Laguna Niguel Planning

City of Laguna Niguel
City Council
Joe Brown
Gary Capata
Paul G Glaab
Linda Lindholm
Robert Ming

My City Manager sent me a letter asking that I provide input on meeting my existing and emerging needs. I assume he was unhappy about something I wrote in the Register regarding “The City Council has no fiscal responsibility and should stop all construction on the over budget, unnecessary palace and sell the land.” California faces junk bond status. Our City tax revenues are crashing. There are major budget cuts
for our teachers next it will be fire and police.

The multicolored embossed letter offers a link to surveys.survey.network.com/comdev

BUT the link doesn’t work. The link actually directs you to a Canadian lottery to win
a Ford Mustang. I welcome all to have at it and drive that Ford down from Dawson City in Northern Canada.

In response to your lovely letter, I expect you to spend money as if it was being borrowed from your Grandmother who survived The Great Depression. We have now repaired the median on Golden Lantern with lush landscaping and new traffic design four times in three years, and the road appears about the same. We do need to pay our teachers, firemen, Sherriff the same salary they have become accustomed. I stand by my plan to join a Tri-City merger of all duplicated services.



Thank you for asking for my input. If I win the Mustang please donate it to a raffle to gather the funding we need for schools.

Goldman Sachs Wrote Banking Bill?

Rally the troops.
Obama calls America to rage mighty fists up against Wall Street.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner encited politicians and Americans
to wage a "just war" of reforming the banking sector.
Senator Christopher Dodd leads the charge;
but (in the background Goldman Sachs).

Obama honors Dodd, for financial regulatory reform.
Did he give a Saint Crispian Day Speech?

 Gilda Radner, God rest her beautiful soul, would say in character.
 ‘nevermind’ America is busy watching Dancing with the Stars.

Mr Geithner, is handsome enough to be one of the next dancing partners.
It might improve the listening audience to hear about exactly where Wall Street is today.

"Rather proclaim it,'MARKET MAKERS', through my host,

That he which hath no stomach to this fight,

Let him depart; his passport shall be made,

And crowns for convoy put into his purse;

We would not die in that man’s company

That fears his fellowship to die with us.

This day is call’d the feast of Crispian.

He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,

Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam’d,

And rouse him at the name of Crispian."



Henry V ( 1599) by William Shakespeare

Capistrano School Students Strike

My budget cut ideas:


There are 329 Unified Districts, 561 Elementary 88 High School and

76 other. Some are State funded some are local tax based.

These could be consolidated and reduce average district administrative salary $67000 average superintendant. $ 137000 and cut salaries and buildings in half or more. I could cut $ 30 million in two months

For example Let us sell the $ 38 million + dollar Taj Mahal palace that houses less than 250 employees of the Capo District for $2o million. A good leader could assess which employees are the best and Capo moves into Saddleback offices by Fall of next year. This would be state wide and rolling closures.



Special Education needs a big haircut. I know this is unpopular but special interest groups, Mediators, Lawyers and "numbered Plans" have created a monster whereby a student is given sometimes two full time aids to follow them around school and tag team.



If we don't cut we are doomed.



Taking 10% from a teacher's paycheck is not how a financially savvy CEO would slash.



California is going to face junk bond ratings and be bankrupt.



I am not keeping my children home tomorrow. I am going to stand with a sign with Arnold's phone number (916) 445-2841 and will someone please post the phone numbers for the board members- maybe all parents need to call and tell them to put the building up for sale today.



If the Board is so wasteful to hire guards with guns they had better all quit. That is the quickest method to start a riot.

Why has the Board failed to ask parents to come down and stand up peacefully to make certain our children are safe? I will come, I will get my neighbor and my Mother – Capo Board of Trustees you need to take some classes on negotiating before you hire guns.

Laguna Lap Band Surgi & Medical Marijuana Kiosk

CNBC and Ben Bernanke say the Recession is over. The stock market is 11017 today.


I don’t buy the Great Recession label it is the trough of the second Depression. I try to keep it positive and find solutions and maybe this sounds crazy but kiosks for what Americans are buying maybe could keep us afloat?

I just don’t buy it. Just as I won’t buy Dior, Gaultier, or Prada right now. Orange County retail has not come back. It’s not the disaster that residential is because landlords and banks aren’t evicting major tenants. ICSC states statistics of less than seven percent vacancy but I drive Pacific Coast Highway daily and I see about 20% of the storefronts with “for lease” signs. Those vacancy blemishes are even seen by the Irvine Company and Koll Company.



For example: restaurants. I thank heaven my favorites are still open: Jack’s in Dana Point, Dizz’s, the Splashes Bar, Sapphire, and Mayur are all still active and serving wonderful meals. However, my personal best list does not include the sector most likely to survive (which is anywhere that sells lunch and a drink for under five dollars). In about a year more than one hundred restaurants have closed in Orange County. I am sure I missed some so please comment and add your input.



