This is why people shake their heads at government.
Just when you thought the Laguna Beach City Council was getting its mojo back, they’ve been stymied by a lemon-scented gum tree, aka eucalyptus.
The city has spent countless hours over one beleaguered tree – a crooked, damaged, tilting tree that looks like it could fall onto a nearby house at 387 El Camino Del Mar.
In fact, that’s what started this sour mess in the first place. In April, resident Howard Englander looked out at his front yard and wondered if the large tree was listing more than usual.
Concerned, he contacted the city because it’s on public property. The tree, flanked by other eucalyptus, is overgrowing a narrow strip of dirt between the sidewalk and the road. The sidewalk is buckled, which is not uncommon in Laguna because historically the tree policies have been shortsighted. Combine that with the current policies – save trees at all costs – and you can see where this is going.
Recently, the city hired a contractor to repair the sidewalk in front of Englander’s home, and the tree has never been the same.
After Englander’s call, the city’s arborist, Matthew Barker, went out and agreed that the tree should come down.
“Major roots had been damaged or severed,” Barker wrote in his report. “This coupled with a lean of the tree TOWARDS the home of the resident, I have assigned an overall risk rating of ‘moderate’ to this tree.”
Fast-forward to the Oct. 24 City Council meeting, where the issue should have been a consent item, but the councilmembers debated and finally voted 3-2 to remove the tree. Councilmembers George Weiss and Mark Orgill objected, believing that the city should perform a “Level 3 Risk Assessment,” which allegedly involves ground-penetrating radar, divining rods, and a subscription to Farmers’ Almanac.
Remember that in its native Australia, the eucalyptus is considered an “environmental weed.” Here, it’s just an enormous fire hazard.
Alas, the fire had been lit and impassioned tree preservers came out in force to the Nov. 7 City Council meeting for mobilized outrage and prepared scripts.
By the Nov. 21 meeting, the council was still dealing with the tree. Mayor Bob Whalen acquiesced to public pressure and asked the city’s staff to pull out the divining rods. It should be noted that Councilmember Alex Rounaghi was the only one in this latest round who voted to stop the madness, follow Barker’s expert advice and just cut the tree down.
All of which means there will be more meetings and discussion about this wayward tree.
Because that’s what we do.
