West Laguna / East Laguna The Battles Begin

Another Entertaining Council Meeting Tonight

This is the stupidist idea yet. The city just doesn't get it. Here's the idea to be considered at tonights council meeting:

EXTRA TIME AT PARKING METERS Proposal to provide a brief grace period at parking meters in order to reduce rancor and complaints

Recommendation: Direct the City Manager to return to the Council with a program to provide a brief grace period at parking meters and parking lot machines. (Pearson)

I don't care how much grace time you give them they will still bitch and moan that they JUST missed it. The same people have been TWO minutes late their entire lives.

Also COX wants to up your rate AGAIN. Every time COX wants more money and they can't get a rate increase they just stop service on a cable channel that costs them and replaces it with another music channel. The channel they dropped they add to one of their many, many premium packages.

Water Temp: 56

Tides:
02:32 AM 0.25 feet Low Tide
06:30 AM Sunrise
08:30 AM 4.95 feet High Tide
02:39 PM -0.08 feet Low Tide
07:16 PM Sunset
08:54 PM 5.43 feet High Tide

When Did You Say You Were Leaving?

Winter Check. Spring Check. Summer About Time

At 4:30 am Sunday morning I was awaken by Santa Anas blowing over the deck umbrella. Out of bed in complete darkness to put away the umbrella before it speared another piece of furniture. Was out there in underware and it felt like a September heatwave. You gotta love SoCal weather.

Water Temp: 57

Tides:
01:47 AM 0.86 feet Low Tide
06:32 AM Sunrise
07:42 AM 5.05 feet High Tide
02:08 PM -0.34 feet Low Tide
07:16 PM Sunset
08:26 PM 5.08 feet High Tide

Claire Vogel Enjoys A Successful Book Signing

Claire Vogel, center standing, enjoyed a successful book signing at the Latitude 33 book store with friends. The book signing Saturday nigh was standing room only. Many said it was the largest book signing they had seen in the book store.

Her newly released book, "Laguna Beach: Images of America," is now available at book stores everywhere. For more about Claire and her new book see the OC Register story.

Main Beach Has Always Been A Family Thing

Rumorville: It's has been reported that the red-tail hawk that has been feeding on the gulls has been captured and is being transported out of the area. Could the hawk's new home be Afghanistan? One can only hope.

Water Temp: 55

06:33 AM Sunrise
06:48 AM 5.01 feet High Tide
01:33 PM -0.49 feet Low Tide
07:15 PM Sunset
07:58 PM 4.66 feet High Tide
0.86 feet Low Tide (Mon)

First Section Of Repaired Boardwalk Looks Completed

From the weekly City Manager report it appears the entire remaining section of boardwalk will be fenced off starting Monday, April 6th.

The city plans to fix up any problems with the playground while the boardwalk is being rehabed.

And The Training Goes On

59 trainees left. Don't know the exact count of how many new lifeguards are needed this summer. That number has gone up since last Saturday.

This is Saturday two with three Saturdays of training left.

At least they got to wear wet-suits this morning. That water is darn cold.

Photo History Of Laguna Book Signing Tonight

Claire Vogel will be signing her newly released book, "Laguna Beach: Images of America," at Latitude 33 Books tonight at 7 p.m. For more about Claire and her new book see OC Register story.

Photo: Local artist, Doug Miller, at work in his studio. Doug's studio first saw life as a garage in 1932. For more about the past history of Laguna in pictures be sure to be purchase Claire's new book.

Water Temp: 55

Tides:
05:43 AM 4.86 feet High Tide
06:34 AM Sunrise
12:52 PM -0.49 feet Low Tide
07:14 PM Sunset
07:30 PM 4.19 feet High Tide
12:57 AM 1.56 feet Low Tide

Secret Place And It's Not In The Park

You can almost see this place from the canyon road if you weren't so busy trying to stay alive while driving at top speed and tailgating the car in front of you.

A Little Bit Of First Friday Studio Tour

Sheryl Smith Seltzer showing how she uses one wood cut to make different art. "It's all about experimenting," Shyerl said.

Doug Miller is one of the great characters of the Laguna art community. Here he is showing his diary of his work. He keeps a daily statement of his output. He does 3 to 4 art pieces a day and they're all in his diaries he has kept since the early 90's. Before that he doesn't know.

Cottages At Big Bend

From the City Manager's Weekly Report: Cottages at Big Bend – The individual who had planned to move and reuse the three historic cottages at Big Bend has not yet submitted any plans. If no plan is submitted by April 7, the cottages will be offered to the other party that expressed interest. The Temporary Use Permit allowing the cottages at Big Bend is valid through April 23, 2009.

For All Volleyball Players Everywhere

We are mothers and fathers. And sons and daughters. Who every day go about our lives with duty, honor and pride. And neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, nor the winds of change, nor a beach challenged, will stay us from the swift completion of our three games of volleyball. Ever.