1. Champagnes Newport Beach

2. Finbars Italian Kitchen in Rancho Santa Margarita

3. Sandella’s Flatbread Bakery in Aliso Viejo

4. Brea closures: Carvao Grill, Club 330, Market City Cafe.

5. Irvine-based Juice it Up Woodbury Town Center

6. Train Wreck Pizza‎, Los Alamitos,

7. The Front Porch BBQ in Huntington Beach

8. Fatburger, Quiznos and Extreme Pizza Trabuco

9. Quiznos in Westminster, Fullerton Tustin Orange

10. Yogen Fruz in Brea

11. Baja Fresh in Newport Beach at The Bluffs

12. Jody Maroni’s at The Block in Orange

13. Piccomolo Italian Ice Cream sWoodbury Town Center.

14. Lakeview Cafe in Placentia,

15. Fusion Roll and Sushi Costa Mesa.

16. The Carl’s Jr. Fountain Valley

17. Quiznos in Santa Ana,

18. Pacific Whey Cafe Ladera Ranch.

19. Haute Links in Irvine and Lake Forest

20. Sandbox Sports Bar in Huntington Beach

21. Bill’s Burgers 2 storesSanta Ana

22. 5 MaggieMoo’s ice cream shops)

23. Westbay Cafe Huntington Beach

24. TCBY (frozen yogurt) in Laguna Niguel

25. Greek Garden Grill in Orange

26. The Arches, a Newport Beach institution

27. Ho-Toy’s Chinese Cuisine in Trabuco Canyon

28. Peet’s Coffee in Anaheim Hills

29. Daphne’s Greek Cafe at the Orange and Santa Ana

30. The Beach House in Dana Point,

31. Cold Stone Creamery in Santa Ana

32. McDonald’s closes at Fashion Island

33. Waters Restaurant and Mezzanine Restaurant, both in Irvine

34. Lugatti’s Italian Grill in Huntington Beach

35. Champps in Irvine

36. The Pleasant Peasant

37. Topz in Santa Ana and Orange

38. Red Mango Fullerton and Laguna Niguel.

39. The Juice it Up Irvine

40. Johnny Rockets in Lake Forest

41. Carl’s Jr. Fullerton

42. Sumo Sushi Irvine

43. Bliss Froyo in Orange

44. The Black Angus Fullerton

45. Cold Stone Creamery Orange

46. Golden Spoon Yogurt s

47. Bistro West Tustin

48. The Wicked Garden Dana Point

49. Table Ten Fullerton

50. Mel’s Drive-in in Seal Beach

51. Jason’s Downtown Restaurant

52. Beach Berries in Costa Mesa

53. Burger King Laguna Niguel

54. Yum Yum Costa Mesa.

55. Wienerschnitzel in Mission Viejo

56. Go Roma at Tustin

57. The Clubhouse at South Coast Plaza

58. Via de France at The Shops in Mission Viejo

59. Vessia Ristorante in Irvine

60. Pasta Pomodoro in Huntington

61. Charo Chicken Irvine

62. Contodo Mexican Grill

63. Z Pizza in Foothill Ranch.

64. Mesa Grill in Santa Ana

65. Bob’s Kabob in Foothill Ranch

66. Sushi 5 Tustin,

67. Stella Cafe in Corona del Mar

68. Baja Fresh in Anaheim Hills.

69. Dickey’s BBQ in Irvine

70. Gen Kai Dana Point- fire?Red Robin Stanton

71. Baja Fresh in Santa Ana

72. Blue Coral Seafood & Spirits in Fashion Island noone seems to make it in that pad-

73. Karuta Restaurant in Buena Park,

74. Brea Mall :;Arby’s , Volcano Tea House, Teriyaki Palace.

75. Purplefeet Dana Point

76. East Avenue Bistro in Tustin

77. Blue Fish in Santa Ana has

78. Mustard Cafe Mission Viejo and Orange.

79. Cask ‘n Cleaver Orange,

80. Starbucks in Brea

81. Haru Izakaya in Tustin

82. Shore House Cafe in Huntington Beach and San Clemente

83. Gen Kai in Irvine

84. Peking Garden in Orange h

85. Savannah Supper Club in Costa Mesa

86. Yamabuki Anaheim

87. Thai Spice in Lake Forest

88. Wendy’s at Foothill Ranch

89. Cherry Berry Lake Forest

90. Juice it Up Anaheim i.

91. R&D Deli Grill & Catering in Lake Forest

92. Black Angus Lake Forest and Tustin

93. Izakaya Zero, Huntington Beach,

94. Islands, Laguna Hills.

95. Kona,Sunset Beach,

96. East Avenue Bistro in Tustin

97. Bobby McGee’s in Brea.

98. Ono Ono Hawaiian Barbecue in Rancho Santa Margarita.

99. Fresca’s Mexican Grill i Foothill Ranch

100. Sizzler in San Juan Capistrano

101. Juice it Up and Pasta Bravo Market Place in Irvine)

102. Hof’s Hut in Orange

103. Raku Raku Lake Forest.

104. Triple S restaurant in Tustin .

105. Mama and Papa’s New York Pizza in Fullerton

106. Alvarado’s Kitchen in Anaheim Hills is closed,

107. Bristol Farms,

108. Aldo’s Ristorante in Orange

109. El Torito Grill in Mission Viejo



So where does this lead me? What businesses will survive? Laguna Beach and San Clemente are against national chain brands entering their markets. The national brands looking to expand are those such as Bed Bath and Beyond and Discount Retailers. As much as my teenage son would support a Game Stop store in Laguna, I just don’t see it ever getting through the planning commission. My teens have always been the best stock pickers and crystal ball economists. .My eldest teen Blair could have told you Rock & Republic was out of style twenty four months ago. Perhaps our City Planning might consider a sporting goods supply (not surf but baseball football and teen boys sports clothing) and a small version of Forever 21? If they don’t we are going to be seeing billboards for LAP Band surgery centers and Medical Marijuana Doctor stores. Perhaps we can put them in kiosks or mobile homes and disguise them just for tax basis?  All written with a light heart to brainstorm solutions.