Love Laguna Beach! byCheryl Kinsman Festival of Arts-what's the status of the lease negotiations?A year ago, one major question on all of our minds was "Will there be a Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach after this year?" On few occasions in the history of Laguna Beach have the people spoken with such single mindedness. Yes, there is a Festival, and yes, it will be in Laguna. For those who have seen the Pageant of the Masters this year, the magic remains-this year one of the best ever. Still, the issue of the lease of the Festival grounds is not resolved. What's going on? Simply stated, representatives of the Board of the Festival of Arts and representatives of the City Council are meeting on a weekly basis to come to a satisfactory lease. At our first meeting, we agreed to extend the current lease by a year. All negotiators felt that the first meeting was a positive step in the right direction. Many issues remain to be discussed. The City's negotiating team, Mayor Paul Freeman and Council member Cheryl Kinsman, will be meeting with the Festival negotiators to resolve the lease issues, including lease term, payment, and renovations.
			If you've heard it once, you've heard it a million times...Laguna Beach is a special place. The things that make it special are geographic in part-Laguna is the prettiest place in the world on a summer day. But that's only part of it. Laguna's people are special, self-selected to be part of this magic place. Whew! Now that that truth is out, we don't have to repeat it more than once or twice in this newsletter. This newsletter is provided for the people of Laguna Beach to keep you up to date on what's happening in your town. Some of the things in this issue are: *Festival of Arts-what's the status of the lease negotiations? *Changes are coming to South Laguna! *What's happening with El Toro Do you know someone who should be receiving this update? Please e-mail me their name and e-mail address and I'll add them to the list! My e-mail address is Cheryl@LoveLagunaBeach.com
					Changes are coming to South Laguna! In this year's city budget, there is money for redesign of the streetscape in the South Laguna Village area. This effort, spearheaded by citizen input, will provide a more beautiful southern entrance for Laguna Beach, and will revitalize the South Laguna Village area. The South Laguna Village Committee, headed by then Planning Commissioner Cheryl Kinsman, held a series of meetings. They decided that landscaped medians, better walkways, and a mix of resident serving businesses would benefit the South Laguna Village area, making this area more appealing to residents, and would provide a more attractive entrance into Laguna. As a City Council member, Cheryl Kinsman then worked to assure that money was set aside in this year's City budget to jump start this program. You can expect to see work begin on this project within the year. Be sure to sign the Orange County Central Park and Nature Preserve Initiative petition. It is important to do so to stop an airport at El Toro! Even if you signed a petition in May or June, sign the new green bordered petition to make your vote count.