No beautification awards in one neighborhood

Editor:

Much of the time, most of us living in Laguna Beach feel like we live within one big neighborhood. We come together at civic celebrations and ceremonies, school and sporting events, always finding ways to support our City and our civic leaders.

But, what happens when our appointed City officials fail to support "our neighborhood"?

In the midst of beautification programs, initiatives and awards, we, seemingly are a "lost and forgotten neighborhood" (located at the Summit Drive, Diamond and Summit Way intersection), waking up every morning overlooking a city owned lot that has been trashed and laid to waste by a builder that has contributed to the systematic devaluation of our homes throughout the entire neighborhood. The funny thing about this disastrous situation is that city officials, individuals paid from our taxes, actually gave permission to this particular builder to use this previously pristine city owned lot for staging and parking. There was no consultation with the neighborhood before granting [that] permission…

This is not about the builders…It all comes down to city officials who believe and act like they are above the wishes of property owners/ taxpayers of Laguna Beach. How can city officials make decisions that dramatically and negatively affect homeowners and families without our input and without conditions? It just doesn't make sense when we consider…the health and safety issues…we are systematically held hostage by the decisions of the few, adversely affecting the many. Is this America? Or, are we waking up to the uncertainties felt by so many others in undeveloped countries around the world.

Several years ago this same neighborhood stood together and petitioned the City Council to clean this same city owned lot from piles of dirt and trash. Thankfully, the City Council at that time recognized the threat to health and safety and the disruption to our way of life the situation represented and mandated the cleanup with the commitment to leave the lot natural and undisturbed. Now, in a direct reversal, a city official has given permission for this lot to be trashed worse than even before!

We can't help but believe that the City of Laguna Beach has adopted a system of double standards - keeping select sections of the Village beautiful - the quality of life as advertised - while neighborhoods like ours are treated with prejudice and bias, leaving many of us to suffer considerably, overlooking dirt piles and trash on a day to day basis.

Does this seem fair to anyone? Take a look around the city and take into account how the City of Laguna Beach utilizes city owned lots, playgrounds, parks and beautiful buffer areas are the norm. Why is it that this particular city owned lot is constantly used for construction staging, parking (even leaving cars/trucks untouched in posted no parking zones) and physically degraded?

The beautification of Laguna Beach? Sorry, many of us just don't see it as we look across at the ultimate dirt/trash site! Wossene Bowler Laguna Beach