Bluebird families get financial boost to rebuild

Six families whose homes were destroyed in the June 1 Bluebird Canyon landslide have received $8,000 in donated funds from the Laguna Relief and Resource Center and the Adopt a Landslide Family Committee to help them rebuild.

There are 13 families still not back in their homes. The donors will provide $8,000 later this year to each of the additional seven families whose properties are located at the top of the hill.

The $8,000 ? $5,000 from the Relief and Resource Center ? will help with geo-technical reports and initial engineering to begin the rebuilding process.

“Mayor Elizabeth Pearson-Schneider approached the Board of Directors of the Laguna Relief and Resource Center to consider advancing funds that had been raised for the families to distribute to those who are now able to start rebuilding,” said Ed Sauls, president of the board of the Resource Center.

“Elizabeth said that the families at the bottom of the hill were now able to start rebuilding and needed funds to help with their geo reports and their structural engineering and that those costs were estimated at $8,000 each,” Sauls said. “Our Board agreed that timing was of the essence and voted to meet the need as quickly as possible.”

Artists’ greetings cards approved

A proposal to create greeting cards from the city’s holiday palettes got off the drawing board Tuesday.

Card sales would benefit needy artists and be a significant public relations coup for the city, said Councilwoman Toni Iseman, who campaigned for the move.

“It would be great if visitors could leave our town with something better than a T-shirt,” she said.

The council will form a committee, which will include Arts Commissioner Terry Smith, to oversee the project.

The Sawdust Festival and Festival of Arts Benevolent Funds will be the beneficiaries of the proceeds.

Artist Iris Adam requested the council include Art-A-Fair ? which does not have a benevolent fund ? in the project, at least as a member of the committee.

Adam, who chaired the annual palette competition for 14 years as an Arts Commissioner, said that her records, which go up to 1995, show 45 of the city’s palettes were done by Art-A-Fair exhibitors.

Arts Commissioner Michael Tauber said the proposal was complex and recommended limiting it for the first year to palettes created last year by children.

? By Barbara Diamond

Speakers to talk on Israel and Palestine

The Laguna Beach United Methodist Church invites the community to join in for a presentation and discussion on Israel-Palestine Challenges and Opportunities at 7 p.m. Sunday.

Speakers Jerry Campbell and Rev. Preston Price recently returned from an educational tour of Israel and Palestine. Rev. Price is the Senior Pastor at Anaheim United Methodist Church and Campbell is the newly appointed President of the Claremont School of Theology.

The 7 p.m. program will be preceded at 6:30 p.m. with a potluck supper at the church, 21632 Wesley Drive. Reservations:

(949) 499-3088.

‘Leadership For Good’ seminar

The Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a leadership training seminar, “Leadership for Good,” by Mark Light from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Hotel Laguna.

Light will use the character of George Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart) from “It’s a Wonderful Life” to illustrate his theme.

Light is president of First Light Group, an executive training firm in Dayton, Ohio. He has made appearances for clients including BoardSource, the International Leadership Assn., the Ontario Public School Boards Assn., the Ohio Society for Certified Public Accountants, and the National Performing Arts Convention.

Members: $65, non-members, $95. Information: (949) 494-1018.

Womenade for cancer-stricken boy

Womenade, a group of Laguna Beach women who meet four times year to raise funds to assist individuals, are mobilizing to provide support for the family of Joey Masella, a Laguna Beach boy who suffers from epidermis bullosa, a rare disease. He is now facing a series of cancer surgeries at Children’s Hospital of San Diego and the family needs help with related expenses.

The group’s next fundraising dinner will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 5, at the home of organizer Stephanie Donavan, and funds raised will be given to the Masella family.