TIMES ORANGE COUNTY POLL : Laguna Residents Praise Rescuers, Curse Politicians : Reaction: Firefighters, police and volunteers win accolades, but city and state officials get much lower ratings. Lack of reservoir, slow air assault cited.

The traumatized residents of Laguna Beach offered a resounding thank-you to the rescue crews and volunteers who came to their aid in last week’s firestorm, but a recent Times Orange County Poll also found that their feelings toward state and city leaders are not nearly so warm.

Nine out of 10 Laguna Beach residents contacted within a week of the wildfire that raced through their neighborhoods and destroyed 366 homes described the emergency response by firefighters and the humanitarian efforts of charity groups as good or excellent.

Police crews were rated almost as highly, with just a handful of respondents--10%--saying that safety personnel did only a fair or poor job.

Most of the 600 adults surveyed in Laguna Beach and Emerald Bay--a separate community also struck by the fire last week--seemed to blame the fire on forces of nature manifested in a hot and gusty Santa Ana wind.

But where they could point fingers, many were aimed at the elected offices responsible for disaster preparations.

The City Council majority is “more concerned about the environment than they are about people,” said William Harcum, a 72-year-old man who has spent half of his life in Laguna Beach. “I’d like to see them recalled.”

Fewer than half of the respondents rated the city government’s response to the fire as good or excellent and a third said it was either fair or poor. There was a similar attitude about the performance of Gov. Pete Wilson and the state government, where bureaucratic snags have been blamed for a delayed response by firefighting aircraft.

More than 300 people packed the Laguna Beach City Council chambers Tuesday for a sometimes raucous meeting about the fire that included calls for elected officials to step down.

Mayor Lida Lenney was shoved Sunday by an angry fire victim and at least one community group has promised to sponsor a recall drive aimed at unseating the council.

Much of the community’s ire stems from the council’s rejection of plans to build a 3.5-million-gallon hilltop reservoir because of the structure’s impact on the environment and the view. Firefighters in the Laguna blaze were severely hampered by low water pressure, and officials said a reservoir could have been a big help.

A third of those surveyed in The Times poll seemed to agree, saying the inadequate water supply was one of the chief reasons for the destruction of homes. And in retrospect, most Laguna residents expressed little opposition to the reservoir.

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Nearly four out of five respondents said they now favor construction of the reservoir, despite the council’s environmental concerns. Less than 10% opposed the idea.

Steve Manahan, 41, is one of the Laguna Beach residents who blames the start of the fire on an arsonist but much of the destruction on inadequate preparations for a fire disaster.

“I firmly believe some of those homes could have been saved if there had been a reservoir,” said Manahan, who has lived in Laguna Beach for seven years. Manahan said he was out of town during the fire and that neighbors helped save his home by watering down the roof.

“I’m lucky,” he said. “My home survived. I live in a great neighborhood.”

Even without a recall, three of the council’s five members are up for reelection next year. And as things stand now, the council members would have to run as incumbents on a panel that is not very popular.

In The Times survey, which was concluded Wednesday night by Mark Baldassare & Associates, nearly half of the respondents said they have an unfavorable opinion of the City Council. Just 15% said they have a “very favorable” opinion and 27% viewed the panel as “somewhat favorable.”

The complaints were most pronounced among upper-income and older residents.

While there was unhappiness with the council’s performance, most of the blame for the fire was directed at Mother Nature. About two-thirds of those polled said the chief cause of the blaze was a Santa Ana wind that gusted up to 80 m.p.h.

Just a quarter of the respondents mentioned the arsonist being sought by authorities, indicating that most believe the fire could have been extinguished had it not been aided by the wind.

While there was high praise for the efforts of firefighters, many people also thought some of the destruction could have been avoided if fire crews were better equipped.

Fifteen percent of the respondents said they believe the firefighting resources were overburdened and 11% said a quicker response by firefighting aircraft could have limited the spread of the blaze. Another 6% said there was poor coordination by emergency services.

