By Gene Felder
Have you heard of California Proposition 4, the Parks, Environment, Energy, and Water Bond Measure (2024)? I encourage all voters to support it.
I have been a board member of the Laguna Canyon Conservancy (LCC) for 35 years, and the LCC Board has voted to endorse Proposition 4. The LCC has supported the preservation of Laguna Canyon since 1988 was the lead sponsor of the Nov. 11, 1989 Walk in the Canyon, and has helped to place and pass State bond measures on the state ballot. The Laguna Greenbelt and the creation of the wilderness parks benefitted greatly from past California State bond measures.
In 1988, voters passed Proposition 70, including $10 million to the city of Laguna Beach to expand the Laguna Greenbelt. Money was used for the Laguna Canyon purchase and for the Carma-Sandling property, now the “Laguna Heights” portion of the Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park. The city purchased 471 acres for $4 million.
In 1990, almost 80% of Laguna Beach voters increased their property taxes, approving Proposition H, which provided a $20 million bond for land purchase in Laguna Canyon from the Irvine Company.
The LCC, along with Village Laguna and the Laguna Greenbelt, Inc., participated in the formation of the Laguna Canyon Foundation in 1990. The Laguna Canyon Foundation had the task of finding the money to complete the Laurel Canyon purchase from the Irvine Company and then negotiating to spend California Proposition 12 money to buy lots to fill the Laguna Greenbelt.
Proposition 12 was passed in 2000, the “California Safe Neighborhood Parks, Clean Water, and Coastal Protection Bond Act,” which provides $12.5 million for the city to purchase land for the South Coast Wilderness system.
Thanks to the work of Derek Ostensen and Scott Ferguson of the Laguna Canyon Foundation, city purchases included Trinity 36-acre parcel, Wainwright 32-acre parcel, Decker 11.43-acre parcel, Haun 10.45-acre parcel, Jaysu 27.92-acre parcel, Stonefield 50.37-acre parcel, Chao 58.4- acre parcel, SBD 10.38-acres, Bunn-Moore 4.5-acre parcel, McGraw 1.99-acre parcel, and the McGehee 56.25-acre parcel. Quite amazing work! The city then leased the parcels to the County of Orange for management as part of Laguna Coast Wilderness Park.
Bond measures have been very good to Laguna Beach. They do not come along that often. The 2024 Proposition 4 “Parks, Environment, Energy, and Water Bond Measure” is another opportunity for Laguna Beach. Please vote for it.
Longtime president of the Laguna Greenbelt, Elisabeth Brown, recently passed, had voiced concerns about the genetic health of the wildlife in the South Coast Wilderness system and the need for an animal corridor to and from the Cleveland National Forest in inland Orange County. See extensive information at lagunagreenbelt.org online for the Irvine-Laguna Wildlife Corridor and wildlifecorridor.org.
Proposition 4 provides $180 million for wildlife crossings. Also, critically important for Laguna Beach is $3.8 billion for drought, flood, and water supply, $1.5 billion for forest health and wildlife, $1.2 billion for sea-level rise and coastal areas, $1.2 billion for land conservation and habitat restoration, $700 million for parks, and $450 million for extreme heat. Also, $300 million for farms and agriculture.
Laguna Beach may be able to secure funding through grants from this pool of money to address needs, including:
Investing in proven strategies to detect, prevent, and reduce the intensity and spread of fires; Protecting communities by creating natural breaks and removing burnable brush around populated areas; Improving early detection and disaster response, deploying detection and early warning systems; Enhancing safety by upgrading available firefighting equipment, emergency communications, evacuation routes, and shelter availability; Preserves open spaces, forests, and our coastline for this and future generations; Improves and restores natural areas to improve habitats and protect wildlife; Prepares communities for extreme heat, with investments to plant more trees for shade, creating more green space, and building community cooling centers.
If Proposition 4 passes, Laguna Beach could be very busy writing grant requests for fuel modification, fires detecting cameras, better emergency communication and other equipment.
More information about LCC can be found at LagunaCanyonConservancy.org, where past programs can be viewed under the “Programs” tab. The LCC is a nonprofit organization, however, donations are generally not tax deductible. Since we take positions on public policy issues, the LCC is not a 501 (c) 3 organization but rather a 501 (c) 4.
Gene is the Host of KXFM’s “Village Laguna Hour,” Treasurer of the Laguna Canyon Conservancy, President of the Top of the World Neighborhood Association, Treasurer of Laguna Residents First, and serves as an alternate on the Coastal Greenbelt Authority.
