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Art In a Phone Booth, MLK Day City Hall Closure, and Congrats to Ian

All this and more in Laguna Beach City Manager John Pietig's weekly update ...

Laguna Beach City Manager John Pietig's weekly update:

Temporary Sculpture Program - The Arts Commission is currently accepting proposals for a temporary art installation on Forest Avenue. Designs should incorporate the interior and/or exterior of the red telephone booth with the door securely closed. Winning artists will be provided an honorarium of $2,000. Deadline for proposals is March 18, 2013. This opportunity is open to artists residing in Orange County. This program is funded by the lodging establishments and City of Laguna Beach. Competition guidelines are available by clicking and printing the PDF file in the box on this page.

Lifeguard Headquarters Art in Public Places - The Arts Commission is currently accepting artist qualifications for a sculpture and mural for the Lifeguard Headquarters at Main Beach Park. An artist honorarium of $60,000 is allocated for the sculpture and $40,000 for the mural.  This opportunity is open to artists residing in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. Applications must be submitted on-line by March 4, 2013 by clicking this link here. Competition guidelines are available by clicking and printing the PDF file in the box on this page.

Cultural Arts Funding Application - The Arts Commission is currently accepting applications for Cultural Art Funding grants from non-profit organizations presenting arts programming in Laguna Beach. The deadline to submit the application is Friday, February 1, 2013. This program is funded by the lodging establishments and City of Laguna Beach. Applications are available by clicking and printing the PDF file in the box on this page.

Promotion of Staff Member - The Water Quality Department is glad to welcome Ian Morgan to the Department.  Ian will support the Water Quality Department as well as the Assistant City Manager in the capacity as the new Administrative Office Specialist.  Ian is being promoted from his first position working the Cashier Counter for the Finance Department. Congratulations Ian.

City Hall Closed on Monday January 21 - City Hall will be closed on Monday, January 21 in observance for Martin Luther King’s birthday. Essential services such as police, fire, lifeguards, bus service and other functions are still provided. 

