Michael Minutoli tries not to get emotional thinking about it.
It was his 10-year anniversary as Laguna Beach’s greeter, entertaining visitors and residents alike at the corner of S. Coast Highway and Brooks Street.
A local newspaper had reached out for a story, so later he was excited to see his picture on the front page. But it wasn’t about the anniversary.
It said the city was kicking him off his corner. He would no longer be the greeter. He was crestfallen and confused.
He recently sat on his cot not far from his corner, trying to make sense of it.
“I’m humbled that I cry about it,” he said. “Them kicking me off the corner was the last thing on my brain.”
Officially, the city was trying to create new ordinances to control musicians and buskers downtown. Unofficially, they screwed up.
Social media erupted when news hit about Minutoli. Nearly 7,000 people have signed a change.org petition, demanding that he be made whole.
There was a city meeting on July 27, and Minutoli earned an exception.
The original proposal banned Minutoli 10 feet from any curb, which technically prohibits him from the corner. Apparently, the city turned a blind eye.
Either way, Minutoli tries to be positive but it’s hard for him. Remember, he’s been the city’s quirky ambassador for 10 years. Has he been a stellar civic example? No, he admits candidly, but he’s always tried his best.
“I’m homeless but I choose this lifestyle,” he said. “I ask for nothing. I’ve done nothing, and I don’t bother nobody. I’ve never panhandled.”
He tries to avoid pointing fingers, but he can’t help but blame local politicians.
“I’m a Laguna Beach fan. But sometimes our politicians are not thinking solutions; they are thinking revenge. They need to focus their attention on more important things,” he said. “It’s caused emotional stress. They have no reason to do that to somebody. It’s wrong.”
And for Minutoli, there are many more important things, like cracking down on homeless criminals, who regularly drink and do drugs on Main Beach.
“Ticket the homeless if they break the law. I don’t break the law.”
Minutoli wants to lead his life, a difficult but determined life. He’s carved out his path, which might not make sense to others, but he owns it. At 61 with skin cancer and diabetes, he just wants to be left alone.
He wants his corner back. He wants to see the joy again that he causes in others.
“I don’t greet for love. I greet for others. My joy is when they see me wave to them. I see them. I see them and they smile.”
