Council Recap: From High-Speed Rail To Home Depot

At its first meeting in March the Lake Forest City Council managed to cover a wide range of topics, touching on high-speed rail and the plant displays at a local Home Depot in the same hour Tuesday evening.

Here's a recap of the highlights:

• City officials announced plans to ask for a Supreme Court review of a recent appellate ruling overturning a shutdown order for a local marijuana dispensary. (.)

• Lake Forest's assistant to the city manager said he is leaving his position to run the Community Services Department in Laguna Beach.

• Talks about high-speed rail were put on hold after couldn't get consensus from his colleagues to take a position on the controversial project. Councilman Peter Herzog voiced opposition, noting that the Orange County Transportation Authority has stayed neutral in the debate.

• Council members debated exactly how business-friendly Lake Forest is, with Voigts pushing to "expedite" permits for the city's two to have outdoor displays, saying that a delay could hurt business. Councilman Peter Herzog disagreed, calling it "unfortunate" that anyone would insinuate the city isn't looking out for its businesses. Every company must go through the same permitting process, he said.

• A contract for the Rancho Parkway roadway gap closure, potentially the last of the city's major roadway projects, passed 4-0. (Councilwoman Marcia Rudolph was absent from the meeting due to medical reasons.) Its construction will also provide access to the , which is .

The next council meeting is 7 p.m. March 20 at , 25550 Commercentre Drive.