Letters to the Editor
Perhaps we can learn some things from nearby cities
I recently heard that Rancho Palos Verdes is creating a plan to help with their fire protection of their city. Cameras are to be installed that can look over the city and detect smoke/fires in different areas of their city.
This would help their fire department respond to any fires especially in remote areas and areas close to where citizens live. Also, if there is more than one fire, their chief can decide which engine company goes where.
This sounds like something we could use – cameras at Top of the Word, Bluebird Canyon, Arch Beach Heights and parts of South Laguna. I see this as helpful as an additional fire station is being considered in South Laguna – despite many folks there not wanting a station where one is being considered. We need to be aggressive in our quest to make this city safer – including doing more undergrounding of electrical poles, especially in the canyon.
I believe the report said that the cameras have a 30-mile, 360-degree view. Anything is better than what we have now – although this point is not a new discussion in this city.
Hopefully we can consider this option for our city as well.
Ganka Brown
Despite what he said, let’s thank the residents that took matters into their own hands
Looks like Tom Johnson and Stu News have been duped by Mission Hospital. The happy talk about how “diligent” Mission Hospital was in responding to the spill does not cut it. The truth is that residents took matters into their own hands by contacting the Laguna Beach City Council, numerous state agencies and Assemblywoman Petrie-Norris, who never responded.
If Mr. Johnson had bothered to do some real reporting, he would have found that the first spill should never have occurred. The state requires that a containment area should be in place to prevent the spill from going into the storm drain that the City of Laguna Beach is responsible for. You would have thought that after the first spill, Mission Hospital would have “diligently” worked to build such a containment area that would have prevented the second spill from once again polluting the beach.
The City of Laguna Beach failed to report the first spill to the appropriate state agency which was their responsibility since the spill traveled through a storm drain. The only reason the state agencies became aware of the spills was because a resident, after hours of research, figured out which state agencies had oversight responsibility and contacted them. The agencies involved had no idea that the spills had occurred.
Perhaps Mr. Johnson should take a second look and write an accurate account of the disregard Mission Hospital has for protecting our beaches. While he is at it, he might want to look at the issue of having the hospital release patients receiving psychiatric care. Just last week, a woman that had just been released and appeared to be over medicated went into the beach fully clothed and was slammed against a rock by a powerful wave. Fortunately, lifeguards and the Laguna Beach Fire Department were able to assist her.
David Flores
Laguna Beach
We shouldn’t forget that COVID deaths continue to rise
If you are having trouble assessing the impact of three quarters of a million dead from COVID-19, then picture this: It is the equivalent of wiping out the population of San Clemente, Dana Point, Laguna, Newport, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa and parts of Irvine.
Another way of wrapping your arms around 750,000 fatalities is this: If each death was represented by a piece of paper, that “tower” would stand more than 250 ft. in the air. Imagine looking up at 25 basketball hoops all stacked on top of each other at Main Beach.
One last perspective to think about: From December 1941 until August 1945, 407,316 U.S. troops lost their lives during World War II. Given today’s death rate from COVID, it is possible we could double that number by the end of this year.
While on the 2020 campaign trail, Donald Trump repeatedly told his supporters, “All I hear now is…‘COVID, COVID, COVID.’ By the way, on November 4, you won’t hear about it anymore.” Unless you were deaf and blind then, we now know nothing could have been further from the truth.
Denny Freidenrich
Laguna Beach
Stu News encourages Letters to the Editor and they should be submitted to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Deadlines for submission are Monday noon, for Tuesday publication and Thursday noon, for Friday publication. Stu News reserves the right to approve and/or edit all letters.