Letters to the Editor

Maybe our library would do better under the auspices of the city versus the county

The time has come for me to pass the management of The Butterfly Fairy Garden at Laguna’s public library to a new team of volunteers. I have had eight magical years of absolute joy designing the garden with steppingstone paths, butterfly attracting plants, and little fairy houses for children to discover. 

I have always only meant for it to be a place of peace and joy. So, the controversy over my having placed a peace sign between a small Ukrainian and American flag in the garden has made me sad. The peace sign is not political. It does not take sides. It stands for no armed conflict between all people. It stands for finding humanitarian and peaceful ways to solve our differences and problems. 

So, it is sad that our library has called my peace sign political and taken it down. Especially because I believe peace is what is in all our hearts here in Laguna. 

But I want to make something clear. Laguna’s library is just a branch of the Orange County Library. The head of the library here and all the workers are employees of the county not the city of Laguna Beach. It was the county that demanded the sign be taken down. 

Which leads me to my main reason for writing. 

As the City of Laguna Beach is about to buy the library property back from the county at the April 12th city council meeting, I have a suggestion. Instead of renting the library back to the county to run after the sale, why couldn’t we run our own library? Or rent it to the county to run with a provision that allows Laguna Beach to have a say in what our library can and cannot do? 

For as Rumi is reported to have said: “Out beyond right and wrong there is a field ...I’ll meet you there.” 

Peacefully, 

Jessica DeStefano 

Laguna Beach