Laguna Niguel : Decision on Community Services District Delayed

The Local Agency Formation Commission postponed a decision Tuesday on whether to allow Laguna Niguel residents to vote on becoming a community services district.

“This is one of the most complicated matters I’ve ever come across,” county Supervisor Roger R. Stanton, chairman of the commission, said after an hourlong barrage of testimony from both sides.

The commission ended the public hearing on the issue but voted unanimously to delay a decision until its next meeting June 4. The commission’s recommendation goes to the Board of Supervisors for a final vote.

Paul Christiansen, a member of the Laguna Niguel Community Council, requested this third commission hearing in hopes that residents could vote on the issue in the November election.

A community services district is often referred to as a “junior city” because it offers residents some, but not all, of the services and controls of a full-fledged city.

Residents of coastal Laguna Niguel expressed opposition to being included in the district because they said they felt more community identification with nearby South Laguna. They presented two petitions with at least 2,000 signatures opposing the proposal and supporting a separate community services district for the coastal area.

The commission’s recommendation probably will determine whether residents can vote on either one or two districts, and where the boundaries of the proposed districts will be.