KATIE HOULAHAN
6 S. Alta Mira
Realtor® | DRE# 02005954 M 949.436.2833 katiehoulahan@mac.com
LAGUNA BEACH | Three Arch Bay
NEW LEASE!
$10,000/month
150 EL CAMINO DRIVE, BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90212. 310.595.3888. DRE# 01947727. © 2023 DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE. ALL MATERIAL PRESENTED HEREIN IS INTENDED FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY. WHILE, THIS INFORMATION IS BELIEVED TO BE CORRECT, IT IS REPRESENTED SUBJECT TO ERRORS, OMISSIONS, CHANGES OR WITHDRAWAL WITHOUT NOTICE. ALL PROPERTY INFORMATION, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO SQUARE FOOTAGE, ROOM COUNT, NUMBER OF BEDROOMS AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IN PROPERTY LISTINGS SHOULD BE VERIFIED BY YOUR OWN ATTORNEY, ARCHITECT OR ZONING EXPERT. IF YOUR PROPERTY IS CURRENTLY LISTED WITH ANOTHER REAL ESTATE BROKER, PLEASE DISREGARD THIS OFFER. IT IS NOT OUR INTENTION TO SOLICIT THE OFFERINGS OF OTHER REAL ESTATE BROKERS. WE COOPERATE WITH THEM FULLY. EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY.
“Our Town, Our Paper”
lagunabeachindy.com
APRIL 5, 2024 | Volume XXI, Issue 14
Beyond the Break: Tess Booth Finds Passion in Surfing, Solo Travel and Family By Jackie Connor, Special to the Independent Blink and you might pass up the beautiful shores of Oak Street Beach. Among the 26 unique shorelines in Laguna Beach, Oak Street is home to not only a marine protected area but also a host of locals like the Booth family, who call many of these unique shorelines home. For Tess Booth, 20, growing up splashing in the shore break and conquering some of Laguna Beach’s premier surf spots ignites a forever passion for the ocean. Daughter of former professional surfer and Laguna Beach local Jeff Booth and surf industry design veteran Melissa Martinez, owners of Distant Local, a surf shop co-branding company, Booth and her brother Travis were raised with surfing as a steadfast passion. Booth may not remember her very first wave, but she recalls diving under the waves at Oak Street alongside her dad when she was five years old. “Something clicked in my brain and I went under, and…it was perfectly fine,” said Booth. “And ever since that moment, I feel like I got really comfortable with the
Tess Booth navigates the lineup at Pavones surf break in Costa Rica. Photo/ Randolf Stoker
ocean and started surfing with my dad.” At age nine, Booth was determined to join her dad and brother out in the surf, recalling her birthday present from her dad—a seven-foot Odyssey surfboard. Fueled by her determination to be a part of the surf conversation with her dad and brother, Tess would surf on her own, honing her skills, or with her dad by her side, coaching her. “I am extremely lucky to have a dad
who is a master of his craft because he taught me everything that I know and really helped me to become the surfer that I am today and the surfer that I want to be,” said Booth. Her surf journey soon graduated to Brooks Street, a left-breaking wave whose reputation for being anything but gentle precedes itself during large summertime south swells. It is also home to the Brooks TESS, PAGE 24
Local Nonprofit Raises More Than $400K for Laguna Beach Schools By LB Indy Staff SchoolPower, Laguna Beach’s Education Foundation, hosted its 38th Annual Gala Above & Beyond on March 23 at Montage Laguna Beach. Chaired by SchoolPower trustees Ashley Brown and Liz Black, the event grossed more than $400,000 for Laguna Beach Unified School District’s four schools. “When a community works together to realize a mutual goal, magic is created. And magic is what SchoolPower has created
with its commitment to improving both the education and well-being of Laguna Beach students,” said Liz Black, a Thurston Middle School parent and event co-chair. SchoolPower is a parent volunteer-based, nonprofit that has raised money for Laguna Beach public schools since 1981. Through SchoolPower grants, the Family Resource Center, and the After School Program, SchoolPower supports academics, athletics, SCHOOL POWER, PAGE 21
Monks Return to Laguna Beach for Tibetan Cultural Arts Tour Seven holy men will offer house blessings and share Tibetan culture, sand mandala making, music, history
By LB Indy Staff After a five-year hiatus, the Drepung Gomang monks of India will return to Laguna Beach for a week for their Sacred Tibetan Arts Tour. Seven monks and their driver will offer a glimpse into their culture from April 14 to 21. The holy men, who are artists and scholars from Tibet’s oldest monastery, will construct a mandala, an intricate design made from fine, multicolored sand, sing their unique trichord chanting at the beginning and end of each day, perform blessings to conjure positive energy at homes and businesses, and present pujas. These stylized rituals combine chanting, music, prayer, and visualizations using Tibetan instruments and multi-tonal singing. Guests may visit to watch them construct the sand mandala at Healy House on the grounds of the Sawdust Art Festival. All events are free and open to the public, but donations are gratefully accepted and will be used to MONKS, PAGE 3
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REAL ESTATE GUIDE SchoolPower Executive Director Sarah Durand addresses guests at SchoolPower’s 38th Annual Gala. Photo/Candice Dartez Photography
THE ULTIMATE REAL ESTATE GUIDE FOR HOMEBUYERS & OWNERS IN NEWPORT BEACH AND LAGUNA BEACH