Mailbag: Gratitude to the local community

As we near the end of the year, the members of the Patience Wright Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution would like to express our deep gratitude to the Laguna Beach community for supporting our Good Citizenship and Excellence in American History awards for local students.

Due to your outstanding support for our fundraising activities, we have been able to expand the program to cover students in grades 5 through 12. And on May 2, we will be holding our first annual citywide celebration of Laguna Beach student DAR award-winners at the Artists’ Theatre at Laguna Beach High School.

At this event, we will be hosting students and their parents, principals, counselors and teachers from Laguna Beach High School, Thurston Middle School, Top of the World Elementary School, El Morro Elementary School, Anneliese Schools and St. Catherine of Siena Parish School. It is a unique opportunity to bring our Laguna Beach students, parents, counselors, teachers and administrators together to celebrate their accomplishments. A comprehensive listing of the awards in the program may be found at darlaguna.org.

Also, we would like to express our gratitude to the many local merchants who support our school awards programs, including Coast Hardware, Sapphire Grill, David Weiss Fine Jewelry, Pavilions, Ralphs, Trader Joe’s, Ellen van Ketel, Marina Arons Manicurist and the Sherman Library and Gardens.

We wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and a good year to come.

Gloria Padach

Laguna Beach

Editor’s note: Padach is treasurer of the Patience Wright Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

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‘Sad sack incumbents’ in power

I read with dark amusement the front-page story anointing Jane Egly mayor and Verna Rollinger mayor in waiting (Re. “Egly chosen as new mayor,” Dec. 9) and feel compelled to issue this warning.

These appointments were no coincidence, as both of these sad sack incumbents are both facing uphill reelection bids. And as a logrolling, backscratching institution, the City Council loves to stack the deck in this way so as to keep its cronies in power.

So, dear voters, please don’t be fooled by the honorifics that have been bestowed. Rollinger is the least effective and most extremist member of the council. Egly likes to walk a middle ground, but almost always dives into the Village Laguna Kool-Aid when they put enough pressure on her.

So throw the rascals out, whether you call them mayor or just plain Jane and Verna.

Peter Navarro

Laguna Beach

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Politicians count on our apathy

Week after week news media expose financial abuses by our politicians and government agencies that allow huge salaries, obscene perks and early retirement double-dipping. But other than an occasional letter by a few concerned taxpayers, nothing is done by the politicians and various public agencies. They go right on allowing these abuses and even awarding increases and bonus on top of it all, adding insult to financial injury.

Are the taxpayers all so well off that no amount of financial abuse and tax increases adversely impacts most of us? It is past time for Tax Payer organizations and Tea Party groups to have a massive demonstration demanding a cease and roll back of all this financial insanity going on in most cities, the county and state. I suggest these organizations have a massive rally of we taxpayers at some central public place that has plenty of free parking. Where are the leaders of these organizations and the few really conservative politicians?

Dave Connell

Laguna Beach