Mailbag: Laguna Beach needs to continue to revitalize old structures

Your article in Forum of the Daily Pilot, “Hansen: Reviewing 2016 in Laguna,” (Dec. 21) was spot-on. Having lived in Laguna since 1984, we seem to be seeing a progression downward in the state of the city.

One thing I would add to your list in reviewing 2016 is downtown buildings and the deplorable condition they are in.

An example is the Fiori building on one of the major corners in the downtown area. How can a city allow such a structure to exist in the condition it’s been in for years? The city needs to bring the owners of these buildings to task and force some improvements.

On the bright side, the opening of The Ranch in South Laguna and the metamorphosis there are a joy to behold. It would be great if the entire city could get into the spirit that permeates that location.

Ben Jensen

Laguna Beach

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Thank you, Mr. President

Now that Barack Obama is down to a handful of days left in office, I want to express my deep admiration for the way he has conducted himself as president. I know many of my conservative USC fraternity brothers wanted him to disappear years ago, but not yours truly.

The first time I met then-Sen. Obama was in June 2007. He was attending a breakfast meeting with Orange County Democrats, and I was picked to be his wing man for the morning. For 45 minutes, I whispered into his ear little tidbits about each person he was about to meet. He was all business, but I could tell there was something special about the man. When he gave his breakthrough speech in Iowa during that state’s first-in-the-nation caucus in 2008, I knew I was backing a winner.

Just before he went to Denver to accept my party’s nomination for president, Obama made another stop in Orange County. This time it was at the Balboa Bay Club. Having been one of a handful of supporters who helped raise $1.2 million that day, I was eager to see him again. When it was my turn to have my picture taken with Obama, he greeted me with that big smile of his and said, “Hey, I remember you. You helped me a year ago.”

I was floored. About the only thing I could say was, “I remember you too.” We both laughed as the cameras zoomed in on us.

As I stepped away, I turned back and said, “We’re counting on you.” Obama looked at me and replied, “I won’t let you down.”

And you know what? He didn’t. I have voted in every presidential election since 1972. I was proud to have voted for Barack Obama twice.

It’s not every day you get to stand next to a truly remarkable person. I always will cherish the two times I stood literally inches from Barack Obama. A month before he took office in 2009, I wrote the following for Newsweek magazine:

“Barack Obama’s victory was as significant as George Washington becoming America’s first president, Abraham Lincoln holding the country together during the Civil War or Franklin D. Roosevelt taking office during the depths of the Great Depression. The lasting legacy of Washington, Lincoln and Roosevelt is that they governed wisely. I have every expectation that a soon-to-be President Obama will do the same.”

He did, and the nation will forever be grateful. I know I always will be.

Denny Freidenrich

Laguna Beach