City Council Slamdance: Recapping the Feb. 15 Meeting

Chimpanzee found in bangkok goes missing on skateboard

Stolen? Or about to be caught down-hilling on banned Laguna streets?

After the normal Pledge of Allegiance and full-house roll-call of the five councilmembers including herself, Mayor Iseman opened Tuesday's “off-the-agenda” public comments part of the evening.

First up, chimp art owner and Laguna resident Pam Horowitz appealed for Lagunans to be on the lookout for a statue stolen off her front porch. “If anyone goes on eBay or Craigslist, or attends an art fair ...” she pleaded, and sees this nearly life-size chimpanzee that once strictly skated near , send it home.

It brought joy to little kids who saw it by her door, she noted. When pressed by council query as to the artist, Horowitz said “We found it in Bangkok.” Obviously emotional, though admirably holding back tears, she said it took a couple of strong people to put it in a pickup truck.

Trash art challenge dumps $10k on lucky youngsters.

Time Warner, Hilton Anaheim, Disneyland, the Orange County Department of Education, Clean City Inc., and Muzeo of Anaheim have combined to put up a $10,000 detritus prize.

“All students in grades 3-12 are invited to create a project where they turn trash into art, then submit a short video or PowerPoint,” said Karen Gee, who spoke for Muzeo, a museum in Anaheim. Submitting students would then be eligible to compete for a $10,000 prize for their class and their school.

“The city of Laguna Beach has been sponsored by Betty and Wylie Aitken,” said Gee, “so all the schools in Laguna Beach, private and home schools, will be invited to participate. Television commercials are coming out.”

Gee ended with, “Perhaps I’ll come back this summer and show you the award-winning project.”

***

After the usual council interlude where each tells what they had recently encountered or participated in, City Manager John Pietig was asked by councilmember Verna Rollinger to comment on the storm situation for the next 3-4 days.

“Light rains are forecast to start tomorrow (Wednesday) and increase through Friday and Saturday,” Pietig said. “But it doesn’t look like there will be any more than one inch in any 24 hour period,” he added, also noting that our hillsides are much dryer than they were in December. The Orange County Emergency Operations Center isn’t even opening, he said, after having contacted them to prepare for possible damaging weather.

Extra staff will be put on, he said, just in case.

Later, in an unrelated part of the free-to-the-public bi-monthly council show, Pietig spoke of Laguna’s “Smart irrigation timers installed at 15 of our largest landscape and park areas. They optimize irrigation water usage by adjusting the irrigation based on measured weather conditions at their individual locations, which are actually transmitted by satellite.”

“And of course,” Pietig said, “as you can imagine, since December 22nd,” referring to our already over-moistened town, “we haven’t used them.” Laughter rained his direction from the dais and 70-or-so person gallery.

***

Numerous residents near in the south part of town expressed viewpoints centered around parking and noise issues.  The council voted 3-2 to enact their staff-recommended “trial program to alleviate noise, traffic and parking problems from restaurant patrons in the neighborhood.”

The crux of the enforcement will be citations, rather than towing, the city said. It will cost $16,800 the first year and average $12,500 in following years. “No Parking” signs will be placed and monitored on select streets and a public hearing scheduled for September 6 will evaluate the results.

***

Mayor Iseman announced that flood loans administered by the city are available for private citizens. “You might be surprised that you qualify for a loan, even though you don’t think you would,” Iseman said. “If the damage is extraordinary, they can even go back and finance a first trust deed at amazing interest rates.”

The mayor pointed out that, for those seeking assistance, it is worth going this Thursday or Friday to the at 357 Glenneyre beneath the library.

***

Council will be selecting the Flood Task Force at the March 3 meeting, City Clerk Martha Anderson reported. Applications are due in the clerk’s office by Wednesday, Feb. 23.

***

Police captain Mike Hall will retire after 31 years of service. The past four years he commanded the patrols in town. “Mike has just been a wonderful employee,” City Manager Pietig said. “His wife works for me in the city manger’s office.”

Hall can now fly and instruct more often in the planes that he loves.

***

The joint living and working artist unit approval moratorium now stretches to 10½ months, rather than six, by unanimous vote. Artists and developers seek time to unleash more of these projects in the community, with sane standards agreed upon by all parties.

Developer Mark Orgill testified that 12-month-from-now money will likely cost more than six-month money.

***

Six candidates applying for four spots to the left two disappointed and one young man standing with three others. Seventeen-year-old student Nick Kinsman, son of former councilmember Cheryl Kinsman, pitched council his intent to bridge the gap between the younger generation and the older.

His effort wasn’t hurt by looking like Harry Potter’s smarter brother.

Welcome, Nick, and congratulations for continuing the family’s Love(and service to)Laguna campaign.