Council hopefuls extol local art

Barbara Diamond

The arts took center stage at a City Council candidates forum

Saturday at the Laguna Playhouse.

All three candidates expressed support for the arts. No big

surprise.

The Laguna Beach Alliance for Arts sponsored the forum.

“I have no artistic talent whatsoever, but I appreciate art,”

candidate Jane Egly said in her opening statement. “You have made

that possible.

She expressed interest in the idea of moving the Laguna Art Museum

to the Village Entrance, a notion put forth by incumbent candidate

Wayne Baglin at another forum.

“My wife, Faye, and I have won awards for attending the Art Walk

and we own more than 48 pieces of local art, from a small Edgar Payne

to an edgy Mark Chamberlain,” Baglin said.

“I am committed to the arts, and the best way to maintain the arts

community is [to build] the Village Entrance.”

The arts community supports the construction of public parking for

their patrons at the Village Entrance and the relocation of the

maintenance yard to Act V, a position supported by incumbent

candidate Cheryl Kinsman.

“When I was elected in 2000, the Festival of Arts was on the way

out of town, but we stopped that,” Kinsman said. “Now the city has a

40-year lease with the festival, the Playhouse has a 40-year lease.

We have a city cultural arts department and special rules for the

arts in our sign ordinance and the [proposed] noise ordinance.”

About 60 people attended, the largest audience for any one forum.

The Election Fair’s three City Council mini-forums drew as many, but

was broken into thirds. The Top of the World Neighborhood

Assn./Temple Hills Community Assn. forum Monday drew about 25.

Festival of Arts President Anita Mangels phrased the questions

submitted by the arts forum audience in writing.

Questions included the effect of the noise ordinance on the

performing arts organizations and venues; the need for an arts

center, possibly in the Village Entrance; a concern that the city

would usurp the hotel tax that supports the arts; and the importance

of arts to the city.

“I have never seen the arts community healthier,” Baglin said. “I

have never seen the relationship between the city and the arts

better.”

However, he said, demands for more money for the arts means some

other areas get shortchanged.

Kinsman said her family’s name is among those on a wall at the

museum dedicated to those who fought to keep it here when the board

of directors wanted to take it out of town.

“We stopped that and now the festival has a 40-year lease with the

city,” Kinsman said. “I am proud to be a supporter of the arts.”

Egly said she saw no need to improve anything.

As far as art in public places is concerned, Kinsman said the

program is working well. She has consistently pushed for local

artists to be given special consideration for public art commissions.

Baglin said he disagreed with a Coastline Pilot editorial that

characterized the newest proposed sculptures of a couple and a woman

toting shopping bags as pedestrian.

Egly said she supports the program even if the art isn’t to her

taste.

“Controversy is part of art,” Egly said.

MAILERS

Negative mailers may be backfiring on the senders.

A committee created to defeat Councilman Wayne Baglin ratcheted up

its campaign this week, but included attacks on his record where he

is seen by many locals to be at his strongest: water pollution and

sunshine government.

The mailer from Citizens for Good, Honest Government and Civility

in Local Politics and Therefore Against Wayne Baglin mentions that he

was indicted on felony conflict of interest violations of state law,

but it does not mention that a jury found him not guilty.

Two mailers by Village Laguna caught some flack: One was about

mansionization and pictured a burned-out Mystic Hills, where the most

intense mansionization took place under a council in office more than

a decade ago, but the mailer blamed the current council majority for

approving huge homes. It included an uncredited quote about a very

large home on a very large lot that was characterized as a

neighborhood in itself.

The second mailer endorsed Baglin’s credentials on open space,

although he was the source of the uncredited quote. The mailer also

lambasted the current council for not acquiring open space, which

would have required delaying repairs to decaying infrastructure.

EARLY VOTING

There is no early voting at City Hall in Laguna Beach because

Deputy City Clerk Martha Anderson is on the ballot and the Orange

County Registrar of Voters doesn’t allow candidates to work at a

polling place.

However, Albertson’s Market has an early voting site inside the

store.

DATES TO REMEMBER

Cox Cable will air a taped City Council candidates forum at 3 p.m.

today; at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, both on channel 3; and at 3:30 a.m.

Oct. 31 on channel 30.

Tuesday is the last day the Registrar of Voters will act on mailed

applications for absentee ballots.

Nov. 2 at 8 p.m. is the deadline for absentee ballots to be

delivered to any polling place or the registrar’s office, 1300 S.

Grand Ave., Santa Ana. For more information, visit

www.oc.ca.gov/election or call (888) OCVOTES or (714) 567-7600.

FUNDRAISERS

* Sprinkles didn’t dampen the spirits of Jane Egly supporters who

attended the fundraiser hosted Sunday by Mark Fleming and Bill

Deland.

Among the supporters: Councilwoman Toni Iseman, Anne Cox and Dave

Schaar.

* Cheryl Kinsman fundraiser, 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, at Madison Square

and Garden Cafe. Suggested donation, $30. For more information, call

(949) 499-2900.

ONGOING

* Saturday night at the Movies, 7 p.m., Saturday at the Democratic

Club Headquarters, 1212 S. Coast Highway. Popcorn and soft drinks

provided or bring your own refreshments. Seating is limited. Beach

chairs suggested.

The headquarters is open from noon to 8 p.m. weekdays; noon to 9

p.m. weekends. For more information, call (949) 497-7027.

* Art Exhibit. “Meant Times Back Home,” through Nov. 2 at BC Space

Gallery, 235 Forest Ave. For more information, e-mail

[email protected], visit https://www.bcspace.com or call (949)

497-2880.

* Contributions to ELECTION ’04 NOTEBOOK are welcomed. Write to

Barbara Diamond, P.O. Box 248, Laguna Beach, 92652; hand-deliver to

384 Forest Ave., Suite 22; call (949) 494-4321 or fax (949) 494-8979.