Just add water?

I am not a trained firefighter but I am a skilled waterman. Strategically applied, water puts out fire.

Sometimes we can combine a few problems and synergistically develop a creative solution. What happens if we take the 1.6 million gallons of secondary sewage discharged by Laguna Beach into the ocean each day just over one mile offshore and upcycle this wasted wastewater to provide a citywide perimeter “new water” wildfire pipeline? Our biosolids and sludge in wastewater can be harvested as bio-coal to feed thermal oxidation of wastewater contaminates like pharmaceuticals, microbead plastics and similar guck that otherwise ends up in the ocean. Heat generated feeds a steam turbine to power wastewater filtration. Alternatively, fuel cells can operate from our natural biogas.

By combining the problem of expensive utility undergrounding to include a space in the trench for a new water line in Laguna Canyon, trenching costs can be supplemented with generous State recycle water grants. Laguna would have an independent source of “green” energy and new high purity water for wildfire prevention and suppression as long as we continue to flush our toilets daily.

The estimated cost of a new water system for Laguna is $30 million over the 30-year pipeline life cycle or $1 million per year. Less secondary sewage offshore, more new water for wildfire protection and State funds for Laguna Canyon utility undergrounding is possible when we combine multiple problems to create new, smart, sustainable solutions. 

When do we get started?

Mike Beanan

South Laguna

Sian Poeschl, thank you

I just had to write and say thank you for:

The heavenly rainbow consolation memorial art installation next to the artistically cut pepper tree remains.

The amazing movie last night at Friday Night Flicks at the Forum, “Loving Vincent,” amazing! 

Supporting the wonderful fallen concrete mural on the beach.  

You and your commission are such a gift to our town. More, please?

Jheri St. James

Laguna Beach

Mighty Telephone Pole

I was watching the movie To Catch a Thief a few days ago that was made back in 1955. As many of you know the film was made in Cannes and Nice, France along the French Riviera. The views of the countryside reminded me very much of our Laguna Beach. The climate there is very similar to the climate we so appreciate here. Flora of the hillsides looks very similar to our hillsides as well. 

Both of these French cities are destinations for millions of tourists, again very similar to Laguna Beach. When the camera filmed scenes of the countryside many telephone poles were noticed lining the winding roadways of the area. Some of these poles were located very close to these narrow roadways. What is seen reminded me a great deal of the many telephone poles that exist in our fine City. 

Yes, the film was done years ago and yet one could just bet those very same poles still exist today. Folks in that area of the world do the same as folks here in Laguna Beach, they have learned to live with their poles and we all have to until there comes a time when technology can eliminate the poles completely. The French are not attempting to underground their poles most likely because of the cost to do so and with no demands being made by the citizens or their government. 

Additionally, during my drives to various locations close by, that many of us have been to, such as Glen Oak, Arrowhead, Big Bear, Mammoth, Julian and other highly forested communities that are tourist destinations [which] would be considered high risks for fires as is Laguna Beach, I see that the poles are there. The transformers are there. The roadway through many of these communities is even way more dangerous then our Canyon Road. 

So, why the alarm in our town about the fire risks we face that are so similar to many other communities? Why this race to underground? How are similar communities dealing with their poles? One must admit however, do these poles add any beauty to our town? Absolutely not. Try getting a telephone pole included in your landscape planning. The pole in your garden covered with morning glory vine will not be allowed. Have any of you ever seen a pretty pole?

However, at this time, in our community, we must learn to live with our very own telephone poles just like hundreds of thousands if not millions of others must do the same for the decades yet to come. What has been expressed in the news media about causes of fires the telephone pole is ranked way down the list. Those businesses that are responsible for the maintenance of all poles in our town take extra caution to be sure the poles remain safe and good repair. If poles are neglected these companies will be held accountable. 

The fear that is being generated by those citizens in our city and those in our government who support this costly undergrounding is both unfounded and unnecessary as well as a poorly laid tactic. Many of us are waiting to be more and more informed about this costly project and how it dictates such a rapid decision. 

In the meantime...let’s continue to live with the poles as best we can. We have been doing so for many years. 

