Summer Dress Attire

 Don't you love the smell of a fresh new T-Shirt?

 

 -LS

CALIFORNIA BICYCLE 3-FOOT PASSING LAW

In the event of oncoming traffic the California bicycle passing law does NOT allow you to pass within that 3-Foot space.  The vehicle code says SLOW DOWN and PASS WHEN SAFE. 

 

The Vehicle Code says:  

2025 California Code
Vehicle Code - VEH
DIVISION 11 - RULES OF THE ROAD
CHAPTER 3 - Driving, Overtaking, and Passing
ARTICLE 3 - Overtaking and Passing
Section 21760.

c) A driver of a motor vehicle shall not overtake or pass a bicycle proceeding in the same direction on a highway at a distance of less than three feet between any part of the motor vehicle and any part of the bicycle or its operator. The driver of a motor vehicle overtaking or passing a bicycle that is proceeding in the same direction and in the same lane of travel shall, if another lane of traffic proceeding in the same direction is available, make a lane change into another available lane with due regard for safety and traffic conditions, if practicable and not prohibited by law, before overtaking or passing the bicycle.

(d) If the driver of a motor vehicle is unable to comply with subdivision (c), due to traffic or roadway conditions, the driver shall slow to a speed that is reasonable and prudent, and may pass only when doing so would not endanger the safety of the operator of the bicycle, taking into account the size and speed of the motor vehicle and bicycle, traffic conditions, weather, visibility, and surface and width of the highway.

 

-LS

Memorial Day MONSTER Trucks

CAPTION CONTEST

Some possibilities: 

1. Where's my Parking WAAAAAH!  
2. Parking for PATRIOTS
3.  Looking for Fresno 
4. Wretched Excess
5. Der Uberbaron und Die Minimalist

 

Which vehicles do Laguna Residents wish to see on their streets? Do these images challenge our LB City status-quo (do nothing) mobility plan, or does it reassure LB Residents the status-quo is working?  

-LS 

MAY IS BIKE MONTH

Let's enjoy Bike Month by riding our bikes. Let's be smart about eBikes, they can kill and riders can be killed. 

Boost your knowledge about operating eBikes;

 

START SMART

RIDE SMART

 

 

learn riding techniques and road safety among automobiles. Learn these critical skills by taking this eBike Safety Course from People for Bikes and the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.  

-LS 

The Deforest of Laguna's Forest Avenue

TOLD YA SO.

A city renewal project without Project Requirements  (preserving heritage trees and sense of Place) lacks definition and contingencies.  When authorities deny Arborist's discovery and sufficient planning to manage unexpected events like public safety, the city council members are forced to make decisions that lead to results worse than expected. 

The Deforest of Forest Avenue

Now Laguna has a new sense of Place, thank you Council for the GAZA look. 

The most difficult question for an LB Council member:   "Am I true to myself"? 

"When you don't know where you're going, you'll end-up somewhere else."

-LS 

CALTRANS SHARROWS in Laguna Beach

 SHARROWS are pavement markings that indicate the roadway is shared by motor vehicles eBikes and pedal bicycles. 

Consistent with their Deputy Directive 64 for a transition to multi-modal mobility, the California Department of Transportation CALTRANS placed Sharrows on South Coast Highway at Woods Cove, pictured is 'PCH' at Moss Street. In a town experiencing a wretched excess of automobiles the use of more cycling complements the 2012 LB bike route. Like the bike route and LB Trolley these interventions are a welcome alternative to motorist traffic in Laguna Beach. 

THANK YOU CALTRANS, Department of Transformation.

Cyclists: The posted speed limit remains at 30 and 40mph, first adopters will learn to pedal harder.

SOUTHBOUND 

PCH Southbound at Moss St.

"May use full-lane" well mercy good for that.

OH SHIZ what's that ahead?

A Bikelane, perfect place to park a Semi

Why not two Semi's, nobody will notice.

Somebody  didn't get the Caltrans Memo

NORTHBOUND

 

30MPH on a bicycle?  Uphill?  No problem.

OK now what?  Guess I'll go back?

Thankyou Caltrans!

-LS

Promenade IV Street Art

 What-if the new Promenade IV offered Street Art? 