Standing amid the ashes of ruined homes, Gov. Wilson said last week that one of the major contributors to the destruction was the penchant of many Californians to live in remote canyons that are beautiful but dangerous.

Just 6% of those surveyed seemed to agree with the governor.

But a quarter of the respondents sided with Wilson in pointing a finger at combustible roofing materials and landscaping that surrounds many homes with highly flammable vegetation.

In the wake of the disasters, Wilson has renewed a call for tougher zoning laws aimed at reducing the risk of fire and the danger to firefighters. The remedies include wider streets for better access, a flora-free buffer around homes and flame-resistant roofing materials.

Almost 10% agreed that the narrow roads contributed to the problems in Laguna Beach. Another 12% said the close proximity of many houses also aided the fire’s progress.

Virginia Anderson, a 56-year-old resident in Bluebird Canyon, agreed that there are plenty of things that could be done to prepare for another fire. But in the end, she said, it was simply the forces of nature that swept through Laguna’s scenic hillsides.

“These winds are terrible things,” said Anderson, who has lived in Laguna Beach for 21 years. “Sure we have things in Laguna that might contribute, such as narrow roads. But it was the weather conditions--it was nature--that caused the most destruction. Weather conditions were horrible, and it was so dry.”

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Times staff writer Bill Billiter contributed to this report.

DISASTER RESPONSE

* How would you rate the response of the following to last week’s fire?

Excellent/ Fair/ Don’t Good Poor know Churches, charities, 92% 1% 7% volunteer groups Firefighters 90 7 3 Police, emergency service 87 10 3 City government 46 33 21 Gov. Pete Wilson, 49 39 12 state government

* Less than 1%

FIXING THE BLAME

What’s most to blame for the destruction visited on Laguna by last week’s fire? Most residents point to the Santa Ana winds that whipped the blaze into a firestorm. Only about half as many say it was an inadequate water supply.

* Who or what do you blame the most for the major property destruction that occurred as a result of the fire that hit the Laguna Beach area?

Santa Ana weather conditions: 65% Inadequate water supply: 33 Arsonists: 24 Landscaping and roofing of homes: 24 Overburdened firefighting resources: 15 Houses too close together: 12 Slow response by firefighting planes: 11 Narrow roads: 9 Poor coordination by emergency services: 6 People living in dangerous places: 6 City Council: 3 Other responses: 4 Note: Total adds to more than 100% because of multiple responses.

COUNCIL CRITICISM

Only about one person in seven has a very favorable view of the Laguna Beach City Council, while three times as many are unfavorably disposed. At the same time, about three people in four favor construction of a reservoir the council has opposed.

* Overall, what is your view of the Laguna Beach City Council?

Very Somewhat Don’t favorable favorable Unfavorable know All residents 15% 27% 47% 11% 18-34 years old 15 33 40 12 35-54 16 25 48 11 55 and older 14 24 50 12 Less than $25,000 16 37 32 15 $25,000-$49,999 17 27 43 13 $50,000-$74,999 20 31 41 8 $75,000 or more 11 25 57 7

* Laguna Beach water district officials say construction of a 3.5-million-gallon reservoir near the Top of the World area is needed, while the City Council has opposed the reservoir on environmental grounds. Do you favor or oppose construction of this reservoir? Favor: 77% Oppose: 9 Don’t know: 14

Source: Times Orange County Poll

How the Poll Was Conducted

The Times Orange County Poll was conducted by Mark Baldassare & Associates. The telephone survey of 600 Laguna Beach and Emerald Bay adult residents was conducted from Nov. 1 to Nov. 3 on weekday nights. A computer-generated random sample of telephone numbers was used. The margin of error for the total sample is plus or minus 4% at the 95% confidence level. That means it is 95% certain the results are within 4 percentage points of what they would be if every Laguna Beach and Emerald Bay adult resident were interviewed. Since this was a household survey, it did not include interviews with residents whose homes were destroyed in the fire.