Mailbag: Newport council is doing a disservice to Joy Brenner and her district

The Dec. 16 edition of the Daily Pilot featured the Newport Beach City Council electing Kevin Muldoon, as mayor again, after he served in 2017. And the newest member of this good ol’ boys’ club, Noah Blom, was elected mayor pro tempore.

What a breath of fresh air would have blown through the council chambers if Mr. Blom had declined the nomination and deferred to fellow member and nominee, Joy Brenner. Elected to the City Council in 2018, Ms. Brenner was an active and involved resident of Corona del Mar before her election. She continues to work hard for her district and the city. She is very well qualified to serve as mayor or mayor pro tempore but has been continually slighted by the council majority. District 6, which she represents, has not had a council representative serve as mayor or mayor pro tempore since 2012. The residents of Corona del Mar deserve fairness by the council majority.

The residents are watching and noting how the majority of the council and the city attorney are working hand in hand to promote an expensive special election to put a directly elected mayor in place. The consolidation of power such an office would create would not well serve the residents of this city. The continued favoritism, displayed by members Muldoon, Marshall Duffield, Blom and Will O’Neill, and their promotion of the flawed plan to directly elect a mayor and eliminate an entire district is clear evidence that those members are chiefly looking out for themselves and centralizing power.

Janet Clarke
Corona del Mar

Vendor had diverse offerings in support of cause

Our all-volunteer rescue efforts at Recycled Pets Rescue have existed for over 30 years and helped thousands of abused, sick and senior pets throughout the country.

We agree with some of the information that was printed regarding hospitality night in Laguna Beach on Dec. 3. Sadly, our experience with Sandy Morales, the chief executive of the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce, was nothing but positive until one or two people complained with louder voices than the hundreds who thanked us for being there.

Morales claimed I stated I was referred by a chamber ambassador and, without providing any name, claimed her event staff checked our booth. At no time did anyone from the chamber or working the event request we take down any of the diverse items we had available, many of which were donated to us. If any representative had requested this, we would have immediately complied.

Via email I offered to pay for the booth or pay to join the chamber since I spend much of my time in Laguna, none of which the chamber required.

The photos in the article failed to show the free Homeopet supplements we were offering in addition to the rainbow flags, love beanies, pet bandanas and other pet Christmas items, showing the diversity that our charity expresses.

I pray we can work on peacefully coexisting and expressing more tolerance for different opinions for the greater good of all. For any of you who had hatred toward us who needs help with an animal, we welcome the opportunity to meet, unify and help your four-legged ones thrive as so many have that were given death sentences before coming into our care and being saved.

Randi Berger
Encino

Local chorus prompts tuneful idea

LagunaTunes Community Chorus is alive and well in south Orange County. After months of Zoom rehearsals, the fully masked 25-member choral group finally performed live again after a two-year hiatus thanks to COVID-19. It was, in a word, joyous.

As the group was belting out traditional holiday favorites Sunday, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would take to bring members of both political parties together to perform as a bipartisan Congressional Chorus?

I have never sung in a choral group, but my friends in LagunaTunes tell me friendships not only are made during rehearsals, they endure long after the last song is performed. Wouldn’t it be great to see Orange County House members Republican Michelle Steel and Democrat Katie Porter singing side by side during the holidays?

If that happened, maybe their parties could figure out ways to harmonize later in the year for the good of the country.

Denny Freidenrich
Laguna Beach

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