 -LS

Public Input Request LB Downtown Feb 4

Public Meeting 

One scoping meeting will be held to receive comments on the proposed scope and
content of the Downtown Specific Plan Phase II Update Draft EIR (Environment Impact Report). You are invitedto attend and present environ-mental information that you believe should be
addressed in the Draft EIR. The meeting will be scheduled for:

Wednesday, February 4, 2026 6:00 p.m.
Laguna Beach Council Chambers
505 Forest Avenue
Laguna Beach, CA 92651

 Submittal of Written Comments

Please indicate a contact person for your agency or organization and send written
comments (including first and last name, email address, telephone number, and/or
other contact information) electronically or by mail to the following:

                                        City of Laguna Beach
                             Community Development Department

                                          Planning Division
                           ATTN: Kate Kazama, Associate Planner
             RE: Laguna Beach Downtown Specific Plan Phase II Update

                                         505 Forest Avenue
                                     Laguna Beach, CA 92651
                            Email: kkazama@lagunabeachcity.net

ALL INTERESTED PARTIES ARE INVITED TO ATTEND THE PUBLIC SCOPING MEETING TO ASSIST IN IDENTIFYING ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED IN THE EIR. ATTENDEES WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE INPUT TO THE CONSULTANTS PREPARING THE EIR.

-LS

Irvine LOWERS Speed Limits

Given the new PCH bike Sharrows at Aliso I'm wondering, does CALTRANS expect cyclists to pedal the posted speed-limit of 40MPH?  How about 50MPH since that's what traffic is doing?  Meanwhile the city of Irvine have lowered their speed limits in zones where there are bicycles and hot-spots, so why can't CALTRANS do this on PCH?  

Here's a sampling from the city of Irvine:

•    
• 56 streets will have lower speed limits
• 35 streets stay the same
• 27 streets are newly surveyed and officially posted
• Only 2 street segments will see a speed increase (both on Bosque near the Great Park) 
•  

  Thank you Irvine Council Member Kathleen Treseder for supporting bicycle safety. 

  -LS 

How Motorists Defend Roadway Entitlement

  

 

"But Officer I didn't SEEEEE him"

 

 

-LS

TESLA CYBER TANKS in Laguna Beach

TO THE INSECURE PATRIOT IN YOUR DEPLORIAN DUMPSTER WHO NEARLY KILLED ME TODAY, THE 3-FOOT PASSING RULE STATES:

2024 California Code
Vehicle Code - VEH
DIVISION 11 - RULES OF THE ROAD
CHAPTER 3 - Driving, Overtaking, and Passing
ARTICLE 3 - Overtaking and Passing
Section 21760.

21760. (a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the Three Feet for Safety Act.

(b) The driver of a motor vehicle overtaking and passing a bicycle that is proceeding in the same direction on a highway shall pass in compliance with the requirements of this article applicable to overtaking and passing a vehicle, and shall do so at a safe distance that does not interfere with the safe operation of the overtaken bicycle, having due regard for the size and speed of the motor vehicle and the bicycle, traffic conditions, weather, visibility, and the surface and width of the highway.

 

 

WATCH THE ROAD NOT YOUR DASH-CAM 

 LEARN TO SHARE-THE-ROAD

-LS 

CANCELED e-Bike Safety Course at Thurston

CANCELLED DUE TO RAIN

(To be rescheduled by LBPD) 

Calling all E-Bike Riders !!!

E-Bike Traffic Safety Saturday 3 January '26

• earn E-bike permit
• Cost: FREE
• Bring your bikes 

 Sponsored by the Laguna Beach Police Department and Thurston Middle School 

Here's the public flyer: 

-LS

 

LB South Coast Highway gets Sharrows

 

Got Sharrows?  Within hours we leave 2025 forever, lets take notice that South Coast Highway received Sharrows in the #2 lanes through Laguna Beach, from Upland through Aliso Beach. 

Atta-Boy CALTRANS

During regular maintenance for roadway tar and slurry and consistent with an earlier Pacific Corridor study,  California Route 1 through Laguna received these Sharrows and bike-boxes near the Montage Resort and Hotel. 

However,  the speed limit remains unchanged at 40mph. How many of you can pedal 40mph or faster to keep-up with PCH motorist traffic? Uphill?  Should be a challenge for eBikes as well. Are these Complete Streets interventions consistent with Caltrans Department Directive-64 or the Pacific Corridor study? 

What else does Caltrans have in store for Route #1 through Laguna Beach? 

-LS 

What Motorists Miss Most

Trek-in' at sunset Laguna Beach, CA

-LS

Laguna Beach Denstiny

Charm;

Beauty;

Village; 

Rural;

Small Scale; 

Marine Sanctuary.

The destiny of  Laguna Beach and a choice by city leadership. Will Laguna Beach residents regret their decision?