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Happening this Sunday at Laguna Beach United Methodist Church ...
Patrick Fetzer May 16, 2013 at 01:21 pm
I don't think it was a mistake. The City is leading by example. Keeping sidewalks clean andRead More unbroken from roots....there are LOTS of trees around. Its not there aren't. Besides, who's to say they won't later plant Olive trees or something that won't jack up the sidewalks and take away views!
Stan Jacobs May 16, 2013 at 11:52 am
Laguna changed for the worst when residents who loved Laguna were, over time, displaced by those whoRead More love themselves.
Joanne Sutch May 15, 2013 at 02:11 pm
There is certainly a case, Rich, for buckling sidewalks and safety (which is what City CouncilRead More claimed...along with a $300,000. payout for slip and falls over the past 5 years.) That being said, there are other far less drastic measures that could (and should have been taken years ago). The ficus trees in front of the old persian rug store were not a mistake, they were a request by the new tenants who are trying to "historically" recreate the old building. I'd like to know what trees were "historically" there. They certainly were not New Zealand Christmas trees ( the City's planned on replacement tree.) I object to the City selecting the trees, as there seems to be a "patchwork quilt" effect that is happening. Just like the main entrance to Laguna, we need a new, well thought-out, hammered out tree plan. We also need the City to fund and maintain our trees, which has been sorely lacking (due to budget and lack of any importance being placed on them). I wonder what else we're going to find out re: what other payouts we've been making for other things. (For instance, how much have we paid out for people being hit in the crosswalks? I'll bet that it's a lot more than $300k in 5 years. If not, I'd be pleasantly surprised. ) Perhaps our City officials should be more up front with us about this kind of information, as well as about budget matters. That transparency seems to be missing in the last year or two. If I'm not mistaken, the $ in our capital budget for improving and repair/replacing some of the street end banisters is being re-routed for the beginning funding of the parking garage on Broadway and Forest. Know that more trees are in peril, so, in addition to blogging, everyone please take a moment to express your concerns to each of our council members and our city manager via e-mail or personally. They don't even seem to think that these tree removals deserve to be on the City Council Meeting Agendas (or at least not until the 12th hour). Thanks.
ms.sc. May 14, 2013 at 05:06 am
Wow! There are some hungry, imaginative "sales people" out there! And the ego's behindRead More their "gypsy wagon beliefs" is costly to fools who part with their bank accounts only because of their grief of a loved one has not progressed thru the stages of grief. I wonder what "tonic" is next out of a "psychic's" circus tent? Sick.
El Toro Resident May 14, 2013 at 12:49 am
Thanks Louie, I was just having fun with you.
Louie Wilson May 12, 2013 at 08:01 pm
You guys are a riot. You seem to want to debate me on the subject matter when all I did was complainRead More that the article that Rich wrote is badly written. We're not discussing mediumship; we're discussing bad journalism. Rich doesn't seem to understand why I think what he wrote is unfair. I guess it's his prejudice against the subjects that is blinding him. If an Orange County surgeon left a scalpel in a patient's body, would he write an article about that surgeon and start off by saying: "Well, it's been a bad week for surgeons."?
elizabeth May 10, 2013 at 08:39 am
Ya apasado un mes de la muerte de mi padrastro alberto casique solo espero q la persona q causo suRead More muerte page el abernos quitado a un hombre tan trabajador y respetuoso y alegre estrano mucho llegar y que mediga "todo bien" descansa en paz Alberto.
Eric Garcia April 13, 2013 at 04:59 pm
Hi diana lynn im juniors brother and told me he couldnt log in into the account anymore his numberRead More is 7147243020 thank you
Diana Lynn April 12, 2013 at 02:17 am
Dear Junior, I'm so sorry for your loss. It seems that Armando was a really wonderful person.Read More Everything I've read about him is just awesome. If you are comfortable with contacting me, I know someone that has some information about this tragedy and would like to share what they can with you and his family. Again, I'm so sorry for the loss to your family.
Joanne Sutch April 14, 2013 at 12:35 pm
Everyone, please e-mail all of our council members and city manager with your opinions. Things getRead More changed when their e-mail is flooded. Then, show up at the next City Council and voice your concerns. While your at it, take a look at the downtown plan that is being implemented as we speak, and the trees we'll be losing. There must be a better way!
Joanne Sutch April 13, 2013 at 10:45 pm
It's heartening to hear so many concerned and fiscally responsible Lagunans. I, too, am concernedRead More and would like more time and information before agreeing to dig. Did you know that Councilwoman Iseman has an alternate plan, using the tennis courts as part of the parking. Instead of a 29' parking structure hers would be an 18'foot structure, with additional parking across PCh at the tennis courts. I want to hear more about her plan before committing $38 million+ to this project. As we speak, the 10-year capital plan is being revised to accomodate $5 million for the next 2 years for this project. I would like to know what is being wait-listed for this project. Who suddenly deemed this Laguna's #1 concern? I urge everyone to immediately: 1) go to the next City Council meeting and voice your concerns and 2) e-mail each and every council member and our city manager. Be heard. No offense, but I want more than our Council and City Manager determining such life-changing moves in Laguna. Remember-they are constrained by governmental constrictions (eg: the low-bidder on projects). We have a superior community and deserve top notch planners, builders, etc. As for the people in town, I totally commiserate. However, know that the next 3-5 years will be an absolute nightmare with this work. One of our biggest parking problems nowadays is construction vehicles and also construction workers own private vehicle parking.
Laguna Streets April 9, 2013 at 01:50 am
Mark: There are dozens of alternatives to the automobile, you can find some of them posted atRead More LagunaStreets. There are even more outside the bubble of Laguna, municipalities are adopting alternative mobility plans all over the US and Europe. The resistance to alternative mobility comes from city hall, from community leaders who stubbornly refuse to consider new ideas and acknowledge success in other communities. They don't even listen to professional advice they paid for. I parked my car in the garage in 2006, have not driven it since. I live and work in Laguna and live on "top of the hill", I regularly reach any point in Laguna - most frequently by bicycle, often by scooter or bus. The health benefit from riding a bicycle around Laguna should be obvious.
Gavin April 17, 2013 at 07:52 pm
Desalination REALLLY? Why desal when it's the Most Expensive and Most Energy intensive choice?
Christopher Regan April 17, 2013 at 04:20 pm
Thanks for your comment Gavin. The District is studying the options you mentioned above in additionRead More to desalinated water in an effort to ensure Laguna has a reliable water supply for the future. Efficient water use is included in these efforts as an effective way to stretch our limited supplies. Public campaigns such as the Wyland Mayor's Challenge help keep the message of water being a valuable resource in the spotlight and encourages continued water conservation. We're happy to report that the District's water use has steadily decreased over the past 10 years by about 30 percent.
Gavin April 17, 2013 at 02:06 pm
While I feel it's great awareness raising to have folks click on a website and commit to doingRead More better water-wise - LB imports 100% of our water from Sacramento and Colorado River - making us pretty vulnerable. I'd rather see infrastructure investments like more water storage tanks, rainwater catchment, and even local wells that would add far more resilience than an internet contest IMHO.