizations such as Little Lion Foundation and Ark of San Juan, and working with foster families to ensure unwanted cats and kittens ultimately find a loving home.
“We are very happy to support Gallery Q in this way,” said founder Gail Landau, whose love of wearing “cat art” is famous around town, with every outfit a show-stopper. “Catmosphere Laguna Foundation is grateful for any project that brings attention to the need for homes and fosters for our kitties. Plus, we love the people at Susi Q and Gallery Q!”
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Submitted photo
Catmosphere Laguna Foundation loves to see rescued kittens going to loving homes
Landau said that pop-up adoption centers will appear all over town this summer, including another event at Gelson’s Laguna Beach store.
Don’t paws for a minute…head to Gallery Q’s Animals Wild and Not So Wild exhibit. The show will feature not only cats, but every imaginable animal.
For more information, visit www.thesusiq.org/gallery-q. For background on Blue Bell, visit www.bluebellcats.org and www.catmospherelaguna.com for more information about Catmosphere Laguna Foundation.
Gallery Q is located inside the Susi Q and Community Center building at 380 Third Street, Laguna Beach.
Join Kathryn Lang-Slattery and Ron Whitacre for an open studio Champagne reception
Kathryn Lang-Slattery and Ron Whitacre have announced their Annual Art Show and Open House is back again after a two-year hiatus.
Lang-Slattery, born and raised in Laguna Beach and the owner of Pacific Bookworks, is an artist and author. She and her partner in business, sculptor Whitacre will open their South Laguna home to visitors on Saturday, June 4 from 12-5 p.m.
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Submitted photo
Kathryn Lang-Slattery and Ron Whitacre
Come and explore five rooms filled with their art, as well as the heritage garden that offers more sculpture and shady spots to rest. Forty sculptures by Whitacre, as well as paintings and drawings by both Lang-Slattery and Whitacre will be on display. Autographed copies of Lang-Slattery’s five published books: a travel memoir, a World War II novel and an easy-reader children’s trilogy about camping, friendship and determination will also be on sale.
“Join us for an afternoon of art, books and Champagne. Ron and I look forward to meeting you,” Lang-Slattery said.
To obtain the street address, RSVP here.
Laguna Playhouse presents A Chorus Line
Laguna Playhouse is presenting one of the greatest and most celebrated musicals of all time, A Chorus Line, conceived and originally directed & choreographed by Michael Bennett, book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, musical direction by Ricky Pope and directed and choreographed by Luis Villabon.
“We are overjoyed to bring our subscribers and audiences this legendary musical during our historic anniversary year,” said Executive Producing Director Ellen Richard. “We will all be reminded once again of the sacrifice artists make to pursue their craft and that message feels more poignant now than ever before.”
A Chorus Line begins previews on Thursday, May 26 and will open on Sunday, May 29 at 5:30 p.m. with performances through Sunday, June 12.
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Courtesy of Laguna Playhouse
“A Chorus Line” runs May 29 through June 12
A Chorus Line is a celebration of those unsung heroes of the American Musical Theatre: the chorus dancers – those valiant, over dedicated, underpaid, highly trained performers who back up the star or stars and often make them look even more talented than they are. It’s also about competition, and competition might easily be the common denominator that grabs the audience and holds it by the collective heartstring until the final, ultimate choices are made. The show features one powerhouse number after another, “What I Did for Love,” “One,” “I Can Do That,” “At the Ballet,” “The Music and the Mirror” and “I Hope I Get It.”
Tickets range from $55-$95 and can be purchased online at www.lagunaplayhouse.com, or by calling 949.497.ARTS (2787). Group discounts are available by calling 949.497.2787, ext. 229.
The box office is open Mondays through Saturdays, 12-4p.m.; Sundays, it is open two hours prior to showtime until 15 minutes after curtain. It is open until showtime on all performance days.
Laguna Playhouse is located at 606 Laguna Canyon Drive in Laguna Beach.
Laguna Art Museum presents “Artist Panel: 2022 LCAD MFAs”
Laguna Art Museum (LAM) will present “Artist Panel: 2022 LCAD MFAs” on Saturday, May 21 at 6 p.m.
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Courtesy of LAM
LAM’s “Artist Panel: 2022 LCAD MFAs” on May 21
Join seven Master of Fine Art graduates from Laguna College of Art + Design for a panel discussion about their work and their group show Outlook/Insight: The LCAD Effect. Become acquainted with these artists as they complete this milestone in their education and present a selection of their work to the public. Artists include Peter Clarke, LinHui Ding, Mike Lee, Jill Maytorena, Kelley Mogilka, Ray Vargas, and Mason Williams. The panel will be moderated by Peter Zokosky, chair of MFA Drawing/Painting at LCAD.
Advance tickets recommended. Cost: Museum members, $7; Non-members, $14. To purchase tickets, go here.