-LS 

E-Bike Safety Community Town Hall: City of Irvine

 

E-Bike Safety Community Town Hall Saturday, November 22nd at 10:00 AM Location: Las Lomas Community Center

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

Saturday:  Join Congressman Dave Min and Councilmember Kathleen Treseder for a community discussion on E-Bike safety and how residents can stay safe while out in the community. With the increase in unsafe E-Bike behaviors, Congressman Dave Min and Councilmember Kathleen Treseder will be joined by representatives from the UC Irvine Police Department and the Irvine Police Department. Learn about local enforcement efforts happening in Irvine, hear safety tips, and get updates from Congressman Min on transportation safety initiatives at the federal level. 📩 For questions, contact: kathleentreseder@cityofirvine.org CLICK HERE TO RSVP

BEACH CITY COMPENSATION AND TRAFFIC SAFETY

In 2008 Laguna Beach  appointed a City Task Force to study and make recommendations to reduce congestion and improve traffic safety for Laguna Beach. Members of the Complete Streets Task Force consisted of LB residents and neighboring beach cities volunteers, we coordinated with the LB Planning Commission to find money and develop plans to adopt approve and implement COMPLETE STREETS POLICY for Laguna Beach. 

In 2012 The City responded  THERES NO MONEY FOR THAAAAAT.

In 2014 forward thinking city staff in San Clemente applied for, won grant money and won  a "Best in State" Award for their multi-modal street safety plan and adopted Complete Streets Policy. 

Today the LB PATCH declares "$168,000 Grant Awarded to the LBPD for Traffic SAFETY".  The LBPD grant will allow law enforcement to:

• DUI checkpoints and patrols focused on stopped suspected impaired drivers.
• High visibility distracted driving enforcement operations targeting drivers in violation of California's hands-free cell phone law.
• Enforcement operations focused on the most dangerous driver behaviors that put the safety of people biking or walking at risk.

The public remains under the illusion that congestion and traffic safety is an enforcement problem and grant money must be the means to improve traffic safety. Law enforcement grants do nothing to address the issue of mobility policy or road infrastructure. 

These measures correct motorist behavior, they do not  fund a multi-modal plan to improve traffic safety with new infrastructure (bike-lanes, pedestrian furniture, traffic calming). Grant funding for Complete Streets Policy is available if the City applies, instead this grant funds LBPD law enforcement. 

If the City of Laguna Beach Has No Money for Thaaaaat, then where does all our money go?  These charts show where Laguna's city budget compared other beach cities.

 

 

 -LS

New Law Youth eBike Sales Prohibited

New California eBike Legislation 

New California legislation prohibits the sale of Class 3 eBikes to individuals under the age of 16, a violation of this prohibition is punishable by a fine not to exceed $250. Signed by the California Governor and filed with the Secretary of State July 28 2025 the new law is presently in effect. 

eBike Classifications 

eBikes are bicycles with electric motors to assist the rider, they are separated into three classifications according to their operating capability like this:

• Class 1 eBike motors provide assistance only when the operator is pedaling, these bike motors are speed and assistance limited to 20mph.
• Class 2 eBike motors provide assistance whether the operator is pedaling or not, these bike motors are speed and assistance limited to 20 mph.
• Class 3 eBikes provide a speedometer and a motor that provide assistance when pedaling, these motors are speed and assistance limited to 28mph. 

eBike Safety 

AB 965 aligns the sale of eBikes with the permitted age of use for young operators and critically protects our youth under the age of 16. The measure is a safety-first fix by increasing parent involvement in making the purchase decision for their children's transportation choices and safety. 

 

"This new law will work in conjunction with other bills and regulations, attempting to curb accidents and injuries. According to data from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, children 14 years and younger accounted for 36% of “micromobility injuries” from 2017 to 2022." (see Assembly Woman Diane Dixon 72nd District 2025 Legislation TBD)

 

-LS 

PARKING AS A SOCIAL DEFECT

 

Click for Amazon Book

From the back cover:  

"Parking, quite literally, has a death grip on America: each year a shocking number of Americans kill one another over parking spots, and we routinely do ridiculous things for parking, contorting our professional, social, and financial lives to get a spot. Since the advent of the car, we have deformed our cities in a Sisyphean quest for car storage, and as a result, much of the nation's most valuable real estate is now devoted to empty vehicles.  Parking determines the design of new buildings and the fate of old ones, traffic patterns and the viability of transit, neighborhood politics and municipal finance, and the overall quality of public space. Is this really the best use of our finite resources? Is parking really more important than everything else?"

 Several points bear repeating for Laguna Beach: 

• we have deformed our town for the incessantly reoccurring quest for car storage.
•  our town's most valuable real estate is devoted to empty vehicles
• parking determines the fate of old buildings
• parking determines the design of new buildings
• parking determines municipal finance
• parking determines the overall quality of public space 

 Should parking be the best use of our finite resources? 

Is parking more important than everything else?  

 

 

-LS