Mailbag: Ranch lawsuit needs to be dropped

Mark Fudge needs to be stopped in his tracks. He has gone too far.

He is wasting city funds and making a joke of the system.

I have lived in Laguna Beach for more than 30 years and am an active supporter of all aspects of the environment and am very familiar with The Ranch restoration project.

The restoration is both beautiful and sensitive to the environment.

For a person who has an obvious agenda to waste everyone’s time to challenge its approval is sickening because it has no merit. I have enjoyed what was called Ben Brown’s for 25 years. Even when it was not well maintained I enjoyed its natural beauty. You only have to view the property to realize this man is self-serving and does not deserve to call himself a resident of Laguna Beach. Mr. Fudge needs to drop this ridiculous lawsuit.

Joel Cooper

Laguna Beach

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Memo to seniors: Don’t sit in silence

I am a 60-something father of three who grew up with the oldest parents in my neighborhood. Ditto for my brothers. Because they were 13 and 11 when I was born, they also were the oldest siblings any of my childhood friends had in the 1950s.

Maybe it’s because I always was around older people or because I worked for the Long Beach-based Senior Care Action Network for years, I have an affinity for retirees. This is why it’s so heartbreaking for me to see so many older people at the grocery store who are listless, confused and alone.

It doesn’t get any better when I see them waiting on a bench for the community bus to pick them up and take them home. These seniors don’t read or talk on the phone while they wait. Instead, the stare off into space without any visible expression on their faces.

Because I am so much younger than these shoppers, I wonder what their lives were like 50, 60 or 70 years ago. I’m guessing most of the men served in the military while the majority of the women were stay-at-home moms. Maybe some of the men were engineers and the women taught. All I know is today many look like they are barely hanging on. Whatever their accomplishments were way back when, we won’t know. That’s because these seniors sit in silence.

Baby boomers, like myself, owe our parents’ generation a sincere debt of gratitude. Some my age followed their parents into their family business while others attended college in the ‘60s and protested the Vietnam War. I was lucky. My father, who practiced law for decades, didn’t insist I go to law school. He wanted me to find my own way.

When my date of birth was No. 1 in the first Vietnam-era draft lottery of 1969, both my parents told me they would support my decision to move to Canada if that’s what I wanted — which it wasn’t. Yes, my mom and dad still were the oldest parents in my neighborhood; but, they remained active and engaged in the great debates of our time.

I guess this is what troubles me most about the seniors I see at the grocery store. Unlike my parents, these older shoppers seem totally disengaged with life. Absent any great medical calamity, I hope my past doesn’t become my prologue. I never want my kids to see me sitting expressionless on a bench. That really would be heartbreaking.

When the time comes for me to pack it in — which better not be for several decades — I want my two sons and daughter to remember that I refused to sit in silence. That’s because I simply had too many stories and experiences to share. Just like my mom, dad and brothers did all those many years ago.

Denny Freidenrich

Laguna Beach

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High hopes for new city leaders

Our new Mayor Bob Whalen and new Police Chief Laura Farinella bring enthusiasm to Laguna Beach city government.

There were two receptions, back to back, at the Susi Q and Community Center on March 27.

At 3 p.m. in the Community Room, Laura Farinella was sworn in and her badge was pinned on by her partner and son. She is believed to be the first openly gay police chief in Orange County history. She is 51, served on the Long Beach Police Department 25 years, the last four as deputy chief.

Down the hallway, walking among a new art show in the Great Room, Whalen spoke at the second reception opening a wonderful new display up in the hallways, great room and Susi Q library. He spoke of the City Council’s desire to renew interest in our art heritage.

Luckily I was able to meet the mayor and new chief and both seemed friendly, aware and open to new ideas. Our city government has two new, great leaders.

Roger Carter

Laguna Beach

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