MAILBAG - Nov. 9, 2007

Iseman does support the gay community

I read with great interest the letter to the editor last week regarding Mayor Toni Iseman as to whether or not she is working to help the gay community to save our landmark bar the Boom Boom Room. All Laguna Beach residents should be extremely proud of our mayor and City Council.

I feel Iseman and the entire City Council have been completely supportive of the gay community’s desire to preserve the Boom and Coast Inn in which it is located.

When 50 volunteers from “Save the Boom” turned in 6,000 signatures to the City Council last February, all five of our elected representatives were nothing but supportive of our desire to preserve this slice of Laguna’s heritage.

Now the Boom Boom Room and Coast Inn are for sale, our hope is someone will buy or even lease this historic property and keep it as a gay establishment “” the New Boom. We don’t need just another bar or hotel that welcomes gays and lesbians, there are lots of those in Laguna right now. We want our bar back, and I feel our city officials are doing all they can to help our cause.

FRED KARGER

Laguna Beach

EDITOR’S NOTE: Fred Karger is the Founder of Save the Boom.

?

Healing event marred by parking tickets

One of the most amazing and moving events occurred here in Laguna Sunday night.

There must have been 1,000 people who turned out for a mass healing and fundraiser at Anneliese’s School for a little 3-year-old Laguna boy who had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.

Many artists and merchants donated their art for a silent auction. Many more volunteered food and hundreds came who did not even know the boy or family, to give their time and money.

Love and healing music filled the school and spilled out onto the Canyon Road.

It was an evening permeated with pure love and health-giving nourishment.

Unfortunately however, I guess the Laguna police didn’t feel it because they took the opportunity to run down and write a ticket for everyone who was parked along the Canyon Road.

There are only about 100 spaces to park in the school parking lot so people had to park along the side of the Canyon Road.

There were no “no parking signs” there. No one was parked obstructing traffic, so I do sincerely hope the police plan on donating the money they collected to Christofer. They can do so by sending it to Christofer’s Miracle Fund, 406 Myrtle St., Laguna Beach.

Thank you for the incredible opportunity and blessing it is to be a part of this wonderful community.

As Anna and Eddie said, “If ever there was a community that could create miracles together, we are it!”

JESSICA DESTEFANO

Laguna Beach

Statements in zoning dispute going too far

Reporter Barbara Diamond opined that my wife and a neighbor (Sid Danenhauer) “raked Councilwoman Elizabeth Schneider over the coals” (“Council Accused of Brown Act Violations” ). Although Ms. Diamond is entitled to her opinion, it is not an accurate account of what occurred at City Hall.

In that article, and also in a different newspaper letter to its editor, a local attorney (Gene Gratz), while apparently seeking to defend Mrs. Schneider, concurrently made some uncomplimentary, and untrue, statements about my wife and Mr. Danenhauer.

For the information of your readers, Mr. Gratz is the attorney for Charles and Valerie Griswold, who, in turn, have been involved in a lengthy real estate zoning dispute with the city regarding an undeveloped single-family lot in Three Arch Bay.

As to the nature of Mr. Gratz and Ms. Diamond’s characterizations of my wife, the fact of the matter is that she held up a Coastline Pilot editorial page (Oct. 12) at the City Council meeting Oct. 16.

This page contained a political cartoon lampooning the Griswolds and an editorial by The Coastline Pilot (“Conflict issue is alarming”) detailing Mrs. Schneider’s alleged conflict of interest.

The editorial page and other possible conflicts were then discussed before the City Council. Mr. Gratz and Ms. Diamond may not like it, but my wife has a statutory and constitutional right to inquire about possible conflicts of interest by a public official.

Mr. Gratz claims the Griswolds have defended themselves for 10 years from a “campaign by the Danenhauers and Millers to prevent construction of their house.” This statement is neither fair nor accurate.

For five years the Griswolds failed to diligently prosecute their application before the Coastal Commission and the city Design Review Board. Their design review approval lapsed and, one year later, the Griswolds sought reinstatement of the lapsed approval.

Ultimately, the City Council reinstated this design approval; however, the council’s action was challenged by adjacent property owners and is currently under appeal to a California appellate court.

As for our participation in this action, we are certainly not opposed to the Griswolds’ development of their Three Arch Bay lot and we have never taken any act other than to request the city enforce the zoning regulations as they are written and applied to the rest of the community.

We are not aware of any delay in the Griswolds’ development plans that are attributable to anyone except themselves. Public documents introduced by the Griswolds and their architect, James Conrad, clearly show that delays are attributable to the Griswolds’ election to forego timely development.

As Three Arch Bay neighbors, my wife and I are only (as are other neighbors) seeking the fair and uniform application of zoning regulations that apply to all of us. The Griswolds are welcome to build a new house, but that house should satisfy the same requirements and restrictions imposed upon their neighbors.

In any event, Mr. Gratz most certainly does not need to denigrate my wife or any neighbor in order to seek justice for his clients “” that is not right, is without precedence, and appears to be cowardly.

CRAIG MILLER

Laguna Beach