In honor of Wayne Baglin

OUR LAGUNA

The Laguna Beach Woman’s Club gave Councilman Wayne Baglin an early

valentine, honoring him at a luncheon on Feb. 7.

“You have treasured our ocean, you have treasured our hills, our

neighborhoods and our village, and we thank you for that,” Planning

Commissioner Anne Johnson said, reading from a plaque presented by

the club to Baglin.

The luncheon was the club’s traditional recognition for the

outgoing mayor. Baglin served the city as mayor in 2002 and as mayor

pro tem in 2001, for which the council selected him just a month

after he was re-elected in 2000 after a two-year absence.

This is Baglin’s third term on the council. He has served terms in

the previous four decades: 1978-81 and from 1994-98. His first term

was interrupted when he moved to Saudi Arabia as an employee of

Arabian American Oil.

More than 50 friends and supporters attended the luncheon, which

had one of the largest percentages of men to attend a club function.

Usually, Police Chief James Spreine, who always attends these

luncheons, has few male companions.

“I am just here for a free lunch,” joked Al Oligino, a longtime

friend of the Baglin family.

Waste Management’s Tim Flanagan attended the luncheon as a

representative of the company and of the Chamber of Commerce, of

which he is a board member.

Flanagan said that when the company began plans for targeting

specific businesses for commercial recycling, real estate was chosen

at Baglin’s instigation.

Baglin is a broker. Fellow Realtors Bobbi Cox and Rick Gold also

attended the luncheon.

“I am here to honor the mayor,” said Laguna Canyon Conservancy

President Carolyn Wood, a Baglin admirer.

The city was represented by Design Review Board member Steve

Kawaratani, Open Space Committee member Don Black, Treasurer Laura

Parisi and council members Cheryl Kinsman and Elizabeth Pearson.

“I got to know Wayne as we went from forum to forum to forum when

I ran for council,” Kinsman said. “Wayne always had props.”

One of his more memorable stunts was presenting the council with a

bottle of icky water he had siphoned from Aliso Creek to dramatize

the pollution in the creek and at the outlet on the beach. Pulling a

container of murky water from her satchel, Kinsman offered Baglin a

choice between that or a bottle of water she had purchased.

Baglin has championed the cause of clean water during his past two

terms on the council. He chairs the Wastewater Advisory Committee

with Mayor Toni Iseman.

Iseman could not attend the luncheon because of a meeting of the

California Coastal Commission to which she was recently appointed.

Club member Sande St. John read a letter sent by Iseman praising

Baglin’s kindness to her, his hard work and his grasp of the issues

confronting the city.

“He’s been a real inspiration to me,” said Pearson, the council’s

newest member. “There is never anyone more prepared. I always want to

speak after Wayne, never before because I know he can pick apart

anything I say.

“Wayne is one of the most highly regarded people outside of Laguna

on pollution,” Pearson said.

Insurance agent Pat Freeman thanked Baglin for getting involved

with water quality. Freeman was one of the speakers who responded to

club President Kimberly Salter’s invitation to share remarks about

Baglin.

“The artists in town have had a great friend in Wayne,” said

Art-A-Fair exhibitor and former Arts Commissioner Iris Adam.

David Kidd just said “Thank you.”

Sandy Thornton also thanked Baglin for all of his work, but

pointed out that it couldn’t have been done without the support of

his wife, Faye.

“I thank him for his support of the Patriots Day Parade,” said

parade committee member Sandi Werthe. “He always buys an ad in the

program (which raises fund for the nonprofit parade).”

Lee Winocur Field spoke of Baglin’s support of the Laguna Beach

Community Clinic, of which she is board chair.

His public support has been somewhat curtailed because of a state

conflict of interest law which prohibits elected officials from

voting on land use issues within 500 feet of property they own.

Baglin said he and Faye had been associated with the club since

they first moved to Laguna.

“This club has the history of Laguna and the importance of women

in our society,” Baglin said.

Among those who attended the luncheon: Pamela Oligino, Hal Werthe,

Bette and Ken Anderson, Grant McCombs, and Sadiq Tawfiq, who attended

to honor the former mayor and to cement the relationship of the

Woman’s Club with Afghan Amity, an organization founded by Tawfiq.

Also: Duane Bickel of the Century Exchange Club, Ken Delino of the

Chamber of Commerce, Marthann Newton of Laguna Seniors Inc.;

Charlotte Gipson, who is considering moving to Laguna; and Sarah

Riahi, who saw the club sign and decided to come to the next event.

WAR TORN

Former Mayor Lida Lenney is organizing a public discussion on a

war with Iraq, to be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Unitarian

Universalist Fellowship, 429 Cypress St.

“We are encouraging people to come and talk about the war, one way

or the other” Lenney said. “This will be an open meeting. There will

be speakers, but everyone will be given an opportunity to ask

questions.”

The fellowship sent a busload of 57 people from three

congregations to a peace vigil on Jan. 31 at the Federal Building in

Westwood, fellowship member Jean Raun said.

“The national president attended,” she said. “He spoke about

opposition to a unilateral war. I think the peace vigils are becoming

more effective.

“You know how people honk their horns at the vigils at Main Beach.

In Westwood, the horns were honking continuously.”

For more information about the meeting, call 306-4129.

* OUR LAGUNA is a regular feature of the Laguna Beach Coastline

Pilot. Contributions are welcomed. Write to Barbara Diamond, P.O. Box

248, Laguna Beach, 92652, hand-deliver to 384 Forest Ave., Suite 22;

call 494-4321; or fax 494-8979.