Mailbag: Desalination could provide more drinking water

I am now convinced that ocean desalination will provide almost 10% of our future potable (drinking) water requirements here in the Southern Orange County.

Waiting any longer to embrace it will jeopardize those critical needs.

Here in South O.C., due to ancient infrastructure and EPA regulations, fires are fought using exclusively potable supply lines.

Twenty years ago, here in Laguna Beach, as a volunteer myself, I can attest that we basically ran out.

Only the wind shifting 180 degrees around 7 p.m. saved us or it would have burnt down the rest of our region.

We should consider starting long-term commitments and public or private partnerships now, before a major disaster, or state legislation, leaves us isolated and cut off from 100% imported allocations and entitlements. There’s little drinking water available in the O.C. other than small well draftings and expensive advance treatment processes.

If you thought recycled water, water efficient washing machines and/or militant conservation will solve all of our potential needs, you’re being unrealistic and Pollyanna — read my column and think it over again.

Desalination has been categorically demonized by know-nothings.

Roger Butow

Laguna Beach

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Confiscating skateboards is too much

I ride the buses because I have no car so almost daily I see the Laguna Beach Police dealing with people who are very troubled at the bus station downtown and all over town.

In one recent incident, a homeless man, who has been in town for years, was being given a ticket and was cursing the two cops beyond belief. When given the ticket, he wadded it up and threw it on the cement. I thought the cops should do something, but they didn’t.

In my opinion, Laguna Beach cops are great, but I am happy to join Councilman Kelly Boyd in saying that confiscating skateboards because of this or that is too much.

Roger Carter

Laguna Beach

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Funding sources dealt with improperly

In three years of meetings with residents, city staff and City Councilmembers, the Complete Streets Task Force identified sources of public funding for infrastructure projects as early as June 2009, again in April, July and August 2010.

The city never applied for these sources of public funding until now (Enhanced Mobility and Complete Streets Transition Plan, 2012 recently approved by Caltrans). The reasons the city never applied for these sources are because:

•The funding recommendation from CSTF never reached Planning Commission staff.

•The CSTF liaison(s) never passed the funding recommendation to Planning Commission staff.

•City Council gave little regard for CSTF research so they did nothing with the funding recommendations.

•The Planning Commission did nothing with the information passed to them.

Our city government would serve its residents better if process dysfunction like this ceased immediately and the value of contributions made by resident volunteers were taken seriously.

Residents should note to vote carefully this election.

Les Miklosy

Laguna Beach

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Friendship city a serendipitous choice

After not living in Laguna Beach for a long time, a few days ago I picked up the Coastline Pilot in order to catch up on local news. As I flipped through the pages I was delighted to read that the City Council chose as a friend city the city of St. Ives in Cornwall.

I moved to England three years ago and lived in Winchester, Southwest England, about an hour from London. The first place I visited was St. Ives, located on the Southwest tip of England, facing Ireland.

I was immediately charmed by this quaint fisherman village with its dramatic tides, cobble stone streets, changing weather moods and art historical background. However, it is a six-hour train journey from London and a long drive as well, so it is a bit isolated, wonderfully so.

As it would be, I started working for the Tate museum in London and part of my position was to go regularly to the Tate St. Ives. I therefore had the luck of returning every few months for work, hearing the gulls and feeling the ocean air again (as I dreamed about Laguna). I also took my family there to share with them my discovery. Something about it made me feel closer to Laguna.

So after only 10 days back here, reading about this choice has been a serendipitous event for me. St. Ives and Laguna are now connected. A wise choice indeed.

Genny Boccardo-Dubey

Laguna Beach