CITY ROUNDUP: Council would bury power lines

The Laguna Beach City Council wants to eliminate utility poles along Laguna Canyon Road.

The poles are repeatedly struck by out-of-control vehicles, causing not only power outages but resulting in frequent closures of the vital roadway.

Mayor Tony Iseman and Councilwoman Elizabeth Schneider proposed the idea Nov. 6.

“It has become a big safety issue,” Schneider said. “It is time to get serious.”

Iseman and Schneider said vehicles running into poles had led to serious injuries and disrupted essential services to residents and businesses.

Furthermore, they said, the havoc created on the road over the Labor Day weekend after a tree toppled onto a utility line demonstrated the need to underground the lines on both sides of the road.

The council voted unanimously to have City Manager Ken Frank work with utility companies and prepare a rough estimate of the cost of putting utility lines underground along Laguna Canyon Road and report back with financing options.

Clinic to benefit from Christmas party

Laguna Beach Community Clinic will benefit from Stylistic Intervention’s annual Christmas party Saturday.

The 6 to 10 p.m. event, catered by Such A Great Party, features a raffle and silent auction items donated by local artists. All proceeds from drink sales, raffle tickets and silent auction items will go directly toward the programs of the clinic. The store is located at 381 Forest Ave., Laguna Beach.

This is the third such event that Stylistic’s owner, Sondra Piorek, has designed to help the clinic. “I feel that LBCC is an invaluable asset to this community, and I want to do what I can to help,” Piorek said.

“Laguna Beach Community Clinic is extremely grateful for the dedication and support of people in this community, like Sondra, who help us make health care available for all,” said Dr. Thomas C. Bent, clinic medical director.

For more information, call (949) 494-0761, ext. 134 or (949) 464-3909. For general information about the clinic, visit www.lbclinic.org

Quilter to speak on native people

Charles J. Quilter II will present a program titled, “Effects of Spanish Colonialism, Disease and Religion on Orange County Native Takic-Speaking Peoples” from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday at Laguna Beach City Council Chambers, 505 Forest Ave.

The program is sponsored by the Laguna Beach Historical Society, which will also conduct a short business meeting and elect a board of directors.

Quilter, a retired Marine colonel, is a doctoral candidate in history at UCI. He uses Spanish records as well as recent scholarship on disease, religion and identity to discuss the questions: What happened to the original inhabitants this region after the first Spanish explorers visited the area in 1542; why didn’t Spain colonize California earlier; and finally, how did the Spanish project to convert these peoples to Christianity actually work?

Quilter is also the longtime president of the Laguna Beach Patriots Day Parade Assn. He served as an aviator in Vietnam and later as a military historian in the Desert Storm, Bosnia and Iraq conflicts. He has written two books on Marine Corps history.

Festival of Harmony this weekend

South Asian Helpline and Referral Agency, a group dedicated to helping South Asian women, is sponsoring a two-day International Festival of Harmony Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Festival of Arts grounds, 650 Laguna Canyon Road.

Daily admission is $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors; children seven and younger are free.

For more information, call (562) 402-4132.

Thanksgiving dinner helps animals

RUFF (Rescuing Unwanted Furry Friends) is sponsoring its annual Thanksgiving dinner from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday at Tivoli Terrace, 650 Laguna Canyon Road, on the Festival of Arts grounds. Dogs are also invited.

People can enjoy a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings or a vegetarian option. The cost for adults is $35 in advance or $40 at the door. Tickets for children younger than 12 are $15. For reservations, call (949) 340-2239.

RUFF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping pets and their owners with financial assistance for veterinary care.

Tarnished Treasures sale planned

The Woman’s Club of Laguna Beach is hosting its annual Tarnished Treasures sale at 11 a.m. Nov. 30 at the club, 286 St. Ann’s Drive, Laguna Beach. The sale starts at 11 a.m., with lunch served at noon, and the silent auction finishing at 1:30 p.m.

Tickets are $22 in advance and $25 at the door. Checks may be mailed by Nov. 23 to: Woman’s Club of Laguna Beach, TT Luncheon, 286 St. Ann’s Drive, Laguna Beach, CA 92651

Proceeds from the event benefit the clubhouse renovations and resource programs. Donations of items for sale are needed and can be delivered to the club between 2 and 5 p.m. Nov. 29.

Trash pickup delay for Thanksgiving

Waste Management of Orange County’s trash and recycling pick-up schedule will be delayed by one day in the days following Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22. Customers who receive service Thursdays and Fridays should place their bins out for pick-up one day later than usual, Nov. 23 and Nov. 24.

“Customers who usually receive service Thursday, which is Thanksgiving Day, will receive it on Friday, and Friday customers will receive service on Saturday,” said David Ross, senior district manager. For more information, call (949) 642-1191, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon, or visit www.wmorangecounty.com.

World AIDS Day observed Dec. 1

Laguna Beach will observe World AIDS Day Dec. 1 with a display of quilts and ribbons commemorating more than 200 local deaths due to AIDS, and free HIV tests. A candlelight vigil will take place at 5 p.m. at Main Beach.

The HIV Advisory Committee will be at the Main Beach cobblestones with a display of quilt panels created to honor the lives of people who died from AIDS, according to Scott Alan of the committee.

The Laguna Beach Community Clinic will give free HIV tests from 1 to 4 p.m., as well as counseling. Shanti OC, AIDS Service Foundation OC, AIDS Care Teams In Our Neighborhoods, Laguna High School students and Laguna Drug will also be present to answer any questions.

At 5 p.m., there will be a candlelight vigil and a calling of the names of those lost to AIDS.