Looks Like Winter Is Here In Laguna

Water Temp: 55

Tides:
04:19 AM 4.74 feet High Tide
06:35 AM Sunrise
12:02 PM -0.36 feet Low Tide
07:00 PM 3.71 feet High Tide
07:13 PM Sunset
11:54 PM 2.26 feet Low Tide

This Is The Result Of The Hawk. I like Seagulls!

The red-tail hawk is starting to piss me off. Is there a law against hunting hawks? How about a law against catching a hawk and shipping it to Afghanistan?

Something has got to be done.

Boardwalk Repairs Moving Along On Schedule

A few days back I predicted that the boardwak repairs may take 3 seasons to complete. Well I may be wrong -- usually am.

A second section of the boardwalk will be fenced off starting Monday April 6th.

Pedestrian Hit In Crosswalk

A pedestrain was hit while trying to cross Forest Ave at Beach. He was only slightly injured. Thanks for that.

Parked cars block the view of both the driver and the pedestrain.

We know parking spaces are worth more then gold in this town but this is an on-going problem at this intersection. Eliminate the parking spaces. It's only two for peats sake.

The Times Are A Changing, But Are They Better?

The last of the above ground utility lines that go to each home is being removed on this lonely Laguna street. Workers stated that the poles will probably, and that's a really big probably, be removed in a couple of weeks.

Only objection is in removing this pole. It has a street light and if it goes I guarantee that cars will be hit on this curvy, narrow, and then very dark street.

So I am pleading with the city to PLEASE keep this pole and it's light. PLEASE!

Let's See It's April So That Means Winter Weather

It's close to Spring (When does Spring start?) and we're just now getting southern California's version of Winter weather. Makes sense to me.

Water Temp: 55

Tides:
02:39 AM 4.82 feet High Tide
06:37 AM Sunrise
07:34 AM First Quarter
10:56 AM -0.15 feet Low Tide
06:27 PM 3.25 feet High Tide
07:13 PM Sunset
10:13 PM 2.79 feet Low Tide

This One Is Just Too Easy

Only the other day we were saying that spotting bad parkers just wasn't fun any more because so many people suck at parking.

But this person is different. They didn't make any effort to park. They pulled into the lot, saw the very first space was empty, turned towards the spot and stopped. They made no effort too actually park in the spot. Just stopped and left the car mostly in the drive-thru lane.

Even the SUV in the next spot did a better job.

So technically they don't suck at parking because they never actually pulled into the parking spot.

They just suck.

Laguna Beach City Council Meets In Special Session

There is fiscal crisis in the city of Laguna Beach. In normal times the parking meters that smother the city have an occupancy rate of 76% but this year that rate has fallen to 44% and continues to fall. No one seems to know when it will recover.

Hotel occupancy rates are also falling. The hotel bed tax revenue is down 32%. Lay-offs of city workers are all but probable. Some have even demanded that City Manager, Kenneth Frank, take a 25% reduction in his salary. He has made no comment to this suggestion but Mr. Franks stated through his secretary that lay-offs will be likely if revenues continue to fall.

Because of the fiscal crisis in Laguna Beach the city council met in special session to consider ideas to get visitors back into Laguna’s parking spaces and into the hotel rooms. Only one idea seemed to attract the attention of the council. One idea that would surely get visitors back to Laguna Beach. That idea is to have a clothing-optional area at Main Beach. After an hour of discussion the council voted on a proposal to designate the beach north of Laguna Creek extending to the Lifeguard headquarters as the test area. Since there was a fence already installed for the repair of the boardwalk this fence would remain to block the view from PCH.

Will a clothing-optional beach bring in the visitors? Only time will tell. The view of the clothing-optional beach from the Inn at Laguna should be excellent. It could be standing room only along the bluff just north of the clothing-optional beach.

David Shepherd, Manager of the Inn at Laguna, suggested if the clothing-optional beach is a success they might convert the hotel rooms at the pool level into a restaurant. “We may earn more in a day serving food than we do for a week of room rentals,” stated Mr. Shepard.

Down at the other end of Main Beach several mothers looking after their children at the playground seem to be in agreement that the kids had their playground why shouldn’t the adults have theirs at the other end of Main Beach.

Cindalee Hall, leader of the single-person grass root group, Save Main Beach, thought that the clothing-optional beach would discourage those foreigners from climbing all over the tide pools at Heisler Point.

So starting today and continuing for an unspecified time there will be a clothing-optional area set aside at Main Beach.

We’re looking forward to viewing this idea in action.

Wait, wait I’m not done yet. April Fool to you!

The Prez Is In Europe. So Who's Minding The Store?

Biden? Isn't he busy with his baby-sitting shores in Congress?

Water Temp: 55

Tides:
01:12 AM 5.12 feet High Tide
06:38 AM Sunrise
09:26 AM -0.01 feet Low Tide
05:22 PM 2.81 feet High Tide
07:12 PM Sunset
07:18 PM 2.76 feet Low Tide