As we age, the health of hearts and minds are on the line – so Susi Q has advice online to help
Have you ever felt palpitations and wondered if the sensation was normal, perhaps an emotional reaction or simply the heart having “a moment,” or instead worried that you’re experiencing the first signs of a serious problem? Then dismissed the idea of going to the doctor, not wanting to fuss?
Similarly, have you ever felt so depressed or anxious that you felt like staying in bed and not venturing out of your house, not even motivated to make a phone call? But told yourself to buck up, that you needed to “get a life” and stop obsessing about your problems?
In either case, it’s time to learn more about the workings of our hearts and brains, and the way they react to physical as well as psychological stimuli. What is healthy and what is not healthy? That, indeed, is the question.
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Susi Q fan Penny Poorman bikes to keep her heart healthy
Two free online programs offered by the Susi Q will help you sort out ways to combat preconceptions about these two vital organs and learn strategies to keep you healthy and (hopefully) wise, if not necessarily wealthy…They are “Ask The Doc: Put Your Heart First and Mental Health Matters.”
Who knows, they could even save your life or the life of someone close to you.
“We’re thrilled that Kevin Schachter, MD, Hoag Medical Group, will be presenting a talk and Q&A about heart health online through our ‘Susi Q Without Walls’ Zoom outreach,” said Nadia Babayi, executive director of the Susi Q senior and community center in downtown Laguna.
“Accessibility to doctors can often be a challenge, and this program helps by providing immediate, first-hand information to participants, as well answers to common questions.”
The session, “Ask The Doc: Put Your Heart First” will be available on Zoom on Monday, May 23 from 3-4 p.m. Dr. Schachter will discuss ways to keep your cholesterol and blood pressure at healthy levels and describe symptoms that indicate problems – and address participants’ concerns.
With heart disease the leading cause of death for both men and women, your life could depend on signing up for this program.
Click on classes and registration at www.thesusiq.org to receive the Zoom link, or to sign up by phone, call 949.715.8105.
Are those blues or anxieties you’re experiencing these days “normal?” Whether so-called “normal” or excessive, we can all benefit from support when our emotions feel overwhelming. Too often, though, people don’t know where to turn, what programs might be available to them, or how to access that help.
Kay Wenger, MA, LMFT, LPCC, Susi Q’s Behavioral Health Clinical supervisor and Martha Hernandez, director of Care Management, to the rescue. Both are firm believers in the power of counseling to help people get through difficult times and reset their mental compass.
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Photo by Carl Brown
Sandy Weiss, a frequent participant in Susi Q programs, practices yoga for her mental and physical health
Wenger and Hernandez will be presenting a free one-hour Zoom offering, “Mental Health Matters,” during which they will answer questions and provide information on the many support groups that are available at the Susi Q, as well as options for individual counseling.
“Support groups at Susi Q include Women Supporting Women, Men Supporting Men, Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregivers’ Support Group, and Heart to Heart, all of which address emotional issues and provide practical advice,” said Sanger. “Or simply call Susi Q at 949.715.8105 to learn about additional community resources.”
“Mental Health Matters” takes place on Thursday, May 26, from 12-1 p.m.
If you know anyone who could benefit by participating in “Mental Health Matters,” please share this information. With Zoom, it is possible to take part without being visible on the screen, allowing for anonymity for those who prefer this option.
Click on classes and registration at www.thesusiq.org to receive the Zoom link for “Mental Health Matters,” or to sign up by phone by calling 949.715.8105.
The Barefoot Movement at Laguna Live!’s Bluegrass & BBQ
Named “Band of the Year’ by the International Bluegrass Music Association, The Barefoot Movement will be performing at Laguna Live!’s Bluegrass & BBQ on Sunday, June 12 from 4-7 p.m.
Alongside the excellent music, attendees can enjoy BBQ by local favorite Gnarly Q, beer by the Salty Bear Brewing Company and wine from Bianchi Winery in a picturesque setting at Laguna Beach College of Art.
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Courtesy of Laguna Live!
The Barefoot Movement
Tickets in advance are available at www.lagunalive.org. Cost: $100 VIP which includes the concert, BBQ, a reserved table and table service; $40 for the concert and BBQ; and $20 for the concert only. Non-VIP seating is theater style, general admission, chairs provided. Tickets at the door: $50 for the concert & BBQ, $25 for the concert only and $25 for the BBQ (with pre-bought concert). No outside food or beverages are permitted.
Laguna Beach College of Art is located at 2222 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach.
LOCA ocean-themed art classes at PMMC
Come enjoy two ocean-themed LOCA art class on Sundays, May 22 and May 29 from 10-11:30 a.m. taking place at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center (PMMC).
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Courtesy of LOCA
“Squid” oil pastels workshop with LOCA instructor September McGee takes place May 29
Art classes line-up:
–May 22 is “Sea Lion” step-by-step printmaking workshop with Allison Keefe. Register for Sea Lion here.
