LAGUNA NIGUEL : City Plans Appeal on Monarch Beach

Rejecting a recent court decision that Monarch Beach should be part of Dana Point, the city of Laguna Niguel has decided to continue its effort to control the valuable strip of coastline by appealing to the state Supreme Court.

The boundaries of the 1.5-mile strip, historically part of the Laguna Niguel community, were redrawn by the Local Agency Formation Commission after Monarch Beach residents voted in 1987 to become a part of Dana Point when it incorporated.

Laguna Niguel has suffered a string of legal defeats in its attempt to reclaim the land, which includes the posh Ritz-Carlton resort and was the city’s only link to the sea.

Most recently, the 4th District Court of Appeal upheld the 1988 LAFCO decision that transferred Monarch Beach from the Laguna Niguel Community Services District to Capistrano Bay Park and Recreation District. The Laguna Niguel City Council unanimously agreed Tuesday to ask the state’s highest court to review the LAFCO decision and to uphold that appeal.

“That’s honoring a commitment to the community,” Laguna Niguel Mayor Patricia C. Bates said. “It is part of a process we anticipated and had a commitment to.”

Bates said the larger community--not just Monarch Beach--should have voted on the boundary dispute, since the entire community of Laguna Niguel was affected by the land transfer. The issue has been important enough to residents, she said, that lawsuits to date have been funded by community contributions. Dana Point officials, however, say pursuing the battle is a waste of time and money.

“This has been debated and argued and gone over so many times that I can’t believe Laguna Niguel would believe there’s anything new they’d have to adjudicate,” Dana Point Mayor Mike Eggers said. “I think it’s gone beyond just a political fight and has now reached almost the point of being ridiculous.”