We have the most exciting news!  It seems that little Laguna Beach has made national news with the controversy over the flag decal on our new Police cars.  Today Fox had Peter Blake, Jennifer Zeiter and Steve Dicterow as well as a plethora of other media requests for Peter to keep our the message going.

​We are also asking that as many people as possible attend the City Council meeting on Tuesday at 6 pm.  Please wear red, white and blue.  You don't have to speak - I suspect that they will only give everyone 1 minute to speak and will ask that if you have the same opinion as the current speaker to just wave your hand.  We need to come out in force!!  We'd love you to speak though if you can.  Bring flags to wave?????  But the thrust of the argument should be that the design is bright, cheerful and visible.  It needs to NOT be about Trump or MAGA which is what the opposition is pushing.  
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Thanks everyone - exciting times to be in Laguna!!  See you guys next soon.

CLICK HERE for Laguna Beach Indy commentary by Howard Hills (9/20/2017) on new state law harnessing property rights and market forces to serve and build low income community within already built out cities throughout the state, making new uses of existing housing and new small scale housing supply available to meet demand.

The regional Town Hall meeting held in Laguna Niguel in May 2017 on airplane noise did in fact create a whole lot of noise.  We had OC Supervisors Bartlett and Spitzer attend as well as Congressman Rohrabacher and major representatives from every south county city and Citizens for No Plane Noise. 
 
As a result of that meeting Congressman Rohrabacher wrote a letter to the FAA. He requested that the planes fly higher and fly farther out in the ocean before turning back to cross land.  As predicted, the FAA sent him a boiler plate, pabulum, pat on the head letter saying that there is ongoing legal action and they can’t (read won’t) do anything about it.  Plus, it’s just so complicated . . . . . .
 
So after this fell on deaf ears at the FAA, Congressman Rohrabacher followed up with legislative action.  He introduced two amendments to HR 2997, the 21st Century Aviation Innovation, Reform and Reauthorization Act.  These amendments pertain to coastal overflight procedures and the concomitant inclusion of community concerns to flight path changes.  And the best news is that it specifically calls out the California Metroplex and our concerns.  The bill is currently in the House Rules Committee – stay tuned for progress.
 
Laguna Niguel passed a city resolution supporting the limitation of the negative impacts of air flights over Laguna Niguel on August 1, 2017.  The mayor of San Juan Capistrano sent a complaint letter to the FAA Administrator in Washington requesting a review of the environmental impact now that NextGen has been implemented. 
 
Currently, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and the County of Orange are involved in a lawsuit against the FAA and it’s supposed environmental impact report (that was computer generated and not based on reality).  They are currently in mediation behind closed doors about which no one seems to be able to get information.  The FAA has requested a 45-day extension on the stay for mediation, which is set to expire on November 17, 2017.   I sure would love to know what’s going on.
 
I’ve saved the best news for last.  The city of Phoenix, Arizona sued the FAA AND WON!!!  It took 2 years for the case to be heard (FAA is all about delay, delay, delay) and Citizens for No Plane Noise is currently digging into the case to see what we can use for our case.  There are many similarities and points that we can use in our lawsuit, as their issue is identical to ours minus the ocean! 
 
Yes, this is a slow process.  But in the meantime we need residents affected by the noise to write letters and more letters.  I personally am woken every morning at 7:02AM when the planes start roaring over my once quiet house.  In 2012 I NEVER had a plane.  Now it’s constant.  To learn how to write a complaint letter and to whom to write please go on our website NoPlaneNoise.us and look for the Laguna Beach tab.
 
Together we can make a lot of noise – we need to help our legislators help us!!
 
Michèle Monda
Citizens for No Plane Noise
Laguna Beach 

A Voice for Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens Paperback – August 30, 2016
by miss Lydie M Denier (Author), mrs Valda Organ (Editor), mr Craig Simon (Cover Design)
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What’s not to like about Ketta?  Unpretentious charisma, great soccer mom, school volunteer.  Good character not in question, it’s her judgment that let us down.

Ketta Brown told the Indy, “There’s so much new…coming down from federal and state government…I realize having been on the board for eight years, there’s a very steep learning curve…I bring knowledge of stuff we’re trying to get implemented.”

Public school trustees don’t just implement “stuff” that is “coming down” from Sacramento and Washington. Yet, Ketta embraces federal “common core” curriculum without question or exception. She praises “national uniformity,” so our kids can be profiled in a federal database, move to Arkansas, and fit into national “norms.”  She is quick with clichés about our kids becoming more “tech-savvy…like kids in Asia!”

The school board’s job includes compliance with federal and state mandates while retaining max local control of curriculum that our teachers, parents and community support.  By her own words Ketta thinks the school board works for federal politicians who imposed “No Child Left Behind,” and now mandated Common Core.

After an eight year learning curve Ketta is still being spoon-fed by the educational bureaucrats she is supposed to oversee.  Ketta sees it as normal that school staff and union representatives have a seat at the same table as school board but not parents or taxpayers.  She thinks its fine that consultants and vendors give hour-long sales pitches while busy parents wait hours for three minutes to speak on budget and personnel issues in the wee hours late at night.

Ketta had seven years on the job when she voted to the start school year in August with no public hearing, voted to give big salary raises for senior administrators who promptly were reassigned, resigned or were fired (one to escape sexual misconduct charges), just weeks after parents exposed school board’s lack of due diligence.

Ketta thinks asking a few timid questions is enough, but she has never voted against the majority. She has been intellectually submissive as a board member, and she has not earned more years.

Wasting tax dollars, treating parents who dare to dissent as a nuisance, and entrusting students to adults unfit for duty is not “for the kids.”  We fell for that and voted for Ketta twice, but no more.

Christopher Kling, Laguna Beach