–May 29 is “Squid” step-by-step oil pastels workshop with September McGee. Register for Squid here.
All supplies are included. Finish art can be taken home. Advance registration is required. Cost: Adults, $20; Children ages 6 and up, $15. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Takes place at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, located at 20612 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. Free on-site parking.
Meet Pet of the Week Toby
Toby is currently taking over Pet of the Week. He is a 4-year-old terrier mix who is neutered. He endured an accident that left him with one eye, and will always need to be on medication. He is a friend to all he meets, and would do great with other dogs and children. Nancy Goodwin, shelter director, is hoping to have Toby adopted as soon as possible.
Courtesy of the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter
Toby is a companion you want to have by your side
The Laguna Beach Animal Shelter adoption procedures are designed to make sure that both the potential family and the animal adopted are in the very best situation possible. Due to their approach to adoption, their return rate is five percent as compared to the national return rate of fifty percent.
The Laguna Beach Animal Shelter is located at 20612 Laguna Canyon Road. Call 949.497.3552, or go to the website for information on adoption procedures, www.puplagunabeach.org/our-pets.php.
Bare Bones explores faith with The Christians
Bare Bones Theatre’s play reading series presents its final play of Spring 2022 with a reading of Lucas Hnath’s provocative play The Christians on Tuesday, May 31 at the Laguna Beach Cultural Arts Center, 235 Forest Ave. in downtown Laguna Beach. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the reading begins at 7:30 p.m.
Pastor Paul has spent 20 years building his church from a modest storefront to a mega-congregation. Just as the church debt is paid off, Pastor Paul shakes the very foundations of his flock with a Sunday sermon challenging a core Christian belief. The Christians explores faith, faithfulness and what happens when we change our minds in a community that wants us to stay the same.
Photos courtesy of Bare Bones Theatre
Brent Schindele plays Pastor Paul in “The Christians”
The Christians stars Brent Schindele as Pastor Paul and his real-life wife Erika Whalen Schindele as on-stage wife, Elizabeth. Rounding out this talented local cast are Ava Burton, David Sasik and Tom Shelton. A talkback with Pastor Rod Echols follows the reading.
Erika Whalen Schindele plays Pastor Paul’s on-stage wife, Elizabeth, who happens to be Brent Schindele’s real-life wife
Bare Bones is a production of ART WOW art without walls, based in Laguna Beach, and curated by Lojo Simon and Ava Burton. ART WOW has presented 35 play readings and several other theatrical and educational events in a variety of local venues since 2015.
To purchase tickets, click here. General admission is $30; VIP is $50.
Laguna Art Museum hosts artist talk with Woods Davy
Laguna Art Museum (LAM) will host an artist talk with Woods Davy on Sunday, May 22 at 10 a.m.
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Courtesy of LAM
Artist Woods Davy
Working with natural stones & rocks, Davy creates artworks that defy gravity and conjure up images of clouds and waves. Join Davy as he discusses the development of his work from the late 1970s to the present.
Advance tickets are recommended. Cost: Museum members, $7; Non-members, $14. Go here to purchase tickets.
SCAPE gallery in Corona del Mar will be open immediately following the LAM event, where Davy’s Las Piedras Del Mar is on view through May 28.
Laguna Art Museum is located at 307 Cliff Drive, Laguna Beach.
Primary Election Information for Laguna Beach
Voting Center Locations
Laguna Beach Community & Susi Q Center, 380 3rd St.
(Opens May 28: May 28-June 3, 8 a.m.-5 p.m./June 4-6, 8 a.m.-8 p.m./June 7, 7 a.m.-8 p.m.
Lang Park, 21540 Wesley Drive
(Opens June 4: June 4-6, 8 a.m.-8 p.m./June 7, 7 a.m.-8 p.m.)
Ballot Drop Box Locations
Available 24/7 beginning May 9 through June 7 (until 8 p.m.)
Laguna Beach Branch Library, 363 Glenneyre St. (Walk-Up only)
Dates to Remember
Monday, May 9 – Vote-by-Mail Ballot Mailing Begins
Monday, May 23 – Last Day to Register to Vote
Saturday, May 28 – Select Vote Centers Open
Saturday, June 4 – All Vote Centers Open
Tuesday, June 7 – Election Day
LOCA Instagram Challenge “Color of the Month”
LOCA invites everyone to engage in seasonal arts challenges on Instagram. Creative types can get inspired by sharing photos and photos of artwork, that follows easy themes.
Courtesy of LOCA
Orange is the May “Color of the Month” Instagram Challenge
The challenge for spring is “Color of the Month” featuring images with a dominant color. The theme for May is “Orange.” All mediums are invited including collage, drawing, printmaking, painting, photography and sculpture.
To participate now, post images featuring orange, to Instagram and be sure to tag @locaarts and use the hashtag #locaartschallenge.
Just offshore
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Photo by Mary Hurlbut
A passing boat just beyond Woods Cove outcroppings
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.