Jim Gothard

Laguna Beach resident and property owner

Undergrounding Survey necessary?

After attending the council meeting last night and watching the presentation regarding the results of the community survey, I’m convinced these surveys and committees are a waste of time and our tax dollars.  

This survey was directed entirely toward placing the blame of a catastrophe from fire, flood or earthquake on the utility poles. It blames the poles as the cause of our lack of safety when evacuating and congestion when there is an emergency. Correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t remember the poles being a problem during the evacuation in the 1993 fires.  

The property owners for the last 20 years have been undergrounding their neighborhoods on their own at their own expense to improve their views. The thought of creating a better “evacuation route” was not even considered.  There were neighborhoods currently going through the process when they heard about this bond issue and learned their street was designated an “evacuation route”. Of course they stopped the process with the expectation that the rest of us will now be paying for their properties. Several property owners last night urged the council to extend the evacuation route to include their neighborhood so they can also benefit on free undergrounding.

This survey should have had a fourth option. The property owners should be required to pay their own undergrounding regardless of any arbitrary “evacuation routes”.  Every street is an evacuation route in an emergency depending on which direction the threat is coming from. Those of us that have already paid for our neighborhood shouldn’t be required to pay for those that haven’t.

All the time and money going out for this survey could have been better spent to possibly help offset the costs for the neighborhoods and canyon where there are larger poles. FYI, this survey would have been free if they utilized Google Form or for a minimal charge with Survey Monkey. The council wasn’t happy with how the survey was conducted or the results and wants the panel to do another survey and report back in several months. 

 Of course, at an additional expense from our tax dollars.

Jill Cooper

Laguna Beach

Good news to share

I have some good news to share. 

The City Council is often bombarded by people expressing concern about the challenges faced by Laguna brick and mortar businesses and expressed in terms of the number of vacant storefronts. And the general message is that “The City needs to do something about it.”

There was an excellent example of that at midnight two weeks ago when a parade of speakers, some of whom even live here, explained to us how Laguna, with 6,000,000 annual visitors and well over $700,000,000 of annual retail and hotel room sales, is blighted and comatose and is on the road to ruin – like La Jolla -- if the City Council doesn’t take extreme measures to reinvigorate the economy through massive injections of alcohol into visitors.

In an era of fake news, it’s important to do some occasional fact checking into just how critical the patient is.

And what better source of information could there be than the Chamber of Commerce website which lists commercial vacancies?

Checking that site, I found there are currently 36 retail, office, and industrial properties available.  Some are vacant and some will become available in the future. 

I checked with commercial property brokers for a Laguna Beach commercial vacancy factor, but being a small market, the larger providers of commercial data do not break out numbers for Laguna.

So, I checked to see how many businesses there are in Laguna. There are nearly 3,900 business licenses in Laguna. 36 vacancies for 3,900 businesses didn’t sound so bad.

But since not all businesses occupy a commercial address, I checked with the post office for business addresses, and there are 1,447 business addresses in Laguna (not counting Post Office Boxes) so, 36 vacancies out of 1,447 physical addresses is about two and a half percent commercial vacancy.  That’s probably a good estimate of commercial vacancies.

For comparison, I then looked for vacancies in Orange County and nationally and found that while the national average for retail vacancy is 6.6 percent, Orange County does much better with only 3.6 percent.  But at two and a half percent, Laguna is far more healthy than either Orange County or the nation as a whole.

I also looked at new business formations and failures and found that nationally about eight percent of all businesses either start up new or fail in any year. 

And, in fact, only 50 percent of new businesses survive five years.

So, businesses turn over. For many reasons.  Sometimes success. Sometimes failure. Sometimes due to growth. Or sale of the business.  And turnover can cause vacancy, but turnover is normal. And that’s the point. And, in fact, Laguna is doing much better than most.

There is no question that this is a trying time for brick and mortar retail. And, while no one wants to see businesses falter, on the other hand, our City Council has no obligation to guarantee the profits of private businesses.

And if an investor pays too much, or promises his investors too much, the City has no duty to bail him out.

John Thomas

Laguna Beach